Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 22 on 27 February 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadaam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohur Moho Om Vasudevasutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandham Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadho Ghavo Dogdha Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dogdham Geetam Ritam Mahat Mookam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yath Kripathamaham Vande Paramanandhamahadham We are studying it in chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. In our last studies class we have studied how three types of actions that have to be developed. So that three types of Gunas, characteristics, spiritual qualifications can be developed. The Lord is very beautifully introducing all the humanity can be divided into four categories. But all the four classes of people are influenced by the three Gunas in whom Sattva is more prevalent. He is called a Brahmana in whom Rajoguna is more prevalent. Such a person man or woman is called a Kshatriya and a person in whom Rajas and Tamas are more prominent. He is called Vaishya in whom Tamas and Rajas and Sattva in that order is more manifest. Such a person is called a Shudra. All the four classifications. This is a most wonderful explanation about the caste system. It has nothing to do with birth. Excepting that in our past life if we have done something to deserve a good family in a good place with good favorable circumstances and that is how we take birth with a particular body favorable for further progress. But nothing to do with this what we call completely fixed and outmoded caste system. We have dealt with what are the characteristics of a Brahmana. So nine characteristics in other words the highest spiritual qualities are more manifest. Why? Because Sattva Guna is most prevalent in such a person's mind. And the second we have dealt quite thoroughly who is a warrior Kshatriya or a natural leader or a person whose footsteps other people are ready to follow and who loves oneself, one's society, one's country, one's religion and ready to protect other people also for the sake of giving them support for maintaining them. Usually we call them government. So if you look at any government of any country what type of qualities those who are in power even including democratic countries even though sometimes some things may go in the name of democracy but one particular person may be twisting everything around his little finger so he will be influencing it is only a name in democracy and I am afraid most of the democracies have turned into demonocracies instead of democracies and there is not much difference between so-called dictatorships and these people. What am I talking about? Whether you call them democratic countries or dictatorship countries, ruled countries the first thing that we see that selfishness is most manifest. Secondly, they don't care for their countries. They only yield especially in democratic countries to the extent that they can please the voters so that they can remain in power as long as possible. Nobody is thinking about the welfare of the world or rather I would say few people think and if at all they do good because they themselves personally suffered from that environment. I will give you one or two examples. Even a common man with a little bit of brain power can understand things. In order to give more power, take two examples only. One is computers, another is phones. If all the phones, first of all they collect so much of data and want to influence us. It is a known fact and we are completely helpless and some of the what you call social media are misusing these instruments, spreading their views which influence us, making us think that they are rational, this is my view, I completely approve of it, etc. Now just as an example, a phone which I have bought for example even last year or five years back, the way I use it, it is more than adequate but will the companies allow me to do? They sometimes program, I suspect all the time that after some time they become unusable that means they are forcing me indirectly to throw this one and if I throw this one what happens? The junk, poisonous material is accumulating all over the world, we all know that. Second, if these people, these companies, they are tightening in such a way, manufacturing in such a way that they do not allow a third party to repair these things easily, to replace any parts of either computers or phones it applies to the same so that without throwing them out they can use them, reuse them and as a result so much of poisonous material which we do not know, they are getting dumped and we have not learned how to recycle them are being used. Now there are another point that occurs if all companies are forced by governments, you use standard plug points, standard materials so anybody can buy it locally and fix it, easily fixing, easily repairing so that a thing can be used for a long time so there is no need to throw them out, there is no need to burden the earth. No, no government dares to do, if at all they do after 10 years, 15 years and this is how we are increasing the poisonous material on earth and we are like fools who sit on a tree and cut the branch and many people are aware of it but we are not, the government is not doing anything, the people are like sheep and this is how democratic countries I am talking, dictatorship countries also more or less follow. My point is these are only styles of government but the ultimate result is making everybody a slave, only difference is either you do it directly as a military command or you do it indirectly by brainwashing the people but nobody is thinking that my children will be subjected to all the changes that we are making through our foolish actions, nobody is thinking, only me, my lifetime etc. Now my whole point is that we don't need to think about Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, wise people, people in power, people who are traders and people who do not have that much of thinking power is all because of the influence of either Sattva or Rajas or Tamas, all the three in different combinations but what a terrible difference it makes because of these different combinations. So a warrior, a natural leader, he must have these qualifications then only whether he is a prime minister, whether he is a president, whether he is a dictator, only in the name president but one person, no one person is so wise enough but doesn't listen, eliminate this, these are leading to wars, conflicts and the result is terrible imposition of suffering on everybody. So Krishna is pointing out that here is a person, he is supposed to be a warrior, what are the things that he is supposed to do? He who has these seven characteristics, he is the only true warrior, true leader, true president, true prime minister or I am not talking only president of a whole country, president of an organization, secretary of an organization, even if it consists of two people or three people, every company, whether you call them company managers or whatever it is, if the person is good, has these qualities, then the result will be overall good, not only that person will improve but indirectly by his life, by his actions, by his thinking, by his ideology, everybody to some extent will be influenced by such a person. So heroism, high spirit, firmness, resourcefulness, dauntlessness in battle, generosity and sovereignty, these are the natural duties of a Kshatriya born of his own nature. Now what about the other two people? Krishna summarizes the characteristics of both the, what we call merchant class or the business classification and these are called Vaishyas and also the common workers who need to be directed at everything. In fact a worker is one who is easily brainwashed, easily swayed by some ideology, whether it is right or wrong, good or bad. That is how we have to understand. We enter into the 44th. Krishi, Gaurakshya, Panijyam, Vaishya Karma Svabhavajam, Paricharya Atmakam Karma Shudrasya Ape Svabhavajam, Agriculture, Cattle Rearing and Trade are the duties of a Vaishya born of his innate nature and the duty of a Shudra, 4th class, nowadays of course even in India, a person doesn't accept to be called a Shudra. We call it a worker but it's fine, born of his own nature. What is it? The action consisting of service. This we will talk about now. Krishi means agriculture. Any type of agriculture, tilling the land, etc., it can be done scientifically. It can be done organically. It must be done so that the environment need not be polluted at all and to take all these factors then that would be a person's most natural manifestation, his particular quality. Then he says Gauraksha. Gauraksha means rearing cattle, protecting cattle and by cattle doesn't mean only cattle, any type of animals. After all, animals have equal experience of pain and pleasure and most of them are very intelligent. Those of you who have what is called an intelligent dog, how loving they could be, how protecting they could be, this only they know. And to consider such animals just because they are non-humans that we can take advantage of them, we can kill them, we can beat them, we can torture them, we can eat them up. In any way, it is unthinkable. This applies to all the animals. As a person grows, the person's feelings become identified. If I were in that position, what is going to happen to me? And therefore, it's very naturally a Brahmana etc. will turn into a vegetarian because he understands. Even in the vegetarian, he doesn't do a destruction which is completely unnecessary such as cutting down forests etc. But it is greed, it is the insecure feeling. The more money I have, the more secure I am. And life itself is momentary. Any second, anything can happen. What can this money do? What can jails do? People are even murdered in jails, protected by the police themselves. People, but no. So we have to say, why is all this happening? It is the will of the Divine Mother. We have no other explanation. So this is the only way which can console us. Only God knows and He also knows why it is happening. He also knows when it is going to stop and better things are coming out. But one thing I am convinced. That if most of us, we turn to be righteous, dharmic, then these things will be automatically minimized. In this world, absolute goodness is impossible. But we can minimize and that should be the effort of a very intelligent devotee. So Gauraksha means rearing cattle and giving them what they need, taking from them what we need. And this is helping each other. That should be the way. Just as human beings were advised by Krishna to worship all the in-charge of rains, in-charge of heat, in-charge of light, in-charge of fire, etc. Because they are not inert things. They are all manifestations of God. And if we lead a good life, not merely offering either a flower or something eatable to persons, but bringing about an appropriate change, just as the Gods are bestowing their grace upon everybody indiscriminately, until we misuse that grace, so also if we can do our best as an individual, what is the difference? The Gods who are ruling powers, when they are considered as individuals, they are called as I, You, Me, It, etc. But if I am considered not as an individual but as a universal, the same I am called as the Sun, the Moon, the Fire God, the Earth Goddess, etc. Why is Earth called Goddess when everything else is called a God? Very interesting. There is Water God, Fire God, Air God, Space God, but Earth Goddess. Why? Because we have all come from the Earth. We don't come from the male. We only come from the female. That is why the Prithvi is called Janani. She gives manifestation to us. She nourishes us and we also go back into it. This is the truth of the matter. Then Vanijyam. It is any kind of trade. It is not necessarily one type of every kind of trade. This is a necessity for human life. Somewhere something good grows. Somewhere else something else grows. Everywhere we cannot grow everything. There is something called suitable soil, suitable water, suitable environment, suitable protection, etc. So the quality and quantity of what we grow as food, it differs. Not only food. Every material that is necessary for the preservation of the body. Somewhere coal is there. Somewhere iron is there. Somewhere cement can be made. Somewhere iron, steel can be manufactured. Somewhere some other materials can be manufactured. Whichever is available abundantly where it can be cultivated and grown without harming, giving in to greed and they who deal in those matters and make an exchange possible. What one area doesn't have will get it from the other area. What these people grow will be distributed to the other areas. This give and take which is nothing but life. Those who maintain it properly under controlled conditions, they are called tradesmen, business people, etc. So this is those who very naturally take to these things and they have sufficient intelligence to bring those activities into success. Such people are naturally called traders and that is why the Lord says, means it is inborn talent is there. Some people are like that. Now this is the third type of people called Vaishyas or traders or business people or merchants, merchant class. What is the guna? Prajoguna is there because for a business to be successful, a person has to be very alert. Very interestingly, Hindu gods and goddesses possess a certain kind of animals for them to move freely and it is said that the owl, which is the vahana of Lakshmi Devi, the whole night it keeps awake with huge eyes. That means here is a businessman and his eyes are wide open when other people are incapable of seeing what is going to happen in the next one year or two years studying the rainfall and the political conditions, the war conditions, everything. This fellow takes that opportunity, plans and he is alert. Such a person will be extremely successful in that business and that comes as a very natural gift for that person just as for people, those who are experts in particular type of arts, whether it is music, painting or poetry or writers, etc., very naturally that aesthetic talent. So these people have business talent and that is how it is called Swabhavajam. But why are these things being mentioned? Because this will be a clue how we can progress in life towards our own good and at the same time what is good for us will be also good to other people. This is the tremendous law we have to keep. Whatever is truly beneficial for us, for anybody, it will also be beneficial for other people. A good person somehow or other, directly or indirectly, influences everybody else. A charitable person influences many such similar thinking people. A successful writer, a successful poet, a successful painter, a successful singer, there is nobody who can influence humanity. Even a successful sportsman, how many people it is inspiring them? And the first lesson they learn is be alert. Second lesson they teach is that you will have to be constantly practicing it. Nothing comes very naturally, very easily. What is assiduously, enthusiastically, with tremendous power of resolution, practiced for a long time, it appears to be so natural. This is what is called born with means what the person has practiced so much in so many lives. Now it has become such a natural thing that this is the most acceptable explanation. So these are the Krushi, agriculture, cultivation, Kaurakshya, and rearing of animals, protecting them in the proper way, and then see that, take advantage of them also to necessary extent, and then trade, business. These seem to be the things that naturally come to certain people, endowed with dominant Prajaguna, aided by Satvaguna and Tamoguna in certain proportions. Such a person is called Vaishya. And so if a person is born with those qualities, that would be his duty. Naturally he will be born in that family which facilitates the expression, the performance of those appropriate activities. And such a person is the third class. Third class means I am not talking about the quality gradation. I am talking about, this is the classification. They fall under the class number three, not first class, second class, third class, qualitative division. Then the last of all come, and this person also, he cannot think for whatever reason, but he is enthusiastic, is ready to serve, and without rebelling, knowing that I cannot think for myself, I cannot decide for myself, but if somebody can decide, then I am ready to obey such a person. This is the very natural expression, and those activities are the most suitable activities for this so-called class four people who are called Shudras. So what is there? Simply one only, Paricharya Atmakam. They must take the commandments of a good master, but they have to choose, if it is possible, a right master, so that they get good salary, they get good maintenance, they get love, they get protection, they get everything that is possible. So it is a good master and a good servant having a very good relationship, and in spiritual literature, especially Vaishnava literature, this is called Dasya Bhava. It is not a degrading relationship, but it is a particular relationship. Since the topic came, I'll just give an example. A loving mother is having this attitude of serving. She serves her husband with love, her parents and in-laws and her husband and all the family members, especially her children, by rearing them, by protecting them inside, and by, after birth, seeing the 24 hours, who could be the most natural person serving than one's own mother. There was a funny advertisement once. A woman executive who has given birth to a child, who became a mother recently, and required somebody to do her job, and she listed, I need an Aya. Aya means one who looks after the children. And she sent it to what you call an organization which will provide such kind of people. And then she was not getting any reply, even after sending. Then she went furiously and said, why are you not able to procure for me an Aya? And the manager of that said, Madam, you sit down. So these are the characteristics you specified. This person, the Aya must have these characteristics. Go through them, and if I can see it rightly, if you are intelligent, you will understand the only person who fits all these characteristics is only you. Therefore, you resign the job or make it part-time and take care of your child. So a mother is the greatest servant, and she knows what is good. A good servant knows what the master requires, how he should do it. If this is because this is the natural condition of such a person, because of his very constitution, both body and mind, good strong body, but good mind, which is ready to take in commands without getting hurt, and serve such is the natural duty of a person who cannot think. And I think every child and everybody who is growing up until a person becomes mature, everybody is immature, everybody requires this kind of guidelines. So this is the most wonderful thing. Only one thing says, why is the Lord enumerating all these four classes? The first point is, no class is higher and no class is lower. They are all suitable to their effort. This is what Sri Ramakrishna gives a beautiful example, marvelous example. A mother has four children. There is a baby also. She cooks same curry, same fish. For the child, it is watery soup. For a little bit grown up, a little more solid food. For an adolescent, she will give much more spices and strong food, hard food, etc. But for a young son, she will give the full complements of spice, etc. Her love is the same for everybody. But she knows what is good for everybody. Even if the baby doesn't know what is good, especially babies never create any problem. The problem is only when we grow a little bit and we think that we understand, but really we don't understand. At the same time, our ego has grown so much that we quarrel with parents, with elders, thinking that I know better than you, etc., etc. This is the ego problem. But what is meant? Everybody is equal, like every child is equal in the eyes of its mother. Every human, even just a growing fetus in the womb, until the most highly developed, wise person, everybody is under the sway of Mahamaya. But she is a Devi Sarvabhuteshu Matru Rupena Samsthat, the Divine Mother, the Universal Mother, the Mother of the entire world. She loves everybody. In fact, she is everybody. Therefore, she doesn't treat any of her children as stepchildren, etc. This is the point we have to note down here. Now, what are we talking about? Here is a person, four persons, born with four special types of Gunas, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, and they are being influenced by them. And naturally, as a result of those Gunas, they develop certain qualities of mind and particular structure of the body, and they are fit only according to the qualities they have. Particular type of activities are most natural flowing activities. Then there is no conflict between what they do and what they think, etc. If they perform them rightly, without deviating Dharma, then such people will be growing. But even better than that, if the same people awake and retell, I know God exists, and if I can offer whatever I am doing, then that will be the most marvellous thing. I mentioned in one of my past classes, there was a cobbler. He was in Russia, and he was a Christian. And he was barely literate. He has got a prayer book, and letter by letter, he goes on tracing with his finger, and he cannot tell. It was his habit, just before opening the shop, he will wholeheartedly pray to the Lord, using this book with big, big letters, bold letters, large letters, so that he can easily utter. Every day he used to do it from the bottom of his heart. One day, he forgot to bring this book, and he cannot remember, so he prayed to God, Oh Lord, you know I am illiterate, you know that I cannot even read properly. Today I forgot to bring the book, so I cannot utter this prayer as I am supposed to utter. So Lord, out of your grace, do one thing. I will slowly spell out the alphabet, and you arrange the letters and words, so that it will form a prayer. And this is the only way that I can pray really, and that is what he started slowly, with all devotion and sincerity, A, B, C, D, and left the arrangement to the Divine Lord. And Lord in Heaven was watching this person, and besides Him, Angel Gabriel was there. God turned towards Gabriel and said, Gabriel, this is the best prayer I have ever heard any human being utter. What God sees is sincerity. That sincerity doesn't get hurt, Oh, I am a fourth class person, here is an upper class person, they have all the privileges, and I don't have so many privileges, etc. So if everybody, whether it is a Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya or Brahmana, take their own what is called Swabhavajam Karma, because of certain qualities, and develop those qualities, that is mental attitudes, and which is mental attitude is always succeeded, followed by appropriate actions. If we take care of our thoughts, our ideals, our attitudes, everything will come out right, that is the point. So if everybody does it, and not only does it, then what happens, even if they don't pray to God, but if they just stick to the law of this scripture, and perform what is called Dharma, righteous thing, they will grow slowly towards more health, more wisdom and more happiness. But if they consciously offer everything that they do, Oh Lord, I want to please you, what little I can do, I do it with great Shraddha, and I will offer it to you. And you please take care of me, you know better than me, I do not need to dictate to you, I do not even know what is good for me, so all that I can do is, I do my best with a prayer, as it is my worship towards you. This is literally worship, nothing to do with shrine rooms, temples, nothing to do with flowers and fruits, it is just performing one's own duty. If they do, slowly they become mature persons, so a fourth class person slowly develops higher qualities, from a Tamasic person develops Prajoguna, Rajoguni develops Sattvaguna, Sattvaguni ultimately develops more Sattva, and finally he takes off like a springboard into the infinity. That is the process, and that is the reason why the Lord is doing it. There should be no looking down upon anybody, all are equal, even though a servant is there. That's what Swami Vivekananda started saying. A sweeper perhaps can do the best sweeping in the world. A king perhaps can rule the kingdom best way. Take the sweeper and put him on the throne of the king. He will be a definite failure. Take the king and give him this sweeping job. He will also make a worst job of it. So particular jobs require particular skills, and here we are not talking particular skills. We are talking about two other things besides the skill. Skill means concentration, dedication, full awareness, and to see that everything is done properly, besides that two attitudes. It should be following the law. That is called Dharma. So to avoid Dharma, unrighteousness, to follow Dharma, that is the first step. But a person cannot be satisfied with Dharma because Dharma gives again birth, but higher happiness. But slowly, very slowly, it takes us towards God. But a person consciously, with full awareness, with that particular intention, I know God exists even though I don't see Him, but I have faith, but I want to worship Him. Oh Lord, I am not able to see You, but certainly You are able to see me. So accept whatever I am doing. I am offering it to You. This is the meaning of Brahmarpanam. Brahmarpanam is not a mantra to be uttered only at the time of eating. Eating is only just for etc. That means any action that we do, whether it is meditation, whether it is sweeping, including sleeping, if a person can calm himself down and put his mind on God, do Japa, and without allowing the mind to go here and there, can take the name of God, I assure you, I guarantee you, that a person will get two results. First of all, a most restful sleep the person will get. Secondly, most of the time, he should be getting very good dreams instead of nightmarish dreams. So even in sleeping also, there is a Tamasika sleeping, there is a Rajasika restless sleeping, and there is a Sattvika sleeping is also there. In every activity, whether we are in the waking state, dream state or dreamless state, the whole purpose of these three verses, that is beginning from what we call 44, 43, 42. 42, 43, 44. Is so that we can understand that naturally every human being, I will go to the extent saying, even animals, even everything, but here we are specifically concerned with human beings. Every human being can be divided into four categories. All of them have a right to God, to spiritual progress. For example, a Shudra need not become a Vaishya, Kshatriya or Brahmana. Not necessary. If a person does it sincerely, whatever he is born for, which is natural to him, and offer it to God, and that is called Karma Yoga. This Karma unites him with God, and then by God's grace. Remember, spiritual progress is totally not dependent upon any Yoga, but upon God. His grace, which makes it possible for our body to discharge its duties. His grace, which makes the mind, which will be imbued, endowed with spiritual attitude, spiritual idealism, etc. In that way, God only gives the knowledge, and that is why Indian lore is everywhere. There are so many so-called untouchables, who became the greatest devotees and realized God, purely by surrendering themselves to God, but performing their activities so marvelously well. I just remember the incident from the life of a very great soul. There was a water carrier, and he has to bring water to sweep the surroundings of a temple. He was born in what the wretched Hindus used to call untouchable, but he was one of the greatest devotees of God. Every minute, no second passes without taking the name of God. He will go early in the morning to walk and bring the water, pour it in a tank, and one day he was bringing the water, and a priest who came late, he was going to the river to take bath, and the path was a very narrow path. So seeing this fellow, the priest got very angry and said, you rascal, you step aside. You have polluted my path. And then the water carrier did not say anything out of respect and fear. He just went at a distance into the jungle, and even though his body was being scrapped all over with thorns and everything, he started bleeding also. This priest went, he took bath, and he went to worship God, and a thunderous voice came, Today you have offended me. Today you have insulted me. Today you have shouted at me. Today you have pushed me aside. The priest was surprised, How can I do such a thing? Have I ever done? Even the thought of doing that never crossed my mind. Then he said, Today did you do these things to anybody? The priest, just now he was returning, there was an untouchable, and according to our custom, we shouted at him. They said, Fool, don't you know? He is my greatest Sevaka, devotee. There is not a second which he is not thinking about me. He is doing his duty, and you have insulted me because I dwell in that heart. Ishwaraha Sarovabhutana. Go to that person, apologise to him, and put him on your shoulders, and bring him into the temple. Only then I will forgive you, otherwise I will throw you to eternal hell. I am just telling, there is no eternal hell according to Vedanta. Then the priest came to his senses. He ran, apologised. This man will not accept, Sir, you have done the right thing. I deserve it. You have not done anything wrong. But the priest got the commandment, he took him in spite of the protest, and came into the temple, and sat him down, Lord, please forgive me. But of course very soon people forget these wonderful stories. Now the whole purpose is that you don't need to do anything. Just do your duty in the right way, with concentration, but offer it as your gift, what is called service to God. This is called Karma Yoga. Ishwaraha Arpanabuddhi. And whatever happens, accept it joyfully as the Prasada of the Lord. Ishwara Prasadabuddhi. Ishwara Arpanabuddhi belongs to you. Ishwara Prasadabuddhi is whatever God has deigned to give it to you, accept it as His very Prasada, and be very happy. So it is for that purpose. So here also one point, those who are traders, they have to protect the cows. In India, cow is worshipped like a God. Now some people may have doubt, what is this superstitious Hindus? It is an animal. It is worth only being eaten, or we can take the milk as long as it can give, then we can happily send it to a butcher's house. No. For every Hindu, cow represents what is called wealth, Lakshmi, because it is the cow dung, it is the cow urine, it is the cow milk, it is everything that belongs to the cow. That is why in many temples, the first thing at four o'clock is to worship the Go Pooja, and feed it some bananas, etc. Though people don't do it with Shraddha, only just as a mechanical activity they do it, but a cow is like a mother. Many babies who lose their mothers, the cow milk is the best milk that is a substitute mother's milk. That is why without a cow, agriculture cannot go on. Without agriculture, wealth will not come in, and therefore a cow is considered a representative of Mother Lakshmi. That is only one point, utility point. But the higher point is that we have to slowly see God in other things. You take a tree and associate it with God. You take an animal and associate it with some God. You take a water, associate it with God. Take a mountain and associate it with God. This is how not only Mother is God, Father is God, Teacher is God, everything in this world you take. And slowly, slowly, when you can look upon an animal, etc., as a representative of God, associated with God, God manifesting in that form, then your spiritual vision slowly grows up. That is why describing who is a Samadarshi. Bhagavan Krishna says, Vidya vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini, shunicheva shvapakhecha panditaha samadarshanaha. So all these descriptions of four types of peoples, their nature, their natural activity, the characteristics that their mind is already endowed with by nature, by birth, etc., all these are described for one purpose. First purpose is every person can become spiritual, whatever be the class he is in. So what is called a caste is not a birthright. It is by the guna. And even if a Shudra behaves like a Brahmana, he is more a Brahmana. If a Shudra is a realized soul, he is a Brahmana. If a Brahmana behaves selfishly like a Shudra, then he is only fit to be a Shudra, even though he may be born because of some past good karma in a Brahmin family. That is the point. So if they do accordingly, they accept them, this is what God has given, this is the prasada, I have to do these activities, this is the Ishwararpana buddhi and that is called true karma yoga and then they will progress. And we need not think about that even whether they are going to be born in higher classes, etc. That is secondary. Wherever we are born, we will be born with those tendencies which we cultivated and then that would be a stepping stone for our future progress. And this is the gist of what we are going to discuss in the 46th verse. And the Lord is telling, the gist of this 46th verse is that the Lord is the root cause of the entire creation. And everybody, all this humanity which we had discussed, that is divided into four classes, naturally they also are creatures created by God and they all come from God. And then what is the way to go back to God? That God wants all of us, wherever we are, to worship Him, not with flowers and fruits and incense and Arathrikam, etc. but by the proper way of discharging our duties with the idea that I want God's grace and to do them properly. Oh Lord, this is my worship. If anybody can do it, then tam abhyaksha, he will definitely progress, obtains God's grace and will realize God and becomes free. That is the idea which is given in the 46th verse. yathah pravruttihi bhutanam ena sarvam idam tatam svakarmanatam abhyaksha siddhim vindati manavah By worshipping Him, the root cause from whom all beings proceed and by whom the whole universe is pervaded, by worshipping Him, how through the performance of duty does a man attain perfection. Every man is entitled for perfection, to know who he is, to be free from this transmigration and this can be done. Need not go to any temple. Not that one should not go to a temple. Not that one should not worship God with flowers, etc. But the most important is neglecting all these things. If anybody thinks that if I go to God, it is a shortcut for spiritual progress, then he will be definitely in a wrong path only. This is what Jesus Christ tells. Supposing a person goes to a temple and he has taken according to custom some offering and just before offering that, giving that offering to God, placing that offering in front, he remembers, I have done something wrong to my brother. Crystal clearly, Jesus Christ commands that person, put that offering there, go back, seek the pardon of the man, make retribution and pacify that person, obtain that person's blessings, then only your gift is acceptable to me. This is the spirit of this 46th verse that this whole universe that we see, of which each one of us is a part and we see infinite variations, all these variations have come only from God, but God in the form of Ishwara. So here Ishwara means the God in the mode of a creator, in the form of a creator, which is called Ishwara, that is Saguna Brahma, that is Brahma with Maya or Prakruti, consisting of these three, therefore both living, non-living, every blessed thing that was, that is, that is going to appear in future has come only from one cause. The first point to take away is we see infinite number of things, but the root cause of all is only one and that is Brahman, pure consciousness. So that is why in one of the Upanishads, by knowing which a person knows everything, you tell me about that and then immediately an illustration is given. By knowing, having the knowledge of clay, one knows everything that has been made and that will be made of clay. By knowing about gold, a person knows everything that is made up of gold, any number of ornaments in the past, present or future. What is the secret? The secret is every effect is nothing but cause, a cause which is manifest. Cause means unmanifest. Effect means manifest. So when it is unmanifested form, there is no division, there are no hundred pots, everything is in the form of clay. The same thing, a potter takes the clay, puts it on a potter's wheel and he can make any number of pots, small, big, any number of shapes for different purposes, one as a plate, one as a tumbler, one as a huge storage vessel, etc, etc and to suit the different people's requirements, utilities but from the bottom, from inside, outside, it is nothing but pure clay and this is the subject the Vedanta has explored very deeply and that is what says that any object consists of an intelligent cause and a material cause because to shape, to bring the unmanifest into manifestation, the unmanifest, the inert, the Jada, Prakruti, a clay cannot make itself, I want to become a pot. Even to say I exist, it needs consciousness. To say that I want to now appear in the form of a pot, it requires the intelligent mind and not only what I want, how I am going to become that, so much of intelligence is needed. This is called intelligent cause. Of course, intelligent cause itself is not enough. A potter without clay cannot make any pot. A goldsmith without gold cannot make any ornament. A carpenter without wood cannot make any furniture. So a material cause is necessary and the whole world is come out of one God. That means He is both the intelligent cause as well as the material cause. Therefore, when we see in this world, sometimes we see material which doesn't seem to be intelligent. But Vedanta tells there is nothing which is without intelligence. That means without prana, without life. Inorganic means only one aspect of God called existence is manifest. But the chitta and ananda are dormant, potential. How do we know? Because the same inorganic, when circumstances become favorable, it manifests, it becomes organic. And it is the scientific law. What is not already inherent can never come out. It is impossible. So there must be prana, life. There must be consciousness. But it is dormant like a seed which doesn't contain any of the trees. It is not a seed at all. A seed automatically means it contains everything that the tree is going to become. And that seed is Ishwara. And we came from Ishwara. And the only law is we are going back to Ishwara. This beautiful idea, some more ideas in relation to this, we will have to explore further to understand the depths of the meaning of this one which we will see in our next class. Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Janura Martanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.