Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 04 on 26 December 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohur Mohuhu Om Vasudevasutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadho Gavo Dugda Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdam Geetam Ritam Mahat Mokam Karoti Vachalam Pangam Langayate Girim Yat Kripatamaham Vande Paramanandam Adhavam We have been studying the essence of the entire Gita that has been compressed into this last 18th chapter consisting of nearly 78 shlokas. In our last class, we have discussed both the third as well as started with the fourth shloka. The third shloka says, in reply to Arjuna's question, Bhagavan Krishna at first doesn't tell what he thinks, but he is quoting the popular opinions which are of two types. One type is that one because every activity is full of defect. So what is the defect? Every activity automatically implies that we are separate from reality, separate from Brahman, God. And it requires at least three things. We do here the object to be attained and the instrument with which that object is attained and the result of that. So, so much of duality is created because of all these things. Therefore, that is the defect. And that is how Shankaracharya points out. Some people say that one has to give up completely, but there is other school of thought which says, no, you give up all desire-implied activities. Many desires are there. It is very interesting to note it. How many desires can be there? All the desires in the entire world from the beginning of creation to the end of creation can only be five desires. How many? Five desires. What are those five? I want to see beautiful forms. I want to hear beautiful sounds. I want to smell beautiful smells, fragrances. I want to enjoy beautiful tastes. And I want to have beautiful touches, objects of touch, soft, hard, heat, cold, etc. So, every Jeeva is swimming in this ocean of five desires, consisting of five desires. But every desire, how many things do you want to see? Numberless things. So, etc., it is there. Every activity indicates duality. And duality doesn't take us to liberation. According to Advaita Vedanta, even according to dualistic religions, going nearer and nearer to God. One may not become completely identified with God, but keeping a small gap, distance, so that one can enjoy God. As we enjoy any object in this world, objectify God. And that is the firm opinion of the dualists. But Advaita Vedanta says that will not give satisfaction, at least not lasting satisfaction. So, one has to become totally one with that. So, every activity only perpetuates this idea of duality. Therefore, that is the greatest defect. But some other, Manisha Neha, some other thoughtful people, they say, no, give up everything, excepting certain things. What should be given up? Whatever goes to bind us more and more, give up those activities. What are those activities? Selfish, desire-ridden activities. And whatever activities slowly purify our heart and increase our viveka, discrimination, dispassion, and body and mind control, and increases our longing for unity with God. And those things have been classified as three. Yajna, Dāna, Tapah. So, Yajna means worship, any type of worship, admiration, high idealism. We have expounded this topic very elaborately in the last chapter. Dāna means once we have attained something, that should be what we call shared with others because just as our ancestors shared their knowledge, etc., wisdom, etc., with us, so it is our obligatory duty. But you know what happens? When a person starts progressing, one need not force to share with others. A very natural evolution takes place. How? I'll give this example. Here is a woman, man, and she gets married. Before marriage, her selfishness is very high. After marriage, she now is forced at least, and then it becomes natural to care, to share with her husband, and if it is a man with his wife, that the selfishness is hallowed, really speaking. So, that is a natural growth. At first, there is a little struggle, but later on it becomes very natural. And then after some time, the person becomes so mature, children will come. And then now the whole attention is how I can give without expecting anything back. What is the point? The point is, this growth in yajna, dana, and tapasya should become natural, but as we progress, it does become natural. So, giving up or performing things becomes much easier, but we have to progress through hardship at the beginning, but we ourselves will understand as we progress, slowly things will fall down. Why do they fall down? Because we understand two things. First of all, we don't need them. Secondly, others need them. Thirdly, these things are obstructions to my further spiritual development. Fourth thing, it is since I am getting more identified with larger whole, so whatever I don't require, let others can have it. This is how spiritual progress takes place. So, these are the two opinions. And then Bhagawan Himself in the fourth shloka, He says that, now I will tell you what I think. Before we go there, one point clear. What was Arjuna's question? What is the big deal of difference between two words which you have been using throughout this Bhagavad Gita? One is called Tyaga, another is called Sanyasa. The crystal clear answer Bhagawan has given and is going to reinforce it is there is absolutely no difference in the Tyaga, whether a person is selfish person and he also will be forced to give up. How? Because there is a law, if we don't give up, we cannot receive. Swamiji elaborates it. Suppose a man is there inside a room and he doesn't want any fresh air to come into the room, so he closes all the doors and windows and naturally, there is no place for fresh air even if it wants to come. So what is the thing to do? The moment he opens windows or doors, all the stale air will rush out and all the fresh air will come in. There is a marvelous law behind this example. If we do not empty, vacate, something new cannot come, something fresh cannot come. So also whatever we have, if we can give it up, then something most marvelous, more advanced, much better thing like fresh air comes inside. But man foolishly thinks I want everything but I don't want to give up anything and he doesn't understand without giving up, he can never receive. Tyaga is a psychological, natural, spiritual necessity. Whether we want it or not, nature does it forcefully. One cannot only breathe in, one has also to breathe out and if one doesn't breathe out, the air within becomes poisonous and the man is sure to suffer either from sickness and if it persists, then death also will come. So giving up is a necessary condition to receive and that is the law of life. But if it is done deliberately, consciously for spiritual progress, one has to give up. What should be given up? Whatever is unspiritual, that should be given up. So this is called Tyaga. Tyaga means giving up. Giving up means we receive much more. The higher we pronounce and the higher will automatically come. But the condition is we have to make space for the spiritual. For that the worldly has to go out through the window, through the door, through any hole that happens. Therefore the Lord is telling whether a person is a householder, whether a person has taken the vows of a monk, every spiritual aspirant, common thing, Sanyasi or Grehasta, renouncer or non-renouncer, every spiritual aspirant have to practice necessarily Tyaga, giving up what is not needed, giving up what is lower, giving up what is worldly. But there are some people who would like to lead a very special type of life and they are called monks or nuns and for them there is a special arrangement which is called monastic life and popularly that is what goes by the name of Sanyasa. What am I talking about? The Lord's opinion to Arjuna's question. There is absolutely no difference between Tyaga and Sanyasa. As far as renunciation is concerned, it is the same thing. Then why use two words? Well, sometimes they are used in the same sense, sometimes in an extra sense. What is that extra sense? That there are people, men or women, who would like to stay in a solitary place or in the company of similar minded people and they call it monastic life and that suits better their mental attitude. That is all. But as far as spiritual progress is concerned, whether a person is a Sanyasi externally or a Tyagi internally, it makes absolutely no difference. Tyaga is Sanyasa. Sanyasa is Tyaga. But some people who adopt a special style of life, they are called Sanyasis. This is what the Lord was trying to convey. Now we will enter into the fourth which I just briefly mentioned in my last class. So Arjuna, Now, very interesting, Arjuna's question, what was his question? What is the difference, if any, between Tyaga and Sanyasa? And the Lord has completely answered it. What did he answer? There is no difference. Tyaga is Sanyasa. Sanyasa is Tyaga. A Sanyasi is a Tyagi. A Tyagi is a Sanyasi. It doesn't matter whether he is a householder or taken to a special type of life called monastic life. It doesn't really matter. Both have their merits and demerits. But so far as spirituality is concerned, it makes no difference for their spiritual progress. Sanyasa doesn't help specially and a Grihastha Tyagi doesn't hamper anybody. It is exactly, the result is the same. Now, he says, now you have to understand something that the Lord introduces. Tyaga means Sanyasa. Sanyasa means Tyaga. Tyaga means Sanyasa. But there are three types of Tyagas are there. We have to understand. There are three types of Sanyasa. Not as a monastic life, but giving up what is unhelpful and spiritual. That is how we have to understand. So, the Lord is giving a definitive answer. He says, I already answered your first question. There is no difference between Tyaga and Sanyasa. Now, I am going to use only the word Tyaga. But in that word also, you hear me. The word Matha is not there. But listen from me and understand what I am teaching you. Because Nischayam means this is most definitive answer, explanation I am going to give you. What is it? Tyaga is a simple word. But there are three types of Tyagas are there. Why is the Lord mentioning three types of Tyagas? For the simple reason that there are three types of people endowed with three Gunas with which we have extensively dealt with in this 17th chapter and therein with regard to food, with regard to idealism, with regard to austerities or hard work and with regard to philanthropy, etc. We have seen that these three categories of each class. Rajasika, Tamasika and Sattvika. The same idea he is continuing here but he introduced a new topic. Previously, what were the topics? Ahara, Yagna, Tapas and Dana. Now Tyaga. He is talking about Tyaga. What does it mean simply? It means real Tyaga, 100% Tyaga and that which really makes us free from this samsaric bondage that is of three types. A lowest type, a middle type and the highest type. And then, just like, suppose there is a motorway and there are three lanes for the slowest speed and higher speed and the fastest speed. It doesn't mean that everybody has got that freedom to choose what lane he wants to travel. It depends upon two conditions. The condition of the vehicle as well as the condition of the driver. So, here also some are Tamasika people, their Tyaga they have to start. And they means what? All of us have to. All of us are Tamasika people. Maybe there is a person extremely Rajasic, extremely restless. We are not talking about that. When vested interests, personal selfish interests are concerned then we become extremely active. A factory worker he becomes very lazy he goes on cursing hard work. But the moment he owns the same factory 24 hours practically in his dreams also he is working. So, now his interests are aroused because he knows this is mine. Selfishness makes all the difference. So, we all have got this Tamasika nature not with regard to spiritual life but with regard to only with regard to spiritual life not with regard to worldly life. Worldly life means changa hojayega. We become very very enthusiastic very joyous go on what is called dancing, drinking eating, making merry going on holidays we are very very active. So, if somebody says why don't you study a scripture why don't you master philosophy why don't you do japa, dhyana meditation, prayer why don't you go on pilgrimage every sort of excuse will come. What I am trying to tell following the teachings of Divine Lord Krishna that we everybody without choice have to start from a Tamasika nature and practice Thyaga and then in course of time sincerely if he practices he will enter into Rajasika Thyaga and then he will enter into Satvika Thyaga where the Satva guna itself will show him the right way and practically helps him to attain the highest goal. That is how we have to understand. So, the Lord says in that subject called Thyaga Listen Listen from me. Listen my teaching. Means you will never have any doubts if you understand me properly. So, what is it Lord you want to say? It has been widely understood and propagated that three types of pronunciation are there. Renunciation, giving up. Three types. So, that is what the Lord wants to tell now. So, Krishna draws Arjuna's attention Listen to me. Because both Sanyasa and Thyaga Karma Yoga are both are equally efficacious in gaining liberation or Moksha. But it all depends on who the person is where he is. Is he at the lowest rung of the ladder or the middle step of the ladder or the highest step of the ladder. Remember, even the Sattva Guna is not the ultimate goal. But it is the highest rung. Thereupon we will have to take out our foot and put it on the roof or upper floor. Whatever it is. So, this is what we have to understand. Now, Bhagawan's vision is that you can have two lifestyles. Either give up all Karmas for the sake of Moksha. Giving up means what? Nobody can really give up. But only performing those activities and that too with the idea, I am doing it for pleasing the Divine Lord. And whatever be the result, Fala that is Ishwara Prasada. That is called Karma Yoga. Or give up most of the activities and exclusively focus yourself on what we call a Sannyas, purely spiritual life which is termed here as the life of a Sannyasi. So, these are the two lifestyles open to every spiritual aspirant. But as I said earlier that from the lowest step of the ladder, we have to slowly progress. Now, before that the Lord puts certain conditions and then this is what He is going to tell, expound in two shlokas. We enter into the fifth shloka. yajna-dana-tapa-karma na tyajyam karyam eva tad yajna-dana-tapaschaiva pavanani manishinam acts of sacrifice, gifts and austerity must never be given up but should be performed for verily these three, sacrifice gift or dana and austerity or tapasya sacrifice or yajna or worship they purify the hearts of the spiritual aspirants. yajna-dana-tapa-karma these spiritual activities all these three are spiritual activities not earning money etc but what do you do after earning money that is all for lower types of people that is all for people whose minds are steeped in worldliness and they also necessarily have to follow the teachings of the scriptures which tell do your activities, these activities in this way and you will get the result you will go to higher lokas means higher states of happiness and then again an opportunity will be given and if you go on doing like that even though you are a desirer of the results but because you are following the scripture your mind will be slowly purified that means better understandings seeps in and then there comes a point of time when you say I had enough I had desire I had curiosity to see and I tasted all of them now I know what they are worth my understanding has become better I don't need them because I have been doing all those things for my happiness but now I can get happiness even while I am enjoying ordinary things that is a natural development and when that state comes then what shall I do, shall I give up all these activities no, now you take up the higher type of activities which are divided into three, Igna as I elaborately explained, Igna means worship what does it mean like a cricket fan worships a great cricketeer a cinema fan movie fan admires greatly an actor or an actress so that is called he doesn't take flowers like a Hindu or like a Christian and then offer it at the feet of the person and does Arathri but for accepting that day and night he is thinking I admire you I would like to be like you the purpose of all puja is this I like you I would like to be you that is the ultimate purpose we are all fans of God so this is called worship and then every higher quality that we acquire cannot fall from the sky we have to earn it we have to acquire it that requires tremendous amount of austerity whether you want perfection whether you want concentration whether you want mind control whatever you want they are not easily attained not even in a few lives but it takes many many lives but simply because we are going to be reborn they are not going to fall after so many lives these things will fall from the sky in every life we have to start at the beginning and then go on working very hard that intelligent way of working hard to achieve a higher goal is called austerity or tapasya that is the real purpose and then as we have received help from others from the beginning when we have something to give then we have to share it with others selflessly with a blessing with a prayer let others also like me not suffer but they also come to me let them enjoy because by this time this person understands there is no stranger the whole world is my own so the Lord is telling when a person's selfishness becomes less and his heart becomes somewhat purified he understands that God is and he came from God and his goal is to go back to God then he should take up to these activities and as I added in my last class also karma should never be given up they must be done there is no choice a person says if a child says I don't want to be a child I want to be a first class young person so by just tomorrow I will go to bed and I will wake up like that fellow who woke up after 60 years so I will wake up a first class youth that is never going to happen second by second minute by minute and hour by hour day by day month by month, year by year life after life we have to grow so that is why these things they have to done because this is called going up if there is a step in a ladder there is no way anybody can jump to the highest roof he has to go through otherwise he will get injured and then he has to do exactly the same thing even after billion births so therefore this says this can never be given up the lord is explaining Manishinam means intelligent spiritual aspirants and those who understand that why should I do why is the scripture forcing me to do no no the scripture is not forcing you you told the scripture I want to go to a higher life and then only the scripture opened its mouth in the form of a teacher in the form of a guru in the form of a wise person or a great neighbour it doesn't matter the scripture is telling that this is the only way you are going to become holy, pure Pavana means that which purifies so Yagna, Dana and Tapas worship and charity and austerity and they are Pavanani, they purify whom? who is going to take up these three? only Manishinam, wise people people endowed with right discrimination because everybody is endowed with discrimination a worldly person also he is no less discriminative but he thinks he has got right discrimination so he says if I pray to God the result is uncertain but if I rob a bank the result may be much more certain that is he thinks other fools get caught but I will not be getting caught such a person is not called a wise person he is called otherwise person who is a wise person? a person who has got tremendous amount of right discrimination and that is possible only by the grace of God so he says Yagna, Dana, Tapa, Karma Pavanani, so these things they purify a person what is purification? supposing there is a mirror and the mirror is full of dirt, naturally the reflection will be according to the amount of dirt so one takes up a clean piece of cloth and dips it in soap, soap powder and goes on cleaning as a person goes on cleaning and it depends how much dirt is accumulated the mirror becomes less and less having dust etc and the moment less obstruction the reflection will be better and better that is called purification here the mirror is substituted by the mind as the mind what is mind? Understanding as the understanding which is now covered with Tamas and Rajas and also Sattva of course but Tamas means thick layer layer after layer thousands of layers of accumulated Samskaras the Vasanas through millions of births slowly we have to start cleaning them up as we go on cleaning our reflection becomes better reflection means what? who is standing in front of the mirror? not me, God is standing but God is thinking I am not God I am a Jeeva I am a Samsari I am a worldly person but as this person within the scriptures goes on performing these things in the right way of course then slowly his mind becomes purified and as and when the mind becomes purified purified of egotism purified of selfishness purified of wrong understanding then he automatically the reflection of Divine flashes in front of him and the more it flashes the more understanding comes and the better will be the effort and the more will be the longing to be united with God so this is called Pavanani Manishinam that is why the scriptures impose there is no choice there like red light and green light there is no choice there so go on doing it this analogy just now gave me an idea suppose you are travelling on a motorway suddenly you come to traffic lights there are three stages of the traffic lights first it will be green that means you go and then sometimes it will be yellow yellow means what you have a few seconds to cross if you have sufficiently good control good car and sufficient time but if the red light comes, stop this is what I call red light in the traffic light I compare as Nishayada that is the scriptures tell never do this otherwise accidents suffering will be there and then a person understanding becomes better and he says that shall I go or not, yes just now the yellow light has come it will be there but 15 or 20 seconds during that period I have sufficient that is to say a person is still attached to the selfish desires and at the same time becomes very intensely aware of the higher goal in life and then he slowly travels through that middle period where he is pulled by the higher ideal at the same time attached to the lower ideals and then comes green light, what does green light stand for, my child now you have come out you don't need all those other things now this is your only duty in life so what is this duty Yagna, Dana and Tapaha, these are the most important things because you have already come out of the red light already come out of the yellow light, now this is the way for you to progress further the moment that green light comes, as if God has said, now you enter into exclusive spiritual zone and first you go on performing them and when the right time comes, you don't give up anything but the karma is not appropriate, will give up when you are healed as you are healed, they themselves will fall down so this is what the Lord is telling certain karmas like acts of sacrifice gifts or charity and austerity cannot be given, must not be given but should be performed as one's bounden duty why? because the explanation is given, they purify the people who are discriminating enough and that is how they progress in life so the footnote is who are the wise people who perform actions without desiring the normal fruits but for the sake of chitta shuddhi or for the sake of purification of the mind and heart and for attaining to liberation, chitta shuddhi is the first step and special spiritual practices is the second step and obtainment by God's grace of liberation is the final thing, now enter into the sixth ok, I am convinced, I will do this from now onwards but then the Lord is telling even these three can be done, but they have to be done, not as a tamasika will do not as a rajasika mentality does it, not as a tamasika mentality does it not as a, but as a sattvika mentality does it, that would be much more helpful, so the other things tamasika mentality is it counterproductive not really, even if you do, even if one person does it with a tamasika mentality but these three ignatana and tapas but it will take longer time for him to clean his heart, but if a person is rajasika it will take even less time, but if a person is sattvika it will take almost the result is instantaneous so the Lord is telling how even the performance of ignatana tapas have to be done this is the gist of the sixth verse beautiful one of the most beautiful shlokas the sixth verse I will tell you why so even these works, what works ignatana and tapas however should be done with a particular in a particular way what is that way, without attachment without attachment means that, you see I will explain to you, without attachment and without desire for the normal fruit, why because anybody who does it even a worldly person if he does it, ignatana or tapasya, he will get results, he is attached both to the activities as well as their results what is the attachment to the activities, that I am the doer, I like these activities, but I desire these results, so three parts are here some people they have not reached that higher state, so what do they do well, my teacher asked me and scripture is asking me to do, but I am not very happy to do it and when we are not happy to do any activity automatically we will not be attached to that forced activity, but certain things give us certain results which we like, we become attached to them so this is called not attachment to the fruits that is separate issue but attachment to the very performance of the activities I will give an example I have met many devotees and one devotee has become nearly 75 years old and that person wants to sit and he is suffering from romantic pains I mean romantic pains and he wants to sit on the floor why because from the childhood the person was accustomed to sit only on his legs on the floor in an asana, but now it is extremely painful for him, for her to sit in that position, so I told why don't you have a chair and sit there in the chair, do you think the God will get angry if you sit in the chair and perform, no he understands because this is the nature of the body it has become old, it cannot sit comfortably and even if you sit forcefully you will be thinking about God or you will be thinking about your body your legs, your aches etc, this is counter productive, so sit comfortably in a very comfortable chair, not in a uncomfortable chair Sukham Asanam that asana which makes us forget our body consciousness, forget our worries etc, that is called real asana, not simply Padmasana or any other asana so this is an example, the man is attached oh I get papa if I sit in a chair nothing doing, this is your stupidity that is making you think like that, so some of us are terribly become attached to the actions themselves the way we perform, the time at which we perform, some other people told me, nowadays I am unable to get up, why? because it takes me a long time to fall asleep and I have to forcibly get up and I cannot get up I say what does it matter, you get up when the body allows you to get up only taking care that it is not laziness but necessity of the body and then when you do, wholeheartedly you call after all you are old, you are retired there is no other extraneous duty for you you get up at any time with a free mind, with full devotion you worship the divine lord so so even these works however should be done without attachment to the activities themselves actions themselves, of course everybody does these things if it is a worldly person, he wants a worldly result, if he is a spiritual person, he wants first of all, what is the spiritual result? not God for a spiritual aspirant performing Yagna, Dana and Tapasya are not meant for the purpose of God realization immediately that is next step but here for the purity of the heart, what does it mean? my mind is still selfish it is full of jealousy it is full of desires it is full of competing with others and it wants name and fame these things have to be slowly rubbed out of the mind and that is called Chitta Shuddhi or purity of the heart for that purpose, that is the only immediate goal, so when a person is in the second step, the immediate goal is the third step not fourth or fifth so in this analogy even these activities Sangam Tyaktha Phalaanicha Phalaanicha means what? giving up not all results but worldly results, O Lord I am doing these things I don't want to go to heaven I don't want to be happy I don't want to be rich I don't want to be having name and fame but I want to purify my heart so that that is the way I can approach you, that should be the only result, even though the Lord is telling, give up the results what it really means is first of all, it is impossible to give up results whether we put our hand in the fire purposefully, consciously or unconsciously it has to give its fruit so when I do all these things the fruit is definite for me to come, it will come but don't think of it but then pray to God, don't give me, O Lord, this ordinary result, worldly result in the form of worldly enjoyment because that will increase Raga and Dvesha I don't want but grant me purity of heart, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God but the first result of purity of heart is that it will have tremendous faith in God it will never give up its spiritual effort and it will not look down, look back upon what has been given up, these are the indications by which we know that our heart is really becoming pure, so Tyaktva phala nicha means except, expecting only Chitta Shuddhi Kartaviyani, all these activities have to be done O Partha, Nishchitam Uttamam Matam, this Mata this teaching of mind this opinion of mind, this understanding of mind Bhagawan's mind, Uttamam this is the best this is the right this is the truth nobody else can give you not that after sometime this opinion can be changed, no these activities also a sincere spiritual aspirant should perform without getting attached to those activities if he is able to do let him do, if he is not able to do it, let it be done through some others, but even if he gets it done because physically he is unable to do it, he will get the results, but the results should not be, we should not expect, one should not expect worldly, in the form of worldly enjoyment or worldly, that which increases our worldliness but purely for the sake of purifying the heart, and this is how all these three activities, that means not only three, all these other satellite activities which help in these three main activities, all of them should be done, only with the idea, I am able to do it by the grace of God I will do so long as I can do, if I can't do I will get it done through other people but at the same time only one result I want Chitra Shuddhi, purification of the hearts Hey Partha, Oh Arjuna Eta, Nitu, Api, Karmani Eta, Nitu, please Karmani, Api, all these karmas what karmas? Egna, Dana and Tapasya Sangamcha, attachment to them, Falanicha Tyaktva, that is give up the desire for normal result and give only spiritual expect, pray and long for only Chitra Shuddhi purity of the heart Kartavyani, Kartavyani means it is your bounden duty there is no other way, for whom? for a sincere spiritual aspirant endowed with Shuddha, who wants liberation, Moksha, only for him it is a Kartavyani not for worldly people Iti, thus may Nischitam Uttamam Atam, Nischitam, this is my understanding my teaching, which will never again arouse any doubt about it, Nischita means with doubtless opinion, Uttamam and it will lead to Uttamam the best, why best? because whatever leads to the best is the best teaching, the teaching that which leads to God is the best teaching the teaching that which helps me to progress towards God, that is the best teaching, so this is the conditions he has imposed that even these activities have to be done only in that way so in this 5th and 6th he said 3 activities are there and they are called Yagna, Dhana and Tapas and they should never be given up by anybody until one becomes liberated until one knows Aham Brahmasmi, until that time there is no way he can give up but even these things have to be done without getting attached either to the actions themselves or to the normal results of the actions themselves, this is dealt with in the 6th Shloka, now earlier he promised, Arjuna, Trividham Samprakeerthitam, this Thyaga can be practiced in 3 ways what does it mean? not like 3 lanes of a motorway, all the 3 lanes are travelling at the same time but at the same time there is a mind endowed with Tamas but we are not talking about ordinary worldly Tamas, we are talking about a spiritual person let us say beginner in the spiritual life, let us say a person who has somewhat advanced in spiritual life and let us say a person who has advanced very much in spiritual life respectively known as Tamasic spiritual aspirant Rajasic spiritual aspirant and Satvic spiritual aspirant Shloka number 7 Verse number 7 The renunciation of obligatory actions is not proper and of course one can never give up its abandonment from delusion, from indiscrimination is declared to be of the nature of Tamas supposing there is a person and he is having a Tamasic mind again don't forget we are not talking about ordinary worldly Tamasic person we are talking about a spiritual person and still he has got some amount of Tamas and there is an enormous difference between worldly Tamas and spiritual Tamas, worldly Tamas takes a person away from God into greater suffering whereas spiritual Tamas slowly purifies him and brings him to a higher degree why is the law telling because first sit down look at yourself objectively and find out first thing you find out do I want God or not, second how much God I want do I want 50-50 that means do I want 50% worldly result and 50% spiritual result or do I want spiritual result, of course nobody can claim because it is a journey from so called worldliness to spirituality but yet intellectually we have to be absolutely clear so question number 2 then question number 3 is that am I doing these things is it, am I convinced that they have to be done, there is no escapism there is no way of giving up and then oh it is so difficult oh it is impossible it may be for other people not for me etc this is called delusory thinking delusionating thinking Parityaga, how in the first chapter Arjuna was overcome with this kind of delusion what is the delusion that this world is full of delusion so I should give it up, I should take to the life of a monk why should I fight and kill all those things, that understanding is purely came from the nature of delusion from the effect of delusion of course the divine lord slowly enlightens him so this is called Moha that is why Moha always brings tremendous amount of suffering, so that is why Moha means Arjuna, Vishada, Yoga Vishada is the definite result of delusion so Arjuna Moha Grastha Arjunasya Vishada Yogaha that is the proper way to put it so this Tamasika mentality he does it what does he do? why? because they have to be done but then he finds it laziness, difficulty and not getting result which is expected so I have been doing it for 10 days, I have been doing it for 10 years, I have been doing it for 90 years I did not find any improvement etc. that is complete wrong understanding the Karmaphala will never go, even if a person does Japam Dhyanam, prayer mechanically, that purifies him, but it will take time because it is not done in the proper way so no Karma will be without result every Karma will be having its own result so this is what the Divine Lord is telling so what is Niyatasya? it is obligatory actions what are the obligatory actions? Ignatana, Tapaha, Nitya Karmas etc. Sanyasa means giving up giving up what? Karmana Sanyasa giving up of obligatory duties giving up of Yagna giving up of Dana giving up of Tapasya na Upapadyate it is not right the consequences will be terrible for the person it is not right whatever is not right is wrong whatever is wrong will only take us down and strengthens the bondage which means suffering and we will have to work very hard either today or after billion years there is no choice so whatever is obligatory duty it must never be given up what are the obligatory duties? as mentioned earlier Nitya Karmas everyday Karmas have to be done and these Karmas include prayer, meditation and on special days more meditation, more prayer more thinking of God and then that is called Yagna and that must be done in the proper way and on those lines a person must also share whatever a person has got that person, whether it is worldly wealth or intellectual wealth or spiritual wealth it should be distributed it should be shared with deserving people those who are looking forward for that so giving up because what? Moha delusion, what is Moha? oh it is difficult oh I am not getting any result and there are other people one example that comes to my mind somebody told me Swamiji, I have been doing Sadhana for a long time then I happened to read Ramana Maharshi's life, then there I came across, I became enlightened I was surprised, I knew what was coming, what enlightenment did you have? well, he did not do any Sadhana before one day he was, suddenly the realization came to him now I understand I can also be like a Ramana Maharshi without doing any Sadhana, spiritual effort one day the realization will come to me what could be the most destructive thinking than this, then I was tempted in my mind to say that one day the realization will come to you that you have wasted your life, you should have done it many many lives back and now after suffering a lot, somehow the understanding has come and now regretfully why did I not start it so early, that is the realization that comes in this respect I was remembering a wonderful story I heard, one of our Swamis so one Swami, one devotee raised a question whoever goes to Ramana Maharshi his one teaching is, find out who you are, and one devotee asked one of our Swamis, is it not possible for me to know who I am if I have devotion to Lord Shiva he said yes of course, then by praying to him, by doing Japa Tapa, is it not possible for me to go to Kailash yes, then will Shiva talk to me, yes and what do you think he is going to talk to me, then the Swami replied Shiva is going to tell you like Ramana Maharshi, find out who you are, so this is called Moha Tasya the giving up of the obligatory duties out of pure delusion if anybody does it he does it at a great cost but such a kind of Tyaga giving up obligatory duties is called Tamasic Tyaga Tamasa Parigirti Taha renunciation of obligatory actions is not right, its abandonment which is the result of delusion is declared to be of the nature of Tamas we will talk about it next week Om Vasudevastham Devam Kamsachanur Amarthanam, Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum, may Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti today happens to be most sacred auspicious day of the birthday of Holy Mother and throughout the day, here we had wonderful Puja, Bhajans, Homa etc on this special day may the Divine Mother bless us all with Bhakti, Jai Ramakrishna