Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 47 on 28 May 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Oṁ jananīṁ śaraḍāṁ devīṁ rāma-kṛṣṇaṁ jagad-gurum pāda-padme tayo śrita-pranam āmi moho armoho Oṁ vasudeva-sutaṁ devam kamsa-cānūra-mardanam devaki paramānandam kṛṣṇaṁ vande jagad-gurum sarvopaniṣadho gāvo dhokdā gopāla-nandanaḥ pārthu-vatsa-sudhir-bhoktā duḥkhaṁ gītā-mṛtaṁ mahātmūkaṁ karoti-vācālam paṅgum laṅgaya te girim yat-kṛpātamaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavaṁ We have more or less completed the Bhagavad Gita. Last class we have been discussing about the last verse called Eka Shloki where there is Krishna, where there is Arjuna. What type of Krishna? Yogeshwaraha, Bhagawan who is the result of self-effort and Arjuna represents complete, dedicated, self-efforting soul, aspiring soul. And this is not only applicable to spiritual life, any life, anyone who wants to become great in any field, as a human being, as a cook, as a musician, as a politician, as a statesman, as a warrior, as a scientist, any field, two things are necessary, a firm determination and a disciplined mind which will never give up, whatever be the result. That is what Dhanur-dharaha Arjuna represents. Tremendous power of determination, discrimination and continuous, unflagging, concentrated self-effort. That is what represents an aspirant. If that takes place, inevitably Bhagawan, the source of everything, source of life, source of knowledge, source of bliss is bound to come. This is the theory of Vedanta. We are none other than Bhagawan. But for some reason, mysterious reason, which is not in our hands, this is the divine power, yoga maya, mama maya, daivi maya, divine maya. And why, how it functions, nobody knows. But we are in this situation and every effort of every human being, every living creature, and that is the meaning of evolution, which the western thoughtful people could never come across. That if we are coming from God, our only destination can be, and no other destination, to reach God, to claim that I am so and so, because I am made up of this particular cause, material, and where there is this complete self-effort, concentrated, rational self-effort. And that also is possible only by the grace of God, first of all. Secondly, the cumulative effect of many a life, not one lifetime. That is why rationalism, rationality forces us to believe that if you see a child singing beautifully, playing exceedingly well, as if he is a major personality, he had been practicing whole life, but it comes just after birth. I am astonished, I can, if anybody, after seeing some of these videos in the YouTube, where children, there are some shows that America got talent, UK got talent, India got talent. Go to any one of these shows, see the youngsters, almost babes, three years old, five years old, seven years old, singing, playing, showing things which are impossible for 99% of the people. How did they get it? We will be forced to say life is a continuous action in manifestation. Death is but a small curtain down, a small breakdown for the next scene. And if anybody, after watching this, still doesn't have the faith, then we have to pray for that person. But nobody will be left behind, that person also will gradually come to understand. According to Vedanta, nobody will be left roadside, everybody will be picked up sooner or later. That is the force of Maya, which is evolution in practice, in progress. So there are two lessons to be learned by seeing these great people. That's why Swami Vivekananda used to say, great people are not made, they are born gradually, step by step, life after life, they practice it. That is why we will be forced to think back upon our views. Life is not one, it is a continuous circle which has no beginning, but which has a definite end. That is the finite, when it struggles and attains, merges itself. That's what we have seen in the 66th verse. Its journey is complete and Sankhya philosophy tells us such, such beautiful words. Prakruti, nature, like a loving mother, takes hold of each jiva by the hand and most lovingly, with extraordinary caution, guides every soul until that soul reaches its destination, which is God. And the evolution of Sankhya is what we call Vedanta philosophy, where the dichotomy between the Purusha and Prakruti, between consciousness and inert, is completely erased. That is the meaning of Sharanagati, this complete destruction of all divisions, not only the conscious and unconscious, between man and man, between human and non-human, between the living and the non-living. Every distinction will be completely destroyed. That is called Sarvatra Brahma Darshanaha. Everywhere, see that one indivisible Advaita for pure consciousness, Shuddha, Buddha, Mukta, Swaroopaha. So with this 78th verse, wherever there is a self-efforting person, but self-effort, intelligently, sincerely, with complete dedication, with self-faith, self-confidence, that I can achieve what I have set to achieve, but with the help of God's grace. What is God? It is the untapped potential of each one of us. That is what God is. Then I will succeed, not only in spiritual life, but in any field of life. I will add to that this statement, which may come as a surprise to some of you. Only a great man can become great in any field. That means if a weak person starts with spiritual life, often that is the case, because a weak person thinks he will escape, he will be scot-free from the trammels, insecurities, the struggles, the battle of life, and can attain to what he thinks is the highest goal by running away from life. And that is not going to happen, but if somebody has tremendous self-confidence, confidence not only in the capital S, but confidence in the lower S, which means his own body, his own mind, his own psychology, his own social circumstances. If we study the lives of great people, they are not born most of the time from great causes. Very often we see humble families. If we look at them, look at the babies, we do not see any hope at all. But how many great people have manifested their greatness, overcoming everything. So here is the teaching of Bhagavad Gita, not only to aspiring spiritual sadhakas, but everyone who wants to achieve greatness. To put it another way, anyone who wants to unfold his potentialities, human possibilities, but he must proceed scientifically, passionately, sincerely, with concentration, with discrimination. And he is bound to achieve, because when the field is ready, the seed is bound to come. Here the field is our effort, the seed and God's grace are becoming what we have determined to become. And this is a marvellous thing. It is the most positive philosophy. And I have read, I have heard many western, unwise, otherwise people criticizing Indian philosophy, Indian outlook, that it is otherworldly philosophy. But here is one verse that contradicts all these unwise claims and says, even if a person doesn't believe in God, even Bhagavad Gita often doesn't talk about God. It talks about the untapped potential and devotees like to call that untapped potential as God. That's all. Whether a person says explicitly, I believe in God or not, it doesn't matter. In fact, many people who do not believe in, who claim that, who profess that they believe in God, are the worst people in the world, immoral, unrighteous, causing so much of bloodshed. It is these people. But a righteous person, whatever he does, his very breath leads only to peace, to harmony and to everybody's welfare. Not only his, but everybody's welfare. So Bhagavad Gita started with the question of Dhritarashtra, how did the battle proceed between my children and the children of Pandu, who is not mine. This is the problem. We will start life only with this dichotomy, me, mine and you and yours. Aham pratyaya, yushmat pratyaya. Asmat yushmat pratyaya. And then he asked Sanjaya. And Sanjaya is replying now, Dhritarashtra's blind hope was, why some hook or crook, his own children may win because they are superior in numbers, but not superior in dharma. And Sanjaya tells, where there is sincerity, where there is righteousness, there alone victory will come. Yato dharmaha tato jaya. That's why this word dharma is a most marvellous word. As I mentioned earlier, it means the lowest meaning is duty, the higher meaning is morality, the only highest meaning is our own true nature, which is divine. Each soul is potentially divine. Here Sanjaya, in case any lingering doubt or hope is there in this blind man, he tells straight forward, without hiding, that where there is sincerity, where there is righteousness, where there is the potential manifestation and the untapped potential is God, there will be God. There will be victory, there will be success, there will be bliss, there will be morality, there will be righteousness, all the positive goodies, desirable goodies of life. And how many goodies of life are there? Vedanta divides every desirable thing into three categories. Asato ma sadgamaya. May I never get destroyed. May I be eternal life. May I never be lacking in wisdom. This is called chit. And may I never suffer from any type of suffering, any type of dukkha, ananda. Sat, chit, ananda. This is the prayer whether a person claims he believes in God or not. So where there is this righteousness, that means where there is effort to manifest this potentiality. And potentiality is our true nature. Our true nature is divinity. Divinity is righteousness. Divinity is sincerity. Divinity is all goodness where this dharma is present and we try to unfold it. Success is sure. Yashod, tatra sri, prosperity, vijayaha, success, bhutihi, all sorts of happiness, bliss, and dhruvanithi. There will be always righteousness because these four go together and nobody can separate them because they are four names for the same destination. And with this Dhritarashtra probably gave up all hopes. But still he did not give up hopes because he also unconsciously knew. That's why he didn't want to see. Very interesting. Last class I was talking about this Dhritarashtra. He knows. Each one of us will know. Dhritarashtra means all of us who are unwise, unenlightened. And all of us know. Ultimately life means positivity, security, wisdom, and bliss. We can't separate them. However much we try to be evil, we know unconsciously. That is why our conscience feels guilty. Nobody can stop this guilty feeling and we can try to drown it by drinking, by drugs, by immersing ourselves in mindless entertainments, whatever we may do. But the effect will come like a huge mirror, cleanest mirror, showing us this is what you are. But this is how you are dressing yourself, trying to kid yourself, trying to deceive, cheat yourself. And it is not going to be possible. Everybody will have to turn around and then struggle. So that is what we, the Dhritarashtras, we must give up our blindness. Not physical blindness, intellectual blindness, moral blindness, aesthetic blindness, of course spiritual blindness includes all these things. So categorically Sanjaya says with this there is no more reporting because 18th day is over. Sanjaya's powers have come to an end and for nearly 13 years Dhritarashtra came to know all these good things. I am going to add a few things which I find most interesting. Dhritarashtra's wife Gandhari, about her, she was a great lady but I have not found any book questioning her wisdom. She was wise. Actually she covered her eyes. If my husband cannot see, I have no right to see. Stupidity can go no further. In fact it should be the other way round. Since my husband cannot see, I should make an effort to be his eyes, his ears. If he cannot think properly, I should be his thinking power. This is called Dharmapatni. But Gandhari was great in so many ways. She was a very chaste lady. She was an intelligent lady. When her own son Duryodhana, who was the root cause of all these problems, came for her blessings, she knew what was the truth. She knew crystal clearly. Yato dharmaha, tato jayaha. Where there is righteousness, there will be victory. All these things what Sanjaya was telling, Yatra Yogeshwaraha, Krishnaha, Yatra Partho Dhanudharaha. This is what he has been talking about loudly, but in different words. Yato dharmaha, tato jayaha. That is the meaning of the 78th verse. In other ways, that is how we can put it. Now this Gandhari, she had tolerated many things. She could have prevented, she could have told her husband, you stupid fellow, Draupadi is being insulted. It is like insulting me. One woman is being put, being harassed, being insulted. The whole humanity, especially women folk, must feel, must rise. But she kept quiet. Only later on, she came to her senses. Had she been not wearing what is called coverings to her eyes, perhaps she could have prevented. But she was also blind. She was partial to her children. She blessed Duryodhana by touching every part of his body, excepting one part. And that part was the vulnerable part. That is where Krishna showed him. Otherwise, you cannot kill him. That is a different story. But what I wanted to tell, this Gandhari had to listen. Because Sanjaya's words are being heard by Gandhari also, who would be always by the side of her husband. Not only Dhritarashtra, but Gandhari presumably was listening to all those things. And she was boiling inside. And then Krishna came and Pandavas, a few people, excepting old people, children and some servants, etc. Because in those days, even today, civilians will not fight. Only particular warriors, they will fight. And most of them were dead by that time. And there are many, many surprising things. It is said in the Mahabharata, after Duryodhana's thighs were broken, he was lying down unattended on the battlefield. How could that be? A man who is a king, his servants would be running, taking him to a tent and tending to his wounds, trying to do their best. I cannot understand certain mysteries of the Mahabharata. And so you too. At least I am questioning. And probably you don't question. You should question now onwards. So when Sri Krishna met Gandhari after the Kurukshetra war was over, after 18 days, 19th day or so, Gandhari flew into an uncontrollable rage and cursed Krishna, just as my children, you did not even let one child live. Why? We can interpret it. Each child of this Dhritarashtra is like a poisonous seed. If one seed is left out, it will again brood. Anyway, that's some people's interpretation. This Gandhari cursed Krishna and then what did she curse? Just as my lineage has been destroyed, your lineage also will be destroyed. And Krishna smiled and said, Mother, this is the purpose I have come here. This is the purpose because my lineage can never be conquered except through some curses like yours. Now, what is the point? Gandhari, because of her chastity, she acquired the power of a chaste wife, which is the power of cursing. Now, why did she not curse her own sons? Why did she not curse so many immoral things, irrational things, so many dictatorship things, that when her son was causing, was she blind? Was she not hearing it? And when Duryodhana came and excited his father by accusing him, was she not listening? She was like a shadow, always following. Then why did she not open her mouth? If she was capable of cursing, she should have cursed many, many people. But she never did that. That means she was completely blind, like her husband. And that is not a real wife's duty. In the marriage vows, there is, My dear, if I fumble, if I do something wrong, you will stand up to me and you will correct me. This is how we progress towards God and that is the final goal of real marriage. This is the Saptapadi, seven steps every Hindu is supposed to take, going round, taking the vow that our journey finally ends in Moksha, liberation. But I take this vow, we are like co-pilgrims. I am weak, you are weak, so we join together like co-pilgrims, help each other and journey forward, evolve together until we reach and inseparably we become united as one in that Paramatma. This is the vow. So if this is truly a chaste wife, a Dharmapatni, why did she not warn her husband, you are taking the wrong step, why did she not correct her children? Anyway, I felt a little bit excited after reading this one. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you. Now I will come back. This Dhritarashtra along with his wife Gandhari and then the Pandavas were established. He was helpless but all the other Pandavas except Yudhishthira never respected Dhritarashtra and especially Bhimasena. He went on taunting him. So this old man like a dog putting its tail in between two legs for 13 years, here to here eating as if he was sitting like a dog and eating the food, the scrappings thrown by the host just like some of our Indians do to the dogs. So this is how he lived there and Sanjaya tried to advise him so much but he was so much of body oriented. He did not have the courage, the determination to go out and lead what he as a wise man, intellectual, he knew very well and one day Bhima had insulted him, taunted him within his hearing so much and Sanjaya came and said it is time for us to go. So Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti surprisingly all of them decided that it is time. The Hindu way of life, Vanaprasthashrama and then from there Prasthana, they went there. After some time they were all destroyed excepting Vidura and finally Vidura also he gave up his body. Later on he meets some of these people and he also gives up his body. So this is how Bhagavad Gita ends. So the essence of the Bhagavad Gita we have to talk but before that I would like to summarize what we had discussed in this 18th chapter. Probably tomorrow if I succeed in completing today the essence of the 18th chapter then we will take up because so many years of wisdom we will have to comprise. It is not difficult but it is better to recollect it in one or two classes. That's what I am determined to do. So the last verse, 78th verse, Everything happens by the will of God, by the grace of God. But God has created us, God has endowed us with a beautiful body, human body especially. A beautiful thinking, rationalizing, potentially divine mind and our duty is to evolve. That's why Swami Vivekananda defines life as a journey from a lower state of consciousness to a higher state of consciousness. Put it another way, life is a journey from a lower state of happiness to a higher state of happiness. Put it another way, life is a journey from a lower state, from tamas to rajas to sattva and finally go beyond sattva guna. Like a pole vault, you take a big stick, sattva, tamas, rajas is the vault. But take the help of it and rise high and then give up the pole and you go to the other side which is none other than Paramatma. In a way of speaking, this is an analogy that we can give. So where there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga and where Arjuna, the wielder of Gandiva, is there surely will be fortune, victory, prosperity and right conduct. And this is a truth. I am only telling. This is like my conviction. This was what Sanjaya had said and this is the essence. Wherever you are, wherever I am, wherever we are, whether we believe, profess belief in God or not, it doesn't really matter. Do we want to be happy? Do we want to be healthy? Do we want to be happy? If that is our goal and that is the goal knowingly or unknowingly and that is life is a battle only for these three, then inevitably we have to follow certain rules, regulations and this last verse summarizes and it is applicable universally. And wherever there is Krishna and Arjuna, there will be Bhagavad Gita. That is what Sri Ramakrishna used to say, Bhagavata, Bhakta, Bhagavan. Wherever there is Gita, there will be Arjuna. Arjuna means any sincere aspirant and there will be God. Where one is there, the other two also will be there. So many thousands of years are gone. We do not know. Some people say it is useless. I would say this scripture is anadi, beginningless. It doesn't matter whether it was expressed by somebody. Because suppose nobody had heard. There are some people who have not heard about Gita and suddenly they stumble across our Zoom class. For the first time the person is hearing the Gita and for that person this Gita is the first time. There is no use thinking how many years old it is and how many people have studied. Is this going to be of some help to me in my quest to be healthy, to be wise and to be happy? That is the only question. But thousands of years, so long as there is creation, the scripture is going to be there, the Bible is going to be there, the Koran is going to be there, the Tripitaka is going to be there. Every scripture, whatever name we call it, is emanating. That is God knowledge and worldly knowledge is included in it. As I said just now, what is knowledge? That which helps us to be healthy, to be wise and to be happy. And that is a scripture and that is what everyone seeks and that is the teleological urge in this ladder of evolution and this Gita especially will be valid. What is the proof? We are still studying. After 100 years, people will be studying. After 1000 years, they will be studying. Next creation, they will be studying. They may not call it Gita but the wisdom will be there, knowledge will be there because knowledge is God. God is existence. So Gita is existence. Knowledge is what we are, how we are going to help ourselves. So Krishna says wherever Gita teaching is there, all these benefits also will be there. The primary benefit of this Gita Shastra is only one, Moksha. According to Hinduism, there are four desirable goals of every wise human being. These are called Purusharthas, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. And the first three, righteousness and fulfillment of desires and the means of fulfillment in this world, which is in simple terms, wise worldly happiness. That would be our first goal in life, first steps in life. This Gita teaches us how happiness can be obtained, whether it is worldly. And if somebody says, I had enough of worldly happiness, I want permanent happiness. I am bored, I am tired of this limited happiness. Then that is called Moksha. And ultimately that Moksha will be looked into, studied, helped. But many people are not interested in that. Moksha, very few people want. Manushyadam sahasresho kashchidhyatati siddhayi. One in a million may be wanting spiritual life right now. They want worldly happiness, just like a baby. Baby wants chocolates, baby wants dolls, baby wants to play and that is very natural and that is accepted. So that is why Sri Krishna says, do you want worldly happiness? What is worldly happiness? I want success, I want righteousness, I want prosperity, I want justice or fairness. Each one of us wants these things. We may not want for others, but definitely we want for ourselves. Only we have to understand, each person wants success, righteousness, justice, prosperity. In other words, Sat, Chit, Ananda. This Gita will definitely give, provided we play the game according to the rules and regulations. All these things, wealth, prosperity, success, all of them definitely one can get. This is my opinion and this is Krishna's opinion. This is every scripture's opinion and this is called eternal wisdom. With this, the entire Bhagavad Gita is over. And then at the end of every chapter, we see this. This is a great reminder for Iti. At the end of every chapter, we recite the same thing. Shreemad Bhagavad Gita. Every shloka is practically Gita, Bhagavad Gita. And what is this Bhagavad Gita? Upanishad. What is Upanishad? That which loosens, that which destroys evil, that which destroys ignorance and that which manifests our real divinity, that which gives us eternal freedom called Moksha. And that is called Upanishad. This is the beautiful definition given by Shankaracharya. And what is that Moksha? Brahma Vidyayam. It is knowledge of Brahma. Who is Brahman? I am Atma Brahma. I am Brahman. And how to attain it? Yoga Shastra. This is a practical sadhana. Hints. These are the rules. This is how you have to play the game. This is how you have to grow up. This is how you have to evolve. And all this is given in the beautiful dialogue, Shri Krishna Arjuna Samvadi. The unforgettable dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna. And this particular chapter we have just completed. Moksha Sanyasa Yoga. It is called Moksha. Sanyasa. Sanyasa means what? Renunciation. Renunciation of what? Renunciation of whatever is standing in our way to be ourselves, in our efforts to manifest our divine potentiality, in our efforts to be ourselves, not somebody else. In that effort, whatever stands, understand it and slowly but surely try to give it up. That is called Sanyasa. Whether a person becomes a monk or a nun or whether a person remains as a householder or a single life, it doesn't really matter. And that is called Moksha. That is called liberation. That's why very aptly it is named as Moksha Sanyasa Yogonama Ashtadasho Adhyaya. And remember, Mahabharata has 18 Parvas. Bhagavad Gita, which occurs in the Bhishma Parva of this Mahabharata, is also having 18 chapters. First chapter, very significantly, I will come to the detail a little bit later on, when I summarize the entire Gita, very aptly called Arjuna Vishadha Yoga. Nobody seeks. If a person is happy, he doesn't seek to get out of it. Only when a person is suffering, he wants to get out. And if that suffering is insufferable suffering, endless suffering, no hope is seen, then the struggle is all the more. And with this yoga, we have to attain to that state of Arjuna's mind where nothing can satisfy us, but the highest truth. Only then, Divine Lord, in His grace, imparts that wisdom, step by step, holding our hands at a very stumbling step, He guides us to the ultimate goal. Thus, in the Upanishad, sung by the Lord, the science of Brahman, the scripture of Yoga, a dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the 18th chapter, entitled, The Yoga of Liberation, Moksha Sanyasa Yoga. Now, I will give you a brief summary of the 18th chapter of this Bhagavad Gita. So, we have discussed this 18th and final chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. This chapter has 78 shlokas. It is the longest number of, biggest number of, highest number of shlokas. This chapter is also called Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, or some people call it, Sharanagati Yoga, because ultimately, everybody has to surrender to the Divine Lord. If a person is treading the path of Jnana, he says, I will eliminate this limited I, and I realize my unlimited I, which is Brahman. If he is a Bhakta, he says, Lord, everything is You, I belong to You, and help me to know that, excepting You, I do not exist. This is called Sharanagati. And there is a Upanishad, Kaivalya Upanishad. It tells, Tyagenaike amrutattam anashyoh. Anybody who attained to this state of immortality, only by Tyaga, by no other way. The words Tyaga and Sanyasa, in this particular chapter, Bhagavan crystal clearly says, it gives the same meaning and significance. The rejection of attachment for the objective world, that means every object, detachment from any kind of contact with the world, is Tyaga. And if we understand it, some people lead a lifestyle, becoming a monk or nun, others, mentally, they do the same thing, a Sanyasi, a monk or a nun does, but mentally, spiritually. We take a little bit of, I take the help of Shankaracharya, and he says, introducing this 18th chapter, Sarvasyaiva Gita Shastrasya Arthaha, that means the meaning of the entire book called Gita, scripture called Gita, Asmin Adhyay, Upasamrutya, summarizing in this particular 18th chapter, Sarvasya Veda Arthaha, and this comprises the real essence, summary of entire Vedas, that means all scriptures. And I want to summarize that, thinking thus, Vakta Vyaha, I should express the summary, Ithevam Arthaha, with this motive, Bhagavan Krishna, the exposition starts by Bhagavan, but it starts with a question by Arjuna himself. Summing up the meaning of the whole Gita Shastra in this chapter, the meaning of the Veda has to be told. Only for this purpose, this chapter is begun. This chapter is begun with a view to stating, by summing it up, the message of all scriptures, the Gita, as also the entire purport of all Vedas, which include the Bible, the Koran, the Tripitaka, everything. Sarvesu hi atitesu adhyayesu, whatever chapter, 17 chapters that have gone, Vakta Artha, whatever has been very clearly summarized there, Asmin Adhyay, in this chapter, we get everything. The teaching imparted in all the earlier chapters, is met within this chapter. Let us remember, the teaching really starts in answer to Arjuna's complete self-surrender from the 11th verse of the 2nd chapter. So, this chapter has got 78 shlokas. So, what was it that was taught in the previous chapters? First, an abandonment from verses 1 to 12 of this 18th chapter. As in the previous chapter, the early sections of this last chapter also emphasize the part played by the three gunas of Prakruti in all human affairs. Chapter 18 opens with a question by Arjuna about the distinction between Sanyasa and Tyaga. Arjuna was confused. The Lord replies, Abandonment of ritualistic works of one's own duties, which promise of specific rewards, is called by the sages as Sanyasa. While performing all those actions, without any attachment, without an eye on their fruits, is called Tyaga. But some people ever say that all actions are to be abandoned because there is some defect in every action, some element of evil. Krishna says that my view is that actions like yagna, charity and austerity are never to be abandoned because they help purify man when performed with these caveats, without attachment, without desire for their fruits, and with the idea, I want to please Ishwara, the creator. And then the Lord says that there is no work in this world which is free from a mixture of good and evil. It is impossible for any embodied being to abandon all work. It is also impossible for any one of us who are endowed with a body-mind to completely give up work. It is impossible. Every work has got its own proportion of evil, but that's not our concern. We should do to the best of our ability with sincerity, with dedication, with the idea of offering it to the divine Lord so that He will be pleased and accept whatever He deigns to give as prasada. Now, how we have to give up this bondage, attachment? So, verses 13 to 18, that every action, any action can be done only with the help of five factors. The body, the feeling that I am the doer, the sense organs, and prana, the expression, the energy, and some unknown factor called the result of our past life or karmaphala, etc. All these factors, without exception, do not belong to Paramatma. They belong to prakruti or maya or jnana. Behind this maya is the pure light, pure consciousness, the Atman, who is but an unaffected witness. But because of ignorance, the jiva, the pure witness should be the pure witness, somehow comes to identify himself with these factors I am the body, I am the sense organs, I am the prana, I am the result of what I have done, and all these factors combine together and then creates a bondage for himself or herself. But if this same person cultivates detachment and has no feeling like I am doing, has no attachment to the fruits, and not even attached to the activities, duties, it can be said that through this abandonment of I-ness and giving up the fruits or offering the fruits to God and having no attachment even to the actions, he is as good as Paramatma. He doesn't act. He doesn't act even if the whole world sees him acting in the physical plane. Now what is it that brings Jnana? The three gunas. This is the most important factor about which I will deal when I am dealing with the entire Bhagavad Gita. The three gunas have the determinative factors. What are the three gunas? Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. What is the journey from Tamas to Rajas to Sattva guna and then go beyond them? And once whatever guna is dominant, Tama guna, Raja guna or Sattva guna, and that determines our entire personality, our understanding, our knowledge, our attachments, our concentration and our result happiness, everything is controlled by it. That is why in simple words if we have to say that the higher guna that dominates us, the Sat, the Chit and the Ananda manifests more and more. So these dispositions of Prakruti in the form of these three gunas called Sattva, Rajas and Tamas determine the nature of knowledge, the nature of action and the nature of the agent, the nature of our determination, the nature of our enthusiasm, the nature of our happiness etc. which are divided into Thyaga, that is Thyaga, giving up attachment to everything, body, mind and everything. It leads to Moksha and we can do Thyaga, true Thyaga only when Sattva guna dominates. And when Sattva guna is there, our knowledge alone gives us the understanding that I am not the body-mind, I am not a Jivatma, I am not bound, I am free. And when Sattva dominates, all our actions will tend to detachment and freedom from passionate affiliations. And when Sattva dominates, we become doers, doers free from ego-sense and attachment and yet do not lack enthusiasm and interest in the work. When Sattva dominates buddhi, intelligence, it is always accompanied by moral sensibility and an eye to the spiritual side of things. When Sattva dominates our will-power, strength of mind, it expresses as perfect control of the body, of the senses, of the possessions. And when Sattva dominates, the experience sukham is, though sometimes painful at the beginning, turns out to be endless amrutha in great bliss. So rajas and tamas, tamas and rajas must be overcome. That is called spiritual sadhana. Once Sattva guna dominates us, we somehow develop Sattva guna accordingly our whole person will change, accordingly the whole world will change, accordingly all our duties will change, accordingly our experience of the karma phala will also change and ultimately it leads us only to the divine Lord. Now these gunas, depending upon these gunas, all human beings are, according to Hinduism or Vedanta, categorized into or divided into, classified into four types. Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra. I have explained them while explaining these things. What is it? Brahmanas, when they are dominated by Sattva guna, then wisdom, introspectiveness, spiritual life become more manifest. When rajas dominate, dynamism and leadership, they are called Kshatriyas. When Vajra guna, controlled by Sattva guna, or assisted by Sattva guna, dominates, industry and productiveness will develop. And when Tama guna dominates, then discipline and service at all levels. These are the broad general characteristics of a Shudra, a Vaishya, a Kshatriya and a Brahmana. Whether a person is a Hindu or non-Hindu, it is not the weight division. It is not rich and poor, because a rich man also can suffer from Tama guna, or Raja guna, or Sattva guna. And a poor person also can be troubled by all these three gunas. And a person's experience in life, meaning in life, totally depends upon which guna, irrespective of which country, which religion, which belief, etc. This is the most important factor. This is the greatest contribution of Hindu philosophy towards every other philosophy. Then from Chapter Shloka, verse 45 to 49, the Lord is teaching, work is worship. Knowing that everyone's endowments are derived from Bhagawan Himself, through His Prakruti, which is called in the form of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, we must worship. That Supreme Being, with the faithful and non-attached discharge of each duty, that is appropriate to our age and station in life. That is real worship. And that is true spiritual progress. And that is the only way man can evolve. If all duties are discharged, in a dedicated and detached spirit, is an offering to the Lord, who manifests as society, as country, as our world, all blemishes will be slowly overcome. And spiritual fulfillment through total Sannyasa. From 18 verses 50 to 56, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagawan Sri Krishna tells us, that you be attached to Me, be dedicated to Me, worship Me through your own duties. And that is how you will develop what is called motiveless devotion. And ultimately, you will realize Me. If you are in an advanced state, you have a right to renounce the world. That means not renouncing actions, but renouncing attachment, etc., taking to a particular lifestyle called Sannyasa. Otherwise, Karma Yoga is common for all of us, and whether Sannyasi or non-Sannyasi, through Karma Yoga, through Grihastha Ashrama, or whatever be the ashrama, we slowly progress, and one day we attain to that state, where we completely dedicate ourselves to the Divine Lord. One who thus infills his mind with Me, overcomes every difficulty, and attains to the highest spiritual fulfillment. Ultimately, the Lord says, be filled with Me, worship Me, make prostrations to Me, and abandoning every other dependency. Seek shelter in Me with your whole being, and you shall attain peace. This profound spiritual gospel I reveal to you, and through that complete abandonment called Sharanagati, then seek Me alone as your refuge. I shall save you from this life of ignorance and bondage, and I will give you liberation. And then, at the end, from the 67th to 68th verses, to whom is this Gita relevant? It should be taught only to people who are sincere, who are open, and who are ready to practice above all sincerely, for those people only, and whether they call themselves devotees or not, only such people are ready to receive this teaching, and only to such people one should impart, impart only through the importer, the teacher, the disciple. Both become blessed. Then the conclusion came that ultimately, wherever Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, and Arjuna, the enforcer of Dharma, function unitedly, there will reign prosperity, spirituality, that means Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. And there are certain memorable verses, I will just read out, you will have to find them out and understand the meaning. Sarva-karmāṇi api sadā purvānaha madhya-pāśyaya mad-prasādāt avāpnoti śhāśvatam padam avyayam Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna-thiṣṭhati brāhmaṇyaṁ sarva-bhūtāni yantra-rodhāni māyaya tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata tad-prasādāt parāṁśāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpyaśi śhāśvatam man-manā bhava mad-bhakto madhyājī māṁ namaskuru māṁ eva eśyasi satyam te pratyāne priyosi me sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja aham tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa eśyāmi mā śucaḥ yatra yogeśvara kṛṣṇa yatra pārtho dhanudharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruva nītir patir mama in our next class i will try to summarize the entire the essence of the entire bhagavad gita may ramakrishna holy mother and samyaka plus is all with bhakti jay ramakrishna