Gita , Mahabharat & Ramayan

Gita is known as the manual for life , the guiding principles to lead a good life, a bunch of universal truths with universal applications.

Some say that Mahabharata is story with a collection of all possible human errors. All mistakes from lies, greed, gambling, attachment, etc , for each there is an example in Mahabharata. Few examples : Satyawati wants to be the Queen & her sons the future kings. Drupad ignores a friend!!  Drona lives to revenge!! Kunti fools around with the boon & Karan is born! Keeps that a secret !! drops Bheem from her hands!!!

Think of any negative quality of human nature and you will find an example of it in this story. Try it.

And then the fans of Ramayana say that the characters here are trying to live by Gita principles (or at least Rama is) and the story demonstrates other Gita principles too.  Dashrath kills Shravan kumar by mistake and lives to bear the pain of loosing his son ...Rama is the equipoised Stithpragya & Gyani!!! Hanuman is the epitome of devotion.

Mahabharatha is to remind us of the Do Nots  and Ramayan tries to elaborate the To Do's.

Having an understanding of Gita helps live life....




Think about it!!!

Fear & Gita

This post is largely copy & paste from something I recd. in a class recently and modified a bit as well added more to it.

The 16 th chapter mentions ABHAY as a divine Quality.

Identifying our Fears (भय ) will help us move toward being fear less

From
1) the outer world : Animals, natural calamities, cold, heat, darkness, water, heights, loud noises to name a few. And each of us has few of each, rarely that one fears them all.

2) the Inner world
    1. Fear of failure
    2. Fear of punishment
    3. Fear of doing wrong and being wronged or exploited
    4. Fear of future, feeling of insecurity
    5. Fear of loss of power, prestige and wealth.
    6. Fear of old age, diseases, hunger, thirst, grief and death
    7. Fear of opinion of others
    8. Fear of wrong deeds done out of ignorance in the past
    9. Fear of deviating from the path of Righteousness

Try to practice अभय  for your inner fears, by constantly keeping the following points in mind and repeating them daily to ourselves.

1. Karney mein sawdhaan and hone mein prasanna. Live in the present. Do your duties with yagya bhav.
2. Always choosing the path of Dharma / principles as laid down in the Gita.While being focused towards your goal.

3. Shlokas to be chanted to help maintaining fearlessness.
    A...mayaadhakshena prakritih...ch 9 shlokas 10
    B...ananayashchintayato.....ch 9 shloka 22
    C... Karpanyadohoaphata swabhava.. Ch 2 shloka 7
 
4. Constant awareness of ourselves as ACTORS playing our roles assigned by God,the creator ,with reverence, in His Grand Drama called the world.

5. Having unflinching Faith, that the Path of Dharma, The Gita way is THE ONLY WAY to welfare, security, safety and smooth functioning...

Recap

• Fear is due to attachment
• Fear is related to either Body, Mind or Intellect ( not the soul or self)
• Fear disappear when you are a Karam Yogi ( Ishwar Arpanam & Prasadh Budhi)
• Fear is from the changing/changeable elements. Know the unchanging/constant, no fear
• In absence of love , there is fear
• What & How much we fear not important . How we deal with it and eradicate is important

Positive Attributes / Qualities described in Gita

The Gita mentions Stithpragya, Gyani, Bhakta & Gunatit etc.  They have a lot in common and this is an attempt to put them together for a quick perusal of all the good / positive / divine qualities.

Reading this frequently may help as a reminder and to cultivate these qualities.


Stithpragya chapter 2 verse 55-71

• Un-petrurbed with joy & sorrow
• Unattached
• Free from passion
• Withdraws senses like tortoise withdraws limbs on sensing danger. Has control on his senses and does not slide into delusion. Senses completely restrained.  
• Mind concentrated on God
• Intellect firmly established on God
• His world (day & night) very different from the usual. He is asleep in matters of the world and for him the world is sleep regarding knowledge.
• Like a river merges with ocean , feels fulfilled like an ocean
• Gives up desires, attachment & ego and move towards peace

Gyani chapter 4, verse 19-23

• 4.19- Devoid of self-centred objectives - worldly thoughts and desires don't exist - kamasankalpa varjitha 
• 4.20- Without attachment to fruits of action - tyaktva karma phala sanga  
• 4.20- Always satisfied  - Nitya tripta 
• 4.20- Without dependence on the world- Nirasraya 
• 4.21- Free from desires - Niraaseeh
• 4.21- Mind well controlled- mind and body subdued - yatachittatma
• 4.21- Without sense of ownership- tyakta sarvaparigraha
• 4.22- Satisfied with whatever comes without calculations -yadricchalabha santushataha
• 4.22- Rising above contrasting conditions of life (duality )-dwandwateeta
• 4.22- Without competitive spirit - vimatsara
• 4.22- Alike in success and failure - samaha siddhavasiddhau
• 4.23- Fully established in the knowledge of God . - Jnanavasthitachetasaha
• 4.23- All works are only sacrifice - Yajnaaya aacharata

Nature of realised soul 5.17 - 26

• Ignorance removed by knowledge
• Mind & intellect merged/connected to God
• Rooted in equanimity. Impartial to all. Above pairs of opposites
• Firm reason/faith; free of doubt ref Brahman
• Identifies with Brahman and enjoys the joy inside. Not attached to worldly joys
• Does not indulge in joys from sensory pleasures as they lead to sorrow and have an end.
• Happy within and lit by inner light.
• Self controlled and working for welfare for others
• Free from lust & anger

Bhakta chapter 12. (13-20 : Who is Bhakta ? Attributes & Qualities)

• Who is "sam" (same) with friend & enemy
• Equipoise in praise and criticism, (Honour, dedicate to God; dishonour , introspect and grateful for idea to improve);  in cold & heat, pleasure & pain
• Contemplative : on higher goals
• No sense of ownership
• Firmness of the mind.
• Is a "nimita" 
• Desire-less, pure.
• resourceful (daksh : clever n efficient)
• unattached (impartial)
• unworried (beyond distractions). 
• Neither desires nor grieves. 
• Nor rejoices or hates. 
• Renounces good and evil. 
• Full of devotion. 
• Friendly
• Compassionate
• No malice
• Forgiving
• Content
• Subdues senses
• Firm resolve
• Not a cause of annoyance or pain to others
• Above distractions

Characteristic of Knowledgeable 13.7-13.11 (17 points)

• Absence of pride
• Non violent
• Forbearance
• Straight forwardness in speech
• Service to Guru
• Internal & external purity
• Control on body, mind & senses
• Equipoised mind. Steadfastness of mind
• Dispassion towards objects of sensory pleasures
• Absence of attachments - my / mine. No Egotism
• Fixity in spiritual knowledge
• Devotion

Gunaatit chapter 14 (14.21 -14.27 : Who is trigunatit? Beyond the gunas)

• Same to friend & foe
• Equipoised
• Established in self
• Not impacted by value of mud versus gold. Not attached to either.
• No attachments
• Renounced doership
• Depend only on God. No other dependencies
• Constant connection & devotion

Divine qualities 16.1-3 : 26

1.	Abhhayam	Fearlessness
2.	Sathwa-samshudhhilti	Purity of heart
3.	Gnana-yo’ga vyavasthhithaha	Steadfastness in Yoga of knowledge
4.	Daanam	Charitable
5.	Damaha	Control of the senses
6.	Yagnyaha	Sacrifice
7.	Swaadhyaayaha	Self-study, study of the Shastras
8.	Thapalia	Asceticism
9.	Aarjavam	Uprightness
10.	Abimsa	Practice of non-violence
11.	Sathyam	Truth
12.	Akrodhham	Absence of anger; even tempered
13.	Thyaagam	Spirit of renunciation
14.	Shanthi	Quietitude; keeping inward balance
15.	Apaishunam~ -	Un-malicious tongue; Speech echoes the fragrance of the soul
16	Daya Bhootheshu	Tenderness towards all Beings
17.	Alo’lupthwam	Non-covetousness
18.	Maardhavam	Gentleness
19.	Hreehi	Modesty
20.	Achaapalam	Not unnecessarily moving limbs
21.	Thejaha	Brilliant glow — glow of spirituality
22	Kshamaa	Patience; serenity in the face of provocation
23	Dhrutihi	Fortitude; sacred energy coming from strength of faith, conviction in Goal, consistency of purpose; vivid perception of the ideal; a bold spirit of sacrifice cultivated diligently
24.	Shoucham	Purity-- inner and outer
25.	Adro’ha’ha	Non-hatred
26.	Na Athi’mamathaa	Absence of excessive-pride

4.36 and the Confession system

I think the confession system followed by Christians is commendable.

The religious framework provides the individual an opportunity to talk and lift the burden of the chest, confidentially to the priest, representing God here. Being able to acknowledge and accept ones sin/wrong doing lightens a human in an amazing way. And like when kids do a mistake parents ask them to say sorry & say will not do it again. Similarly the Father at church listens, guides and helps you make that commitment of not repeating the mistake/sin.

Confessing alone does not absolve you of the sins but the awareness, acceptance and then seeking God's forgiveness makes you a better person whose likelihood to stay on the true path increases significantly.

In the Gita in 4.36 it says " Even though you are the worst of sinners, with knowledge as a raft, yo will cross all sins"

This verse gives hope to all sinners that once you become a seeker then knowledge takes you closer to God. One can start anytime in life. Its start of day/journey when you wake up.

All religions generally talk about absolving sins, accept wrong doings and move on etc. The Art of Living lays great emphasis on acceptance. But the Church has a methodology for doing this. Love that bit.

Some Hindus believe that a dip in Ganges and all sins are washed.

Well Confessions & Dips if done to tick the box loose their meaning. Its about acceptance and awareness that takes one to the next level. Only when such acts (confessions & dips) are done with acceptance & awareness that it takes us closer to the divine.

We all need to have the conversations with our selves and find out the best way to do it.

Some classifications in Gita

In Chap 2 and Chap 5 he talks about the paths to realisation : Sankhya Yog & Karam Yog

Varnas in Society : The caste system originally based on Karmas & Gunass not by birth are mentioned in 4.13. Mathematically the Gunas dominance (SRT) can have 6 combinations but logically only 4

• SRT : Brahmin : Knowledge spreading for over all good
• RST : Kshatriya : Action oriented towards larger good
• RTS : Vaishya : Action for self benefit
• TRS : Shudhra : Largely inaction, and little for self

( This is again mentioned in 18.41 - 45)

Types of Bhaktas 7.16

• ArthBhakta 1 : Distressed, need help. Lord is Saviour ( Arth Bhakti is better than no bhakti!) 
• ArthBhakta 2 : Contractual, if i get this I will do xx charity. Lord is Sadhyam
• A mature Bhakta : Jigyasu : want to know more about God. Lord is Sadhna. Nish Kaam Bhakti
• A wise man : Jnani. Knows that he & God are one

Two paths mentioned in 8.24 -27 are about the dark and the bright one to reach Brahman

Chap 17 talks about 3 types of faith, tapas, yagna, charity based on Gunas


In 18.4 mentions renunciation is also 3 types based on Guna. 18.23-25 mentions 3 types of actions, and further SRT dominant budhi & dhriti

Anger & Gita, Buddha & Sikhism

In the modern day we hear about Anger Management

Anger is the result of an expectation / desire not met!

Gita addresses the cause and guides us to be aware of & to manage the causes, a very proactive approach indeed.

Below are a few references from Gita related to what leads to Anger :

• Chap 2 : v 62 & v 63 mention the 8 Sliding Steps or the downward spiral , where Anger is in centre!
• Thoughts about worldly objects ( usually after we see or hear about them or smell some food!)
• Attachment to the object ( we think about it and then get attached)
• Desire ( I like, I want, I must have)
• Unfulfilled (when we don't get it!!!)
• Anger
• Delusion (reasoning is lost and just the desire & the sorrow of of not happening fills you up)
• Loss of Memory ( forget that did not have, it was a desire and forget learnings that desire is cause of suffering)
• Destruction   (one has lost self control, shouting, being upset and so on)

• Chap 2 : v 71 pointer to peace : No to I, Mine, Desire & Attachment. It my thoughts, my expectations & my desires. Being aware that the more I , Me , Mine we have, more are possibilities of Anger & hence delusion etc.

• Chap 3 : v 37 anger is born from Rajas, our own thoughts. Rajas relates to activity and acquisitions. These are closely related to "I did that" or "I have that" or "I want that"...again boils down to "I"  

• Chap 4 : v 36 & 38 mentions that worst sinner can also reach God. So despite having had anger & its consequences, there is hope. This is to give hope to all people who have had anger in their lives that they can move on.

• Sensory organs leading to desires and the non fulfilment leads to anger , these are are referred to in 

• Chap 5 : v 22 Pleasure derived from sense organs lead to sorrow / anger. First there is effort to fulfil this desire (instead of some other!), then in maintaining the object, then fear of loosing it . Each pleasure comes with related sorrow.

• Chap 6 : v 16 Moderation. 

• Chap 8 : v 16 All is perishable. All except Atman is perishable. What we have as well as what we desire will perish.

• Chap 16 : v 21. This verse mentions the 3 Gates to hell, one is Anger (Desire, Anger & Greed )

Buddha has a famous quote "Desire is the cause of all suffering"

In Sikhism, in the Ardaas it says " Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh & Ahankar to bachana"  ( Protect me from worldly desires, Anger, Greed, Attachment & Ego)

Word Play : ALGAE : Anger, Lust, Greed, Attachment & Ego

A Related Story

NAILS IN THE WALL

Make sure you read all the way down to the last sentence.
(Most importantly the last sentence)

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.
His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,he must hammer a nail into the back of the wall.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the wall.
Over the next few weeks, as he learnt to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.
He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the wall.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his
temper.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the wall.
He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the wall.
The wall will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.
Once you hurt your loved ones It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there.
A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Remember that friends are very rare jewels indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed;
They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.
  

Balancing from spiritual point.

For a Maths student this will be about balancing an equation

For a chef, balancing the salt and other herbs, the water in the contents & to be added and so on

For an accountant a balance sheet will be important

For a mother, for time between kids & husband & self. For balancing studies & play for kids, nutrition for her family.

For a working professional, personal & work priorities ( Work life balance!)

In life its all about ability to balance, ability to set & reset priorities...an approach & attitude to simplify things and make life worth living.

Gita talks about balancing the 3 Gunas, prioritising between actions, always having a positive & satvik intention ...think about it!

The only thing in our control is our attitude & our effort.

So intention & bhav and then effort, ie putting them into action.

If we can train ourselves to use these to the best of our ability then we will attain SRT balance.

Since we have a choice every morning to start the day happily or grumpily. Example if decide we will be cheerful & go about our duties in a happy way, we increase our Sattwa, use our Rajas & push away/ignore the Tamas. When we are tired and body needs rest, we let Sattwa guide RAjas to take a back seat and Tamas is active to get the physical rest as needed.

Words with A that motivate us

Arise
Awake
Aware
Act
Action
Achieve
Accomplish
Aim
Aspire

Now lets give it a spiritual twist , and look at the list again  what you need to be aware of or awaken to or aspire for. Or what kind of action should we do or what is the aim of human life or is any achievement really ours.....

Arise 

Awake 

Aware 

Act

Action

Achieve

Accomplish

Aim

Aspire

Think about it.

Responding & Reacting

When we react its often impulsive and mostly not the best we could do.

When we wait, think & respond calmly, we give it the best and do what is right.

If Arjuna fought the war as a reaction to enemies call it would have been a very different war & experience. But fighting that war with awareness and commitment to righteousness took it to a different level.

If a bee comes near a family of picnickers and the people panic and drop food and loose their calm they are reacting. If they just wait for the bee to fly by it will be a different scenario.

A karam yogi, stithpragya , jnani , bhakta...they respond not react...

chapter 4 qualities of Jnani / Gyani

• 4.19- Devoid of self-centred objectives - worldly thoughts and desires don't exist - kamasankalpa varjitha 
• 4.20- without attachment to fruits of action - tyaktva karma phala sanga  
• 4.20- Always satisfied  - Nitya tripta 
• 4.20 without dependence on the world- Nirasraya 
• 4.21- Free from desires - Niraaseeh
• 4.21- Mind well controlled- mind and body subdued - yatachittatma
• 4.21- Without sense of ownership- tyakta sarvaparigraha
• 4.22- Satisfied with whatever comes without calculations -yadricchalabha santushataha
• 4.22- Rising above contrasting conditions of life (duality )-dwandwateeta
• 4.22- Without competitive spirit - vimatsara
• 4.22- Alike in success and failure -samaha siddhavasiddhau
• 4.23- Fully established in the knowledge of God . - Jnanavasthitachetasaha.
• 4.23- All works are only sacrifice - Yajnaaya aacharata
• Summary : 4.19 -- 23 -Fire of knowledge burns all actions .../ all actions melt away - jnanagdhi dagdha karmanam , pravilyate 

Gita chapter 4 key points

The 42 verses briefly cover - 

1. In praise of the Gita and about what is an Avatara

2. Why should we know about this avatara ? What are the benefits ?

3. Seeing inaction in action and vice versa - Traits of the wise

4. The greatness of this knowledge and how to get it ?

5. Benefits of this knowledge 

6. Qualifications and disqualifications to attain this knowledge

Phrases & Greetings

We all use phrases like OMG ( Oh My God) , Oh Jesus, God Willing and so on.

In certain parts of India they greet as Radhe Krishna and in some parts as Ram Ram or Jai Ram ji. Some Jain followers say Jai Jainendra and people following other sects use Hari Om and Jai Gurudev etc.

Sikhs will be often heard saying Guru ke Ghar & Guru Kripa

Rab Rakha & Alla Rakha and the likes of God will take care sound so full of faith.

In the Muslim community saying Insha Alla , Suhan Allah, maasha alla, Khuda Hafis etc is just as common.

Can you see the common thread...each religion/community is trying to keep the Gods name in greetings and phrases for help, gratitude, praise etc.

Remembering the Lord/Divine/God in all that we do daily is a great way to stay connected.

If you don't use them , urge that you start & if you do, increase the frequency and observe the love of God flow.

In various Chapters it is mentioned remembering God in all we do helps establish the connection. Such phrases help in that.