Bhagavad Gita Lecture 01 Introduction on 16-March -2016

Invocation

oṁ namo'stu te vyāsa viśālabuddhe | phullāravindāyatapatranetra || yena tvayā bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ | prajvālito jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ ||

prapannapārijātāya totravetraikapāṇaye | jñānamudrāya kṛṣṇāya gītāmṛtaduhe namaḥ ||

sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ | pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīrbhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat ||

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam | devakīparamānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum ||

Introduction: Pronunciation and the Anuṣṭup Meter

Do you have the mahātmyam in that? It is there? Is it there? Pranam. Yeah. So we will start first with how to pronounce properly. That is one of the joys. If you do not pronounce, it does not bring you any sin, but it is a joy to do it, learn.

Two Types of Verses

There are two types of verses here. One type is called – mostly, ninety‑five percent of it is, I would say ninety‑eight percent of it is – called anuṣṭup chanda. Chanda means meter. Sanskrit meter is called chandas. So ninety‑five percent or even more is what we call anuṣṭup, which means there is a verse, it is divided into four parts, and each part will have eight syllables. So eight times four – how many? Thirty‑two. This is the simplest. There are certain verses which are in a different meter of different length.

Practising the Verses

First we will practise it. You know, you see – does it start with pārthāya? Yes. Okay. Pārthāya, then two, three, four, five, six. Seven is a little bit difficult. Then eight. Let us practise it with – let us say, I am just thinking – second, third, fourth, fifth. Let us practise second, third, fourth, and fifth. Then slowly we will improve in coming classes.

The Invocation Verses

It goes like this:

oṁ namo'stu te vyāsa viśālabuddhe | phullāravindāyatapatranetra || yena tvayā bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ | prajvālito jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ ||

prapannapārijātāya totravetraikapāṇaye | jñānamudrāya kṛṣṇāya gītāmṛtaduhe namaḥ ||

sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ | pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīrbhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat ||

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam | devakīparamānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum ||

Practising the Fifth Verse

Let us practise this fifth one two, three times. Do you want to hear once more, or can you join me?

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam | devakīparamānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum ||

So now let us start with the second one – not second, third. Third, fourth, and fifth, we will say.

prapannapārijātāya totravetraikapāṇaye | jñānamudrāya kṛṣṇāya gītāmṛtaduhe namaḥ ||

sarvopaniṣado gāvo dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ | pārtho vatsaḥ sudhīrbhoktā dugdhaṁ gītāmṛtaṁ mahat ||

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam | devakīparamānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum ||

So we will practise, and those who have recorded, they can follow me.

A Bird's-Eye View of the Bhagavad Gītā

What I would like to do now is a bird's‑eye view of the Bhagavad Gītā. Since today we are going to start the Bhagavad Gītā, we must have a bird's‑eye view, the whole essence. So I will give you one copy each. Distribute one copy each.

Why a Bird's-Eye View?

Everyone got? Okay. So before undertaking the study of any book, secular or spiritual, if we have a bird's‑eye view, then it is very helpful in grasping the essence of the book very quickly, very clearly, and everything falls into place. Otherwise, if you go on studying without a bird's‑eye view, what happens is, here something is told, something else is told, and it will take time to find out what is the connection between all these things.

The Notes

So this is what – you look into the notes I have given you about what the Bhagavad Gītā is about, what is the essence of it. So first I will take – at the end of every chapter, if you have noticed – how the Bhagavad Gītā ends: iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde... such‑and‑such adhyāyaḥ, chapter.

Upaniṣad, Brahmavidyā, Yogaśāstra

So what is the first thing? Upaniṣads. That means what? The Bhagavad Gītā is nothing but the essence of the Upaniṣads. And what is the Upaniṣad about? Brahma‑vidyā. What is brahma‑vidyā? Vidyā means knowledge. Brahma‑vidyā means knowledge of Brahman. Knowledge of Brahman means knowledge of Truth. Knowledge of Truth means knowledge of myself.

The Word Upaniṣad

So that is the first meaning. I will come back to the word Upaniṣad because it is very interesting. Then what is the last word? Yoga‑śāstre. Bhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre. So we already have Upaniṣad, brahma‑vidyā. What is Upaniṣad? Nothing but brahma‑vidyā. What is brahma‑vidyā? Nothing but ātma‑vidyā. What is ātma‑vidyā? The truth about reality, truth about reality. What is reality?

Reality and Mithyā

So do we know what is reality now? We think we know. So it is not reality, it is not unreality. It is not reality, it is not unreality. It is seeming partial reality. It is called Māyā. Many people mistranslate, misunderstand Māyā as non‑existence. "Unreal" means non‑existence. No, the world is not unreal. It is an English word. We use Mithyā or Māyā, Avidyā. What does it mean? There is truth. That truth is perceived in a distorted way. It is not untruth; it is a truth, but it is perceived in a distorted way, and that creates all the problems.

Yoga-Śāstra

And it is also yoga‑śāstra. The word yoga‑śāstra has several meanings. One meaning is it is very practical. If any scripture is not practical, it is totally useless. It is very practical. Another meaning is, yoga means – we all know about four yogas. So what is the meaning of the word yoga? We all know about it. What is it? Union. Yes. Union with what? God. Yes. What does it mean? What does God mean? God means our own Self. That means it is not even a union; it is realisation that I am me, I am God. That is the meaning of yoga. Otherwise union means what? There are several meanings. You put salt in water, sugar in water – it is one kind of union.

The Stick and the Water

But what we are talking about is – suppose there is a body of water and you put a stick. It seems now to be divided into two, and you remove the stick. What happened? As though they were divided, as though they were united – that is not the meaning. It is only the stick that appears to have divided; the waters appear to be divided, but were never divided. That is the meaning of the word yoga.

Yogaḥ Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ

What is the first meaning we said? Yoga‑śāstra means very practical. And Patañjali yoga‑śāstra, what is it? Yogaḥ citta‑vṛtti‑nirodhaḥ. Every yoga's function is only that – remove all the mind. What is the stick here? The stick is citta. In this word, the stick is citta, mind. And Brahman appears to be divided because of citta into two. What are those two? Jīvātman and Paramātman – never divided. So you remove the citta, and everything will be one. That is another meaning. First meaning is very practical. Second meaning is, practise any of the yogas: karma‑yoga, bhakti‑yoga, jñāna‑yoga, rāja‑yoga.

Question: One Yoga or Many?

"Can I ask something about that, Swamiji? With the yogas, ought you to focus on one yoga, or does it matter if you focus on more than one yoga at a time?"

Yes, you can practise, you can combine. We will come to that point later on. I am just defining what the Bhagavad Gītā is about.

The Dialogue Format

How do we know? So it is there at the end of every single chapter: Bhagavadgītāsu upaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre, then a dialogue, Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna‑saṁvāde – a dialogue. And most of our Upaniṣads are dialogues. And the name of the chapter. The name of the first chapter – what is it? Viṣāda‑yoga. So we will come to that point later on.

What Is the Gītā About?

So what is the Bhagavad Gītā about? That which reveals the truth about one's own Self – that is all the Bhagavad Gītā is about. Clear? What is it? That which reveals the truth, and it is a practical thing. The whole Bhagavad Gītā is only practical.

Prasthāna-Trayī

Second, it is one of the Prasthāna‑trayī. The Bhagavad Gītā is one of the three foundational scriptures of Vedānta or Hinduism. Three foundational scriptures – that is why it is called Prasthāna‑trayī. Trayī means three. What is prasthāna? Sthāna means a place. Prasthāna means that which takes us to the highest abode. Of these prasthānas, three we said: Upaniṣads, Brahma Sūtras, and Bhagavad Gītā.

Śruti, Nyāya, Smṛti

The Upaniṣads are called Śruti‑prasthāna. The Brahma Sūtras are called Nyāya‑prasthāna. And the Gītā is called Smṛti‑prasthāna.

Śruti and Smṛti

Smṛti – do you know the difference between śruti and smṛti? Śruti means revealed, direct revelation from God. Smṛti means after hearing from someone who had heard this revelation from a person who directly experienced the truth – we will explore the deeper meaning later on, what is śruti, very important – but here there are some people who realised the truth, then they expressed their experience, someone else heard from them, usually their disciples, devotees, and taking their words as truth based upon their faith in the person from whom they have heard, they have formulated certain other scriptures.

The Example of Śaṅkarācārya

Simple example: Śaṅkarācārya. Millions, Śaṅkarācārya... What did Śaṅkarācārya do? He did not write the Bhagavad Gītā. He had faith in the Bhagavad Gītā, and then he commented upon it. So that commentary itself is a smṛti. Smṛti means secondary scripture. Śruti means direct revelation. Anything based upon direct revelation is called smṛti. So this is called smṛti‑prasthāna. Other things we will talk about later on.

Why Study Brahmavidyā?

So this is a book about truth. Naturally the question comes: it teaches brahma‑vidyā, self‑knowledge. Why do we want Brahman knowledge? Is not life going on merrily without studying the Bhagavad Gītā? It goes on. But then there is a problem. What is the problem? Saṁsāra is a problem. So the first chapter is very relevant.

What Is Philosophy?

Before that, I will quote you something. See, what is philosophy? Do you know what is philosophy? "Philosophy is a search for a black cat in a dark room long after it has fled." This is about Western philosophy, called also speculative philosophy. Indian philosophy is totally different. What is it called? Darśana. Darśana means what? Direct vision. Darśana means direct vision. So philosophy is a direct vision. That is why philosophy and religion in India have never become separated, which again we will discuss during our deep talks.

Practical and Theoretical

But what it means is: a philosophy is useless if it is not truth, and philosophy must be practical. The practical side of philosophy is called religion, and the theoretical side of religion is called philosophy. Nothing to do with speculations.

Duḥkhatrayābhighātāt Jijñāsā

Okay. So why philosophy? This was questioned in a philosophical school called Sāṅkhya – Sāṅkhya Yoga. Now Sāṅkhya Yoga, there are certain authoritative books. It says: duḥkhatrayābhighātāt jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means the deep desire, intense desire to know. Know what? Because of tāpatraya.

The Example of Fire

The example is – suppose you are burning, and what is your immediate desire? How to quench the fire? Suppose you see a body of water – dīpta‑śirāḥ jala‑rāśim iva – the whole head is on fire; jala‑rāśi means you see a lake, a pond of water. What would be your natural instinct? To go there. That is called jijñāsā, the desire to know.

Suffering Comes First

Okay. So why the desire? When does the desire come to know? Simply can you sit and then say, "Now I desire to know about truth"? It will not come. Unless you suffer, it will not come. That is why the very first chapter is the most relevant chapter. Had not Arjuna gone through this hellfire, he would never have surrendered to God, he would never have asked for the teaching, and he would never have got it.

Arjuna's Confusion

And we see it as we go along – that first he did not seek knowledge, he thought he had knowledge. And then what did he say? He said that "I am perfectly justified in taking my own decision in not fighting." Kṛṣṇa did not say anything. Then he got confused: "Why is there no response? Why is there no approval? Why is there no applause? I gave such a big talk, and there was nobody to applaud. There must be something wrong with me." Then he understood. Then he surrendered.

Surrender

Surrender means what? What is the meaning of surrender? "I want to know." The meaning of surrender is, "I am dying to be rescued." That is called surrender. Nicely after a nice breakfast, "I surrender myself to you," is not going to work.

Tāpatraya

So what is the point we are making? Philosophy comes because of deep misery, suffering from three sources. What are those three sources? Tāpatraya we call it. That is why when we say śānti, how many times do we say it? Why three times? Because one peace, peace from one side, is not going to solve the problem, because I am burning in three ways: the body is burning, the mind is burning, and my soul is also burning. These are three separate issues again. Beautiful analysis: gross body, subtle body, and causal body. So there is a physical body, there is a subtle body, and there is a spirit body. We will come to that.

No Complete Remedy in the World

So when there is so much suffering, the next question: can you not find a remedy in this world? So you can find a remedy, but it has two defects. One, it is a partial remedy; it is a temporary remedy. Partial means if it relieves in some part, then the other part is burning. And it is only for a short time. There is no complete and permanent remedy. Only philosophy can give a complete and permanent remedy.

Viṣāda – Grief

So that is the point here – that viṣāda. Viṣāda means what? Grief. So why does viṣāda come, and how long does it stay? I am talking – every religion tells it, but I am talking especially from the Vedāntic point of view.

Saṁsāra, Jagat, Prapañca

This world is another name for suffering. That is why it is called saṁsārī. A person who is in saṁsāra is called saṁsārī. He wants to be sam – sorry – and does not want to have any sorry. The nature of this world – what is the nature of this world? Change. That is why the very Sanskrit words, two words I will give you. Saṁsāra is one word. You know what is the meaning of saṁsāra? That which is constantly fluctuating, changing, flowing, is called saṁsarati. That is why saras – dhyāyet citta‑sarojastham – Holy Mother's meditation mantra: dhyāyet citta‑sarojastham. Saroja means lotus. Saras‑ja means born. What it means – saras. What is saras? That which is always flowing: a stream, a body of water, a river, everything. Water is flowing. That is one word, saṁsāra, always changing. What is the second word? Jagat. Jagat means what? Gati. Gati means what? Movement. Constant movement, that is the nature, the name of the world. And also another word is there, prapañca. Prapañca means what? Made up of five elements. But what is the nature? Constant change.

Insecurity

So viṣāda, what is viṣāda? What is misery? That which never stays steady, but always changing – it is a source of misery. That means what is that? Insecurity. One way of describing it, though it is a very light way of describing it: suppose there is a round ball – try to stand steadily on it, or stand on a bicycle without any stand. What happens? You will have to constantly balance, will you not? You will have to make balance. And by the way, yoga also means balance.

The Six Changes

Okay. What is the point we are discussing? Anything that never remains unchanging is a source of insecurity. This is a wonderful point. Again we will discuss it later on. What is the meaning? So long as we are identified with the body and mind – and body and mind is another name for the world – so long there would be suffering. That is why it is called ṣaḍ‑ūrmi. Six changes. What are the six changes? Conception, steadiness, birth, growth, old age, disease, death. So every body, everything in this world, sooner or later it has to go through this. And that is the cause of misery. We want something of which we say, "I am secure." There is no security here. Two problems we say: insecurity and incompleteness.

Three Sources

So these can spring, and would spring, like Murphy's Law, from three sources. What are those sources? Body, mind, and spirit. Or another way of saying: from my body, from the external world, from gods – ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika, three sources.

The Remedy

So what is the remedy? The remedy is to find out that which never changes. And what is it that never changes? Ātman. Because it is never born, so therefore it will never change. That which is not born means it does not go through these six changes. That means it is complete, and it is secure. That is, the only thing that is secure and complete is what? Ātman, Brahman. So we want to be free. Freedom from the three tāpas, sources of suffering, is called mukti. You have heard the word mukti? Mukti, mokṣa, liberation – all these are synonymous terms.

Two Things Everyone Wants

So every human being, every living creature in fact, but consciously a human being, wants only two things in this life, after life, in this world. How many? Two things. I want to interact – you know, you have to say yes, two things, because that will not be for my sake, for your sake, it will reinforce. What are those things? Duḥkha‑nivṛtti, paramānanda‑prāpti. Destruction of duḥkha – duḥkha, you understand? Misery, suffering – duḥkha. And paramānanda‑prāpti, attainment of complete happiness, eternal happiness, infinite and eternal happiness. Why two words? "Infinite" means what? Complete happiness. "Eternal" means what? For all time. And that is the nature of Brahman.

Sat, Cit, Ānanda

That is why another way of putting this is, defining God, in a way of speaking – God cannot be defined really, but in a way of defining for our sake: Sat, Cit, and Ānanda. Sat means what? I do not want to die. Cit means what? I do not want to be ignorant of my existence. Ānanda means what? I want to be infinitely and eternally happy. That is God. That means I want to be God. That is why Swami Vivekananda says, "Each soul is potentially divine."

The Law of Nature

Here is an important law factor: that which is our nature, we do not struggle to get out of. That which is not our nature, instantaneously, instinctively, naturally, even unconsciously, we want to get out of. What is that? If we are unhappy, do you struggle or not? A mosquito is biting – what will you do? "Okay, I will deal with it two days later." Will you say that? Unconsciously, even in your deep sleep, if a mosquito sits there, you are trying to kill it, or scratch it, or do whatever you want. What is the law? Whatever is our nature, we do not want to get out of. What is not our nature, we want to get out of.

Anātmā

Now what is the point here? The point is, if we are trying to get out of something all the time, that means we are living in our nature, or in some other nature? Some other nature. What is that? That is called anātmā.

Only Two Things

This leads us into a very deep concept. In this whole universe, if you are asked, how many things are there? Infinite, almost infinite – not infinite, but almost, meaning uncountable. But according to Vedānta, there are only two things. What is it? Ātmā and anātmā – self and everything else, truth and everything else, reality and everything else.

Duḥkhatrayābhighātāt Jijñāsā Again

So duḥkhatrayābhighātāt jijñāsā. What is the Bhagavad Gītā about? It is about how to get out of our non‑nature with which we are identified now, and how to be permanently established in our true nature. Call it brahma‑prāpti, or whatever it is about. So the Gītā shows us the way – the whole Gītā. Not only the Gītā – the Gospel, Complete Works, any scripture: Bible, Qur'an, Tripiṭaka. What is it going to show? How to get out of what is not our nature.

Why They Do Not Put It That Way

So they do not put it that way because – I will discuss it again later on – they do not put it that way because only Advaita Vedānta tells the whole world is non‑self, whereas dualists and qualified non‑dualists, what do they say? It is a real creation of God. So if it is a real creation of God, there is no way you can deny it, and yet they pose: you will have to go to God, and it has nothing to do with His creation. The essence is: get out of the creation, prapañca. That is what he says.

What the Gītā Shows

So the Gītā shows us the way. What does it show us? Upaniṣads, brahma‑vidyā, yoga‑śāstra.

The Meaning of Upaniṣad

Now a little talk about Upaniṣad. You all have heard about Upaniṣad, you have heard about Upaniṣads, you read about Upaniṣads. What does it mean? See, I want you to interact with me so that you will understand it better. You have heard about Upaniṣad – what is your idea about one or two of them? What does Upaniṣad mean?

"Does it not mean to destroy delusion?"

Yeah, but I am talking about a precise meaning. I am not talking about the summary. I am talking about the very word Upaniṣad. The word Upaniṣad is divided into three: upa, ni, ṣad. When in Sanskrit grammar – I will not go into it, bore you with it – when ni plus sad join together, according to Sanskrit sandhi rules, sa becomes ṣa. It is actually sad. Sad, not sat, sad. So ni‑sad becomes niṣad. Upa‑ni‑ṣad.

Upa Means Near

What does upa mean? Upa means what? Near. Upa means near. Upavāsa, live near. Upāsana, sit near. A very wonderful word. What does the Upaniṣad do? It takes us near – near home, near to – who is the nearest to us? Self. There is nothing nearer to us than the Self. Therefore, that knowledge which takes us to our own nearest – nearest means not sitting side by side; nearest means to be only oneself – that is Upaniṣadic knowledge.

Three Meanings

So the other meaning is, three meanings are given, very simple. Simple translation is sad means that which loosens the bondage, that which totally burns the bondage, and that which takes us nearest to God – and here "nearest" not in a physiological sense. Nearest means you become one with God. And how does it do it? It does not take you. The analogy of a stick on water. So what does the Upaniṣad do? It simply takes away the stick, then you get unstuck. When the stick is removed, you become unstuck, and you realise, "Oh, I thought I was somebody else. Now I know who I am." That is the meaning of the Upaniṣad.

The Essence of the Upaniṣads

What is the Bhagavad Gītā? The essence of the Upaniṣads. How do we know? We will explore it: sarvopaniṣado gāvo – all the Upaniṣads are compared to many, many cows. Why many cows? I will make a little bit of fun now and then. Why many cows? Because they are not England's Jersey cows; they are Indian Naciketā's father's cows, so they will give a little bit of milk. So there are so many Upaniṣads; therefore the essence of all those Upaniṣads is brought out in the Bhagavad Gītā.

The Gospel as Commentary

And the Bhagavad Gītā is also a very difficult scripture, but if you cannot understand the Bhagavad Gītā, then you read the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. What is the Gospel of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa? It is the commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā. So what we are going to do: study this Bhagavad Gītā in the light of the teachings of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda and other direct disciples, okay? Right.

Yoga Means Viyoga

So what does the Gītā do? It shows us the way. How does it show us the way? What does a yoga do? I want to dispel some wrong idea about the meaning of the word yoga. One meaning is union. It gives immediately: you are separate from something, and this path is going to take you and unite you with something. But in Vedāntic terminology, yoga means viyoga – just the opposite. It does not take you to God. It disintegrates that glue which separates you from God, destroys ignorance. The purpose of every yoga is to destroy – what is the obstruction we said? Citta. So the citta is first purified, then concentrated, then it is destroyed. When the mind is destroyed, what remains?

Deep Sleep

Just imagine, in deep sleep what happens? There is no mind. So what happens? You have no problem, no Gītā class there, no Gospel class there, no Sunday class there, no doing japa business there, as well as no eating, no drinking, nothing business is there. You are perfectly alone, and you are very happy, very secure. But consciously we attain to that state.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Commentary – Tyāgī

So how does the Gītā do it? That is where Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa comes to our help. There are literally thousands of commentaries from small to big. Of all these commentaries, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's commentary is the shortest. What is the commentary? What is the essence of the Gītā? Tyāgī. And what does tyāgī mean? Renunciation, tyāga. Tyāga means what? Renunciation. Renouncing what? Renouncing only one thing: renounce ignorance.

What Is Renunciation?

This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant. You become a monk, and you become a nun. Then you see, what did you renounce? Can you become a monk or nun just from where you are, doing everything? Yes. Why? Because it is not outward renunciation, though some people do that. What is the renunciation? Renunciation of whatever is standing in the way of knowing who we are, and becoming free from this bondage. Renounce it, renounce the bondage. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa meant. That is what the Bhagavad Gītā meant.

Sarvadharmān Parityajya

Where is the connection? The last verse of the Bhagavad Gītā, what is it? Sarvadharmān parityajya. That is the key that we get. Sarvadharmān means renounce all yogas, renounce all duties, renounce everything, until there is nothing to renounce. If there is nothing to renounce, what remains? You, the renouncer. Do you remain, the renouncer? No, even the renouncership does not remain. Renouncership belongs to the one who is trying to renounce. When he has given up everything – can you follow what I am talking?

The Giver

Suppose there is a person who says, "I want to give away everything." So he may be a very rich person. One after the other he is giving away. During the process of his giving up, what is he called? The giver. And once he has finished giving everything away, would he still be called a giver? No, he was a giver, not he is a giver. Then what remains? Simply he remains. That is what remains after everything is sarvadharmān parityajya. That is also called śaraṇāgati, the act of totally surrendering oneself to God. That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said; that is what the Bhagavad Gītā said. That is the relevance between these two.

Renounce the Cause of Bondage

So what is tyāga? What is renunciation? Renounce the cause of saṁsāra, the cause of bondage. If you renounce the cause of bondage, what happens? Let me put it this way: bondage is an effect. That bondage comes because of what? Ignorance. So if you renounce the ignorance, then what remains? The bondage also goes. When the bondage goes, only the Self remains, nothing else remains. That is the essence of the Bhagavad Gītā, which Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's commentary so beautifully illuminates.

Five Ways

So how to achieve this renunciation? The Bhagavad Gītā tells us five ways, though I have not mentioned it, but four yogas, you know. Into it either through karma‑yoga, bhakti‑yoga, rāja‑yoga, jñāna‑yoga – by one, by more, by all of them together, and be free. So that is what the Bhagavad Gītā is going to show us. Beautifully, all the four yogas have been enumerated in this Bhagavad Gītā.

Three Definitions of Yoga

Now yoga. Four yogas we said. How renunciation – what is the essence of the Gītā? Renunciation. How to achieve renunciation? Through yogas. How many yogas? Four yogas. What is yoga? Of course, we already discussed one definition of yoga is yogaḥ citta‑vṛtti‑nirodhaḥ. But here, when we are practising, how do we know that we are slowly progressing in the path of yoga?

Who Are You?

Now I will ask you something very interesting. If I ask you, "Who are you?" – suppose you go to some new āśrama, nobody knows about it, and a Swami asks you, "Who are you?" What would be your CV? How do you introduce yourself to them? "I am a devotee." That is very fine, because we are bhakti‑yoga. But suppose I ask you, "You are a yogi," would you accept that definition? "I am a bhakta" – very happy. "I am a yogi" – are you happy to be called a yogi? After all, that is what we are doing through japa, meditation, and other things.

Devotee and Yogi

So how do we know we are bhaktas? Why am I coming to this point? You have objection to being called a yogi, but you do not have any objection to being called a devotee. Now who is a devotee? A devotee is none other than a yogi who is trying to become a perfect yogi through practising a particular path, is it not? What is that particular path? Bhakti‑yoga for us predominantly, but everything else is there as a background, as a support, as an auxiliary.

The First Definition – Samatvam

So the Bhagavad Gītā gives three important definitions of yoga. Do not take citta‑vṛtti‑nirodha as the highest stage – we are not talking about the highest stage, but when we start practising, what should be the condition of our mind so that we know we are slowly making our way towards that? Three. What are the three? The first definition is: samatvaṁ yoga ucyate – all from the Bhagavad Gītā. Samatvam, what is samatvam? Balance. What is balance? There should be balance between your sleep, your activities, your food, and everything else. Another meaning is: whatever happens in life, keep the mind in balance.

Equanimity

So suppose you are very happy – should you not be happy? Should you be like that? So how is the rasagullā? See, it does not give happiness, and the second time you may not get it. Suppose it is a painful event – so what should be done? The idea is you fix a balance and say, "This is the middle way. You can go a little bit high, you can go a little bit low, but do not go below that and do not want to go above it." That samatvam, equanimity of the mind, is one definition: samatvaṁ yoga ucyate.

"How do we know that going down and going up...?"

Because when you go up, you will be very excited. When you go down, you will be depressed. Slight observation – or take a good mirror and look at your face. Or if nothing works, ask your wife. Yeah, do not come to me every time. Okay.

The Second Definition – Yogaḥ Karmasu Kauśalam

What is the second definition? Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam. Yoga is dexterity in action. You know what it means? I will have to give a slight explanation, very simple, but we will discuss it later on. We are doing karmas, and there is a law of karma. What is the law of karma? I am not talking about karma‑phala. Suppose there is a light switch. You press the light switch below, pull it down – that is a karma. What is the result? Light comes on. And you pull it up – what is the action? The light bulb goes off. So for every action, a totally different result comes.

Dexterity in Action

So dexterity in action has two meanings. One meaning is dexterity – lower meaning, not superior meaning. The inferior meaning is: a yogi who is steadfast, who is equanimous, who is focused, he can do any work he undertakes quicker, more efficiently, and in a better way. In every way a yogi can do – whether it is reading a book, whether it is eating food, or anything – much better than a person whose mind is disturbed. So dexterity means here what? Focus, use your intelligence, use your logic, rationality, and finish that work in the best possible manner. That is called kauśalam. This is a lower meaning.

The Higher Meaning

There is a higher meaning, and that is where I gave this example. If you push the switch below and light comes on; if you push – I cannot give this example in America; I have to give the opposite. Yeah. So you push up, light goes off. Every action has a different result. But for a yogi, whatever action he does, it gives only one result. What is that result? Going towards Brahman, removing the stick. That is called yoga.

Karma Yoga

So karma‑yoga means what? Through karma, I do not want any different result. I want only Self‑realisation, Self‑knowledge, God‑realisation, samādhi, whatever name you call it. Two meanings we give: the first meaning is to perform any action with concentration, with rationality, with intelligence, finish it very quickly and in a much better qualitative way, very efficiently – that is the lower meaning, and a yogi can do that. What is the real meaning? Convert every action into one result. If I am a bhakta, I will get more devotion. If I put on the switch, more devotion; if I put off the light, that is also more devotion. So if I serve somebody, more devotion. And if I kill somebody, more devotion. Is it true? Yes.

Arjuna's Focus

What did Arjuna do? What was he doing in the battlefield? Killing – more efficiently, kill. That is why when his teacher asked him in that test – the test is to pierce the eye of a bird – and he said, "What do you see?" "I do not see you, I do not see the tree, I do not see the branch, I do not see the bird, I see only the eye of the bird." That is called the state of yoga. How difficult it is, but that is our goal.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Focus

That is why whether you take some incidents in Swamiji's life, take incidents in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life – when they do something, they can do it most efficiently. Simple example: if Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa wants to light up something, how many matches will he use? Only one. That is because he focuses his mind. If he does cooking, he will do the best way of cooking. Whatever he does, that is why he succeeded.

Nirvikalpa Samādhi

How many days did he take in attaining nirvikalpa‑samādhi? How many days had Totāpurī taken? Forty years! How many days had Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa taken? Three days! The moment his Guru told him, the only obstruction was, "I can remove my mind from every thought excepting the Divine Mother." And once he succeeded in it, what happened next? He plunged himself into nirvikalpa‑samādhi, and then Totāpurī started wondering: "I took forty years. This man has achieved instantaneously. Why was he able to do it? Is it a miracle?" Because of how much preparation he had done! That is why so many incidents we will discuss in course of time.

Why Violence?

"So why does the Bhagavad Gītā teach violence, Swamiji?"

This would be for the next class. It does not teach violence. It is a wrong opinion. Just now you heard – what is it the Bhagavad Gītā teaches?

"I mean, the story goes like that. That is why..."

No, no. The story does not go – it is a wrong notion, because people do not understand what the Bhagavad Gītā is. It is not teaching about violence; it is not teaching about anything else. It is only teaching about the Self, God, nothing else.

The Third Definition – Duḥkhasaṁyogaviyogaṁ Yogasaṁjñitam

Okay. So what is the third definition? Two definitions we have here. What is the first definition? Samatvam. What is the second definition? Kauśalam. What is the third definition? Duḥkhasaṁyogaviyogaṁ yogasaṁjñitam. Even if a person is in the midst of the most unimaginable suffering, he will be the happiest person. Saṁyoga means deep union with duḥkha, but as though he is viyoga – as though he is not attached at all.

Lāṭu Mahārāja's Example

One simple example is there. Lāṭu Mahārāja – he was not able to sleep, not to speak of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's example. He was not able to sit, he was not able to lie down because of asthma. So he said, "I am in great distress." Then he said, "I found no relief." Then he said, "There is only one remedy. I will sit in meditation." And within a few minutes, he totally detached himself from the body and mind. He said, "My mind – absolutely God, what rest it had to get in that state!" And after forty‑five minutes or so, when his mind became conscious of the external world, he said, "The physical pain and distress have become much, much less."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Detachment

Now Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's case you know – he is totally detached. How do we know? Only one hint I will give you. One day he had a vision of Mother Kālī, and you know Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's neck was bent. And what was his vision? Mother Kālī's neck was also bent. Then he asked, "Mother, why is this?" And what did She say? "Because of yours." That means what? You and I are not separate at all.

No Will of My Own

Another incident. Somebody suggested, "You pray to God, to Mother; She will listen to your prayer, that She should cure you." Then he said, "Do I have a will of my own? Long back I offered it at the lotus feet of the Mother. Whatever happens, it is Her will." Now, a very important point here: whatever happens is whose will? Her will. If whatever happens is good or bad, who gets the credit or debit? That is what we understand. But what we do not understand is: if Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is suffering, who is suffering? Mother. And if Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa is enjoying, who is enjoying? Mother. That is called total. You simply cannot say, "When I am enjoying a sweet, I am enjoying, of course, by the grace of the Divine Mother; and when I am suffering, I am suffering – that also by the will of the Divine Mother." No, because self‑surrender means what? They have become totally one.

Holy Mother's Example

And if you want to understand in a simple way: Holy Mother – one day a woman came whose grown‑up son had died, and she started sobbing. Holy Mother started sobbing. What was Holy Mother doing? She became that old woman, and by sharing, she took away. What did she share? Did you ever question yourself? Only you say she took away the unhappiness, sadness or unhappiness of that woman, but did she give anything? She had also given a bit of her knowledge to her so that she could withstand, and that is why she became consoled and went away. Innumerable examples are there.

Joy in the Midst of Sorrow

What is the point here? The point is: even in the midst of the greatest sorrow, a person remains absolutely joyful. That is another definition of yoga: duḥkhasaṁyogaviyogaṁ yogasaṁjñitam.

The Three Definitions as Touchstones

Three definitions. Why are we discussing these three definitions? Because that is how we can judge: is my mind calm and quiet? It does not mean like a rock. A little bit of leeway is there. Yes, you can be happy; you can also be a little bit unhappy. Only two constraints. What are the two constraints? First, it should not go too much up and too much down – only this much. And second is, for a short time. How long? For a short time. A yogi does not go on grieving for a long time.

Holy Mother's Son

Example: Holy Mother's son died. Holy Mother started weeping from three o'clock. It was our past ārati time; somebody came and informed. You know that incident. Then Holy Mother washed her face. Afterwards there was no trace of grief at all.

How We Know

How do we know? We know because even if the greatest tragedy strikes them, for a moment they behave like human beings. And suppose after that they have to sit for meditation – suppose you sit, I sit for meditation after such news comes, will I be able to do it? No. But what do you think Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa does? As though nothing has happened, his mind will straightaway plunge into samādhi. That means this is not touching even the fringes at all. We are far away from that, but that is our goal.

The Three Touchstones

So as we progress, how do we know? Take these three definitions: our mind will become more equanimous; second definition, we become more focused, more rational, more logical, and more expert; third, even if the greatest tragedy – not only of the world, but my own – a doctor comes and tells, "You are going to die in another few minutes," or somebody comes, "I am going to blow your brains" – what do you think? "Thank you very much! I want to go to my Mother; She is waiting for me," like Socrates.

Socrates

You know what happened to Socrates?

"No."

You do not know?

"No, I do not know."

Okay. He was sentenced to die by taking poison called hemlock, and the time had come. He asked the jailer, the gaoler, "What happens?" because he had seen so many people. So he went graphically described: "The numbness starts from the legs, and when it reaches your heart, that is the end." So Socrates is slowly describing to others: "Now the numbness has come up to the ankles, up to the knees, up to the thighs," etc., happily. And somebody asked, "How are you going to die? You are talking as though you are describing something." He said, "You know, because I know there is a better world waiting for me there than this world. Unless a person is certain of that, in comparison with which death is nothing – I am waiting for something a million times happier – then he will have no regret at all. Otherwise, to leave something which we know only, it is very difficult, even if it is a world of unhappiness."

The Touchstones

Okay. As we progress, what is the touchstone? These are the three touchstones. Whatever happens, our mind is calm, our mind is very efficient, very focused, and it is never pulled down to a great extent; it recovers very quickly.

Power of Positive Thinking

And here I want to insert something. By these definitions – you know nowadays millions of books, self‑help books: Power of Positive Thinking. The Gītā is the most wonderful book on the power of positive thinking. There is no negative thinking at all. We will explore it, but I will specifically give an example, very briefly, then we will discuss it.

Arjuna's Grief

When Arjuna was grieving, Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells why he should not grieve. He gives three reasons.

The First Reason

The first reason why you should not grieve, he says: "Oh Arjuna, you are grieving for whom? Bhīṣma and Droṇa, etc. Okay, what is your problem? 'I am going to kill them.' So supposing you do not kill them – already they are one foot in the grave. They are not young people; they are already one foot in the grave. So if you do not kill them also, they will be killed very soon. Nobody can stop that. Just because you do not kill, nobody kills – do you think that they are going to survive? They are going to go." The first reason.

The Second Reason

The second reason, he says: "If you think they are virtuous people, dharmic people – if they are dharmic people, that means they have accumulated a lot of puṇya. Puṇya, you understand? Merit. By doing good deeds, they have accumulated a lot of merits. And when a person dies – whether natural death or somebody kills – after death, if he had accumulated a lot of merits, where do you think he will go? To heaven! So in fact, they will thank you for sending them there, you know – fast‑track! Fast‑track." So second reason.

The Third Reason

Third reason he says: "If you know that they are not bodies, but they are the Self – what is the Self? The Self is never born, the Self is never..." So which viewpoint do you want to take?

Unmanifest, Manifest, Unmanifest

And then later on, he inserts a little bit. You know what he says? That before birth, creatures are in – not non‑existent, but in an unmanifested state. And after death, they will go back to the unmanifested state. In between, they remain visible, experiencable, manifest. So tatra kā paridevanā, he says – why are you grieving? Because with you or without you, this is the nature of life. So they are going to be for some time. This is aparihāryārthe tatra kā paridevanā. This is not in your hands. Aparihāryārtha means inevitable. If this is the fate of any creature – inevitable fate means what? Nobody can change it. Then why worry about it?

The Don't-Worry Clinic

Beautiful reason! That is why the power of positive thinking. Don't‑worry clinic! Don't‑worry clinic. A doctor had a clinic; he named it "Don't‑Worry Clinic". So some patient asked, "What is this nonsensical title, Don't‑Worry Clinic? What do you mean?" He says, "You know, if a patient comes to me and I start treating, only two things will happen: either he gets cured or he does not. If he gets cured, nothing to worry. And if he does not get cured, only two things will happen: either he goes to heaven or he goes to hell. If he goes to heaven, nothing to worry. Suppose he goes to hell – he will meet lots of his old friends! Nothing to worry! After all, he will rejoin with lots of his old cronies!" This is the Bhagavad Gītā – it belongs to that Don't‑Worry Clinic.

The Greatest Sinner

Whether you are alive, you are dead, whatever it is – even if you are the greatest sinner: "Oh, I am the greatest sinner!" You know, api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananyabhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ, samyag vyavasito hi saḥ. Have you read somewhere? The Bhagavad Gītā says: "Even if you are the worst of sinners, do not worry, because this sin and merit, these are temporary things. You take refuge in Me – kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā – instantaneously. The moment you decide, 'O Lord, I have done so many things in my ignorance. I take refuge in You,' that very moment his whole life is turned over." If this is not a power‑of‑positive book, I do not know!

Uddhared Ātmanātmānam

And then he says: "Yes, power of positiveness, but you have to work a little bit." That is why what does he say in the Bhagavad Gītā? Uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet. Lift up yourself by your shoestrings! Because you have that mind; I have given you that knowledge, this opportunity, this time, and everything I have given you. You just work.

Svalpam Apy Asya Dharmasya

How much you work? The Bhagavad Gītā, so many quotations are there: svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Even a little bit of practice of this yoga saves you from the greatest disaster. What a beautiful word! You will never get one single, "You are going to go to hell." No – temporarily, yes! But sooner or later, you will come up. Okay.

Spiritual Progress – Dharma to Jijñāsā

So how does spiritual progress take place from the viewpoint of the Bhagavad Gītā? This overall bird's‑eye view: first education is dharma. You practise, become dharmic. Perform your duties to your station, to your nature, to your intelligence, to your capacity – perform your dharma.

Citta-Śuddhi

From dharma, what results? Purification of the heart, citta‑śuddhi.

Jijñāsā

From citta‑śuddhi results, only one result will come – when our hearts are pure, one result. You know what that result is? Jijñāsā, the intense desire to become liberated, to know God.

The Yogas

And from jijñāsā, you can take any of the help of the yogas. And if you pursue with My grace, then you will reach the goal.

All Yogas Are Valid

So this is another point that the Bhagavad Gītā gives: all yogas are equal, valid, and any yoga is capable of taking one to the truth – jato mat tato path, as many faiths, so many paths. That is what the Bhagavad Gītā says.

Truth Is One

So what is the point here? You read the Gītā in the light of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life and teachings; you read Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's life in the light of the Bhagavad Gītā – you will not find any difference. Why? Why do you not find any difference? Because he who was Rāma, who was Kṛṣṇa, he is only teaching the same thing in the form of Rāmakṛṣṇa – same thing. Why? Because truth is one; language differs, expression differs, but the truth does not differ.

Eternal Values for a Changing Society

Then what differs? Swami Ranganathanandaji's title is that: Eternal Values for a Changing Society. How they have to be implemented – that method changes from time to time according to the changing times – but the truth never changes. That is what he says.

Question: Dharma and Jijñāsā

"Maharaj, one question. So leading a dharmic life aids in citta‑śuddhi, but also leading a dharmic life is itself a source of happiness. So where does the link to having a conscious awareness of your suffering, or the negative connotation of suffering, come, and lead into the jijñāsā?"

That is a wonderful question. Very briefly I will answer now. A person leading what is called a dharmic life – the first point is, there are two sources of suffering. What are the two sources, you know? First source of suffering is, by the nature of the world itself: it can be hot, it can be cold, there would be enemies – you may be a good person, there may be enemies, there would be what are called terrorists, and all those people can give trouble; mosquitoes can give trouble; anything can give trouble. The second source is our past karma. So dharma automatically does not remove suffering, because dharma is a virtuous action, and virtuous actions usually give their result in the future.

The Impatient Ascetic

If you are doing a virtuous action right now, do not expect – like that fellow, there was a fellow who had faith in the Purāṇas, and he heard stories: anybody goes for austerity in a forest, Indra will send a beautiful woman. So he wanted a beautiful woman, so he went into a forest, sat down under a tree with closed eyes; after five minutes he was opening them to see whether anybody had been sent. Do you see the point?

Merit Gives Two Results

So dharmic actions slowly purify – we are not talking about yoga; we are talking about dharmic action. Dharmic action produces merit. Meritorious action gives two results. First, because he is only following the scripture‑directed path, it slowly purifies his heart. And the second point is, as a result of puṇya, he might go to heaven. If his desire is to go to heaven, then what do you think he will do? He will go to heaven. But even when he comes back, that saṁskāra – you know, many times he did these good actions – so his habits become very strong, and he will do more, and more, and more. Then as a result, a time will come when slowly the jijñāsā will come: "I do not want this coming and going. I want to have permanent happiness."

The Sequence

Now that is why I said: first dharma, then citta‑śuddhi, purification of the mind. That leads to inquiry, jijñāsā. That leads to study of the Gītā, study of the Gospel, study of the Bhāgavatam, whatever. That leads to the particular yogas or a Guru, and the Guru gives the direction. Then he practises yoga. Then this is the spiritual progress we are talking about.

The Dharmic Man

An ordinary man – when he gets something, he is very happy; when he loses something, he can be very unhappy. The dharmic man – the only merit is, he is doing good actions; good results will come, meaning his life will be a happier life, but he cannot avoid certain things. In the nature of the world he cannot change it. So even if Dharmarāja is going out to answer the calls of nature under Pañcavaṭī or Jautala, the mosquitoes will still bite him. Just because he is Dharmarāja, maybe dharmic mosquitoes might bite him and get their own mokṣa! Is that point clear, or do you still have a doubt?

"I have still some doubts; I will ask..."

Okay, we will ask later on. Let me conclude this one.

The Structure of the Gītā

So this Bhagavad Gītā has got eighteen chapters, about seven hundred verses, and it comes in the Mahābhārata. And the Mahābhārata has got eighteen – how many chapters? How many parvas is it called? How many? Eighteen. The Bhagavad Gītā is considered by most people to be the aphorism, and the Mahābhārata is its explanation – detailed explanation with stories and all those things. The essence of the Mahābhārata is the Bhagavad Gītā. That is one point.

Three Parts of Six Chapters

This Bhagavad Gītā, by many ācāryas who commented, is roughly divided into three parts, six chapters each: first to sixth, seventh to twelfth, thirteenth to eighteenth.

Karma-Ṣaṭka, Bhakti-Ṣaṭka, Jñāna-Ṣaṭka

The first six chapters are called Karma‑ṣaṭka. Ṣaṭka means six. The next six chapters are called Bhakti‑ṣaṭka, and the last six are called Jñāna‑ṣaṭka. That means the first six chapters emphasise more of karma, karma‑yoga; the middle six chapters emphasise more of devotion; and the last six chapters emphasise more of knowledge. And it is roughly true, but it is not true that in the first six chapters nothing else is discussed – there is also devotion. In fact, the second chapter is full of knowledge. But the third, fourth, fifth chapters – these six chapters – they are full of karma. Roughly, some people divide it so.

The Only Way – Tyāgī

So ultimately, there is only one way to get rid of any misery. What is that? Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's tyāgī, sarvadharmān parityajya, śaraṇāgati, self‑surrender. We discussed it.

God's Grace Alone

Last point, a very important point from the Bhagavad Gītā: God's grace alone can remove ignorance. Why? Because the ignorance belongs to whom? Māyā. Māyā belongs to whom? God. That is why He says: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. "This Māyā is divine, consisting of three guṇas, impossible to get rid of by anybody excepting through My grace."

The Grace

And when My grace falls upon a devotee, by leading a dharmic life and prayer, what do I do? I give him that desire to progress, to take to yoga, become a yogi, and progress in spiritual life.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa's Confirmation

That is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa confirms and says: "By Mother's grace alone can one progress in spiritual life."

Vivekacūḍāmaṇi

And this is also confirmed by the greatest non‑dualist Śaṅkarācārya, saying in the second or third verse of Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: durlabhaṁ trayam evaitad devānugrahahetukam, manuṣyatvaṁ mumukṣutvaṁ mahāpuruṣasaṁśrayaḥ. It is only by God's grace a person obtains three unattainable things in this life: a human birth, desire for spiritual progress, and the company of spiritual people – only available by God's grace. This is what Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also tells: without God's grace, it is not possible to realise God.

Summary

This is the overall view. To summarise in one simple sentence: the Bhagavad Gītā teaches us how to know who we are, and then only we can get rid of this suffering completely and permanently.

Closing

vasudevasutaṁ devaṁ kaṁsacāṇūramardanam | devakīparamānandaṁ kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagadgurum ||

So next Saturday, we will have what class? The life of the Master. So you got already certain notes, isn't it? So we will complete that one, then as we progress, I will give you the notes of what we are going to discuss in future. Then the week after that – one week the Master, and one week the Bhagavad Gītā. Okay.