Hari Aum.
I'd like to discuss the key messages of chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Just to recap, in the first three chapters we have seen Krishna tell Arjuna the following:
1. Soul: There is something called the soul. Humans are not just bodies--their real nature is the soul. The soul is immortal, eternal, unmanifest. It cannot be grasped by the senses, the mind or the intellect. It is beyond all these. It is present everywhere. Unlike the body, the soul cannot be cut, wet, dried or burnt.
So, why don't we humans feel we are the soul? Why do we feel we are the body? Krishna gives the answer:
2. Desire: Sensual selfish desires in the mind hide the soul. Desire when unfulfilled leads to anger. Desire and anger agitate the mind, ruin its calm and rob one of the awareness of the soul, the Self, of God within us.
So can we give up all actions and just sit in one place and think about the soul? Krishna says no. He says:
3. Action: No human being can remain alive without action. The mind is active. The body is active. As long as a person lives, the mind and body are active. So, action is not to be given up. But desire for a specific result of the action must be given up. Desire or attachment must be given up, not action.
Desire is the problem(selfish desires that is), not action. Desireless, selfless actions lead to one gaining knowledge of one's true nature as the immortal soul, as being one with God (Self-realisation). Selfish desires and the resulting selfish actions bind us to samsara. Selfless desires and the resulting selfless actions free us from samsara.
In summary, it is our desire or motivation behind our action that matters.
Chapter 4: Krishna as God and performance of divine karma-less actions
So now let's look at chapter four of the Gita.
Until now Krishna has talked in an abstract sense about the soul--known as the Atman (in Sanskrit). He has not revealed too much about Himself so far (though He does say in Chapter 3 that if He did not perform actions, the whole of creation would perish).
Now, for the first time, He begins to reveal His divine nature, His position as God, the protector, the creator and dissolver of the Universe. He also tells Arjuna more about how to perform action as a form of yoga. In chapter 3, He emphasises the importance of giving up attachment. In chapter 4, He tells him about the need to perform actions for the welfare of others and also while giving up the sense of ego/individual doer-ship.
He tells Arjuna that He is Ishwara, the lord of all beings. He mentions His Maya (power of illusion), saying that He uses this when He takes birth (He is unborn, deathless-- yet, using His Maya, He appears to be born).
He utters two lines that are famous all over the world today, His promise:
"Yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati Bharata, abhyuthanam adharmasya, tadatmanam, srijamy-aham."
and
"Paritranaya sadhunam, vinashaya cha dushkritam, dharma samsthapanarthaya, sambhavami yuge yuge".
The first line means: "Whenever dharma (goodness/righteousness) begins to decrease and adharma (badness/wickedness) begins to increase, then I appear."
The second line means: "To protect good people and to destroy evil people, I am born in every yuga (age)"
He tells Arjuna that He Himself does not have any desire for the result of actions and that actions do not bind Him in any way.
He says that people who perform actions without selfish desires, and who calmly accept whatever result comes (whether success or failure) having given their best, break the bonds of karma.
He then speaks another sentence which is also very famous today:
"Brahmarpanam, Brahma-havir, Brahmagnau, Brahmana-hutam,
Brahmaiva tena gantavyam, Brahma-karma-samadhina"
The above sloka basically says that Brahman/God is everything. It says that, in every action, the doer is God, the action itself is God, the thing that is being acted upon is God. It says that, one who cultivates this divine outlook, this vision of seeing God alone everywhere in everything, will attain God (knowledge of one's true nature as being one with God).
Krishna then tells Arjuna that selfless actions or actions performed as a sacrifice for the welfare of other living beings are essential. He tells him that such acts of sacrifice destroy one's sins and help in the attainment of God. He says that even this world is not designed for those who do not sacrifice for others, let alone the next world.
He gives examples of various actions that can be done to purify oneself, including yogic breathing exercises (pranayama), control of the senses (e.g. by eating moderately/with control) and charitable actions (such as donation of wealth to those in need). Such actions he says result in purification of the mind and acquisition of spiritual wisdom.
Krishna then emphasises the importance of acquiring spiritual wisdom, saying acquiring this is the highest sacrifice.
He declares that those who have great faith (in God and the spiritual path), who are dedicated to it, who control their senses, will acquire spiritual wisdom and thus experience great peace.
By contrast, He says, those who are full of doubts (about anything beyond material life), who have no spiritual knowledge or the desire to acquire it, destroy themselves. They do not experience happiness, either here or hereafter.
He concludes by telling Arjuna to use the sword of knowledge to destroy his doubts and take refuge in yoga (God and the spiritual path).
So to summarise chapter four, the key messages are:
I) Perform actions for the sake of others as a form of spiritual practice, as a sacrifice-- as this leads to purification of the mind (removal of selfishness) and attainment of spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of God.
Also perform action without ego, knowing that it is God acting through us, all our power and abilities come from God alone. We can do nothing without Him.
So actions should be:
1. Without attachment (without craving a specific result)
2. Selfless, an act of sacrifice for the wellbeing of others
3. Without egoism (the sense of doer-ship)
One should not feel that 'I' am doing the action. One should feel that I am able to act due to the grace of God; it is God acting through me and through everyone. We need to cultivate the feeling that we are instruments of God. This also means we should not feel that we are 'helping' anyone when we perform good acts. Rather, we should feel we are worshipping God who is present in other living beings when we perform noble acts.
Actions that meet the above three criteria become divine, karma-less actions (even good karma is binding, it keeps us in samsara-- we have to go beyond both good and bad karma). Such divine actions lead to the attainment of spiritual wisdom, of God. Not easy, but we have to try. God Himself will undoubtedly help us to perform such actions if we ask for His help in this.
II) Krishna is Ishwara, the Supreme Being-- He Himself acts without selfish desire, for the welfare of the world. He asks us to take inspiration from Him and thus attain Him, the state of spiritual wisdom and everlasting peace.
By the way, I am reminded of the famous prayer to Narayana based on point 1. above:
Kayena vacha, manas-endriyairva, buddhyat-manava, prakriti-svabhavat,
Karomi yadyat, sakalam parasmai, Narayana-yeti samarpayami.
This means:
"Whatever I say, whatever I do, with my mind, senses, intellect and my entire being, that I offer to God/Narayana as worship". This prayer perfectly encapsulates the goal of divine karma-less actions that we are trying to perform as spiritual seekers.
Sivananda says we should pray to God to request that He make us fit instruments for His purpose. The above prayer is one example, requesting God to accept what we do as His worship and asking Him to make us His instruments so that we may lead a divine life here on Earth and thus attain Him.
To be continued...
Om Namo Narayanaya
Om Krishnam vande Jagadgurum
Hari Aum Tat Sat
I'd like to discuss the key messages of chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Just to recap, in the first three chapters we have seen Krishna tell Arjuna the following:
1. Soul: There is something called the soul. Humans are not just bodies--their real nature is the soul. The soul is immortal, eternal, unmanifest. It cannot be grasped by the senses, the mind or the intellect. It is beyond all these. It is present everywhere. Unlike the body, the soul cannot be cut, wet, dried or burnt.
So, why don't we humans feel we are the soul? Why do we feel we are the body? Krishna gives the answer:
2. Desire: Sensual selfish desires in the mind hide the soul. Desire when unfulfilled leads to anger. Desire and anger agitate the mind, ruin its calm and rob one of the awareness of the soul, the Self, of God within us.
So can we give up all actions and just sit in one place and think about the soul? Krishna says no. He says:
3. Action: No human being can remain alive without action. The mind is active. The body is active. As long as a person lives, the mind and body are active. So, action is not to be given up. But desire for a specific result of the action must be given up. Desire or attachment must be given up, not action.
Desire is the problem(selfish desires that is), not action. Desireless, selfless actions lead to one gaining knowledge of one's true nature as the immortal soul, as being one with God (Self-realisation). Selfish desires and the resulting selfish actions bind us to samsara. Selfless desires and the resulting selfless actions free us from samsara.
In summary, it is our desire or motivation behind our action that matters.
Chapter 4: Krishna as God and performance of divine karma-less actions
So now let's look at chapter four of the Gita.
Until now Krishna has talked in an abstract sense about the soul--known as the Atman (in Sanskrit). He has not revealed too much about Himself so far (though He does say in Chapter 3 that if He did not perform actions, the whole of creation would perish).
Now, for the first time, He begins to reveal His divine nature, His position as God, the protector, the creator and dissolver of the Universe. He also tells Arjuna more about how to perform action as a form of yoga. In chapter 3, He emphasises the importance of giving up attachment. In chapter 4, He tells him about the need to perform actions for the welfare of others and also while giving up the sense of ego/individual doer-ship.
He tells Arjuna that He is Ishwara, the lord of all beings. He mentions His Maya (power of illusion), saying that He uses this when He takes birth (He is unborn, deathless-- yet, using His Maya, He appears to be born).
He utters two lines that are famous all over the world today, His promise:
"Yada yada hi dharmasya, glanir bhavati Bharata, abhyuthanam adharmasya, tadatmanam, srijamy-aham."
and
"Paritranaya sadhunam, vinashaya cha dushkritam, dharma samsthapanarthaya, sambhavami yuge yuge".
The first line means: "Whenever dharma (goodness/righteousness) begins to decrease and adharma (badness/wickedness) begins to increase, then I appear."
The second line means: "To protect good people and to destroy evil people, I am born in every yuga (age)"
He tells Arjuna that He Himself does not have any desire for the result of actions and that actions do not bind Him in any way.
He says that people who perform actions without selfish desires, and who calmly accept whatever result comes (whether success or failure) having given their best, break the bonds of karma.
He then speaks another sentence which is also very famous today:
"Brahmarpanam, Brahma-havir, Brahmagnau, Brahmana-hutam,
Brahmaiva tena gantavyam, Brahma-karma-samadhina"
The above sloka basically says that Brahman/God is everything. It says that, in every action, the doer is God, the action itself is God, the thing that is being acted upon is God. It says that, one who cultivates this divine outlook, this vision of seeing God alone everywhere in everything, will attain God (knowledge of one's true nature as being one with God).
Krishna then tells Arjuna that selfless actions or actions performed as a sacrifice for the welfare of other living beings are essential. He tells him that such acts of sacrifice destroy one's sins and help in the attainment of God. He says that even this world is not designed for those who do not sacrifice for others, let alone the next world.
He gives examples of various actions that can be done to purify oneself, including yogic breathing exercises (pranayama), control of the senses (e.g. by eating moderately/with control) and charitable actions (such as donation of wealth to those in need). Such actions he says result in purification of the mind and acquisition of spiritual wisdom.
Krishna then emphasises the importance of acquiring spiritual wisdom, saying acquiring this is the highest sacrifice.
He declares that those who have great faith (in God and the spiritual path), who are dedicated to it, who control their senses, will acquire spiritual wisdom and thus experience great peace.
By contrast, He says, those who are full of doubts (about anything beyond material life), who have no spiritual knowledge or the desire to acquire it, destroy themselves. They do not experience happiness, either here or hereafter.
He concludes by telling Arjuna to use the sword of knowledge to destroy his doubts and take refuge in yoga (God and the spiritual path).
So to summarise chapter four, the key messages are:
I) Perform actions for the sake of others as a form of spiritual practice, as a sacrifice-- as this leads to purification of the mind (removal of selfishness) and attainment of spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of God.
Also perform action without ego, knowing that it is God acting through us, all our power and abilities come from God alone. We can do nothing without Him.
So actions should be:
1. Without attachment (without craving a specific result)
2. Selfless, an act of sacrifice for the wellbeing of others
3. Without egoism (the sense of doer-ship)
One should not feel that 'I' am doing the action. One should feel that I am able to act due to the grace of God; it is God acting through me and through everyone. We need to cultivate the feeling that we are instruments of God. This also means we should not feel that we are 'helping' anyone when we perform good acts. Rather, we should feel we are worshipping God who is present in other living beings when we perform noble acts.
Actions that meet the above three criteria become divine, karma-less actions (even good karma is binding, it keeps us in samsara-- we have to go beyond both good and bad karma). Such divine actions lead to the attainment of spiritual wisdom, of God. Not easy, but we have to try. God Himself will undoubtedly help us to perform such actions if we ask for His help in this.
II) Krishna is Ishwara, the Supreme Being-- He Himself acts without selfish desire, for the welfare of the world. He asks us to take inspiration from Him and thus attain Him, the state of spiritual wisdom and everlasting peace.
By the way, I am reminded of the famous prayer to Narayana based on point 1. above:
Kayena vacha, manas-endriyairva, buddhyat-manava, prakriti-svabhavat,
Karomi yadyat, sakalam parasmai, Narayana-yeti samarpayami.
This means:
"Whatever I say, whatever I do, with my mind, senses, intellect and my entire being, that I offer to God/Narayana as worship". This prayer perfectly encapsulates the goal of divine karma-less actions that we are trying to perform as spiritual seekers.
Sivananda says we should pray to God to request that He make us fit instruments for His purpose. The above prayer is one example, requesting God to accept what we do as His worship and asking Him to make us His instruments so that we may lead a divine life here on Earth and thus attain Him.
To be continued...
Om Namo Narayanaya
Om Krishnam vande Jagadgurum
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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