Contributed By Dr Thimappa Hegde
Recap... Chapter 13 KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA
Contributed by Sri Ullas
So Far…
1. Prathama Shatkam (Ch 1 to 6) – Karma Yoga
2. Madhyama Shatkam (Ch 7 to 12) – Upasana Yoga
3. Charama Shatkam (Ch 13 to 18) – Jnana Yoga
Questions by Arjuna
1. Anatma – Prakriti, Kshetra
2. Atma – Purusha, Kshetrajna, Jneyam
3. Jnanam
What is Anatma?
•Everything that can be experienced (objectifiable)
•Universe, Heavens, Body, Mind
•Inert (अचेतनम)
•With attributes (सगुण)
•Changing (सविकार): Manifest <-> Unmanifest
What is Atma?
•Unobjectifiable Subject – Must for any objectification
•Sentient & Independent
•All Pervading & Eternal
•Unique & Immovable (e.g. Space, Light)
•Indivisible, Uncontaminable & Substratum
Jnanam
•Virtues – Required for gaining atma jnanam
•Study + Values = Transformation
•Study – Values = Information
•20 values: Four-fold Qualification (साधन चतुष्टय)
•4Ds: Discrimination, Dispassion, Discipline, Desire
Stages to attain knowledge
•Karma Yoga – Remove impurities
•Upasana Yoga – Focused mind
•Sravanam – Systematic study under a guru
•Mananam – Doubt Removal (after sravanam)
•Nidhidyasanam – Dwelling upon the teaching
Benefits – Jeevan Mukti
•Freedom from Raga/Dvesha by Change of vision
•सर्वत्र सम दर्शनम – Water instead of waves
•Immortality
•Akarta and Abhokta – Matter is interacting in my presence
•Brahmatvam - Limitlessness
Chapter 14 GUNATRAYA GUNATITHA VIBHAGA YOGA
Om Asato Maa Sad-Gamaya
Apparent to the Real Mithya to Sathya
Prathibhasika
Vyavahara
Paramarthika
1st Fundamental Laws of Vedanta
I am different from whatever I experience
For example…
•I experience the world I am not-the world
• I experience my body I am not-my body
•I experience my mind I am not -my mind
•
1st Fundamental Laws of Vedanta
•I am different from whatever I experience
•I am the Kshetrajna and that I experience is Kshetra -13th ch
•I am the Drik and all that I experience is Drishyam.
•I am the Purusha and that I experience is Prakriti
•I am Sathya and that I experience is Mithya
•I am Brahman and that I experience is Jagat
•kṣhetrajñaṁ chāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣhetreṣhu bhārata
2nd Fundamental Laws of Vedanta
All attributes I experience belong to the experienced objects and not to me the experiencer the subject-the Atma
I as Atma, am Nirguna.
No attributes, infinite
•Time, Eternal, Nithya
•Space, all pervading
•Objects, not limited to this body, I am all
Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharishi- Naham Deham Koham Soham
Who Am I ?
that which illumines the
•Ego, MIND, BODY, THE WORLD
•The Sat-Chit-Ananta – The Atma
•I am without ATTRIBUTES - NIRGUNA
•Transcending form is the real transformation of Vedanta
Aim of Vedanta
• Self Ignorance is the cause of all my problems.
• Correction by realizing that I am not this Body Mind
Complex
• This understanding would release me from the bondage
and give me a sense of ANANTA or MOKSHA
Manobudhy ahankar
chittani naaham
Chidanandaroopah
Sivoham Sivoham
Satsangatve nissangatvam nissangatve nirmohatvam,
nirmohatve niscalatattvam niscalatattve jivanmuktiH
GLORY OF JNANAM & CREATION AS A PRELUDE
CHAPTER 14 – SHLOKA 14.2 & 14.3
Contributed By Dr. Sunder
GUNA TRAYA - LAKSHANA, BANDHANA PRAKARA & LINGAM
Contributed By Dr Sanjay Mehrotra
Verse 9 – GunatriyaVibhaga Yoga
Hari Om!
Sree Gurubhyo Namaha:
In the previous verses Krishna describes the Nature of The 3 Gunas – Satva, Rajas & Tamas
In this verse Krishna has concluded the description – of Bandaha Prakarah – describing in a nutshell, how each Guna – binds a person or creates an Addiction.
Verse goes like this:
sattvaṃ sukhē sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata |
jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramādē sañjayatyuta || 14.9 ||
Sattva binds (one) to pleasure, Rajas (binds one) to action; Whereas Tamas
binds (one) to negligence by veiling the discriminative power, Oh Arjuna!
sattvaṃ sukhē sañjayati Satva binds to Sukham – Pleasure – Although, Sattva appears to be a elevated Guna but it binds a person to Sukham – Quietitude, Aloofness, Tranquility, which means that Satoguna Pradhan person may get bound to states described. ( But it is a Bondage!)
Hey Arjuna,
rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata Rajas would bind to Karmaani! Which means a Rajoguna pradhan person would be bound to doing Karma all the time, so the addiction here is Karma Sangani.
Addiction to Sattva as well as Karma is problem – for example addiction to Meditation is a problem & Vedanta says addiction to even Shastra is also a problem, it does not mean we should stop Shastra vichara, though!!
Addiction to Tamo guna is what ? PRAMADE , which means addiction to laziness, sleep, carelessness!
And how does all this happen ?
By veiling the discriminative power or clarity of the mind, Addiction of any kind would make the water muddy – lack of clarity!
In the 10th Verse Krishna describes to Arjuna :
Sattva – manifests by overpowering Rajas & Tamas.
Rajas – by overpowering the Tamas & Sattva.
Tamas – by overpowering the Sattva & Rajas.
In the manifest Universe – The 3 Gunas are unequally distributed, which is the basis of the Yugas also where one of the Gunas predominate.
After the destruction of the Universe – Prayalayam - 3 gunas go into equilibrium and manifestation of the Universe again unequilibrium.
sarvadvārēṣu dēhē'smin prakāśa upajāyatē |
jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṁ sattvamityuta || 14.11 ||
Sarva dwareshu – When through all the Indrias which are the receivers – state of light or luminosity is expressed – Prakasha Upajayate
All the sense organs are receiving at their best in the most tranquil state!
How is this state achieved ? By Jnanam then know that Sattva has become predominant. Vivraddham stvamityuta
Hari Om!!
GUNATRAYA - GATI & PHALAM
CHAPTER 14 – SHLOKA 14.14 to 14.15
Contributed By Dr Rekha
What happens to the agnani jeeva after death? Where does it travel?
Lord Krishna addresses this topic in Verses 14.14,14.15 and 14.18
It depends on which of the 3 gunas was predominant at the time of death
4th topic- Gathi
yadā sattvē pravṛddhē tu pralayaṃ yāti dēhabhṛt |
tadōttamavidāṃ lōkānamalān pratipadyatē || 14.14 ||
If a person dies when satva is predominant, then he attains (those) pure
worlds belonging to the Upāsakās of great deities.
rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyatē |
tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayōniṣu jāyatē || 14.15 ||
Having died when rajas is predominant, one is born amidst those who are
attached to action. Likewise, having died when tamas is predominant, one is born
in the wombs of deluded beings.
What are the consequences of our gunas in this life?
Lord Krishna addresses this topic in Verses 14.16 & 14.17
5th topic- Phalam
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasya''huḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam |
rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam || 14.16 ||
(Scriptures) say that the result of sattvic action is pure puṇya. The result of
rajasic (action) is sorrow. Whereas the result of tamasic (action) is ignorance.
BECOME GUNATITHA WITH ATMA JNANAM
CHAPTER 14 - SHLOKA 14.19
Contributed by Sri Ullas
Anatma and Gunas
•Ahamkara = Body Mind Complex + (Reflected) Consciousness
•Body and Mind are made of Prakriti (Saguna)
•All products of prakriti (anatma):
•Cannot escape the gunas: Only reshuffle happens
•All gunas are binding: Iron or Golden Handcuffs
Consequences of Body Identification
•Strong Raga and Dvesha
•Dissatisfied bhokta to karta to still dissatisfied bhokta cycle
•Ideal Setup – Can’t create nor preserve permanently
•Always busy and no time for contemplation on real nature
Solution?
•Transcend (Go beyond) these gunas – गुणातीत
•How?
•Body Mind can not be made nirguna
•Consciousness also cannot be made nirguna
•Right knowledge leading to right identification
•Man vs Son/Husband/Father
Benefits
•Merge in Ishvara
•See the body objectively
•Birth, old age, death – Nature and not problems of body
•All bodily problems become insignificant e.g. Sun vs Stars
•Jivan Mukti
Take home message
•Body, mind have gunas which are binding
•Transcend gunas by right identification that I am consciousness- Jivan Mukti
GUNATITHA LINGAM ACHARA & SADHANA
CHAPTER 14 - SHLOKA 14.23 to 14.26
Contributed By Dr. Komal Prasad
udāsīnavad āsīno guṇair yo na vicālyate guṇā vartanta ity eva yovatiṣṭhati neṅgate 14.23
He remains as if indifferent. He is not disturbed by the guṇas. He does not
waver. He remains firm (with the understanding) that the guṇas alone interact.
Om Puurnnam-Adah Puurnnam-Idam
Puurnnaat-Purnnam-Udacyate
Puurnnasya Puurnnam-Aadaaya
Puurnnam-Eva-Avashissyate ||
Om ShaantihShaantihShaantih ||
Wish to congratulate the whole team of Dr Thimmappa Hegde for leading seekers through all the chapters of B.G.
I wish to add that I have taken these classes very seriously. In the process i spend about 90 minutes to 120 minutes a day to listen to 10 minutes of the talk by the teachers presenting various sections of each chapter. Though you are providing the whole PPT's I am trying to listen and make notes of each speaker of matter that is not, in the PPT's. Hence I am spending a lot of time rewinding and listen to each presenter's talk thereby assimilating the vedanta. The gain has been immense for me personally. Since I started these lessons from third chapter and have been spending almost every day two hours with these lessons I request the you give a time gap to us before you start the Upanishad lessons. Also wish to mention that myself and my husband spend almost an hour listening to Sw Anubhavananda's POK VCM. In fact we are lagging behind by nearly five talks .
As you are aware VCM is also a serious text and Swamiji is going quite fast.So, with so much of good vedanta at our doorstep we need more time to assimilate the wonderful knowledge you are imparting through this group. A special request that you start the Upanishad classes may be from 1st Feb 2021 and give us the time to assimilate and catch up with the VCM talks. Hope you will consider the request.
Once again highly grateful to the Param Vedanta team for putting in so much efforts to share the knowledge inherent in the shastras.
In the service of the Lord
Ramani Thyagarajan