Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 08 on 09 January 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohor Moho Om Vasudevasutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadogavo Dogdha Gopalanandana Partho Vatsasudeer Bhokta Dugdham Geetam Ritam Mahat Mookam Karuti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yath Kripathamaham Vande Paramanandamadham Yesterday we have been discussing the 12th shloka of the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita in which we have seen every type of karma, all karmas whether we do physically or verbally, vocally or mentally they produce depending upon what type of activity, three types of fruits Ishtam means that which contribute to our happiness and Ishtam means that which bring suffering and a mixture of these two and here the Lord says Preitya means after death we have to understand not only after death but in this life also some actions give immediate results for example if I put my hand in hot water immediately it will burn some will give many years later or later in future in this very life if I study very well, complete my education there is good chance that I am going to get land some type of job, if I put a seed, a banyan seed so after six months or one year it will sprout so if we are lucky we will get but if somebody had done great evil or great meritorious action much dharma, much adharma then those results cannot be harvested in this life what is the reason? because to experience the results we need an appropriate instrument so if to reap heavenly happiness or to reap hellish suffering we need a special type of body which alone can justify the type of experience that we have so that is what the Bhagawan intends to say and mostly you know what happens we are born in a particular family, in a particular class, lower class, middle class, higher class, rich, poor etc. and that severely limits what we can really do, we can do within any circumstance some kind of freedom is there but not much so we have to acknowledge that mostly what we do that lays the foundation for the future work so this also we have seen in the 14th chapter that means they will be reborn as a human being and experience according to the result of what they have done either happiness or unhappiness but only what this world can give and those who have done much evil, tamasic people, tamasic people means usually they do only evil actions because of tremendous covering of mahamaya, delusion so adhoga chanti tamasaha that means they have to be reborn maybe in hell even after coming out of hell they may be reborn as a piece of stone, as amoeba, as an insect, as a bird, as a buffalo etc. so this is what we have seen 12th then the Lord is telling, we are talking about karma and something astonishing fact the Lord brings in, we will not get it anywhere in this world excepting in Vedanta, what is it? for the successful or completion or performance of any action mental or physical or vocal we need the help of five factors are involved such a marvelous analysis of any action is absolutely unavailable anywhere I cannot emphasize enough how fortunate we are to study this Vedanta so what are these things? so the Lord says first of all Mahabahu means a very strong personality both physically as well as discriminatively an adhikari, how do we know we are an adhikari? it is very interesting because there are Pancha Pandavas are there but among the Pancha Pandavas the Lord did not teach to Yudhishthira who was supposed to be an incarnation of Dharma neither he taught, teach to the other three brothers he chose only Arjuna that shows that Arjuna alone was fit and then in the 16th chapter having described the Daivi qualities, divine qualities the Lord also categorically says Arjuna do not worry by chance you are born of the demonic qualities no, you are born of only divine qualities and so you are going to be liberated so the Lord knows that you are my devotee and says you are very dear to me that's why I am repeating my teaching to you so that I want your welfare so you understand properly and realize the Atman so who is Arjuna? every qualified spiritual aspirant as soon as the field is ready the seed will come so Mahabahu means a person absolutely qualified because a Sando, a fellow who could wrestle and get the world's title as the best wrestler he will not be fit many times he may not be fit he may be fit also but he may not be fit but here in every way physical strength is also necessary that is what Swami Vivekananda had emphasized eat meat for Indians so that you will grow muscles of iron tenors of steel gigantic wills that means Annamaya Kosha Pranamaya Kosha Manomaya Kosha Vijnanamaya Kosha then only we can talk about Anandamaya Kosha so Panchayatani Karanani for the successful completion of any action five factors are involved without which no action can be accomplished only five and how do you know what is the authority? for the accomplishment of all activities Siddhai successful completion of all activities these five are absolutely must be present without whom action will never be possible even if one is lacking it is not possible what are they? first of all says what is your authority? some people may question he says Sankhya Sankhya means Vedanta Vedanta means Upanishads so in the Upanishads in the Vedas in the form of the Upanishads this is certified what is certified? that these five factors are absolutely necessary and here what type of Shastra is that? Krita Ante Proktani Proktani means well explained Upta means well said Prokta means very well said where? Krita Ante and this is a wonderful word Krita means that which is done means action Ante means to accomplish any particular goal result see there are every human being is endowed with five Koshas and all the five Koshas is what the Lord is talking about but not only all the five Koshas but the Lord is also talking about something which is beyond our control so I will come to that point first of all Krita Ante means what? let us analyze it here is a person he wants to do some action why does he want to do some action? because there is a desire and what is the desire? nobody will be desiring I want to suffer so I will do such an action that I would like to suffer I will achieve my goal of terrible suffering nobody will do it yes temporarily we do it you see when a person is depressed some people they slash their wrists they commit suicide there are so many things are there who will really do those things we are not talking about it but there also even though they are wishing to suffer that suffering is only for the ultimate purpose of achieving happiness I am depressed I am suffering and if I put an end to my life then I will be free from this suffering but happiness is the ultimate goal so every action without exception can be done only with the specific purpose of getting away from happiness releasing ourselves from happiness and attaining sorry releasing ourselves from suffering unhappiness and achieving only untrammeled happiness for as long as possible that is the goal and then Gita wants to say my friend you don't really need to do anything at all because once you realize that you are the Atman Atman does not need any happiness why? because it is of the very nature of happiness Sat Chit Ananda Swaroopa now you think you are the body you think you are the mind and therefore you think you are not the Atman and therefore you think I am limited therefore you think that I have limited happiness and limited happiness always comes only with limited unhappiness Sita Vushna cold and heat success and failure black and white light and darkness all these things they go together and we cannot understand what is one without the presence of the other so here the Lord is telling that for the purpose of any activity five factors are involved what are they? He is going to tell but here we are discussing about the Upanishads tell us the Vedas tell us that the end of Krita Anta means the goal the purpose the very end why any creature undertakes any activity only one I don't want to die what shall I do what can I do for surviving and I want to be happy what can I do what can I avoid doing so that I need not suffer I want to be happy and I want that knowledge by which I know I am by which I know not only I am but I am very happy person the goal is Sat Chit Ananda according to Vedanta this is what is called spiritual evolution so our scriptures have categorically said that you should perform Karma Yoga Karma Yoga makes the heart pure Chitta Shuddhi when heart is purified we understand that we are suffering because of delusion incomplete knowledge and immediately an anxiety comes I should get rid of this unhappiness and the only way to do that is to know to go to the source of eternal happiness this is called Viveka so when the heart is purified such a person develops Viveka from Viveka discrimination comes Vairagya dispassion what is dispassion? don't go on imagining becoming a monk or nun living in deep caves suffering unnecessarily no what it means is what I understand to be unhelpful negative which will bring me more unhappiness just give it up why do people not give up? because they think wrongly because they are overpowered by delusion that these things will bring me happiness when the heart becomes pure just as an object or a person in front of a clean mirror sees what the body looks really so the purified heart understands crystal clearly this is right knowledge this is wrong knowledge and right knowledge brings discrimination discrimination means this is right this is wrong discrimination if it is true automatically brings dispassion and dispassion helps us to acquire mind control and mind control in course of time it brings us to deep yearning for release from samsara this is the very natural process so how to perform Karma Yoga so that we can have Sthita Shuddhi so that we can become Adhikari so that we can progress in spiritual life so that we can become knowers of Atma it all starts with Karma Yoga what is Karma Yoga simply at the beginning I will not be attached to the activities that is the lowest rank of spiritual progress then the next progress is I will not expect the general results that follow I expect a result but not the expected results what do I expect I expect what I call Atma Gnanam I want only God God Realization I want to see God I want to talk with God I want to become one with God that is the Mumukshutva that is what will come and for that is Karma Yoga that giving up the very natural results of every Karma and desiring only one result that is the second step of the rank of spiritual progress then finally comes that I want only I have realized God I have obtained Brahma Gnana and now I know I am the Atma and that is the real Karma Yoga because if the Lord keeps that body alive and such people are called Jeevan Muktas liberated even while living that means even when the body is alive mind is functioning and whatever is done through such a person he neither desires ordinary results neither desires Mumukshutva nor desires Brahman because he has already achieved that he can naturally help because he looks upon everybody these are all my own manifestations not even my family members but I am manifesting so if I am helping somebody I am not really helping anybody I am only helping myself Atma Upam Yena Samam is the greatest yogi who equates everything in this world including smallest creature as myself nothing is other than myself so that is the result a person wants and so that is the end result today he wakes up and makes him a spiritual aspirant makes him discriminative makes him dispassionate and endows him the tremendous amount of longing and one day it removes itself so that is what we have to understand so all the karmas are meant to make a person happy but he doesn't know how to become happy he is ignorant of the Atman therefore realize the scripture specifically teaches my friend you know you are on the path of liberation of this world so he himself doesn't require any result because he has attained all the results of all actions done of all the time for eternity In the second, practically at the end of the second chapter, he says, you know, just as a well is useless when everything is flooded with water. So are all the Vedas for the wise. Many times we see Sri Ramakrishna talking about, is a very interesting thing, this very shloka in his own inimitable language. For example, visit Vidyasagar. After Sri Ramakrishna visited Vidyasagar, and of course, Vidyasagar was not very receptive. He did not understand Sri Ramakrishna. Neither was he receptive afterwards also. Then what happened? That today we have come to the ocean. A small boat, a small raft can easily come to the ocean. But the ocean need not come. And Vidyasagar protest something. Then Sri Ramakrishna suddenly, he puts the meaning of this verse in his own inimitable way. And he says, you know, this is rainy season. That means everywhere there is water. So even small rafts also can come to a sagara. It is not difficult. But you know, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar never repeated. He promised, shall I not come when you yourself have taken so much of trouble to come to me? And Sri Ramakrishna criticizes, what sort of man is he? He promised to come and he never came. Whatever the reason, but here is something. Just when there is a well is dug, when there is water not available anywhere. It is a dry season and water is scarce. A person digs well and at the bottom somewhat he may get good water. He may get little water, whatever it is. But when it is a, what is called raining, what they call tigers and lions. Everywhere it is flooded. Who requires a well? So this is what telling. When a person attains Brahma Jnana, he doesn't require a digging. Digging means performing any action at all. So now we have to enter into this beautiful course. So what are the things? Earlier he promised for the successful completion of any activity. Only when all the five factors are present, any action can be completed. Otherwise, no. So that is what is being read. Earlier we have seen that one. For the successful completion of every activity, these five are absolutely necessary. So what are they? The body, the person who thinks I am the doer, the different Koshas. I will come to that. This is what every Jiva's personality consists of. When we say body-mind complex, either we can take the model of three bodies, gross body, subtle body or causal body. And the same thing is equated in another model, especially in Taittiri Upanishad as the Panchakoshas. So they are all necessary. All these things are indicated as four requirements. Panchakoshas are required in four requirements. But there is the fifth element without which no action can be completed. It is called Daivam. Daivam means Bhagawan. Daivam means also Purva Janma Karma Phala. Daivam means the Adhishtana Devata, the deity because of whom every part of our personality can function. So let us just analyze these things so that it will be wonderful. First thing, the body, then the doer, the different sense organs, the many and various functions of the prana and the presiding deities as the fifth. First let me give you a small example and how an action starts. Take as an example, here is a person, he is hungry, he is not happy because hunger is troubling him. What does he do? He will now desire, I want to be happy. I am not happy because of hunger. I want to be happy. How can he be happy? How can he remove the unhappiness? He knows the root cause of the unhappiness. I am hungry. So what does he do? What is the remedy? What is the way to remove hunger? He has to eat some food. So the very first thing is I want to be happy. This is Anandamaya Kosha working and when a person says, then he has to do something. Do something. So what does he do? He calls the Vijnanamaya. Hey, you fellow who you call yourself me, I, you are telling me, complaining to me. I am hungry. So you have to do something. If XYZ eat for me, that is not going to solve my problem. But I have to, that means you have to fulfill. Then get some food and eat. This is the decision taken by this I, Vijnanamaya Kosha. What does the Vijnanamaya Kosha do? What is its function? That is taking decisions. That is without any doubt. This is what I want to accomplish. I want to get food and eat. This is the only way to get rid of my hunger. Then Vijnanamaya Kosha, that Ahankara is more manifest there. It calls the mind. Oh mind, now find out where food is and take the help of your servants. Both the sense organs as well as the hands, legs, prana, everything. So the mind is a servant. So immediately it calls the prana. Now be active. It will not do to lie down. So immediately the fellow, that means the body, everything jumps up. And this Pranamaya Kosha, goaded by the Manomaya Kosha, how to fulfill my master's wishes. Immediately it tries to remember where is food? Food is in the refrigerator or it is, refrigerator is empty. So I have to immediately put on my laptop and order jamato or swiggy or whatever it is. I hope you are enjoying it. And bring pizza like that. Hopefully or lucky the fellow will not open the packet outside your room and then go on eating. And then give you Mahaprasada. So you find out if there is food in the fridge. Now legs, you walk there. For walking, prana is necessary. Breathing is necessary. So the legs walk. Then legs brought. Hands, open the door. Take out what is needed. Take it to the either microwave or something to heat if it is hot. If it is cold and if you want to drink cold drinks or cold, what is called milkshake, whatever. So appropriately, you will just pour into the glass from the big vessel and then let you, then the mind commands to the hands, put it in the mouth and the mouth, it drinks. And then the stomach will be filled. And then the mind says, master, I have obeyed you. I have brought food. I put it in you. And then the Vijnanamaya Kosha says, I am now satiated. I am very happy. And then he reports to the Anandamaya Kosha, which already certifying that yes, you have done well. I am very happy. And this is how behind every activity, whether it is mental, whether it is vocal or whether it is anything, all the Pancha Koshas are completely required. But if it is mental, then the part of the body will be much less, but it is also required. I will tell you how. Supposing you want to relax and you lie down on the bed and what do you do? You are twisting your fingers. You are putting your legs one over the other and tightly holding on. Even though you want to be happy lying down, this process of relaxation will not be possible unless you order the body. You separate all the limbs just to make them lie down, do not function. Either you function or you do not function. That relaxation process has to take place. If you want to get rest, if you want to be relaxed, if you want to sleep, what happens many times unconsciously we have developed shaking the hands, shaking the legs, shaking everything and that would be counterproductive. This is what the Lord wants to tell us. First of all, every activity can be completed only when these Pancha Koshas work. So let us take Adhishtanam means body. Body means Annamaya Kosha. Annamaya Kosha consists of legs, hands, etc. What is called sense organs, physical sense organs and then organs of knowledge, the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the nose and whole skin. But we are not talking about the subtle senses. We are talking about purely because even if somebody wants to see and if the physical organ is absent, he will not be able to see. So even if the mind is absent, he will not be able to do it. Mind should be there, all the sense organs must be there, appropriate conditions like light, etc. should be there. Mind should be free from worry, then only proper knowledge will come in. So we are talking about purely Annamaya Kosha. What is the next Kosha? Pranamaya Kosha because if you are sick, prana is at the lowest level as it happened to me yesterday, then I could not continue. Of course, this example is not correct example because Pranamaya Kosha is commanding me to do something else. It is not absent. But when a person is sick, then energy is needed for any activity. Energy is necessary. Appropriate energy is needed. If you want to move a huge boulder, you require tremendous amount of energy. But it will not do. You require appropriate instrument, something, a wedge where you put it and with the help of that wedge, very easily you will be able to do it. If you want to see Andromeda galaxy, you require another scope. To understand Bhagavad Gita, you require another scope and that scope is called Vedanta scope and that is what Bhagavad Gita is the best Vedanta scope because it is the essence of all the Upanishads, all the scriptures in this world. Okay. So Pranamaya Kosha. But Pranamaya Kosha, it will be lethargic until the mind commands it. The mind has to convince it. What is that? Look, there is a nice sweet waiting for you. Immediately the prana jumps up. So that is why from the Friday afternoon until Monday morning, the prana becomes extremely active because you feel from Monday morning and until Friday evening that oh this damned office work. I don't want to do it. My prana is not willing to do it. And then what do you do? You go on depressed, etc. And then as soon as the office is closed, what happens? Before that what happens? Oh, I am so tired. I will go home and then I will have complete rest. Friday whole evening, whole night, Saturday, Sunday until that devil again wakes me up for office work. So I will not think about it. I will take rest. But what happens? This is my freedom. The moment you feel you are not bound by any office work, instead of going to sleep, you become restless and you become more active. Prana becomes very, very active but in a most relaxed way. That is because the mind told this is Friday afternoon until Monday morning comes. That is why it is said Friday afternoon to Monday morning, the blood pressure will be lowest in most people. And from Monday morning before office time itself and slowly the blood pressure goes on building up over the... That is why you know what they say, man goes on becoming weak, Monday weak, Tuesday weaker, Wednesday weakest, like that until then you become feel very weakened. And that is why weakened you recover for two days and you do what is necessary for changa hone ke liye jo karna chahiye. So mano maya kosha. But mano maya kosha, it has many choices. It cannot decide. Deciding that faculty is called vijnana maya kosha. I am hungry, I want food. I am not hungry, I want relaxation. So watch that movie. Which movie shall I watch? Oh, I watched this boring Ramayana, boring Mahabharata, boring talks on Vedanta, Mandukya Karika especially. But this comedy shows, marvelous, what about what marvelous thing. So the vijnana maya kosha taking into consideration all the past experiences, it decides for this time, this is the best thing that you can do. And then of course, what for? What for I have to go to office because I want to earn money and what for do I want to earn money so that my ego is satisfied, I can have a home, I can have nice food, nice cloths, nice holidays, nice everything, for that money is necessary, that is what we think mistakenly, but that is what most of the people think. So it starts with, every action starts with ananda maya kosha and it commands vijnana maya kosha, which in its turn commands mano maya kosha, which commands prana maya kosha and which commands the anna maya kosha. This is what we are talking about. Adhistana means anna maya kosha. Then kartha means the doer, the person who feels I need it, that belongs to vijnana maya kosha. Karanamcha means this prana, both what is called mano maya kosha along with all the sense organs. Vividhascha prudaksheshtaha means prana maya kosha. And then these four koshas are, ananda maya kosha is not mentioned, but as I explained, that is the adhistana, the substratum, because of which all the other koshas function only for ananda, ananda, ananda. Okay. Then what is this daivam? In Vedanta, we say the divine Lord, when the action of creation started, He created this world and they created, Bhagawan created this world as a triangle. What is, here is a jivatma who feels I am the subject, I am the seer, I am the experiencer, I am the knower, etc. Then everything that that person experiences, that is the world. So these are the two angles. The person who says, feels, and that is the function of the vijnana maya kosha, where I am the agent, I am the doer, and so I am also the enjoyer. Enjoyer means not only enjoying happiness, enjoyer means both sukha and dukkha, happiness and unhappiness, everything. So wonderful, this analysis. So that takes the requirements of help of ananda maya kosha, mind, the sheet of the mind, the sheet of the prana, the sheet of the body, etc. And it performs there. Now prithak cheshtaha, that is karanancha prithak vidham. Karana means instruments. Instrument means the mind thinking and all the sense organs, that is mano maya kosha. And vividhascha prithak cheshtaha, it covers prana maya kosha. It covered four koshas, but that four koshas includes the ananda maya kosha also. Because if I know that I will not get ananda, it will not be possible for me to do anything. So it is not mentioned, but it has to be kept as the very beginning of these four koshas. Then daivam. Daivam means, as I was telling you, triangle. What is the triangle? Vedanta teaches us that everything in this world is created out of pancha bhutas. Pancha bhutas are pancha devatas, five manifestations of God. And then the body-mind, it is divided into, mind is divided into four. The manas, the buddhi, the chitta and the ahankara. And the body is divided into five pranas, five organs of action, five organs of knowledge, inputs, etc. And according to Vedanta, every part of this has got a ruling deity. Simple example, in my other classes also, I have explained these things. So you will have to go back. For example, there are so many forms are there. Forms means mainly colors. So who can see? The nose cannot see the colors. The tongue cannot see the colors. The ears cannot see the colors. And the skin also cannot see. Every sense organ has got its own specific function. What the legs can do, the hands generally cannot do. But then I have seen there are people who do not have hands, but they use the legs themselves to train somewhat. But it is a defective type of instrument. But there is nothing we can do. The eye cannot do other four functions. The ear cannot do four functions. The nose cannot do the other four functions. And the skin cannot do the other four functions. Every organ of knowledge has its own specific function. Which alone it can do and supply that information to the mind. And mind collates, harmonizes all these five, comes at a unified knowledge of any object in this world. And then it decides what to do, what not. This is a, say Ramakrishna, most marvelous, fortunate event. This is a ferocious man-eating tiger. And then I have to do appropriate action, reaction will be there. So, for example, God has created this world. One-fifth of the world consists of forms. Forms means colors. And these colors can be seen only the eye. The eye should be there to see the colors. The colors must be there for the eye to see. But that alone will not do. There must be the divine Lord in the form of light. And the light giver is called a Surya Devata. So Surya Devata is the presiding deity of the colors of the eye. And all these three triangles become one. So far as seeing is concerned. And same rule we have to apply the presiding deity of hearing is called Akasha. Because there must be space. Sound travels through space. And then that Akasha Devata. It is a manifestation of God. And without that, that God is presiding in the ear in the form of the ability to hear the sound. Just as the Surya Devata, the Sun God is manifesting in the eye in the form of the ability to distinguish colors. And you can also see the sunlight. See that the sunlight has passed through a prism. Then you will see all the seven colors are there. That is just an example. So you apply this to all the five sense organs of knowledge. Similarly, the Adhishtana Devata of the hand is Indra. Without Indra bestowing his blessings upon the hands, the hand will be there like a person who is paralyzed. Whose hands are paralyzed. He cannot grasp it. That means Indra has not blessed this person. We have to understand that one. So similarly, the Adhishtana Devata of the mind is called the Moon. That is why Moon. A person who is presided by Moon, sometimes he becomes moody. That is why Full Moon Day and what is called Amavasya, New Moon Day and the ebb and flow of the oceans increase terribly. That's why our mind also, because our body is consisting of 70% of our body is nothing but liquid. And this liquid is terribly affected by the attractive power of the Moon. That is why lunacy, the very word lunatic lunacy comes from the influence of the lunar power. That is the Moon. So this is called Daivam. Unless the presiding deity is very very favorable to us, we will not be able to experience. So what are we talking about in this 14th verse for the successful completion performance of any action? The Annamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha. All these are necessary. They are categorized. Anandamaya Kosha is put in brackets, but it has to be brought because that is the most important Kosha. Whatever we do. As I joke, why do people get married? To be happy. Why do they get divorced? To be even more happy. And why is that people do not get married at all like monks and nuns? Because they want to be most happy in this whole world. So we have to understand by these four factors, Adhishtanam, Kartha, Karanam and Prathaksheshta represent these five Koshas, which is a human or any personality, any living creature has all these five personalities. But only a human being can reap the Karmaphala. Only a human being can control his activities. Only a human being can either become a Karmayogi or Karmabhogi, depending upon how he performs the activity. So why is all this being said? It has nothing to do with the description of Karma. Lest we may mistake all these things. The description of all these things are given to draw our attention that it is the Panchakoshas, it is the Adhishtana Devatas, it is the world, Guna Guneshwarthante. Nature is doing its own activities. You stupid fellow, you are not belonging to this. Nature will kick you out. That is what it does when death comes. Nature will take away the body. And then when Pralaya comes, it takes away the mind as well as the Anandamaya Koshas. And only when Pramagnana is attained, then all Koshas will fall down and then a person knows. I don't need to do anything because doing anything is for attaining some goal. And that goal is to be happy and to remove unhappiness. And by nature I am blissful person. And every creature is living Matram Upadaya. An infinitesimal portion of this Ananda expecting that infinitesimal portion, every activity is goaded, motivated. I don't need to do anything. The purpose of this no action is complete without five factors. And these are the five factors is not to glorify but to find out the correct analysis. And that analysis will prove that where do you come in? You are nowhere. Because even when you are thinking I am somebody, that somebody is the Jivatma called Chidabasa with the Chit, pure consciousness, reflected in the pure mind and takes the form of Ahamkara or egotism, I am. And that is part of the structure of the mind which is called Manaha Buddhi Chitta. And that is doing its job. Chidabasa is performing. It wants to be happy. It wants to command. It wants to get things done. It wants to enjoy. It wants to remove unhappiness. It wants to be happy. What the hell have you got to do with all those things? Absolutely there is no need for you to do all those things at all. It is to remind us you are nowhere in the picture. But you think you are in the picture and you are the most important element in the picture and that is called bondage. And you unwise fellow, you stupid fellow, wake up from this dream and know that the body-mind complex and Chidabasa is doing its activities for their own and you are unnecessarily poking your nose into that affair and identifying yourself. Now you have become hopefully wise after hearing this Bhagavad Gita class. Now you get rid of all those notions and you say I have nothing to do with it. I am pure Sakshi. Without my presence, the body-mind complex cannot function. But I have nothing to do. I just want to mention one fact here. Even witnessing, you are a witness. Usually because of ignorance, we think we are the doers. Because of that, we have to experience all the three types of results. Ishtam, Anishtam, Mishram. Happiness, unhappiness and mixed. Go to heavens, go to hells or be reborn as human beings. And every action, activity can be completed only by these five factors which belong purely to the nature which is called Gunas also. Why? Because the Prakruti is consisting of nothing but Three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. So Guna, Gunesh, Vartante, Itimathwa. Having known that the whole world is dealing by these three Gunas with itself, it has nothing to do with me, I am just a Sakshi. So the question that comes is, is Sakshi, you are witnessing it? But are you not involved there? No, a Sakshi is one who is not involved. Suppose you are witnessing a cinema. Most horrible things are going on. Just I will add a bit of spice there, masala. Suppose your neighbor is a most famous actor and you have gone to see this cinema and your neighbor also is there along with you and you are seeing all the evil deeds. He has unfortunately taken the part of the villain and he is doing lot of these things. You are witnessing it and does this, you look at this person and what is this person? How is he enjoying the cinema? Is he feeling guilty because he has done all these activities? What do you think? If he has acted so well that he is able to stir up the emotions of all the witnesses, then the more he sees the response and if people come to know the same actor is sitting here, they go on whistling, they go on clapping at the end of performance of every single action if it is done properly and then they are getting excited but this fellow he knows that I am only witnessing, I am only, these things really I have not done. This is the condition of a Jeevan Mukta. But we are very intelligent people, you know. We think, but even witnessing, this person also witnessing the applause of the audience he is also mentally getting, he is weeping, his blood pleasure is going up. For that we give an example. That example is fire burns. This is a very famous example, very beautiful example. The sun shines, fire burns. Let us take these two examples. One also will do. Fire burns. You put a paper and immediately the paper is burned. Who burnt it? We say the fire burnt it. Suppose there is no paper, is the fire burning or not? Still the fire is, it is because heat is its nature and the fire, poor fire doesn't even know that it is, what is called, putting the whole house on fire. A small piece of paper on fire, piece of cloth on fire, it doesn't know anything about it. How do you know? Because if the police see a fellow putting fire to a house then they will take and give appropriate punishment. If they see that this fellow is firing a small paper then the punishment will be very less. If they see a twig is being put in the fire they will not take any action at all. So the poor fire doesn't have that agency that I am doing an action because its very nature is to be hot enough. If no object comes near, nothing happens. If an object comes near, it gets burned. It has nothing to do with the fire. So also the sun shines. Some people are doing good things. Some people are doing evil things. It has nothing to do with the sun. And this beautiful concept Sri Ramakrishna is giving us in this way that hurricane lantern is there. One person is reading with great devotion Bhagavatam. Another person is forging a cheque. But the poor light doesn't even know I am a witness. Unwitnessing witness. And that is the real meaning of Sakshi. The Atman doesn't even know Anatman. Please remember these are most marvelous points. Does the Atman really see the Anatman? There is a body, there is a mind and it is Anatman. I know it is Anatman because I know I am Atman. No. In the vision of the Atman, everything is Atman only. It is only in the vision of Anatman, there is Atman and there is Anatman. It is a thinking process in the mind. So what does the Lord want to say? He wants to say, first of all, you are nowhere. Whatever action is done, even if you are practicing spiritual disciplines, it is the mind because the bondage belongs to the mind. Spiritual practice belongs to the mind. Liberation also belongs to the mind only. And therefore, you disassociate yourself, identify yourself with the Atman. That is the only purpose of these descriptions which we will discuss in our next class. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti and the Medha to understand these beautiful points. They are not theoretical. They are very practical. Jai Ramakrishna