Hari Om Parents,
Below is the lesson from last class. we will be including the lesson alone in the write up. Daily prayers, designated shlokas and Gita chanting is always a part of the class. For the announcements please check the whatsapp group messages.
-Pranams,
Aruna and Sirisha
Week 7:
Lesson:
Chapter 3: Karma Yoga
Arjuna's question to the Lord- if knowledge is superior to action then why should he fight the war? What can he not retire and pursue the quest for self-knowledge?
None can ever remain without performing actions: We are forced to act by our nature. Mind knows to do 2 things- either sleep or think. Hence, we have no choice between life of action and inaction. Hence lord teaches us how to act and become qualified for self-knowledge.
1. Do you duties- each stage in life calls for duties that we must do.
Activities in the world are classified into 4 categories – Nitya karmas (daily duties) Naimittika karma(special duties), nishiddha karma (forbidden actions) and kamya karma (action with desire). Also we cannot change our duties since they fall upon us by birth.
2. Perform actions for yagna alone – Actions always bind. Hence do them in the spirit of yagna. Yagna is an offering done for the welfare of the world. There are 5 kinds of yagnas which are to be performed by everyone. 1. Rishi yagna (Study of scriptures and making sure the vedic knowledge propagates) 2. Pitru Yagna ( Performing all the rituals that bestows the grace of ancestors)3. Deva yagna(satisfying all the forces of nature- no pollution, recycling, no deforestation) 4. Manushya yagna (serving human kind) 5. Bhuta yagna- serving the other beings like animals, plants around.
3. Order of creation: There is an hierarchy in creation of this world- 1.supreme self, 2.veda, 3. karma, 4.yagna, 5.rain, 6.food and 7.beings. Hence Yagna plays an important role. Without yagna there will not be rains and without rain there is no food and without food living beings cannot survive.
4. Guiding Star: What ever great men do others also imitate – movie stars, celebrities, sport stars, politicians. Even you are a sunshine in someone's eye – brothers/sisters imitate you. So do the neighborhood kids
5. Duties performed without attachment yields highest results: As long as you take from the world you have to give back. Hence when doing your duties do in yagna spirit and without attachment, as an offering to lord. Whatever result come then it will be accepted.
Why Does one commit Sin: Intellectually one understands what is right and wrong but why do people get tempted to do wrong? Who is this enemy who pushes us to do sin? Where does he reside?
Lord answers: Desire is the enemy within. We desire things that are not with us. Eg: money, status, power, friends. If this emotion gets obstructed, this will lead to anger, with a desire-anger combination we compromise our value system and settle for a baser way of life. Nobler desires are desirable
Chapter 4: Renunciation of Action in Knowledge
Lord Krishna begins Chapter 4 with the long lineage of followers of Karma Yoga, starting with the Lord Himself teaching the Sun, who taught Manu who taught Ikshvaku (forefather of Lord Rama). Arjuna is puzzled by Krishna's claim to be the teacher of the Sun! 🤨
1. Reincarnation vs. Rebirth: At this point Krishna reveals Himself to be an Avatar who knows all His previous births (incarnations) taken on earth for the purpose of reestablishing righteousness or Dharma. Whereas the Lord explains we are unaware of our previous lives, we are reborn because of our accumulated vasanas that need to be exhausted in order to transcend this cycle of birth and rebirth.
2. Vasanas and Gunas: Our vasanas (impressions from past actions) govern our gunas (the attitude with which our mind functions) in this life. We all have a combination of the three gunas - Satva, Rajas, and Tamas at any given point, but if we analyze our behavior and reaction to situations, we may find our personality has a dominant guna. Through our free will we can act to overcome inherent tamas by setting ambitious goals, consistently working towards them (rajasic mentality) while developing an attitude of gratitude (satvic mentality).
3. Gunas and Varnas: Our dominant guna determines our varna or color that is often misrepresented as our caste determined by our birth family. When in fact, the four castes are descriptions of four main personality types that we see around us, made up of varying combinations of the three gunas. The Lord says, pick the profession that suits your personality and innate interests so that your work will be a tireless and joyous experience for you.
Example: If you are a people person, being in a quiet cubicle doing research all day may not be fun for you. On the other hand, if you need solitude often to think through problems, a marketing career filled with travel may seem very tiresome. This is completely independent of the caste you were born into or the profession chosen by your parents.
4. Non-doership: Purification of mind can be attained when a person engaged in sincere action adopts a non-doership mindset. A non-doer has no attachment to the fruits of action, is content and does not depend on anyone or anything for his happiness. How does one achieve this? The Lord says by using Him as our crutch, performing all our actions in the yagna spirit and dedicating all our results to Him. Success or failure all belong to Him, not to us, we are but His instruments. This mentality will reduce our attachment and ego and help us to avoid the six vices of the mind, thereby becoming most productive. However, this is obviously easier said than done. We need a role model.
5. Guru: In order to keep us on the right path, Krishna emphasizes the need for a Guru. A role model who practices this non-doership and lives the message of the scriptures. Blessed with a Guru, we also have to develop Faith, Devotion and Self-control to progress in this path. For students it is important to have faith in the value system they are being raised with, a devotion to live by that system and self-control to catch themselves when they waver due to the distractions that present themselves.
Class Discussion: Prevalence of vaping and alcohol in the student community and how it affects thinking. Will suppressing thoughts of indulgence in these habits actually hurt in the long run? What happens when you are in college, who is monitoring your choices? How does one develop the strength to gently substitute an obsessively curious thought about wanting to experience the 'high' with the opposite thought of staying away?
Gurudev's quote: Study is the means, self-control is the way, but Self-Realization is the goal.
