Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 41 & 42

26th April 2024

• Detachment is the state of being free from emotional attachment to a person, object, or experience. 
• Being detached does not mean that we do not care. Instead, it means that we can approach situations objectively without letting our emotions cloud our judgment.
• When we act with the pure intention of doing our best, we are acting objectively. On the other hand, when we are anxious about the results, we become subjectively involved and may not make the best decisions.
• Having self-knowledge helps us to practice objective behavior. It destroys the ignorance that provokes subjective and possessive behavior, allowing us to approach situations with clarity and wisdom.

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 39 & 40

25th April 2024

• The Bhagavad Gita provides a three-step process for achieving peace and liberation that is relatively quick to complete. 
• The first step is to have total faith in the scriptures and the Guru. This faith is not a blind belief, but rather a process of diligently inquiring into the truth of the scriptural knowledge under the guidance of the Guru. 
• The second step is to constantly remain focused on the ultimate goal of liberation. The third and final step is to train the senses and the mind to break free from their habitual behaviors through vigilant self-discipline. 
• It is important to note that a lack of faith can prevent one from remaining focused on anything. Doubt can kill enthusiasm in any endeavor and lead to a joyless existence in this world, with nothing beyond death.

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 37 & 38

24th April 2024

• One spark is enough to burn an entire log of dry wood to ashes because the fire is hidden within the wood itself. 
• Similarly, Self-Awareness is present within everyone, although it is hidden and unmanifest. 
• Self-knowledge is like a spark that brings forth the hidden Self-Awareness, and through this realization, all actions born of desires will burn to ashes. 
• Refining one's personality through Self-knowledge is an irreversible process. One will burn the bridge behind oneself through this knowledge. 
• Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji wisely said, "Take one step at a time. You may not even see the next step until you are ready. But when you are, in due course of time, the next one will appear, and the previous one will disappear!"

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 35 & 36

23rd April 2024

• Even a well-known scholar forgets his knowledge when he is fully drunk. Only when he becomes sober, he can recollect his erudition. 
• Similarly, we are currently intoxicated with passion, lust, greed, jealousy, hatred, and other delusions that have been caused by ignorance.
• Self-knowledge brings back the sober condition and frees us from the delusion of seeing ourselves as separate from others, which causes constant conflict with the world around us. 
• Self-knowledge allows us to see everyone as part of ourselves or as part of God. This knowledge is not limited only to scholars and intelligent seekers.
• Even if one is a sinner or a criminal, having this divine understanding can serve as a means to overcome the ocean of sins.

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 33 & 34

 22nd April 2024

• All the sacrifices that are prescribed in the Vedas are aimed at fulfilling an individual's desires and ambitions. 
• Although these sacrifices are considered holy and religious, they are not intended to relinquish the ego.
• The knowledge sacrifice, also known as Jnaana yagna, is a process in which the false identification of the performer is destroyed in the dawn of the awareness of the Self. 
• The primary objective of the knowledge sacrifice is to eliminate the ego and ensure that all actions end in knowledge.
• A wise teacher who has realized his Self will bestow Self-knowledge when one performs sincere service along with surrender and ardent inquiry.

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 31 & 32

 21st April 2024

• In the Sanatana Dharma culture, food offered to God is called prasad. When food is touched with divinity, it becomes holy. 
• Similarly, a song becomes a bhajan, water becomes teertham, a place becomes a pilgrimage, and an action becomes seva when touched by the divine.
• If one mindlessly indulges in passion without recognizing the divinity in all, even this world or life is incomplete for them, and there is no hope of a higher world for them.
• All religious sacrifices are actions that, though performed with reverence, will bring only limited results. Anything caused by something is subject to end. 
• Only by knowing the limitation of action and results, one gains true dispassion in all worldly pursuits.

Gita reflection Ch 4 verses 29 & 30

 20th April 2024

• Our body is like a balloon, where the vital energy from the world around us flows in and out, just like the air in the balloon. 
• This energy is offered to the outgoing and incoming energy, like any other sacrifice, by some practitioners to calm their minds.
• When we observe this continuous activity happening inside our body, we become more tranquil, peaceful, and free of any disturbances. This state of mind then helps us to meditate more effectively.
• Hunger is created by the vital energy movements in the body. Therefore, some people practice a regular diet that offers only what is suitable for their body without indulging in food. 
• All these methods help to prepare the body, mind, and intellect for higher flights in meditation.