diff --git "a/output/chapters/3.json" "b/output/chapters/3.json" --- "a/output/chapters/3.json" +++ "b/output/chapters/3.json" @@ -5,8 +5,12 @@ "sanskrit": "अर्जुन उवाच |ज्यायसी चेत्कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिर्जनार्दन |तत्किं कर्मणि घोरे मां नियोजयसि केशव || 1||", "transliteration": "arjuna uvāchajyāyasī chet karmaṇas te matā buddhir janārdanatat kiṁ karmaṇi ghore māṁ niyojayasi keśhava", "word_by_word_meaning": "arjunaḥ uvācha—Arjun said; jyāyasī—superior; chet—if; karmaṇaḥ—than fruitive action; te—by you; matā—is considered; buddhiḥ—intellect; janārdana—he who looks after the public, Krishna; tat—then; kim—why; karmaṇi—action; ghore—terrible; mām—me; niyojayasi—do you engage; keśhava—Krishna, the killer of the demon named Keshi;", - "translation": "Arjuna said: O Krishna! If your belief is that knowledge is superior to action, then why do you engage me in this dreadful act of battle?", - "commentary": "In verses49,50,51of Samkhya Yoga, the Lord declared the superiority of knowledge to action. The doubt might have crept into Arjuna’s mind even then. But the Lord proceeded to speak of samadhi, and the ultimate union of the individual with Paramatma, and hence Arjuna simply put the question about the characteristics of the sthitaprajana. The Lord answered the question and explained the highest Brahmi Sthiti and the Samkhya Yoga comes to an end with it. Now Arjuna wanted to have the doubt cleared by the Lord, how he should reconcile the two paths of knowledge (Juana) and work (Karma). So he presents his doubt in the first two verses.", + "translation": [ + "Arjuna said: O Krishna! If your belief is that knowledge is superior to action, then why do you engage me in this dreadful act of battle?" + ], + "commentary": [ + "In verses49,50,51of Samkhya Yoga, the Lord declared the superiority of knowledge to action. The doubt might have crept into Arjuna’s mind even then. But the Lord proceeded to speak of samadhi, and the ultimate union of the individual with Paramatma, and hence Arjuna simply put the question about the characteristics of the sthitaprajana. The Lord answered the question and explained the highest Brahmi Sthiti and the Samkhya Yoga comes to an end with it. Now Arjuna wanted to have the doubt cleared by the Lord, how he should reconcile the two paths of knowledge (Juana) and work (Karma). So he presents his doubt in the first two verses." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-1.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v1/" }, @@ -16,8 +20,12 @@ "sanskrit": "व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे |तदेकं वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम् || 2||", "transliteration": "vyāmiśhreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva metad ekaṁ vada niśhchitya yena śhreyo ’ham āpnuyām", "word_by_word_meaning": "vyāmiśhreṇa iva—by your apparently ambiguous; vākyena—words; buddhim—intellect; mohayasi—I am getting bewildered; iva—as it were; me—my; tat—therefore; ekam—one; vada—please tell; niśhchitya—decisively; yena—by which; śhreyaḥ—the highest good; aham—I; āpnuyām—may attain", - "translation": "With these apparently contradictory words, You seem to confuse my understanding. Therefore tell me definitely that one thing by which I shall reach the Highest Goal.", - "commentary": "The word iva (as it were) is used twice in this verse. It means that Arjuna has full faith in the Lord, that he is not actually puzzling the intellect, but that, out of his own ignorance, it appears to him that the two doctrines of Jnana and Karma are contradictory to each other. Hence with child-like innocence, Arjuna wants to know for certain what course would be best for him to attain the highest.", + "translation": [ + "With these apparently contradictory words, You seem to confuse my understanding. Therefore tell me definitely that one thing by which I shall reach the Highest Goal." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The word iva (as it were) is used twice in this verse. It means that Arjuna has full faith in the Lord, that he is not actually puzzling the intellect, but that, out of his own ignorance, it appears to him that the two doctrines of Jnana and Karma are contradictory to each other. Hence with child-like innocence, Arjuna wants to know for certain what course would be best for him to attain the highest." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-2.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v2/" }, @@ -27,8 +35,15 @@ "sanskrit": "श्रीभगवानुवाच |लोकेऽस्मिन्द्विविधा निष्ठा पुरा प्रोक्ता मयानघ |ज्ञानयोगेन साङ्ख्यानां कर्मयोगेन योगिनाम् || 3||", "transliteration": "śhrī bhagavān uvāchaloke ’smin dvi-vidhā niṣhṭhā purā proktā mayānaghajñāna-yogena sāṅkhyānāṁ karma-yogena yoginām", "word_by_word_meaning": "śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Blessed Lord said; loke—in the world; asmin—this; dvi-vidhā—two kinds of; niṣhṭhā—faith; purā—previously; proktā—explained; mayā—by me (Shree Krishna); anagha—sinless; jñāna-yogena—through the path of knowledge; sānkhyānām—for those inclined toward contemplation; karma-yogena—through the path of action; yoginām—of the yogis", - "translation": "The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna! In ancient times two paths of spiritual description were spoken by me – the Jnana yoga for the followers of the path of knowledge, and Karma yoga for the followers of the path of action.", - "commentary": "O Sinless:Arjuna is free from sin. So he is fully qualified to receive the highest wisdom. When the cloth is clean, it can be dyed in any colour. The Lord knew the purity of Arjuna’s mind, and therefore he chose to teach him Brahma Vidya. Each individual, according to his ingrained disposition, seeks the path which is congenial to his nature. Some are born with an intellectual frame of mind and the path for them is that of enquiring into the Self (Jnana yoga). For these, the Lord taught the path of knowledge. Others are born with a practical temperament, and they love action. For them, the Lord pointed out another path – karma yoga. Each man is perfectly free to choose his own path. There is no compulsion. Any course of imposed discipline will go against nature, and will not yield the desired result. There may be many roads leading to the same destination. There may be different routes to climb up a peak. Any route will ultimately take the people to the top of the mountain. So the Lord here declares that man may follow any path which is agreeable to his character and reach the goal. Though in the Gita several yogas are stated, all of them can be brought under these two main divisions – Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga.", + "translation": [ + "The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna! In ancient times two paths of spiritual description were spoken by me – the Jnana yoga for the followers of the path of knowledge, and Karma yoga for the followers of the path of action." + ], + "commentary": [ + "O Sinless:Arjuna is free from sin. So he is fully qualified to receive the highest wisdom. When the cloth is clean, it can be dyed in any colour. The Lord knew the purity of Arjuna’s mind, and therefore he chose to teach him Brahma Vidya. Each individual, according to his ingrained disposition, seeks the path which is congenial to his nature. Some are born with an intellectual frame of mind and the path for them is that of enquiring into the Self (Jnana yoga). For these, the Lord taught the path of knowledge. Others are born with a practical temperament, and they love action. For them, the Lord pointed out another path – karma yoga. Each man is perfectly free to choose his own path. There is no compulsion. Any course of imposed discipline will go against nature, and will not yield the desired result. There may be many roads leading to the same destination. There may be different routes to climb up a peak. Any route will ultimately take the people to the top of the mountain. So the Lord here declares that man may follow any path which is agreeable to his character and reach the goal. Though in the Gita several yogas are stated, all of them can be brought under these two main divisions – Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga.", + "The Lord says that he taught the two-fold path in times immemorial. So he is beyond time and place. He is Paramatma, appearing in the form of Sri Krishna and teaching the highest om to humanity.", + "Arjuna asks: “You just advised action, and yet you uphold knowledge of Brahman as the highest form of life. Krishna, if you think that knowledge is better than action, why do you tell me to act?” [Shri Krishna]: “From ancient times these two systems have come down to us. The Sankhya philosophers advance the theory of knowledge. The Yogis advance the theory of work.[Source]", + "But it is a most difficult thing to give up the clinging to this universe; few ever attain to that. There are two ways to do that mentioned in our books. One is called the “neti, neti ” (not this, not this), the other is called “iti ” (this); the former is the negative, and the latter is the positive way. The negative way is the most difficult. It is only possible to the men of the very highest, exceptional minds and gigantic wills who simply stand up and say, “No, I will not have this,” and the mind and body obey their will, and they come out successful. But such people are very rare. The vast majority of mankind choose the positive way, the way through the world, making use of all the bondages themselves to break those very bondages. This is also a kind of giving up; only it is done slowly and gradually, by knowing things, enjoying things and thus obtaining experience, and knowing the nature of things until the mind lets them all go at last and becomes unattached. The former way of obtaining non-attachment is by reasoning, and the latter way is through work and experience. The first is the path of jnana-yoga and is characterized by the refusal to do any work; the second is that of karma-yoga, in which there is no cessation from work.[Source]" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-3.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v3/" }, @@ -38,8 +53,24 @@ "sanskrit": "न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते |न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति || 4||", "transliteration": "na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣhkarmyaṁ puruṣho ’śhnutena cha sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigachchhati", "word_by_word_meaning": "na—not; karmaṇām—of actions; anārambhāt—by abstaining from; naiṣhkarmyam—freedom from karmic reactions; puruṣhaḥ—a person; aśhnute—attains; na—not; cha—and; sannyasanāt—by renunciation; eva—only; siddhim—perfection; samadhigachchhati—attains", - "translation": "Man does not match the actionless state of Brahman by mere non-performance of work, nor does he attain perfection by renunciation only.", - "commentary": "The first line of the verse refers to Karma Yoga and the second line Jnana Yoga.", + "translation": [ + "Man does not match the actionless state of Brahman by mere non-performance of work, nor does he attain perfection by renunciation only." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The first line of the verse refers to Karma Yoga and the second line Jnana Yoga.", + "By simply declining to do the prescribed duties. man cannot reach the still, actionless of Brahman. In the same way, by merely adopting the external formalities of Sanyasa, no man can attain liberation. What is needed for perfection is the purity of mind.", + "Unless work is done without attachment there cannot be purity of mind; without purity knowledge of Atma will not dawn; without knowledge, there is no Moksha (liberation). Therefore the Lord here declares that there is no moksha for the man who does not work. In the beginning, all seekers should undertake some form of work and learn to do it without hankering after the fruits thereof. and in the final stages, they attain the experience of Self. No one gains Moksha by merely giving up work. lf that is so, the idlers would be the greatest philosophers of the world! On the other hand. such men fall deeper into the mire of tamas, and it would take many births for them to lift themselves up from the bog of inaction. Many ignorant people imagine that when they give up work, they simply attain Moksha, and on account of this misconception, lose worldly prosperity as much as spiritual progress. They are neither Karmayogis nor Jnanayogis. They are neither useful to the world nor to themselves, nor can they move an inch towards perfection. It is absolutely necessary to understand the position correctly.", + "The path of spiritual progress is slow and gradual. Sudden illumination never occurs except in very rare cases. Everyone should pass from tamas to rajas, from rajas to sattva, and from sattva to pure sattva when Self is realised. The first step is the performance of prescribed duties by so disciplining the body and mind that they take to action easily and naturally. Therefore the Lord here declares that the final experience of Brahman is not an easily attainable objective by merely giving up one’s duties. Work should be done, without attachment. That is the trumpet of the Lord. Moreover, it is utterly useless to renounce work while all the inherent tendencies of the mind and heart are actively and powerfully functioning in their own way without any check or control. Nothing good can come from mere external renunciation of action. The spiritual aim cannot be achieved by that.", + "The question is not whether to work or give up work. The main issue is how to get inner purity of mind and heart, how to eradicate the evil impulses and instincts which have taken root in the depths of the human personality. Towards this end, the Lord prescribed selfless work. He exhorts all men to undertake some form of good work and do it without any motive of gain or profit, and with a spirit of dedication to the Lord.", + "Krishna strikes another note as a teacher of intense activity. Work, work, work day and night, says the Gita. You may ask, “Then, where is peace? If all through life I am to work like a cart-horse and die in harness, what am I here for?” Krishna says, “Yes, you will find peace. Flying from work is never the way to find peace.” Throw off your duties if you can, and go to the top of a mountain; even there the mind is going — whirling, whirling, whirling. Someone asked a sannyasin, “Sir, have you found a nice place? How many years have you been travelling in the Himalayas?” “For forty years,” replied the sannyasin. “There are so many beautiful spots to select from, and to settle down in: why did you not do so?” “Because for these forty years my mind would not allow me to do so.” We all say, “Let us find peace”; but the mind will not allow us to do so.[Source]", + "One must do some work. Through work alone can one remove the bondage of work, not by avoiding work. Total detachment comes later on. One should not be without work even for a moment.", + "(p.14-5, The Gospel Of Holy Mother, Mother’s advice to a devotee on 18 September 1912)", + "Isa Upanishad Verse 9, 10 & 11: Into a blind darkness they enter who are devoted to ignorance (rituals); but into a greater darkness they enter who engage in knowledge of a deity alone. One thing, they say, is obtained from knowledge; another, they say, from ignorance. Thus we have heard from the wise who have taught us this. He who is aware that both knowledge and ignorance should be pursued together, overcomes death through ignorance and obtains immortality through knowledge.", + "Question:What is the way to attain Moksha?", + "Answer:Moksha cannot be attained by non-performance of work or by external renunciation.", + "Question:How then can Moksha be attained?", + "Answer:By purifying the mind throughnishkama karma,Mokshacan be attained." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-4.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v4/" }, @@ -49,8 +80,16 @@ "sanskrit": "न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत् |कार्यते ह्यवश: कर्म सर्व: प्रकृतिजैर्गुणै: || 5||", "transliteration": "na hi kaśhchit kṣhaṇam api jātu tiṣhṭhatyakarma-kṛitkāryate hyavaśhaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛiti-jair guṇaiḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "na—not; hi—certainly; kaśhchit—anyone; kṣhaṇam—a moment; api—even; jātu—ever; tiṣhṭhati—can remain; akarma-kṛit—without action; kāryate—are performed; hi—certainly; avaśhaḥ—helpless; karma—work; sarvaḥ—all; prakṛiti-jaiḥ—born of material nature; guṇaiḥ—by the qualities", - "translation": "No one can live even for a moment without doing work. Everyone without his will is made to do work by the qualities born of Prakriti.", - "commentary": "No one can live without work even for a second. Breathing is work, eating is work, walking is work, talking is work. So it is known to all that work is a part of life itself.", + "translation": [ + "No one can live even for a moment without doing work. Everyone without his will is made to do work by the qualities born of Prakriti." + ], + "commentary": [ + "No one can live without work even for a second. Breathing is work, eating is work, walking is work, talking is work. So it is known to all that work is a part of life itself.", + "Except the Jnani, everyone else is subject to Maya (Prakriti). And the impulses of the mind compel all people to do some kind of work or other according to their nature. The scholar cannot live without the study of books. The idler cannot live without aimless wandering. The learned and the ignorant are acting under the power of the qualities born of Prakriti. Each according to his nature is doing some work or other, over which he has no control. The law applies to all beings in the world. Animals and birds work according to their nature. Each has its own peculiar characteristics. Man being endowed with reason (buddhi) may choose the work, but what is chosen is also according to his nature. So it is true that all are prompted by Prakriti. Here the wordsarvahis used with only the single exception of the Jnani, who has become a Jivanmukta by direct realisation of the Supreme, having attained theBrahmi-sthitithe Jnani transcends the gunas, and so he is not moved by the impulses arising from the qualities of nature. But since he has a body that is the instrument of Prakriti, he uses it just for maintaining life. He is perfectly detached from the vehicle of action.", + "The ignorant people who are every minute dragged and whirled about in all directions by the forces of nature need not however be discouraged. They should first of all understand that they have become slaves to certain modes of thought and action, which they have themselves created in previous births. Knowing it, they should undertake some form of discipline, and by their own effort overcome bad by good karma, surrender the fruits of work to the Lord, and gradually purify their mind, and become Jeevanmuktas in the end.", + "Related Articles:", + "" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-5.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v5/" }, @@ -60,8 +99,23 @@ "sanskrit": "कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् |इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचार: स उच्यते || 6||", "transliteration": "karmendriyāṇi sanyamya ya āste manasā smaranindriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyāchāraḥ sa uchyate", "word_by_word_meaning": "karma-indriyāṇi—the organs of action; sanyamya—restrain; yaḥ—who; āste—remain; manasā—in the mind; smaran—to remember; indriya-arthān—sense objects; vimūḍha-ātmā—the deluded; mithyā-āchāraḥ—hypocrite; saḥ—they; uchyate—are called", - "translation": "The man of deluded understanding who restraining the organs of the action sits contemplating the sense objects with the mind is called a hypocrite.", - "commentary": "This is the Lord’s warning to those aspirants who renounce action before attaining complete self-mastery.", + "translation": [ + "The man of deluded understanding who restraining the organs of the action sits contemplating the sense objects with the mind is called a hypocrite." + ], + "commentary": [ + "This is the Lord’s warning to those aspirants who renounce action before attaining complete self-mastery.", + "Restraining:This is not the true self-restraint of the real seeker. Some pretenders to spirituality appear outwardly pure by keeping back the instruments of action from their natural functions. Such external repression does not lead man to higher planes of spiritual life. Hypocrites appear like sanyasis in their outward life while their mind and heart are defiled by low motives and sensual desires. Such pretenders are found in large numbers everywhere. They have brought disrepute to religion.", + "The sincere seeker is prompted by the noble aim of realising the truth of religion. Of course in the early stages, of Sadhana, while the external organs are kept in check, the mind wanders about enjoying sense-pleasures in recollections and imaginations. But his aim is to wash the mind of all its impurities both by internal and external restraint. The pretender has no such aim. His object is merely to use religion as a means of livelihood and social prestige. There is a world of difference between the real sadhu and the hypocrite.", + "Let not the seeker fall into the delusion that the battle with the evil forces is over simply by restraining the organs of action. He should restrain the mind. It is the nature of the mind to wander at random through the objective world, feeding on sensual delights. This has become a mental habit on account of former indulgence in sense-pleasures. Slowly the habit should be changed. Perseverance is necessary. Nothing can be done in a day. Repeated effort over a long period will surely change the mental attitude.", + "When a seeker undertakes a spiritual practice, he should clearly understand the method and purpose of the sadhana. Otherwise, he moves in the wrong direction. He should learn the principles and practice from experienced teachers. It is not enough to know that sense-organs should be restrained. He should understand its implications. Of what use is it to restrain, the sense-organs when the mind is thinking and enjoying all the forbidden pleasures of the body? The Lord emphatically declares that the purpose of restraining the senses is to purify the mind. Sense-control is not an end in itself. It is the means to an end, the end being the purity of mind.", + "Of deluded understanding:The wrong practice of the hypocrite is an act of self-delusion. The sense organs and the organs of action have no power to know or experience the objects of the world. It is only when the mind is attached to the senses and the body that sensuous experience is derived. So sense-control should go hand in hand with mind control. Rather mind-control comes first and sense-control in effect takes place as a natural sequence. When the mind is kept under control, there is no harm even if the body and the senses move about in the world to obtain the bare necessities of life. The next verse clarifies the position.", + "An unknown Bengali, dressed in the ochre cloth of a monk, entered the room and sat on the floor. The Master’s mind was coming down to the ordinary plane of consciousness. Presently he began to talk, though the spell of samadhi still lingered.", + "MASTER (at the sight of the ochre cloth):“Why this gerrua? Should one put on such a thing for a mere fancy? A man once said, ‘I have exchanged the Chandi for a drum.’ At first he used to sing the holy songs of the Chandi; now he beats the drum. (All laugh.)", + "“There are three or four varieties of renunciation. Afflicted with miseries at home, one may put on the ochre cloth of a monk; but that renunciation doesn’t last long. Again, a man out of work puts on an ochre wearing-cloth and goes off to Benares. After three months he writes home: ‘I have a job here. I shall come home in a few days. Don’t worry about me.’ Again, a man may have everything he wants. He lacks nothing, yet he. does not enjoy his possessions. He weeps for God alone. That is real renunciation.", + "“No lie of any sort is good. A false garb, even though a holy one, is not good. If the outer garb does not correspond to the inner thought, it gradually brings ruin. Littering false words or doing false deeds, one gradually loses all fear. Far better is the white cloth of a householder. Attachment to worldliness, occasional lapses from the ideal, and an outer garb of gerrua — how dreadful! (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Question:What is mithyachara?", + "Answer:Restraining the organ of action, and allowing the mind to wander about in the material world ismithyachara." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-6.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v6/" }, @@ -71,8 +125,18 @@ "sanskrit": "यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन |कर्मेन्द्रियै: कर्मयोगमसक्त: स विशिष्यते || 7||", "transliteration": "yas tvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate ’rjunakarmendriyaiḥ karma-yogam asaktaḥ sa viśhiṣhyate", "word_by_word_meaning": "yaḥ—who; tu—but; indriyāṇi—the senses; manasā—by the mind; niyamya—control; ārabhate—begins; arjuna—Arjun; karma-indriyaiḥ—by the working senses; karma-yogam—karm yog; asaktaḥ—without attachment; saḥ—they; viśhiṣhyate—are superior", - "translation": "But, O Arjuna! he who controls the senses with the mind, and commences the discipline of Karma yoga by his organs of action without attachment, is the best.", - "commentary": "Both the organs of action and inner instruments of cognition are included in the practice of karma yoga. Then only the discipline is complete. It is the mind that moves the bodily organs of action and the sense-organs of perception. So the mind should be kept detached from desire and longing for material pleasures. Such a man does his prescribed work without any desire for personal enjoyment.", + "translation": [ + "But, O Arjuna! he who controls the senses with the mind, and commences the discipline of Karma yoga by his organs of action without attachment, is the best." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Both the organs of action and inner instruments of cognition are included in the practice of karma yoga. Then only the discipline is complete. It is the mind that moves the bodily organs of action and the sense-organs of perception. So the mind should be kept detached from desire and longing for material pleasures. Such a man does his prescribed work without any desire for personal enjoyment.", + "The senses and instruments of action should be under the control of the mind, and the mind should be under one’s control. Bondage results from mental attachment to material objects, whether the body and the senses work or remain inactive. So the point is how to keep the mind free from becoming entangled in the meshes of the material world. Such freedom is its Moksha. So the Lord here says that, when the mind is kept free and pure, though a man moves and works in the world, he is not affected by it at all. Keeping the mind in a pure and harmonised state comes first, and the control of the body and the senses follow as a natural effect. Great men have done immortal work for the benefit of humanity by following this law.", + "But none can attain to peace by renouncing actions. None in this life can stop activity even for a moment. Nature’s qualities [gunas] will make him act. He who stops his activities and at the same time is still thinking about them attains to nothing; he only becomes a hypocrite. But he who by the power of his mind gradually brings his sense-organs under control, employing them in work, that man is better. Therefore do thou work.[Source]", + "Swami Saradananda is a glowing example of a person who could keep his mind in God, or the Self, and at the same time his hands at work. A real yogi regards the Self as actionless even while being engaged in action. Activity belongs to the body, the senses, and the mind, and does not affect the unchanging Self. The Gita says, “Great is the man who controls the senses with his mind and engages them in selfless actions” (3.7).", + "Monks tend to go into seclusion for meditation, giving up action. To them Saradananda said: “Remove your doubt forever, my boys, and remember what I say today. Those who attain the summum bonum here will also attain it there, and those who do not attain it here will never attain it there.” (By here and there the swami meant work and seclusion.) On another occasion, while in Puri, he told a monk who was not well but nonetheless was anxious to return to work in his centre: “Look, after doing such voluminous work in my life I have this knowledge that we do nothing; we are mere instruments. Everything happens according to the will of the Master. Previously I used to think that without me this particular work would suffer. During my absence who would do this work? Now I see for want of anybody, the Master’s work will not stop.” (Source: God Lived with Them)", + "Question:What is Karma Yoga?", + "Answer:Control of body and senses by the mind, and doing selfless work in the world is Karma Yoga." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-7.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v7/" }, @@ -82,8 +146,20 @@ "sanskrit": "नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मण: |शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मण: || 8||", "transliteration": "niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hyakarmaṇaḥśharīra-yātrāpi cha te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "niyatam—constantly; kuru—perform; karma—Vedic duties; tvam—you; karma—action; jyāyaḥ—superior; hi—certainly; akarmaṇaḥ—than inaction; śharīra—bodily; yātrā—maintenance; api—even; cha—and; te—your; na prasiddhyet—would not be possible; akarmaṇaḥ—inaction", - "translation": "Doing the work prescribed by the Sastras is superior to inaction. By inaction, even maintenance of the body for you would not be possible", - "commentary": "Do the work prescribed by the Sastras:This is the Lord’s direct answer to Arjuna’s appeal-tell me decisively one path(tadekam vada nishehitya) (3-2).", + "translation": [ + "Doing the work prescribed by the Sastras is superior to inaction. By inaction, even maintenance of the body for you would not be possible" + ], + "commentary": [ + "Do the work prescribed by the Sastras:This is the Lord’s direct answer to Arjuna’s appeal-tell me decisively one path(tadekam vada nishehitya) (3-2).", + "The work prescribed by the Sastras should be performed. By it, the mind becomes purified and the Self is realised in the end. Nothing comes from inaction. Work certainly is superior to inaction. By inaction, even bodily existence is impossible. The Lord commands Arjuna to be up and active in the performance of his duty.", + "It is befitting the universality of the Gita to give to this word karma a larger interpretation than the mere performance of ritual. Man is continuously acting in various fields of personal, social, and national life. He is at work in the house, in the office or factory, in the co-operation endeavour of national projects. All this is karma. The Lord’s observation that even physical existence becomes impossible by inaction, should be understood as a call to the nation to work and work hard for its own and universal benefit. The world today needs men capable of and dedicated to work. Each one in his own field has to do work and more work as much as possible for him to do.", + "Question:What is superior? Work or inaction?", + "Answer:Work is superior.", + "Question:What type of work?", + "Answer:Work prescribed by the Sastras.", + "Question:What harm would be caused by inaction?", + "Answer:Without work, the mind cannot be purified, and self-realisation is not possible. Even physical existence becomes impossible by inaction." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-8.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v8/" }, @@ -93,8 +169,15 @@ "sanskrit": "यज्ञार्थात्कर्मणोऽन्यत्र लोकोऽयं कर्मबन्धन: |तदर्थं कर्म कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्ग: समाचर || 9||", "transliteration": "yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥtad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya mukta-saṅgaḥ samāchara", "word_by_word_meaning": "yajña-arthāt—for the sake of sacrifice; karmaṇaḥ—than action; anyatra—else; lokaḥ—material world; ayam—this; karma-bandhanaḥ—bondage through one’s work; tat—that; artham—for the sake of; karma—action; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; mukta-saṅgaḥ—free from attachment; samāchara—perform properly", - "translation": "O Arjuna! Works other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice (Yajna) binds this world. So perform work for sacrifice without attachment.", - "commentary": "The teacher of the Gita dives new interpretations to familiarise with terms like yajna, sannyasa, tyaga etc. Ordinarily, yajna means a certain form of ritual, accompanied with the sacred fire, oblations, mantras and tantras, and other rites. The Lord defines the word as an act performed with no selfish motive for the service or humanity. Whatever may be the scope of work, great or small, if it is done as an act of dedication to God and service to beings, it becomes a yajna. This is within the capability of all men to perform and acquire merit. Generally, it is a mistaken view to think that karma binds men to Samsara. And even if it is good work, man has to be born again and again to enjoy the fruits of suchkarma. They argue that karma should be given up. But the Lord clears this misconception. When karma is done with the desire of enjoying its fruits, it binds man to the wheel of birth and death. What is done without desire and attachment cannot bind man. On the other hand, it purifies the mind and heart and leads to ultimate freedom.", + "translation": [ + "O Arjuna! Works other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice (Yajna) binds this world. So perform work for sacrifice without attachment." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The teacher of the Gita dives new interpretations to familiarise with terms like yajna, sannyasa, tyaga etc. Ordinarily, yajna means a certain form of ritual, accompanied with the sacred fire, oblations, mantras and tantras, and other rites. The Lord defines the word as an act performed with no selfish motive for the service or humanity. Whatever may be the scope of work, great or small, if it is done as an act of dedication to God and service to beings, it becomes a yajna. This is within the capability of all men to perform and acquire merit. Generally, it is a mistaken view to think that karma binds men to Samsara. And even if it is good work, man has to be born again and again to enjoy the fruits of suchkarma. They argue that karma should be given up. But the Lord clears this misconception. When karma is done with the desire of enjoying its fruits, it binds man to the wheel of birth and death. What is done without desire and attachment cannot bind man. On the other hand, it purifies the mind and heart and leads to ultimate freedom.", + "Work done with attachment binds; the same work performed without attachment, liberates. Work performed as dedicated to God or as service to mankind liberates. So there is nothing evil in work as such. The evil lies in the personal motive behind it – the desire for reward and enjoyment. The Lord exhorts Arjuna to work intensely (samachara). But he wants his disciple to understand the principle behind work. One should understand it correctly and go into action. Otherwise he is caught in the meshes of karma. The law of work is thus explained here. 1. Yajna should be done as an act of dedication to God and as a service to humanity. 2. Yajna should be done without any attachment for the fruits thereof. Work done in this spirit, though it is of a common quality is transformed into a great yajna. Work then becomes worthier. It purifies and liberates.", + "Question:What kind of work does not bind?", + "Answer:Work dedicated to God and humanity, and performed without desire for its fruits, does not cause bondage." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-9.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v9/" }, @@ -104,8 +187,18 @@ "sanskrit": "सहयज्ञा: प्रजा: सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापति: |अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् || 10||", "transliteration": "saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛiṣhṭvā purovācha prajāpatiḥanena prasaviṣhyadhvam eṣha vo ’stviṣhṭa-kāma-dhuk", "word_by_word_meaning": "saha—along with; yajñāḥ—sacrifices; prajāḥ—humankind; sṛiṣhṭvā—created; purā—in beginning; uvācha—said; prajā-patiḥ—Brahma; anena—by this; prasaviṣhyadhvam—increase prosperity; eṣhaḥ—these; vaḥ—your; astu—shall be; iṣhṭa-kāma-dhuk—bestower of all wishes", - "translation": "Having created mankind together with yajna in the beginning, Brahma (Creator) said – “By this shall you propagate; it shall be to you the milk-cow of desires, the wish-fulfilling heavenly cow Kamadhenu.”", - "commentary": "The moment when mankind was created, that very moment the ways and means for their prosperity and freedom were also brought into the world. The Lord’s mercy is infinite. He knew that man would plunge into all kinds of action and get himself caught in the wheel of samsara, and suffer pain and sorrow endlessly. So along with man, the Creator introduced into the world several types of yajnas which would help mankind in their journey through life to final perfection.", + "translation": [ + "Having created mankind together with yajna in the beginning, Brahma (Creator) said – “By this shall you propagate; it shall be to you the milk-cow of desires, the wish-fulfilling heavenly cow Kamadhenu.”" + ], + "commentary": [ + "The moment when mankind was created, that very moment the ways and means for their prosperity and freedom were also brought into the world. The Lord’s mercy is infinite. He knew that man would plunge into all kinds of action and get himself caught in the wheel of samsara, and suffer pain and sorrow endlessly. So along with man, the Creator introduced into the world several types of yajnas which would help mankind in their journey through life to final perfection.", + "Yajna means an act of dedication to God or service to humanity or meditation on God the Supreme Reality.", + "Milk-cow of desires:The yajna is said to yield all the good things that man needs in his journey through life. Man needs above everything else the removal of sorrow and the attainment of peace. They can be achieved by performing yajna. Therefore it is compared to the wish-fulfilling Kamadhenu of Heaven. Not only the spiritual welfare of mankind but also their material prosperity is answered by the performance of yajna.", + "Question:What did Brahma create along with mankind?", + "Answer:Yajna – good and godly works.", + "Question:What is its use?", + "Answer:It helps the spiritual growth of man and like theKamadhenu, it confers all the good things of life here and hereafter." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-10.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v10/" }, @@ -115,8 +208,16 @@ "sanskrit": "देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु व: |परस्परं भावयन्त: श्रेय: परमवाप्स्यथ || 11||", "transliteration": "devān bhāvayatānena te devā bhāvayantu vaḥparasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ śhreyaḥ param avāpsyatha", "word_by_word_meaning": "devān—celestial gods; bhāvayatā—will be pleased; anena—by these (sacrifices); te—those; devāḥ—celestial gods; bhāvayantu—will be pleased; vaḥ—you; parasparam—one another; bhāvayantaḥ—pleasing one another; śhreyaḥ—prosperity; param—the supreme; avāpsyatha—shall achieve", - "translation": "Nourish the Gods with Yajna, and they shall nourish you, and thus nourishing one another both men and Gods you shall attain the highest good.", - "commentary": "It is the Supreme Lord who appears in the form of different Gods (shining ones) embodying the multifarious powers of the One, ruler of the Universe. So whom-so-ever one worships, without desiring for any material benefits, he is liberated by the mercy of the Supreme Being.", + "translation": [ + "Nourish the Gods with Yajna, and they shall nourish you, and thus nourishing one another both men and Gods you shall attain the highest good." + ], + "commentary": [ + "It is the Supreme Lord who appears in the form of different Gods (shining ones) embodying the multifarious powers of the One, ruler of the Universe. So whom-so-ever one worships, without desiring for any material benefits, he is liberated by the mercy of the Supreme Being.", + "Highest good:In the world, there are many things good and enjoyable, like wealth, children, popularity, prosperity, etc. Of all these, the highest good, namely liberation, is attained by the worship of the Supreme Being, by the worship of the Truth which is covered up the inscrutable power of Maya. Man’s effort and God’s grace are both necessary for liberation.", + "Even in the common affairs of life, the man who links himself with the Lord finds protection from dangers in the daily turmoil of life and obtains all-around prosperity. Better it is to depend on the Lord than on ordinary mortals who are subject to all the ills of life. They may help or not help according to their self-interest. In any way, such contact with mortal benefactors comes to an end with death. The contact with the Lord continues forever and if man’s devotion is intense enough, he is liberated even in this birth.", + "Question:How can man attain the highest good?", + "Answer:Man attains the highest good by the desireless performance of yajna." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-11.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v11/" }, @@ -126,8 +227,19 @@ "sanskrit": "इष्टान्भोगान्हि वो देवा दास्यन्ते यज्ञभाविता: |तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव स: || 12||", "transliteration": "iṣhṭān bhogān hi vo devā dāsyante yajña-bhāvitāḥtair dattān apradāyaibhyo yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "iṣhṭān—desired; bhogān—necessities of life; hi—certainly; vaḥ—unto you; devāḥ—the celestial gods; dāsyante—will grant; yajña-bhāvitāḥ—satisfied by sacrifice; taiḥ—by them; dattān—things granted; apradāya—without offering; ebhyaḥ—to them; yaḥ—who; bhuṅkte—enjoys; stenaḥ—thieves; eva—verily; saḥ—they", - "translation": "Nourished by sacrifice, the Gods, give you desirable enjoyments. He who enjoys objects given by the Gods without offering them is verily a thief.", - "commentary": "When the Gods are worshipped by means of sacrifice, they confer on mankind many material blessings and prevent many material calamities. He who enjoys these material things without offering them to the Gods or to fellow – beings in the form of God, is indeed a thief because he enjoys objects without paying the price for them. Food, water, air, and other things which we use belong to God. They are not manufactured by us. What we call the discoveries and inventions of modern science are combinations and modifications of things already created, and the utilisation of powers already present in nature. In fact, even the intelligence of man is itself the gift of God. So from first to last, in every way, and for every thing, man is indebted to God. Anyone who forgets to offer Him what belongs to him only should be regarded as a thief. Gratitude and devotion are the proper price that one should pay to enjoy the fruits of life. Offering them to God or to fellow beings is the first duty for all mankind. Otherwise, people will lay themselves open to the charge of being robbers and dacoits who misappropriate what does not belong to them.", + "translation": [ + "Nourished by sacrifice, the Gods, give you desirable enjoyments. He who enjoys objects given by the Gods without offering them is verily a thief." + ], + "commentary": [ + "When the Gods are worshipped by means of sacrifice, they confer on mankind many material blessings and prevent many material calamities. He who enjoys these material things without offering them to the Gods or to fellow – beings in the form of God, is indeed a thief because he enjoys objects without paying the price for them. Food, water, air, and other things which we use belong to God. They are not manufactured by us. What we call the discoveries and inventions of modern science are combinations and modifications of things already created, and the utilisation of powers already present in nature. In fact, even the intelligence of man is itself the gift of God. So from first to last, in every way, and for every thing, man is indebted to God. Anyone who forgets to offer Him what belongs to him only should be regarded as a thief. Gratitude and devotion are the proper price that one should pay to enjoy the fruits of life. Offering them to God or to fellow beings is the first duty for all mankind. Otherwise, people will lay themselves open to the charge of being robbers and dacoits who misappropriate what does not belong to them.", + "How many people follow this law? Of what avail is it to acquire name and fame, wealth and learning in the eyes of humanity, when in the eyes of God people are only thieves and robbers? Moreover, even in this earthly life, the thief is condemned and punished. If so, will there be no punishment when one robs things belonging to God? They shall of course pay the full penalty for such misappropriation. So let the seekers who desire to win the grace of God make it their duty to give something to the fellow mortals (dana) – a morsel of food or a cup of water to the needy every day before they enjoy the food. Let them offer their whole to God, and think that nothing belongs to them. All is offered to God in the spirit of Brahmarpanam or Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamasathu. Thus one repays the debt of gratitude that he owes to God for the innumerable blessings which He has conferred on mankind.", + "Question:What do the Gods give us?", + "Answer:Nourished by sacrifice, they give us desirable objects.", + "Question:What is man’s duty then?", + "Answer:He should offer them to God.", + "Question:What is he who does not do so?", + "Answer:He is verily a thief." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-12.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v12/" }, @@ -137,8 +249,19 @@ "sanskrit": "यज्ञशिष्टाशिन: सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषै: |भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् || 13||", "transliteration": "yajña-śhiṣhṭāśhinaḥ santo muchyante sarva-kilbiṣhaiḥbhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pachantyātma-kāraṇāt", "word_by_word_meaning": "yajña-śhiṣhṭa—of remnants of food offered in sacrifice; aśhinaḥ—eaters; santaḥ—saintly persons; muchyante—are released; sarva—all kinds of; kilbiṣhaiḥ—from sins; bhuñjate—enjoy; te—they; tu—but; agham—sins; pāpāḥ—sinners; ye—who; pachanti—cook (food); ātma-kāraṇāt—for their own sake", - "translation": "The righteous who offer food to the Gods in sacrifice and eat the remnants are freed from all sins. But those who cook food to satisfy their own needs, are sinners and verily eat sin.", - "commentary": "To cherish the Gods by offering food to them in sacrifice or to offer food to fellow mortals – the poor and hungry-and then to eat the remnants is an act of righteousness capable of destroying all sins. Not one or two sins, but all the horrible sins of man are cleansed by this act of divine or human offering. We understand from this what a powerful antidote yajna is to destroy all types of accumulated sins. Divine offering, compassionate relief given to suffering fellow-beings,-this is the best remedy to kill all sins. So it is said in the Esavasyopanishad –", + "translation": [ + "The righteous who offer food to the Gods in sacrifice and eat the remnants are freed from all sins. But those who cook food to satisfy their own needs, are sinners and verily eat sin." + ], + "commentary": [ + "To cherish the Gods by offering food to them in sacrifice or to offer food to fellow mortals – the poor and hungry-and then to eat the remnants is an act of righteousness capable of destroying all sins. Not one or two sins, but all the horrible sins of man are cleansed by this act of divine or human offering. We understand from this what a powerful antidote yajna is to destroy all types of accumulated sins. Divine offering, compassionate relief given to suffering fellow-beings,-this is the best remedy to kill all sins. So it is said in the Esavasyopanishad –", + "“From what you have, give something as a sacrifice to the Gods or other fellow beings, and eat the remaining portion.”", + "The selfish who cooks and eats all to satisfy his own bodily needs is indeed eating not food, but sin! Such men accumulate sin They eat and digest sin and they become living embodiments Of sin. So it is clear that sacrifice leads to the highest good and selfishness leads to the worst sin and suffering. Such food not offered to the Gods or fellow beings is poison, though it is the richest and the most relishing. And that food sacrificed to Gods and offered to fellow beings is nectar though it is simple boiled rice and water.", + "According to Vedic traditions, man commits five kinds of sin each day by the use of (1) the broomstick, (2) the waterpot (3) the mortar and pestle, (4) the grinding stone, and (5) the oven. To eliminate these sins, the Pancha maha yajnas are prescribed. They are (1) Deva Yajna (2) Brahma Yajna (3) Pitri Yajna, (4) Nri Yajna and (5) Bhuta Yajna. The Vedic tradition has prescribed many types of yajnas to eliminate the sins committed in the course of innumerable births. The generalisation is that all sins would be cleared by sacrifice. All acts performed as worship of God or service to fellow beings not simply a man but animals, birds, and all lesser manifestations of life create a sinless state of purity that enables man to realise the spiritual aim.", + "Question:How does yajna help man?", + "Answer:By yajna, man is released from all sins.", + "Question:What is the effect of neglecting yajna?", + "Answer:The man who eats food without offering it to the Gods, verily eats sin." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-13.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v13/" }, @@ -148,8 +271,17 @@ "sanskrit": "अन्नाद्भवन्ति भूतानि पर्जन्यादन्नसम्भव: |यज्ञाद्भवति पर्जन्यो यज्ञ: कर्मसमुद्भव: || 14||कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् |तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् || 15||", "transliteration": "annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥyajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥkarma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi brahmākṣhara-samudbhavamtasmāt sarva-gataṁ brahma nityaṁ yajñe pratiṣhṭhitam", "word_by_word_meaning": "annāt—from food; bhavanti—subsist; bhūtāni—living beings; parjanyāt—from rains; anna—of food grains; sambhavaḥ—production; yajñāt—from the performance of sacrifice; bhavati—becomes possible; parjanyaḥ—rain; yajñaḥ—performance of sacrifice; karma—prescribed duties; samudbhavaḥ—born of", - "translation": "karma—duties; brahma—in the Vedas; udbhavam—manifested; viddhi—you should know; brahma—The Vedas; akṣhara—from the Imperishable (God); samudbhavam—directly manifested; tasmāt—therefore; sarva-gatam—all-pervading; brahma—The Lord; nityam—eternally; yajñe—in sacrifice; pratiṣhṭhitam—established", - "commentary": "Beings are born of food, food is produced from rain, rain arises from yajna, yajna is born of action, action arises from Vedas, Vedas are born from the Imperishable Paramatma; therefore know that the Supreme Being is established in the yajna.", + "translation": [ + "Beings are born of food, food is produced from rain, rain arises from yajna, yajna is born of action, action arises from Vedas, Vedas are born from the Imperishable Paramatma; therefore know that the Supreme Being is established in the yajna." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Dharma Chakra –", + "Braham – Veda – Karma – Yajna.", + "From Brahma, Veda, from Veda, Karma; from karma, yajna – this is the order of creation. So in yajna, Brahma is established. Yajna is an act of self-purification which leads to the realisation of the Supreme (In the above Chakra, rain, food, and the body are included in yajna, and so they are not separately mentioned). Yajna and other righteous works are not ordinary actions, because the all-pervading Brahman is directly present in them. Let all seekers take refuge in them and cross the ocean of samsara.", + "It is said that yajna produces rain, and its non-performance is the cause of drought and other evils from which mankind suffers. So it is an act of human welfare and personal redemption.", + "Question:Why is yajna an act of purity?", + "Answer:It is pure because the all-pervading Brahman is directly present in it." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-14-and-15.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v14/" }, @@ -159,8 +291,24 @@ "sanskrit": "एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह य: |अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति || 16||", "transliteration": "evaṁ pravartitaṁ chakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥaghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati", "word_by_word_meaning": "evam—thus; pravartitam—set into motion; chakram—cycle; na—not; anuvartayati—follow; iha—in this life; yaḥ—who; agha-āyuḥ—sinful living; indriya-ārāmaḥ—for the delight of their senses; mogham—vainly; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; saḥ—they; jīvati—live", - "translation": "The man who does not follow the cycle thus set revolving is a sinner rejoicing in sense-pleasures and he lives in vain.", - "commentary": "It is already said that yajna and other selfless acts of worship and service are necessary for the purification and protection of all beings because the Supreme Being is directly present in them. Such men who follow the Chakra are purified and attain Moksha. The rest live a useless life. They forget God; they are enslaved by earthly pleasures; they have no purity and so their life is a waste, and they go down into the bottomless pit of Samsara. One way of life is pure and blessed; another way of life is sinful and useless. One is Atmarama, and another is Indriyarama, one fulfills his life, another destroys it.", + "translation": [ + "The man who does not follow the cycle thus set revolving is a sinner rejoicing in sense-pleasures and he lives in vain." + ], + "commentary": [ + "It is already said that yajna and other selfless acts of worship and service are necessary for the purification and protection of all beings because the Supreme Being is directly present in them. Such men who follow the Chakra are purified and attain Moksha. The rest live a useless life. They forget God; they are enslaved by earthly pleasures; they have no purity and so their life is a waste, and they go down into the bottomless pit of Samsara. One way of life is pure and blessed; another way of life is sinful and useless. One is Atmarama, and another is Indriyarama, one fulfills his life, another destroys it.", + "To forget God is sin. Those who do not follow the Dharma Chakra forget God and run after the mirage of sensual pleasures. So they accumulate sin. They are described as “living in sin” (Aghayuh). They are men rejoicing in sensual delights. Their life is not useful either to themselves or to others. So their life is a waste. Is it proper for men to live like animals, reptiles, worms, and germs? According to the Lord’s command, one should fulfill his life by maintaining the Dharma Chakra.", + "“Are father and mother mere trifles? No spiritual practice will bear fruit unless they are pleased. Chaitanya was intoxicated with the love of God. Still, before taking to the monastic life, for how many days did he try to persuade his mother to give him her permission to become a monk! He said to her: ‘Mother, don’t worry. I shall visit you every now and then.’", + "(To M., reproachfully) “And let me say this to you. Your father and mother brought you up. You yourself are the father of several children. Yet you have left home with your wife. You have cheated your parents. You have come away with your wife and children, and you feel you have become a holy man. Your father doesn’t need any money from you; otherwise I should have cried, ‘Shame on you!’”", + "Everybody in the room became grave and remained silent.", + "Master:“A man has certain debts to pay: his debts to the gods and rishis, and his debts to mother, father, and wife. He cannot achieve anything without paying the debt he owes to his parents. A man is indebted to his wife as well. Harish has renounced his wife and is living here. If he had left her unprovided for, then I should have called him an abominable wretch.", + "“After attaining Knowledge you will regard that very wife as the manifestation of the Divine Mother Herself. It is written in theChandi, ‘The Goddess dwells in all beings as the Mother.’ It is She who has become your mother.", + "“All the women you see are only She, the Divine Mother. That is why I cannot rebuke even Brinde, the maidservant. There are people who spout verses from the scriptures and talk big, but in their conduct they are quite different. Ramprasanna is constantly busy procuring opium and milk for the hathayogi. He says that Manu enjoins it upon man to serve the sadhu. But his old mother hasn’t enough to eat. She walks to the market to buy her own groceries. It makes me very angry.", + "“But here you have to consider another thing. When a man is intoxicated with ecstatic love of God, then who is his father or mother or wife? His love of God is so intense that he becomes mad with it. Then he has no duty to perform. He is free from all debts. What is this divine intoxication? In this state a man forgets the world. He also forgets his own body, which is so dear to all. Chaitanya had this intoxication. He plunged into the ocean not knowing that it was the ocean. He dashed himself again and again on the ground. He was not aware of hunger, of thirst, or of sleep. He was not at all conscious of any such thing as his body.”", + "All at once Sri Ramakrishna exclaimed, “Ah, Chaitanya!” and stood up.", + "Master (to the devotees):“Chaitanya means ‘Undivided Consciousness’. Vaishnavcharan used to say that Gauranga was like a bubble in the Ocean of Undivided Consciousness. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Question:What is he that does not follow the Dharma Chakra?", + "Answer:He is a sinner. He is a slave to sense-pleasures. His life is a waste." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-16.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v16/" }, @@ -170,8 +318,44 @@ "sanskrit": "यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानव: |आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते || 17||", "transliteration": "yas tvātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛiptaśh cha mānavaḥātmanyeva cha santuṣhṭas tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate", "word_by_word_meaning": "yaḥ—who; tu—but; ātma-ratiḥ—rejoice in the self; eva—certainly; syāt—is; ātma-tṛiptaḥ—self-satisfied; cha—and; mānavaḥ—human being; ātmani—in the self; eva—certainly; cha—and; santuṣhṭaḥ—satisfied; tasya—his; kāryam—duty; na—not; vidyate—exist", - "translation": "But he who rejoices, who is contented, who finds happiness in Atma only, has no work to perform.", - "commentary": "Except for the Paramahamsa who has directly experienced the Supreme Self, for all others Karma yoga is the inevitable law. In this verse, the Lord describes the liberated sage. He finds all joy in Atma, all satisfaction in Atma, all contentment in Atma. He does not move outside Atma. For him, the law of karma does not apply because he has already realised the highest fruit of karma (i.e.) Moksha. So he is released from the operation of the law of karma. But still, if he works, he does so for the benefit of mankind. There is no harm whether he works or does not work.", + "translation": [ + "But he who rejoices, who is contented, who finds happiness in Atma only, has no work to perform." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Except for the Paramahamsa who has directly experienced the Supreme Self, for all others Karma yoga is the inevitable law. In this verse, the Lord describes the liberated sage. He finds all joy in Atma, all satisfaction in Atma, all contentment in Atma. He does not move outside Atma. For him, the law of karma does not apply because he has already realised the highest fruit of karma (i.e.) Moksha. So he is released from the operation of the law of karma. But still, if he works, he does so for the benefit of mankind. There is no harm whether he works or does not work.", + "Such realised sages are very rare indeed. All the others must work. They should endeavour to attain the highest state by diligent performance of yajna. They should understand what they are, where they are, how they live, and avoid the dangerous delusion of giving up karma before reaching the goal.It would be as foolish to do so as to throw away the leaf before eating the food.", + "In modern times the attachment and distractions of the material world have assumed dangerous proportions. Man has sunk into the mire of material pleasures and is caught by them in a ready embrace from which he is not able to extricate himself. He is not able to conceive of anything higher than food and sex. The true joy of life is lost. Man is reduced to the level of animal creation. It would be understood by the purified intellect that joy and happiness cannot arise from dead matter. It is the greatest error to think so. True joy is actually flooding the heart of all people. What one imagines as joy coming from external objects is only reflected. Atmic happiness is ever-present in the heart. To know this is Jnana. Not to know this is Maya. The realised sage is perfectly contented because he knows that all the joys, delights, and pleasures of the material world are comprehended in the happiness of the Self. Knowing and realising this, he does not hanker for sense-pleasures. He does not go outside himself to seek for – this or that as the ignorant man does. He is Atmarama, Atmatripta, Atmatushta. The general term man (manavah) is used to show that no one is denied the merit of Self-realisation for reasons of caste, creed, or sex.", + "“He whose joy is only in himself, whose desires are only in himself, he has learned his lessons.” This is the great lesson that we are here to learn through myriads of births and heavens and hells — that there is nothing to be asked for, desired for, beyond one’s Self.[Source]", + "As the Gita says, “He whose devotion is to the Atman, he who does not want anything beyond Atman, he who has become satisfied in the Atman, what work is there for him to do?”[Source]", + "The highest men are calm, silent, and unknown. They are the men who really know the power of thought; they are sure that even if they go into a cave and close the door and simply think five true thoughts and then pass away, these five thoughts of theirs will live through eternity. Indeed such thoughts will penetrate through the mountains, cross the oceans, and travel through the world. They will enter deep into human hearts and brains and raise up men and women who will give them practical expression in the workings of human life. These sattvika men are too near the Lord to be active and to fight, to be working, struggling, preaching, and doing good, as they say, here on earth to humanity. The active workers, however good, have still a little remnant of ignorance left in them. When our nature has yet some impurities left in it, then alone can we work. It is in the nature of work to be impelled ordinarily by motive and by attachment. In the presence of an ever active Providence who notes even the sparrow’s fall, how can man attach any importance to his own work? Will it not be a blasphemy to do so when we know that He is taking care of the minutest things in the world? We have only to stand in awe and reverence before Him saying, “Thy will be done”. The highest men cannot work, for in them there is no attachment. Those whose whole soul is gone into the Self, those whose desires are confined in the Self, who have become ever associated with the Self, for them there is no work. Such are indeed the highest of mankind; but apart from them every one else has to work.[Source]", + "Every one must work in the universe. Only those who are perfectly satisfied with the Self, whose desires do not go beyond the Self, whose mind never strays out of the Self, to whom the Self is all in all, only those do not work. The rest must work.[Source]", + "“The Vedas speak of seven planes where the mind dwells. When the mind is immersed in worldliness it dwells in the three lower planes — at the navel, the organ of generation, and the organ of evacuation. In that state the mind loses all its higher visions — it broods only on ‘woman and gold’. The fourth plane of the mind is at the heart. When the mind dwells there, one has the first glimpse of spiritual consciousness. One sees light all around. Such a man, perceiving the divine light, becomes speechless with wonder and says: ‘Ah! What is this? What is this?’ His mind does not go downward to the objects of the world.", + "“The fifth plane of the mind is at the throat. When the mind reaches this, the aspirant becomes free from all ignorance and illusion. He does not enjoy talking or hearing about anything but God. If people talk about worldly things, he leaves the place at once.", + "“The sixth plane is at the forehead. When the mind reaches it, the aspirant sees the form of God day and night. But even then a little trace of ego remains. At the sight of that incomparable beauty of God’s form, one becomes intoxicated and rushes forth to touch and embrace it. But one doesn’t succeed. It is like the light inside a lantern. One feels as if one could touch the light, but one cannot on account of the pane of glass.", + "“In the top of the head is the seventh plane. When the mind rises there, one goes into samadhi. Then the Brahmajnani directly perceives Brahman. But in that state his body does not last many days. He remains unconscious of the outer world. If milk is poured into his mouth, it runs out. Dwelling on this plane of consciousness, he gives up his body in twenty-one days. That is the condition of the Brahmajnani. But yours is the path of devotion. That is a very good and easy path.", + "“Once a man said to me, ‘Sir, can you teach me quickly the thing you call samadhi?’ (All laugh.)", + "“After a man has attained samadhi all his actions drop away. All devotional activities, such as worship, japa, and the like, as well as all worldly duties, cease to exist for such a person. At the beginning there is much ado about work. As a man makes progress toward God, the outer display of his work becomes less and less — so much so that he cannot even sing the name and glories of God. (To Sivanath) As long as you were not here at the meeting, people talked a great deal about you and discussed your virtues. But no sooner did you arrive here than all that stopped. Now the very sight of you makes everyone happy. People now simply say, ‘Ah! Here is Shivanath Babu.’ All other talk about you has stopped.", + "“After attaining samadhi, I once went to the Ganges to perform tarpan. But as I took water in the palm of my hand, it trickled down through my fingers. Weeping, I said to Haladhari, “Cousin, what is this?’ Haladhari replied, ‘It is called galitahasta (Literally, “inert and benumbed hand”.) in the holy books.’ After the vision of God, such duties as the performance of tarpan drop away.", + "“In the kirtan the devotee first sings, ‘Nitai amar mata hati.’ (“My Nitai dances like a mad elephant.”) As the devotional mood deepens, he simply sings, ‘Hati! Hati!’ Next, all he can sing is ‘Hati’. And last of all he simply sings, ‘Ha!’ and goes into samadhi. The man who has been singing all the while then becomes speechless.", + "“Again, at a feast given to the brahmins one at first hears much noise of talking. When the guests sit on the floor with leaf-plates in front of them, much of the noise ceases. Then one hears only the cry, ‘Bring some luchi!’ As they partake of the luchi and other dishes, three quarters of the noise subsides. When the curd, the last course, appears, one hears only the sound ‘soop, soop’ as the guests eat the curd with their fingers. Then there is practically no noise. Afterwards all retire to sleep, and absolute silence reigns.", + "“Therefore I say, at the beginning of religious life a man makes much ado about work, but as his mind dives deeper into God, he becomes less active. Last of all comes the renunciation of work, followed by samadhi. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "SHRISH:“Under the pressure of duties people do many unrighteous things in the world. Further, some are engaged in good work, and some in evil. Is this due to their actions in previous births? Is that why they act this way?”", + "MASTER:“How long should a man perform his duties? As long as he has not attained God. Duties drop away after the realisation of God. Then one goes beyond good and evil. The flower drops off as soon as the fruit appears. The flower serves the purpose of begetting the fruit.“How long should a devotee perform daily devotions such as the sandhya? As long as his hair does not stand on end and his eyes do not shed tears at the name of God. These things indicate that the devotee has realised God, From these one knows that he has attained pure love of God. Realizing God one goes beyond virtue and vice.", + "I bow my head, says Prasad, before desire and liberation;Knowing the secret that Kali is one with the highest Brahman,I have discarded, once for all, both righteousness and sin.", + "“The more you advance toward God, the less He will give you worldly duties to perform.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "“Formal worship drops away after the vision of God. It was thus that my worship in the temple came to an end. I used to worship the Deity in the Kali temple. It was suddenly revealed to me that everything is Pure Spirit. The utensils of worship, the altar, the door-frame—all Pure Spirit. Men, animals, and other living beings — all Pure Spirit. Then like a madman I began to shower flowers in all directions. Whatever I saw I worshipped.“One day, while worshipping Siva, I was about to offer a bel-leaf on the head of the image, when it was revealed to me that this Virat, this Universe, itself is Siva. After that my worship of Siva through the image came to an end. Another day I had been plucking flowers, when it was revealed to me that the flowering plants were so many bouquets.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "“Without having realised God one cannot give up rituals altogether. How long should one practise the sandhya and other forms of ritualistic worship? As long as one does not shed tears of joy at the name of God and feel a thrill in one’s body. You will know that your ritualistic worship has come to an end when your eyes become filled with tears as you repeat ‘Om Rama’. Then you do not have to continue your sandhya or other rituals.“When the fruit appears the blossom drops off. Love of God is the fruit, and rituals are the blossom. When the daughter-in-law of the house becomes pregnant, she cannot do much work. Her mother-in-law gradually lessens her duties in the house. When her time arrives she does practically nothing. And after the child is born her only work is to play with it. She doesn’t do any household duties at all. The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, the Gayatri in Om, and Om in samadhi. It is like the sound of a bell:t — a — m. The yogi, by following in the trail of the sound Om, gradually merges himself in the Supreme Brahman. His sandhya and other ritualistic duties disappear in samadhi. Thus the duties of the jnani come to an end.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "In order to perform the worship of God you will be preoccupied for a long time with such religious duties as plucking flowers, making sandal-paste, polishing the utensils of worship, and arranging offerings. As you perform these duties your mind will naturally be directed to God. You will get rid of meanness, anger, jealousy, and so forth. When you two sisters talk to each other, always talk about spiritual matters.“The thing is somehow to unite the mind with God. You must not forget Him, not even once. Your thought of Him should be like the flow of oil, without any interruption (BG 6.19). It you worship with love even a brick or stone as God, then through His grace you can see Him.“Remember what I have just said to you. One should perform such worship as the Siva Puja. Once the mind has become mature, one doesn’t have to continue formal worship for long. The mind then always remains united with God; meditation and contemplation become a constant habit of mind.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "“The whole thing is to love God and taste His sweetness. He is sweetness and the devotee is its enjoyer. The devotee drinks the sweet Bliss of God. Further, God is the lotus and the devotee the bee. The devotee sips the honey of the lotus.“As a devotee cannot live without God, so also God cannot live without His devotee. Then the devotee becomes the sweetness, and God its enjoyer. The devotee becomes the lotus, and God the bee. It is the Godhead that has become these two in order to enjoy Its own Bliss. That is the significance of the episode of Radha and Krishna.“At the beginning of spiritual life the devotee should observe such rites as pilgrimage, putting a string of beads around his neck, and so forth. But outward ceremonies gradually drop off as he attains the goal, the vision of God. Then his only activity is the repetition of God’s name, and contemplation and meditation on Him.(Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "Question:Who is exempt from the law of karma?", + "Answer:The sage of self-realisation is free from the law of karma. For them, there is no work to do." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-17.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v17/" }, @@ -181,8 +365,20 @@ "sanskrit": "नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन |न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रय: || 18||", "transliteration": "naiva tasya kṛitenārtho nākṛiteneha kaśhchanana chāsya sarva-bhūteṣhu kaśhchid artha-vyapāśhrayaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "na—not; eva—indeed; tasya—his; kṛitena—by discharge of duty; arthaḥ—gain; na—not; akṛitena—without discharge of duty; iha—here; kaśhchana—whatsoever; na—never; cha—and; asya—of that person; sarva-bhūteṣhu—among all living beings; kaśhchit—any; artha—necessity; vyapāśhrayaḥ—to depend upon", - "translation": "For him, there is in this world no interest whatsoever by work done or not done. He does not depend upon any being for any object.", - "commentary": "It is said that the Jivanmukta may work or may not work. In both, he has nothing to gain or lose. He is constantly rooted in the Self and is perfectly satisfied in the Self. And so. with work done or not done he has no concern whatsoever. There is nothing for him to achieve beyond the realisation of Self. So the law of Karma Yoga does not apply to him. But we find that some of the realised sages engage themselves in work to illuminate mankind with true knowledge.", + "translation": [ + "For him, there is in this world no interest whatsoever by work done or not done. He does not depend upon any being for any object." + ], + "commentary": [ + "It is said that the Jivanmukta may work or may not work. In both, he has nothing to gain or lose. He is constantly rooted in the Self and is perfectly satisfied in the Self. And so. with work done or not done he has no concern whatsoever. There is nothing for him to achieve beyond the realisation of Self. So the law of Karma Yoga does not apply to him. But we find that some of the realised sages engage themselves in work to illuminate mankind with true knowledge.", + "The jivanmukta has nothing to seek from any being in the world. All pleasures, delights, and joys are in the Self, and he lives and moves and has his being in the Self. So, what would he need and to which of the Devas should he offer sacrifice? Why and what for? He has arrived at the central station of all Bliss and blessedness, the source from which all joy emanates expressing itself through the mind, the senses, and the body. All material benefits are included in Brahmananda according to the law – Satey Panchasat (Fifty is included in hundred). They have nothing to gain from anyone.", + "It should be understood that the Lord has spoken of the Jivanmukta. But the ordinary seeker has still to go a long way before reaching the goal. He should perform work with detachment and devotion to God. Of course, we see that men having completed their period of service qualify themselves for pension and live a free life. This does not apply to young men who are still students and workers. They should do their work and complete the term of work, and then only they qualify themselves to gain pension and be free from work. Otherwise, they lose their job and their livelihood. So the seeker should work with devotion and detachment, till by the grace of God, he is emancipated from the cycle of birth and death. This is the law for all common men.", + "“It is by no means necessary for a man always to be engaged in his duties. Actions drop away when one realizes, God, as the flower drops of itself when the fruit appears.", + "“He who has realized God no longer performs religious duties such as the sandhya. In his case the sandhya merges in the Gayatri. When that happens, it is enough for a person to repeat just the Gayatri mantra. Then the Gayatri merges in Om. After that one no longer chants even the Gayatri; it is enough then to chant simply Om. How long should a man practise such devotions as the sandhya? As long as he does not feel a thrill in his body and shed tears of joy while repeating the name of Rama or of Hari.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "MASTER (to M.):“What need of the sandhya has a man who thinks of God day and night?", + "What need of rituals has a man, what need of devotions any more,If he repeats the Mother’s name at the three holy hours?Rituals may pursue him close, but never can they overtake him.Charity, vows, and giving of gifts do not appeal to Madan’s mind;The Blissful Mother’s Lotus Feet are his whole prayer and sacrifice.", + "“The sandhya merges in the Gayatri, the Gayatri in Om. A man is firmly established in spiritual life when he goes into samadhi on uttering ‘Om’ only once. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-18.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v18/" }, @@ -192,8 +388,26 @@ "sanskrit": "तस्मादसक्त: सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर |असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुष: || 19||", "transliteration": "tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācharaasakto hyācharan karma param āpnoti pūruṣhaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "tasmāt—therefore; asaktaḥ—without attachment; satatam—constantly; kāryam—duty; karma—action; samāchara—perform; asaktaḥ—unattached; hi—certainly; ācharan—performing; karma—work; param—the Supreme; āpnoti—attains; pūruṣhaḥ—a person", - "translation": "Therefore that work which should be done, do it well always without attachment. He who performs all the prescribed duties in a detached spirit will attain the Supreme.", - "commentary": "Work should be done (1) without attachment and (2) as prescribed by the Sastras. Working in this way, the action becomes a means of liberation. So people should always perform Nishkama Karma. Detached work leads to the Supreme. Otherwise, it binds and becomes the cause of samsara. This is the secret of Karma yoga.", + "translation": [ + "Therefore that work which should be done, do it well always without attachment. He who performs all the prescribed duties in a detached spirit will attain the Supreme." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Work should be done (1) without attachment and (2) as prescribed by the Sastras. Working in this way, the action becomes a means of liberation. So people should always perform Nishkama Karma. Detached work leads to the Supreme. Otherwise, it binds and becomes the cause of samsara. This is the secret of Karma yoga.", + "It is here explained how karma yoga along with other yogas leads to emancipation. By Nishkama Karma the mind is purified and then it ascends to the highest plane.  Moksha is the purity of mind. Purity is attained by detached action.", + "Generally among seekers very few take to Jnana yoga or Dhyana yoga. Most people are naturally inclined to Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga. So the Lord lays special emphasis on Karma yoga as it is the natural path of evolution for the majority of mankind.", + "To work without motive, to work unattached, brings the highest bliss and freedom. This secret of karma-yoga is taught by the Lord Shri Krishna in the Gita.[Source]", + "Disciple:But, sir, if one has to renounce the fruits of work, why should one be induced to undertake work which is always troublesome?", + "Swamiji:In this human life, one cannot help doing some kind of work always. When man has perforce to do some work, karma-yoga enjoins on him to do it in such a way as will bring freedom through the realization of the Atman.[Source]", + "We also read this in the Gita and learn that we have to work, constantly work with all our power; to put our whole mind in the work, whatever it be, that we are doing. At the same time, we must not be attached. That is to say, we must not be drawn away from work by anything else; still, we must be able to quit the work whenever we like.[Source]", + "That is the one cause of misery: we are attached, we are being caught. Therefore says the Gita: Work constantly; work, but be not attached; be not caught. Reserve unto yourself the power of detaching yourself from everything, however beloved, however much the soul might yearn for it, however great the pangs of misery you feel if you were going to leave it; still, reserve the power of leaving it whenever you want.[Source]", + "“You people speak of doing good to the world. Is the world such a small thing? And who are you, pray, to do good to the world? First realise God, see Him by means of spiritual discipline. If He imparts power, then you can do good to others; otherwise not.”A BRAHMO DEVOTEE:“Then, sir, we must give up our activities until we realise God?”MASTER:“No. Why should you? You must engage in such activities as contemplation, singing His praises, and other daily devotions.”BRAHMO:“But what about our worldly duties — duties associated with our earning money, and so on?”MASTER:“Yes, you can perform them too, but only as much as you need for your livelihood.At the same time, you must pray to God in solitude, with tears in your eyes, that you may be able to perform those duties in an unselfish manner. You should say to Him: ‘O God, make my worldly duties fewer and fewer; otherwise, O Lord, I find that I forget Thee when I am involved in too many activities. I may think I am doing unselfish work, but it turns out to be selfish.’People who carry to excess the giving of alms, or the distributing of food among the poor, fall victims to the desire of acquiring name and fame.", + "…..Work is only a means to the realisation of God.Therefore I said to Sambhu, ‘Suppose God appears before you; then will you ask Him to build hospitals and dispensaries for you?’ (Laughter.) A lover of God never says that. He will rather say: ‘O Lord, give me a place at Thy Lotus Feet. Keep me always in Thy company. Give me sincere and pure love for Thee.’", + "“Karmayoga is very hard indeed. In the Kaliyuga it is extremely difficult to perform the rites enjoined in the scriptures. Nowadays man’s life is centred on food alone. He cannot perform many scriptural rites. Suppose a man is laid up with fever. If you attempt a slow cure with the old-fashioned indigenous remedies, before long his life may be snuffed out. He can’t stand much delay. Nowadays the drastic ‘D. Gupta’ (A patent fever medicine containing a strong dose of quinine.) mixture is appropriate. In the Kaliyuga the best way is bhaktiyoga, the path of devotion — singing the praises of the Lord, and prayer. The path of devotion alone is the religion for this age. (To the Brahmo devotees) Yours also is the path of devotion. Blessed you are indeed that you chant the name of Hari and sing the Divine Mother’s glories. I like your attitude. You don’t call the world a dream, like the non-dualists. You are not Brahmajnanis like them; you are bhaktas, lovers of God. That you speak of Him as a Person is also good. You are devotees. You will certainly realise Him if you call on Him with sincerity and earnestness.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Question:How should man perform work?", + "Answer:Man should act without attachment and according to the Sastras.", + "Question:What is the result of such work?", + "Answer:Moksha, the highest state of liberation is attained." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-19.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v19/" }, @@ -203,8 +417,19 @@ "sanskrit": "कर्मणैव हि संसिद्धिमास्थिता जनकादय: |लोकसंग्रहमेवापि सम्पश्यन्कर्तुमर्हसि || 20||", "transliteration": "karmaṇaiva hi sansiddhim āsthitā janakādayaḥloka-saṅgraham evāpi sampaśhyan kartum arhasi", "word_by_word_meaning": "karmaṇā—by the performance of prescribed duties; eva—only; hi—certainly; sansiddhim—perfection; āsthitāḥ—attained; janaka-ādayaḥ—King Janak and other kings; loka-saṅgraham—for the welfare of the masses; eva api—only; sampaśhyan—considering; kartum—to perform; arhasi—you should;", - "translation": "King Janaka and others attained perfection by action. Even having in view the need to show the right path to the masses, you should work.", - "commentary": "The principle that man attains liberation by Nishkama karma is illustrated by the example of King Janaka and others like Asvapati, Ikshvaku, Ambarisha, Bhagiradha. They were all emperors who followed the doctrine of Nishkama karma and attained the highest spiritual goal. It is an ancient way of life, and men of the greatest responsibilities in the world understood the secret of the work and practised it in their daily life. Arjuna, a prince of the Royal family of Bharata, could do it. It is an answer to the doubt whether man could attain Moksha while engaged in the practical duties of the world, and whether work could lead to liberation. Nishkama karma purifies the mind and knowledge dawns at once. It is said in the Yoga Vasista that Janaka performed many acts of righteousness without attachment, purified his mind thereby, and by enquiry into the Self, realised the Supreme Being.", + "translation": [ + "King Janaka and others attained perfection by action. Even having in view the need to show the right path to the masses, you should work." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The principle that man attains liberation by Nishkama karma is illustrated by the example of King Janaka and others like Asvapati, Ikshvaku, Ambarisha, Bhagiradha. They were all emperors who followed the doctrine of Nishkama karma and attained the highest spiritual goal. It is an ancient way of life, and men of the greatest responsibilities in the world understood the secret of the work and practised it in their daily life. Arjuna, a prince of the Royal family of Bharata, could do it. It is an answer to the doubt whether man could attain Moksha while engaged in the practical duties of the world, and whether work could lead to liberation. Nishkama karma purifies the mind and knowledge dawns at once. It is said in the Yoga Vasista that Janaka performed many acts of righteousness without attachment, purified his mind thereby, and by enquiry into the Self, realised the Supreme Being.", + "The Lord further emphasises the need for good work even from a worldly point of view. Man should work at least to serve mankind, to show them the right path, and to set an example to them. Service to humanity has indeed a very high place in religion and philosophy. Even to help a single individual is indeed a great work. To liberate oneself, and then to lead others to spiritual illumination is undoubtedly the highest act of service to mankind. Wealth and lands, power and position could be won and lost. But emancipation and God-realisation is a blessing to humanity. So the Lord advises Arjuna to work, not only for self-purification but to show the path of work to mankind and help the masses by his personal example.", + "Referring to Keshab’s association with “woman and gold”, which had hindered his work as a spiritual teacher, Sri Ramakrishna said to Vijay, “He — do you understand?”", + "VIJAY:“Yes, sir.”", + "MASTER:“He couldn’t achieve very much because he wanted to satisfy both God and the world.”", + "VIJAY:“Chaitanya said to Nityananda: ‘Nitai, I shall not be able to do the people any good unless I renounce the world. All will imitate me and want to lead the life of a householder. No one will try to direct his whole mind to the Lotus Feet of God, renouncing “woman and gold”.'”", + "MASTER:“Yes. Chaitanyadeva renounced the world to set an example to mankind.", + "“The sannyasi must renounce ‘woman and gold’ for his own welfare. Even if he is unattached, and consequently not in danger, still, in order to set an example to others, he must not keep ‘woman and gold’ near him. The sannyasi, the man of renunciation, is a world teacher. It is his example that awakens the spiritual consciousness of men.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-20.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v20/" }, @@ -214,8 +439,20 @@ "sanskrit": "यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जन: |स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते || 21||", "transliteration": "yad yad ācharati śhreṣhṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥsa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate", "word_by_word_meaning": "yat yat—whatever; ācharati—does; śhreṣhṭhaḥ—the best; tat tat—that (alone); eva—certainly; itaraḥ—common; janaḥ—people; saḥ—they; yat—whichever; pramāṇam—standard; kurute—perform; lokaḥ—world; tat—that; anuvartate—pursues", - "translation": "What-so-ever a great man does, that other men do; whatever he sets up as the standard, that the world follows.", - "commentary": "The Lord argues the issue from a practical point of view. The actions of great men occupying a spectacular position in the world are observed by the common people. Naturally, they act in the same way. What the elders do, children imitate.We see this daily very often that to justify one’s actions, one refers to the example of great men.So, as a man acquires leadership, comes to occupy a prominent position, he should be extremely careful about what de does. It is the social responsibility of that man to live up to a high standard of moral and spiritual conduct.", + "translation": [ + "What-so-ever a great man does, that other men do; whatever he sets up as the standard, that the world follows." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The Lord argues the issue from a practical point of view. The actions of great men occupying a spectacular position in the world are observed by the common people. Naturally, they act in the same way. What the elders do, children imitate.We see this daily very often that to justify one’s actions, one refers to the example of great men.So, as a man acquires leadership, comes to occupy a prominent position, he should be extremely careful about what de does. It is the social responsibility of that man to live up to a high standard of moral and spiritual conduct.", + "Individually a man may be a Jnani. He may not be bound by any kind of action. But so long as he is in an embodied state, his outer life should be perfectly befitting the injunctions of the Sastras.Generally, when one comes across a realised saint, he regards him as the standard of excellence, as an example and demonstration of Sastric law in actual life. Thus he has a social responsibility to show the right way to the masses by following the Sastras.", + "What the great people and leaders do, is copied by the common man. Yatha raja tatha praja. That is the popular saying of the elders. Arjuna was a prominent figure at that time. People looked up to him with admiration. So the Lord instructs him to act, to carry out the injunctions of the Sastras, to perform the duty prescribed by the standard in life, to fight the battle as a Kshatriya ought to do, and thus set an example of Nishkama Karma. If he fails to stand up to the law, he would confuse and corrupt the minds of the people and they would lose both the material and spiritual realms. They would become inactive, lazy and by self-delusion, they may become hypocrites pretending to have Jnana which they do not really possess.", + "The principles, doctrines, and laws which the elders accept and follow form the code of conduct for the masses. So the elders of the community should make it a rule to follow the truth, to follow the sastras, to live nobly, to shed the light of the spirit all around, to be the beacons and guide-posts for all people in their journey through life. The Lord exhorts Arjuna to set a great example of righteous action for the people.", + "The Lord insists on practice and not mere talk. Anyone can talk high philosophy, but very few people are able to mould their life according to the truths of spirituality. The master should live the life according to Atma Dharma, and show the world how such life should be lived. It is only then that the people could cultivate faith in God and the laws of the Sastras.", + "“Even if you have known the secret that you have no duty, that you are free, still you have to work for the good of others. Because whatever a great man does, ordinary people will do also.”[Source]", + "“The sannyasi must observe very strict discipline. He must not look even at the picture of a woman. But this rule doesn’t apply to householders. An aspirant should not associate with a woman, even though she is very much devoted to God. A sannyasi, even though he may have subdued his passions, should follow this discipline to set an example to householders.“Worldly people learn renunciation by seeing the complete renunciation of a monk; otherwise they sink more and more. A sannyasi is a world teacher.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "“But it is extremely harmful for a sannyasi. He must not look even at the portrait of a woman. A monk enjoying a woman is like a man swallowing the spittle he has already spat out. A sannyasi must not sit near a woman and talk to her, even if she is intensely pious. No, he must not talk to a woman even though he may have controlled his passion.“A sannyasi must renounce both ‘woman’ and ‘gold’. As he must not look even at the portrait of a woman, so also he must not touch gold, that is to say, money. It is bad for him even to keep money near him, for it brings in its train calculation, worry, insolence, anger, and such evils. There is an instance in the sun: it shines brightly; suddenly a cloud appears and hides it.“That is why I didn’t agree to the Marwari’s depositing money for me with Hriday. I said: ‘No, I won’t allow even that. If I keep money near me, it will certainly raise clouds.’“Why all these strict rules for a sannyasi? It is for the welfare of mankind as well as for his own good. A sannyasi may himself lead an unattached life and may have controlled his passion, but he must renounce ‘woman and gold’ to set an example to the world.“A man will have the courage to practise renunciation if he sees one hundred per cent renunciation in a sannyasi. Then only will he try to give up ‘woman and gold’. If a sannyasi does not set this example, then who will? (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-21.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v21/" }, @@ -225,8 +462,13 @@ "sanskrit": "न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन |नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यं वर्त एव च कर्मणि || 22||", "transliteration": "na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣhu lokeṣhu kiñchananānavāptam avāptavyaṁ varta eva cha karmaṇi", "word_by_word_meaning": "na—not; me—mine; pārtha—Arjun; asti—is; kartavyam—duty; triṣhu—in the three; lokeṣhu—worlds; kiñchana—any; na—not; anavāptam—to be attained; avāptavyam—to be gained; varte—I am engaged; eva—yet; cha—also; karmaṇi—in prescribed duties", - "translation": "There is no duty for me to do in the three worlds. There is nothing unattained or to be attained for me. And yet I am also engaged in work.", - "commentary": "Lord Krishna is God himself. He is in all the worlds and all the worlds are in Him. What then should he work for? What is he to gain by work? He is everything, and yet out of compassion for humanity, He incarnates Himself, again and again, to maintain Dharma for the well-being and progress of the world. He is ceaselessly working everywhere for establishing Dharma. He, the infinite formless Brahman, takes birth, comes into the world, mingles with men, teaches them, elevates them, and leads them on to freedom and bliss. If the Lord Himself is thus engaged in work, should not the common man work for his own good? The great Jivanmuktas like Buddha, Shankara, and a long line of sages and prophets have all done tremendous work in the World. Why? Not for their own gain, because they have nothing to gain, but for the sake of humanity. So the seekers and aspirants should do honest and sincere work to purify themselves and attain the spiritual aim. They should not be inactive, because inaction is tamas. Work, work, is the Lord’s command. Work without attachment, performing one’s duty unmindful of the results, is the law of karma yoga.", + "translation": [ + "There is no duty for me to do in the three worlds. There is nothing unattained or to be attained for me. And yet I am also engaged in work." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Lord Krishna is God himself. He is in all the worlds and all the worlds are in Him. What then should he work for? What is he to gain by work? He is everything, and yet out of compassion for humanity, He incarnates Himself, again and again, to maintain Dharma for the well-being and progress of the world. He is ceaselessly working everywhere for establishing Dharma. He, the infinite formless Brahman, takes birth, comes into the world, mingles with men, teaches them, elevates them, and leads them on to freedom and bliss. If the Lord Himself is thus engaged in work, should not the common man work for his own good? The great Jivanmuktas like Buddha, Shankara, and a long line of sages and prophets have all done tremendous work in the World. Why? Not for their own gain, because they have nothing to gain, but for the sake of humanity. So the seekers and aspirants should do honest and sincere work to purify themselves and attain the spiritual aim. They should not be inactive, because inaction is tamas. Work, work, is the Lord’s command. Work without attachment, performing one’s duty unmindful of the results, is the law of karma yoga.", + "Our best work is done, our greatest influence is exerted, when we are without thought of self. All great geniuses know this. Let us open ourselves to the one Divine Actor, and let Him act, and do nothing ourselves. “O Arjuna! I have no duty in the whole world”, says Krishna. Be perfectly resigned, perfectly unconcerned; then alone can you do any true work. No eyes can see the real forces, we can only see the results. Put out self, lose it, forget it; just let God work, it is His business. We have nothing to do but stand aside and let God work. The more we go away, the more God comes in. Get rid of the little “I”, and let only the great “I” live.[Source]" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-22-1.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v22/" }, @@ -236,8 +478,15 @@ "sanskrit": "यदि ह्यहं न वर्तेयं जातु कर्मण्यतन्द्रित: |मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्�� सर्वश: || 23||", "transliteration": "yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥmama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "yadi—if; hi—certainly; aham—I; na—not; varteyam—thus engage; jātu—ever; karmaṇi—in the performance of prescribed duties; atandritaḥ—carefully; mama—my; vartma—path; anuvartante—follow; manuṣhyāḥ—all men; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; sarvaśhaḥ—in all respects", - "translation": "If I am not engaged in action always, without relaxation, men follow my path in every way, O Arjuna!", - "commentary": "Unworried and unrelaxed, the Lord is every moment actively engaged in work for the protection and welfare of all beings in all the world, because, if He remains inactive, all the people follow the same path and go down unto anarchy and self-destruction. That is why great men, ideal personalities, prophets, and leaders are constantly alert and active in the service of humanity. Even today we come across karma yogis of great eminence. History has recorded the lives of many of the leaders, and the way how they worked till the last breath of their life for a righteous cause.", + "translation": [ + "If I am not engaged in action always, without relaxation, men follow my path in every way, O Arjuna!" + ], + "commentary": [ + "Unworried and unrelaxed, the Lord is every moment actively engaged in work for the protection and welfare of all beings in all the world, because, if He remains inactive, all the people follow the same path and go down unto anarchy and self-destruction. That is why great men, ideal personalities, prophets, and leaders are constantly alert and active in the service of humanity. Even today we come across karma yogis of great eminence. History has recorded the lives of many of the leaders, and the way how they worked till the last breath of their life for a righteous cause.", + "Moreover, the wordatandritah(without relaxation) implies that the seekers and aspirants should be alert and watchful in the sadhana. If the Lord who is eternally free and perfect is so alert and watchful in performing his duty, how much more so should the common man be in his discipline to free himself from the shackles of Samsara. However intelligent one may be, if he is not vigilant, he is easily knocked out of his path by Maya. The senses are so powerful as to draw away the mind from the spiritual idea. Night and day, at all times, under all circumstances, vigilance is necessary to preserve the mind from lapsing into dullness and sense-pleasures. Discrimination between the real and the unreal, God’s grace, ceaseless effort are all necessary for spiritual progress. How much care is needed for the driver of an Express Train in the night! Could he afford to be negligent? How many lives depend on his care and caution? Even so, the seeker has to be continuously vigilant and active in his practices. The human machine is sure to be damaged if he is negligent and a breakdown is certain.", + "Always: The lord is always alert in the performance of his duty for the welfare of mankind. The Sastras say – ‘negligence is death (Pramado vai mrityuh)’.", + "Negligence regarding the awareness of Brahman should not be at any time. Such forgetfulness of Atma is death – so says Sanatkumara. The seeker should therefore remember the keywordalert (atandritah)and always be wakeful in his contemplation of the Self." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-23.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v23/" }, @@ -247,8 +496,20 @@ "sanskrit": "उत्सीदेयुरिमे लोका न कुर्यां कर्म चेदहम् |सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमा: प्रजा: || 24||", "transliteration": "utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṁ karma ched ahamsankarasya cha kartā syām upahanyām imāḥ prajāḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "utsīdeyuḥ—would perish; ime—all these; lokāḥ—worlds; na—not; kuryām—I perform; karma—prescribed duties; chet—if; aham—I; sankarasya—of uncultured population; cha—and; kartā—responsible; syām—would be; upahanyām—would destroy; imāḥ—all these; prajāḥ—living entities", - "translation": "These worlds would perish if I do not perform work; I would be the cause of the confusion of species and the destruction of these beings.", - "commentary": "If I do not work, these worlds would perish. People would not work. Consequently, there would be confusion in all fields of life. Peace would not be there. People would become unrighteous and sinful. As a result, natural calamities would overtake them. I would be the author and cause of the destruction of beings. So, for the protection and welfare of all the worlds, I work. Thus the Lord proves the need for the discipline of karma yoga in the world.", + "translation": [ + "These worlds would perish if I do not perform work; I would be the cause of the confusion of species and the destruction of these beings." + ], + "commentary": [ + "If I do not work, these worlds would perish. People would not work. Consequently, there would be confusion in all fields of life. Peace would not be there. People would become unrighteous and sinful. As a result, natural calamities would overtake them. I would be the author and cause of the destruction of beings. So, for the protection and welfare of all the worlds, I work. Thus the Lord proves the need for the discipline of karma yoga in the world.", + "The Lord is the cosmic intelligence who gives the law for the orderly evolution of the Universe. The plan of the Universe and its orderly functioning is due to the will of the Lord. Let us imagine what would happen to mankind on the globe if the laws of the universe are relaxed for a brief while. The whole world would crash into destruction. The pride of human intelligence appears childish when one contemplates the beneficent power that keeps the planets in their orbits. So the Lord says that if he does not work the world would perish.", + "The same law applies to the various duties and functions of man for the orderly maintenance and progress of humanity. The violation of this law would lead to confusion of duties and functions The Lord expects every man to keep the law by the performance of the duties in the scheme of the world. By doing so, the community as a whole would grow and prosper. Karma Yoga, besides being the path of self-purification and Self-realisation, is the divine technic to secure peace and prosperity for mankind in this earthly life.", + "Work day and night! “Behold, I am the Lord of the Universe. I have no duty. Every duty is bondage. But I work for work’s sake. If I ceased to work for a minute, [there would be chaos].” So do thou work, without any idea of duty.[Source]", + "Krishna says, “Look at Me, Arjuna! If I stop from work for one moment, the whole universe will die. I have nothing to gain from work; I am the one Lord, but why do I work? Because I love the world.” God is unattached because He loves; that real love makes us unattached.[Source]", + "If a great man who has attained peace of mind and freedom ceases to work, then all the rest without that knowledge and peace will try to imitate him, and thus confusion would arise. “Behold, Arjuna, there is nothing that I do not possess and nothing that I want to acquire. And yet I continue to work. If I stopped work for a moment, the whole universe would [be destroyed].”[Source]", + "The first is the question of creation, that this nature, Prakriti, Maya is infinite, without beginning. It is not that this world was created the other day, not that a God came and created the world and since that time has been sleeping; for that cannot be. The creative energy is still going on. God is eternally creating — is never at rest. Remember the passage in the Gita where Krishna says, “If I remain at rest for one moment, this universe will be destroyed.” If that creative energy which is working all around us, day and night, stops for a second, the whole thing falls to the ground. There never was a time when that energy did not work throughout the universe, but there is the law of cycles, pralaya.[Source]", + "Thus the vital point of our national life has been touched; otherwise, why should we sink to this degraded state? Read in the Gita, “सङ्करस्य च कर्ता स्यामुपहन्यामिमा: प्रजा: — I should then be the cause of the admixture of races, and I should thus ruin these beings.” How came this terrible varna-samkarya — this confounding mixture of all castes — and disappearance of all qualitative distinctions? Why has the white complexion of our forefathers now become black? Why did the sattva-guna give place to the prevailing tamas with a sprinkling, as it were, of rajas in it? That is a long story to tell, and I reserve my answer for some future occasion. For the present, try to understand this, that if the jati dharma (*) be rightly and truly preserved, the nation shall never fall.[Source]", + "*Jati dharma, that is, the dharma enjoined according to the different castes — the svadharma, that is, one’s own dharma, or set of duties prescribed for man according to his capacity and position — which is the very basis of Vedic religion and Vedic society." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-24.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v24/" }, @@ -258,8 +519,20 @@ "sanskrit": "सक्ता: कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत |कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम् || 25||", "transliteration": "saktāḥ karmaṇyavidvānso yathā kurvanti bhāratakuryād vidvāns tathāsaktaśh chikīrṣhur loka-saṅgraham", "word_by_word_meaning": "saktāḥ—attached; karmaṇi—duties; avidvānsaḥ—the ignorant; yathā—as much as; kurvanti—act; bhārata—scion of Bharat (Arjun); kuryāt—should do; vidvān—the wise; tathā—thus; asaktaḥ—unattached; chikīrṣhuḥ—wishing; loka-saṅgraham—welfare of the world", - "translation": "O Arjuna! As the ignorant men work with attachment to action, so should the wise act without attachment, for the welfare of the world.", - "commentary": "According toSwami Ranganathananda, 13th president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, this is the most important verse of the Bhagavad Gita. (Narrated by Swami Shuddhidananda in the audio below.)", + "translation": [ + "O Arjuna! As the ignorant men work with attachment to action, so should the wise act without attachment, for the welfare of the world." + ], + "commentary": [ + "According toSwami Ranganathananda, 13th president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, this is the most important verse of the Bhagavad Gita. (Narrated by Swami Shuddhidananda in the audio below.)", + "The wise and the ignorant both perform work. But there is a clear difference in attitude between the two. The wise act without attachment to the fruits of work. The ignorant act with attachment to the fruits of work. The wise are not entangled in work because they have no sense of doership. The ignorant are caught in the meshes of work by thinking that they are the doers. The wise work for the welfare of the world. The ignorant work for their own satisfaction.Work is common to both. But what a world of difference in purpose and spirit.Therefore the wise attain liberation through work and the ignorant are bound to the wheel of birth and death. Work is like a sword. For one who knows how to use it, it is a good instrument of action; for another, it is a deadly weapon of self-destruction. The wise use fire for useful purposes, the ignorant get themselves burned by it. This being so, it is essential that the seeker should understand the secret of right action, it method, attitude, and aim.", + "The Lord says, “Do not be inactive. Use this great instrument of action (karma) for Self-realisation. Know how you should work and with what aim.” He explains the method here. The principle of work is detachment. Work should be done without desire for the personal enjoyment of the fruits thereof, and unmindful of success or failure.", + "The common man is constantly at work, earning money with zeal and enthusiasm, building houses, purchasing lands, securing for himself and his family all the material pleasures of life. Besides, he thinks that he is the doer of all this work. But the impersonal attitude to work is Karma yoga. The wise people work with equal zeal and enthusiasm, but they know that they are only the instruments of the Lord in the service of humanity. Acting in this spirit, they attain liberation.", + "Welfare of the world:We understand from these words that the Lord values service to humanity and other beings. It is the duty of all seekers to do what is most pleasing to the Lord. In this service, work is worship of the Lord. Any little help and service done to fellow beings is accepted by Him as an act of devotion to Him.", + "Bharata:The ordinary meaning for this word is one who belongs to the family of Bharata. It has a special meaning also.Bhameans light,ratahmeans desirous of light (spiritual illumination). The lord address Arjuna as the seeker of divine light. He exhorts his disciple to dispel darkness by spiritual realisation.", + "“That which the ignorant do with desire for results and gain, let the wise do without any attachment and without any desire for results and gain.”[Source]", + "Once a devotee named Rao, who always sawSwami TyagishanandaMaharaj engrossed in normal chores like cooking and tending cows, asked in a lighter vein,“Swamiji, what is the difference between a householder and you? We worry about our children and you worry about your cows”. Maharaj promptly replied, “Rao, there is an important difference. If tomorrow the Headquarters sends me a postcard asking me to leave to another Centre, I just take my loin-cloth and leave.” He then made a gesture of wiping his hands sideways, implying finishing with a task for good (and not even taking the dust of that place). “Can a householder walk out of his home in this way?” he asked.—Swami Harshananda", + "There are good souls, calm and magnanimous, who do good to others as does the spring, and who, having themselves crossed this dreadful ocean of birth and death,help others also to cross the same, without any motive whatsoever.—Vivekachudamani, Verse 37" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-25.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v25/" }, @@ -269,8 +542,25 @@ "sanskrit": "न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम् |जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्त: समाचरन् || 26||", "transliteration": "na buddhi-bhedaṁ janayed ajñānāṁ karma-saṅgināmjoṣhayet sarva-karmāṇi vidvān yuktaḥ samācharan", "word_by_word_meaning": "na—not; buddhi-bhedam—discord in the intellects; janayet—should create; ajñānām—of the ignorant; karma-saṅginām—who are attached to fruitive actions; joṣhayet—should inspire (them) to perform; sarva—all; karmāṇi—prescribed; vidvān—the wise; yuktaḥ—enlightened; samācharan—performing properly", - "translation": "The wise man should not disturb and confuse the minds of the ignorant attached to action. By performing all actions with yogic equanimity, they should make the ignorant do accordingly.", - "commentary": "The Lord continues to lay stress on the duty of the wise to lead the people on the right path by personal demonstration of karma yoga.", + "translation": [ + "The wise man should not disturb and confuse the minds of the ignorant attached to action. By performing all actions with yogic equanimity, they should make the ignorant do accordingly." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The Lord continues to lay stress on the duty of the wise to lead the people on the right path by personal demonstration of karma yoga.", + "The Jnani, though he is individually free from all action and work, should not disturb and confuse the minds of the people by abstract doctrines and theories. He should set the example by his personal life. It is only then that people could understand the secret of Karma yoga. The world is action; life is action; people are acting in a variety of ways; the whole of nature is in ceaseless motion. The realised sage may understand the state of absolute stillness in the Supreme Being, but for all others, it is a theory that they do not comprehend. Several people who are religiously-minded are doing worship with some faith in God in the hope of gaining some worldly good. The poor man worships God to attain some property. The sick man worships God to be relieved of pain and suffering. The house-holder beset with a thousand difficulties all around worships God to overcome the troubles of life. All this is sakama karma. But it would be foolish to tell them that what they are doing is wrong.", + "Such verbal teaching makes no meaning to them. It might confuse their minds and some of them may give up action, thinking that it is the right path.So the wise man should be careful that his teaching does not run counter to the law of nature and human disposition.He should remain steadfast in the Atmic state, work without attachment, be equal-minded under all circumstances, and emanate peace and blessedness all around him. Thus the people would see and understand how they should live and work. It is not theory. It is the direct personal example the lord wants the wise man (Vidvan) to present before the people.", + "Anyone with a little learning of religious theory can make impressive speeches from the public platform. People may admire his eloquence and flowery flow of language. But it does not enlighten the people. Anything could be affirmed or denied by subtle argument. This leads nowhere. Instead of clarifying the position, it makes confusion worse confounded. But real solid experience and practical living needs no argument to prove the efficacy of religious realisation. When we come across a realised one who emanates peace and blessedness by his very presence, all doubts come to rest and the seeker experiences a state of mind which is an affirmation of spiritual Truth. No more argumentation, speculation, theories and dogmas, and doubts. They are all gone, and people would come to know what life in the Spirit is and how to live it. That is what the Lord expects the wise man to do.", + "Doing with equanimity:The Lord’s command is that the wise man, established in the Self, should perform work with equanimity and by his detachment, purity, and peace show the way to all.", + "Q. — Are sects, ceremonies, and scriptures helps to realization?", + "A. — When a man realizes, he gives up everything. The various sects and ceremonies and books, so far as they are the means of arriving at that point, are all right. But when they fail in that, we must change them. “The knowing one must not despise the condition of those who are ignorant, nor should the knowing one destroy the faith of the ignorant in their own particular method, but by proper action lead them and show them the path to come to where he stands.”[Source]", + "Do not try to disturb the faith of any man. If you can, give him something better; if you can, get hold of a man where he stands and give him a push upwards; do so, but do not destroy what he has. The only true teacher is he who can convert himself, as it were, into a thousand persons at a moment’s notice. The only true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student, and transfer his soul to the student’s soul and see through the student’s eyes and hear through his ears and understand through his mind. Such a teacher can really teach and none else. All these negative, breaking-down, destructive teachers that are in the world can never do any good.[Source]", + "Speak out the truth boldly, without any fear that it will puzzle the weak. Men are selfish; they do not want others to come up to the same level of their knowledge, for fear of losing their own privilege and prestige over others. Their contention is that the knowledge of the highest spiritual truths will bring about confusion in the understanding of the weak-minded men, and so the shloka goes: “One should not unsettle the understanding of the ignorant, attached to action (by teaching them jnana): the wise man, himself steadily acting, should engage the ignorant in all work.”[Source]", + "What right have you to say that this man’s method is wrong? It may be wrong for you. That is to say, if you undertake the method, you will be degraded; but that does not mean that he will be degraded. Therefore, says Krishna, if you have knowledge and see a man weak, do not condemn him. Go to his level and help him if you can. He must grow.[Source]", + "Even if you have knowledge, do not disturb the childlike faith of the ignorant. On the other hand, go down to their level and gradually bring them up. That is a very powerful idea, and it has become the ideal in India. That is why you can see a great philosopher going into a temple and worshipping images. It is not hypocrisy.[Source]", + "One should not discuss the discipline of the Impersonal God or the path of knowledge with a bhakta. Through great effort perhaps he is just cultivating a little devotion. You will injure it if you explain away everything as a mere dream. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Question:How should the wise teach the ignorant?", + "Answer:The wise should live a pure life and work in a detached way, and set an example for others to follow." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-26.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v26/" }, @@ -280,8 +570,33 @@ "sanskrit": "प्रकृते: क्रियमाणानि गुणै: कर्माणि सर्वश: |अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते || 27||", "transliteration": "prakṛiteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśhaḥahankāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate", "word_by_word_meaning": "prakṛiteḥ—of material nature; kriyamāṇāni—carried out; guṇaiḥ—by the three modes; karmāṇi—activities; sarvaśhaḥ—all kinds of; ahankāra-vimūḍha-ātmā—those who are bewildered by the ego and misidentify themselves with the body; kartā—the doer; aham—I; iti—thus; manyate—thinks", - "translation": "By the qualities of nature, actions are performed in all cases, but one whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks “I am the doer”.", - "commentary": "The Lord explains how the action takes place. Action takes place by the power of the qualities of nature. Those qualities are – Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. They are called the three Gunas. These qualities of nature are modified into the four elements –manas, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara, the five subtle elements, the five organs of action, the five organs of perception, and the five objects of the senses. Thus the human organism and the universe around are the product of Nature. All actions wherever and in whatever manner they take place are actually done by the power of the three gunas. Atma remains as the eternal uncontaminated witness. The real man is Atma. It is the witness of the body, the internal and external organs, and the modifications of the mind. In truth, the real man is not the doer. All the actions that man apparently performs with his physical and subtle organs is the work of Nature, and not of the man himself in his real Being. But the deluded man having identified himself with the body thinks “I am the doer,” and so thinking he burdens himself with the responsibility for all of them. Consequently, he has to pass through several births and suffer endless pain and sorrow.", + "translation": [ + "By the qualities of nature, actions are performed in all cases, but one whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks “I am the doer”." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The Lord explains how the action takes place. Action takes place by the power of the qualities of nature. Those qualities are – Satva, Rajas, and Tamas. They are called the three Gunas. These qualities of nature are modified into the four elements –manas, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara, the five subtle elements, the five organs of action, the five organs of perception, and the five objects of the senses. Thus the human organism and the universe around are the product of Nature. All actions wherever and in whatever manner they take place are actually done by the power of the three gunas. Atma remains as the eternal uncontaminated witness. The real man is Atma. It is the witness of the body, the internal and external organs, and the modifications of the mind. In truth, the real man is not the doer. All the actions that man apparently performs with his physical and subtle organs is the work of Nature, and not of the man himself in his real Being. But the deluded man having identified himself with the body thinks “I am the doer,” and so thinking he burdens himself with the responsibility for all of them. Consequently, he has to pass through several births and suffer endless pain and sorrow.", + "This is exactly the difference between the wise and the ignorant. The ignorant man imagines himself to be the body and thinks that he is the doer, enjoyer of all actions and the fruits thereof. The wise man seprates himself from the vehicle of the body and knows that he is the Self, that he is not the doer nor is he subject to the binding power of his actions.", + "Joy and sorrow depend upon the idea of doership. If you think you are the body, you have to bear pain and grief and all the innumerable ills of life. If you think you are the Self, you are at the source of all bliss. So let the seeker discriminate between the Self and the non-Self, and know his real nature. Then all that he does is sublimated into the Self and remains unaffected.", + "The secret of Karma Yoga is to understand the law how actions are performed and with what power they are performed. The Lord makes it clear that the cause of action is Nature functioning through the three gunas.", + "One whose mind is deluded by egoism:The ignorant man is deluded by his ego and considers that he is doing this and that and all the thousand actions of bodily life. Identification with the body “Dehatma Buddhi” is the root cause of delusion. Such a man is called Vimudhatma. The wise man knows that he is the blissful and blessed Brahman.", + "“Therefore, Arjuna, all these actions are in nature. Nature … is working out her own laws in our bodies and minds. We identify ourselves with nature and say, ‘I am doing this.’ This way delusion seizes us.” We always act under some compulsion. When hunger compels me, I eat. And suffering is still worse — slavery. That real “I” is eternally free. What can compel it to do anything? The sufferer is in nature. It is only when we identify ourselves with the body that we say, “I am suffering; I am Mr. So-and-so” — all such nonsense. But he who has known the truth, holds himself aloof. Whatever his body does, whatever his mind does, he does not care. But mind you, the vast majority of mankind are under this delusion; and whenever they do any good, they feel that they are [the doers].[Source]", + "“Do you know my attitude? As for myself, I eat, drink, and live happily. The rest the Divine Mother knows.Indeed, there are three words that prick my flesh: ‘guru’, ‘master’, and ‘father’.“There is only one Guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the Teacher. My attitude toward God is that of a child toward its mother. One can get human gurus by the million. All want to be teachers. But who cares to be a disciple?", + "“It is extremely difficult to teach others. A man can teach only if God reveals Himself to him and gives the command. Narada, Sukadeva, and sages like them had such a command from God, and Sankara had it too. Unless you have a command from God, who will listen to your words? …..", + "“God does reveal Himself to man and speak. Only then may one receive His command. How forceful are the words of such a teacher! They can move mountains. But mere lectures? People will listen to them for a few days and then forget them. They will never act upon mere words.“At Kamarpukur there is a small lake called the Haldarpukur. Certain people used to befoul its banks every day. Others who came there in the morning to bathe would abuse the offenders loudly. But next morning they would find the same thing. The nuisance didn’t stop. (All laugh.) The villagers finally informed the authorities about it. A constable was sent, who put up a notice on the bank which read: ‘Commit no nuisance.’ This stopped the miscreants at once. (All laugh.)“To teach others, one must have a badge of authority; otherwise teaching becomes a mockery. A man who is himself ignorant starts out to teach others — like the blind leading the blind! Instead of doing good, such , teaching does harm. After the realisation of God one obtains an inner vision. Only then can one diagnose a person’s spiritual malady and give instruction.“Without the commission from God, a man becomes vain. He says to himself, ‘I am teaching people.’ This vanity comes from ignorance, for only an ignorant person feels that he is the doer. A man verily becomes liberated in life if he feels: ‘God is the Doer. He alone is doing everything. I am doing nothing.’ Man’s sufferings and worries spring only from his persistent thought that he is the doer. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "—–", + "VIJAY:“Sir, why are we bound like this? Why don’t we see God?”MASTER:“Maya is nothing but the egotism of the embodied soul. This egotism has covered everything like a veil. ‘All troubles come to an end when the ego dies.’ If by the grace of God a man but once realises that he is not the doer, then he at once becomes a jivanmukta. Though living in the body, he is liberated. He has nothing else to fear.“This maya, that is to say, the ego, is like a cloud. The sun cannot be seen on account of a thin patch of cloud; when that disappears one sees the sun. If by the grace of the guru one’s ego vanishes, then one sees God.“Rama, who is God Himself, was only two and a half cubits ahead of Lakshmana. But Lakshmana couldn’t see Him because Sita stood between them. Lakshmana may be compared to the jiva, and Sita to maya. Man cannot see God on account of the barrier of maya. Just look: I am creating a barrier in front of my face with this towel. Now you can’t see me, even though I am so near. Likewise, God is the nearest of all, but we cannot see Him on account of this covering of maya.", + "“The jiva is nothing but the embodiment of Satchidananda. But since maya, or ego, has created various upadhis, he has forgotten his real Self.“Each upadhi changes man’s nature. If he wears a fine black-bordered cloth, you will at once find him humming Nidhu Babu’s love-songs. Then playing-cards and a walking-stick follow. If even a sickly man puts on high boots, he begins to whistle and climbs the stairs like an Englishman, jumping from one step to another. If a man but holds a pen in his hand, he scribbles on any paper he can get hold of — such is the power of the pen!“Money is also a great upadhi. The possession of money makes such a difference in a man! He is no longer the same person. ……", + "“A frog had a rupee, which he kept in his hole. One day an elephant was going over the hole, and the frog, coming out in a fit of anger, raised his foot, as if to kick the elephant, and said, ‘How dare you walk over my head?’ Such is the pride that money begets!“One can get rid of the ego after the attainment of Knowledge. On attaining Knowledge one goes into samadhi, and the ego disappears. But it is very difficult to obtain such Knowledge. ……", + "“Once a salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean. No sooner did it enter the water than it melted. Now who could tell how deep the ocean was? That which could have told about its depth had melted. Reaching the seventh plane, the mind is annihilated; man goes into samadhi. What he feels then cannot be described in words. ……", + "“It is true that one or two can get rid of the ‘I’ through samadhi; but these cases are very rare. You may indulge in thousands of reasonings, but still the ‘I’ comes back. You may cut the peepal-tree to the very root today, but you will notice a sprout springing up tomorrow. Therefore if the ‘I’ must remain, let the rascal remain as the ‘servant I’. As long as you live, you should say, ‘O God, Thou art the Master and I am Thy servant.’ The ‘I’ that feels, ‘I am the servant of God, I am His devotee’ does not injure one. Sweet things cause acidity of the stomach, no doubt, but sugar candy is an exception.“The path of knowledge is very difficult. One cannot obtain Knowledge unless one gets rid of the feeling that one is the body. In the Kaliyuga the life of man is centred on food. He cannot get rid of the feeling that he is the body. and the ego. Therefore the path of devotion is prescribed for this cycle. This is an easy path. You will attain God if you sing His name and glories and pray to Him with a longing heart. There is not the least doubt about it.“Suppose you draw a line on the surface of water with a bamboo stick. The water appears to be divided into two parts; but the line doesn’t remain for any length of time. The ‘servant I’ or the ‘devotee I’ or the ‘child I’ is only a line drawn with the ego and is not real.” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Question:How are actions performed?", + "Answer:They are performed by the three gunas born of nature.", + "Question:What does the ignorant man think?", + "Answer:He identifies himself with the gunas and thinks that he is the doer.", + "Question:What is the effect?", + "Answer:He is bound by the wheel of birth and death. So man should know that he is the blissful Self and not the body.", + "Related Articles:" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-27.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v27/" }, @@ -291,8 +606,18 @@ "sanskrit": "तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयो: |गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते || 28||", "transliteration": "tattva-vit tu mahā-bāho guṇa-karma-vibhāgayoḥguṇā guṇeṣhu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate", "word_by_word_meaning": "tattva-vit—the knower of the Truth; tu—but; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one; guṇa-karma—from guṇas and karma; vibhāgayoḥ—distinguish; guṇāḥ—modes of material nature in the shape of the senses, mind, etc; guṇeṣhu—modes of material nature in the shape of objects of perception; vartante—are engaged; iti—thus; matvā—knowing; na—never; sajjate—becomes attached", - "translation": "O mighty-armed Arjuna! But the knower of Truth understands the divisions of qualities and functions. He knows that the qualities in the form of senses function amidst the objects of the senses, and he, as the Supreme Self, is not affected by them. Thus knowing, he remains unattached.", - "commentary": "In this verse, the Lord explains how the knower of Truth understands man’s actions in the world.", + "translation": [ + "O mighty-armed Arjuna! But the knower of Truth understands the divisions of qualities and functions. He knows that the qualities in the form of senses function amidst the objects of the senses, and he, as the Supreme Self, is not affected by them. Thus knowing, he remains unattached." + ], + "commentary": [ + "In this verse, the Lord explains how the knower of Truth understands man’s actions in the world.", + "In the human body and the universe around, the Self and the non-Self, the Drik and Drisya, are intermingled. They should be separated. He who knows how to separate them is the knower of Truth.", + "As the holy grass is separated from the blades, as grain is separated from the chaff, the Self should be separated from the non-Self, and the spirit should be separated from matter. Having thus separated the two by the power of his discriminative understanding, the man of knowledge looks upon all modifications in himself and the universe as only the functions of nature with which he is not concerned. So he remains completely detached from his own senses and mind and the world around him. He is uncontaminated by anything physical and material. He is like the water-drop on the lotus-leaf.", + "How can the self-realised man have any attraction for the world which is insentient and unreal as a dream? As churned butter will not mix with butter-milk but floats on it, so also the knower of truth, who lives the Self, is not burdened with the tremendous weight of the objective world. He has thus no concern at all with the pleasures and pains caused and suffered by Nature. Detachment from the modifications of Nature is emancipation. Patanjali says –", + "“The intermingling of the seer And the seen should be given up.” The ignorant man who has not purified his discriminative understanding is plunged into `Samsara’ because he thinks that he is the body, that he is undergoing all the changes of the body, mind, and senses, and that he is acting and reacting. So the seeker should gradually develop his contact with Atma, leaving off his former attachment for the body.", + "Question:How does the knower of Truth act?", + "Answer:He knows that he is the Self, and considers that all changes, functions, and actions, are merely the qualities of Nature acting in the sense-objects. So he remains unattached." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-28.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v28/" }, @@ -302,8 +627,20 @@ "sanskrit": "प्रकृतेर्गुणसम्मूढा: सज्जन्ते गुणकर्मसु |तानकृत्स्नविदो मन्दान्कृत्स्नविन्न विचालयेत् || 29||", "transliteration": "prakṛiter guṇa-sammūḍhāḥ sajjante guṇa-karmasutān akṛitsna-vido mandān kṛitsna-vin na vichālayet", "word_by_word_meaning": "prakṛiteḥ—of material nature; guṇa—by the modes of material nature; sammūḍhāḥ—deluded; sajjante—become attached; guṇa-karmasu—to results of actions; tān—those; akṛitsna-vidaḥ—persons without knowledge; mandān—the ignorant; kṛitsna-vit—persons with knowledge; na vichālayet—should not unsettle", - "translation": "The man of knowledge should not confuse the mind of those men of imperfect understanding who, deluded by the Gunas of Nature, are attached to action in the material world.", - "commentary": "In thetwenty-sixth verse of this Discourse, the Lord warned the man of knowledge not to confuse the mind of the ignorant by theoretical speculations, but to show the right way by acting in the right spirit. The same idea is repeated here. The ignorant who form the majority are attached to the body and consider the qualities of Nature as their own.", + "translation": [ + "The man of knowledge should not confuse the mind of those men of imperfect understanding who, deluded by the Gunas of Nature, are attached to action in the material world." + ], + "commentary": [ + "In thetwenty-sixth verse of this Discourse, the Lord warned the man of knowledge not to confuse the mind of the ignorant by theoretical speculations, but to show the right way by acting in the right spirit. The same idea is repeated here. The ignorant who form the majority are attached to the body and consider the qualities of Nature as their own.", + "Spontaneously they think that they are working and acting with the definite object of enjoyment of the fruits of work. Such people should not be confused by theorising about the actionlessness of Brahman, which they cannot easily understand. So the wise man (Vidvan, tatvavit) should show the way by himself acting without attachment, and acting always on the highest principles of righteousness. The wise have to shoulder a tremendous responsibility. His life should conform to the pattern enjoined by the Sastras, though he is himself beyond all laws, rules, and regulations.", + "Of imperfect understanding:Those who are attached to the body, mind, and senses, are men of imperfect knowledge. Worldly wisdom, knowledge of Sastras, learning, capacity to interpret the scripture, oratorical powers – all these and more do not qualify a man to be entitled a man of knowledge if he identifies himself with them. This identity with the body should be given up and union with the Self should be established.", + "Man of perfect knowledge:Perfection of knowledge consists in realising the Self, knowing which man knows everything.", + "The sages of yore directed their enquiring not so much to the objective world outside but to discover in themselves the secret of their being. They discovered the all-pervading Atma, and were satisfied because they realised that the whole universe is Atma and nothing else is the material and efficient cause of all that exists. They have thus become free from the delusion of the limited ego. They have become the possessors of perfect knowledge, bliss and blessedness. This should be the aim and goal of every seeker who is eager to know the Truth in the midst of the thousand and one ills and shocks of mortal life. This is the only way to peace.", + "Question:What are those who are attached to action?", + "Answer:They are dull-witted men of improper knowledge.", + "Question:How should the enlightened man teach them?", + "Answer:he should not confuse them by giving up action but set a personal example of righteous action free from attachment." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-29.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v29/" }, @@ -313,8 +650,23 @@ "sanskrit": "मयि सर्वाणि कर्माणि संन्यस्याध्यात्मचेतसा |निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वर: || 30||", "transliteration": "mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi sannyasyādhyātma-chetasānirāśhīr nirmamo bhūtvā yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "mayi—unto me; sarvāṇi—all; karmāṇi—works; sannyasya—renouncing completely; adhyātma-chetasā—with the thoughts resting on God; nirāśhīḥ—free from hankering for the results of the actions; nirmamaḥ—without ownership; bhūtvā—so being; yudhyasva—fight; vigata-jvaraḥ—without mental fever", - "translation": "Renouncing all actions in Me with the mind fixed in Self, free from hope and egoism, fight without mental agitation.", - "commentary": "Most people’s minds are filled with worldly knowledge and objective considerations. Such troubled minds cannot reflect the light ofParamatma. It is not a spiritual mind. It is the gross mind capable of apprehending only material things. The aspirant should cultivate a spiritualised mind, illumined by knowledge and devoted to the Lord. Such is the purified mind capable of apprehending the subtle Reality underlying all matter. With the mind thus spiritualised, man should surrender all actions and their fruits to God. All actions without exception should be surrendered. That is the Lord’s command.", + "translation": [ + "Renouncing all actions in Me with the mind fixed in Self, free from hope and egoism, fight without mental agitation." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Most people’s minds are filled with worldly knowledge and objective considerations. Such troubled minds cannot reflect the light ofParamatma. It is not a spiritual mind. It is the gross mind capable of apprehending only material things. The aspirant should cultivate a spiritualised mind, illumined by knowledge and devoted to the Lord. Such is the purified mind capable of apprehending the subtle Reality underlying all matter. With the mind thus spiritualised, man should surrender all actions and their fruits to God. All actions without exception should be surrendered. That is the Lord’s command.", + "Free from desire and egoism:Desire and egoism (personal selfishness) should be given up. Man should understand that there is only one Reality. God (Atma) is the universe. Knowing this man cannot have any attachment of I and Mine to anything in the world. He knows that the world is only a reflection and dreamlike projection of the mind, which is subject to change, growth and decay. Thus freeing himself from the burden of material things, man should surrender to the Lord and carry out the duties of life in a detached manner. Since Arjuna is a Kshatriya the Lord’s injunction to him is ‘fight’. It means thatevery individual, according to his position in the social structure should execute his duty prescribed by custom and tradition in a spirit of dedication to the Lord-the Supreme Being.", + "Without passion:“Fight, free from passion” – that is again the Lord’s command. The fever of life is of two kinds. One affects the body, another attacks the mind. The first could be cured by medicine. But the internal fever of the mind, being more subtle, requires a spiritual cure. Every man runs to a Doctor at the slightest touch of physical ill-health, but is he taking the same care of the mind and its fever? No. The fire and passion expressing itself in anger and hatred, which consume the internal man, can be cured and extinguished only by spiritual knowledge.To divert to God, to surrender the fruits of work to God, to give up all foolish desires, to have no feeling of I and Mine – these are steps to be taken by the seeker. These four aspects of spiritual discipline constitute the most powerful cure for life’s fitful fever.", + "It should be understood that the Lord insists on action and surrender. The terms ‘fight’ (Yuahyasva) and renouncing (Samnyasya) may appear apparently contrary, but it is not really so. If a wood-cutter or soldier or teacher or politician should realise the Truth, he should not for that reason change himself or something else in the social structure. He would still be a wood-cutter or a teacher etc., and would be performing all the duties that belong to his profession. Only he knows that it is not the same person who is doing the work. The Kshatriya continues to fight the enemy and defend his country, but he knows that he is not the same person who is doing the work. Thus the concept of Hinduism is not a negation of action, but a proper understanding of the feeling of action which enables the actor to act without passion, without elation of hope or the frustration of failure. Every man should surrender everything to the Lord and carry on the duties of life cheerfully and with courage.", + "“Surrendering the fruits of work to God” is to take to ourselves neither credit nor blame, but to give up both to the Lord and be at peace.[Source]", + "The Gita teaches that all works should be done thus. He who is one with the Lord through yoga performs all his works by becoming immersed in concentration, and does not seek any personal benefit. Such a performance of work brings only good to the world, no evil can come out of it. Those who work thus never do anything for themselves.[Source]", + "MASTER (to Pratap):“It is not in England alone that one sees attachment to worldly things. You see it everywhere. But remember that work is only the first step in spiritual life. God cannot be realised without sattva — love, discrimination, kindness, and so on. It is the very nature of rajas to involve a man in many worldly activities. That is why rajas degenerates into tamas. If a man is entangled in too many activities he surely forgets God. He becomes more and more attached to ‘woman and gold’.“But it is not possible for you to give up work altogether. Your very nature will lead you to it whether you like it or not. Therefore the scriptures ask you to work in a detached spirit, that is to say, not to crave the work’s results.(BG 18.59) For example, you may perform devotions and worship, and practise austerities,but your aim is not to earn people’s recognition or to increase your merit.“To work in such a spirit of detachment is known as karmayoga. But it is very difficult. We are living in the Kaliyuga, when one easily becomes attached to one’s actions. You may think you are working in a detached spirit, but attachment creeps into the mind from nobody knows where. You may worship in the temple or arrange a grand religious festival or feed many poor and starving people. You may think you have done all this without hankering after the results. But unknown to yourself the desire for name and fame has somehow crept into your mind. Complete detachment from the results of action is possible only for one who has seen God.”", + "A DEVOTEE:“Then what is the way for those who have not seen God? Must they give up all the duties of the world?”MASTER:“The best path for this age is bhaktiyoga, the path of bhakti prescribed by Narada: to sing the name and glories of God and pray to Him with a longing heart, “O God, give me knowledge, give me devotion, and reveal Thyself to me!’ The path of karma is extremely difficult. Therefore one should pray: ‘O God, make my duties fewer and fewer; and may I, through Thy grace, do the few duties that Thou givest me without any attachment to their results! May I have no desire to be involved in many activities!’“It is not possible to give up work altogether. Even to think or to meditate is a kind of work.As you develop love for God, your worldly activities become fewer and fewer of themselves.And you lose all interest in them. Can one who has tasted a drink made of sugar candy enjoy a drink made of ordinary molasses?”", + "A DEVOTEE:“The English people always exhort us to be active. Isn’t action the aim of life then?”MASTER:“The aim of life is the attainment of God. Work is only a preliminary step; it can never be the end. Even unselfish work is only a means; it is not the end.(Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Related Articles:", + "Question:What is the highest good for man?", + "Answer:Surrendering to the Lord, and acting without desire is the highest good." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-30.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v30/" }, @@ -324,8 +676,16 @@ "sanskrit": "ये मे मतमिदं नित्यमनुतिष्ठन्ति मानवा: |श्रद्धावन्तोऽनसूयन्तो मुच्यन्ते तेऽपि कर्मभि: || 31||", "transliteration": "ye me matam idaṁ nityam anutiṣhṭhanti mānavāḥśhraddhāvanto ’nasūyanto muchyante te ’pi karmabhiḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "ye—who; me—my; matam—teachings; idam—these; nityam—constantly; anutiṣhṭhanti—abide by; mānavāḥ—human beings; śhraddhā-vantaḥ—with profound faith; anasūyantaḥ—free from cavilling; muchyante—become free; te—those; api—also; karmabhiḥ—from the bondage of karma", - "translation": "Those men who, with faith and free from ill-will, practice this my teaching, are also freed from the bondage of action.", - "commentary": "It is said that men cut the bonds of action by detached and selfless action. From this, we understand that work performed in the true spirit frees man from the bondage of karma. The Karmayogi like the Jnanayogi attains emancipation by following the law of Nishkama karma. The goal of the two paths of yoga is the same though the methods are different.", + "translation": [ + "Those men who, with faith and free from ill-will, practice this my teaching, are also freed from the bondage of action." + ], + "commentary": [ + "It is said that men cut the bonds of action by detached and selfless action. From this, we understand that work performed in the true spirit frees man from the bondage of karma. The Karmayogi like the Jnanayogi attains emancipation by following the law of Nishkama karma. The goal of the two paths of yoga is the same though the methods are different.", + "Always:The principle of selfless action should be applied to every work that man does, and always. Man is acting every moment of his life. So the teaching of the Lord should be remembered and practiced at any moment of life. There is no time set apart for the practice, as the novices set apart a time for prayer and meditation. Karma yoga thus comes into one’s life as a natural law that yields the highest fruit.", + "Two important virtues are to be cultivated during the period of sadhana – firstly faith, and secondly freedom from ill-will. Faith in the teaching of the Lord is the first step. The degree of faith in God determines the measure of achievement. The deeper the faith the greater is the benefit. And next, ill-will is like the cankerworm. It eats up man’s strength and power. In the field of spirituality, it is a hostile force. All the other virtues which the aspirant may acquire after long struggle would be set at naught by ill-will, envy, and spite.Do not find fault with the Lord; do not feel that He has engaged the worker in a painful action. So faith in God and good-will for mankind are the two weapons for the man of action in the world. Such action performed with faith and surrender to God does not bind man to the wheel of karma. On the other hand, It releases him from bondage.", + "Question:Who are freed from the bondage of Karma?", + "Answer:Those who practice the law of selfless action with faith in God are freed from the bondage of action." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-31.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v31/" }, @@ -335,8 +695,12 @@ "sanskrit": "ये त्वेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुतिष्ठन्ति मे मतम् |सर्वज्ञानविमूढांस्तान्विद्धि नष्टानचेतस: || 32||", "transliteration": "ye tvetad abhyasūyanto nānutiṣhṭhanti me matamsarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāns tān viddhi naṣhṭān achetasaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "ye—those; tu—but; etat—this; abhyasūyantaḥ—cavilling; na—not; anutiṣhṭhanti—follow; me—my; matam—teachings; sarva-jñāna—in all types of knowledge; vimūḍhān—deluded; tān—they are; viddhi—know; naṣhṭān—ruined; achetasaḥ—devoid of discrimination", - "translation": "But those who carp at my teaching and do not practise it, know them as men deluded in all knowledge, devoid of discrimination and doomed to destruction.", - "commentary": "Those who carp and cavil at the spiritual teaching of the Lord are doomed to destruction. Driven by desires, haunted by hopes and fears, blasted by frustration, they live a restless life and die in darkness. And they pass the endless stream of birth and death, without rest or peace. They cannot understand the secret of the Supreme Brahman, nor the liberation from the bondage of action. Though a man is learned in the Sastras, knows many languages, is acquired with many spiritual theories, if he is devoid of faith in God and discriminative understanding, he is indeed an ignorant man who knows nothing. His mind is gross, his discrimination is confused, and so he wanders in the wilderness of the perishable world, tired, weary and restless. Such men are lost because they have no discrimination, no faith in the Lord.", + "translation": [ + "But those who carp at my teaching and do not practise it, know them as men deluded in all knowledge, devoid of discrimination and doomed to destruction." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Those who carp and cavil at the spiritual teaching of the Lord are doomed to destruction. Driven by desires, haunted by hopes and fears, blasted by frustration, they live a restless life and die in darkness. And they pass the endless stream of birth and death, without rest or peace. They cannot understand the secret of the Supreme Brahman, nor the liberation from the bondage of action. Though a man is learned in the Sastras, knows many languages, is acquired with many spiritual theories, if he is devoid of faith in God and discriminative understanding, he is indeed an ignorant man who knows nothing. His mind is gross, his discrimination is confused, and so he wanders in the wilderness of the perishable world, tired, weary and restless. Such men are lost because they have no discrimination, no faith in the Lord." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-32.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v32/" }, @@ -346,8 +710,16 @@ "sanskrit": "सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्या: प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि |प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रह: किं करिष्यति || 33||", "transliteration": "sadṛiśhaṁ cheṣhṭate svasyāḥ prakṛiter jñānavān apiprakṛitiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣhyati", "word_by_word_meaning": "sadṛiśham—accordingly; cheṣhṭate—act; svasyāḥ—by their own; prakṛiteḥ—modes of nature; jñāna-vān—the wise; api—even; prakṛitim—nature; yānti—follow; bhūtāni—all living beings; nigrahaḥ—repression; kim—what; kariṣhyati—will do", - "translation": "Even a wise man acts according to his own nature. Beings follow nature; what can restraint do?", - "commentary": "The term-a wise man (Jnanavan) refers only to a learned man who intellectually understands the principles of religion and philosophy. He has yet to realise the Truth. Mere intellectual culture and understanding of the Sastras are powerless to control the tremendous power of natural instincts and tendencies with which a man is born in this world. Though he knows much of spiritual lore, he acts in conformity with his own nature, the impulses and thought patterns formed through a series of births. If such is the case with a learned man, what to speak of the ignorant!", + "translation": [ + "Even a wise man acts according to his own nature. Beings follow nature; what can restraint do?" + ], + "commentary": [ + "The term-a wise man (Jnanavan) refers only to a learned man who intellectually understands the principles of religion and philosophy. He has yet to realise the Truth. Mere intellectual culture and understanding of the Sastras are powerless to control the tremendous power of natural instincts and tendencies with which a man is born in this world. Though he knows much of spiritual lore, he acts in conformity with his own nature, the impulses and thought patterns formed through a series of births. If such is the case with a learned man, what to speak of the ignorant!", + "Here the Lord’s purpose is to emphasise the power of the tendencies (Samskaras) which constitute the nature of all beings, and definitely not to discourage the practice of self-restraint. Theversethat immediately follows insists on self-restraint as the only means to liberation. Let no man imagine that he can have an easy walk over Nature. No. It is necessary for the seeker to understand fully the mysterious power of Nature, and the tremendous will that is needed to change and transcend it. But it is clear that spiritual realisation is not possible unless all the blind prejudices and evil tendencies of the past are gradually eradicated. Surrender to the Lord and selfless devotion to duty are the means to liberate oneself from the tyranny of Nature by which man has been enslaved from time immemorial.", + "“Even those who know the path act impelled by their own nature. Everyone acts according to his nature. He cannot transcend it.” The atom cannot disobey the law. Whether it is the mental or the physical atom, it must obey the law. “What is the use of [external restraint]?”[Source]", + "“Nature will have her way. What can suppression do?” That is a terrible [statement] in the Gita. It seems it may be a vain struggle after all. You may have a hundred thousand [urges competing] at the same time. You may repress [them], but the moment the spring rebounds, the whole thing is there again.[Source]", + "Related Articles:" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-33.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v33/" }, @@ -357,8 +729,19 @@ "sanskrit": "इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ |तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ || 34||", "transliteration": "indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāga-dveṣhau vyavasthitautayor na vaśham āgachchhet tau hyasya paripanthinau", "word_by_word_meaning": "indriyasya—of the senses; indriyasya arthe—in the sense objects; rāga—attachment; dveṣhau—aversion; vyavasthitau—situated; tayoḥ—of them; na—never; vaśham—be controlled; āgachchhet—should become; tau—those; hi—certainly; asya—for him; paripanthinau—foes", - "translation": "In each of the senses abide attraction and repulsion for the objects of the senses. One should not come under their sway, for they are man’s enemies.", - "commentary": "Here is the Lord’s command about restraining the senses and conquering Nature. It would be wrong to interpret from the previous verse that the Lord was stating the impossibility of overcoming Nature. Man should not come under the sway of the material forces operating in the human personality. That is the Lord’s injunction.So the whole progress of spiritual life is one continuous and systematic attempt to counteract the natural forces till they are completely subdued.All the different paths, methods, practices and disciplines have only one end in view, and that is theconquest of Nature in all its subtle forms and manifestations.", + "translation": [ + "In each of the senses abide attraction and repulsion for the objects of the senses. One should not come under their sway, for they are man’s enemies." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Here is the Lord’s command about restraining the senses and conquering Nature. It would be wrong to interpret from the previous verse that the Lord was stating the impossibility of overcoming Nature. Man should not come under the sway of the material forces operating in the human personality. That is the Lord’s injunction.So the whole progress of spiritual life is one continuous and systematic attempt to counteract the natural forces till they are completely subdued.All the different paths, methods, practices and disciplines have only one end in view, and that is theconquest of Nature in all its subtle forms and manifestations.", + "Each of the five senses has a double current running in opposite directions. When the object is pleasing, it is delighted; when the object is disagreeable, it is pained: Attachment and repulsion are formed. So when the senses come into contact with the multifarious objects of the world, it is sometimes attached to them, and sometimes repulsed from them. The same object may be pleasing sometimes and under changed conditions may cause pain. These reactions of the senses are termed ‘raga’ and `dvesha’ . These are inherent in the sense-world. The entire spiritual discipline is to attain to a state of non-reaction or equal reaction to all the objects of the world under all conditions, whether they are agreeable or disagreeable. One who has acquired such equanimity is a Yogi, aSthitaprajna.", + "Attachment and repulsion (Raga and Dvesha) are the eternal enemies of the spiritual aspirant. These pairs of opposites have long-established their sway on the mind and the senses. And when man, by an enlightened consciousness, tries to equalise the reactions, the mind and the senses would stoutly refuse to submit to the new discipline. Thoughts and habits react. The aspirant has to remain firm and unyielding, and only then would he be able to stamp his will and attain mastery over the opposing forces. Devotion to God, selfless work, meditation on the real Self, grace of a Guru, are helpers to secure victory. Till then there is no rest or peace for man.When enemies enter a village they are dangerous, when they enter the house, they are still more dangerous; and when they find a place in one’s own heart, the danger is greatest.Raga and Dvesha are internal enemies. “Do not fall under their sway” is the Lord’s command.", + "The internal reactions of each individual are determined by the accumulated force of several births. They are deep-rooted and well-established in the heart of man. The aspirant brings in his discrimination as the resisting power. The struggle goes on for a long time. That which is stronger wins. It is futile to lament about the persistence of past tendencies (samskaras). They are there, whether you want them or not. Cheerfully and with courage one has to fight them. The Lord’s grace is on the side of the faithful aspirant. Nothing is impossible for him. Such should be the indomitable faith of the devotee, andthe Lord’s promise not to let down his devote should give the aspirant the necessary will and inspiration, strength and courage to fight the battle till victory is achieved.", + "Question:What is the nature of the senses?", + "Answer:Attachment and repulsion abide in the senses.", + "Question:What should the aspirant do?", + "Answer:He should not come under their sway because they are his enemies." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-34.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v34/" }, @@ -368,8 +751,21 @@ "sanskrit": "श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह: || 35||", "transliteration": "śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitātswa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "śhreyān—better; swa-dharmaḥ—personal duty; viguṇaḥ—tinged with faults; para-dharmāt—than another’s prescribed duties; su-anuṣhṭhitāt—perfectly done; swa-dharme—in one’s personal duties; nidhanam—death; śhreyaḥ—better; para-dharmaḥ—duties prescribed for others; bhaya-āvahaḥ—fraught with fear", - "translation": "One’s own duty, ill-performed and without merit, is better than the duty of another well-discharged. Better is death in discharging one’s own duty. Another’s duty is fraught with fear.", - "commentary": "Arjuna is a Kshatriya. It is his duty to fight a righteous war though he may face death in the attempt. To neglect his duty and adopt the duty of another is dangerous because it would upset the order of the world, and create confusion and chaos in society. In the First Discourse, Arjuna spoke in a mood of despondency that he would prefer to live on alms like a mendicant than kill his relations and friends in battle. The Lord here states the law for a Kshatriya and the danger of neglecting it and adopting the life of another.", + "translation": [ + "One’s own duty, ill-performed and without merit, is better than the duty of another well-discharged. Better is death in discharging one’s own duty. Another’s duty is fraught with fear." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Arjuna is a Kshatriya. It is his duty to fight a righteous war though he may face death in the attempt. To neglect his duty and adopt the duty of another is dangerous because it would upset the order of the world, and create confusion and chaos in society. In the First Discourse, Arjuna spoke in a mood of despondency that he would prefer to live on alms like a mendicant than kill his relations and friends in battle. The Lord here states the law for a Kshatriya and the danger of neglecting it and adopting the life of another.", + "The word Svadharmah may be taken to mean the law of the Self and paradharma may mean the law of the objective world (i.e.) the pleasure of the senses and the physical body. Whatever is conducive to Self-realisation should be followed, even it causes death in the attempt. Whatever draws away from Atma-dhrama should be avoided. Fasting, penance and other sadhanas though irksome in the beginning confer great merit finally. They constitute Atma-dhrama. On the other hand worldly pleasures though enjoyable at first, lead to pain and suffering. So the seeker should hold on to the Self and go on practicing the prescribed duties. Sometimes the seeker may feel that he is not making any progress and that his sadhana is futile. In these moments of doubt, the seeker should be cautious and firm. He should not abandon his practices. If he dies in the midst of his Yoga-Sadhana, he does not perish. He attains to higher world and would come to act again into the human body to continue his work. So the Lord exhorts the seeker not to give up Svadharma, Atma-dhrama under any circumstances.", + "Shri Krishna says: “Better die in your own path than attempt the path of another.” This is my path, and I am down here. And you are way up there, and I am always tempted to give up my path thinking I will go there and be with you. And if I go up, I am neither there nor here. We must not lose sight of this doctrine. It is all [a matter of] growth. Wait and grow, and you attain everything; otherwise there will be [great spiritual danger]. Here is the fundamental secret of teaching religion.[Source]", + "Therefore, better die working out your own natural religion than following another’s natural religion, however great it may appear to you.[Source]", + "Every man should take up his own ideal and endeavour to accomplish it. That is a surer way of progress than taking up other men’s ideals, which he can never hope to accomplish. For instance, we take a child and at once give him the task of walking twenty miles. Either the little one dies, or one in a thousand crawls the twenty miles, to reach the end exhausted and half-dead. That is like what we generally try to do with the world. All the men and women, in any society, are not of the same mind, capacity, or of the same power to do things; they must have different ideals, and we have no right to sneer at any ideal. Let every one do the best he can for realizing his own ideal. Nor is it right that I should be judged by your standard or you by mine. The apple tree should not be judged by the standard of the oak, nor the oak by that of the apple. To judge the apple tree you must take the apple standard, and for the oak, its own standard.[Source]", + "On4 July 1902, Swamiji went for a morning walk with Swami Premananda. During the walk, Swamiji told Premananda,“You should not imitate me, remember Thakur(Sri Ramakrishna) said not to imitate anyone.”", + "“I keep men’s own ideals intact. I ask a Vaishnava to hold to his Vaishnava attitude and a Sakta to his. But this also I say to them: “Never feel that your path alone is right and that the paths of others are wrong and full of errors.’ Hindus, Mussalmans, and Christians are going to the same destination by different paths. A man can realise God by following his own path if his prayer is sincere. (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Related Articles:", + "Question:Between Svadharma and Paradharma which is better and why?", + "Answer:Svadharma is better though difficult to practice. Paradharma is fraught with fear, though easy to follow. By performing one’s own duty, man realises God. Though one dies in the attempt, it is good for him." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-35.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v35/" }, @@ -379,8 +775,40 @@ "sanskrit": "अर्जुन उवाच |अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुष: |अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजित: || 36||", "transliteration": "arjuna uvāchaatha kena prayukto ’yaṁ pāpaṁ charati pūruṣhaḥanichchhann api vārṣhṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "arjunaḥ uvācha—Arjun said; atha—then; kena—by what; prayuktaḥ—impelled; ayam—one; pāpam—sins; charati—commit; pūruṣhaḥ—a person; anichchhan—unwillingly; api—even; vārṣhṇeya—he who belongs to the Vrishni clan, Shree Krishna; balāt—by force; iva—as if; niyojitaḥ—engaged", - "translation": "Arjuna said:O Krishna! Constrained by force as it were, by what does man commit sin even against his wish?", - "commentary": "As the Lord continued his teaching about restraining the senses, overcoming Raga and Dvesha, and discharging one’s duty, Arjuna was seized with a deep doubt about the mysterious force that seems to compel man into evil in spite of his effort to avoid it. Such a doubt will naturally occur to every seeker and so the question and the Lord’s answer are of the greatest importance to mankind.", + "translation": [ + "Arjuna said:O Krishna! Constrained by force as it were, by what does man commit sin even against his wish?" + ], + "commentary": [ + "As the Lord continued his teaching about restraining the senses, overcoming Raga and Dvesha, and discharging one’s duty, Arjuna was seized with a deep doubt about the mysterious force that seems to compel man into evil in spite of his effort to avoid it. Such a doubt will naturally occur to every seeker and so the question and the Lord’s answer are of the greatest importance to mankind.", + "Who does not know that indulgence in sense-pleasures is a mental slavery’ Who does not know that anger, spite, envy and pride are wrong mental attitudes? And most of the people yield to them even against their wish. No one desires to do evil or commit sin and yet some mysterious force seems to drive mankind into evil and sinful ways of life. What is that mysterious power? Where does it abide? How can it be counteracted; These things are essential for all seekers to know.", + "One should have a clear understanding of the cause and source of evil, and then only can its activity be neutralised. There are some plants that persist in sprouting up again and again, though the stem is cut off repeatedly. If the roots are pulled out and destroyed, there is no further danger of their growth. So the cause of the sin should be known, and if the cause is removed, the resulting evil would not be there.", + "The force of evil is in man himself. It is this power that drives man to do evil, though he knows that it is evil, and though he desires to avoid it. The Lord explains the nature of this mysterious force from the next verse onwards.", + "There are three types of individuals – (1) those who are free from evil (2) those who do not wish to do evil, and yet are under its sway, (3) those who do evil knowing it to be such. The first are Jivanmukthas, rare men who have crossed the ocean of samsara. The tricks and subterfuges of Maya cannot betray them into evil at any time and for any reason. The second type of men are sincere seekers. Arjuna’s question is from the standpoint of this type of men. The third type of men are evil-minded, sinful, plunged in darkness, reveling in sensuality, and embodying all that is hateful and self-destructive.", + "The root of this sin is desire, for worldly pleasures and prosperity. But a man does not give any heed to this desire, and so he is unable to know the root of evils (sins). He understands that he wants to abstain from committing sins, but some entity is forcibly engaging him, in sins. Duryodhana also declares:—", + "जानामि धर्मं न च मे प्रवृत्तिःजानाम्यधर्मं न च मे निवृत्तिः।केनापि देवेन हृदि स्थितेनयथा नियुक्तोस्मि तथा करोमि॥", + "“I know what is righteousness, but I am not inclined to it; I also know what is unrighteousness, but I cannot get rid of it. There is some ‘deva’ (force) in my heart, which drives me to act” (Garga-Samhita, Asvamedha. 50/ 36).", + "The term ‘deva’ used by Duryodhana stands for desire, (for pleasure and prosperity) which forces him to commit sin, and not to follow righteousness. The expression ‘Kena prayukto’yam papam carati’— also shows that he is impelled to commit sin by some other force.", + "This shloka depicts the gap between “Knowledge” and “Application”.(or the Gap between Knowing and Becoming)", + "This shows one of the main differences between Duryodhana and Arjuna’s attitude. Duryodhana merely made a statement admitting the problem, seeking no way to correct it. But Arjuna actually questioned the problem, asking Krishna for help.", + "In the modern context, I think one of the most reasonable learning from this is – merely admitting that there is a problem is not sufficient to solve the problem. We need to know and question the problem to find a solution.", + "Markandeya said: The eighth Manu is called Savarni, the son of Surya (Sun). I shall now tell you how he came into being. Due to the grace of Mahamaya, that lord of the Manvantara came to be the son of Surya.", + "There was a king called Suratha ruling over the whole earth. He ruled his subjects like his own children. He was once attacked by his enemies who tried to capture his city by force. He had a great fight with them. He was defeated in battle by those wicked ministers and kings of the hostile party and was compelled to leave his country. He felt extremely dejected, and mounting on a horse, singly went to a dense forest. There he saw an Ashram of a great Brahmin. There were many disciples in the Ashram, studying sacred lore. The king was received warmly by the sage.", + "There the king was wandering here and there and being caught by the force of ‘mineness’ he thought within himself, “Ah! What a sad state! Up to this time I was ruling this country, and now it is occupied by the enemy. My ministers were serving me faithfully, and now they are serving my enemies. My subjects were happy during my rule, and I do not know how they are being treated now. They are all serving a foreign ruler. My treasury will be completely used up by the enemies!” Thus and other things did the king ponder over.", + "In that Ashram, the king saw a Vaisya (the merchant-caste).", + "The king asked him, “Who are you? What are you doing here? Please tell me everything about you.” The Vaisya said, “My name is Samadhi. I was born in a wealthy family. But I was deprived of all my property by wicked people of my neighbourhood, and all my family, wife and children deserted me, and due to poverty I have taken shelter in this forest. I am filled with grief. I do not know what has happened to my wife and what my children are doing now. Whether they are living or dead I do not know.” The king said, “When your wife and children have deserted you, when you became penniless, why then, are you so much attached to them even now?” The Vaisya said, “O king! True exactly is what you say. I also know it. But what to do? Still I love them. The nature of mind is such. It loves even the wicked wife and the wicked children who have driven me out. I cannot help it.”", + "Markandeya said: Then they both, the king and the Vaisya, went to that sage who was residing in that Ashram. They both prostrated before the sage, and with great reverence the king questioned the sage, “O revered sage! I wish to ask you one question.O sage! I have lost all my territory. I have now nothing with me. But still I am having great attachment for my lost kingdom, wife and children. O sage, why is this? This is a Vaisya who has been deserted by his kith and kin due to his poverty and still he has got great attachment for his wife and children. We both are of the same type. We both are filled with grief. We both are deluded. Please destroy our ignorance through your wisdom.", + "The sage said: O king! Yes, there is that wisdom in every creature. Some animals are blind during the daytime, some are blind during the night. Some are of the same sight during night and day. Man has sight only during the day. Yet, all possess the same wisdom. What is all this? Why is this difference? Look at the moths falling on fire! Look at men falling in the fire of sensual objects! What difference is there among creatures here? In spite of intelligence, all creatures are struggling for the sake of belly. All are controlled and deluded by the Great Power, the Mahamaya of Vishnu! Due to Her Power all this world is working. Due to Her all are suffering. Due to Her all are happy. There is no wonder in this. Even Jnanis are dragged by this Maya by force, and they are totally deluded. She is the creator of this universe, mobile and immobile. She, being pleased, gives men the eternal salvation in the end. She is the cause of bondage and liberation. She alone is all in all. She rules supreme over all lords!", + "The king said: O sage! Who is that Devi Maya? How is She born? I wish to hear everything about Her, who works such wonders in this world.", + "…. Then the Sage explained three stories of Devi Mahatmya. …..", + "The sage said: Thus I have recounted to you the entire story of the glories of Devi and Her actions. She is Vidya or the Intelligence-Principle of Vishnu-Sakti or Maya and She is the Avidya or the Ignorant principle too, and is above both. By Her only yourself and this Vaisya are deluded and many others also are deluded by Her in the same manner. O king! Take refuge in that Devi Maya! She is the giver of pleasure, Svarga and Moksha to Her devotees at the same time.", + "Markandeya said: Hearing these words of the Rishi, the King Suratha was very much moved at heart and immediately started to dense forests to perform rigorous penance. The Vaisya also followed him and began to perform Tapas on the bank of the river reciting Devi Suktam continuously. They wanted to have the vision of Devi in order to get back their lost kingdom and wealth. They prepared an image of Devi out of the mud from the river bank for the purpose of their worship with Shodasa-Upachara or the sixteen modes of worship to Devi. They both fasted and concentrated their minds on the glorious form of Devi. On their practising like this rigorous penance for three complete years, Devi was very much pleased and manifesting Herself to them spoke to them with these words. The Devi said, “O king! Whatever you want you can tell Me now. I am pleased with you. I am prepared to give you anything.”", + "Markandeya said: The king asked from Her the boon that he should get back his lost kingdom undaunted by any enemy. But the Vaisya asked from Devi Wisdom and nothing else.", + "The Devi said, “O king! In a few days you will regain your kingdom. You will conquer your enemies and rule over the land happily. After death you will be born through Surya (Sun) as the eighth Manu called Savarni. O Vaisya! As you desired I shall give you Wisdom. You will have Wisdom.”", + "Markandeya said: In this manner, giving the required boons to those two people, Devi vanished from sight immediately. Thus obtaining a boon from Devi, Suratha, the king, will be born through the Sun-God as the coming eighth Manu called Savarni.", + "Thus is the glorious story of Durga-Devi, the Mahamaya, the great Mother of the Universe!", + "(Source: Sri Durga Saptashati or The Devi Mahatmya (The Glory of The Divine Mother) by Swami Sivananda)", + "Related Articles:" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-36.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v36/" }, @@ -390,8 +818,21 @@ "sanskrit": "श्रीभगवानुवाच |काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भव: ||महाशनो महापाप्मा विद्ध्येनमिह वैरिणम् || 37||", "transliteration": "śhrī bhagavān uvāchakāma eṣha krodha eṣha rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥmahāśhano mahā-pāpmā viddhyenam iha vairiṇam", "word_by_word_meaning": "śhri-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord said; kāmaḥ—desire; eṣhaḥ—this; krodhaḥ—wrath; eṣhaḥ—this; rajaḥ-guṇa—the mode of passion; samudbhavaḥ—born of; mahā-aśhanaḥ—all-devouring; mahā-pāpmā—greatly sinful; viddhi—know; enam—this; iha—in the material world; vairiṇam—the enemy", - "translation": "The Blessed Lord said: It is desire, it is anger, born of Rajoguna (the impulse of action), all-consuming and all-evil. Know this as the enemy here.", - "commentary": "Here the Lord explains the secret of the mysterious force that compels man to commit sin, though he does not wish it. Knowing full well that an act is evil, and sincerely wishing to avoid it, man, however, does it in spite of himself. This is within the experience of all human beings. The Lord analyses the force, and says that the twin evils of kama and krodha constitute the power behind all the sins committed by man.", + "translation": [ + "The Blessed Lord said: It is desire, it is anger, born of Rajoguna (the impulse of action), all-consuming and all-evil. Know this as the enemy here." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Here the Lord explains the secret of the mysterious force that compels man to commit sin, though he does not wish it. Knowing full well that an act is evil, and sincerely wishing to avoid it, man, however, does it in spite of himself. This is within the experience of all human beings. The Lord analyses the force, and says that the twin evils of kama and krodha constitute the power behind all the sins committed by man.", + "Kama and Krodha are wicked twins like Ravana and Kumbhakarna, like Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu. The aforesaid raga anddveshaare manifestations of kama andkrodha. Of these two, kama is the first and krodha is but the effect of kama. The first is the cause and the second is the effect. When there is no cause there can be no effect. When there is no kama, there is no krodha. Kama is therefore said to be the first of the six evil tendencies in man – Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya. Kama is the captain of the team of inimical forces which harass mankind, and stand directly in the way of Self-realisation.", + "The Lord describes Kama and Krodha by two significant epithets. Kama is all-devouring (Mahasanah). Like fire, it burns, Consuming everything that is offered to satisfy its hunger for enjoyment. Fire is not extinguished so long as you pour oblations of oil and ghee into it. They only add to its consuming power. Such is kama. The attempt to satisfy it only makes it stronger and more clamorous for further and further enjoyment. How then can it be conquered? Let no fuel be added to the fire and the fire weakens and dies in ashes. So also,let no attempt be made to satisfy kama, and it dies a natural death. The rejection of desire as soon as it is born is the way to overcome it.Constant inquiry into the nature of the Self, which is bliss itself, will naturally eliminate desires from the mind. When man by his birth-right is the very source and fountain-head of all bliss, why does he need small external objects to give him joy and pleasure? So the seeker should constantly contemplate the blissful nature of his real Self.", + "Those twin evils are all sinful (mahapapam). The most heinous sins are committed, the greatest disasters of the human race are caused by these forces. The little good that man has accumulated through a series of births is neutralised and overweighed by the amount of sin committed by kama and krodha.Lust and greed form the food for Kama. When kama is frustrated it takes the ugly form of krodha (wrath).", + "Again they are described as the foes of man.They are the nearest and the greatest enemies of man.Through a series of births, they have acquired an undisputed mastery over the heart of man.Having occupied the innermost recesses of the heart, they have been exercising control and authority over man’s impulses and conduct in the material world.The whole personality of man is thus enslaved by a secret and powerful enemy for a long time. They have brought their associates also – Iobha, moha, mada and matsarya – into the inner part of man’s heart. These evils act with wonderful co-ordination. If one is suppressed another comes up. If that is suppressed, the former crop up again. With different shapes and forms, at unexpected times and in unexpected places, they show themselves up and harass the weak and unfortunate human beings.", + "Therefore the Lord speaks inspiring words to the seeker to conquer the enemy with courage and determination, however long and hard the struggle may be. The forth-coming verses ending with“jahi satrum mahabaho”is the Lord’s magnificent exhortation to defeat and destroy the enemy in every way possible.", + "Question:What is the force that compels man to commit sin?", + "Answer:It is Kama, and it is Krodha.", + "Question:What is the nature of these twin evils?", + "Answer:They are all-devouring and all-sinful, and they are the constant enemies of the spiritual seeker." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-37.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v37/" }, @@ -401,8 +842,19 @@ "sanskrit": "धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च |यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् || 38||", "transliteration": "dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśho malena chayatholbenāvṛito garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛitam", "word_by_word_meaning": "dhūmena—by smoke; āvriyate—is covered; vahniḥ—fire; yathā—just as; ādarśhaḥ—mirror; malena—by dust; cha—also; yathā—just as; ulbena—by the womb; āvṛitaḥ—is covered; garbhaḥ—embryo; tathā—similarly; tena—by that (desire); idam—this; āvṛitam—is covered", - "translation": "As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the amnion, so this knowledge of the Self is enveloped by Kama and Krodha.", - "commentary": "In the heart of every being, the light of Atma is always shining. But it is not seen because it is covered up by kama and krodha. To explain this, the Lord uses three illustrations – (1) as fire being covered by smoke, (2) a mirror being covered by dust, and (3) the embryo being enveloped by the amnion. When smoke is cleared away by fanning, the fire underneath shines bright. When the dust is rubbed off, the mirror shines in all its purity. Also when the amnion is removed the newborn comes out free from the womb. In the same way, when the enveloping force of kama is dispelled by the practice of devotion, dispassion, selfless action, and knowledge, the light of Atma shines forth in all its effulgence. When Atma manifests, man attains liberation and gets freedom from all-enveloping forces.", + "translation": [ + "As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the amnion, so this knowledge of the Self is enveloped by Kama and Krodha." + ], + "commentary": [ + "In the heart of every being, the light of Atma is always shining. But it is not seen because it is covered up by kama and krodha. To explain this, the Lord uses three illustrations – (1) as fire being covered by smoke, (2) a mirror being covered by dust, and (3) the embryo being enveloped by the amnion. When smoke is cleared away by fanning, the fire underneath shines bright. When the dust is rubbed off, the mirror shines in all its purity. Also when the amnion is removed the newborn comes out free from the womb. In the same way, when the enveloping force of kama is dispelled by the practice of devotion, dispassion, selfless action, and knowledge, the light of Atma shines forth in all its effulgence. When Atma manifests, man attains liberation and gets freedom from all-enveloping forces.", + "Moreover, fire is not extinguished by smoke, nor does the mirror lose its original purity by dust. The enveloping amnion does no harm to the embryo. So also,though kama envelops Atma, Atma is not at all affected by it.Thus even in the state of ignorance, Atma is there in all its original purity. It is never touched or transformed or acted upon by anything. It remains in its own pristine purity. As it is covered up, it does not manifest its light. That is all. When the covering is taken off, it shines forth as it is. There is no change in Atma. Knowledge simply means our being conscious of the purity of Atma. Atma is there, even when you do not know it. One’s ignorance or knowledge of Atma does not make any difference in its existence, for it exists by its own right, unconditioned by time, place, and causation. If a person changes his dress, does it make any difference in the body itself? No. The change is in the dress and not in the body. Looking at a landscape through a hole, one can see only a part of it. As the opening is made bigger and bigger, more and more of the landscape is revealed. All the time it is not the landscape that is changing. It is the opening that changes. So it is with Atma. When kama covers it, people do not see it, when kama is cast away they see it. Atma is there always, eternally pure and eternally perfect.", + "Man’s duty is to realise Atma by taking off the flimsy covering that is hiding the effulgent spirit. It is in one sense not difficult at all. A fan can blow off the smoke, a piece of cloth can rub the dust away from the mirror. So let the seeker take courage and slowly remove the enveloping Kama from his heart. The light of the Self reveals itself slowly but surely.", + "This (Idam) – Knowledge of the Self. In the succeeding verse, the word Jnanam is directly used. and so the pronoun ‘this’ here should convey the same meaning – knowledge of the Self.", + "Question:By what is the knowledge of Atma covered?", + "Answer:By Kama.", + "Question:How?", + "Answer:As fire is covered by smoke, as the mirror is covered by dust, as the embryo is covered by the amnion, so is Atma covered by Kama." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-38.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v38/" }, @@ -412,8 +864,21 @@ "sanskrit": "आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा |कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च || 39||", "transliteration": "āvṛitaṁ jñānam etena jñānino nitya-vairiṇākāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya duṣhpūreṇānalena cha", "word_by_word_meaning": "āvṛitam—covered; jñānam—knowledge; etena—by this; jñāninaḥ—of the wise; nitya-vairiṇā—by the perpetual enemy; kāma-rūpeṇa—in the form of desires; kaunteya—Arjun the son of Kunti; duṣhpūreṇa—insatiable; analena—like fire; cha—and", - "translation": "O Arjuna! Knowledge of the Self is covered by this everlasting foe of the wise in the form of desire, insatiable like fire.", - "commentary": "The Lord elaborates the theme of kama, for it is the worst enemy of man, and more of its nature should be understood before one could deal with it in a suitable manner and overcome its destructive influence.Kama is the ever-lasting foe of the wise (Nitya Vairi) and it is insatiable like fire.Birth after birth, this formidable foe harasses man continuously. External enemies are not so persistent. Sometimes a former enemy may become a present friend. So they are not perpetual enemies. But Kama is a constant foe, ever-scheming and plotting how to fringe and bring down the spiritual aspirant. Highly learned scholars, kings and heroes, the Gods of the different worlds, are struck down by kama at one time or other. Even highly advanced spiritual seekers, if they are not careful for a minute, are trapped by kama and lose their freedom. Though its external manifestations are checked by conscious efforts, yet it remains in a seed-form in the heart, and comes out when there is a suitable opportunity. So the seeker should be vigilant and with firm determination should strike down the enemy whenever he lifts his head in any form whatsoever.", + "translation": [ + "O Arjuna! Knowledge of the Self is covered by this everlasting foe of the wise in the form of desire, insatiable like fire." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The Lord elaborates the theme of kama, for it is the worst enemy of man, and more of its nature should be understood before one could deal with it in a suitable manner and overcome its destructive influence.Kama is the ever-lasting foe of the wise (Nitya Vairi) and it is insatiable like fire.Birth after birth, this formidable foe harasses man continuously. External enemies are not so persistent. Sometimes a former enemy may become a present friend. So they are not perpetual enemies. But Kama is a constant foe, ever-scheming and plotting how to fringe and bring down the spiritual aspirant. Highly learned scholars, kings and heroes, the Gods of the different worlds, are struck down by kama at one time or other. Even highly advanced spiritual seekers, if they are not careful for a minute, are trapped by kama and lose their freedom. Though its external manifestations are checked by conscious efforts, yet it remains in a seed-form in the heart, and comes out when there is a suitable opportunity. So the seeker should be vigilant and with firm determination should strike down the enemy whenever he lifts his head in any form whatsoever.", + "Insatiable like the fire:Like fire, kama can never be appeased. Any amount of fuel may be thrown into the fire, yet we do not find the fire crying ‘enough’. Such is kama. Enjoyments do not reduce the power of kama. On the other hand, it becomes stronger and stronger after every pleasure offered to appease it. It is already described as ‘all-devouring’ (mahasana). The attempt to fill kama is as futile as to draw water from a river in a sieve. The wordanalenameaning fire is significant.Alammeans enough,analammeans not enough. That is, the fire never says ‘enough’ however much you may feed it with fuel. Such is kama, and like fire, it burns anyone who touches it.So the policy of appeasement should be given up, and a total war should be declared against the enemy.", + "Everlasting foe of the wise:To the spiritual aspirant who is striving to know the Truth, kama is the immediate and most dangerous foe. When one is awakened from the dream of desire followed by enjoyment, and enjoyment followed by further desire he tries to progress towards Truth. Then he would understand how kama had enslaved him, how bitter and short-lived its pleasures were, how hard and long should be the struggle to destroy this subtle enemy whom he fed and entertained as the ruling principle of his life through a series of births.", + "MASTER:“‘Woman and gold’ is the cause of bondage. ‘Woman and gold’ alone constitutes samsara, the world. It is ‘woman and gold’ that keeps one from seeing God. (Holding the towel in front or his face) Do you see my face any more? Of course not. The towel hides it. No sooner is the covering of ‘woman and gold’ removed than one attains Chidananda, Consciousness and Bliss.", + "“Let me tell you something. He who has renounced the pleasure of a wife has verily renounced the pleasure of the world. God is very near to such a person.”The devotees listened to these words in silence.MASTER (to Kedar, Vijay, and the other devotees):“He who has renounced the pleasure of a wife has verily renounced the pleasure of the world. It is ‘woman and gold’ that hides God. You people have such imposing moustaches, and yet you too are involved in ‘woman and gold’. Tell me it isn’t true.Search your heart and answer me.“VIJAY:“Yes, it is true.”Kedar remained silent.MASTER:“I see that all are under the control of woman. One day I went to Captain’s house. From there I was to go to Ram’s house. So I said to Captain, ‘Please give me my carriage hire.’ He asked his wife about it. She too held back and said: ‘What’s the matter? What’s the matter?’ At last Captain said, ‘Ram will take care of it.’ You see, theGita, theBhagavata, and the Vedanta all bow before a woman! (All laugh.)“A man leaves his money, his property, and everything in the hands of his wife. But he says with affected simplicity, ‘I have such a nature that I cannot keep even two rupees with me.’“A man went to an office in search of a job. There were many vacancies, but the manager did not grant his request. A friend said to the applicant, ‘Appeal to Golapi, and you will get the job.’ Golapi was the manager’s mistress.“Men do not realise how far they are dragged down by women.Once I went to the Fort in a carriage, feeling all the while that I was going along a level road. At last I found that I had gone four storeys down. It was a sloping road.“A man possessed by a ghost does not know he is under the ghost’s control. He thinks he is quite normal.”VIJAY (smiling):“But he can be cured by an exorcist if he finds one.”In answer to Vijay Sri Ramakrishna only said, “That depends on the will of God.” Then he went on with his talk about women.MASTER:“Everyone I talk to says, ‘Yes, sir, my wife is good.’ Nobody says that his wife is bad. (All laugh.) Those who constantly live with ‘woman and gold’ are so infatuated with it that they don’t see things properly. Chess-players oftentimes cannot see the right move for their pieces on the board. But those who watch the game from a distance can understand the moves more accurately.“Woman is the embodiment of maya. In the course of his hymn to Rama, Narada said: ‘O Rama, all men are parts of Thee. All women are parts of Sita, the personification of Thy maya. Please deign to grant that I may have pure love for Thy Lotus Feet and that I may not be deluded by Thy world-bewitching maya. I do not want any other favour than that.'” (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Related Articles:", + "Question:By what is the knowledge of self covered?", + "Answer:By Kama.", + "Question:What is its nature?", + "Answer:It is the constant foe of the wise, and all-consuming and insatiable like fire." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-39.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v39/" }, @@ -423,8 +888,27 @@ "sanskrit": "इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते |एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम् || 40||", "transliteration": "indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣhṭhānam uchyateetair vimohayatyeṣha jñānam āvṛitya dehinam", "word_by_word_meaning": "indriyāṇi—the senses; manaḥ—the mind; buddhiḥ—the intellect; asya—of this; adhiṣhṭhānam—dwelling place; uchyate—are said to be; etaiḥ—by these; vimohayati—deludes; eṣhaḥ—this; jñānam—knowledge; āvṛitya—clouds; dehinam—the embodied soul", - "translation": "The senses, the mind, and the intellect are the seat of kama. Functioning through them this kama deluded the embodied by veiling the wisdom.", - "commentary": "When a person wants to destroy an enemy he must, first of all, know what his stronghold is, and from which place he is attacking him. The stronghold of kama is the senses, the mind, and the intellect. With these under its power, kama veils the knowledge of Self and deludes mankind by attachment to the body and the material world. So the first step for the seeker is to bring the senses under his own control, by driving out kama from its stronghold. Then the mind becomes pure, and the discriminative intellect clear. When kama is thus driven out of its hiding place and feeding ground, it becomes weak and gradually dies for want of sustenance.", + "translation": [ + "The senses, the mind, and the intellect are the seat of kama. Functioning through them this kama deluded the embodied by veiling the wisdom." + ], + "commentary": [ + "When a person wants to destroy an enemy he must, first of all, know what his stronghold is, and from which place he is attacking him. The stronghold of kama is the senses, the mind, and the intellect. With these under its power, kama veils the knowledge of Self and deludes mankind by attachment to the body and the material world. So the first step for the seeker is to bring the senses under his own control, by driving out kama from its stronghold. Then the mind becomes pure, and the discriminative intellect clear. When kama is thus driven out of its hiding place and feeding ground, it becomes weak and gradually dies for want of sustenance.", + "Beware, Arjuna, lust and anger are the great enemies. These are to be controlled. These cover the knowledge even of those [who are wise]. This fire of lust is unquenchable. Its location is in the sense-organs and in the mind. The Self desires nothing.[Source]", + "M. had been staying at Dakshineswar with Sri Ramakrishna. The Master was sitting in his room, listening to the life of Prahlada, which Ramlal was reading from theBhaktamala. M. was sitting on the floor. Rakhal, Latu, and Harish were also in the room, and Hazra was on the verandah. While listening to the story of Prahlada’s love for God, Sri Ramakrishna went into an ecstatic mood.Hiranyakasipu, the king of the demons and father of Prahlada, had put his son to endless torture to divert the boy’s mind from the love of God. But through divine grace all the king’s attempts to kill Prahlada were ineffective. At last God appeared, assuming the form of Nrisimha, the Man-lion, and killed Hiranyakasipu. The gods were frightened at the rage and roaring of the Man-lion and thought that the destruction of the world was imminent. They sent Prahlada to pacify the Deity. The boy sang a hymn to Him in words of love, and the Man-lion, moved by affection, licked Prahlada’s body.Still in an ecstatic mood, the Master said, “Ah! Ah! What love for the devotee!” The Master went into deep samadhi. He sat there motionless. A tear-drop could be seen at the corner of each of his eyes.", + "The Master came down to the plane of the sense world and spoke to M., expressing his abhorrence for those who, while practising spiritual discipline, enjoyed sex-life.MASTER:“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You have children, and still you enjoy intercourse with your wife. Don’t you hate yourself for thus leading an animal life? Don’t you hate yourself for dallying with a body which contains only blood, phlegm, filth, and excreta? He who contemplates the Lotus Feet of God looks on even the most beautiful woman as mere ash from the cremation ground. To enjoy a body which will not last and which consists of such impure ingredients as intestines, bile, flesh, and bone! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”M. sat there silently, hanging his head in shame.MASTER:“A man who has tasted even a drop of God’s ecstatic love looks on ‘woman and gold’ as most insignificant. He who has tasted syrup made from sugar candy regards a drink made from treacle as a mere trifle. One gradually obtains that love for God if one but prays to Him with a yearning heart and always chants His name and glories.”The Master was in an ecstasy of love. He began to dance about the room and sing:", + "Who is singing Hari’s name upon the sacred Ganges’ bank?Is it Nitai that has come, the giver of heavenly love? . . . (Source:Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)", + "Saints proclaim that where Śrī Rāma is, no desire for sensual pleasure exists and where the aspiration for worldly pleasure prevails, there Śrī Rāma is absent. Light and darkness cannot co-exist simultaneously at one and the same place.", + "We need to reflect on how we can fill our mind with Śrī Rāma. There is a secret to it. Just think, how does desire arise in the mind? When we perceive objects through the senses–as sound, touch, form, taste, and smell–the cause for desire manifests. That does not imply that desire will definitely arise but it becomes a distinct possibility. We may go to the mall to buy just one thing but exit with a trolley load of stuff. That is because once we enter the mall, we see this, that, and the other and the mind prompts us to buy them all. It is only when we go to the chemist to purchase medicine that we generally return with only that. Where did desire come from? From seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling; these are the gateways for the entry of desire.", + "Desire can awaken by the direct perception of objects through the senses. It can also be triggered by memory when the mind recollects earlier pleasurable experiences. The third source of desire is the intellect: thinking of and anticipating future pleasures. Such thoughts stimulate desire. Therefore, it is imperative to be extremely alert about what we see, remember, and think. Thus, to sum up, the senses perceive things in the present, the mind recalls pleasures enjoyed in the past while the intellect dwells on the pleasures sought after in the future.", + "Desires also have their own character, and the nature of the desire is dependent on the kind of thoughts entertained. One type is of an extremely tāmasika nature, which pertains to obscene and vulgar things. The sight of rājasika things will give rise to rājasika desires. Sāttvika memories such as that of Chinmaya Vibhooti, for example, will engender the sāttvika desire of revisiting that Centre. Tāmasika and rājasika desires create bondage. Here we are instructed that if such desires arise, for whatever reason, we should instantly start remembering Śrī Rāma. When we listen to the glories of the Lord there will be no desire for sensual pleasure; instead we will long for a vision (darśana) of Śrī Rāma. What is it that we seek to behold with our eyes? If it is the desire to see the temple of the Lord, then that desire will be fulfilled.", + "In the Bhagavad Gītā Śrī Kṛṣna tells us how desire arises in the mind–indriyāṇi mano budhirasyādhiṣṭhānamucyate, etairvimoha yatyeṣa jñānamāvṛtya dehinaṁ(3.40): The senses, mind and intellect are said to be the seat of desire. Through these, it deludes the embodied jivā by veiling his wisdom. We have five sense organs and five organs of action, that is, ten organs. In addition, we have the inner equipment of mind, (mana) intellect, (buddhi) memory (citta) and sense of individuality (ahaṁkāra). All together this makes for a total of fourteen gateways of desire. Understanding this is the secret of controlling desire.", + "The mind vacillates, the intellect decides, the memory recalls the past and then the ego says, “I want to enjoy this.” In other words, if in these fourteen desire-provoking locations of the personality we establish the longing for the attainment of the form and nature of the Lord, then the vāsanā for worldly enjoyment will gradually disappear. All that will remain in the heart of the seeker is love for God. And in such a heart the Lord will ever abide.", + "Of all the organs of perception, the eyes and the ears are the most powerful and exercise the greatest influence on us. That is why they are specially mentioned in the śānti mantra–bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ śṛuṇuyāma devāḥ, bhadraṁ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ: O devas, with our ears may we hear all that is auspicious and with our eyes, see all that is auspicious. In comparison, what we see with the eyes is less than what we imbibe through the ears. Knowledge and information are, by and large, gained through listening rather than by seeing.", + "Question:What is the seat of kama?", + "Answer:The senses, the mind, and intellect together form the abode of Kama. With their aid, kama deludes man by veiling the wisdom of the embodied.", + "Related Articles:", + "" + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-40.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v40/" }, @@ -434,8 +918,22 @@ "sanskrit": "तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ |पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम् || 41||", "transliteration": "tasmāt tvam indriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣhabhapāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśhanam", "word_by_word_meaning": "tasmāt—therefore; tvam—you; indriyāṇi—senses; ādau—in the very beginning; niyamya—having controlled; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—Arjun, the best of the Bharatas; pāpmānam—the sinful; prajahi—slay; hi—certainly; enam—this; jñāna—knowledge; vijñāna—realization; nāśhanam—the destroyer", - "translation": "O Arjuna! Therefore, having controlled the senses in the beginning, kill surely this kama, the sinful destroyer of knowledge and Self-realisation.", - "commentary": "Kama (lust) functions by first enslaving the senses, then deluding the mind, and then confusing the intellect. In the actual act of enjoyment, no one can make the division. But sadhana consists in analysing the mechanism of the body and mind. The Lord insists on sense-control as the first step to get rid of kama. The senses are like the main gateway of a fort. If the enemy is attacked and repelled at the gate, he cannot enter the fort. The senses should not be allowed to possess the mind by filling it with sense objects of pleasure. So the senses should be controlled first. The enjoyments derived through the senses should be given up by the practice of discrimination and dispassion. This is the starting point of spiritual advancement. The Lord says to every seeker “Whatever other obstacles and difficulties there may be, look to this first. Control the senses. Other things shall follow later.” Therefore let every seeker examine the outgoing senses, and find out the objects towards which they are running. Then let him turn away from them by examining and understanding their filthy nature.", + "translation": [ + "O Arjuna! Therefore, having controlled the senses in the beginning, kill surely this kama, the sinful destroyer of knowledge and Self-realisation." + ], + "commentary": [ + "Kama (lust) functions by first enslaving the senses, then deluding the mind, and then confusing the intellect. In the actual act of enjoyment, no one can make the division. But sadhana consists in analysing the mechanism of the body and mind. The Lord insists on sense-control as the first step to get rid of kama. The senses are like the main gateway of a fort. If the enemy is attacked and repelled at the gate, he cannot enter the fort. The senses should not be allowed to possess the mind by filling it with sense objects of pleasure. So the senses should be controlled first. The enjoyments derived through the senses should be given up by the practice of discrimination and dispassion. This is the starting point of spiritual advancement. The Lord says to every seeker “Whatever other obstacles and difficulties there may be, look to this first. Control the senses. Other things shall follow later.” Therefore let every seeker examine the outgoing senses, and find out the objects towards which they are running. Then let him turn away from them by examining and understanding their filthy nature.", + "Sinful:The nature of kama is sin. It is all-sinful mahapapma. The most heinous sins are committed by man under the pressure of Kama. Thoughtful men know the cursed crimes that men commit by this horrible demon of kama. Blinded by kama man forgets what is right and wrong. All the sastric injunctions are violated, all common moral principles are set at naught, and shame and fear are lost, when the demands of kama press for immediate satisfaction. The desire for lust and gold, position and power, have undone the best and wisest men even, and the world has suffered serious disasters in consequence.", + "Destroyer of knowledge and realisation:Jnana means knowledge acquired by the study of the `Sastras ‘Vijnana’ means direct knowledge of the Self. The first is indirect knowledge (Paroksha Jnana) and the second is direct knowledge (Aparoksha Jnana) – practical experience of the Self. Both are destroyed by kama. What little knowledge is acquired, what little experience is acquired by the sadhaka, all this is cancelled and nullified by the virulence of kama. We see highly learned men and gifted people yielding to common temptations like the most unlearned and ignorant. Such is the overwhelming power of kama. But its power, like the gravitational pull off the earth, can work only up to a certain radius. Those men who pass beyond its range are free and the perfect. Kama cannot do anything to them. They are the jivanmuktas – the living free-blessed men who live in the Self, and have absolutely no relish for the foul and filthy enjoyments of earthly life.", + "The Lord never for a moment says that kama cannot be conquered. That is not the import of these verses. Only the evil power of kama is explained in full, in order to inspire the aspirant with greater zeal and enthusiasm to overcome this deadly foe.", + "Prajahi: Conquer, that is the watchword, the war cry of the seeker. The Lord is behind every seeker, every sincere devotee. Therefore no man need be disheartened by thinking of the power of the inimical forces.", + "Question:What is the first duty of the Sadhaka?", + "Answer:Sense-control.", + "Question:How will sense-control help?", + "Answer:It destroysKama.", + "Question:How does the evil power of kama work?", + "Answer:It destroys both spiritual knowledge and experience." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-41.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v41/" }, @@ -445,8 +943,17 @@ "sanskrit": "इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्य: परं मन: |मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धे: परतस्तु स: || 42||", "transliteration": "indriyāṇi parāṇyāhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥmanasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ", "word_by_word_meaning": "indriyāṇi—senses; parāṇi—superior; āhuḥ—are said; indriyebhyaḥ—than the senses; param—superior; manaḥ—the mind; manasaḥ—than the mind; tu—but; parā—superior; buddhiḥ—intellect; yaḥ—who; buddheḥ—than the intellect; parataḥ—more superior; tu—but; saḥ—that (soul)", - "translation": "They say that the senses are superior (to the body), superior to the senses is the mind, superior to the mind is the intellect, but superior than the intellect is He (the Atman).", - "commentary": "In the previous verses, sense-restraint is enjoined as the first condition of spiritual progress. But how to achieve it? The Lord answers it in this verse. Unless one stands above his enemy or acquires greater strength than the enemy, he cannot defeat him. So one should understand what the position of the senses is in the organism of the human being. No doubt the senses are superior to the bodily organs like hands and legs because they have a wider range of activity. But the mind is superior to the senses because it has a still wider range of activity and is endowed with higher powers of generating action. But the intellect is superior to the mind because the operations of the mind are subject to the dictates of the intellect which directs the mind in its various activities. But higher than the intellect and greater than all, stands Atma, the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, ever-blissful Self. The Self is All-mighty. Nothing can touch it or affect it. In the Sankhya Yoga, the Lord has already described the glory and indestructibility of Atma.", + "translation": [ + "They say that the senses are superior (to the body), superior to the senses is the mind, superior to the mind is the intellect, but superior than the intellect is He (the Atman)." + ], + "commentary": [ + "In the previous verses, sense-restraint is enjoined as the first condition of spiritual progress. But how to achieve it? The Lord answers it in this verse. Unless one stands above his enemy or acquires greater strength than the enemy, he cannot defeat him. So one should understand what the position of the senses is in the organism of the human being. No doubt the senses are superior to the bodily organs like hands and legs because they have a wider range of activity. But the mind is superior to the senses because it has a still wider range of activity and is endowed with higher powers of generating action. But the intellect is superior to the mind because the operations of the mind are subject to the dictates of the intellect which directs the mind in its various activities. But higher than the intellect and greater than all, stands Atma, the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, ever-blissful Self. The Self is All-mighty. Nothing can touch it or affect it. In the Sankhya Yoga, the Lord has already described the glory and indestructibility of Atma.", + "The Atma is the one conscious principle in the Universe. All else is jada- Anatma -a mass of insentience.It is the presence of Atma that gives life and activity to the insentient mass, right from the intellect down to the body.A ball of iron is illumined when fire enters and pervades it. So Atma enters and pervades the whole universe, giving it the appearance of life and activity. All this life belongs to Atma. He is the Reality in everything.", + "So, keeping oneself in the Atmic state is the most powerful antidote to the intellect. When one acquires a stand in Atma, these lower functional instruments are deprived of the usual ramblings in the world of matter, and so they automatically come to a standstill in their own respective positions. They can no longer draw the person out and entangle him in the meshes of sense-enjoyments. Even the relish or taste for enjoyment is killed when Atma is directly perceived and experienced.", + "Thus the Lord points out the way to conquer the senses, the mind, and the intellect, all at once. ‘Never descend to the lower plane of the senses. All should ascend to the state of Atma’,- this is the injunction of the Lord. The lower things then cannot trouble the person for he would then understand that he is actually the witness to the modifications of the mind and the senses, and have nothing to do with them at all. ‘We are not the body, we are not the senses, we are not the mind, we are not the intellect, we are blessed Atma, pure and perfect, infinite and ever-blessful.’ When this thought is firmly held, the senses lose their power over the individual and cannot betray him into sinful acts and ways of life.", + "Question:What is the state of Atma?", + "Answer:Atma is superior to the senses, the mind, and the intellect. It is the ruler of all." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-42.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v42/" }, @@ -456,8 +963,20 @@ "sanskrit": "एवं बुद्धे: परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना |जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् || 43||", "transliteration": "evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā sanstabhyātmānam ātmanājahi śhatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam", "word_by_word_meaning": "evam—thus; buddheḥ—than the intellect; param—superior; buddhvā—knowing; sanstabhya—subdue; ātmānam—the lower self (senses, mind, and intellect); ātmanā—by higher self (soul); jahi—kill; śhatrum—the enemy; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one; kāma-rūpam—in the form of desire; durāsadam—formidable", - "translation": "O mighty-armed Arjuna! Thus, having known what is greater than the intellect (i.e.) Atma, and restraining the mind by the intellect conquer the foe (kama) in the form of desire which is indeed hard to overcome.", - "commentary": "The cause of all sorrow is the ignorance of man of his real Self. Thinking that he is the body, the senses, and the mind, he attributes to himself all their distractions, disturbances, agitations and sufferings.This identification with the material body and the world is the root cause of all sorrow and suffering.So the Lord exhorts all mankind, “Know that you are the Self which is beyond the intellect You are not the body. So take refuge in the Self and conquer the indomitable foe – Kama.” This is the Lord’s inspiring message to suffering humanity.", + "translation": [ + "O mighty-armed Arjuna! Thus, having known what is greater than the intellect (i.e.) Atma, and restraining the mind by the intellect conquer the foe (kama) in the form of desire which is indeed hard to overcome." + ], + "commentary": [ + "The cause of all sorrow is the ignorance of man of his real Self. Thinking that he is the body, the senses, and the mind, he attributes to himself all their distractions, disturbances, agitations and sufferings.This identification with the material body and the world is the root cause of all sorrow and suffering.So the Lord exhorts all mankind, “Know that you are the Self which is beyond the intellect You are not the body. So take refuge in the Self and conquer the indomitable foe – Kama.” This is the Lord’s inspiring message to suffering humanity.", + "In fact, it is Atma that impregnates all material things with consciousness, power and activity. Whatever power is displayed by the bodily organs, the senses, and the mind, all that power is derived from Atma which is One indivisible ocean of power and blessedness. But as we see, these insentient instruments have acquired the appearance of reality by the interpretation of Avidya. They have, as it were, become the real, and what is real (i.e.) Atma is covered up by them. People have, so to say, realised the unreal, and unrealised the real. Now, therefore, the seeker has to make the hard distinction between the apparently real, and the really real. He should distinguish the unreal which is appearing as the real. If the Reality, Atma is experienced the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect – would immediately be subdued and brought under control. Thus Kama is conquered, the bonds of ignorance are broken, the Power of the Supreme is realised.", + "Therefore, discrimination – persistent discrimination – between the real and the unreal is the first and foremost practice for the aspirant. By this he would know that the various actions and functions of the senses, the mind and the intellect, have no absolute reality at all. Atma is separated from Anatma. Then all that is not Atma loses its mysterious power over the individual. Man then feels the freedom of the Self-the state of the jivanmukta. The ignorant man has tied a strong knot between Atma and Anatma. This knot should be cut so that insentient matter is clearly distinguished from the life and light of Atma. To the realised man, Atma alone appears everywhere, as the immovable, unchanging, imperishable, substratum of all that exists. Then these senses and the mind remain under his control and become servants to carry out the command of the master, the Self.", + "If the brake is applied, the fast-moving train comes to a standstill. If the connecting link is cut, the fast whirling wheel of the vast machine stops rotating. Thus the mighty wheel of birth and death comes to a stand-still, when the Self is realised. There is no other way to stop the wheel of samasara. If the phenomenal world is cut off from its deluding connection with the Self, the whole of it ceases to have any meaning or life or significance. The delusion banishes by the knowledge of Atma. The external world will be known as a mirage and no one would run after a mirage when he knows it to be such. The senses do not run after material things, the mind does not hanker after pleasures and enjoyment, and the intellect has no more any part to play in the scheme of things. There is no further quest for this or that. The Self alone shines as the eternal Truth. It is this grand and inspiring idea which is presented to us in this magnificent verse.", + "One should naturally feel the power of the inspiring words – ‘Oh ! mighty – armed Arjuna ! conquer the foe (jahi satrum mahabaho).’ Arjuna is addressed as the mighty-armed warrior. True.The aspirant should be like Arjuna, a hero who knows no defeat, who is ready to sacrifice his life for attaining the highest.His motto should be ‘Conquer’. But what kind of foe is he to conquer? The foe to be conquered is hard indeed to overcome (durasadam). It is no use to underestimate the power of the enemy. The enemy (Kama) is powerful because it has sent its roots deep into the heart of man and has developed into a mighty many-branched tree. It should be cut and the roots pulled out of the solid earth.The sword that can cut this mighty tree of Kama is detachment from the unreal and identification with Atma.This is the axe which would cut the mighty tree.", + "Knowledge of the Self is the last word of the Lord in this Discourse, Karma Yoga, the Yoga of action.We understand that Karma yoga demands detachment and desirelessness and this is possible only when man understands Atma. So knowledge is the foundation of Karma yoga. Nishkama Karma leads to Jnana, and Jnana makes Nishkama Karma possible.So those who desire to cross the ocean of sorrow, those who aspire to conquer Kama, those who seek for liberation, should understand their real nature, that they are Atma and not dead matter, the body, etc. When they know this, whether they are in cities or forest, whether they are young or old, whether they work or cease to work, they would enjoy the supreme peace of Atma, and the world has no power to bind them again.", + "When desires invade the mind, what should one do? The answer Bhagavan gives issaṃstabhyātmānamātmanā—make the Self abide in the Self. This is found in the Gita itself, ‘ātma-samstham manaḥ krtvā, na kincidapi cintayet (BG 6.25)—make the mind abide in the Self, and do not initiate any thought.’ The moment you rub the mind with the mind, it generates thoughts. And thoughts power up the ego. The ego itself is the root of thoughts. When the ego is woken up, the intellect gets eroded, through which the mind and the senses become active, and spread out as desires. Thus, ‘Do not think’ is the secret. Abide as the Self. That alone is the way to cross the border of desire and to be beyond the reach of desire. (Source: Srimad Bhagavad Gita | Elixir of Eternal wisdom)", + "Question:How can one conquer Kama?", + "Answer:If he knows that he is Atma, higher than the intellect, and if he is firmly established in the self-state, kama is conquered." + ], "audio": "https://cdn.vivekavani.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Bhagavad-Gita-Chapter-3-Verse-43.mp3", "source": "https://vivekavani.com/b3v43/" }