Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 33 & 34

 31st January  2024

• Many have this common confusion: am I living for the body or the body is living for me?
• Those who conclude that 'I am living for the body' cannot accept the inevitable changes that happen in the body due to old age
• This denial leads to depression and dejection; they live with constant complaints about their fate or destiny
• Conversely, those who understand the body as the vehicle of the soul, efficiently use even the frail body to the fullest. 
• They fail to fall prey to the deceptions of the mind's attachments and thereby remain free of melancholy and misery.

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 31 & 32

 30th January 2024

• The 'objective mind' is the rational intellect and the 'subjective mind' is the emotional mind
• Reasoning without emotion will be a dry and uninteresting life,  and emotions without any reason will be a drain of energy leading to constant conflicts with everyone around.
• When we strongly identify with our own favorite ideas and opinions, blinded by them we act unreasonably.
• Arjun has already concluded that the war is unreasonable and unnecessary from the standpoint of his subjective mind which has divorced from the main purpose of the war - the only available means to establish dharma forsaken by the Kaurava rulers
• When the goal is not kept in sight, challenging situations in life will delude our vision and decisions.

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 29 & 30

 29 January 2024

Arjuna's state is described in the textbooks of modern psychology as  anxiety-state-neurosis 

- Swami Chinmayananda

• Thoughts are not isolated only in the mind; what and how we think can affect our physical health too. 
• You may have experienced sweat and palpitation if you have woken up from a dreadful dream. Body reacts to what goes on in the mind
• Arjuna's strong identification with his kith and kin, made him lose his physical balance and strength as well. 
• His mental projection that he would be held responsible for the impending disaster led to self-condemnation and depression.
• Emotional instability also causes roadblocks to proficiency to turn into efficiency.

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 27 & 28

 28 January 2024

"In the human heart, there is always a great tendency to glorify one's own weaknesses with some convenient angelic name and divine purpose." 

- Swami Chinmayananda

• Arjuna saw his own kith and kin lined up on both sides to fight the war that would result in mass destruction
• Arjuna is unable to view the situation objectively due to his strong identification with the family members who will be sacrificing their lives
• Love is a weakness if it forsakes the appropriate action that results in lasting benefit to one and all
• A leader cannot lead a community, group, or organization if there is subjective involvement in a given predicament that calls for an unbiased decision and action
• A truly loving mother will deny the ice cream to the sick child, not as punishment to the child but as an aid to the medical treatment that the child needs. 

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 25 & 26

 27 January 2024

"Do not fight with your own mind - educate it." - Pujya Gurudev

• Arjuna should realize that the war is not for revenge or retaliation for what Kauravas did to him and his brothers; if it is, then the war does not establish Dharma.
• Lord Krishna placed the chariot in front of Bhishma and Drona, the two most revered statesmen and teachers of Arjuna to evaluate his intent.
• If we know the purpose of our life as liberation from all bondages, we should not consciously create new bondages for ourselves.
• In daily life situations, let us evaluate the strings that we are already attached to, and practice loosening them one by one until we gain the wisdom to rise above all of them.

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 23 & 24

 26 January 2024

• Arjuna entered the battlefield with frustration and anger over Duryodhana for all the troubles that he created for the Pandava brothers. He was enraged by Karna as well.
• The difference between Karma and Dharma is this: Karma is action and Dharma is the intention behind the action.
• Giving a donation for a cause is action; when it is done with true sympathy for the cause is Dharma, lack of which, it is not.
• This could be applied to all our actions; thus, we must cultivate the right intention.
• Lord Krishna, knowing the intent of Arjuna and wishing to teach him Dharma will create the situation for him to think about the purpose of the war!

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 21 & 22

 25 January 2024

• Arjun requests his charioteer Lord Krishna to place the chariot between the two armies to evaluate the enemy line.
• One of the important steps in spiritual development is to clearly see which of the vasana-s are the impediments to our growth
• Unbiased observation of our own behavior, thoughts, and choices will reveal to us, our own weaknesses and habitual tendencies
• We can continue to live without such self-observation throughout our life. No one will be with us to condemn or criticize our vasana-s 
• Yet, the one who embarks with self-honesty will face the unpleasant, bitter reality that our own mind is our enemy.  

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 19 & 20

 24 January 2024

• The conch of the Lord is to give a clarion call to all the sons of Dhrtarashtra, to get ready for the war!
• Pujya Gurudev observed: 'The four hands of Vishnu carrying the lotus, conch, maze and the Sudarshana disc have spiritual significance.'
• To those who surrender to Him, the Lord gives the lotus symbolizing faultless wisdom, gaining which one will remain unaffected by the world like the lotus on the water
• To those who have not surrendered, he blows the conch to remind them that surrendering to God is the path to liberation.
• To those who are still treading the path of adharma, he shows the maze indicating due punishment that awaits those who don't change their ways
• To those who are under the spell of tamas, who are unable to recognize the purpose of their birth and also insulting the Lord, disc will be deployed!

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 17 & 18

 23 January 2024

• धृत - holding राष्ट्र - sovereignty or kingdom. धृतराष्ट्र represents the possessive nature of the ignorant soul
• Despite knowing the virtues of the noble sons of Pandu, the blind king is unable to give up either the kingdom for them or his blind love for his erring son
• Bhishma who has given his word to his father about protecting the kingdom and the king, is helplessly standing for what is evidently a transgression of nobility
• Both these senior members of the kingdom have forsaken their moral responsibility to protect the Dharma
• Wisdom does not come by age; it only comes by true learning and practice of knowledge with devotion to God

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 15 & 16

 22 January 2024

• हृषीक - Sense organ ईश - master; While the individual soul remains a slave to the senses, only the one who has mastered the senses हृषीकेश: can claim the Godhood
• The need for mastery over the senses has been repeatedly conveyed in many verses in the Bhagavad Gita.
• आत्मानं रथिनं विद्धि शरीरं रथमेव तु। बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि - Kathopanishad. 
• The chariot in which Arjuna is seated is driven by Lord Krishna Himself. This symbolizes that the soul seated in the body if guided by the Lord seated in the intellect as master of the senses, is sure to succeed in life and accomplish the final goal of liberation. 
• Steadfastness in any endeavor will truly win the desired result. The one who is well-balanced and determined is युधि - in the battle, स्थिर: - steady - युधिष्ठिर:

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 13 & 14

 21 January 2024

• No war has ever resulted in peace, though everyone believes that peace will return after defeating the Crusaders 
• When the conches blew to declare the beginning of the Mahabharata war by the chiefs of the Kaurava army, it was the result of the inevitable clash of ideologies
• When the inherent tendencies in us known as vasana-s begin to overpower our mind and if our informed intellect does not heed, war is imminent.
• It is Krishna, seated in our intellect as wisdom replies diligently to such a call.
• Chant 'Sri Krishna Sharanam Mama' repeatedly whenever you notice the strong pull and push of the vasana-s

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 11 & 12

 20 January 2024

• Anger, lust, passion, greed, jealousy, arrogance, pride - all these have one thing in common: lack of contentment
• No one feels comfortable in the presence of a person who has any one of the above
• Conversely, we feel at peace in the proximity of a person of love, compassion, humility, peace, etc. Why?
• These take us close the our Self, our real home of contentment!

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 9 & 10

 19 January 2024

"Let your goal be so high, for which one life is not sufficient to reach it!' 

- Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda

• Great men live and die for others. Rest expect everyone to sacrifice for themselves.
• Our daily life should align with our life's goals. If not, hours and days will pass by and our human birth will be just a futile existence.
• The terrible and adamant beliefs protecting the ego should be faced with fearlessness supported by faith in God
• Faith in God requires total surrender through constant remembrance, not just the celebration of festivals and rituals!

Gita reflection Ch 1 verses 7 & 8

 18 January 2024

"When we are not ourselves pure, we will project our own weaknesses and impurities on others who are working around us as our subordinates." - Swami Chinmayananda

• The world is nothing but our own mind's reflection. Instead of correcting the world around us, when we start correcting ourselves we will be better off!
• Those who gained the knowledge of the scriptures are regarded as twice-born - once born with ignorance from the mother's womb and the next with wisdom by the grace of the Guru!
• The ego evaluates its strength again and again to ensure its position in ruling over the mind and intellect, as does Duryodhana.
• Whenever we feel that someone's ego is troubling us, it is our own ego that gets hurt and not the Self. 
• The wise one without ego, cannot get hurt by anyone's words or actions; for, he has nothing left in himself that can get hurt!

Gita Reflection Ch 1 verses 5 & 6

 

Gita Reflection Ch 1 verses 5 & 6

• धृष्ट-केतु : a bold Chief or leader, चेकितान a wise person, पुरुजित् hero who repeatedly won. 
• Though these are a few of the Pandava warriors of a limited army, Duryodhana has a valid concern because each of them excels in what they do.
• Positive values (samskara-s), even if they are few must be deep and strong to overcome habitual tendencies (vasana-s) even if they are innumerable.
• युधामन्यु (युधा - at war मन्यु - zealous). One of the important virtues of all men of success is their zeal - devotional passion toward the goal.
• उत्तम+ओजस् - person of excellent vigor which is another trait for the battle with ego and its associates!
• Though the warriors were real and historical, for the purpose of our self-development we should relate to their virtues.

Gita reflection Ch.1 verses 3 & 4

 16 January 2024

Verses 3 & 4

दुस् means hard and योधन is to fight. दुर्योधन is hard to fight with. He represents the ego that has the support of all negativities in us, which are large in number.

He is the product of a blind mind and blindfolded intellect.

When the positive values are organized with the help of the Lord, the ego gets agitated and looks for help from भीष्म the terror, and द्रोण the vengeful teacher.

The word धृष्टम् means courage and द्युम्न means enthusiasm. The one who has both courage and enthusiasm is धृष्टद्युम्न. To face the negativities in our lives we should have both courage and enthusiasm.

Ego cannot stand inquiry; ऋज् means firmness with determination. अर्जुन  symbolizes this and when we stand firm on positive values without fear (भी+मा), the ego cannot but get frightened.

Gita reflection Ch.1 verses 1 & 2

15 Jan 2024 

Introduction of Chapter 1 

• Kauravas represent innumerable negative tendencies in us and Pandavas, the few divine impulses
• Though smaller in number, when the divine impulses are organized under the guidance of the Supreme Lord, Krishna, they will gain permanent victory over the negative tendencies in us
• Dhrtarashtra represents the mind, blind to truth and Gandhari is the intellect which has assumed blindness. Together they can only beget criminalities!
• Dharma is the first word in Bhagavad Gita and the last word is 'Mama' (mine). The entire text is nothing but Mama Dharma (My Dharma)
• Dharma is the essential nature of anything without which it cannot retain its independent existence.
• So too to live a truly dynamic life we should be faithful to our Dharma

Verse 1

• Dhrtarashtra is aware of the injustice he had caused to the Pandavas and therefore he doubts the outcome of the war

Verse 2

• When our motives are impure and our cause unjust, our minds will become restless and agitated.

 14 Jan 2024

Hari om!

To mark the 108th Jayanti of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, all CM members are requested to take up the study of Bhagavad-Gita (2 verses per day) by Swami Swaroopananda, the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission.

In line with this, CMLA has requested all the members to do Gita Swadhyaya (Self-Study). We have created this blog to share my reflection on Gita verses.

Reference: Holy Geeta commentary by Swami Chinmayananda 

The Blog opens on 15 Jan 2024

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