View source for Bhagavad Gita Ch15 part 13 on 14 August 2021

== Full Transcript(Not Corrected) ==
Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Arthanam
Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
Sarvopanishadogaho Dogdha Gopalanandana
Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetha Mritam Mahat
Mokam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim
Yat Kripatam Aham Vande Paramanandam Adhavam
We are studying this most marvelous chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, 15th chapter called Purushottama Yoga.
In our last class, we have dealt with two particular shlokas describing the Akshara Purusha,
that which is beyond Akshara and Akshara, Uttama Purusha.
He who comprises both the Akshara and Akshara.
In the 17th verse, the Lord is clearly telling, after giving an introduction,
in which Krishna divided the entire universe into three parts,
Akshara, Akshara and Uttama Purusha, that which is beyond infinite,
but which contains both Akshara and Akshara.
What does it mean?
There is another being and it is the highest and it is called the Supreme Self, Uttama Purusha,
who as the immutable pervades all the three worlds and sustains.
In simple words, he is the creator, he is the sustainer as well as he is the dissolver.
Now before we go further, I would like to add a note here
that whenever we experience anything, we experience two types of differences.
First of all, we see there is a tree, for example, an animal, a bird, an insect, a human being, etc.
Then within each one of these species, there are almost infinite varieties,
not really infinite, but beyond count.
And within each individual, there is that marvelous differences are there.
For example, here is a baby and he is a child, then he is an adolescent,
he is a youth, middle aged, old age, decayed, diseased, healthy and finally death will be there.
So everything we perceive is changing.
Now earlier also I mentioned that there are three important words we have to remember.
One word is called Sathyam, that which alone was, is and will be and it is immutable.
Mutable means changeable, immutable, it is avyayaha, imperishable.
But what about the world? That's what the Lord said,
the world can be divided into again two categories, Kshara and Akshara.
What is Kshara? Kshara means everything is changing,
but it doesn't mean destruction. Perishable is the English translation of the word Kshara.
By that word perishable, even by this word death, subject to death.
Death is a change, that is a very important Vedantic concept.
Just as birth is a change, growth is a change and old age is a change, death also is a change.
What does it mean? That which, that object which undergoes these things,
it doesn't become non-existent, but it changes its form and so there is no real destruction.
There is no something called non-existence.
So pure existence and something, we use the word non-existence,
but such a thing never exists at all, but seemingly existing, seemingly changing.
That is the meaning of the word Kshara.
We have to keep a note of it, nothing becomes non-existent, but it changes.
Is this change real? There also the Advaita Vedantic view is no, it's not really changeable.
It appears to be changing.
Gaudapada deals with this subject very beautifully and he says you take a stick which is glowing,
there is only one glowing tip, but if you whirl it round and round, you can make a circle
and if you move it fast enough, it gives the illusion that there is a square,
there is a circle, there is a triangle, you can create a man, a dog, etc., etc.
In Vedanta, there is nothing which becomes non-existent,
but seeming existence according of course to Advaita Vedanta.
So Bhagavan Krishna had divided, earlier we have seen, the whole universe into two.
What are that? Kshara Purusha, that which is continuously undergoing change, modifications
and that which is continuously witnessing the change in the form of Kotastha Purusha,
that's what he called Akshara Purusha.
Akshara means imperishable, Kshara means perishable.
That word perishable is an unfortunate word because it brings wrong connotations to our mind.
So we say changeful, everything is changeful and Akshara, Jeevatma, it never changes
because it is continuously witnessing, following the law that to cognize something is changing,
that cognizer should never be changed, he cannot change.
A non-changing cognizer alone can take note of changes, any change that takes place.
So this is the important word that we have to keep in mind.
So there are two things, one is continuously changing and another is continuously unchanging
but witnessing called Kotastha also, that is called Jeevatma.
One, that which is changing is called the perishable thing, Kshara Purusha.
It is very interesting to note, even when it is, Bhagawan Krishna is using the word Kshara,
he adds Purusha, Purusha means that which can never be changed.
That means a Purusha who seems to be changing is Kshara Purusha
and another Purusha who seems to be unchanging, that is in the form of Jeevatma,
that is another Purusha, Akshara Purusha.
But the real truth is that which is appearing as changing and unchanging both,
it's a play of the mind but really it doesn't change at all.
The substratum, the Adhishtana can never change and that is what very most important,
that third Purusha, now again I have to sound a note of caution.
The moment you say Kshara Purusha number 1, Akshara Purusha number 2, Uttama Purusha number 3,
these numbers like Jagrat, Swapna, Sushukti and Turiya, these are not really numbers.
One seemingly changing, another seemingly unchanging and another is the substratum
where this drama, the cinema of seeing, changing, seemingly changing, seemingly unchanging is going on.
Just as you know, I will give a small illustration.
Always we have to take this illustration, the big lump of salt.
What is the illustration? You are watching a movie
and then suddenly you see that there is space is there and lots of clouds are moving.
What is moving? Lots and lots of clouds, different coloured clouds, different sized clouds
against what background? Against the background of Akasha, space.
Birds are flying, they are changing but what is my illustration? This is cinema.
On the cinema screen, so you take off the screen, everything disappears.
Keep the screen, then only you see.
So the unchanging space, the changing objects against to that background of the space
and the screen which is manifesting, making itself completely invisible, unknowable as it were,
I do not exist, we see only the space, sky, we see the clouds but without that background, it's impossible.
Before this cinema projection was done, screen was there.
After the cinema is over, screen will still be there.
What about during the projection? The screen will always be there.
Without the screen, we cannot see anything at all but it becomes invisible as it were
but even though it is there all the time, same screen before, afterwards and in between.
I hope this will give this Uttama Purusha, the screen against which the unchanging Jeevatma
is experiencing all the changeable objects.
If we can grasp this idea, what is the final conclusion?
Everything in this world is Paramatma and all the Jeevatmas who are experiencing this huge cosmos
is also Jeevatma, he is also only a manifestation of that Paramatma
but they are all like movie pictures on the completely unmoving infinite screen called Uttama Purusha Paramatma.
So that is what he is going to tell us.
Like the screen, there is another Purusha as distinguished from Kshara and Akshara, the perishable and the imperishable
and his name is Paramatma and what does he do?
Just as the screen or the light pervades every object, the sky also, the space also
and every cloud, every object that is seemingly moving, it is the screen only.
There is not a separate object called the bird, the clouds, the space etc.
So this Paramatma, he pervades Lokatrayam Aavishya.
That means he is creating the world, he is sustaining the world.
How is he sustaining?
This Avyayaha, imperishable, Ishwaraha, ruler, creator, sustainer, Vibharti, he is sustaining.
He is the creator, he is the sustainer and he also afterwards withdraws all these things into himself as it were.
So that is the essence of the 17th verse.
Then we also dealt with 18th.
Same idea but slightly elaborated in this 18th verse.
As I transcend both the perishable and also I am higher even than the imperishable.
I am extolled in this world, well known in this world and in the Vedas also as the supreme self.
That is what he is telling Purusha Uttamaha.
This word Purusha Uttamaha, Purusha, Purusha means he who pervades everything
and Uttamaha means this is the final word, the infinite Purusha, the eternal Purusha
because infinity and eternity means changeless beyond time and space.
I am called Purusha Uttamaha.
Why is he called Purusha Uttamaha?
Because I contain the Kshara Purusha which is the entire experienceable objective universe.
I also contain the Jivatma who is experiencing as an unchangeable consciousness but limited by the Upadis, limiting agents.
So in this world there are only two things, not billions of things, the experiencer and the experienced.
And finally this distinction between the experiencer and the experienced, both of them are nothing but the pure Paramatma.
I gave the illustration earlier.
When you, the one person lies down on a bed and goes and dreams, what are you doing?
You are creating a dream world, Swapna Prapancha and there you created yourself as the experiencer
and the entire world, any number of people, birds, animals, trees, plants, rivers, oceans, sky, pancha bhutas, etc.
Everything and you and everything you experience, experiencer and experienced, subject and object.
And then you think everything, I am separate, you are separate, he, she is separate, everything is separate from everything else.
But you wake up, as soon as you wake up you understand, I myself have created this entire universe.
Who sustained it? You sustained it. How long did you sustain it? Until you woke up.
So this is a marvellous way of understanding this particular 18th verse in the form of understanding the dream.
So the Purushottama, the Brahman, the Paramatma also called Ishwara, he creates both the experiencer and the experienced.
But without me there will be neither the Jivatma nor the Jagat. Jiva and Jagat are absolutely one and the same.
And what am I called? Purushottama. Why is this explained?
So that each one of us must understand the Jagat also is Paramatma, I am also Paramatma, there is nothing other than Paramatma,
there is nothing other than Sat, Chit and Ananda. So that is what we have to understand.
So what happens when a person truly understands, even intellectually, a Sadhaka goes on practising,
goes on discriminating, goes on eliminating all the differences. What is Sadhana? Elimination of differences.
Another way of looking at it, elimination of differences.
Another way of looking at it, removing all undesirable thoughts and having only desirable thoughts.
How many desirable thoughts should be there? Only one, because the desirable object is only one.
Even when we are desiring any number of worldly objects, we are only actually after only one desire.
What does it mean? It means, you know, a man says, I want to eat sweet. Does he want sweet? No.
He wants happiness through that sweet. I want savoury. Does he want savoury? No.
I want that happiness to enjoy, to be happy. Then why does he want savoury?
Because sweet enhances the taste of savoury and savoury enhances the taste of the sweet.
This contrast is necessary. So everything is contrasted.
Good and evil and gain and loss, victory and defeat, hunger as well as satiation of the hunger.
So waking state, dream state, dreamless state, everything has only one purpose.
What does a Jeeva want to do in waking state? I want to be happy. What does he want in the dream state? I want to be happy.
And what does he do in the deep sleep state? I am happiness.
Instead of saying I want happiness, he will experience unbroken happiness.
That's why that state, deep sleep, is called Sushupti, Ananda Maya Kosha. I slept well.
I was so happy. I became completely relaxed. I am ready again to enter into the waking and dream state.
Why do you want to enter? So that I can be prepared again to go into that Sushupti state.
Here is a dependency. If somebody says I will not work hard, he will neither have good sleep nor good dreams.
Nothing will happen. We have to pay for everything. Hard work is the payment.
So Jeeva doesn't want anything. He has only one desire. I want to be, I want to know and I want to be happy.
And these three in one, one in three, is the only one desire. Not thousands of desires.
But he thinks that he wants many things but everything has to be squeezed in the form of happiness.
This is what is said. When a person, through the grace of Guru, through the grace of scripture and through the grace of the mind and through the grace of God,
this is also a wonderful point. When we are in earnestness, as a result of many many lives of leading a life according to the directions of the scriptures,
the first part of the scriptures called righteous life, dharmic life, then mind becomes pure.
What does it mean? It understands that many things are worthless. Only one thing is worth and that is God.
Having obtained that one, the moment that discrimination comes, it is followed by dispassion.
I don't want anything else because everything leads to more suffering. I want only one thing that leads me to unbroken happiness which is in simple terms called God.
So having got that one, he becomes, he longs, he becomes, he yearns for that.
And then God bestows his grace in the form of the Guru and the Guru's teaching through Sravana, Manana, Nidhidhyasana goes deep inside and he understands better and better.
His faith in the scriptures become better and better, deeper and deeper and that brings control of the mind.
And control of the mind makes the grace of God come in the form of right understanding.
That is what is called Buddhiyogam Dadamyaham.
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat.
So that understanding is the only result. What is the understanding?
That I belong to God and I am part of God and I am God.
Stages. So once he understands that then a sea change, complete change comes into his body, mind and everything.
What does he do? This is what the 19th verse is telling us.
Yo mam eva asammudaha janati purushottama sarvavid bhajati mam sarvabhavena bharata
He who undiluted knows me thus as the supreme self.
He knows all, O Arjuna.
And he worships me with all his heart.
Again, one of the most compressed, zipped and having depths of meaning is 19th verse.
This is the first part, first line of the half of the shloka.
Yo, that is Bharata, O Arjuna.
If he followed my teachings, evam, what does he become?
Asammudaha bhavati. He becomes asammudaha.
Mudaha means deluded, ignorant. Asammudaha means person of knowledge, right understanding.
He becomes. Then what happens?
As a result of that, getting rid of the ignorance, mam purushottamam janati.
Mam, me, purushottamam, the supreme reality, supreme person, janati.
He knows. How does he know? I am that supreme purusha.
And this is verified in the last chapter, 18th chapter, when Krishna asks only one question of Arjuna.
Did you hear my teaching with alertness, with concentration?
If you had, like a patient who follows the prescriptions of the physician,
the only way to know he has followed a good physician's instructions,
he must be getting rid of his disease.
Arjuna also tells categorically, nasto mohaha smriti labdha, tvad prasadamaya achyutah, karishe vachanam tava.
There is no two ways about it. My delusion is gone.
Now smriti labdha. I obtained the smriti.
What is the smriti? Smriti means memory.
Earlier we used that word, mattah smritih jnanam apohanam.
For me only the gifts of knowledge through experience and memory of my experiences
and the art of forgetfulness, all these are tremendous gifts of God.
They all belong to me. I bestow them upon a person upon whom I am pleased.
And I am pleased upon a person who deserves it, who is ready to receive it.
So such a person, purushottamam janati, he knows in what form I am divine,
I am part of the divine, I am none other than divine.
Then what happens? Sahasravavit.
In every possible way, sarvabhavena, in every possible way.
So sahasravavit, he becomes sarvavit.
Vit means the knower.
Knower of what? Sarva, everything.
The knower of everything becomes the knower of everything.
Sarvajnaha. What is that knowing everything?
Everything is nothing but God. I am also one of the everything.
So I am also God.
Then what happens? Sarvabhavena mam bhajate.
In every way, he worships me.
What does this word worship mean?
If a person has some faith in God, he worships God with rituals, with flowers, with fruits, with offerings.
A little more advanced person, he thinks this body belongs to God,
this mind also belongs to God, this world also belongs to God,
everything belongs to God, so I belong to God.
This knowledge is the result of that devotion.
So everything, who is eating? Bhagawan is eating.
Who is seeing? Bhagawan is seeing.
Who is listening? Bhagawan is listening.
Who is the guru? Bhagawan is the guru.
Who is the disciple? God is the disciple.
Recollect, the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna should recollect
one of the beautiful, memorable statements of Sri Ramakrishna
narrating the story of Shukadeva.
Goes and then Shukadeva was sent to Janaka Maharaja.
And why did you come?
I want to know Brahman.
Alright, give me the fee.
Guru Dakshina.
And Shukadeva said, how come?
You have not even started teaching me.
You have not even told me that you are going to teach me.
And you are demanding the fee.
First, that is all, he was practicing credit card.
First I will enjoy, then I will pay later on.
Janaka said, God doesn't work with credit cards.
First pay, then only I might, might not give.
So Janaka's beautiful reply was,
once I give you this teaching, you will not see that I am the guru
and you are the disciple.
Who gives to whom?
And who taught whom?
You might even claim I have taught you instead of your acknowledging
that I taught you.
So better you give me your fees.
This is a funny statement, but profoundly insightful statement.
So Sarvabhavena Bhajati.
If he is a Tamasic devotee, not very advanced,
he takes help of idols, icons and images
and worships, goes on pilgrimage.
If he is a little more advanced,
he sits, does more japa, more dhyana and studies scriptures
and he remembers, meditates upon the lotus feet of the guru
and merges them in the lotus feet of God
and ultimately sitting in the, feeling the presence of God,
he meditates.
But this is called Rajasic meditation.
And when he becomes Sattvika Purusha,
then all these things drop off by themselves.
He need not give up.
Things will give him up.
And then his only one knowledge,
Sarvatra Samadarshanah.
Premarpana Samadarshanah.
He becomes imbued with love
because he sees none other than his own self.
He sees none other than God,
who is his own self.
Therefore he sees Sarvam Jagat Brahmamayam.
Sarvam Re Re Brahmamayam.
Sadashiva Brahmendra's kirtana is there.
Khelati Brahmande Bhagavan.
Paramatmaham Paripurnoham.
So what does this Sattvika Bhakta do?
Simply he remains with that attitude.
I am that Aham Brahmasmi.
And then whatever happens
through his body and mind.
We are saying his body and mind.
He doesn't say my body and mind.
He says my body is also
Deho Devalayo Prokto.
So Deha is Devalaya.
It is a temple.
It belongs to God.
Because God resides in this temple.
God resides in this world.
God resides in me.
God is only the temple.
The one who resides in the temple is also God.
The constructor is also God.
The worshipper is also God.
The one who receives worshipper is also God.
This is called Sarvabhavena.
Again we can take some other meaning.
We can see Shri Ramakrishna's life.
So sometimes when devotees are there,
he goes to the mother's temple.
And before climbing up,
he takes off his shoes.
And then he climbs.
And very reverently,
he will hold his cloth,
wearing cloth above his shoulders.
And he prostrates.
This is to set an example
to that kind of devotees
who understand only that one.
Then one day,
when he was at Kasipur,
Ramlal Dada, his nephew came.
And then Ramlal Dada asked Shri Ramakrishna,
Don't you long to see Dakshineshwar
where you lived for such a long time?
Shri Ramakrishna instantaneously, spontaneously,
he says,
Why?
He is not mother here.
That is, he sees the same divinity everywhere.
And one day in Kasipur,
I think in Shampu,
it was Kali Puja day.
Ramakrishna asked some devotees
that you make arrangements
for the worship of Mother Kali.
And they thought,
perhaps Ramakrishna wants to do a simple worship.
He was very sick at that time.
But every arrangement was made.
Flowers, sandal paste, fruits,
everything was there.
But everybody was sitting quiet.
And everybody is wondering,
Shri Ramakrishna gave an insight
into Girish Chandragupta's mind.
Immediately he jumped up.
Jai Maa Kali.
He took the flowers
and poured at the feet of Shri Ramakrishna.
In an instant,
Ramakrishna assumed
the figure of Mother Kali
with his human hands.
There he first,
he says,
God is going to the temple.
God is in the temple.
God is in holy places.
And God is everywhere.
Third, I am that God.
So, according to the will of God,
if such certain kinds of people come,
this Jeevan Mukta, living free,
worships God
according to the understanding
of those Tamasic devotees,
according to the attitude
of the Rajasic devotees,
according to the Sattvika devotees.
Sarva Bhavena.
Sarva Bhava means seeing God everywhere,
whatever he does.
So,
Whatever I do.
When I am eating,
you are eating.
When my legs are moving,
it is circumambulating you.
When my hands are moving,
I am dancing.
When I am speaking,
I am praising you.
When I am singing,
again I am worshipping you.
So,
Through the mind,
through the speech,
through the body,
everything becomes worshipful.
With this,
the 15th chapter is over.
But there is one last shloka.
Having completed it,
what did he say in the 19th?
Arjuna,
the goal of every spiritual sadhaka
is to see me everywhere,
in every way,
and worship me in every way.
And how to worship,
that is elaborated in the next chapter.
But the Lord concludes,
So, some people may have doubt.
Okay, sir.
Okay, Bhagawan.
You have taught the whole thing.
I think,
at least something I have understood.
But what do I gain by this?
What is the result?
What is the phala of this sadhana?
That is what Bhagawan is wrapping up.
He says,
By knowing it,
man becomes wise,
O Bharata,
and fulfills all his duties.
Very beautiful word.
It's a word called,
last word,
I will come to that.
Bhagawan is addressing Arjuna as
Anagha.
Anagha means sinless.
Sinless means pure.
Pure means,
he who completely surrenders to God
and does only what God,
what the devotee thinks God is pleased with,
that only I will do.
And whatever God I know is not pleased with,
I will not even think about it.
Such a person is called Anagha.
Pure-minded person.
In such a mind,
truth flashes.
Bharata,
that means,
Arjuna,
another name.
Iti.
Now, I am concluding this.
Iti is often used in Sanskrit
to indicate a completion of
either a paragraph,
or a chapter,
or a book.
Here it is the 15th chapter.
I am teaching you this
Gusha means secret.
Sacred.
Tama means most secret.
Shastra means here,
teaching,
spiritual teaching.
I am giving you.
Mind you,
these are not ordinary words.
This is the greatest secret I told you.
And then,
what do we gain?
One who understands it.
What does he become?
We have to supply that word Bhavati.
He becomes
the most intelligent person.
Who is intelligent?
According to Sri Ramakrishna,
he who can love God
and obtain Moksha,
that is called intelligence.
And everything else is
worldly intelligence.
So, knowing this
most sacred
as well as secret scripture,
and one can understand
only when one practices
and to the extent one practices,
all the characteristics that have been
enumerated in this very chapter,
in the 2nd chapter,
in the 6th chapter,
in the 12th chapter,
in the 13th chapter,
and going to come in the future chapters also,
practicing them,
slowly,
the man gets rid of
all impurities.
The more,
the less the impurities,
the more is the light.
The more is the light,
the more is the understanding.
The more is the understanding,
ultimately,
every understanding
culminates in one understanding
that
I am Divine.
What does he become?
Then he becomes free.
And this is indicated by this word
Krita Kritya Syag
as if
he had done everything in this world.
Krita Kritya means
Kritya means
that which must be done.
It is imperative sense.
Imperative means
you have to get up
and you have to
brush your teeth.
Then you have to
attend your school or your office
at by this time.
It is not an option.
If you want to catch
an aeroplane,
a bus,
a train,
you will have to
reach at this particular time.
They don't go
according to your wish.
Unless you are in India
and unless you are a
powerful MLA or MP
or a minister,
then everything will wait for you.
But this will not happen usually
in the advance
what is called
developed western countries.
So what happens?
Krita Kritya.
That is Kritya means
whatever the scripture
ordains,
do it.
Shashati Iti Shastraha
Scripture is one
which commands
do this
and don't do this.
Now
every action
gives its own
particular result.
You drink coffee
gives one result.
Drink liquor
gives another result.
Drink poison
gives another.
So if you want
different results,
you will have to do
many different activities.
But here the Lord is saying
that as if
at once
a man has done
infinite amount of actions
and he got
what result?
Infinite result.
What is the infinite result?
I got the infinity
because God is infinite
and I got it not for a short time.
I got God
for eternity.
Infinity
and eternity.
That is the result of
performing every action.
Divided action
gives divided fruit.
But undivided
wholesome action
gives only wholesome fruit
which is God realization.
With this
15th chapter
according to me
one of the most marvelous
chapters in this whole
Bhagavad Gita
in the whole of scriptures I would say
is over
by God's grace.
Now I will give you
a brief summary of the
15th chapter.
This 15th chapter
has got 20
shlokas, 20 verses.
It is one of the two
shortest chapters in this Bhagavad Gita.
One is the 12th chapter
called Bhakti Yoga which has 20
and here is 15th chapter
which has 20
shlokas are there.
Now many people learn it.
Why? Because
especially monks
renouncers
when they are given a feast
this recitation
of this 15th chapter
is a must. That is one reason
and second reason, funny
reason, in a feast
normally more than
what one usually eats
and very special dishes are served
like rice pudding,
sweets,
special fruits, etc.
and to digest them
we need the help of Bhagawan.
So the Lord confirms
whoever takes my name
I assist him
by digesting his food
in the form of
Whatever type of food you have eaten
I will help you assist.
So it is an unspoken
prayer, O Lord
out of greediness,
out of my
desire for eating
many tasty things I have
over eaten, please help me
to digest because
it is only in your name
the feast is given. Secondly,
this is one of the shortest
chapters, easy to memorize.
Third, but the most important
reason is that this
chapter is the essence
of every scripture in this world.
The essence
of all the Vedas,
Puranas, Upanishads
and Bible, Koran
everything is comprised
in this.
So we already have seen that one
but in summary I will
give you. So we can divide
the whole
20 slokas into
5 topics. What is the first topic?
A Lord is
describing the creation of this
world, Samsara Pannana
this worldly life.
What is the description? That the whole
world is created by God
and whatever like
a pot is created out of clay
so everything
is imbued with divinity
so if the effect
is, if the cause
is divine, the effect
also will be divine, whatever
is the effect that must
partake the very nature of
the cause. If
God is the cause, God is
Satchitananda, a whole world
cannot be different from Satchitananda
therefore
not only every object
in this world which is experienced
the experience of Jeeva
both are nothing but God
because the cause of
both is none other than that
Paramatma.
When the Lord compared the world
with a big tree and with this
huge tree, roots are above
meaning they are coming from
God and there
are billions of
branches are there, billions of
birds are sitting, we are all
different types of birds
and this yields
raw fruit and a little ripe
fruit, a little more
riper fruit and
very sweet fruit
at different stages, different
birds sitting
at different levels, that means
different lokas, branches
are compared to 14
lokas, they go on enjoying
the bitter or
sweeter fruits, why do
they enjoy bitter or sweet?
Because of their own past
karma, so the
analogy like
...
So slowly
when you eat bitter fruit
you become a little more
discriminative and you give up
what causes unhappiness
and hop up a little bit
and thus slowly progress
and ultimately reach Paramatma
who is like the bird
who is perched on the uppermost
branch, who is none other than
your own
self, this is the
first topic, then what
is the second topic?
I told you Arjuna that the
whole world and including
the Jivatma is the
creation of Ishwara, God
whose nature is divine
so world also is divine
Jivatma is also divine
but if I tell you
you will not believe me
to understand that
what I told you
is the highest truth, you will
have to perform certain sadhanas
those sadhanas
for spiritual
disciplines conduce you
to spiritual progress
and finally to spiritual liberation
have been outlined as the
second topic
and third topic will be
that again
what is this world
who is the Jivatma
then he says I created
the world, I sustained
the world in the form of the sun
the moon, the fire
and I supply sustenance
in the form of food
to every creature but
in the form of digestive fire
thus I
again digest, help
the Jiva to
convert the food into energy
from the sun
food is supplied, energy is supplied
but you cannot
have energy but I
convert that food again into energy
so that you can
progress in spiritual life
that is the only ultimate
purpose, of course from the
inorganic to the organic
to the one celled
to the multi celled and then
slowly to
worms, then birds
then trees, then
animals, then human beings
etc. as I said
we are all, everyone is
standing on the
escalator called evolution
finally evolution
will take us to from where
we started, from where the evolution
started which is God
this is the third topic
and then the fourth topic is
that everything
is, the whole world is
Brahmanaha of Supreme
Lords, Purushottam Atma
everything is divine
Uttama Purusha, Supreme
Reality and the final
topic is what do I gain by
this, just now as I mentioned
that you become liberated
from this entire
world of this one
these are the
five topics but
I will only take you to
that last topic
what is it?
The Lord says, whatever sadhana
you do, it's my grace
if you have faith
if you have knowledge
that's my grace
mattah smriti hi jnanam
apohanam, from me
alone comes this
experience is there
but do we convert the
experience into
useful discriminative knowledge
for that we
require Bhagawan's grace
that's why He says
that take refuge
yatha pravruthi
prasrutha purani
this
timeless, beginningless creation
from whom it has come
in whom it is
being sustained and
ultimately whom it
realizes, you must
surrender yourself
totally to that
divine reality
this is called Sharanagathi
and I have to
remind you, the greatest
exponent
not only proponent
but exponent, but the greatest
propagator
of spiritual path is Ramanuja
and Sri Ramakrishna's
teachings closely follow
as far as sadhana is concerned
Ramanuja's path
first what is?
the path of devotion
and ultimately the path of
devotion must culminate
in the path of
Sharanagathi
complete surrender
so every accomplishment
of this surrendership
must fulfill
six conditions
SANSKRIT
so what is the Sharanagathi?
first thing is
through lot of
lives, the organic
inorganic becomes
after long long time
into
a human life
there also after many many births
he acquires, what is it?
three things are available
only by God's grace
SANSKRIT
and
human birth is most necessary
that's why every scripture
lauds that how fortunate
we are to be born as a human being
do not waste this human
opportunity, do not become
a donkey, dog
so if we look
around, see people are making
themselves a worst type
of, even animals
never do this kind of
damage, it's only human beings who
do, but then we are all
potentially divine, we learn
our lesson, if
you do not come my child
through good right means
the drugs
of drinking, the
liquid of misery
will ultimately bring you
to my own feet
I think this was a beautiful
poem, written by an
English poet, probably
was a tailor, I am not sure
about it, anyway, so
this Sharanagathi, what is it?
that I have complete
faith in this scripture, and then
what should I do, if I have faith
I will do
what meets the approval
of the Lord, Ahno Kolasya
what pleases the Lord
I take a vow
I will not do anything
which will displease the Lord
I will do everything that
pleases the Lord, first step is
I will do
whatever pleases the Lord, why this is
the first step, because
giving up must
be substituted first
by taking recourse
to its opposite, Pratipaksha Bhavana
is a well known thing
if you want to give up a bad habit
you can't give up a bad habit
you must try to cultivate
the opposite good
habit, and the more we cultivate
this good habit, you don't
need to do anything, the bad
habit automatically will fall
down, that's what is it, the more
you advance towards the east
the west recedes
further, this is one of the
important teachings of
Ramakrishna, is echoing
this Patanjali's Pratipaksha
Bhavanam, think of the opposite
so, first
try to do what pleases
the Lord, and that
brings the grace of Guru, grace
of God, and it will
slowly remove the impurities
that is what is called
Prati Kula Parjanam
whatever displeases the Lord
slowly falls back, we don't need
to do anything, and when I have
sufficiently practiced this
what happens, then
that firm faith
that only God
is capable of saving
nobody else is capable of saving
look at this world
all the bad news we are getting
every minute, who
can save, which human being
which country, which powerful
nation, which powerful
leader, has the
power, even to remove
one billionth of the misery
of even a single human
being, none
only people are talkers, that's all
big, big talk, so what are we
talking about, here the Lord
is talking about the
Sharanagati, what is the third
step, only God can save
Rakshishya Siddhi
Vishwasa, Vishwasa means
firm faith, then
after that, the fourth
automatic step is, since
only God can save me and the world
everybody, I
completely
choose God as my saviour
this is called Sharanagati
fourth step, having
chosen God, it will
not do, that simply
saying, going on weeping
O Lord, I pray to you
so many, so much pujas I have
done, and why did this happen
to me, why did the other thing
happen to my grandson, granddaughter
grandfather, grandmother
my great grandfather should
not have died, how many times
I prayed, no
this is wrong, what is it
completely
Atmanikshepa
you transfer your
entire duties, burden
everything onto the shoulders
of God, like a baby
sit in the lap of the mother
and let the mother do everything
what does my baby
need, everything, etc
so this is called Atmanikshepa
then
after doing
after having faith
God alone can save
that is the third step
fourth step is, choosing
deliberately that
I will not think of anything
excepting God, and the fifth
step is, I transfer
that means, I will never
worry, why is the world going like that
why is this thing happening
in my life, and
who is going to help me
never, just look at
a baby, a baby never
thinks, what is going, look at a worm
does the worm think
what is going to happen next second
to me, we can learn lot of
lessons from a worm also
so complete
transference
of all my worries
all my thoughts, of course
it doesn't happen overnight, it takes a long
time, so once we have done
that, then
we look back and say, oh lord
I am so happy
I am like a baby, and
I can play, and I just
eat and drink
as Sri Ramakrishna used to say
my mother knows everything
and that feeling
all this was possible
my birth is because of you
my human birth is because of you
my guru is because of you
my spiritual inclination
is because of you
my holy company is because of you
and my progress in spiritual life
is because of you
my pitfalls also are because of you
because I have learnt lot of lessons
and finally my complete
surrender to you is also
because of you
without you, nothing could have been
accomplished
this feeling of complete
humility
non-egotistic bhavana
attitude is called
iti karpanya
iti sadvida
sharanagati
and that is what Sri Ramakrishna
also has told us
then what is the topic
if we can do it, then what
happens, that in
two verses he says that
there afterwards
the spiritual aspirant
whatever he does is a worship of
God because he sees only
God and he becomes what
krita krityaha
his life is blessed, everybody
becomes blessed by even
hearing about him
or seeing him or
reading about, following his pictures
remembering him, worshipping
him, he becomes holy of the
holy called tirthi, he
creates holy places
not only he becomes blessed, he
blesses the entire world
and that is
the end of this cycle
so seemingly
eternal transmigration
this is the end of the
15th chapter, tomorrow
we will take up the
beginning of the 16th
chapter. Om Vasudevasudham Devam Kamsachanuramarthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother
and Swami Vikananda
bless us all with
this Sharanagati
Ramakrishna

[[Category:Bhagavad Gita]]