DNA Of Hinduism
  • Home
  • Core Principles
  • Philosophy
  • Symbols & Customs
  • Puja, Krriya & Bhakti
  • Deities, Philosophers & Bhakts
  • Travel & Teertha
  • Festivals
  • Ancient Wisdom Via Stories
  • Shri Krishna & Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
  • Sri Ram & RamCharitra Manas
  • About
  • Non-clickable Page

shri Krishna & Shrimad bhagavad gita

The Bhagavad Gita – the Karma Yoga

10/26/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Bhagavad Gita – the Karma Yoga
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥
 
Shree Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavad Gita has brought out the nectar of Upanishads and outlined four paths of liberation from re-birth & to achieve highest spiritual goal. The paths are the karma yoga, the jnana yoga, the bhakti yoga and the dhayan or raja yoga. Path of karma yoga is explained in chapters 2, 3, 4 and 18. Karma Yoga means action, devotion and contemplation; all combined, this attains spiritual perfection. Welfare of the world and not the selfish objectives becomes the purpose of actions such as rising of sun. Spiritual evolution has stages of discipline of karma combined with contemplation and karma without attachment.
 
The persons do karmas (work, actions, and activities) based on motives and motivations which may be due to selfish interest or as duty or due to community, country or humanity. Karmas or actions may be classified in three categories viz. interested actions with motives, disinterested actions with full of energy without personal motive and uninterested actions without full inclination. Karmas are virtuous, vicious or detached and are accounted for and ongoing account is maintained. All karmas are a mixture of beneficence and destructiveness as far as their effects are concerned. They are like the brilliance of fire, always accompanied by the obscuring cloudiness of smoke.

 
Natural tendencies and Karma:
  1. Mental tendencies, character, potentials etc. are formed by the virtuous and vicious karmas done in past. Prarabdha can include good and evil elements. Natural tendencies towards objects of senses, if permitted may bring downfall of spiritual aspirant. Senses colour the mind and intellect also. It is desires; passions and anger compel the persons to perform sinful actions. These arise in senses, mind and intellect. One needs to control them. Mere suppression does not bear desirable results.
  2. Repression of tendencies is putting them under carpet. The controlling of tendencies can be done by cultivating awareness.
  3. The control of tendencies should be done in its beginning itself by developing awareness. Awareness of things and moods that entice the mind, and overcome them by discrimination and counter suggestion at the start itself. If it is not controlled at the start, person becomes helpless entity.
 
Stages of Karmas:
Karmas have three stages viz. Idleness or passivity, karma desiring fruits i.e profit motive (Kamya-karma) and Naiskarma (wilful worklessness or actionlessness).
  1. Inaction or Idleness: Work is essential because he would otherwise lapse into idleness and hypocrisy (duplicity). Mere abandonment of all actions externally will take one nowhere. Workless contemplation may lead to idleness.
  2. Actions with Profit motive (Kamya Karma): Kamya karma can be anti-social (Vikarma or Adharma or Nisiddha karma) and socially oriented action (Dharma). Actions done with expectation of its rewards bring bondage. Bondage reduces focus & energy in achievement of the work which in turn reduces chances of success. Self-centeredness is not eliminated without efforts. But unnecessary work also increases desires and further strengthens self-centredness.
  3. Actions without attachment (Naiskarma): Naiskarma is doing karma or duties in dedicated way without caring for fruits, by controlling senses. It is the state in which one is uninvolved witness of the activities of body & mind. Naishkarma does not mean physical inactivity. It means being established in pure awareness without involvement in any kind of change and is unaffected & uninvolved in the movements of body-mind.
Karma as Duty:
  1. The offerings or fire sacrifices made during Yajna are thanks-giving to deities for the benefits received from them or for welfare of humanity, are discharge of one’s duties. Fire is link between humans and deities.
  2. The enlightened yogi has no sense of agency and therefore free from bondages. Initially, he shall have the feeling of agency, so he should offer all the fruits of action to the Brahman. Later, the sense of agency is destroyed. Dedicated and detached actions are brought by Bhakti element.
  3. Actions done with evenness of mind, one casts off in this life both good and evil deeds
Detachment of Karma from the fruits:
  1. The attainment of detachment in action is the very essence of spiritual life. By abandoning all actions, he mentally rests in the nine gated fort of the body.
  2. Detachment is achieved when one having reached the state that there is no expectation of fruits and no sense of agency and when one feels that all activities are done by body and mind and they reap the fruits, not he.
  3. Detachment is attained only through long and steadily practices of dedicated actions, combined with discriminative understanding of one are being basically the non-being attached.
  4. Detached works lead to enlightenment.
Detachment and Devotion:
  1. Karma Yoga inspires devotion based karma without seeking its fruits.  Prayers and self-surrender invoke the divine help. Close association of soul purifies the intellect, mind and senses. Practice of devotion and meditation is essential for the success of karma yoga.   
  2. By self-surrender to almighty, all karma (actions) becomes absolute happiness and life becomes celebrations. It has following four stages:
    1. Ist stage: Work and worship – doing the karma with sattvic attributes and worshipping and loving the personal god.
    2. IInd stage: Work as worship – Doing the karma whole day as worshipping the god.
    3. IIIrd stage: Work is worship – Feel karma itself is god.
    4. IVth stage: No duality – Oneness i.e. realising self and everybody is Brahman (almighty).
  3. Discharge of one’s duties as an offering to Brahman, and eliminating self-centeredness in so discharging it through practice of discrimination and devotion, will gradually make one rise above self-centredness.
  4. Along with work he should practise introspection and meditation also; for without that he cannot keep up the sense of detachment, dedication and desirelessness while working. Then karma becomes karma yoga. Discharge of one’s karmas as offerings to divine lead to higher spiritual evolution.
The detailed explanations, chapter wise and verse-wise of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita (the relevant Sanskrit verses of Bhagavad Gita are mentioned at the bottom) are as under: 


Read More
0 Comments

Srimad Bhagavad Gita – a Text Book of Life

10/12/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

Srimad Bhagavad Gita – a Text Book of Life
॥ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥ ॥ ॐ श्री परमात्मने नमः ॥ ॥ अथ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता ॥
 
शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्ण शुभाङ्गम् । लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यम् वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥
(Obeisance (respect) to Vishnu, the dispeller of the fear of rebirths, the one Lord of all the regions, possessed of a tranquil form, lying on a bed of snake, from whose navel has sprung the lotus, the Lord of all celestials, the support of the universe, similar to the sky, possessed of the colour of a cloud and possessed of handsome limbs, the Lord of Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth), having lotus-like eyes, and realized by Yogis in meditation.)
 
Srimad Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 18, verses 700) is a song of divine. The discourses of Bhagavad Gita were later recorded by Bhagwan Vyasa. As per archeological evidence, Shree Krishna and Arjuna dialogues were held in 3102 BC i.e. 5120 years ago during war among Kauravas and Pandavas in Krukshetra, Haryana. Bhagavad Gita is translated in most languages in the world after Bible. While religions world over are more about externalities and to follow rules scrupulously to be religious, Bhagavad Gita most revered practical guide world over and is tip of ocean of bliss and knowledge.

Essence of Bhagavad Gita:
Bhagavad Gita is cream of Vedas and Upanishads, in most simple Sanskrit language. If Upanishads are cows, Shree Krishna is milkier, Bhagavad Gita is the divine nectar milked for entire humanity and Arjuna is the calf who first tasted it.
It exhorts the mankind towards work and not renunciation (not to become Sanyasi) through Karma Yoga. It is a practical guide to be spiritual and enlightens the path to attain salvation.       

Shree Krishna says, Intellect (reasoning), wisdom (right knowledge), unclouded understanding, forgiveness, truthfulness, forbearance (self-restraint, patience, control over senses & mind), calmness (equanimity), contentment, pleasure- pain (joy-sorrow), birth-death (evolution-dissolution), non-violence, fear-fearlessness, austerity, charity, fame (reputation) and criticism, these diverse traits of creatures emanate from Me (Brahman/Shree Krishna) alone (chapter: 10.4, 10.5; Bhagavad Gita Sanskrit reference mentioned at bottom).
Souls who have adopted the divine nature, knowing Me (Brahman/Shree Krishna) as the prime source of all beings and the imperishable eternal, worship Me constantly with one pointedness of mind (9.13). Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving for My realization, and bowing again and again to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, ever united with me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion (9.14). Others, who follow the path of Knowledge, worship Me in My absolute, formless aspect as one with themselves; while still others worship Me in My Universal Form in many ways, taking Me to be diverse in manifold celestial forms (chapter: 9.15 Bhagavad Gita Sanskrit reference mentioned at bottom).

Everybody, irrespective of Varna, caste, gender and Ashrama, has the right to study the Bhagavad Gita. However, one should have complete faith and reverence in Bhagavad Gita. Shree Krishna explained the various dimensions of dharma & adharma, traditions and means of salvations. He dispels the utter confusion of ordinary person which keeps going on in their mind to do or not. 

Kathoupanishad has compared the human body and Chariot i.e. Chariot as human body, master of chariot (Arjuna) as soul (atman), charioteer (Krishna) as buddhi, reins as mind & horses as senses. Greed, Pride, lust, jealousy, hypocrisy etc. is enemy within us.   

A practical Guide for life:
 
Indecisiveness:
The dilemma, confusion, doubts and indecisiveness arise in the mind of everybody, more particularly when worldly (material, relationship, job, profit etc.) gain or loss is big. Arjuna also fell in great confusion and sorrow that whether battle between Pandavas and Kaurvas is justified after seeing the close relatives, friends and most revered elders & Gurus in the battlefield and ready to fight for the sake of kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures. He felt that killing them will accrue only sin and destruction of family will cause evil. The impact of death of loved ones, big financial loss, chronic disease, or any other experience of life threatening, causes dispassion. Then Arjuna sat down and preferred not to fight.  (Chapter – 1: Despondency Yoga (विषाद; Sanskrit at bottom)
 
Decision Making:
Shree Krishna explains the various dimensions and factors in correct decision making and paths for liberation from birth and death. He enlightens about the right knowledge, right actions, and right kind of feelings and about the focus, attitudes and discipline. Perfection is attained by right actions, devotion and contemplation. The discourses of Shree Krishna are guiding principles not only in spiritual enlightenment, but also in day to day decision making. A gist is as under:
   
  1. Attitudes: While performing various actions, one should have mental attitude of selflessness instead of selfishness, it bring purification of heart which in turn leads to fearlessness. The attitude of performing any task with expectation of its rewards brings bondage. Bondage reduces focus & energy in achievement of the work which in turn reduces chances of success as the success is governed by several factors including past karma.
  2. Right feelings: One should be free from malice towards all beings, friendly and compassionate, and free from the feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, balanced in joy and sorrow, forgiving by nature, ever-contented and mentally united with almighty. He should look upon well-wishers and neutrals as well as mediators, friends and foes, relatives and inimical (hostile), the virtuous and the sinful with equanimity.
  3. Stable mind: Five sense organs are the instruments of information to mind. If these sense organs are too much attached to various objects of senses, the mind develops desires into them. Unfulfilled desire causes anger. From anger arises delusion; from delusion, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, loss of reason; and from loss of reason one goes to complete ruin. A person who has disciplined his senses and controlled the distractions of mind, he attains stableness in mind by which his confusions and sorrows come to an end.
  4. Focus of mind: Completely renouncing all desires arising from thoughts; fully restraining all the senses from all sides by the mind and by gradual practice, the person attains tranquillity and fixing the mind.
  5. Right Knowledge: Shree Krishna explained Arjuna that one can conquer desire. Desires develop in the body. But the senses are said to be superior to the body; but superior to the senses is the mind. Superior than the mind is the intellect; and what is superior than the intellect is the almighty. Thus, by knowing the almighty, one can conquer the desires. By discrimination, counter suggestion at the start itself and dispassion, which does constant and intense practice, can conquer it quite easily.
  6. Right Actions (karma): Persons do karmas (work, actions, and activities) based on motives and motivations which may be due to selfish interest or keeping the interests of organization, community, country or humanity in view.
  7. Love & Devotion: Dedicated and detached actions are brought by love & devotion element. Those who listen, discuss and meditate the glories of God and surrender the karma done to him, these devotees ever remain contented and delightful.
 
The various aspects in decision making and liberation from re-birth have been discussed by Shree Krishna comprised in eighteen chapters. A series of articles will be published to explain various aspects enlightened by Shree Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
 
List of the chapters and topics of discourses of Shree Krishna are as under:  


Read More
0 Comments

    Archives

    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

© COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Core Principles
  • Philosophy
  • Symbols & Customs
  • Puja, Krriya & Bhakti
  • Deities, Philosophers & Bhakts
  • Travel & Teertha
  • Festivals
  • Ancient Wisdom Via Stories
  • Shri Krishna & Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
  • Sri Ram & RamCharitra Manas
  • About
  • Non-clickable Page