Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 24 on 06 March 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayo Sritva Pranamami Muhurmuhu Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanura Mardanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadokavo Dugdha Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetam Ritam Ahat Mukam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yat Kripatamaham Vande Paramanandamadham In our last class, the Bhagawan is telling that everybody, wherever he is, in whichever ashrama he is, whichever stage of life he is, ashrama means stage of life, usually the word ashrama is associated with where monks stay. But Hinduism, crystal clearly said a student where he stays is an ashrama, householder life is an ashrama, a semi-retired person's life is an ashrama, and of course a monk's life is also an ashrama, everything is an ashrama, provided we follow the guidance, the directions of the ashrama life, doing things which are appropriate to that particular stage of life. Similarly, whether a person is a Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra, it doesn't matter. The most wonderful thing is, even a Shudra, the stages in his life are the same, there is a learning stage, there is a working stage, there is a semi-retirement stage, and of course there is complete dependence upon God, that is what we call Sanyasa Ashrama. So, wherever one is, there is no need to think I have to be reborn, I have to attain to a higher type of life, no. If we can use this technique of worshipping the Divine Lord, then through that worship, the Divine Lord will grant him that knowledge by which he will be free forever from the shackles of the Maya or Samsara. That is what is beautifully indicated in the 45th, The 5th, Man attains the highest perfection by devotion to his own duty. Hear from me, O Arjuna, how perfection is attained by him who is devoted to his own duty. Then in the 46th verse, Krishna tells to Arjuna that man should worship the Lord, not merely perform the duties, but should worship the Lord, can worship the Lord, must worship the Lord, if not now, in future. Through the performance, through the proper devoted performance of the duties for which he is qualified according to the Varna caste, according to the Ashrama stage in life. Thus, he is going to obtain Divine Grace and through it, liberation. So this 46th verse we have been discussing in our last class, that I have mentioned already, whatever we see in this world must have a minimum of two causes, the intelligent cause and the material cause. In this world, for example, if we want to find the material cause, as an example of a pot, of an ornament, of a piece of furniture, we may not get the potter, or the goldsmith, or the carpenter. May be there, he may not be there, but when we want to find the material cause of either the pot, or the ornament, or the piece of furniture, we do not need to go anywhere because we are staring at it, we are experiencing it, and we are asking the question, I see a pot, I see an ornament, and I see a piece of furniture. So what am I seeing? When I see a pot, I am seeing nothing but clay. When I see an ornament, I see nothing but gold. When I see a piece of furniture, I see nothing but wood. Applying this logic, whatever we look at, my body, my mind, and every single thing that we experience in this world, all this has come only from God. And what is God? Pure consciousness. And what is pure consciousness? It is pure consciousness. That's all. There is no description for it. You cannot say it is this or that. And I gave the example of a paper and paper boat. Pure paper without any shape, as an example, is called paper. The same paper, when it is folded in a particular way, we call it a boat. You can make a small boat, you can make, in fact, many boats, you can make a very complicated building out of it, but it is nothing but pure paper. So everything that we see is what is called a shape. A shape is called Rupa, and every shape has to be distinguished from other shapes, and therefore it will have, this is a round pot, this is a square pot, this is a taller pot, this is a smaller pot, etc., etc. That is called name, form, name. Of course, why do we make? There is any utility. We want to drink water, it's called a tumbler. We want to eat food, it's called a plate. We want to keep something or cook something, that's called a utensil. So Rupa, Nama, Prayujana. But what is this? This is not an object. This is just a particular form, and so a particular name, and so a particular utility. They are qualities of the material, not a separate object. The object is only either clay or gold or wood, that's all. We have to take it as an example. Don't stretch it too much. An example is meant to convey a particular idea. It is not there to represent 100% of a fact. We have to keep it in mind. So pure consciousness, when it is shaped in a particular way, call it man. And another way, you call it a dog. Another way, call it a tree. Another way, a mountain, a river, etc., etc. So another example to make this point. That's why I'm giving so much example. You see, there would be a cinema screen, and there will be pure light. To see the cinema screen, we need light. And before the film starts, we see white screen. White means that whiteness is illumined, the screen is illumined by the light. After that, the film starts, and the light filters through that film and throws. Here is a tree, here is semi-darkness, here is the moon coming out, here is a house on fire, here is a mountain, here is a gurgling river, etc., etc. Everything is nothing but pure play, pure differentiation, infinite shades of light. Everything is light. How do we know? Switch off the light, and the whole show stops. Everything stops. Nothing remains there. So pure consciousness is taking the form of the subject, the form of the object, and everything belongs to Ishwara. And if we can learn this fact from the scriptures, have deep faith in it, and then say, my body belongs to God, my mind belongs to God, my sense organs belong to God, every object I come into contact with is nothing but God. Everything is modification of consciousness, what Swami Vivekananda calls. Everything, Brahman, look at pure consciousness, look at through the prism of time, space and causation, is what we call this world. For this, five elemental models are given. These are called pancha bhutas. Atman modified itself into subtlest form called space, akasha. Akasha further grossified, but still very subtle, that is called air. Air became visible with certain qualities like heat and light, that is called fire. Fire grossified further, and that is called water. Water grossified further, this is what we call the solid, solid earth. And the whole cosmos is nothing but this solid earth, modification of the solid earth. My body, my mind, everything is a solidification of these five elements. This is called five element model. But all the five elements are nothing but like the boats made out of pure paper, and that is the Advaitic explanation of what I am and what the world is, the knower and the known, the experiencer and the experienced. We only have this knowledge through the scripture, but keeping faith in that scripture, okay, I also come from God, this is what we call Srishti. It is not that God sits somewhere, takes some separate material other than Himself and shapes it into this world, you, me and everything. This is debunked by Advaita. God only becomes. That means there is nothing else but God, nothing else but Ishwara, nothing else but pure consciousness, which is called Sat, Jit and Ananda. And this is the highest level to which thought can reach. And this is the intellectual knowledge coupled with faith. How to now realise it? The word realisation is a marvellous word. Make it real. Now it is intellectual property, information, but we have faith. But make it, realise it, then we become free. How do we become free? Everything is God. Somebody helps me, He is God. Somebody tries to pull me down, He is God. Something is sweet, that's God. Something is bitter, that's God. Everything that happens, what we call good and evil, is nothing but your God. But our duty is to live with this life that everything is God. And if we can have that knowledge, our behaviour will change. And that behaviour is called Dharma. And if we don't behave, it's only information and that we are likely to perform what we call unrighteous, means deviation from the truth. Therefore, everybody will come to God. But meanwhile, we may have to go round and round and round, which is called again and again being born. We can avoid it if we have that faith in the scripture, follow it. And at every step, it gives us Pratikshanam Vardhamanam. Joy abounds. That is the beauty of spiritual life. Without spiritual life, like any number of zeros with one, with spiritual life, it is like zeros added after one. And every zero after one increases its value, goes on doubling and tripling, etc., etc. That is what the Lord is telling wherever we are. Okay, this is my body. For example, I belong to the lowest category. But it doesn't matter. The most important point I pointed out to you, highlighted it. I don't need to become a Vaishya and again become a Kshatriya. And I don't need to be reborn into a Brahmin family right now. If I have the right attitude, I can worship. What is worship? I mentioned it earlier. There are many types of worships. Speaking sweetly is worship. This is called vocal worship. Speaking positively, speaking lovingly, endearingly, speaking encouragingly and not criticizing anybody is vocal worship. Reciting hymns also is vocal worship. But that's not the only worship. Physically collecting flowers, sitting and doing Vesper service, showing the lights, offering food. That's a small part of the worship. But through my actions, done diligently, with concentration, with devotion. You see how much difference it makes? If I am cooking for myself, then I can cook indifferently. But if the idea comes, I am cooking for my beloved child. Every mother will take every possible care. Whatever is good for the child, she will do that. Sacrificing her time, energy, that means life. If we can consider God as our beloved, and He can be considered as our small baby totally dependent upon us, or we can consider ourselves, I am a baby totally dependent upon you. Vatsalyabhava, Madhurabhava, Sakhyabhava, Dasyabhava, Shantabhava, any of the bhavas, I can adopt and whatever I do, but I have to do intelligently, with full awareness, with consciousness, but above all, with the one particular attitude. I am trying to serve my beloved. I come from God. God is my father, my mother, my friend. He is everything to me. This should be the attitude. And if we can do that, definitely God will be pleased. Where is that God? Our own inner ruler, antaryami, indweller. Our own mind with this attitude becomes completely transformed. And this is how everybody, if a baby lives a baby's life, but with this attitude, I am a baby of God, then he can also get liberation. An old man can get liberation. A literate person can get liberation. An illiterate person, there is no distinction. Brahmana, Kshatriya. I may be Hindu, I may be Christian, I may be a Muslim, I may be even a so-called non-believer, but if I believe and lead a proper life, a dharmic life, and what is God? Dharma is God. So, dharmo prakshati prakshita. Prakshita dharma. Prakshati, asmakam. So, dharma properly put into practice is definitely going to save me. Like all the rules and regulations of a spiritual life are going to save me. All the rules and regulations of a healthy life will definitely reduce my illnesses, etc., and slowly, gradually make me more healthy. And who can say a healthy man is happier or a sick man is happier? We know only a healthy person is the happiest person on earth. This is the substance of what we discussed in the 46th verse, that from whom this whole universe has come. The Lord grossified Himself, and we are none other than that Divine Lord grossified. Our gross body is the grossification of the Atma. Our subtle mind, subtle body is a little subtler of the same Divine, and our causal body is exactly of the same material. With this knowledge, and just as clay pervades the entire product, the cause pervades, every cause pervades the entire effect. So, the Divine Lord, who is the cause of this entire universe, excepting Him, nothing is there. What is called the Divine Lord pervades everything means there is nothing else exists, excepting the Divine Lord. I, you, that is, we do not exist. What exists is pure God called Ishwara. With this indirect knowledge, with faith in the scriptures, whatever we do, at any time, even sleep can be a greatest worship, provided we think, Oh Lord, let me sleep. Let my sleep be your worship. Nidra Samadhi Stithi. It is a beautiful hymn, actually. If I move my hands, I am performing Paratrikam, the Vesper service. If I am moving my legs, I am doing Pradakshinam to you. If I am uttering words, I am making hymns to you. I am praising you through the hymns. Sridhyat Karome Shambho Tattat Tava Radhanam. Whatever I am doing can be converted, provided that idea, I, one, Ishwara, God, pure consciousness, comes first, everything is added to it. Then slowly we progress in life. Then one day we realise what I have been following through faith, deep faith, is in fact reality. And then we become free. That is the idea. By worshipping Him from whom all beings proceed and by whom the whole universe is pervaded, through the performance of duty does a man attain perfection. Let a manager be a manager, a good manager, a devout manager. Let a clerk be a devout clerk. I supported this view by quoting from Mahabharata the story of the virtuous butcher. Just by looking after his parents and doing his duty, because you have to understand how can a butcher be worshipping God. Now there is flexibility. Now there is a choice. One can change the jobs. Not really, but it appears to be there is some choice. But in the past, in India, the cash system has become very inflexible material. A person born as a butcher has practically very little choice to what he can do. So this butcher accepted, I am born here, my parents did it, grandparents did it and I will do it, but I will do it as a worship of God and not only the butcher's job, but worshipping my parents, Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo, I am not worshipping my parents just because I am a son. They are also a manifestation of my God. What a marvellous depiction of pure spiritual life. Whether they are women, they are children, literate, illiterate, if with this attitude, but this attitude doesn't require education in the colleges, etc. This can come through pure prayer by the grace of God, if we lead a dharmic life, righteous life, and that becomes the greatest worship in the whole world. So that's why a baby, what does it do? It remains a baby, totally dependent, and He lets everybody take care of Himself. And that's why everybody likes to cuddle the baby because, you know why? Not because of the baby, because looking at that baby, we feel like weeping oceans of tears. I was like this at one time. I was so pure, so innocent, so free of likes and dislikes, so free of worries. By totally being a baby, that means totally depending, let my mother do, I was so happy, and I have lost that original purity. That's why Jesus Christ quotes, says, unless a man is dead and is reborn again as a baby, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. People didn't understand, it is not physical death, it is the death of the worries, death of the impurities, and regaining of the original purity. And a baby represents, so long as it remains in that way, and that's why everybody loves the baby because, everybody loves purity, everybody loves straightforwardness, everybody loves an authentic life. That is the real reason. So everybody, anybody, at any time, they can just do, but as a worship of God, as a required three elements should be there. First element is complete awareness, not half-sleeping. Second, intelligence. This is the best way to discharge this duty, with the minimum of energy, shortest of time for that intelligence is necessary. Then one should not be deviating from one's focus, concentration. Of course with the attitude, I am doing all this for pleasing the Divine Lord, and once Divine Lord is pleased, what is it that cannot be got? So beautifully expressed in one of the songs on the Divine Mother, that he who worships the Divine Mother, he will get bhukti, he will get mukti. He will enjoy life here, he will also become liberated, he will enjoy both. Tiram Krishna also quotes it in a funny verse, Janak Raja, Janak Raja, one of the greatest karma yogins, who attained perfection, and by doing this, just his job, what did he lack? Enjoyed the world, and enjoyed spirituality. He was happy, whether he was thinking of God, or discharging his duty, there is no such division, this is worldly duty, and this is spiritual duty, because he attained to that state. That's why he was called Videha Janaka. A Janaka who thinks, his body belongs to Ishwara, his mind belongs to Ishwara, and everything that I think, me, belongs to the Ishwara. This is what Ramana Maharshi used to say, find out who you are, I belong to God, is the devotee's expression. I am God, is the Jnani's expression. There is no difference between these two. So by worshipping him, from whom the whole universe has come, both living and non-living, and by whom the whole universe is pervaded, by worshipping him, through the proper performance of one's own duties, every man can attain to perfection, means every man will get self-knowledge, there is no doubt about it. The whole creation is nothing but Ishwara, and without Ishwara, there is no creation here at all. But there is an order, when there is a creation, if you create a machine, then certain, this is how you have to use it, you have to study the manual, that manual is called scripture, and Ishwara, who is the creator, manifests in the form of the laws, L-A-W-S, not L-O-W-S. What is the law? That if you maintain this way, use it this way, it will give you the maximum result, if not, it will give the result accordingly, and that law itself is called Ishwara, that law in Vedantic terminology is called the law of Karma. Law of Karma involves actual discharge of the action through the physical organs, of course through the mind, of course through the faith in God, of course through the attitude, so everything is related to Ishwara. And then the law is fulfilled. If not, the Karma, God in the form of the law of Karma, if it is done properly, rewards the doer, if not, punishes the doer, that means punishment is correction, until the person understands. So slowly man becomes mature, if I do this way, everything will turn into happiness, if I do it the other way, everything will go wrong, that maturity will come, then he attains success. That is why the Lord said, that every human being who obeys this commandment of Krishna and worships God, who is the originator, he becomes successful, that means slowly he is moving, he develops Sat, he develops Chit, he grows Sat, he grows Chit, and he grows in Ananda. And I have to add, many times I said, how do we know we are progressing in spiritual life? First of all, physical and mental health will be as good as possible. Physical health, of course, only certain limitations are there, because of the very birth, but the maximum health we can gain through the physical body and a spiritual person by obeying the laws, that is obeying the Divine Lord in the form of the law of healthy food, healthy exercise, etc., Sattvika food, about which we discussed, he will be healthy mentally, physically, morally, physically. Then his knowledge slowly grows, that is, he becomes a wiser person, and then he becomes wisdom, that is, Chit, growth in Chit. And correspondingly, the person's happiness, bliss, that means his dependence upon the external world becomes less, and he himself becomes a person of great peace, great joy, which is called bliss. And if anybody says, I have been practicing, I am progressing, but I am a miserable fellow, and he is not only not progressing, he is going in the opposite direction. So, duty performed as an action of worship to the Lord without desire for the result accomplishes the act of liberation, but through His grace. Throughout we have to add this, through God's grace, because we are nothing without God's grace, our body is nothing without God's grace, our mind is nothing without God's grace, our knowledge is nothing without God's grace, so that we have to keep in mind all the time. Now the question that comes is, can I do anything I like, or am I confined only to a particular duty, that is, in the olden days, a Brahmana has a particular duty, we have already discussed it earlier, a Kshatriya has his own duties, a Vaishya has his own duties, and a Shudra has his own duties, and a woman, a wife has her own duties, a mother has her own duties, and a grandmother, grandfather have their own duties, a child has his own duties, a student has his own duties, everybody has got their own duties, specially appropriate for their station in life, for their stage of spiritual development, therefore the question that comes is, that one should not try to take freedom, and use the freedom, and choose some action, some duty, appropriate to some other person, there is an Aesop's fable was there, there was a washerman, he had a donkey and a pet dog, and the dog used to sleep by the side of the master, and then if some people approach, it just barks a little bit, all life it is cuddled, it is fed well, it stays inside the house, air-conditioned house, etc., and the donkey's work it has to do, one day it thought, why is my master treating the dog and me so differently, what is so special about this dog, then suddenly it understood through its perverted mind, oh the dog barks, therefore my master is pleased, if I can also bark better than the dog, then he will be more pleased with me, I can sleep inside, so whole night it started barking, that is like a donkey, and then the master who was dead tired, wants to sleep, and these sounds made by the donkey, it terribly disturbed him, he came out with a big stick, and started belabouring it, until the donkey fell down unconscious. The poor donkey could not understand, that there is a difference, the duty belonging to the dog belongs to the dog, the duty belonging to a donkey belongs to the donkey, a child should behave like a child, a youth should behave like a youth, a man should behave like a man, a woman should behave like a woman, a Brahmin should behave like a Brahmin, a shudra should behave like a shudra, it is not good to change because, This is pure, simple logic. This is what best suits you, like a dress. Nobody should imitate other people's dress in size, etc. This is your size and you will have to put on this sized cloth. That's all. It fits you and nobody else. So this is what is being discussed in 47th verse. Better is one's own dharma. Dharma means here one's own duty, one's own attitude in mind. Though imperfect, then the dharma of another, the duty of another, well performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin. That means he will not go down. That means he will go forward. He will evolve and eventually he will be realizing God. That's what we need to understand. So this is a marvelous thing. Better is one's own dharma. Dharma means what? My nature. Something belongs to my nature. What is the student's dharma? To study with reverence. To understand what the teacher is trying to convey. And to use it and apply it as a practical Vedanta in one's day-to-day life. And what one has learned has to be experimented in the married life. Grihastha ashrama. A grihastha should not behave like a sanyasi. And a sanyasi should not behave like a grihastha. Otherwise there will be trouble in both ways. Now later on the Lord is trying to tell that there is no work, there is no duty, there is no action in this world which is free from defects. Why is it so? I will just tell you a little bit before we go to that. Later on we will discuss about it because the whole world is born of three gunas. Satvarajas and tamas. Naturally our way of relating to the external world is through action. And the external world is nothing but manifestation of the three gunas. My body, mind is nothing but manifestation of the three gunas. Three gunas means tamas also will be there. That means there is no action which is free from defect. Every action is full of defects by nature. Just like an onion, a garlic will smell like garlic. You cannot get rid of it. Even if you wash it a thousand times you cannot get rid of it. So supposing take some bits of garlic and try to wash it with the best soap available. You do whatever you like. Is it going to smell like rose? Is it going to lose its garlic smell? It cannot because that is its nature. So everything has its own nature. But no thing in this world is free from defect. That is why a Brahmana's work also has a defect. For example, if a person is plucking a flower there may be so many insects trying to live by sucking the nectar from there and their life comes to an end. So you drink water, millions of bacteria is drunk and you take yogurt, nothing but pure living bacteria. Inside our body there is bacteria. Outside the body there is bacteria. Wherever you see there is life. You step out, how many creatures are squashed, turned into death? Who knows? We are not observing. But there is no help, therefore there is no sin in it. Only consciously if we harm any creature, Karmapala will come back and we have to pay for it. People think that if we eat animals because they are dumb creatures, they don't have intelligence and they cannot take care of themselves, they cannot resist. Man is a great master, he can do anything he likes, he is all-powerful and the way people started treating not only animals, anybody whom they don't like, many people have been taken into slavery. In fact, that was the norm. Whenever any king or leader conquers the opposite party, the enemies, and they are inevitably made into slaves, you study the Roman history, that whomsoever they conquered, they made them slaves. A first-class people who are living a normal life without knowing anything, completely innocent, they are made slaves. So, which karma is free from defect? Every karma has a defect. But deliberately we should try to avoid harming, hurting, creating loss to somebody, that is we can do that to minimize the defect. That is possible, that is called spiritual practice. So, the Lord is telling that everybody is born with a particular karma. In the past, upper-class people, they do what upper-class people do in the West and lower-class people are supposed to do what the lower-class people are supposed to do. Soldiers are supposed to be soldiers and very often the soldiers will be fighting, either winning or losing, but definitely death is common to most of the people. And has it changed now? Even today you see somebody throws a bomb and these people also throw some bombs. Maybe a less powerful nation only can do a little less harm, so they think. And the powerful countries think we are all powerful lords, we can do whatever we like, not understanding the law of karma, it is going to come back today or tomorrow. And that is what had happened in history. Anybody who studies history for the sake of learning spiritual lessons, they can learn a lot of lessons. One of the first lessons is that the world never changes, only we can change. Second lesson is that we have committed a lot of mistakes and we don't learn our lessons. But individually there are some people who learn the lessons and try to live according to that life and that is the choice we have. We can't change the world, we can change ourselves only. So this is what the Lord wants to say, wherever you are born, whatever is your opportunity, whatever is your capacity and wherever you are put, whether you are a clerk or whatever it is, it is absolutely fine. Yes, you may not get the same perks like a CEO, but the happiness does not come from having external things. A rich man eating rich food, he may not enjoy it, he may not be able to digest it and he may not be able to eat at all. A poor man eating poor fare, he can enjoy it thoroughly and all of us have seen it. How after ravenously hard labour, people become ravenously hungry and even millet and small lumps of it added with a little bit of spices or chilli powder or chilli chutney or pickles, he as if the heaven itself has come down for such a person. Swami Vivekananda says, who can enjoy food better than a wolf? It doesn't have the learnedness, but it has that tremendous appetite. It can digest, it really does enjoy, but when some pain comes, it will also suffer terribly. A buffalo also suffers terribly, but a sensitive human being, cultured, can suffer more mentally, intellectually than if somebody utters a simple word, a buffalo doesn't mind and a thick-skinned politician doesn't mind, a thick-skinned low-caste man doesn't understand and doesn't mind, but a refined person, he cannot eat like a wolf, but he can suffer pangs of hell if somebody insults him or he thinks somebody insults him, etc. So, what is being said, everyone is great in his own place and this is a very wonderful chapter in the Karma Yoga lectures given by Swami Vivekananda and I think the title is something like this. Each one is great in his own place and Swamiji tops it up with one of the most marvellous stories from Mahabharata. When a question came, who is greater, a monk or a householder? And Swami Vivekananda narrates that story. You please go through this, probably it is third or fourth chapter in the Karma Yoga, I do not remember. This is what we have to understand. Vigunaha sva-dharmaha su-anushthitat, that is, even if there be some defect in one's own, even if it is not very pleasant, for example, a butcher, a purchase butcher, suddenly he is killing animals, his mind has become so soft, so full of feeling, so much of love. Like Buddha, when Devadatta had felled one swan, Rajahamsa, it fell down and Buddha saw it, he ran forward, took it lovingly into his hands, plucked the arrow and consoling it, and the Rajahamsa knew, I am in the safest of hands and it soon recovered and the Devadatta came and claimed, my cousin brother Buddha had taken what I had killed. It belongs to me. The controversy came to the king who was Shuddhodana, Buddha's own father, but he was an embodiment of Dharma and then he called his minister and said, now give justice and whatever you think, if my son has to be punished, let him be punished. And then the minister said, there is only one way to decide. So let Buddha stand to one side, let Devadatta stand to another side, we will keep the swan in between and let both of them call, Oh swan, you come to me, you belong to me. And wherever it goes, that belongs to that person. And the test was there and Devadatta called, Hey, I fell you with my arrow, you belong to me, come here immediately. And Buddha called, my beloved, please come to me. And immediately the swan flew unhesitatingly into the hands of Bhagawan Buddha and everybody said, the swan decided the judgment. And it belongs to Buddha because he who loves is much greater than he who hurts, who hates, who harms, who kills, etc. Marvellous stories are there in this way. So what is the point here? That every karma has a defect. Sometimes we may not like, a butcher may not like, a servant may not like his work, but if he is fit for that work only, if she is fit for that work only, and later on you may improve. But at that moment, that is the only thing that is possible for that person. A driver who can drive well is the best person for driving. And a person who can cook well is the best person for cooking. But whether a person likes it or not, you are placed in this situation, you will have to do this. See, whatever is the best that one can do. So better perform them with these three conditions, let us say, that we should do it diligently, intelligently, with focus, but with the attitude, I am worshipping my Maker. This is to please my Maker, so that I can go back to my Maker. So that the Atma can claim, I am not Jeevatma, I am the Paramatma. But that means to say, So Anustritat Paradharmat, even if one's own duty is painful, defective and not very pleasant, etc., but there is some other duty which is very pleasant, which can be done very well, but it belongs to the other person. So one's own Dharma, duty, is far superior. What is superior? That which takes us nearer to God, that is superior. Whether there is pain, whether there is hardship, that is not the criteria. Is it taking me to God or is it taking me away from God? So wherever we are placed, let us discharge. And if the Divine Lord, Divine Mother takes it into Her will, I want to change this child's place, let her change. Then I will get some other Dharma. Until that time, I have to discharge my own Dharma. What is my Dharma? This is not something somebody is forcing upon me. Because of my past Karma, I am born with this body, I am born in this family, in this social status, with these circumstances, with these opportunities, with these limitations. But this is only choice, there is no choice, let me do. And the most marvellous thing is, the person will derive the highest happiness if he does that. But even if he does somebody else's Dharma, then it will be horrible like the donkey being beaten. That is a wonderful story. Swabhava Niyatam Karma Kurvan, discharging one's duty that is born of one's own nature, Naraha, human being, Kilvisham Na Apnoti. He never incurs sin. Here sin means, we have to understand in the Vedantic sense, in Vedanta, sin means that which keeps us away from God, far away from God. And Punya, virtue, that which takes us nearer to God. This is the only beautiful definition of what is sin and what is virtue. We have to keep this in mind. If one performs one's own duty, however defective, however unpleasant it appears, however hardship it involves, it is better for oneself. That means you outgrow your nature, your duty also will change accordingly. Without outgrowing my nature, I try to change my duty, because it appears to be easier and better and pleasanter when the other person is performing. That is terribly dangerous. Let nature take care of it. Let us grow as we grow. Nature knows what is best and nature itself will change. This ideal of swadharma, one's own dharma, determined by one's nature and not imposed from outside, is the philosophical basis of Hindu caste system. But it has become what is called corrupted into birth system. And Bhagawan had cleared it. Everything is created according to the dominant quality and the action that we do. As we discussed earlier, by changing our activities, we can change slowly our dharma. Activities are grosser. Guna is subtler. It is far easier to deal with the grosser than with the subtler. But if we want to progress, start with the grosser. Gain gradual control and slowly improve in life. And Shankaracharya gives a very beautiful example here. Very appropriate. There is a poisonous insect. It is born to a poisonous parent. And the poison is there. It produces poison. But that poisonous substance does not injure the worm born in that substance. So also a person who does even an unpleasant duty but ordained by his own dharma, nature, incurs no evil. That is the only real thing for him. You know, a cobra doesn't die of poison. It may die of poison of other bigger cobra. Not by its own poison. Even though it is all the time in its mouth only. An eel, electric eel. Anything that touches, there is a danger that many animals can die. But it itself will not die. So many things are... a scorpion doesn't die of its own stinging. A snake doesn't die. A tiger it can kill. But when it... say mother tiger, which can crush even an elephant's neck. When it catches hold of its cub, it is the most gentle thing. So Shankaracharya wants to say that in any case there is no choice. You have to do until you outgrow. You have to outgrow through natural growth, following natural law. You cannot violently throw away your nature. Better accept it even if it be defective. But the Lord later on tells that every... next verse itself He tells that everything, every action, everything is defective only. There is nothing called perfection. Perfection belongs only to God, to pure consciousness. Everything is impure. Anything that is the manifestation of three gunas is however small, there is a dirt, there is an impurity, there is a defect, will be there. So the only choice is how to grow. How to outgrow? Accept it wholeheartedly. Perform it diligently as a worship to the Divine Lord. And even in one life by the Divine's grace, by the grace of God, Divine Mother, one can attain to a state of complete liberation, self-knowledge. It all depends upon that. And this point is emphasized in the next 48th verse. What is it? This is the point we were discussing. Every action is defective. There is no action which is not defective. Sarva Arambaha means every action. Doshena, it is surrounded by defects. How? It gives a beautiful... wherever there is fire, there would be smoke. You cannot separate them. So one should not abandon. O Arjuna, the duty to which one is born, though faulty, for every undertaking is enveloped by evil, as fire is enveloped by smoke. This is a beautiful verse. We are going to discuss it in next week's class.