Bhagavad Gita Ch12 part 05 on 20 December 2020

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM VASUDE VASUDAM DEVAM KAMSA CHAANURAM ARDHANAM DEVAKI PARAMANANDAM KRISHNAM VANDE JAGADGURAM SARVO PANISHADO GAVO DOBDHA GOPALANANDANAHA PARTHO VATSA SUDHIR BHOKTA DUBDHAM GITA AMRITAM AHAR MOOKAM KAROTI VACHALAM PANGUM LANGAYATI GIRIM YAD KRIPA TAMAHAM VANDE PARAMANANDA MADHAVAM We have been studying the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Yesterday in our last class we have been discussing about this eleventh shloka. PATHAITHA DAPYA SHAKTHOSI KARTUM ADHYOGA MASTRITAH SARVA KARMA PHALATYAGAM TATAH KURU YATATMAVAN If you are unable to do even this, then be self-controlled, surrender the fruits of all actions, take refuge in you. Earlier the Lord is telling YETU SARVANI KARMANI MAI SANNYASYA MATPARAHA ANANYE NAIVA YOGENA MAM DHYAYANTA UPASATHE Those devotees who are extremely devoted to me, whose only goal is to become, come near me, become one with me and always be united with me. What do they do? ANANYE SARVA KARMANI MAI SANNYASYA That is, they give up or they discharge all the duties every human being has to do. Only connecting every action for my pleasure, only for the sake of serving me, that is called Sannyasa. Sannyasa means Karma Phalatyaaga. Their highest goal is only me, Matparaha. And Ananye Naiva Yogena, that means without directing their mind to any other thought, that means all their thoughts, there are no all thoughts, only one thought. All thoughts become merged, combined, fused into one thought. What is that thought? Only my thought. MAM DHYAYANTE UPASATHE They contemplate on me, meditating upon me, that means whatever they do, they are only aware of me. This is called practice of the presence of God. Then why are you referring O Lord? TESHA MAHAM SAMUDDHARTA MRUTYU SAMSARA SAGARAT BHAVAMIN ACHIRAT PARTHA MAI AVESHITA CHETHASAM Very soon, Bhavami, I will become their saviour. What do I do? Very soon, what do I do? TESHA MAHAM SAMUDDHARTA BHAVAMI I become their rescuer, saviour. What do you do? MRUTYU SAMSARA SAGARAT SAMUDDHARTA I rescue them from this ferocious, terrific, scary ocean called MRUTYU SAMSARA SAGARAT, the ocean of samsara. What type of samsara? MRUTYU It is full of suffering, death, unhappiness, everything. But the condition is MAI AVESHITA CHETHA, they must become only completely their body, their speech, their mind, every activity must be merged only in me. Therefore, that is the goal. Do you want Moksha? Don't forget, this Gita is called Moksha Shastra. It is not even a Dharma Shastra. There are Dharma Shastras, completely separate, like Manu Dharma Shastra, Gautama Dharma Shastra, Apasthamba Dharma Shastra, Raghunatha Dharma Shastra, so many Dharma Shastras are there. That is, this book directs us to do only righteous actions, not as an ends by themselves, but as an aids, so that we can become more spiritual and move nearer to God by taking the Shastra Vihita Karma scripture directed actions which are called Dharmic activities. Slowly, slowly, you merge yourself in me. This is what is called in Bhakti Shastra, Sharanagati, complete surrender into me. What to do? MAI EVA MANA ADATSVA, you keep your mind only in me, you place your mind in me. MAI BUDDHIM NIVESHAYA, make your buddhi also think only, determine only that I want only God and nothing else. If you can control these two faculties, your Sankalpa, your firm determination, I have no desire excepting one desire. That one desire is I must become one with God and then try your level best to control everything, all thoughts. That is called Yogaha Chitta Vritti Nirodaha, complete control of the mind. Yesterday, we also discussed the Sadhana Chathustaya Sampati, for what purpose? Just so that you will be able to live in me and if you are able to live in me, I will live in you and me and you, it is not like a person or two persons living in the same room. That is, I become God, God becomes me, this division, distinction, separation between me and God is created, it is called a knot. Yesterday, we studied that also, this knot can be completely destroyed. When that knot is destroyed, then that ignorance becomes a knot, N O T knot, when there is no ignorance, there is no Brahman, there is no Vishram, world, whatever is there, it is one, it is indescribable and nobody can say I am Brahman. Even that is also in the realm of ignorance only but it is Sattvika ignorance, that's all. Nivasishyasi mahi eva, atha bhortham na samshay, there is no doubt, if you do this sadhana, that is, your buddhi, your vijnanamaya kosha and your manomaya kosha, they are devoted only towards me, directed towards me, when you will live in me, I live in you. That is also true but how to control the mind and how to make our determination one-pointed, scattering of the mind, if you remember, that only when we know something else is true, real, then only we desire it. As we discussed, this is very important point, we always should keep in mind. This is one of the greatest psychological truth, what is that truth? Nobody will desire anything that is unreal. As an example, I gave two examples earlier, one is if you are seeing tremendous amount of gold in front of you but on the cinema screen, you will not desire it. Even a foolish fellow will not desire it, even the greatest thief will not rush to grab it. Why? Because he knows with 100% authority, conviction, this is only appearance, it is not true. If shell is shining like a silver, a person may mistake it for a second but when he goes running to scoop it up, he finds it is an ordinary shell because of the sunlight, it is shining like a silver. This is called brahanti, nobody runs after knowing towards a mirage, thinking I will take bath, I will cool myself, I will remove my thirst, nobody will do it because they know it is only an appearance. Similarly, once a person understands everything is unreal, here unreal means it doesn't disappear, a mirage, still water appears but my knowledge we know it is only mere appearance like a figure on the screen but it is not reality at all. That is the condition the person understands then he will not desire it except then what is desire? There is only one thing left out. In this world, there are only two choices, either you choose shreyas or you choose prayas. If you choose prayas, shreyas we have to understand shreyas is unreal, if one chooses shreyas we have to understand the person has known this world is unreal. That is the most wonderful truth, nobody desires unreality, fake note nobody wants, fake person nobody wants, fake promise nobody wants, only we all want real persons, real books, real objects and then only desire will come. And through spiritual practice one comes to know God alone is reality, brahma satyam jagat mithya, the only desire will be I want what is real. I would not even say I want Brahman, I want God, I would say I want what is real. That is why in the Isavasya Upanishad we get this beautiful prayer towards the very end, sadhaka who has been pursuing a life of truthfulness and dharma. He says, hiranmayena patrena satyasya apihitam mukham tattvam poshan apavrunu satya dharmaya drishtaye I am a satya dharma, my goal is to attain to truth and to attain to truth I have been leading a dharmic life. I am completely dedicated to this true dharma and satya, I am unable to penetrate beyond this golden disc which is the maya. Why? This maya belongs to you. You yourself said, In the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita we get this statement of Bhagavan himself. This book which we are discussing right now is, do not forget, is called Bhagavad Gita. Gita, a song issuing from the very mouth of Bhagavan, is not coming from Tom, Dick and Harry. God himself is telling, nobody can cross this divine maya because it belongs to me only upon whom I bestow my grace. Then that maya itself becomes my grace. It maya which is trying to keep you away from me all this time, that very maya now is extremely eager to catch hold of you even if you resist. My master wants you, there is no choice for you. I will bind you and I will carry you to my master. That sattvika binding is what Sriram Krishna used to call vidya maya. Earlier it is called avidya maya. So this vidya maya's only function, even if it is necessary, like the first class physician, forces us, binds us and drags us, but not to give us, to bind us, but to release us. It takes us towards the divine lord. Once we recognize the divine lord, automatically every bondage, tasmin drishte paravare. What happens? Vidyate hriday grandhe chidhyante sarva samshaya kshiyante chasya karmani tasmin drishte paravare. That's what we are discussing here in this Bhagavad Gita. Remember, Bhagavad Gita is nothing but the very essence of all Upanishads. How many Upanishads are there? Thousands. How many Upanishads are there? Hundreds. How many Upanishads are there? Only one. What do you mean? Kata, Isha, Kena, Kata, Mundaka, Prashna, Aitareya, Taitreya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, Shweta, Shvatara, Kaivalya. Yes, they are all nothing but true Upanishad is only one. What is true Upanishad? That pure knowledge which lets me know who I am really, that is called Upanishad. Remember, this is the definition of Upanishad by Shankaracharya himself. By splitting this word Upa plus Ni plus Sat, Sad. Sad means it is nothing but pure knowledge completely annihilates by bringing us nearer to God, by destroying the ignorance, by loosening all the bonds. Three definitions of Upanishads. But the essence is we know who we are and that is called Upanishad. The others are books. Even Gospel is in Upanishad. Holy Mother's Gospel is in Upanishad. Swami Vivekananda's complete works of course is Upanishad. Raja Maharaj's teachings, Mahapurush Maharaj's teachings, Ramanuja's teachings, Madhva, Nimbarkacharya, Vallabhacharya, all are the Bible, the Koran. Everything is nothing but pure Upanishad. What does it mean? Oh man, you are a child of God. You forgot that and living away as if you don't know who is God. Now you know you are none other than God. That knowledge which reminds us our divinity and makes us claim that I am divine, that is called Upanishad and nothing else. Now coming back to this Bhagavad Gita says you have to do sadhana. What type of sadhana? You control your mind and you determine I want only God. It's not that easy to attain to that state and then only when we attain to that state, a person goes on identifying himself with God and thereafter forever for eternity lives with that knowledge there is not me and God, only one thing exists that is called Brahman. It is said here that how to attain to that state? So the Lord says very nicely, He is telling here place your mind in me and place your buddhi, determining bracket. That means I do not desire anything else excepting you. My only desire is to have God. That is called and control all your thoughts or rather let all your thoughts turn only towards me. Practice this, then you will be living, we both will be living with each other and there is no I or you, there is no we, everything is Brahman only. But if you are unable to do that if you are unable to place your mind, what type of mind? That one pointed mind, unwavering, unshaking, restful, that mind, sthiram. Then what is the way? Slowly slowly through abhyasa, abhyasa yoga. That's what Shri Ramakrishna answers one devotee. Why? There is this wonderful thing called abhyasa yoga. What is abhyasa? Every day go on practicing, today perhaps you remember God for one second, tomorrow two seconds. Slowly slowly you reduce the forgetfulness. One day will come, you can never think of anything else excepting God. This is called abhyasa yoga. And if you are unable to do even that abhyasa, why? Mind is restless. So put it to work. Do many many types of activities but try to connect every activity to me. This is called nishkama karma yoga, means not desireless action but one action with one desire. Only one desire, I want God, I want God, I want God, nothing else. That is called nishkama karma yoga. Mat karma paramo bhava, you be devoted only to my activities. That means whether you are sleeping or breathing or blinking, seeing, hearing, touching, tasting or smelling or you are eating or you are resting or you are jumping, you are playing. Whatever you do, connect with me. That is called yoga, karma yoga. Karma brings us, connects us with God. matarthamapi karvani kurvan siddhi ma vapshesu You will attain the same state of being one with me even if you practice this karma yoga because that is also a slow way of only thinking about you. All my thoughts permeated, coloured by you only. But, athaitha dhapya shakthosi kartum adhiyoga maashitha sarva karma phala tyagam tatha kuru yatha atmavan With great effort, if you are unable even to perform every action to me, that means, what does it mean? That I am not the doer, God is the doer. God through nature, prakriti, sattva, rajas and tamo gunas, God is getting his work done. This world is created out of what? Three gunas. How do we know? srishti sthithi vinashanam shakthi bhute sanatani gunaashraye gunamahe narayani namo sthuthi With the help of these three gunas, srishti, sthithi, laya is going on. Srishti is associated with sattva guna, sthithi is associated with rajo guna and laya is associated with tamo guna. That's why Shiva is called tamo guna prathani. That's why ferocious, people are afraid. But people do not understand. He is not ferocious. He is only a recycler. He will take your old cloths and giving a new cloths. How long? As long as you have got a desire, your mind is not under control. Once you have spiritual knowledge, who you are, then the body will not be there. The question of Shiva supplying new body doesn't arise. A new dress is necessary so long as there is a body. In this case, the mind is the body and the body is the dress. When the mind itself is merged in God, who is going to put on the dress? There is no body, there would be no dress. Until that time, Shiva is going on supplying us with ever fresh dresses so that we can slowly progress towards God. This is what he is telling. If you cannot perform nishkama karma yoga, in the sense connecting, relating every action to me. I am breathing, I am sleeping, I am eating, I am doing everything to please the Divine Lord. In fact, He has given me the energy. I have nothing to do with it. If you are unable to have this, what is called attitude, at least you perform all actions but do not desire fruits. Karma phala tyaga. Tata kuru yata atma van. Yata atma means great agility, great sincerity, great dexterity. Not only that, with complete awareness that I have to practice. Awareness is the secret that I am doing but the result of the action belongs to God. And then when we progress, the action itself, I am not doing, only God doing, that will come. When that knowledge comes, it takes us further in spiritual life. When we say our buddhi is completely determined only on God because He is the only reality, then our mind becomes perfectly controlled. Afterwards, we become one with Brahman and there is no differentiation. Thereafter, I am free and everything will be free. Now we are entering into the twelfth verse of the twelfth chapter. Sreyo hi jnanam abhyasat. Jnanat dhyanam visishyate. Dhyanat karma phala tyagaha. Tyagat shanti anantaram. Knowledge is better than practice and meditation is better than knowledge. Renunciation of the fruit of action is better than meditation because peace immediately follows such renunciation. Three things are mentioned and one better than the lower one. The higher one is better than the lower one. What is it? See we all have got knowledge. Now I am expounding this Bhagavad Gita. You are all listening. This is called knowledge. This is called intellectual knowledge. But this has to be converted into spiritual knowledge and that's what we are supposed to do. Bhagavan Krishna is telling this mere intellectual knowledge without doing something practical in the form of sadhana, that is useless. On the other hand, as Mundaka Upanishad also is going to tell us, As Katopanishad, avidhyayam antare vartamanah swayam dhirah panditam anyamanah jangdhanyamanah pariyanti mudah andhenaiva niyamanah yatha andhah What a beautiful way. These people think we are Hamsab janta. We know everything. But they go on being born again and again and again until that ahankara becomes less. That is what Sriram Krishna is paraphrasing. That these pandits are like vultures. They talk big and they speak big. They listen big. They write big books. But they are like vultures. Because all their sight is on the rotting corpses. What is that rotting corpse? Kama and Kanchana, worldliness. In other words, identity with the body. I am the body and whatever conduces to the happiness, pleasure of the body and whatever conduces to the unhappiness, I will have to keep myself away from it. These are the only two goals of such people's lives. Pravaruthi and Nivaruthi. Pravaruthi to keep the body happy, to indulge in sensory pleasures. Nivaruthi means run away from anything that produces unhappiness. No. We have to, this kind of knowledge is good for the beginning and listening or reading Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Punishads, Bhagavad Gita, etc. Very good. But this knowledge is much better than practice. What is the practice? Blind, what is called ignorant. Thousand we go to the rivers and we go on dipping ourselves. But without understanding why we are doing all these things. Millions of temples, millions of pujaris from millions of days together are going on doing millions of times of puja. Have they become any better people? Why? Because this awareness, that knowledge, I am doing puja so that I can approach God. I can come nearer to God. That knowledge is lacking. So better than even this practice is knowledge is better. At least it is awareness is better. Every now and then it pricks us. Why am I doing so much of mechanical japam at least a few times? I should be able to remember the God genuinely so that it can become even more and more so that my remembrance of God is more frequent than forgetfulness of God. Knowledge is better than simple mechanical practice. But better than knowledge is meditation. What is it? Knowledge means the thoughts of God come and go. But a continuous remembrance of God like Thailadharavat, take a vessel full of oil and pour it into an empty vessel which is below. You notice if you pour water from vessel to the other vessel then that water becomes broken. But if you notice the oil being poured as if one stream without the least bubble and without splitting and without splashing it goes on falling as if in one line and that is called dhyana. What is dhyana? Shankaracharya as well as other yogacharyas also. Same thought without allowing any other thoughts coming again and again and again and again. This repetition of one thought continuously, there are many thoughts but all thoughts only of God thought. So it goes on becoming, this is called dhyanam, meditation. And when this dhyanam ripens then the distinction between the meditator and the meditated, the sadhaka and Bhagawan, the distance becomes less and still less and still less until it becomes very very very close, that is what Upanishad means, that is what Upasana means until the distinction between God and devotee, deity and the devotee both disappear, there would be only one single truth. That is called meditation. Intellectual knowledge, but sincere intellectual knowledge is better than mechanical practice, unthinking practice. Thinking is better, thinking of God is much better and the meditation is far superior than even this thinking meditation. And better than meditation is what? If we are truly meditating then the knowledge comes. What knowledge comes? This world is God, the body is God, the mind is God, what I call I is also God. I am taking pride, I am the knower, I am the doer and I am the enjoyer or experiencer. This is totally wrong. The doer, the knower is none other than God and the desirer is none other than God. The doer is none other than God and the enjoyer is also none other than the God. It is God alone who is and who is doing everything. He is the Jnata, He is the Karta, He is the Bhokta. Everything is He. This is the highest knowledge and when once that knowledge comes, first thing is whatever doing the results will go only to God. Don't I desire? Does not a sadhaka desire anything? Is it not his fond wish, I should have more bhakti, I should have more viveka vairagya, I should have more control but finally should I not wish God? Will that not be there? Yes, the desire for God is not like worldly desire. Why? Because they are different in nature, different in result. The nature of worldly desire is it increases our desire. The desire for God is it finally destroys all desires and in the ultimate run destroys the mind itself which is the instrument of desiring, of knowing, of doing, of experiencing. There is a vast difference between what we call ignorant ahankara and knowledgeable ahankara. Vidya maya and vidya maya, this giving up everything. Giving up what? First of all this jnata, I am the knower, God is the only knower, I am not the knower. Secondly, I am the doer. No, no, I am not the doer. So only God who created the world, He is maintaining the world and He is also recycling the world. Everything is He. I am not the karta, a mere instrument. Then who is experiencing the results of karma? Who is doing karma? God is doing. Who will be experiencing the results, sukha, dukha, etc. God only. Where do I come? In fact, my child, you do not exist. Off with you. Take off yourself. That's why Sri Ramakrishna Phani says, some devotee asked him, when do I realize God? And then he says, when you die, then you will realize God. When I die, who is going to realize God? Because when this ignorant avidya aham dies, what remains is aham brahmasmi. You disappear. There is no multiplicity. All multiplicity disappears. What remains? Only God and God and nothing but God. Then giving up the, first of all, the results of actions. Secondly, doing everything for the sake of God. Thirdly, knowing that even this performance of actions is only being done by God and I have nothing to do with it. And finally, I am only a reflection and as soon as the reflector, the mirror, the mind is destroyed, then the reflection also will die down automatically. We do not need to do anything and that is the final thing. Such a person, what does he do? He gives up as a result of blind practice, slowly turns into conscious awareness practice and that leads to connect everything with God. Ultimately, one gives up the fruits of all actions and afterwards gives up the idea, I am the doer. Even that also is gotten rid of. What remains is only God, that means that body-mind complex which we have now dedicated to God knowing that it only belongs to God from the very beginning but which I appropriated and saying I am the body and I am the mind, it belongs to me through God's grace which comes in the form of, when we do lot of sadhana for a long time, that abhimana, I am the body, I am the mind, slowly becomes reduced and a day will come, the person never feels, I am the body, I am the mind. Everything belongs to God. When that knowledge comes, what happens? Peace that passes all understanding will be completely occupying my mind. That means the highest Brahmananda is experienced by me only at that time. But along with this practice, meditation we can do, puja we can do, we can study scriptures, we can listen to scriptures but correspondingly as we are progressing in spiritual life, we have to develop certain qualities which facilitate the health of the body and health of the spiritual mind. Mind also can be trained but certain spiritual qualities have to be developed by us and this is what is going to be discussed practically till the end of the Bhagavad Gita, the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita called Bhakti Yoga. What are the characteristics of a true bhakta? Only possessing which qualities can one be realistically called a bhakta? And remember the only being who can give real certificate that you are my bhakta is only God. That Same Priyaha, such kind of devotee is my most beloved devotee. Lord himself is giving that certificate here and that is what we are going to discuss from this 13th shloka onwards. Sometimes the shlokas are in pairs because one verse only mentions a few and it is as if left incomplete which is completed in the very next verse. Here we are going to study 13th and 14th verses together. Look at this beautiful ending. That devotee, my is mine, that devotee is mine and such a me Priyaha. Only that devotee is most dear to me. I am ready like a loving mother. Whatever I have for my child belongs to you. But who is that devotee? He must have certain spiritual qualities. These qualities we get in one way of expression at the end of the 2nd chapter. We get practically in every chapter but end of the 2nd chapter we get. Then in the 6th chapter also we get. 4th chapter how to convert every action into a yoga we got in the 9th chapter. Then we got in the 12th chapter, we get also in the 13th chapter and the entire 16th chapter and then 17 and 18 chapters also. But here this wonderful spiritual qualities, it is these qualities which make us rightly to be called as real devotees. Until that time we are not hypocritical devotees but we have not yet become. Even that epithet bhakta cannot properly be applied to us. Let us discuss one by one in brief. Advaishta. First of all this advaishta, dvesha means dislike. What is dislike? If somebody doesn't respect us, somebody is insulting us, somebody is trying to harm us, somebody is going to take us whatever we have, depriving me of what my rightful things are there or even if somebody doesn't talk to me properly, doesn't even smile properly, doesn't even look at me properly, our ahankaras, egotisms have grown so much that we take offense. After that we decide, I will avoid this person as much as it is humanly possible. A person who develops this kind of dvesha, dislike, hatred, looking down and then that is a kind of criticism by our part. Such a person, let alone he cannot become a devotee, he is not even what is called a decent human being. He is not even a gentleman. That's why when we study the lives of great saints, deliberately we see that they have to go much more of this other people's unfavorable comments and tweets and then behind their backs criticisms etc. because they do not really take any revenge. But by forbearing and God is telling me all these things for my own good, they take it in a most positive light and that is what we also have to do. Remember earlier also, Nirvairaha sarvabhutesh yaksa mameti pandava So a bhakta cannot have any, cannot afford to have any dislike towards anybody. Why? What is the reason? Because if he likes somebody, that somebody is none other than manifestation of God. If somebody dislikes, equally that disliked person is also a manifestation of God only and that is the reason why we can't afford, even we can't be specially friendly because to be very close to some people means to be away from some other people. So we should have only sufficient detachment. There are no friends, there are no enemies. I choose to look upon everybody as a manifestation of God. Sarvabhutanaam With regard to all beings without exception, I will not hate. What is the opposite of not hating? I will like everybody. I will derive joy from everybody. I will only pray for everybody. I will not do any exception. That is why we all say that sarve janaha sukhino bhavantu sarve santu nira mayaha and ma kashchit dukkha bhag bhavet May nobody suffer. What is the reason? Not because we are showing compassion. Because everybody is manifestation of God. In other words, if I am God, I am the manifestation of God in the form of everything in this world. There is this inviolable avinabhava sammanda. If the whole world is God, there can be no question of liking a bit of God and disliking another bit of God. That is completely irrational. Sarvabhutanaam adveshta Then maitraha. We must be friendly towards everybody. That means as one friend helps the other friend, we should be able to help. I should be able to help irrespective of whether that person helps me or not. That is important. Otherwise, I help you, you help me. I scratch your back, you scratch my back. This would be what we call a business arrangement, not really a spiritual arrangement. Maitraha. Karuna evacha. Karuna. There would be people, they are suffering so much. What should be our attitude? We must be extremely sympathetic. Anybody suffering is my suffering. There are people, hypocritical people among us. Why is this? I feel terrible agony at the suffering of other people. But I am not going to lift my little finger to help them get relieved even a little bit from their suffering. That is called terrible hypocrisy. If we feel Karuna, we should be able to help such persons. Our real sympathy manifests, becomes proved only in the form of helping other people. Of course, we have to be what is called a little bit discerning, little bit wise. Otherwise, people have the tendency to take terrible advantage of us. And they show such a picture that they deserve more than what we can give to them. There are many fools without discrimination. They go on giving and later on they become cheated. That's why Ramakrishna had chided Swami Yogananda. Bhakta hule bhokah bhi kenau. You can be a devotee but on that account there is no need to become a fool. A spiritual person must be a wise person. A fool will neither be a devotee nor even be a good worldly person. That is the understanding. This also reminds the yogic method. Always let us remember many ideas here are bodily taken in the Yogashastra of Patanjali. Or it may be I feel the other way round. He had borrowed all these things. According to Patanjali Rishi, all humanity is divided into four categories. So that every spiritual aspirant goes on having a particular attitude What is that attitude? Maitri, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksha. What is Maitri? If you see some people struggling sincerely to go towards God make friendship. This is called Satsanga. But you will see many people suffering. Like for example in this Corona many people lost their jobs. Many are suffering. I would not say only solely due to Corona but at least this is what we are able to see now. We must develop Karuna, compassion. Compassion because sympathy. But as I said just now compassion without helping them is hypocrisy. The first is Maitri then Karuna. Then there are people they may be worldly people they may be spiritual people. They are striving, struggling but quite a number of times we see them the result will be extraordinarily good. These people are very happy. I worked hard. I got a promotion. I worked intelligently and hard work and my business is growing and growing. It could be a better position better enjoyment of food better dress anything whatever makes a person happy that's a happy event and when people are happy we should never feel jealousy towards them. What should we do? Mudita we should be extremely happy. You are happy I am very happy for you. The example is a mother always feels more happiness when her child achieves something great whether it is a small baby or a grown up mustached baby mother will always be happy at the prosperity at the promotion and at the improvement of in any form of her children. Only most of the time the mothers worldly mothers that magnanimity stops only within the family it doesn't extend at all. This is the third one Mudita a devotee never hates anybody and that means he doesn't have any enemies but it doesn't mean there are no people who hate him people who hate people who want to give trouble people who killed great sadhus like Dayananda Saraswati etc. there will be people but a sadhu a sanyasi should not take revenge he must forbear sahanam sarva dukkhanam apratikara purvakam These are the four recited here in this 13th and 14th shlokas of the 12th chapter maitraha adveshta sarva bhoothanam maitraha karuna then nirmamaha mama means mine nothing belongs to you does your husband belong to you? wife belong to you? children belong to you? parents belong to you? friends belong to you? country belongs to you? religion belongs to you? everything belongs the whole universe belongs only to God including my own body belongs only to God let us remember this fact out of the three gunas of divine maya my body has come your body has come my mind has come your mind has come every body, every mind which we come across three gunas these three gunas is called maya this maya belongs to srishti karta, eshwara that's why he says in the Bhagavad Gita eshwaraha sarva bhoothanam hridyeshe arjunatishtati brahmayan sarva bhoothani yantra arudhani mayaya nirmama nothing belongs to me mentioned one incident once a brahmanandasi in winter season he did not have adequate warm clothing one merchant was passing through that way, he was travelling he saw, he understood immediately he brought one beautiful blanket, placed it in front of the swami and because the swami was in a meditation posture he didn't disturb just made some salutation and departed, after a few minutes another man came saluted the swami and took a vedi prasada, kumbal prasada that blanket prasada swami brahmanandasi was witnessing both, he was not hesitated at all, why? God gave, God has taken it away if he wants to give me, it will come to me, God can give anywhere at any time, anything one requires, but I will not be praying for it and I will not be rejecting it also when it comes, but I will never feel it is mine I and mine is called maya that is the teaching of Ramakrishna, first get rid of the attachment towards mama then ahankara immediately it follows here nirmamaha ni ahankara nirahankara one should not even feel I am me, I belong to me I am different from God and I am separate from God, no, you are also part of the world, the whole world is created by God the whole world is a manifestation of God, you are also a manifestation of God and what you call yours is a manifestation of God, nothing belongs to you, everything belongs only to God this is called nirahankara naturally in life sukha dukha, everything will come, so when dukha comes, dukha comes we must not be too much affected, a little bit because we are human is permitted, but too much of going up, too much of going down, in Ramanuja's explanation this is called anudarsha anavasada, some good event takes place, happy event and my blood pleasure goes up, some unhappy event takes place, my blood pleasure goes up, now we should avoid these two extremes we should be happy and we should be a bit unhappy because that is only being human but immediately we should be able to think about God that means the mind control should be there sama dukha sukha and dukha sukha among all these they are inevitable we must keep our mind in the same even peaceful condition that is why one of the definitions of yoga is samatvam yoga vichyate though the mind will be tranquil whatever be the conditions outside and Swami Vivekananda used to give this example so there is the compass and this compass whichever way the ship is travelling, it will only point to the north, saying this it says whether you are travelling towards south, means you are unhappy, travelling towards to the north, that means your destination which is God whatever it is, are you happy, unhappy your mind must be only directed towards God and only a self controlled mind can be directed towards God, that is being beautifully explained here and that's what here and kshami there are many people who consider as undesirable, unwanted and their only goal seem to be creating trouble to us, here we have to remember if someone is giving us trouble, if person is not giving us trouble our own purva janma karma phala is giving us the trouble immediately look upon him with favour, that is called kshami you do not keep rajyake in esteem, you do not scold him, say thank you my brother, thank you, I will end this talk with an example once Kabir Das who was at that time living in Varanasi one morning he went into the Ganga to take bath it was well known, he took initiation from a great yogi called Ramananda Swami, Muslims were very very angry with him a Muslim deliberately taking a Hindu guru so one such person saw Kabir Das coming out of the Ganga, spat on him, Kabir Das did not say anything, went back washed himself, again came, again this fellow was waiting, spat Kabir Das again, hundred times this happened, the other man became completely converted and said you are a real sadhu, I tried to insult you, papa will come to me, I will suffer, please save me, please forgive me this is called kshama how many times? Jesus Christ was there, 7 times? no, 7 times 70, don't take it at the 77th time you go and kill him what it means is infinite number of times, why? because whoever gives you trouble it is none other than you and because of your kurva janma karma you are doing this, these beautiful ideas we will, these spiritual qualities we will discuss in our next class May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vikananda bless us all with bhakti