Bhagavad Gita Ch14 part 09 on 12 June 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadogavo Dogdha Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetam Ritam Mahat Mukham Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yat Kripatamaham Vande Paramananda Madhavam We are studying the 14th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. As I mentioned, it is the most practical and wonderful chapter. It is the depth psychology, how to understand others, but even more how to understand ourselves. There are three gunas. The whole universe is the manifestation of the three gunas. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. What happens when one of these gunas dominates? Lord Krishna has informed us that all the three gunas equally do not function. According to Sankhya Yuga, a school of philosophy much earlier than Vedanta, when all the three gunas are in an equilibrium, Samya Stithi, then no creation takes place. For some reason, they get disturbed and then creation starts. We see in this whole universe, living as well as non-living, everything is the outcome, the manifestation of these three gunas. But at any given time, only one guna manifests. In fact, I am going to tell you something, a very important point. Truly speaking, Prakruti is one. It doesn't have three divisions. There are no three gunas. Only one guna. According to how it manifests, we label them as three gunas. A simple example will clarify this matter. Suppose there is a brilliant light and on three sides, there are three colored glasses. Imagine white, red and black and the light is streaming through the medium of these colored glasses where there is white, the light will be white. Where it is red, it would be red. Where it is dark, it will be dark. A light is one but manifests according to the manifesting instrument, the instrument through which it is manifest. So that is how we have to understand this body and mind. They are the instruments like glass cases and according to whether it is completely clean or it is somewhat colored or absolutely imbued with deep darkness. With this analogy, we have to understand everything. Why do we need to understand? Because bondage is nothing but these three gunas. Even Satva guna is a bondage. We are being taught by Bhagawan Krishna, what are the characteristics of these three gunas and how do we recognize when they are in dominance and what is the result of that? Why does a person behave the way he behaves? Because he is deeply dominated by the particular guna. All of us excepting freed souls are under the dominance of these three gunas but there is a choice. If we can somehow make self-effort and move forward from lower guna to a higher guna, can manifest a higher guna, then our knowledge will increase, our happiness will increase, our service to other people will increase. In every way, we will be the best persons. In fact, Satva guna points out the way how to get out of the guna itself. Every guna binds but Satva guna's quality is it points out to us how to get out of all the gunas. We have been dealing in our last class with the 11th shloka When the light of knowledge shines through all the gateways of the body, then it may be known that Satva has prevailed. Yada, when Asmindehe, in this body, Sarvadvaarishu, through all the doorways, Gnanam, Prakashaha, knowledge shines and when such a state Upajayate is present, Tada, at that time, Satvam Vivruddham, Satva guna is more manifest, is dominating, Iti Vidhyat, one should understand this simple truth. Here the word used is gateways. What are the gateways? We have got 11 Indriyas, five of knowledge and five of action. The eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue and the entire skin. This is how knowledge comes from outside, inside. There is like a door. A doorway is one which allows movement of the traffic both ways. Something can come in, something can go out also. This represents our life. We see an object. We get the knowledge. It's a desirable object. Then this information is given to the mind through the eyes etc. Eyes, ears, nose etc. And then the mind gives commandment, go near. And then the legs, the hands etc. go near. This is how doorways, the Atman manifesting in the form of the Jivatma, conditioned consciousness, conditioned by the body and mind. That means conditioned by any one of these three gunas, all the three gunas, but one particular guna dominating at any given time. It performs, interacts, acts and interacts with this world. That's why it is called gateways. So every waking state is a process of give and take. And how to do this makes up what we are. How we act and react with intelligence, with understanding, with discrimination, with caution, with self-restraint or given to everything and that makes us what we are and that makes us what we experience happiness or unhappiness etc. There is a saying that we are what we eat and here eating means using the sense organs and experiencing things and we can experience things according to the particular guna. This subject is so interesting, so marvelous. When the Sattva guna is on the rise, literally light seems to come out of all these doorways. Such a mind always looks for light and also gives light. Such a person is compared by Sri Ramakrishna to a Rajahamsa, royal swan, which is famed as known as how it can separate milk from water and chana from water and eat only the milk and then give up the water. Such a person, that means what type of person we are referring, a person in whom Sattva guna dominates. Such a person, what happens? His eyes see what should be seen. That means he looks always forward to see what is godly, what is spiritual, what is good, what elevates a person and what brings happiness now and forever etc. He will hear what should be heard. His tongue speaks only what should be spoken. When we were studying Mundaka Upanishad, we found out that Bhadram Kannevi Shunayama Deva O Gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious. Always we do not hear what is auspicious, but we have to exercise discrimination and convert everything into what is good. For example, if you happen to hear rubbish, then you cannot help. Unlike the eyes, you cannot stop the ears. There is no doorway you can stop. Of course, you can. You can buy some heavy industrial ear plugs etc. I am not talking about it. Normally, it is not possible. Eyes are the only thing you can stop. You can't close your nose, you can't stop your skin, you can't stop your tongue etc. But what does this mean? This person converts everything for good. For example, if he hears rubbish, he discriminates and says, this is a waste of time. Let me be cautious. I should not waste time. He sees somebody studying Bhagavad Gita or reciting it and he says, wonderful opportunity. Let me hear and etc. So also, whatever he sees, see something bad, see a divine play in it. For example, if Shri Ramakrishna saw a public woman and he trained his mind in such a way, he saw only the Divine Mother. He saw even in a dog, in a bitch, Divine Mother. And what he did in his life is a guideline. We have to imitate what he did. When such a Sattvika person, a person endowed with Sattva Kuna thinks, uses his mind, what does he do? His mind is full of God, full of... He will think thoughts of God, thoughts of serving others, thoughts of how to bring welfare to other people, thoughts of how he can progress in spiritual life, etc. Such a person's spiritual quality will be on the increase and his demonic qualities, Poorva Janma, Dushta Sanskaras, they will be gradually reduced because he tries to reduce them. Such a person, you look at him, will always be calm and serene, tranquil and full of happiness. He speaks only truth and that truth, which is beneficial for all. Such a person strives to make others also devotees, spiritual people, tries to gently advise them, etc. Such a person is eager to help other people become spiritual, moral. He would not hesitate to make any sacrifice if it helps others. Why was Shri Ramakrishna so restless to meet his devotees? Suddenly he always wants to meet devotees. Many times devotees were not able to come to Dakshineshwar. So Shri Ramakrishna would go to Kolkata and some devotee's house and news will be given that Shri Ramakrishna has come or he is going to come and as many devotees as is possible, they will gather there. So such a person is ready to sacrifice anything, even his life for the good of other people. Buddha lived for 80 years after his illumination. Remember in those days, he used to walk most of the time. So many years. So there was a story, I was dying and the second prahara has come and suddenly a wandering monk came to know about it, hurried to him to get clearance of certain doubts. Ananda, the attendant of Buddha tried to prevent him but Buddha heard him, called him and then removed all his doubts, inspired him and then he gave up his body. Such is the, of course, a realized soul but we all want to become realized so we have to develop same qualities. Shri Ramakrishna used to lament, he used to weep. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to go from door to door to preach the name of God but oh mother, I cannot move without a palanquin or without a horse carriage. Why did you keep me in such a condition? Swami Vivekananda literally burnt his body, his longevity because he wanted to bring good and how much inimical people, not everybody, not many people but some people, such virulence and poisoning, spreading scandals about such a pure soul and even Indians were great. Unmentionable names are there. Some of the people who visited Shri Ramakrishna, one of them was a Brahmo leader called Pratap Chandra Majumdar was one of the great person but how he could stoop to such low levels in spreading scandals against Swamiji because the scorpion of jealousy stung him completely. He perhaps will regret now. His name will go down as one of the worst person's humanity in the whole world. A Sattvika person seeks only holy company. Ramakrishna's advice is cultivate holy company. From such a person literally light spills out and others also can see it, feel it but in his presence their minds will be filled with unimaginable peace, happiness. They do not know how but the moment they go out they will be their normal persons. There was a great soul called Bharathru Hari and he has written three most marvellous books and one of them is on what is called Dharma or Neeti Shataka and then what is the benefit of holy company. Here he goes. What cannot satsanga, holy company, beneficial company? What cannot it do? It can do everything. In six characteristics, six benefits, six doesn't mean only six but some samples he has given. Jati and Dhiyo are the holy company removes what is called Tamasikata. Holy company disillusions us, it destroys our illusions, delusions, our moha and gives us right knowledge. It sprinkles literally truth in every world. Not only what we hear from such a person but it slowly converts us also first into truth speaking then into truth seeking. Slowly our whole character behaviour is transformed so that people will rub their eyes and say what did we see before? What are we seeing now? Destroys all the samskaras of delusion, bondage, sinfulness. The mind becomes extremely serene. Such a person's name and fame spreads all over the world like the fragrance of a night queen. Tell me, what better benefits do you expect from here? If a person gets these three benefits he is the happiest person on earth. In other words, such a person is a happy person, healthy person, spiritual person. He lived a life worth living and he alone is blessed. His mother is blessed, his father is blessed, his lineage is blessed, his country is blessed. The whole world benefits from such a person. When we see such a person in whom these six characteristics are more manifest, we have to realize this person's whole personality is imbued with sattva guna and it is on the increase. So as we said earlier, these gunas are the gateways. In fact, the only gateways for evolution. How? By helping us progress. How does it do? Earlier I said that these sense organs which are relevant by the way, five of knowledge, five of action and the mind. Without the mind, without that consciousness, the body is completely inert. It is useless. It doesn't even know it exists. So always ekadasha indriyas eleven dual ways. But as I mentioned earlier, every object in this world is consisting of guna. We are also consisting of gunas. Maybe one particular guna dominates. How are these gunas gateways? How are the gunas royal paths that can help us progress in life? Earlier also we discussed tamo guna. Every guna as I mentioned has a lower side, higher side. Usually when we are born, our spiritual journey starts when we stand on the escalator of evolution. We will be on the lower side of tamo guna. Inevitably, inexorably, nature leads us from a lower tamo guna to a higher tamo guna. Then it becomes a royal doorway. It throws us literally out into the house of rajo guna and rajo guna also, there are doorways. A front door to enter and a back door to exit. So a lower rajo guna and then later on higher rajo guna. So rajo guna throws us out into the house of sattva guna and lower sattva guna which is interested in books, in scholarship, in name and fame and etc. But later on that cleanses our mind and produces insatiable inquiry, jignasa into the higher truth, the truth about ourselves. This is how all the gunas help us to progress in life. That is about sattva guna. Now the characteristic marks of predominantly rajo guna. Greed, activity, enterprise, unrest, longing, these five arise. O Lord of the Bharatas, when rajo guna prevails, Hey Bharata Arshava, the Lord again and again is addressing Arjuna as Bharata Arshava. Bharata. So as we mentioned earlier Bha means light, Bha means knowledge, right knowledge. Bha means discrimination, one who revels in light, in knowledge, in discrimination. Such a person is called Bhaarata. Bhaarata, Bha, Rata. Bhasware Rata. Then a person in whom rajo guna dominates. Remember, two stages of lower and higher rajo guna. What happens? Certain qualities, certain characteristics become dominant. Hey Bharata Arshava, Lobhaha pravruttihi, Karmanam arambhaha asamaha spruhah, etani chinnani rajasi vibhruddhesati jayante. O Arjuna, Lobhaha, insatiable greed, pravruttihi, too many desires, I want everything. Karmanam arambhaha, he becomes so restless, he goes on starting any number of activities even if he is not able to finish any activity. Asamaha, whatever he does, not happy, not satiated, not getting rest, somehow this guna dominates him and goads him to move forward and seek. He doesn't even know exactly what he is seeking. That is the tragedy of it. Spruhah, terrible desires. When these qualities, when we observe and it's not difficult to observe, why? Because you stand in front of a mirror and go on staring it. How many times your eyes are roaming, your hands and feet and every part of the body is restlessly moving here and there, just put a mirror. Even better nowadays, you take a video camera, your own camera, your own mobile and take one night's, even during sleep, what happens? Whole night how you are moving round and round and round your bed. Perhaps if your partner is sleeping there, you are prevented from moving and yet how much time you have moved. How do we know? Because the bedsheet becomes rumpled, grumpled when you get up. These are the certain qualities. It is said in form that when a miser is the greatest renouncer in the world, a miser is one, neither he enjoys nor he gives to others. He stinges himself, his family, friends, poor people, Guru, God, everybody is kicked out. When he goes to the temple, he takes the worst things in the whole world, worst, lowest quality things in the world. That's why Shri Ramakrishna used to make fun. That somebody brings perhaps some fruits and they are half rotten or half eaten by something else. They want to get the satisfaction. They are going and offering something to a sadhu. They do not understand that whatever they give comes back to them a million fold. So here we think a miser, what a terrible fellow he is. He is not giving anything. He is not enjoying also. He is not giving also to anybody. What is he doing? In fun, it is said, a lobhi, this kind of miser, terrible miser, the greatest giver because whatever he accumulates as soon as the bubble is blown away, all that he accumulated goes to somebody else. What a great donor he is and that is what happens to most of us and it goes to children, it goes to the government, it goes to the king, it goes to the thieves or it becomes arrested. I remember a funny story, an actual incident. There was a North India lady and she was accumulating 100 rupee notes and whenever she gets, she will put it in her pillow and she was very happy thinking all this I am going to leave for my children and then after many years, she happily, the time for kicking the bucket has come. She called her children, she said, my children, I have been accumulating, I know you are spendthrifts but I have been accumulating all these 1000 rupees and 1000 rupees notes etc. and I am leaving it to you. With that happy thought, she passed away. Then the children had to literally throw the whole thing in the rubbish because all those notes have been, what you call, made useless currency later on. Anyway, so a miser's wealth either goes to unruly children or it is taken away by thieves or time destroys them. They do not understand that whatever we give to others, it is an investment because that is the Dharma, the only thing that accompanies us. When this body drops off, it is Dharma or Adharma and either let us enjoy or we share others also, that is the higher nature. The lower side of Lobha, Rajoguna, is I want to enjoy for myself, extremely selfishness but the higher guna is, let me enjoy but let me also help other people, let everything be very grand thing. I have seen that also for such a person where this Rajoguna, I am using those Sanskrit words, Rajoguna is dominant, then family, friends, nation, Guru, God, everything is secondary. Money and possessions are greater than everything including himself. The fellow will die rather than spend money even for his own good. There is a funny story created by Idris Shah about Sufism. There was one Mullah Nasruddin was there. He was such a terrible miser we are talking about. What happened once, he fell down unconscious, a doctor was called for, declared him dead and they bundled him on a cot and they were carrying him to the crematorium and then suddenly burial ground and suddenly Mullah came back to consciousness and he opened his eyes and looked here and there and being intelligent fellow he understood that they are carrying me to the burial ground and now what shall I do? If I open my mouth and declare that I am alive all these expenses will be credited to me. I have to pay all these expenses. Better let me keep quiet. What happens further don't ask. This is a story created. Such kind of people are there. Yes, many are there. So many beggars were found out after their death at the roadside or some ramshackled place. The police and others found out that some people had lakhs of rupees. They neither enjoyed, they only enjoy begging and begging etc. Such a person endowed with Rajoguna, even if he does anything good whether he gives a donation or constructs a temple, sometimes he does give. It's only out of selfishness, only for self-aggrandizement there must be higher ups come and then take lot of photographs, praise him, put his name. In the gospel we get something very wonderful. There was a lady who led an indifferent or immoral life and then later on she became okay because of old age. She used to come to Shri Ramakrishna and her name was Bhagwati. So Shri Ramakrishna was asking, did you visit holy places? How could I say that? In Bengal, polite way of saying I don't want to become egotistic by saying I have visited holy places. Did you donate anything to other people because she must have acquired quite a considerable amount of wealth through her immoral life. Then Bhagwati Dasi was answering Shri Ramakrishna, how can I say that? I have constructed a God and there my name also is etched. Bhagwati Dasi, Shri Ramakrishna said, is it so? What a marvelous thing! And then she became emboldened. She came and touched the feet of Shri Ramakrishna. The next scene was graphic. Shri Ramakrishna jumped up as if a scorpion had stung him and then he ran to the pot where Ganges water was kept and again and again and again is trying to pour water on his feet. What does it mean? It means her sins had entered into Shri Ramakrishna. I have to tell you something here. Once when Swami Advaitanandaji was living in Varanasi, Swami came from I think Bengal, I am not sure and then Swami asked him, did you visit Lord Vishwanatha? And then the man said, I don't believe all that bunk. How can a stone image absorb anything? No, no, I don't go to the temple. I don't see anything. Then Lord Umar said, you fool, how many millions of people's sins are being removed by Lord Vishwanatha? He is absorbing their sins whenever they touch him and go and have darshan. But the Swami probably did not understand. After a few days what happened when he went to take bath in the Ganga, suddenly he saw a Shiva Linga rising from the waves of the water. He had a divine vision. Then he understood this is a living Vishwanatha. Shri Ramakrishna had seen a living Vishwanatha. He had seen Lord Shiva giving liberation to people. These are all things which we have to believe because these great sages, saints, realized souls, incarnations and their words are called scriptures. The scriptures are declaring to us. Some people, they want to do some good. Some of these Rajogunis, they want to give some donation. Mostly you know what happens nowadays, there is a very funny thing also. There are billionaires and they want to give donations. Why do they want to give donations? Because by giving donations, they escape some of the taxes. In fact, they get more benefit than keeping the money in the bank etc. So some people genuinely set up charities and their billions of dollars or pounds and there are some millionaires, some billionaires who donated most of their money. We have to appreciate their nobility. Even if we do not find them spiritual, this is the higher nature of Rajoguna. So this person, even if he does some good for name and fame, his name should come in every newspaper and everybody should clap. Everybody should say Oho, Aha etc. But still I say it is good because slowly this giving becomes a habit and it helps the people. Such a person is always restless. His mind is full of anxiety. All the time he is running hither and thither. He doesn't give any help to other people also. For a lobhi, such a miser person, mind, not I, is more valuable than I. Possessions are more valuable than himself. Even after retirement, such people cannot keep quiet. They must always do something. Even spend hours together in reading useless newspaper and then when they come also, they go on talking only about this. There is a story told. It is a beautiful story. I collected from somebody. Once some monkeys decided that instead of searching and struggling, they must raise a mango garden. So they collected the best mango seeds available and they planted them and they watered them and then every five minutes they will dig up the soil and look at the seed whether it is having sufficient water, whether it is sprouting into a seedling etc. Naturally, you can understand the seeds never sprouted because constantly they were being disturbed. This is the state of a person possessed by this prejudice and such a person's mind is compared to a mad monkey. Swami Vivekananda graphically describes we all, most of us know about it. Usually the mind, a monkey is very restless. Then it is drunk. Then it is strung by a scorpion. Then it is possessed by a demon. Swami Vivekananda explains naturally the mind is very restless and then it is drunk, full of desires. Then it is strung by the scorpion of jealousy and competition. Then it is possessed by pride, by the demon of pride, egotism etc. Who can describe such a monkey's activity and when Prajoguna increases this is what we find at the lower stages. But in the higher stage of Prajoguna same persons, same activity, same restlessness but now it is all directed towards doing good to others, sacrificing himself for the welfare of others, establishing charities, digging wells, constructing dharma shalas, pilgrim inns etc. etc. This is the higher thing there. When we see a person very restless, discontent and always dreaming up, always starting many many activities and cannot keep quiet, not only when he was young but when he is also in an advanced old age and spends the time in useless things, you have to understand, he is possessed by Prajoguna. And how to describe the characteristics of a Tamoguni in the 13th verse. Aprakasho apravrttischa pramadho mohai bhaja tamasye tanijayante vivruddhe kurunandana Darkness, indolence, inadvertence, delusion. These four, all these four evil qualities arise O descendant of Guru when Tamoguna prevails. This is a very wonderful thing. Aprakashaha. Prakasha means lighting up. When a room is in darkness, any place is in darkness, you bring the light and then the whole thing is lighted up. That means you get knowledge of it. Light always represents knowledge. This person's mind is ever completely filled with darkness and he doesn't do any effort even to throw a little bit of light. Apravrttischa. Even if urgent work is needed, he doesn't want to do at all and if he does also, pramadaha. He commits so many mistakes and mohai bhaja. Whatever he understands, it is completely wrong understanding, ulta boozily wrong and when these qualities are manifest in a person, we can clearly understand that such a person is endowed with Tamoguna. These are all cautionary teachings to us. Observe yourself carefully and you notice any of these qualities. Find out, you will know what you are at this present moment and you can make effort to move forward and when a person becomes a Tamoguni, then what happens? He becomes literally a demon. He can become a demon. Now again as there is a higher Sattva Guna, lower Sattva Guna. There is a higher Rajoguna, there is a lower Rajoguna. There is a higher Tamoguna, there is a lower Tamoguna. Now lower Tamoguna, he never does anything. He commits mistake. He doesn't make any effort. He is like a lump of clay but most of the time, we do not see such a characteristic at all and we also believe firmly in our scriptures, especially Hindu scriptures because some of the religions, they do not accept past birth or future birth. Reincarnation is not acceptable. For Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, pre-birth, reincarnation is acceptable. So here is something. Supposing some child is born, is declared as autistic or something like that and then we have to understand such a person had done Tamoguna. That's why in this life, this Tamoguna, that is incapacity because in the past life, an opportunity was given. Such a person misused that opportunity and he did something very very undesirable and that's why he is reaping the result in the form of either he is disabled or some parts of the bodies are missing, either what we call lame or what we call blind, what we call deaf, what we call dumb. Even some people are better in, even though they are born but this is the result of what we have done. This is what we believe. There is no scientific laboratory proof. It's only scriptural proof. That's all. Especially the people who are born as idiots, cannot do anything and somebody has to take care of them. Such people, we have to say, they are Tamogunis, born of Tamogunis. Why? Because there is a lower Tamoguna. If we cultivate lower Tamoguna, then we will be like this, stalks and stones etc. But if we commit higher Tamoguna, this and the proof is, we get the stories like in the Devi Mahatmyam, there was one demon called Mahishasura. Mahisha means a buffalo, he buffalo and this fellow, what is a buffalo? The very embodiment of Tamoguna, he is alert but he will be destroying only. The higher part of the Tamoguna is there to destroy. In many cases, instead of doing good, they will be killing millions of people. Recently, I was seeing somebody was killed, it seems or he killed himself. 30,000 people he killed. He was responsible for killing either himself or through his cronies and how many girls were kidnapped, raped and even small children mercilessly. Even though this is an activity, tremendous activity, but it is an activity that is heavily influenced by Tamoguna. When such people are influenced by Tamoguna, when they become active, they literally transform themselves into demons and about such people, Bhaktiru Hari has to say something. By the way, Bhaktiru Hari was a great psychologist with deep insights into the character of the mind because he was a great observer. So here he says, you know, There is one shloka in the Neeth Shrataka. Beautiful Neeth Shrataka. By the way, Bhaktiru Hari is two books. One is Neeth Shrataka and another is Vairagya Shrataka. All our devotees must read because they are nothing but practical manuals for improving our moral life and then only comes spiritual life. First Neeth Shrataka, then Vairagya Shrataka. Let us take simple meaning of this. Here are some Purushas, human beings. They are tremendously great people, honorable people. What do they do? Giving up all selfishness, any self-benefit. They only strive, even die in that attempt if it can bring good to other people. These are the first class people, Satpurusha. So Bhaktiru Hari has categorized people into four categories. First class, second class and third class. And he tells in the last line of the verse, We don't know what name we should give to those people who belong to the other than these three classes. What is the speciality? These people, Satpurusha, they completely renounce their self-benefit and then do anything possible including giving up their body for the benefit of the other people. Then these are called Satvika people. Then about Rajasika people. Ye, those people. Samanyastu, they are very common people. Most of the humanity is like this. They do good to other people. But there is a caveat, there is a condition. It should not bring any harm, any loss to themselves. That means what? Give and take. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. You give me something, I will give you something. Give and take. Even these people, they are called Rajasika people. They are the second class people. Even they are very good. Even if we can do that, that's very good. Swami Vivekananda exhorted Indians. You have become Kupastha Mandukas means you don't get benefit, you don't give to other people. That's why he said you are sinking day by day into indescribable tamoguna, darkness. That is called Kupastha Mandukas. Frogs in the well. They think what they know, where they live, how they live is the great thing in this world. But there are people, give and take. Oh Indians, if you want to get benefit, look at other people, go to other countries and learn, sit at their feet and learn. There are so many things other countries can teach you. You have something, don't keep it. So you go on taking bundle, bundling it, go to forest, call it Aranyakas and do not give. This life giving truths to anybody thereby you stink and you make other people also stink. You are day by day merging in tamoguna. That's why I will break this door. I will go and preach. I will give the highest treasure. India is unrivaled in the domain of spirituality, scriptures etc. Even true, it stands true today even though every religious scripture is a spiritual book. Now coming back, here are the second class people, Swartha Virodhena. It should never affect their own selfishness, benefit to themselves. But otherwise, they are ready to give and receive also. This was what Swami said, you have something precious, give it to others. In exchange, you take what is precious from others so they will get benefit and you will also get benefit and life is nothing but give and take and if you violate this rule, you are going to go and sink day by day. Then Bhartruhari is describing about the third class people who are, as we can guess, Tamasic people. There are some people, Ami, these people, who are they? They are Akshasas, demons, but in the guise of human beings. Parahitam Swarthaya Vignanthiye. They want only to squeeze for themselves, to get for themselves. They don't want to give even a billionth part of it for the benefit of the other people. The welfare of other people is not in their agenda, in their bucket list. Everything Swartha. How much can I get? This is the third class people. These are what you call Tamasic people. But there are worse people belonging to the fourth class people. They are worse than even Tamogunis. We don't know. I don't understand. K means who they are. Who are those people? Nirarthakam, without any benefit. Parahitam Vignanthiye. They destroy the good of other people. They destroy other people. They destroy other people's property. They destroy their countries, their religion, their books, their temples, everything. At least the third class people, they get something for themselves. But here, these people do not get any benefit and yet they go on destroying everything. We do not know by what name we should call them. And there are billions of people. Today is such kind of people and the internet seems to be a great venue, a great instrument for them to manifest more and more their Tamoguna. What are we talking about? Aprakashaha, darkness. Apravruddhe, complete laziness. Pramadaha, making mistakes because they are not alert. Mohaha, their understanding is completely upside down. Right as wrong, wrong as right. Etani Chinnani, when we find these characteristics. Tamasivevruddhe, iti. So we have to understand Tamoguna is there. All Tamasic persons suffer from four Gunas. First is darkness, absence of discrimination, inability to shift what is good from evil, what is right from wrong and what is beneficial from what is lost, including themselves. Now we say Dhritarashtra was such a Tamasic person. Why? Dhritarashtra was called blind. Blindness means Tamoguna. Physically he is blind. Intellectually he is blind. No, sorry. Intellectually he is not blind but this Tamoguna. How is Sanjaya, his personal attendant and then so many other people. They went on telling him Bhishma and Drona and so many other people. They went on telling to him what is good. What does this Dhritarashtra do? He listens and he says, Yes, yes, you are right. You are absolutely right. You have spoken for my own good. But he doesn't do anything. He is blind. The moment Duryodhana, Dushasana come, he forgets the whole lot and this kind of deliberately ignoring what is good even though the person understands that is called darkness. That's why Dhritarashtra is really truly blind. So this kind of people even if they hear spiritual talks whole life, nothing goes into their heads. They do not remember what they have heard and what they have read, what they are reading. Always a group of those people, so after a few seconds, their concentration breaks, their mind runs here and there. Either they become indolent, they slowly in the name of hearing better and they close their eyes and after a few moments deep Samadhi. This is called a Prakasha. Indolence. These Tamasic people, when Tamoguna dominates, what happens? Carelessness, inattention, laziness, procrastination etc. Always postponing things because there are some things which have to be done at the right time. Always postponing what should be done right now. Cannot take any decisions at the right time. Sometimes they do take right decisions but it is too late. Not only that such a person takes wrong decisions, thoughtless decisions, not always leading to loss and unhappiness both for himself and also for other people. We know when such people drive cars, if we are unfortunate to sit there, then not only they endanger themselves but they also become very dangerous to other people. Sometimes this is deliberately induced by drinking. After drinking, they think they are in a high mood. They think they are under control and this reaction comes very less and they cannot make any good move. That is how accidents happen. That's how lives are taken out etc. They are inadvertent. As a result of carelessness, such a person always commits mistakes, makes accidents, puts people in dangerous situations etc. Then of course delusion. What is delusion? Wrong understanding, thinks absolutely what is right is absolutely understood as wrong. What is wrong is understood as absolutely right. Not only that, very stubborn in pursuing what he alone thinks. He has done the right thinking. He has come to the right understanding. He has taken the right decision and he will not do anything to change. If you advise also, he becomes a danger to you. People are afraid of even approaching him when we see such qualities. We know definitely that Tama Guna is on the increase in such kind of persons. What a marvelous description of these Gunas. We will discuss further in our next class. What is going to happen when they encounter death? Why this question? Because there is no such guarantee everybody will die at the end of hundred years. Anytime death can come. So when a person thinks I have got many more years but he can die but whichever Guna is prevalent at that time that will definitely determine in what birth higher worlds or in our own planet, earthly planet or in lower lokas he is going to be reborn. These beautiful things the Shastra is going to tell us. That's why Bhagavad Gita, the essence of all scriptures, here several ideas which I had outlined those things we have to put faith in the scriptures and believe them. We will discuss them tomorrow. Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanura Marthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadguru May Ramakrishna, Alimatha and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with the air of Ramakrishna.