Sunday, September 30, 2007
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 55
55. Those who sees God as an individual is deluded
In order to know who Lord Krishna is, we must refine our outlook. If we take Him as the son of Vasudeva, we will have trouble in realizing the truth. In Bhagavad Gita, He declares that those who are not intelligent enough to know my changeless and sacred nature treat me as an individual although I cannot be limited by any form. We must realize that this is true for us also, because, if we relate ourselves just as individuals, we will start limiting our potential. No one can see the Lord as his vision is covered by the veil of maya consisting of names and forms. Unperceptive people do not know that the Lord was never born and so, He has no death either. For those who are born, death is inevitable. When we celebrate Srikrishna Jayanthi, (Lord Krishna’s birthday), we must be aware of this truth. Only unintelligent people will consider birth and death as important.
Some people want to limit God as a sculpture or a piece of metal within the confines of the temple walls. Religion depends on ensuring that God will not show up, so that we can keep calling out for Him!. Nowadays people are afraid of ‘knowing’ God, because we have a lot of desires and we are afraid that we may loose them. Our God is where our attention is and due to our innate tendencies, we serve particular deities to satify these desires. For those who depend on these devas (sense objects), the Lord gives them unwavering attention to satisfy their needs. We get what we seek from the deities we propitiate. Those who want the Lord, they attain the Lord and for those who want to get ‘from the Lord’, that is also provided. All that we experience in life are the results of our own asking. There is no point in blaming situations and circumstances when undesirable things happen. Sri Budha asks: how dearly do you love those shackles that prevent you from attaining your goal! People engage in and enjoy activities that bind us, sometimes as a household, despite the fact that they may be denigrating to us. All achievements obtained as a result of the prayers by us,the limited intellect will eventually perish. But at the end of enumerable number of lifes, men of wisdom realize that Everything is Vasudevan, the Lord.
In order to know who Lord Krishna is, we must refine our outlook. If we take Him as the son of Vasudeva, we will have trouble in realizing the truth. In Bhagavad Gita, He declares that those who are not intelligent enough to know my changeless and sacred nature treat me as an individual although I cannot be limited by any form. We must realize that this is true for us also, because, if we relate ourselves just as individuals, we will start limiting our potential. No one can see the Lord as his vision is covered by the veil of maya consisting of names and forms. Unperceptive people do not know that the Lord was never born and so, He has no death either. For those who are born, death is inevitable. When we celebrate Srikrishna Jayanthi, (Lord Krishna’s birthday), we must be aware of this truth. Only unintelligent people will consider birth and death as important.
Some people want to limit God as a sculpture or a piece of metal within the confines of the temple walls. Religion depends on ensuring that God will not show up, so that we can keep calling out for Him!. Nowadays people are afraid of ‘knowing’ God, because we have a lot of desires and we are afraid that we may loose them. Our God is where our attention is and due to our innate tendencies, we serve particular deities to satify these desires. For those who depend on these devas (sense objects), the Lord gives them unwavering attention to satisfy their needs. We get what we seek from the deities we propitiate. Those who want the Lord, they attain the Lord and for those who want to get ‘from the Lord’, that is also provided. All that we experience in life are the results of our own asking. There is no point in blaming situations and circumstances when undesirable things happen. Sri Budha asks: how dearly do you love those shackles that prevent you from attaining your goal! People engage in and enjoy activities that bind us, sometimes as a household, despite the fact that they may be denigrating to us. All achievements obtained as a result of the prayers by us,the limited intellect will eventually perish. But at the end of enumerable number of lifes, men of wisdom realize that Everything is Vasudevan, the Lord.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 54
54. Performing rituals is not serving God
Undertaking rituals is not serving the Lord. Great Sankaracharya himself apologized to the Lord saying that he has committed three ‘mistakes’ – “I mediated upon Your form knowing fully that You are form-less.! I extolled Your virtues with words although words can never describe You. I went around in pilgrimages pretending to scale Your entire abodes and thereby tried to limit Your unfathomable vastness”. When we do these, we should do it with the full knowledge of their limitations and realize that they are not the truth itself. When we go to a temple, we should have this attitude or otherwise, the Lord will be a mere stone for us. Old temples were never used to be covered in gold nor were there any notices showing information on the cost of doing certain rituals. One shouldn’t go to a temple to get a job, cure a disease or pass an examination. One should go to the temple to seek the truth and to attain mental peace.
Serving God is to inquire into Him and one wins over the delusion of maya by becoming an inquirer. He is unattached and is dependent on nothing. He doesn’t have any worldly relationships and he is unaffected by the three ‘gunas’ – satvic, rajasic and thamasic. He has no concern about anything to be gained or anything to be protected. He has discarded the fruits of actions, the sense of ownership of actions, and all dualities such as sorrow and happiness. He has even abandoned and surpassed the Vedas to be steadfast in the chosen path of self realization. Such a person is not affected by maya.
Bhagavan declares that all the three kind – satvic, rajasik and tamasic- of emotions have been originated in Him. “They all exist in Me, but they are not Me”. It is like the ocean declaring that the waves are in me, but I am not the waves. We do not realize God as we are covered by the three gunas. Only those who look internally within will know God and win over the power of maya. Those who are engrossed in sensory pleasures and demonic attitudes will have their knowledge veiled by maya. Such people will end up doing evil acts and such fools do not attain God.
Three types of people worship God. -those who are suffering due to the fact that they are not achieving the desired objects, those who are desirous of gathering knowledge or wealth and those who want liberation. Among these, some are very rare and special- they are men of wisom, steadfast in their conviction that the Lord is not different from them.
Undertaking rituals is not serving the Lord. Great Sankaracharya himself apologized to the Lord saying that he has committed three ‘mistakes’ – “I mediated upon Your form knowing fully that You are form-less.! I extolled Your virtues with words although words can never describe You. I went around in pilgrimages pretending to scale Your entire abodes and thereby tried to limit Your unfathomable vastness”. When we do these, we should do it with the full knowledge of their limitations and realize that they are not the truth itself. When we go to a temple, we should have this attitude or otherwise, the Lord will be a mere stone for us. Old temples were never used to be covered in gold nor were there any notices showing information on the cost of doing certain rituals. One shouldn’t go to a temple to get a job, cure a disease or pass an examination. One should go to the temple to seek the truth and to attain mental peace.
Serving God is to inquire into Him and one wins over the delusion of maya by becoming an inquirer. He is unattached and is dependent on nothing. He doesn’t have any worldly relationships and he is unaffected by the three ‘gunas’ – satvic, rajasic and thamasic. He has no concern about anything to be gained or anything to be protected. He has discarded the fruits of actions, the sense of ownership of actions, and all dualities such as sorrow and happiness. He has even abandoned and surpassed the Vedas to be steadfast in the chosen path of self realization. Such a person is not affected by maya.
Bhagavan declares that all the three kind – satvic, rajasik and tamasic- of emotions have been originated in Him. “They all exist in Me, but they are not Me”. It is like the ocean declaring that the waves are in me, but I am not the waves. We do not realize God as we are covered by the three gunas. Only those who look internally within will know God and win over the power of maya. Those who are engrossed in sensory pleasures and demonic attitudes will have their knowledge veiled by maya. Such people will end up doing evil acts and such fools do not attain God.
Three types of people worship God. -those who are suffering due to the fact that they are not achieving the desired objects, those who are desirous of gathering knowledge or wealth and those who want liberation. Among these, some are very rare and special- they are men of wisom, steadfast in their conviction that the Lord is not different from them.
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 53
53 If there is a leader for Hinduism, the ‘Sanathana Dharma’ will perish.
If a person takes on as the leader of Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma will perish. The Bhagavad Gita is giving us the courage and conviction to establish freely and fearlessly without any restrictions imposed by any clergy. Gita is not talking about the Krishna who is the son of Vasudeva. It is talking about the universal energy (chaitanya) that is the basis of the existence of the universe itself and that must not be limited to any bodily image. Nature is the gross form of the Lord himself.
In the subtle form, the Lord is the root cause of the life force. From the subtle generates the gross. Everything that has been created in the universe has been expressed by the union of the subtle and gross form of the Lord. As they are the cause of creation, they indeed are the cause for dissolution. All these are within the Lord as the pearls strung on a thread. If one looks for the thread of the chain, it is invisible; but the thread is the most important one as the chain exists because of that. Our ancestors gave forms to the thread in order to develop devotion and an attitude of surrender to it. They didn’t do it to get anything in return. This thread is not dependent on faith or the lack of it. It is the subtle essence of everything. It is the wetness of water and it is the brightness in light of the son and the moon. It is the ‘Om’ in all the Vedas; it is the sound of the sky; it is the humanness in the human beings; smell of the earth and effulgence in the fire. It is the essence of the life energy and the primordial seed. It is the wisdom of the men of intelligence. It is the effulgent aura of the men of realization. It is the penance of the yogis and the strength and vitality of the powerful, devoid of lust and desires.
Penance is the concentrated effort of pursuing to realize something, sacrificing all likes and dislikes. Penance is the pain one endures happily as a mother endures the hardship of pregnancy. All our deeds must be a penance. The efforts put forth by a child learning to write the first letter of the alphabet and the meditative endurance of the yogi are penance indeed. But if we boast about the hard work done, it cannot be called a penance. Real power is not the power held by Hitler or Chenghis Khan. Real power is the power of the Lord’s energy born out of love. Brutal power is cowardly. Power must be used for enhancement and not for destruction.
If a person takes on as the leader of Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma will perish. The Bhagavad Gita is giving us the courage and conviction to establish freely and fearlessly without any restrictions imposed by any clergy. Gita is not talking about the Krishna who is the son of Vasudeva. It is talking about the universal energy (chaitanya) that is the basis of the existence of the universe itself and that must not be limited to any bodily image. Nature is the gross form of the Lord himself.
In the subtle form, the Lord is the root cause of the life force. From the subtle generates the gross. Everything that has been created in the universe has been expressed by the union of the subtle and gross form of the Lord. As they are the cause of creation, they indeed are the cause for dissolution. All these are within the Lord as the pearls strung on a thread. If one looks for the thread of the chain, it is invisible; but the thread is the most important one as the chain exists because of that. Our ancestors gave forms to the thread in order to develop devotion and an attitude of surrender to it. They didn’t do it to get anything in return. This thread is not dependent on faith or the lack of it. It is the subtle essence of everything. It is the wetness of water and it is the brightness in light of the son and the moon. It is the ‘Om’ in all the Vedas; it is the sound of the sky; it is the humanness in the human beings; smell of the earth and effulgence in the fire. It is the essence of the life energy and the primordial seed. It is the wisdom of the men of intelligence. It is the effulgent aura of the men of realization. It is the penance of the yogis and the strength and vitality of the powerful, devoid of lust and desires.
Penance is the concentrated effort of pursuing to realize something, sacrificing all likes and dislikes. Penance is the pain one endures happily as a mother endures the hardship of pregnancy. All our deeds must be a penance. The efforts put forth by a child learning to write the first letter of the alphabet and the meditative endurance of the yogi are penance indeed. But if we boast about the hard work done, it cannot be called a penance. Real power is not the power held by Hitler or Chenghis Khan. Real power is the power of the Lord’s energy born out of love. Brutal power is cowardly. Power must be used for enhancement and not for destruction.
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 52
52 Those who pollute the nature cannot become a devotee
The Lord is explaining his nature: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and the conscious ego are all ‘His’ nature. He works in all these as the supreme Self. Everything in nature is comprised of these 8 components and they are all Lord Himself.
A devotee is always in tune with the nature and he will be able to hear the song of the universe resonating in him. Thus he becomes one with it. We must behave with utmost respect to the diversity of the nature, the God Himself.
Earth is capable of tolerating everything and it imbibes all variations. Water surpasses all obstracles softly and finds its own path. Fire cleans everything. We also must be able to imbibe these specialties in our life.
If we do a ritualistic worship of the earth (bhoomi pooja) and distribute sweet in plastic cups, we are actually polluting it. Factories situated by our rivers emiting poison gas are indeed modern Kaliya (Kaliya, the serpent). For us, different gold ornaments are visible, but for the seller, they are all mere gold. So also if we know that all are composed of the five elements, we will not fall prey to delusion. We must be like the sea- sea doesn’t accept anything unnecessary. Even if it is a blade of grass, sea will bring it back to shore, as it doesn’t want to take it in. If it accepts one blade of grass, all kinds of other grasses also would want to join in, thus altering its innate nature. But I should remain, maintaining my individuality. Accept those that come naturally- don’t succumb to compromise with whatever comes and goes.
By doing the rituals after death by the relatives, the dead person is not getting anything really. But we should perform the ritual very carefully anyway. That is done to rejuvenate the tradition that is asleep. It is also a way of giving solace to ourselves and doing our duty.
The Lord is explaining his nature: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and the conscious ego are all ‘His’ nature. He works in all these as the supreme Self. Everything in nature is comprised of these 8 components and they are all Lord Himself.
A devotee is always in tune with the nature and he will be able to hear the song of the universe resonating in him. Thus he becomes one with it. We must behave with utmost respect to the diversity of the nature, the God Himself.
Earth is capable of tolerating everything and it imbibes all variations. Water surpasses all obstracles softly and finds its own path. Fire cleans everything. We also must be able to imbibe these specialties in our life.
If we do a ritualistic worship of the earth (bhoomi pooja) and distribute sweet in plastic cups, we are actually polluting it. Factories situated by our rivers emiting poison gas are indeed modern Kaliya (Kaliya, the serpent). For us, different gold ornaments are visible, but for the seller, they are all mere gold. So also if we know that all are composed of the five elements, we will not fall prey to delusion. We must be like the sea- sea doesn’t accept anything unnecessary. Even if it is a blade of grass, sea will bring it back to shore, as it doesn’t want to take it in. If it accepts one blade of grass, all kinds of other grasses also would want to join in, thus altering its innate nature. But I should remain, maintaining my individuality. Accept those that come naturally- don’t succumb to compromise with whatever comes and goes.
By doing the rituals after death by the relatives, the dead person is not getting anything really. But we should perform the ritual very carefully anyway. That is done to rejuvenate the tradition that is asleep. It is also a way of giving solace to ourselves and doing our duty.
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 51
51 Life is a series of experiences
When Gita says that we would reach the ultimate peace after passing through a number of lives, it means that we would realize the Truth through a lot of experiences. If for some reason one had to leave this body while inquiring Truth, the subtle body will continue that inquiry through the next body and so on. It may be because of that we feel familiarity with certain things, even when we see them for the first time in life. We should do justice to our pursuits for self realization because, even a sincere aspirant who is just keen to know the secrets behind Yoga will be able to face the fruits of his past actions courageously however unpleasant they may be.
A Yogi is nobler than those who undertake penance or those who are in the path of knowledge. He is even nobler than the karma itself, because he identifies himselves with the Supreme Truth. He lives the knowledge he has aquired and experiences the ‘Self’ in all. His actions and wisdom are inseparable.
In the story of Kausika, the noble brahmana, who was trained a scholarly monastery had to finally ‘learn’ about the Supreme Truth from a house-wife and a butcher! Wisdom, is to know everything by knowing our Self. One should strive to know the Self by taking refuge in ones own self. It is impossible to partially ‘know’ God. !
Lord Krishna is assuring that he will expound on the knowledge and the corresponding experience, after knowing which one need not have to know anything more. That Thou Art (thath thvam asi) is one of the great aphorisms (maha vakya). Those who have ‘heard’ it contemplate upon “the Conciousness is Brahaman” (prajnanam brahma) and “the Self is Brahman” (ayam atma brahma). At the end, the resulting experience comes out as a declaration- “I am Brahaman” (aham brahmasmi). Only one in thousand strive for this and among them only one in thousand realize this knowledge through experience.
When Gita says that we would reach the ultimate peace after passing through a number of lives, it means that we would realize the Truth through a lot of experiences. If for some reason one had to leave this body while inquiring Truth, the subtle body will continue that inquiry through the next body and so on. It may be because of that we feel familiarity with certain things, even when we see them for the first time in life. We should do justice to our pursuits for self realization because, even a sincere aspirant who is just keen to know the secrets behind Yoga will be able to face the fruits of his past actions courageously however unpleasant they may be.
A Yogi is nobler than those who undertake penance or those who are in the path of knowledge. He is even nobler than the karma itself, because he identifies himselves with the Supreme Truth. He lives the knowledge he has aquired and experiences the ‘Self’ in all. His actions and wisdom are inseparable.
In the story of Kausika, the noble brahmana, who was trained a scholarly monastery had to finally ‘learn’ about the Supreme Truth from a house-wife and a butcher! Wisdom, is to know everything by knowing our Self. One should strive to know the Self by taking refuge in ones own self. It is impossible to partially ‘know’ God. !
Lord Krishna is assuring that he will expound on the knowledge and the corresponding experience, after knowing which one need not have to know anything more. That Thou Art (thath thvam asi) is one of the great aphorisms (maha vakya). Those who have ‘heard’ it contemplate upon “the Conciousness is Brahaman” (prajnanam brahma) and “the Self is Brahman” (ayam atma brahma). At the end, the resulting experience comes out as a declaration- “I am Brahaman” (aham brahmasmi). Only one in thousand strive for this and among them only one in thousand realize this knowledge through experience.
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 50
50 Tune your life just as you tune the strings of a lute
Sleep a lot; or not to sleep at all; eat a lot or not to eat at all; etc. are examples of extreme indulgences peculiar only to humans. Our mind is always looking for the extremes, not the moderate. When strings of a lute are too tight or too loose, there will be no music. Life style, spiritual practices, sleeping, eating, etc. should be tuned appropriately like the strings of a lute. Do not take severe and harsh vows as the mind cannot attain peace if the body is tortured.
Arjuna asks Krishna as to what happens if one dies without attaining complete knowledge even after striving for it diligently. The Lord assures him that such an effort will not go futile. Those who have started on the path of inquiry will not perish and those who have done good deeds will not end up in disaster either. The knowledge that was kindled in us will definitely lead us to a state of permanent serenity. Such a soul will find a suitable environment and body when it takes a new birth – may be in a prosperous house hold or in a family of knowledgeable people- to complete or advance the inquiry already started in the past life.
Although we are complete, when we take birth, the ‘wholeness’ will only manifest partially. It is akin to having our entire body being tied down with a rope while the little finger alone has the full freedom to move around. We want to attain completeness and full freedom - we want to be everywhere and become the universe itself. Once we attain this state of wholeness, there are no more births and deaths.
Some one has tried to teach us about the Ultimate Truth in various ways and our present inquiry is also a continuation of that path of investigation started by someone, somewhere.
Sleep a lot; or not to sleep at all; eat a lot or not to eat at all; etc. are examples of extreme indulgences peculiar only to humans. Our mind is always looking for the extremes, not the moderate. When strings of a lute are too tight or too loose, there will be no music. Life style, spiritual practices, sleeping, eating, etc. should be tuned appropriately like the strings of a lute. Do not take severe and harsh vows as the mind cannot attain peace if the body is tortured.
Arjuna asks Krishna as to what happens if one dies without attaining complete knowledge even after striving for it diligently. The Lord assures him that such an effort will not go futile. Those who have started on the path of inquiry will not perish and those who have done good deeds will not end up in disaster either. The knowledge that was kindled in us will definitely lead us to a state of permanent serenity. Such a soul will find a suitable environment and body when it takes a new birth – may be in a prosperous house hold or in a family of knowledgeable people- to complete or advance the inquiry already started in the past life.
Although we are complete, when we take birth, the ‘wholeness’ will only manifest partially. It is akin to having our entire body being tied down with a rope while the little finger alone has the full freedom to move around. We want to attain completeness and full freedom - we want to be everywhere and become the universe itself. Once we attain this state of wholeness, there are no more births and deaths.
Some one has tried to teach us about the Ultimate Truth in various ways and our present inquiry is also a continuation of that path of investigation started by someone, somewhere.
GITA 108 DAYS - Day 49
49 We are the Light on our path
There is no one other than us to shine the light on our path and it is important not to entertain desires that will extinguish this light. Face the sorrow and happiness with equanimity. Don’t laugh too much – not that we may end up crying a lot later- when laughter arises in you, do laugh well; when you feel like crying, cry well too; but understand the reasons behind each and realize that both are transitory.
That which is the substratum of this world is complete in itself and we, as the created entities are also ‘complete’. There is no room for the notion of ‘incompleteness’ as when we ‘take’ infinity out of infinity, it remains as infinity- no less. In fact, we are not ‘taking anything’ out. We should know the truth that is not subject to modification under time and space. Inquire and realize what is real and what is unreal and thus we can win over maya.
Mind is attached to the sense organs and it gets agitated by them. Although controlling mind is as difficult as controlling the flow of air, by relentless effort, one can achieve this. Vairagya is the stage where we are attracted towards the ‘real’ while maintaining no attraction towards the ‘unreal’. Only those who have their mind as their slave can achieve yogic state. Such a person will closely examine each and every desire with the help of the intellect to determine whether that desire is worthy to be fulfilled or not. He is a true aspirant to be a yogi.
A tree has two birds on it. One is jumping from branch to branch eating sweet fruits all the time. The other one is quietly observing the first bird and its activities. The bird on the move is our mind and the observant bird is the consciousness. Likewise, one should be able to observe his own mental activities without getting entangled in them.
There is no one other than us to shine the light on our path and it is important not to entertain desires that will extinguish this light. Face the sorrow and happiness with equanimity. Don’t laugh too much – not that we may end up crying a lot later- when laughter arises in you, do laugh well; when you feel like crying, cry well too; but understand the reasons behind each and realize that both are transitory.
That which is the substratum of this world is complete in itself and we, as the created entities are also ‘complete’. There is no room for the notion of ‘incompleteness’ as when we ‘take’ infinity out of infinity, it remains as infinity- no less. In fact, we are not ‘taking anything’ out. We should know the truth that is not subject to modification under time and space. Inquire and realize what is real and what is unreal and thus we can win over maya.
Mind is attached to the sense organs and it gets agitated by them. Although controlling mind is as difficult as controlling the flow of air, by relentless effort, one can achieve this. Vairagya is the stage where we are attracted towards the ‘real’ while maintaining no attraction towards the ‘unreal’. Only those who have their mind as their slave can achieve yogic state. Such a person will closely examine each and every desire with the help of the intellect to determine whether that desire is worthy to be fulfilled or not. He is a true aspirant to be a yogi.
A tree has two birds on it. One is jumping from branch to branch eating sweet fruits all the time. The other one is quietly observing the first bird and its activities. The bird on the move is our mind and the observant bird is the consciousness. Likewise, one should be able to observe his own mental activities without getting entangled in them.
