Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 22 & 23

17th October 2024

Lord Krishna begins by explaining the characteristics of someone who has risen above the three qualities of nature. Such a person exhibits dispassion both externally and internally. 

Internally, he does not reject the qualities of Sattva (pursuit of knowledge), Rajas (activity), and Tamas (delusion) as they arise in the mind. Furthermore, he does not crave these qualities when they are absent from his thoughts.

Understanding that all three qualities can tie him to the world of material objects, senses, and the mind, he remains detached from them, much like a person who neutrally observes a game without favoring any team or player, and in doing so, truly enjoys the game.

He also realizes that all bodily and sensory movements are influenced by the dominance of one or more qualities, yet he remains unaffected by them.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 20 & 21

16th October 2024

The Hindu ritualists believe that the ultimate goal of human life is to obtain the heavens, the abode of pure pleasures. This is achieved through accumulating merits by performing rituals and leading a life of dharma.

According to Vedanta philosophy, the final goal is liberation, which entails immortality and freedom from death, old age, and suffering. This can be accomplished by detaching from the qualities of Nature, namely Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.

In the Bhagavad Gita,  the curious seeker, Arjuna, asked Lord Krishna about the signs of a person who has transcended the qualities and how such a person behaves while living with the body. 

He also inquired about how one can transcend these qualities. The answer to these questions is important for seekers who want to learn how to remain unaffected by the ups and downs of life.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 18 & 19

15th October 2024

Our thoughts determine our progress. Academic learning provides us with the means to live, while spiritual education gives us a vision of life. It inspires us to aspire to the highest human endeavor, to free ourselves from the sorrows in the present life, and to end the endless cycle of birth and death.

Those who maintain the quality of sattva in their minds reach a higher level of consciousness, both in this life and after death. Their soul can ascend to Satyaloka, the world of illumined souls! 

Those who are primarily Rajasic return to the human world after death, while those who are predominantly Tamasic by nature take on animal life after leaving the human body.

The ultimate 'seer' within us is the Self, which remains unaffected and witnesses the activities created by the three qualities of Nature. Those who remain identified with the Self recognize it as higher than the qualities of Nature and attain Godhood.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 16 & 17

14th October 2024

There cannot be an effect without a cause. This is the premise of the law of Karma. All actions will have consequences.

When an action is performed with sattvic intention, the result will be pure, beneficial, and foster positive growth. Actions with rajasic intention will result in sorrow, while those with tamasic intention will result in further delusion.

A mind with minimum disturbance is ready for Self-knowledge. This state is called Sattva. On the other hand, a mind with agitations caused by desires will lead one to become extremely greedy for wealth and pleasure. This state is called Rajas.

A person in the state of Tamas, though desirous of comfort and indulgence, does not engage in action to achieve wealth or pursue knowledge to overcome desires. Consequently, their life will be full of delusion, inadvertence, and laziness.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 14 & 15

13th October 2024

Everyone is fearful of the uncertainties of life, and death is one of them. There is no way of knowing where the soul will travel after death.

Lord Krishna assures that when a soul undergoes death while sattva is exclusively predominant, it attains the pure and higher worlds. This is a direct instruction from the Lord: practice all spiritual disciplines regularly to maintain sattva.

What happens if one dies while Rajas is predominant? The soul will be born among people attached to activity. When there is a lack of inclination for self-knowledge or devotion to God, the natural tendency is to engage in actions that fulfill desires. This momentum continues after leaving the present body as well.

Similarly, when one dies while tamas predominates, the soul will take birth among the lower species that remain ignorant and inactive.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 12 & 13

12th October 2024

Action is driven by desires, which are influenced by vasanas. When Sattva, or the right knowledge, doesn't overcome vasanas, then there will be no end to actions.

When Rajas is dominant, there will be constant unrest, longing, and actions. Pursuing knowledge will also be incomplete when Rajas prevails.

Just as darkness is the absence of light, Tamas is the absence of knowledge. This absence essentially means the unavailability of knowledge to understand and make distinctions before taking any action.

The predominance of Tamas is characterized by error, inactivity, and delusion, even in a person who is active during Rajas and seeks knowledge in Sattva. Learning is greatly hindered when Tamas is predominant.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 10 & 11

11th October 2024

No living being exists without the qualities of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. However, only human beings, using their intellectual ability, can decide which of the three qualities should be allowed to dominate. This ability to discern is called Viveka or discrimination.

Since Sattva is of the nature of knowledge, seekers should consciously strive to keep Rajas and Tamas under control while pursuing liberation. This is the essence of spiritual practice or discipline.

Generally, Rajas dominate all activities, overpowering Sattva and Tamas. During sleep, Tamas dominates over the other qualities.

The indicator of the predominance of Sattva is when all the senses and the mind express full attention and awareness. It is like a lamp placed inside a pot, emitting light through all the openings of the pot!

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 8 & 9

10th October 2024

The quality of Tamas is darkness. Just as in darkness, nothing is properly seen, and this causes delusion. Similarly, a person of Tamas remains ignorant. 

The predominance of Tamas leads to laziness, carelessness, and sleep. Tamas is inactive and impure, unlike Sattva and Rajas, which are pure and active respectively. 

These qualities bind the soul to the body, mind, and intellect. Sattva binds the soul to knowledge, the essential quality of the intellect. 

Rajas binds the soul to the mind, which is restlessly active and full of attachments. Tamas binds the soul to the body, which is inert and insentient.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 6 & 7

9th October 2024

The essence of Sattva is pure and linked to knowledge. Seeking knowledge is about comprehending the true nature of the object of knowledge, and Sattva represents purity. 

Sattva is known to bring forth knowledge and is also associated with happiness. It ties an individual to both knowledge and happiness.

On the other hand, the essence of Rajas is desire, action, and attachment. When one desires something, it leads to action to attain the desired object. Upon obtaining the object of desire, one seeks to possess it for as long as possible, creating attachment.

Unlike Sattva, Rajas does not bring forth knowledge and is not pure. It ties an individual to constant action.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 4 & 5

8th October 2024

Every soul has three bodies or layers of personality. The outermost layer is the gross body, born and sustained by gross food. The middle layer is the subtle body, encompassing the psychological personality shaped by thoughts, feelings, and understanding. 

The innermost layer is called the causal body, which contains deep-rooted impressions known as vasanas from the present and past lives. The collective causal body is governed by God, known as Ishwara. The collective subtle body is ruled by Brahma, the creator, and the collective gross body is the universal being, Virat.

Lord Krishna, identifying Himself as Ishwara, declares that He is the father of the universe who makes the manifestation of all causal bodies possible through Brahma. Consequently, based on the content of individual causal bodies, the respective souls obtain their character of subtle body and gross body

The variety of living beings is due to the qualities of nature, broadly classified as pure (sattva), active (rajas), and inactive (tamas). The predominant vasanas determine the nature of the soul.

Gita reflection Ch 14 verses 2 & 3

7th October 2024

The question of why creation exists has puzzled scientists, philosophers, and thinkers for centuries. 

According to Vedanta, creation simply manifests individual and collective desires (vasanas) of souls (jeeva-s) along with the results of their past actions. Dissolution occurs when these desires and actions come to a pause or absence.

Every soul has the potential to attain freedom from rebirth by either overcoming desires through knowledge or by the grace of God. 

Lord Krishna explains that those who achieve unity with Him through Self-Knowledge are not born even during creation and do not suffer during dissolution.

The manifestation begins with the placement of the seed to awaken all souls and their fields of action in the womb of Maya, the manifesting power of Brahman. 

The complete manifestation of all souls, based on their vasanas and past actions, then occurs with the assistance of Brahma, the creator.

Gita reflection Ch 14 Introduction & verse 1

6th October 2024

The universe's variety is what catches the attention of the common man. The sense organs are always actively engaged in experiencing this variety, and they never get tired. Every day, new things come up to excite the senses and the mind.

According to Upanishad literature, the world has originated from a Singular Reality. If that's the case, what has caused the variety? Gold is one, but the ornaments are of many forms and designs, each catering to the needs and tastes of various individuals.

The variety is decided by the goldsmith and not by the gold. However, in the world's creation, the variety is caused by the conscious one and not by the matter.

Lord Krishna begins to explain the source of the variety in this chapter. He starts with an introduction to Self-knowledge, which was referred to as 'knowable' in the previous chapter. Knowing this alone can lead to the highest perfection while living.

Gita reflection Ch 13 verses 34 & 35

 5th October 2024

The Hindu scriptures have always regarded the Sun as the visible presence of Brahman, the Absolute Reality. The worship of the Sun has been common among all traditions founded in the land of Bharat. 

Lord Krishna, pointing out the Sun to Arjuna, proclaims, "Just as the single Sun illumines this whole world of objects, the Self, the Consciousness which is  the Knower of the field, illumines the whole world referred to as the field."

It's important to understand the difference between the illuminator and the illumined. The Sun illuminates the objects and thus we are able to see. Similarly, the mind illumines the sense perceptions; the thoughts in the mind are also known, but by what? By the Self, the self-resplendent Consciousness!

Recognizing that Consciousness is the ultimate seer and always remains distinct from the ever-changing world of matter releases one from the bondage and attachment to the matter, leading to the state of liberation!

Gita reflection Ch 13 verses 32 & 33

4th October 2024

Within each of us exist two beings: one who acts and the other who observes the action. The actionless one is the Self, representing God's presence in us, while the other acts based on desires and ambitions.

Advaita Vedanta emphasizes that the actionless Self is real, while the other is temporary and illusory. Why is this the case? The Self is devoid of any attributes or qualities. It is timeless, unchanging, and consistent in all aspects.

Similar to space, the Self is all-pervading and devoid of action. However, we continue to engage in actions due to our habitual identification with the illusory personality.

This is akin to a dream state. The person lying on the bed is actionless, while the one in the dream is full of action, experiencing both joy and sorrow.

So, who are you? Are you the dreamer or the one who is actionless on the bed?

Gita reflection Ch 13 verses 30 & 31

 3rd October 2024

Liberation is not something to be bestowed upon us by an angel from the heavens. It is to be claimed by everyone, as everyone is qualified for it. How can we free ourselves from the entanglements of worldly living?

Lord Krishna points out, "The liberated one sees actions as being done in various ways by Nature itself, and also the Self as the non-agent."

There is no shortcut to becoming free. It is an arduous task of constant attention. It is a conscious detachment from material matters. It is vigilant abidance in the actionless Self.

The scriptures teaching Vedanta insist on the reality of One appearing as many. Thus, even as one sees diversity through the senses and the mind, the intellect must remain riveted on the conviction that One Brahman alone is manifesting everything! Only through this can one reach the state of liberation - Brahman.

Gita reflection Ch 13 verses 28 & 29

2nd October 2024

Even though nothing is possible in the world without the combination of matter and sentiency, a seeker should continuously strive to discern the Self that is present in all matter.

What is the nature of sentiency? Is it only consciousness? It is Existence and Consciousness in all living beings, and pure 'Existence' in all inert things as well, which is the same in all.

One who perceives this common presence is the true 'Seer!' He who does not clearly see this and disregards the Self is, in essence, harming oneself!

Here, 'harming' implies that one will suffer endless sorrows through constant birth and death, as well as being afflicted by the results of actions performed to appease the senses and the mind.

Gita reflection Ch 13 verses 26 & 27

 1st October 2024

The realization of the Self is not a mere intellectual pursuit. The important qualification for it is faith even in the path of knowledge as much it is so in the path of devotion.

Even those who do not have the intellectual acumen to independently engage in Self-inquiry and study, by following the words of advice from men of wisdom can certainly conquer death (get liberated).

The discrimination between the Self and non-Self is possible only under the guidance of a competent teacher even for those who have become erudite scholars.

Continuing on the topic of the field and knower of the field, Lord Krishna clarifies that nothing in the world can exist without the combination of the sentient Self and the matter.