Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 11 on 22 January 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVEM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUR OM VASUDEVASUDAM DEVAM KAMSACHANURA MARDANAM DEVAKI PARAMANANDAM KRISHNAM VANDE JAGADGURUM SARVO PANISHADO GAVO BHOKTA GOPALANAM DANA PARTHO VATSASUDHIR BHOKTA DUGDAM GEETAM RITAM MAHAT MUKAM KAROTI VACHALAM PANGUM LANGAYATE GIRIM YATKRIPATAMAM VANDE PARAMANANDAMADHAVAM We are studying the 18th chapter, last chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, which is also called Moksha Sanyasa Yoga. The chapter specially dealing with liberation by surrendering everything to the Divine Lord. In our last class, we have been discussing about, the Lord has said, For the performance of any action, six items are required. Three items which goad, which impel, which force, which propel a man towards action. What is it in simple words? That knowledge, the person which is each one of us and we must have knowledge. I want a sweet, I must know about this sweet, that is called knowledge. Then the sweet must exist, that is called the object. Then there must be a Sankalpa, that I want it, it is very happy, pleasure giving object. So I will be, this object can make me very happy. Without these three, if I am not there, then the question of inspiration doesn't come. There is object, but at the same time, I am not interested in the object. That also will not goad me to action. At the same time, I must have the required instruments also. So Kartha, Karanam and Karma, these inspirations should come. But this is only knowledge. I want, I desire it, I want to obtain and enjoy it. This is only intellectual part. It has to be carried out into action. So therefore the Lord says, another three things are there, without which no action can be done by anyone and specially human beings. What is there? Karanam, Kartha, Karanam and Karma. Karanam means the instruments through which we can carry out all the actions. Kartha, I must be in my good senses, I must know how to go about, so that I can successfully complete this particular action. Of course, I will have to direct all my attention etc. towards that object. So what are we talking about here? In this 18th chapter, the Lord is dividing. Every human being's life is only expressed in two ways. I know, I want, I would like to obtain and I would like to enjoy. Without knowledge, the desire to do any action will not arise. But mere knowledge will not do. They must be carried out into practice and that is called Karma. So three things are necessary, without which an action cannot be completed. That is what is called Karanam, Karma and Kartha. And then, here is a person, he must get inspiration, he must get the desire, strong desire. Because without strong desire, I have a desire, but who is going to take the trouble? That attitude is not going to give us anything. And in fact, most of the humanity is like that. We do not do certain things, not because we do not wish to do, but we do not want, first of all, to take the necessary trouble. Secondly, we don't want to accept the fate. For example, how many people we have killed mentally? Every fellow with whom we get angry, we have already killed that person, destroyed that person mentally. But physically, we do not do it. Why? First of all, it is hard to do. Secondly, the inevitable consequences, I am not ready to take, you are not ready to take. It is not because desire is lacking, not because knowledge is lacking, but the courage, the willpower, and the courage both to do and to bear, both of them are lacking. That's why many times I put it in a little bit lighter way. Every citizen of every country wants to become either a Prime Minister or a President. But most people, most of the people, excepting very few people, do not do anything about it. Why? Not because they don't want. Because if anybody says, I don't want to become a President or Prime Minister, he is the greatest renouncer in the world. Because every citizen is completely aware that if I become President or Prime Minister, I will get unlimited privileges, Sukha can come. But people are also aware, along with that Sukha, along with the crown comes a crown of thorns. Every single gun is pointed out. That's why they require so much of protection, security, and responsibility. Others may not work so hard. Others will never attract so much of criticism. Nobody will criticize a third class person. But as soon as a person attains something, immediately everybody becomes jealous, and this jealousy will direct everybody to physically, mentally, verbally, people go on abusing. This is the political Divine Mother's Leela everywhere. This is what is happening. The people, citizens of every country are the greatest enemies of the welfare of that country, and ultimately of themselves. If everybody really works very hard for the welfare, everybody can have better happiness, better facility, better rest, etc. But no, Mahamaya will not allow it. So what am I talking about? Desire is not enough, knowledge is not enough, sufficient amount of willpower is necessary, and the buddhi, the intelligence, this action must be carried out in this particular way. That is also very necessary. These are being discussed, the whole life is nothing but desire and action, and consequences of action. And again they produce what we call samskaras, habits, and these habits again form into a kind of running towards and running away from. This has been beautifully outlined in a beautiful but tough book called Naishkarmiya Siddhi by Sureshwaracharya. Previously it was supposed to be Mannana Mishra. In that he says that karma creates a terrible bondage if it is not done properly. So there in he describes this beautiful circle, it is a cyclic process. What is it? We have unlimited desires. Desires produce action. Action is of two types, righteous and wrong. Righteous action produces what you call punya or merit. Unrighteous produces what is called papa, which leads to unhappiness. So punya gives us happiness. Papa makes us go through suffering. And once we experience sukha, our mind gets attached to those objects, to those situations, to those times, which we think gives us tremendous amount of pleasure. And the opposite is certain things, certain times, certain seasons, certain situations create so much of suffering. Therefore automatically we say I want happiness, so I will do these actions which are likely to promote my happiness. This is called raga. And these situations, these people, these objects and these timings, these places, they produce more unhappiness. Therefore I would like to avoid. And so man's actions again, they are running towards what we think gives us pleasure, running away from what we call gives us suffering. And again what we want to obtain, either through righteous means, wrong means, and what we want to avoid, either through righteous means or wrong means, and the subsequent results of the actions called karmaphala and along with karmaphala, results of the actions, what is called samskaras, the vasanas, the desires become strengthened, raga becomes strengthened, dvesha becomes strengthened, and that leads again to appropriate desires and they lead to actions. They lead again to dharma, dharma, punya, papa, sukha, dukha, raga, dvesha, and again they reinforce the vasanas. This is how the whole circle is going on. But is there any way out? Yes, there is a way out. To understand what is the way out, we have to understand the nature of three gunas because our knowledge, our willpower, our determination, our intelligence, our karmaphala, our happiness, everything differs either because of the satvaguna or rajoguna or tamoguna. And that is why the Lord has taken up six topics, which is nothing but our life in action. So each of these six topics are subdivided into three classifications, whether they are satvaguna, rajoguna, tamoguna. So 6 into 3, 18. So from this 20th verse until verse 41, six topics subdivided according to three gunas, 6 into 3, 18. So what are those topics? Six topics. What are they? Jnanam, knowledge. We are not talking about self-knowledge, atma knowledge, atma jnanam, brahma jnanam. We are talking about the knowledge of every object that we come across or we want to come across. Then karma, that this object either produces a desire to be near or to be further away. That is called karma. And of course, I, full of what is called egotism, thinking that I am the body-mind complex, and I attribute, I know, I desire, I do, I experience. So these are the four most marvelous explanations given in Vedanta about every creature, especially human beings. What is it? I am the body-mind complex. So I want to know what objects I have to acquire, go near, what objects I have to get rid of or be further away from. So this is called knowledge, jnanam. Then karma, appropriate, every desire requires appropriate instrument. That karma has to be done through this body-mind complex endowed with five pranas, manas, mind, buddhi, chitta, ahankara, five senses of knowledge, inputs, five senses of carrying out outputs, those actions. So aham, I, karma, what I do, knowledge. These are the three. And then buddhi, I must have that proper intelligence because cooking requires one type of knowledge, playing requires another type of knowledge, sleeping requires another type of knowledge, reading requires another type of knowledge. Every single action requires a different type of knowledge. Otherwise that action will not be complete, successful. It will be a failure. Then suppose I am intelligent and I desire and I know how to approach it and I start doing it. What happens? There is no dhriti. Dhriti means the capacity, the tenacity to hang on. And if I am a sattvika person, I will never give up. If I am a rajasika person, I go on changing. If I am a tamasika person, I will be going to sleep. So procrastination. So dhriti is necessary. So this dhriti can be sattvika dhriti, rajasika dhriti and tamasika dhriti. Brahma buddhi, understanding. Sattvika understanding, rajasika understanding, tamasika understanding. Knowledge. Sattvika knowledge, rajasika knowledge and tamasika knowledge. Karma. Sattvika way of performing karma, rajasika way of performing karma, tamasika way of performing karma. Of course what type of person? Am I a sattvika person, am I a rajasika person, Am I a Tamasika person? Then ultimately, as a result of all these combinations and carrying out the actions, the result will come. What is the result? Three types of, I desire happiness, but there are three types of happiness. Interesting. The word happiness is used here. But then, that happiness, which is very short, and the unhappiness, suffering, which is 99%, that is called Tamasika happiness, which is when the sense organs come into contact for a momentary happiness. But later on, they turn into poison, deadly poison. So after, nice to eat sweet, but afterwards, I become very sweet. And doctor also certifies, yes, you have become a sweet factory, and now you have to pay. Heavy payment is there. But that which appears to be poisonous at the beginning, but if I continue, slowly this poison turns out to be the greatest happiness here, and the greatest eternal happiness after attaining to God realization. That is called Sattvika Sukha. So these are the six topics, each described beautifully in 18 shlokas, according to whether these six are Tamasika type, Rajasika type, or Tamasika type. So in the 18th shloka, we have seen, Gnanam, Nayam, Parignatha, Trividha, Karmachodana. That which God has impelled us towards action is knowledge, and knowledge of myself, knowledge of the object, and knowledge of how to go about it. But this is only knowledge. But to carry them out into action, I require the appropriate instruments, appropriate way of performing them, and appropriate type of mentality, mental outlook. Karanam karmakartheti, trividha karmasangraha. Without, if any one of these components of knowledge is absent, the desire will not come. Any of the three components of that which makes for a successful completion of action will not be successful if any one of them is lacking in some way. Correspondingly, the result will not be so good. And then the Lord also is telling that, Gnanam karmachakarthacha, tridha eva guna-bhedataha, rochate guna-sankhyaane, yathavad shrunu-tanyapi. Listen, Arjuna, there are some people who are experts in the knowledge of these three gunas. Though we are Vedantins, we want only spirituality, but we are not hesitant to take the help from other experts. One professor may be a wonderful professor of physics, but he may not know much about chemistry. He should not hesitate if he wants to complete successfully his own job, because nowadays interdisciplinary action should be taken. Everybody can take help from other people in so many ways. So here is three gunas. There is a school of philosophy called Sankhya Darshana, School of Sankhya. And it is specialized in understanding the nature of the three gunas. Prakruti, entire nature, is divided into three qualities. And Sri Krishna is telling that, I know their authority. I am going to take their help in describing these three things. I do not need to be a specialist in everything. If I am a specialist in Vedanta, spirituality, but I can take happily the help of other people, that is beautifully put together. So now he's going to describe it. What is it? In the 20th shloka, because in the last class, I have spoken about this 19th verse. So what are those three things? First of all, about Gnanam, knowledge. There are three types of knowledge. When a Sattvika person uses his brain, understanding that will be inevitably Sattvika Gnanam. So also Rajasic, so also Tamasic. In this 20th verse, the Lord is going to outline so beautifully from the spiritual point of view that why? Because this is what I say, when a person is a spiritual person, whether a person is spiritual or worldly, the goal of the person is the same. I want to be healthy. I want to be a person of knowledge. And I want to be the happiest person in the world. So spirituality fulfills to 100% all these three. That is Sat, Chit, and Ananda. Rajoguna, if it dominates, then that person's happiness will be a mixed happiness. Happiness, unhappiness, and at least equal proportions. But if a person is a Tamasic person, all these five subjects, if the person is a Tamoguni, a person endowed with Tamoguna, then his knowledge, his karma, the result of his karma, his understanding, and his willpower, everything will be only falling under Tamasic category. Therefore, the result will be terrible suffering. So even from a worldly point of view, after all, you want to be happy. You want to be healthy. You want to be wise. So take to spirituality because that is the only way. So here is once when I was in USA, I saw a beautiful what is called placard put in an outside room, outside what is called. Before entering the church, there will be a room. People will be putting their requests for prayers, and et cetera, et cetera. So the church itself put up a beautiful placard. It says, hell is full. Try for heaven. There is a lot of space is there. So even a worldly person must develop Satvaguna, and to the extent he develops, his happiness will increase. His health will increase. His wisdom also will increase. In this light only, we will explore these 18, that is six topics, and so we can understand them better. In this 20th verse, Sarva bhutesu enaikam bhavam avyayam eekshate avibhattam vibhaktesu tat jnanam viddhi sattvikam. The knowledge by which one indestructible substance is seen in all beings, undivided in the divided. Know that that knowledge is of the nature of sattva. Beautiful explanation. Ena vibhaktesu sarva bhutesu. When we look out, everything, a billion types of tables, a billion types of chairs, a billion types of suites, a billion types of animals, plants, human beings, everything is tremendous variety is there. So it looks as if each is completely different. A table is not a chair, a chair is not a door, a necklace is not a ring, a ring is not a bangle. So like that, this human being is either man or woman. This x is not y, y is not z. So a child is not an old person, an old person is not a child, a wise person is not a fool, a fool is not a wise person, etc., etc., we see only the difference. But when that person becomes endowed with full sattva guna, what does he see? Avibhattam. Yes, he sees a thousand tables, he sees a thousand chairs, he sees a thousand doors, he sees a thousand floors, he sees a thousand roofs, he sees a thousand staircases, he sees millions of objects made up of what? Wood. And he understands all these are nothing but different manifestations of one wood. If this person has a knowledge of that wood, then he has the knowledge of everything that is manifesting in the form of varied objects. What is that wood? With different forms, therefore different names, therefore different functions, but wood is wood. All golden ornaments that were in the past are now and are going to be made in future with the help of AI. They are nothing but only gold. They behave like gold and they smell like gold, they touch like gold, they weigh like gold, everything is gold only. And what is this example for? That whatever number of things a sattvika mind sees, what does he see? He sees, He sees only one thing. His knowledge is only one. What is it? He sees God, man is God, woman is God, a bird is God, an animal is God. Not only that, a mountain is God, a river is God, and a cloud of earth, that is also God. The air we breathe in is God. The space in which we travel is also God. A fire that we see is also God. Everything in this world, the difference is only in what is called bhava, in the forms, in the names, in the utilities. But the man knows it is all made up of manifestation, not even made up, not even creation. They are all manifestation of nothing but pure reality, pure consciousness. And I will dwell on this subject only in a short way because I have dealt more than enough number of times. Say, here is a person, say I am standing here, and I see you, or a tree, or a plant, or an animal. But whatever may be the object, when I see that object, that object enters into my mind in the form of knowledge, and that knowledge modifies, what is called knowledge is nothing but modification of my consciousness. So whether I am in the waking state, modification of consciousness, as if there are so many things outside me. When I am dreaming, it is a modification of consciousness, as if everything is inside me, my mind. But I will come to know about it only upon waking. While dreaming, it is outside only. No difference between our waking state experience and dream experience. And when I am in deep sleep, it is a pure, undivided, undifferentiated, undifferentiable pure consciousness. That is why the person says, I did not see anything, I did not know anything, I did not know that this is a chair, this is... Because whatever I see is wood. The person who sees, he is also wood. What am I talking about? The person who is consciousness, the world is also same consciousness. There are no two consciousnesses, that is what we call, there is nobody to see, there is nothing to see. So, when what we call a Jeevan Mukta, a God-realized soul, a saint, if he is a Christian saint, he says, I see Christ. If he is a, what is called, Sufi saint, he says, I see Allah everywhere. If he is a Kali Bhakta, I see my mother Kali. If he is a Krishna Bhakta, I see Krishna everywhere. If he is a Narayana, I see Narayana everywhere. If he doesn't want to, if someone doesn't want to use words, I see pure consciousness called Brahman everywhere. That is what so beautifully we had discussed, if you remember, that when a person sees a learned Brahmana, or a cow, or an elephant, or a dog, or a dog-eater, Vidya vinyasampanne brahmane gavi hastini. Shuni chaiva shvapa kecha panditaha samdarshana. They are equal-sighted. What is equal-sight? They only see one Brahman, but with different names, different forms, different duties, different functions, etc. But just like a billion ornaments are nothing but gold, a billion pieces of furniture nothing but wood, the person sees only that one thing. That is called Bhavam. Ena means the seemingly diverse universe, vibhakteshu, sarvabhuteshu, every being, living or non-living, ekam, he sees only one. If there are a billion ornaments, golden ornaments, this is gold. A billion pieces of furniture, this is wood. A billion pieces of pots, this is clay. Similarly, everything is nothing but what is called manifestation of consciousness. And manifestation means pure consciousness is not manifesting, but my mind is divided, so I see the one as mirror. Like if there is one mirror, there would be only one reflection. If that same mirror is broken into a thousand pieces, there would be a thousand reflections, each one as if it is a separate reflection of a separate person, that is called brahanti, that is called agnanam, avidya, etc. Ekam, and then what is this ekam? Brahman, that is why it is called advaitam. Avyayam, avyayam means that which codes destruction slowly, like sugar you put in water, it goes on melting. Like that, this body is melting. Everything that comes into birth, it undergoes sixfold changes. Birth, growth, old age, middle age, old age, and then decay and death. So this is called sixfold change. But the atman, the one, this ornament may melt. The other piece of furniture may be destroyed. But what do they become? They don't get destroyed. They just go back to their state, which is called gold, which is called wood, which is called clay. I'm giving that, Vedanta gives these three examples very often. Avyayam bhavam, there is no destruction. We have seen the 16th verse of the second chapter, that this sat, there is no, what is called non-existence for existence, and there is no existence for non-existence. That means existence is, it has no birth. It has no manifestation. It has no destruction. It is completely remains as it is. And all those things appear to be because of the condition of our mind, not because the object is undergoing the change. Just like a rope doesn't become a snake. The rope alone remains when the rope is there. When I come, when I'm seeing a snake, that rope appears, that appearance is in, the change is in my mind, not in that rope. And when light is brought, and then the snake disappears. That means the change, ignorance within me disappears. Nothing happens to the rope. It was, it is, and it will be. So this is called avyayam bhavam. So, and then avibhaktam, actually a man of realization, he sees unity. This is what Swami Vivekananda fondly says, that to perceive unity in diversity. What is it? From the standpoint of the mind, diversity. From the standpoint of the knowledge, it is unity. Everything is made up of one pure consciousness. It is a question of where we are standing. If we are with the mind and body, then it is divided. If we are devoid of body and mind, it is pure Brahman. There is no I or Brahman or any such thing. So this is called avibhaktam, eekshati, such a vision, such a realization. And the person, or that knowledge, which comes to a sattvika person, and that is called sattvikam jnanam viddhi. Know that to be a sattvika jnana. Remember always, this sattva rajas tamas, it belongs not to the jivatma, not to the body, but to the antahkarana, called the mind. And when the mind obtains this sattva guna, its desire will be sattvik, its understanding will be sattvik, its willpower will be sattvik, its experience will be sattvik, its actions will be sattvik, finally its happiness also will be sattvik. That is the most important point. It is only the purification of the intellect that is most important for us. So our endeavour should be from tamo guna to rajo guna to sattva guna, and then finally when we reach the ultimate sattva guna, you don't need to do anything, sattva guna itself will throw you out. So this is what we have to understand, that knowledge by which one indestructible substance, means pure consciousness, is seen in all beings and as if divided, but undivided in the as if divided, no, that knowledge, that knowledge is of the nature of sattva guna. Because why is this so much is telling, for two reasons. One reason is we are all spiritual aspirants, and we have to know where we are. We should not start where a sattvika mind starts. We should not start where a rajasika mind starts. If I am in the tamasika state, this is the only option, I have to slowly start from my state through modification of food, and worship, and austerity, and caring and sharing, etc. That the purpose is to aid, if I know where I am, then only I can well plan out where I want to reach. That is the purpose. So this is what we have to understand. sarvabhutesu enaikam bhavam avyayam ekshate avibhattam ivaktesu tat jnanam sattvikam iti viddhi Know that sattvika knowledge to be that by which one sees the non-dual, imperishable, and undivided self in all divided beings. That is very important for us. So here, just I want to insert a small note. All progress is progress in the gunas. We are, everybody starts only with tamo guna, and then progress into rajo guna, and then still progress further into sattva guna, and then get out of all the three gunas because gunas is another name for the limited. We want to be unlimited. Why? Because we are unlimited. Our desire will never become limited because our nature goads us to remain unlimited, to become unlimited. Even not to become, we have to know that we are unlimited. We don't need to attain. As if it is something which I am not, but through effort I am going to attain it. That should not be the idea. Now what I want to say, progress always takes these three steps, and it can be viewed from three points. When I am growing in the health of the body and mind, it is a growth in sattva. And when I am growing in my understanding, then it is called growth in wisdom. And accordingly, if my health, body, mind are healthy, and then my knowledge is of higher nature, and my happiness increases proportionately, so that is why God is beautifully defined as sattva, chitta, and ananda. What is progress? To progress in health, both physical and mental, to progress in wisdom, and to progress in the experience of happiness. If we are not happy, even if I do 20 hours japa meditation, and my nature has not become unselfish, and my understanding is dull, then whatever I am doing, there is something wrong, I will have to be aware of what is wrong, correct myself, then only progress is possible. It is for this purpose only that this is being told. So from the progress point of view, three types of progresses are there. Sorry, two types of progresses are there. Progress from one angle, and progressing in sattva, progressing in chitta, progressing in happiness. Health of the body and mind, health, progress in wisdom, gradually better and better understanding and wisdom, and my happiness is also increasing. From another point of view, when I am completely identified with the body, and that is called tamasika state, and accordingly, my whole center of consciousness will be only in the body. That is what Sriram Krishna says in this Kali Yuga, man is body-minded completely. But this is called tamasikapura. Then when a person slowly makes effort, and enters into rajasika, then he says, I have, I am not the body, I have a body, I am not the mind, I have a mind, but I am somebody who will not be destroyed by the destruction of the body. I will have again next birth, I had many births, because I am jivatma, the individual soul, endowed with chidabasa, plus mind, plus body, is called jivatma. So this is the rajasika progress, is much better progress. But a sattvika person says, I am neither the body, nor the mind, I am pure consciousness. Not only that, not only I am pure consciousness, this is something called, this body and mind, they are also nothing but modifications of the pure consciousness only, there is no second object called body and mind, second object called prakriti, second object called nature, such a thing as dvaita darshana, duality, division, doesn't exist in the understanding of the sattvika person. So as we go on practicing spiritual disciplines, according to the directions of my guru, and according to the scriptures, then slowly the idea, I am the body, develops into I have a body, that means I am not the body, then I am not the mind, I have a mind, I have a body, I have a mind, but I am not the body, I am not the mind, mind means thoughts, mind means emotions, yes, there is a thought of happiness, there is a thought of unhappiness, there is a happy emotion, there is an unhappy emotion, I am excited, I am depressed, all these belong to the mind, but I am a witness to that, this will come when we progress in spiritual life, and there is no question of coming or not coming, everybody has to go through this, and then a day will come, that I am pure Brahman, and in that state, there is no body separate, there is no separate mind, everything is nothing but from one angle, it is pure consciousness, from another angle, the modification, appearance of the modification of consciousness, as if it has become, really doesn't become, like we see a cinema, that is we have to understand, with this understanding, we will go to what is called Rajasika knowledge, now Satvika knowledge we have seen, this is pure Brahman, Brahma darshana, Atma darshana, supreme reality, God in everything, but what happens to the Rajasika, when the mind is completely covered with Rajoguna, what happens? But that knowledge, through which one sees in all beings, various entities of different kinds, as differing from one another, know that, that knowledge is of the nature of Rajas, the words used appear to be simple, but it has got deep meaning, what does it mean? A person whose mind is completely filled with Rajoguna, what does he do? First of all, that knowledge, this is a tree, this is a mango tree, this is an apple tree, this is a neem tree, this is a plum tree, this is a pear tree, and this is a lion, this is a tiger, this is American, this is Indian, this is Hindu, this is Christian, everything he experiences very intensely, as completely separate from each other, X cannot be Y, Y cannot be Z, Z cannot be X, everything is totally different from each other, so this is the knowledge this person has got, here is a good man, here is a bad man, here is somebody who is selfish, he is unselfish, this is beautiful, this is ugly, this is rich, this is poor, everything is different, everything is different, what, wherever his vision goes, his sense organs go, whether it is seeing forms, hearing sounds, smelling, various smells, fragrances, etc., or dirty smells, or different types of experiences of touches, soft and very hard, very warm, very cold, etc., or the different, this is sweet, this is sour, this is bitter, etc., etc., etc., he sees, that means he is seeing everything as completely different, but we have to understand, this person, he will also understand, that everybody is a Jeevatma, X is a Jeevatma, I am because he knows I am a Jeevatma, how do we know? Because this Rajasika person, he goes on performing so many Yajnas, Yagas, Pujas, I want to go to heavenly world, this is a beautiful idea, analysed in this Vedanta, suppose somebody says, I believe in this scripture, and I want to go to heaven, the moment he says I want to go to heaven, the idea comes, that I am not the body, if I am the body, with the destruction of the body, I am destroyed, but no, body is separate, I have a body, this body will inevitably go to its end, but I am separate, after the death, I am going to get another body, which is appropriate for entering into heaven, and experiencing heavenly activities, heavenly actions, heavenly experiences, and I am going to enjoy, or by the same coin, I have done something wrong, I will go to hell, and I will experience so much of pain, so this idea, I am not Brahman, very sure, but I am not also the body, I am separate from the body, I have a body, with the help of that body, I would like to avoid suffering, I would like to acquire higher happiness, so for that I have to do, such and such kind of actions, therefore that idea, I am not the body, I have a body, that means I am an individual soul, and therefore like me, everybody is an individual soul, everything that is endowed with life, every living creature, is a Jeevatma, at different stages of evolution, this is much higher vision, than the Tamasika person, but much lower vision, in comparison to Sattvika Buddhi, Sattvika Gnanam, but we are going to discuss also about Tamasika Buddhi, this is much better compared to Tamasika knowledge, but much lower compared to the Sattvika Gnanam, so this is what he is telling, to Yat Gnanam, that knowledge, Sarveshu Bhuteshu, while perceiving different beings, Pratyakvitha, every being is different from every other being, Nana Bhavan, not only they are different, but everybody differs from everybody, in so many ways, in billions of ways, and everybody is completely separate, no unity among them, Pratyakvena Vetti, if any person looks at it, he is forced to desire according to his Gnanam, and he is forced to do activities, according to his knowledge, so his knowledge determines his desires, his desires determine his activities, his activities determine the way he performs the activities, the experiences differ, Karmapala differs according to those things, but this is to understand, if I am thinking that I am not Brahman, but I am also not a body, but I have a body, such a person, I have to use this body, such a knowledge is called Rajasika knowledge, that is very important for us to understand, then what about that person, whose mind unfortunately, or in the course of natural evolution, is only endowed with Tamas, for example, a child is supposed to be Tamasic, and it is very good for the child, then a grown up young person, is a Rajasic person, that is very good, but if he remains only in that state, not growing in wisdom and happiness, not growing into Sattvic state, that is a tragic, but nature will force everybody to grow, but if we can add our self effort, the progress will be much faster, so having described a Sattvika knowledge, leading to the highest happiness, highest realization, having described Rajasika knowledge, which leads to repeated births, but slowly makes progress, now Bhagavan Krishna is describing, what is called Tamasika knowledge, 22nd verse, 23rd verse, and that knowledge, that is confined to one single effect, as if it were the whole, and is without reason, without foundation in truth, and trivial, that knowledge is declared to be of the nature of Tamas, what is this Tamo-Una producing knowledge, when a thick black cloth, surrounds our eyes, even if there is a 50,000 watt bulb, glowing like another sun, but we will not be able to see it, so this is a very good analogy, a Sattvika person, there is no specks, a Rajasika person, there is a colourful specks, and a Tamasika person, is completely black specks, so that's why accordingly, his way of looking, his way of obtaining knowledge, his way of obtaining desires, his way of doing activities accordingly, and his experiences of the activities, are so low, so dull, this is being described here, but to separate, that I have described Sattvika person's mind, Rajasika person's mind, and their knowledge, but I have to separate, Ekasmin Karya, in one entity, here Karya means body, we have to understand the word Karya, means action, here in this particular context, Karya means body, so everybody's my body, your body, a mosquito's body, a dog's body, a tree's body, even a river's body, a mountain's body, Ekasmin Karya, I am the body, that is the understanding, I am the body, and this is the only reality, everybody is also a body, but that is not at all important, only my body is important, there is a beautiful story in Chandogya Upanishad, and there a demon, goes for self-knowledge, and the teacher teaches him at first, bring a plate full of water, and look yourself into that reflection, of your own bodies, and this demon looks, and he understands, that the teacher is teaching, that reflection is me, and what is that reflection? My body, therefore body is the self, therefore take care of it, glorify it, and you pamper it, with every kind of possible happiness, objects, whether it is obtained, right way, right way, wrong way, etc., this is the nature of, what is called a Tamasika person, every Tamasika person is a demon, who is a demon? That's why they are called Asura, in Sanskrit language, Asura means, Asura means, is Indriya's sense organs, one Asushu Ramate iti Asuraha, one who indulges in the sense pleasures, thinks sense pleasures are everything, sense organs are the reality, and there is nothing else excepting, sense organs and sense pleasures, such a person, who delights only in the physical body, because by proxy, all the sense organs can never be separate from the body, so when this body is the only reality, and nothing but this body is reality, but even here, there are different degrees of Tamoguna, so the highly evolved Tamoguni person, that means the less Tamoguna, still Tamoguna, plenty of Tamoguna, but much less than some people, says I am also a body, you are also a body, therefore if somebody gives me pain, I will suffer, somebody if I give pain to you, you suffer, just as I suffer when you give me pain, so live and let live, let us help each other, to just indulge in this bodily happiness, and that is called materialistic philosophy, and science encourages only this materialistic philosophy, and it doesn't teach anything higher, it cannot teach anything higher, because it is dealing 24 hours only, with the inputs that come through the five sense organs, it doesn't believe in the scriptures, whatever I cannot see, I cannot believe, I think I have narrated one joke, there were two people who were friends, one person was a believer in God, another person was believer only in the body, so this materialist friend used to say, I don't believe what I cannot see, what I don't see, and this friend retorted, you have no brains, because you can't see your brains, not only that, you don't have a back also, because you can't see your back, you don't have eyes, because you can't see your eyes, you can't see whatever you see, that is all a small part of your body, that too reflected in the mirror etc., a reflecting surface, so this materialistic person, in one body, the entire world is nothing but my body, my pleasure, my selfishness, my unhappiness, and for the pleasure of this body, he will do anything, whether it is rational or irrational, if it can be achieved rationally, usually not, so he resorts to irrational activities, that is called Ahaituka, and Atatvartham, Atatvartham means reality, Atatvartham means unreal, he deals only with the surface knowledge, which is totally unreliable, unreal, constantly changing, and naturally the type of result he gets is also, such a small result, for a short time, shortest time, and therefore, this person is more likely to suffer than anything else, these are the three types, with regard to this last one, I will pass a few remarks in tomorrow's class, but with this, Lord Krishna has beautifully enumerated, what is called Sattvika knowledge, Rajasika knowledge, and Tamasika knowledge, and their results also we have discussed, but these results we will discuss in future, future shlokas, in much more details.