Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 13

What is this chapter about

• The Knower and the Known
• The creation and the creator
• Nature, the Enjoyer & the Conciousness

Summary of chapter

• Prakriti & Purusha : The purusha seated in Prakriti is the experiencer 
• Knowing God possible only with faith as the un-describable cannot be described with words.
• The creator and creation are different under the dualistic philosophy.

Shlokas references

• 34 shlokas
• 13.1 - 13.6 : 
• The Kshetra and the Kshetragya
• The Seen , the object, the body.  The Seer, the subject, the Jiva
• 13.7-13.11The Seen & seer, body & spirit are mixed up in an ignorant person
• Each being is a unique BMI combination - a vibhuti of the lord.
• 17 attributes of knowledge : humility, forgiveness, steadfastness, self control equipoise, no ego, no attachment...and so on
• 13.12 -13.15 : The object to be known is the supreme being. Difficult to describe. It creates everything and is in everything!!!! Ultimate consciousness.
• 13.16 -13.34 : Knowledge of ones spiritual identity. The body mind part of universal nature (prakriti) and the spirit is part of supreme being (purusha). Ignorant about the connection with supreme being, one connects to the attributes of material nature.

Key message from the chapter 

Each of us is apart of the creation and are his creation. Knowing about our true nature and the connection between the seen and seer when one is on the path of realisation.

Summary in poetry 

Understand the concept of Matter and Spirit

The gross and subtle elements that is born with it

Knowledge will awaken the sleepy soul

Help you reach your lofty goal

Humility, non-injury, purity and unpretentiousness

Forgiveness, respect for teacher, self-control and uprightness

These are the qualities one must gain

With this knowledge, he is not born again

Those who see the Lord in every being

Reaches HIS eternal divine dwelling

A story related to the message

The Salt Doll

Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean so it could tell others how deep the ocean was. But every time it got into the water, it melted. Now, no one could report the ocean’s depth. That’s how impossible it is for anyone to describe God. Whenever we try, we melt into the big, mysterious ocean of His reality.

We can’t describe Brahma. In a trance we can know Brahma, but in trance reasoning and intellect stop altogether. This means one does not retain the memory of experiences in trance (Samādhi). One who knows Brahma becomes Brahma-like (Gita 18.55). and does not talk, just as the salt doll melted into the ocean and could not report the ocean’s depth. Those who talk about God have no real experience. Thus, Brahma can only be experienced and felt.

The Vegetarian Tiger

Once a tigress attacked a herd of sheep. She was pregnant and very weak. As she sprang on her prey, she gave birth to a baby tiger and died within a couple of hours. The baby tiger grew up in the company of the lambs. The lambs ate grass, so the baby tiger followed their example. When they made sounds, the baby tiger also made sounds like a sheep. Gradually it grew to be a big tiger. One day another tiger attacked the same herd of sheep. The tiger was surprised to see a grass- eating tiger in the herd. Running after it, the wild tiger at last grabbed the cub, and the grass-eating cub began to make sounds like a sheep.

The wild tiger dragged it to the water and said: “Look at your face in the water. It is just like mine. Here is a little meat. Eat it.”

Saying this, the wild tiger put some meat into the vegetarian tiger’s mouth. But the vegetarian tiger would not take it and began to make the sound of a sheep again. Gradually, however, it got the taste for blood and began to like the meat.

Then the wild tiger said: “Now you see, there is no difference between you and me. Come along and follow me into the forest. ”

We have been thinking that we are this body which is limited in time and space. We are not this body. We are the all-powerful Spirit in the body.

Related posts on this blog

• Water is not wet

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 12

What is this chapter about

• Bhakti Yoga
• Communion through loving devotion
• Devotional Service

Summary of chapter

• Like in earlier chapter where Arjun compares Gyan Yoga and Karam Yoga, he compares Bhakti yog now with Gyan
• Qualities of a Bhakta, which have commonalities with the stith pragya and a karam yogi mentioned in earlier chapters.

Shlokas references

• 20 shlokas in this chapter
• 1-7 : Arjuna wants to know who is better yogi. 
• The one who worships you as an absolute with form & attributes or the one who worships your formless and unmanifest and indestructible aspect
• Both reach God
• In Gyana no duality (Advaithya), no desire .  And in Bhakti , some duality (Dvaitha) and easier for most
• 8-12 : Description of practicing devotion
• Karam Phal tyag / Ishwar arpan & prasadh budhi / abandon fruits of action / surrender doership / relinquish the result of action
• Establish intellect in God, dedicate action to God, relinquish fruit of action , dedicate work to God
• Some have the inborn devotion, and others develop by practise and dwelling upon God
• External worship like temple visit as well as internal like meditation and naam jaap
• 13-20 : Who is Bhakta ? Attributes & Qualities ( In chap 2 describes Stithpragya
• 12.16 &17 :
• 12.18 &19 :
• 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.
• be a "nimita" 
• Qualities & attributes : 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. 

Key message from the chapter 

• This chapter builds up and explains how Karam, Gyan & Bhakti all are interconnected.
• Bhakti yog is a base of Karam Yog & Gyan yog. With out faith and devotion the other two will not be complete

Summary in poetry 

One who worships and meditates on ME

I help to liberate, such a noble devotee

He who is ever friendly and without any ego

Always the same to a friend or foe

Equipoised in honor and dishonor, praise and censure

Cold and heat, pain and pleasure

Neither rejoices nor hates

Nor grieves nor desires

Pure, forgiving, alert, full of compassion and devotion

Content, silent and steady in meditation

Adroit in work and possessed of firm conviction

And without any agitation

Free from elation, envy, anxiety and fear

Such a devotee is near and dear

A story related to the message

The Story of Bhakta Prahlāda

Hiranyakasipu was the king of demons. He performed a very difficult spiritual practice, and Lord Brahmā gave him a boon that he could not be slain by man or beast. The boon made him arrogant, and he terrorized all the three worlds, saying that there were no gods other than himself and everybody must worship him.

He had a son named Prahlāda, a religious child who always worshipped Lord Vishnu. This angered his father greatly; he wanted to drive the thought of Vishnu from his son’s mind, so he turned him to a strict teacher to train him to worship only Hiranyakasipu as God and not Vishnu.

Prahlāda not only refused to listen to the teacher, but started teaching the other students to worship Vishnu. The teacher was very angry and reported this to the King.

The King burst into his son’s room, and shouted, “I hear you have been worshipping Vishnu!”

Trembling, Prahlāda said softly, “Yes father, I have.”

“Promise me that you will not do that again!” demanded the king.

“I cannot promise,” Prahlāda immediately answered.

“Then I will have you killed,” shouted theKing.

“Not unless it is the wish of Lord Vishnu,” replied the child.

The King tried his best to get Prahlāda to change his mind, but nothing worked.

He then ordered his guards to throw Prahlāda into the ocean, hoping that would frighten Prahlāda into promising not to worship Vishnu anymore. But Prahlāda remained loyal to Vishnu and kept praying to Him in his heart with love and devotion. Guards tied him to a huge rock and threw him into the ocean. By God’s grace, the rock fell away and Prahlāda floated safely to the surface of the water. He was surprised to see Vishnu on the shore.

Vishnu smiled at him and said, “Ask me anything you want.” Prahlāda, replied, “I don’t want kingdom, wealth, heaven, or a long life. I just want the strength to always love You and never turn my mind away from You.”

Lord Vishnu granted Prahlāda’s

wishes. When Prahlāda returned to his father’s

palace, the King was stunned to see him alive. “Who brought you out of the sea?” he

demanded. “Lord Vishnu,” said the child, simply. “Do not say that name before me,”

shouted his father. “Where is your Lord Vishnu? Show him to me,” he challenged.

“He is everywhere,” replied the child. “Even in this pillar?” asked the King. “Yes, even in this Pillar!” replied

Prahlāda confidently. “Then let him appear before me in

whatever form he wants,” cried Hiranyakasipu and broke the pillar with his iron club.

Out from within the pillar jumped a being called Narasimha, who was half man and half lion. Hiranyakasipu, stood helplessly before him. Frightened, he called out for help,but none came. Narasimha picked up Hiranyakasipu

and placed him on his lap, where he mauled his body and tore it apart. Thus Hiranyakasipu met his end.

God blessed Prahlāda for the deep faith he placed in Him. After the death of Hiranyakasipu, demons were crushed, and the Devas took over the world once again from demons. To this day, the name of Prahlāda is counted among the great devotees.

Related posts on this blog

• Duality
• Yog in Gita
• Stages of spiritual evolution

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 11

What is this chapter about

• Vishwaroop Darshan
• Yoga of Divine form
• Vision of Cosmic form
• The Universal Form

Summary of chapter

After hearing about God and learning about his vibhutis , Arjun wants to see / experience the imperishable & cosmic form.

Elaboration on the galaxies, sun, various mythological characters, past, present & future , colours seasons....just everything one can imagine

Shlokas references

• 55 shlokas in all
• 11.8 Lord bestows Arjun divine eyesight ti view the cosmic form
• 11.32 : I am the Kal /Time spirit, the fire that will destroy it all
• 11.55 : Duties for God, devotion to God, depends on God only 

Key message from the chapter 

Till we can see God in everything there is duality. When we praise someones talent, if the thought that the talent is a divine gift/quality, there will be no jealousy, just "wow". When we see glittering jewellery and recall that gold behind / inside is same and perennial, we will be on a different plane. 

Reading scriptures and discussing them and not living them, without devotion and faith, is an intellectual exercise. 

Summary in poetry 

With your profound words for my own sake

                        My delusion is gone and I am now awake

                        I wish to see your form, infinite and divine

                        Show me if you think it is all fine

                       

You can see in ME the whole universe

Forms, colours and shapes so diverse

I grant the spiritual vision to see the wonder

Behold all that you see, it is all splendour

                        Oh My Lord, I see Thee in every side

                        And the cosmic form in which you reside

                        I see the entire creation

And the countless evolution

                        I see the good and the horror

                        And the universe in terror

                        I see the blazing fire

                        And now to know you fully, I desire

                       

I am the time, the present and past

Everyone will see their end at last

Know that I am the destroyer of all

So, stand up and attend to your call

Gifts, rituals or austerities, men may perform

To see my cosmic exalted form

But only those who render their pure devotion

Are blessed to have this wonderful vision

A story related to the message

God Is always with You

A man wanted to smoke and went to a neighbor’s house to get fire to light his charcoal. It was in the dead of night, and the householder was asleep. After he had knocked and knocked, the neighbour finally came down to open the door.

At the sight of the man he asked, “Hello! What’s the matter?”

The man replied, “Can’t you guess? You know I am fond of smoking. I have come here to get fire to light my charcoal.”

The neighbour said, “Ha! Ha! You are a fine neighbour, indeed! You took the trouble to come and do all this knocking at the door in the dead of night! Why? You have a lighted lantern already with you!”

What we seek is very near and all around us. Everything is God in different forms. Everything in creation is within His gigantic form!

Another way to see God is to develop devotion and good qualities. Lord Krishna said if we have no attachment, selfish desires, hatred, enmity, or violence towards any being, we can reach and see God (Gita 11.55).

Related posts on this blog

• Forms of God and manifestations
• Talent as a divine gift

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 10

What is this chapter about

• Vibhuti Yoga : All is Manifestation of God
• Manifestation of Divine Glories
• The opulence of the Absolute 

Summary of chapter

• God is all powerful, amazing, and only God fully knows God
• God in in Good, but eventually we learn is every where & in everything
• Example for making a cup of coffee do we recognise the manifestation of God in the cup, water, milk, coffee, the sweetness in sugar, in the stove, the heat in fire, ones ability to mix and prepare....
• Four topics covered
• Intro to subject
• Glories of cosmic conciousness
• Doubts & Q's of Arjuna
• Examples & elaboration 
• Ekroop : one God, Anekroop : God in many forms & everywhere & A-roop : formless, eternal
• Know, understand & contemplate about God

Shlokas references

• 42 shlokas
• 1-11 : Contemplation on divine excellence
• 12-42 : The Vibhutis.
• 10.10 & 10.11 : Self effort plus Grace ; Budhi Yoga . Lamp of wisdom : 
• Oil is Bhakti & love. 
• Wick is one soaked in oil 
• Fire / Light : Grace
• Flame : Oil + Wick + Oxygen ( Viveka)
• And Rag & Dwesh are the winds/distractions trying to blow & flicker the flame
• 10.12 -10.18 : Arjun asks various questions and seeks clarifications. Asks God to describe himself
• 10.19 -10.20 : Lord begins to tell & says I am the beginning , the end, the middle, before the begining & after the end....
• 10.21- 10.39 : God gives various examples : Is A amongst letters, Is Om amongst sounds & words, Is Gayatri amongst Mantras, Ganga amongst rivers, Ocean, King, Death and so on. 
• 10.40 to 10.42 : God's manifestation is everywhere and limitless. Above was a very brief description

Key message from the chapter 

• "The definition of humanness is the opportunity to marvel at the majesty of creation"
• Can one see or find the tree in a seed? But a seed gives birth to the tree!
• Can a child attend/experience the parents wedding? 
• No one can know God completely as he is the originator 

Summary in poetry 

 I am the Truth and the unborn

With my power everything is born

Men who know that I am the Creator

Are in delight and enlighten one another

To such men who worship with love so dear

I provide them with intellect to come so near

                       

                        You are the Divine and all pervading

                        But how can I know thy in every being?

There is no end to my eminence

Wherever there is magnificence

Glorious, Splendor, brilliance or excellence

Know that it is my immanent presence

A story related to the message

The Four Blind Men

Four blind men went to see an elephant.

One touched the leg of the elephant and said, “The elephant is like a pole.”

The second touched the trunk and said, “The elephant is like a thick club.”

The third touched the belly and said, “The elephant is like a big jar.”

The fourth touched the ear and said, “The elephant is like a big hand fan.”

Thus they began to quarrel amongst themselves as to the shape of the elephant.

A passer-by, seeing them thus quarrelling, said, “Why are you all quarrelling?” They told him the problem and asked him to be the judge.

The man said: “None of you has seen the elephant. The elephant is not like a pole; its legs are like poles. It is not like a thick club; its trunk is like a thick club. It is not like a big jar; its belly is like a big jar. It is not like a fan; its ear is like a fan. The elephant is all these---legs, trunk, belly, ears and much more.”

In the same way, those who argue about the nature of God have known only a small part of His Reality. That’s why sages say God is “neither this, nor that.”

( This story highlights for Gita readers that we all may know a bit, and that is a little bit about God)

Related posts on this blog

• Laws of Nature & Manifestation of God 
• Forms of God and manifestation
• The prism effect
• Selflessness - a manifestation of GOD

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 9

What is this chapter about 

• Yoga of Supreme Knowledge 
• The Most confidential Knowledge

• Nature of God  

Summary of chapter

The Lord & his creation are one : no duality, Advaita

All are creations of God. The example of Gold seen in different ornaments & coins and used by many people over the years. The melting and changing form does not affect the Gold!

When we consider God different from what God created its Dvaita, Duality 

Cycle of creation & destruction, is an ongoing process

God loves all, and those who remember him often get closer to him and feel his love. Acknowledgement of God and praising his wonderful creation makes us think of God more often 

Worshiping God, via his deity forms 

Shlokas references

• 34 shlokas 

•  9.1 - 9.3 : Devotion is the noblest. Without that one cannot be relieved from cycle of birth & death. Those without faith remain in the material world in the birth and death cycle. 

• 9.4 - 9.10 : The divine mystery. The vastness of God. God is in everyone but they function based on their Gunas

• 9.11- 9.19 : Those who know about me worship and constantly engage with God. Some worship by spreading knowledge about the spiritual path & God. 

• 9.20 - 9.28 : Worshipping deities and rivers is worshipping God. Rituals and ingredients not essential, only devotion essential. Fruit, flowers or even a leaf and water offered with a pure mind are accepted by God.Whatever one does needs to be an offering to God

• 9.29 - 9.34 : All are equal for God. However some have a closer relationship with God as they cling to and are constantly engaged with God. Just like one feels warmer when sitting closer to the fire.

Key message from the chapter 

Everything is God . God is the Sun, Moon, Sky, air , water, wind, breeze, people, plants, animals. God made everything. Its his manifestations. Just like all ornaments and objects made of gold are eventually gold seen as different items

• Living with knowledge that everything is God and submitting / offering everything to God is way to liberation 

Summary in poetry 

Secret of Truth I will share

It is the Royal Science, I declare

Actions in this path easy to perform

Pure and pleasant in its form

Those who cavil all the while

Will return to their path of vile

I am the cause and the effect

Everything possesses my divine aspect

Nature’s various manifestations

Are born under my directions

I am the father and the mother

And the supporter and purifier

I am the origin and dissolution

And the shelter and foundation

Only ME, who think and serve,

Their need, I secure and preserve

A leaf, flower, fruit or just water

Whatsoever my devotees offer

With all the delight, I accept

It is the intent that I respect

Whatever you do, eat or give

You submit to ME, it is the way to live

On the path to your noble goal

And unite yourself with the Supreme soul

A stories related to the message

A Boy Who Fed God

A noble man used to worship his family’s deity everyday with food offerings. One day he had to go out of his village for the day. He said to his son, Raman: Give the offering to the deity today. See that God is fed.

The boy offered food to the deity in the shrine, but the image would neither eat nor drink nor talk. Raman waited a long time, but still the image did not move. But he totally believed that God would come down from His throne in heaven, sit on the floor and eat.

Again and again he prayed to the deity, saying: “O Lord, please come down and eat the food. It is already very late. Father will get angry if I did not feed you.” The deity did not say a word.

The boy wept and cried: “O Lord, my father asked me to feed you. Why won’t you come down? Why won’t you eat from my hands?”

The boy wept for some time with a longing soul. At last the deity came down smilingly from the altar in human form and sat before the meal and ate it.

After feeding the deity, the boy came out of the prayer room. His relatives said: “The worship is over. Now bring the Prasādam for us.”

The boy said: “God has eaten everything, He did not leave anything for you today.”

They entered the prayer room and were speechless with wonder to see that the deity had really eaten every bit of the offering.

The moral of the story is that God does eat if you offer food with full faith, love, and devotion. Most of us don’t have the faith Raman had. We don’t know how to feed Him! It is said that we must have faith in God like a child or we shall not enter the supreme abode, the house of God.

The Great Highway Robber-Sage

We have two very popular epics or historical tales. The first one is the Holy Rāmāyana. The other one is Mahābhārata. The Bhagavad-Gita is a part of the Mahābhārata. It was written about 3,100 years B.C.E. Originally, the Holy Rāmāyana may have been written about 1.75 million years ago, according to latest findings of NASA. The original writer of Rāmāyana was a sage named Vālmiki. After Vālmiki, many other saints such as Tulasidas have written Rāmāyana, the story of Lord Rāma that all children should read. The legend is that Vālmiki was given the power by sage Nārada to write the entire episode before the event actually happened.

In the early part of his life, Vālmiki was a great highway robber. He made a living by robbing travelers. One day, the great celestial saint Nārada was passing by when Vālmiki attacked him and tried to rob him. Nārada asked Vālmiki why he was doing that. Vālmiki said that this is how he supported his family.

The sage told Vālmiki: “When you rob a person, you commit sin. Do your family members want to share that sin also?”

The robber replied: “Why not? I am sure they do.”

The sage said: “All right, go home and ask everyone if they will share your sins along with the money you are bringing home.”

The robber agreed. He tied the sage against a tree and went home and asked each member of his family, saying: “I bring you money and plenty of food by robbing people. A sage told me that it is sinful to rob people. Will you share my sins?”

No one in his family was willing to share his sin. They all said: “It is your duty to support us. We can’t share your sin.”

Vālmiki realized his mistakes and asked the sage what to do to atone for his sins. The sage gave Vālmiki the most powerful and the simplest “Rāma” mantra to chant and taught him how to worship and meditate. The highway robber gave up his sinful activity and soon became a great sage and writer by the grace of guru Nārada, the power of mantra, and his sincere spiritual practice.

The Footprints

One night, a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky he saw scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life came before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him, and he questioned the Lord about it.

“Lord, You said that there is no one hateful or dear to You, but You are always with those who worship You with love and devotion (Gita 9.29). I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You most, You left me alone.The Lord replied, “My dear child, you are my own soul. I love you, and I would never leave you, even if you leave Me sometimes. During your time of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, that was because then I carried you. When you have trouble, it is caused by your own Karma. That is when you are tested and can grow stronger.”

The Lord Krishna said in the Gita: “I personally take care of the needs of devotees who always remember and love Me.” (Gita 9.22).

Related posts on this blog

• Duality
• Love

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 8

What is this chapter about

•  The Eternal Brahma 
•  The way to imperishable brahman
• Attaining the supreme

Summary of chapter

Explains the various sanskrit terms of Atma, Brahma, Brahman, Jiva, Devata, Adhibhoot, Adhyatma...etc

• Brahman : supreme, indestructible
• Adhidaivya : not changing , always there like the Sun 
• Adhiyagna : all done to know paramatma. working towards God realisation
• Adhyatma : self. Knowing that there is God. Route to knowing atma.
• Adhibhoot : is all perishable objects / things. Sum total of all matter , prakriti. All physical entities
• Karma : General meaning is work/action. It also means the stored up fruits of ones work over past lives 
• Ishwara : the power of God in the body of living beings
• Jiva : the living beings . That take birth and hence die. 

• Animals usually have 2-3 senses & humans have 5 in general and 6th for some. Animals cannot change themselves much, stay as were : A tiger will kill and eat & a cow will graze grass. Humans can adapt a lot more and faster within one lifetime. 
• The human form is to experience and realise God. Humans having a divine experience or divinity having a human experience?
• Life & death : death of Ego & duality, leads to unity with divine
• Importance of Om, the cosmic frequency.

Shlokas references

• One of the shorter chapters with 28 shlokas
• 8.1 - 8.4 : Lord is supreme and creator of the world
• 8.05-8.14 Remembering Lord at all times especially death
• 8.05 -8.06 mentions that the next birth is decided by our thoughts at the time of death
• 8.07 states that thinking of lord all the time will ensure we are in his thoughts when we depart from this body
• 8.15-8.22 : Cycles of birth & death. Cycles of the manifest form and returning to divine 
• 8.19 mentions about mah yuga = 4.32 m human years!!
• 8.23-8.28 : The two paths
• Dark path - attached to material world and take birth again as effect of karma. Rebirths to exhaust vasanas and progress to God realisation.
• Bright path : realisation . 8.24 God realized persons do not reincarnate

Key message from the chapter 

A simple way to realise God is to always remember him

Summary in poetry 

I am the knowledge and the source

Everything springs from my creative force

Those who know ME as the ONE

And fill their thoughts of ME alone

At their end and along the road

They make their way easily to my abode

Mind and Intellect fixed in my sublime

Therefore remember ME all the time

Noble devotees reach their aim of eternal peace

Away from this painful and transient place

A story related to the message 

The Story of King Bharata

When Sage Vishvāmitra was busy creating his own universe; Indra, the King of heaven could not tolerate that. So he sent a beautiful heavenly dancer, Menakā, to disturb him from his work. She succeeded and bore sage Vishvāmitra's daughter, Shakuntalā. She was raised in the hermitage of sage Kanava after Menakā left for heaven.

One day a King named Dushyanta wandered in the hermitage of sage Kanava. There he met and fell in love with Shakuntalā, whom he secretly married in the hermitage. Afterwards, she gave birth to a baby boy named Bharata. He was very handsome and strong, even during his childhood. Bharata looked like the son of a Deva. When he was only six years old, he used to play in the jungle by tying up baby wild animals, such as tigers, lions, and elephants.

Bharata became the king after Dushyanta. Bharata was the greatest king of the land. Even today we also call India BhārataVarsha, the land of King Bharata. He had nine sons, but none of them seemed fit to rule after him, so he adopted a qualified child, who took over the kingdom after Bharata. Thus, King Bharata laid the foundation of democracy.

There have been several other rulers by the name of Bharata such as Bharata, the younger brother of Lord Rāma and Mahārāja Bharata. Here is a story of Mahārāja Bharata:

A devotee named Mahārāja Bharata, the son of a saintly King Rishabha Deva, also ruled over our entire planet. He ruled for many years but eventually renounced everything to take up spiritual life of an ascetic. Although he was able to give up his opulent kingdom, he became attached to a baby deer. Once when the deer was absent, Mahārāja Bharata was so disturbed that he began to search for it. While searching and lamenting the deer's absence, Mahārāja Bharata fell down and died. Because his mind was fully absorbed thinking of the deer at the time of his death, he naturally took his next birth from the womb of a deer. This is the theory of transmigration of the soul, which we believe. Some western philosophers believe in reincarnation. The reincarnation theory is based on the assumption that a human soul takes birth only as humans, not as animals. The theory of transmigration seems more universal than the theory of reincarnation.

Related posts on this blog

• Earth and Sun
• Sun and Sunshine
• Sun and Moon again

Gita Simplified & with stories : Chapter 7

What is this chapter about

• Self Knowledge & Enlightenment 
• Gyan Vigyan yoga
• Nature of God & How to know God
• Knowledge of the Absolute

Summary of chapter

• Only few attain God. The longing to attain God needs to be stronger than the attachments to the world.
• The power behind this world : the creator, the supreme divinity. Different names and even forms of deities. God's energy can be manifested in any & every form
• Names and forms of God is like different forms bread / cereal forms from same wheat flour (roti, pita bread, bread, rolls, naan, puri, noodles, spaghetti...)
• God can be understood as formless and for those who cant comprehend as a form.
• The invisible God is the cause and creator of the visible world

• 1. • • Parah : the higher nature of lord : attribute less (nirguna), changeless (nirvikalp), independent, consciousness . The ultimate truth !
       • Aparah : Lower nature that is with attributes (suguna), ever changing, dependent, matter. All nature, animals, plants, people, etc are lords lower nature 

Shlokas references

• In terms of number of shlokas 30
• 7.3 : only few attain God
• Prarabhd dosh - fate
• Shareer dosha - diseased/disabled body
• Man dosha - monkey mind/ disturbed/ distracted 
• Budhi dosh - intellectually argue / different convictions
• Shraddha dosh - lack of faith
• 7.4-7.5 : the 5 elements make the body and all else plus mind, intellect & ego put together is prakriti - my lower nature. Soul is part of the higher nature. 
• All creation like beads of the same necklace and God is the string ( 7.7)
• 7.8 - 7.11 : The light of the sun, the intelligence of a scientist, the wit in a comedian, the smell in flowers, flavour in food, sweetness in sugar, life in all beings....is God
• 7.12 - 7.13 : the world & entities are born from the 3 Gunas and Gunas are from God
• Four types of devotees (7.16)
• Seeker of Health
• Seeker of Wealth
• Seeker of Knowledge
• The wise man (who has knowledge)

• God fulfils our desires just like parents do. So asking God is OK, its like asking parents, and he will fulfil as per what you really need or what is good for you. 7.19
• 7.21 - 7.22 : I am the form ( deity) for those who pray to me with faith in that form
• 7.29 - 7.30 : those who acquire the steadfastness and knowledge, even if its at end of life, reach God

Key message from the chapter 

• Knowing that every thing is part or form of God and striving towards knowing God is path to liberation

Summary in poetry 

Thousands of men tried their best

Very few have passed the test

I am the seed and the essence

In everything, feel my presence

Blinded by their delusion

World is in my illusion

But those who seek my divine grace

With all the love I embrace

Worshippers and seekers, men are four

Pious Savants, I adore

Any worship, men may long

I make that faith firm and strong

A stories related to the message

1. See God in All Beings

In a forest lived a holy man who had many disciples. He taught them to see God in all beings and to bow down before them. One day a disciple went into the forest to get wood for fire. Suddenly he heard a shout.

“Get out of the way! A mad elephant is coming!”

Everyone but the disciple of the holy man ran away. He saw the elephant as God in another form, so why should he run away from it? He stood still, bowed before the elephant, and began meditating on God in the form of the elephant.

The mahout (trainer) of the elephant shouted: “Run away! Run away!”

But the disciple didn’t move. The animal grabbed him with its trunk, threw him to one side, and went on its way. The disciple lay unconscious on the ground. Hearing what had happened; his god-brothers came to him and carried him to the hermitage. With the help of some herbal medicine, he regained consciousness.

Then someone asked, “When you knew the mad elephant was coming, why didn’t you leave the place?”

He answered: “Our guru has taught us that God is in all beings, animals as well as human. Therefore, I thought it was only the elephant-god that was coming, so I didn’t run away.”

At this the guru said: “Yes, my child, it is true that the elephant-god was coming; but the mahout-god asked you to get out of way. Why didn’t you trust the mahout’s words? Also, the elephant-god does not have the Self- knowledge that all are God!”


God dwells in all beings. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot hug the tiger on that account! Be close only with good people, and keep away from the evil-minded. Keep away from the unholy, the evil, and the impure. 

2. The Unseen

One day a 6-year-old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher was going to explain evolution to the children.
The teacher asked a little boy: “Manav, do you see the tree outside?”
Manav: “Yes.”
Teacher: “Manav, do you see the grass outside?”
Manav: “Yes.”
Teacher: “Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.”
Manav: “Okay. (He returned a few minutes later.) Yes, I saw the sky.”
Teacher: “Did you see God anywhere?”
Manav: “No.”
Teacher: “That’s my point. We can’t see God because he isn’t there. He just doesn’t exist.”
A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy some questions. The teacher agreed, and the little girl asked the boy:
“Manav, Do you see the tree outside?” Manav: “Yes.” Little Girl: “Manav, do you see the
grass outside?” Manav: “Yessssss!”
Little Girl: “Did you see the sky?” Manav: “Yessssss!” Little Girl: “Manav, do you see the
teacher?” Manav: “Yes”
Little Girl: “Do you see her mind or her brain?”
Manav: “No” Little Girl: “Then according to what we were taught today in school, she must not have a brain!”
God cannot be seen with our physical eyes. He can be felt by the eyes of knowledge, faith, and devotion only (Gita 7.24-25). For we walk by faith, not by sight. He answers our prayer!


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• Where is God
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