श्रीः
प्रपन्नपारिजाताय तोत्रवेत्रैकपाणये । ज्ञानमुद्राय कृष्णाय गीतामृतदुहे नमः ॥
ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरमणाय
Chapter 2 – सांख्ययोगः
The Gita is a moksha shastram, it tells us the path to moksha. While there are many other messages the Gita conveys (such as bhakti, karma and upasana), the core purpose of the Gita, is to tell us the message of the Upanishads - how to reach Moksha through Yoga (letting go of assumed identities and knowing the true nature of the self). Hence it is called Brahmavidya and Yoga shastram.
While studying the Gita, one must keep in mind the following:
- Ishvara Himself is talking to me directly. As long as I think that I am a limited individual, I am Arjuna.
- Why am I learning it ? The idea is not to achieve academic prowess, but to achieve the Parama-purushartha, which is Moksha, through the realisation of my true Self.
- This is not about the Kurukshetra war. This is about the battles I face in daily life - the indecisions, confusions, fears and anxieties. The war merely provided the setting for Arjuna to receive the upadesha from Narayana Himself.
The goal of every person is to find peace and happiness. The reality of life is that we have bouts of peace and happiness, interspersed with sorrow, all of which are derived from objects external to us. The Gita, which is the essence of the Upanishads, tells us to look within instead. The aim is find Ishvara within ourselves and in everyone around us - this Ishvara is the same as the Brahman-Aatman which Vedanta teaches us.
Grief and delusion are the cause of samsara. These are caused by the feeling of I and mine. These feelings lead to raaga and dvesha, kartrutvam and bhoktrutvam, which extend samsara. The Gitopadesha starts here. The ego (represented by the feeling I and mine) holds the key to our happiness.
The aatma is who I truly am. I am not the body or ego or intellect. These are all instruments which interact with each other and the world. They are external to me, ie, the koshas or sheaths. They are not who I am. They are 'anatma' / non-self, not my true nature.
Penetrating the veil of ignorance and understanding one’s true nature, is the path to moksha - this is characterized by peace while we have the body, and no rebirth after the body is shed.
UNDERSTANDING ONE'S TRUE NATURE:
The qualities of the aatma present a direct contrast to the qualities of the body, mind, and the other koshas. So what is the problem ? Ignorance as to one’s true nature and absence of discrimination (viveka) cause superimposition of the anatma on the aatma (adhyasa). When we forget who we truly are, this is when the body, mind and ego raise their heads and become all-important. They push us into action based on attachment / dislikes and create the sense of agency and entitlement. Since such action never brings true happiness, it is a vicious cycle of action, success and frustrations, accompanied by fear, insecurity and worry.
Instead, recognising that these are impermanent phenomena, but the aatma which is the substratum on which the body and mind reside, is the permanent entity, halts the spiral of goal-oriented action, this removes anxiety and fear. We cannot renounce worldly life and responsibilities though - so how exactly does one then perform action, is dealt with in this chapter and in chapter 3 in detail.
Impurities in the mind and scattering of thoughts, make it difficult to enquire as to one's true nature. This is where karma, bhakti and upasana play important roles.
Developing vairagyam/detachment, and continuing to perform the ordained karma without the ego, leads to contentment and purity within. The intellect finds the highest goal and the instruments (body, mind, etc) work towards it. The clarity as to what the goal is, drives the sadhana / spiritual practices. Through sadhana, the teaching can be well-absorbed by the pure mind and firm intellect. Using the shastram under the guidance of an enlightened Guru, the adhyasa / superimposition of anatma on aatma is removed, and Advaita becomes an experience, not merely a theory. The experience of the aatmajyoti manifesting within oneself is that of seeing the one divinity in all, leading to bliss and contentment.
These qualities make us the best version of ourselves that we can achieve. Hence a person on the spiritual journey, is an asset to society. This is a journey about finding oneself but it also benefits everyone around me. Bhagavan Ramana said one's primary service to society, is achieved by finding oneself.
Aatma, which is sacchidananda, together with its reflection in the mind (doership, enjoyership, objects), makes the jeeva. This jeeva tries to use the body, mind and intellect to obtain happiness. However they produce experiences of objects, emotions and thoughts instead. Being established in the aatma instead, leads to bliss, free from duality and being unimpacted by karma. Being established in the aatma, the sadhaka feels complete (purna) and unlimited (aparichhinna).
Karma is the adhikara of a jeeva. It has to be performed as per one’s dharma, which is aligned with the role of the jeeva in the current birth. One has no choice but to deliver as per svadharma.
Performing karma as yoga, purifies the mind and readies one for knowledge as to one’s true nature. Karma yoga liberates one from the bonds of karma, while simultaneously enhancing bhakti, because the karmayogi performs all karma as Ishvara-arpanam and accepts all the results as Ishvara-prasada. Therefore, the role of karma, is chitta-shuddhi, which makes the person ready to receive knowledge.
The enlightened person is free from his ego. He performs karma as a yoga. The two key elements of performing karma as yoga are – samattvam (work with equanimity) and kaushalam (work without the sense of doership, and hence, in a non-binding manner)
The “Ishvara exists for me” feeling changes to “I exist for Ishvara’s work”.
The ego is the peg upon which we sustain all unimportant and damaging activities and thoughts, and it clogs the path of spiritual progress. We must strive to keep the ego aside and become instruments in the hands of Ishvara. We must merely allow actions to pass through us.
The qualities of the enlightened one / sthitaprajna, as listed by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, highlight the importance of the guru and satsanga. We will make no progress without a guru, who, out of compassion, gives us the upadesha and who exists purely for the sake of the shishya’s welfare. As long as we keep emulating the enlightened guru, we become better people. Hence it is important to stay in a satsanga and observe the activities of enlightened people.
Letting go of kama /desire and keeping the mind and senses under control, is a good place to start all sadhana. The enlightened person does this, and he goes about life performing all his duties as a yoga.
When the senses are under control (इन्द्रियनिग्रहः) and the mind becomes peaceful (प्रसन्नं मनः), the intellect becomes established in the self (व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः). Desires are created in the mind, hence mind-control is of paramount importance.
In contrast, if the mind runs amok and the deluded intellect associates itself with the ego, one is caught in samsara.
Between birth and death, the jeeva associates with names and forms. These carry attributes and trigger emotions. We do not experience anything before our birth and we do not know what will happen after death. During the intervening period, names and forms are given a lot of importance. Turning the mind inwards, helps find one’s true nature which is one of no attributes, no emotions and only bliss.
Hence the direct path to moksha, is vichara as to one’s true nature. On discovering it and being established in it, one is a jnani and yogi.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः । तत्र
श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥
सर्वं श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु
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