18th Chapter: verse 45, 54, 55. 12th chapter: verse 8, 9, 10, 11. 13th chapter: verse 10

45th verse: “By engaging in one’s own swadharma, man attains perfection and the highest inner fulfillment.”

If we dedicate our resources to our appointed duty, and if we do it with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, and with total unselfishness, then that attitude becomes our instrument for our own spiritual enlightenment. It means that we can practice spirituality in whatever activity we are engaged in.

This discussion continues until the 53rd verse.

54th verse: “The one who does his work with sanctity and sacredness, he ultimately become a Prasanna-atma. He becomes identified with Brahman. He has no desires and no reason to worry. He sees everyone as the same. Such a person attains the highest devotion.”

Prasanna-atma means he is in very good terms with our mind and he feels serenity within. He has zero conflict within and with others. His mind is free from all negativities. Prasanna means serene, at peace, with inner contentment and without desires for anything.

Even-mindedness is a natural state of a Prasanna-atma. He resonates spiritual blessedness within and with everyone.

God is not mentioned in the 45th or 54th verse. Spirituality is about being a good human being, which should express in our thoughts, words and actions.

Human beings create God in their own image. They attribute their own likes, dislikes and prejudices on their idea of God.

What is the idea of God in the Gita? It is the God of everyone, present as the divine principle within everyone. He is the God of even those who do not believe in Him.

Swami Vivekananda said: “Live life in such a way that Good will accept you even if you do not accept Him.”

55th verse: “Such a person understands Me through Bhakti (devotion). His devotion is mixed with the understanding that God is present everywhere and within everyone. With such devotion that is combined with the understanding of the spiritual unity of creation, he understands God or the supreme reality in a comprehensive manner.”

Our scriptures give a roadmap of how to reach the level of devotion described in the 55th verse. In the 8th through 11th verses of the 12th chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna gives four options for devotion, in descending order of evolution.

8th verse: “You fix your mind and intellect on Me. There upon, you will always live in Me.” This is the highest state of a devotee that is also described in the 55th verse of the 18th chapter, where he keeps his mind and intellect fixed on God. He then lives in God and God lives in him.

For seekers who have not reached this highest state, Lord Krishna provides alternative options in the 9th-11th verses.

9th verse: “If you cannot fix your mind and intellect on Me, then you can reach the higher goal through Abhyasa-Yoga (uniting with God through repeated spiritual practices).”

Abhyasa-Yoga is described by Prahlada in the Bhagavata Purana. It is called Navadha Bhakti - Sravanam (Hearing about God), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam (Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam (Surrendering to Him).

10th verse: “If you are incapable of doing Abhyasa-Yoga, then do all your work as My work.” Every such work connects the mind with God and helps the devotee evolve.

11th verse: “If you are unable to do your work as My work, then offer the fruits of all your actions to Me (sarva-karma-phala-tyāgam)”.

These represent the four levels of spiritual evolution. Through Bhakti, we reach the highest state where Prapati or self-surrender (describes at the ninth discipline in Navadha Bhakti) becomes natural.

According to Ramanuja, Prapati is the highest state of a devotee of God. Prapati means complete surrender and is composed of the following characteristics. (1) Always having a positive outlook in life, full of sattvic qualities such as serenity, wisdom, compassion, and broad mindedness. (2) Rejecting all the opposing qualities such as skepticism and self-doubt. (3) Strong faith that God will protect me. (4) Strong faith that God is the only protector. (5) A feeling of total helplessness and dependence on God (6) Total self-surrender (atmanikshepa).

When the first five characteristics are fulfilled, atmanikshepa is the result. He then becomes an instrument in the hands of God and God operates through him.

The devotee needs to blend his own effort with God’s grace. Self-effort helps him reach a level of spiritual fitness to become graceworthy and recognize God’s grace as God’s grace, not an accident.

The 10th verse of the 13th chapter expounds the idea that the highest devotion, unwavering dedication to one spiritual ideal, is the same as highest knowledge, where we realize the infinite oneness of existence, when we realize that the same truth is all-pervading, transcendent, and immanent in all beings. The devotee realizes that the God he worships in the temple is in the hearts of everyone.

There are a few billion people in the world, each at a different level of evolution. Their understanding of God depends on their own evolution. Hinduism gives the flexibility to use a symbol that pleases the devotee based on his level of evolution.

All deities worshipped by Hindus are different symbols of the same divine reality. The purpose of the image is to help the devotee in his meditation. The devotee withdraws his mind from external objects, he conceives of the presence of the divine principle in that image, he then worships and meditates on the divine principle in that image chanting his mantra, and ultimately, he meditates on the divine principle present within him and everywhere.

Every religion has a symbol. A book is a symbol. A building is a symbol. When someone prays in a direction, that direction is a symbol. 

Title: Intellect With Spiritual Wisdom

18th Chapter: verse 45, 47, 51, 52, 53

45th verse: “By engaging in one’s own swadharma, man attains perfection and the highest inner fulfillment.”

Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked” due to our samskaras and natural traits. It is work that we are supposed to do, that we are qualified to do and that the society expects us to do.

We can listen to our inner voice to determine whether we are doing our swadharma. When we do our swadharma, we feel inner contentment. When we do not do our swadharma, we face inner conflict.

Swakarma refers to one’s actions. Swadharma is swakarma combined with one’s chosen ideal, something that gives him contentment. For example, when a soldier fights a war for a higher ideal such as removal of a greater injustice, he follows his swadharma.

According to Gita, our spiritual progress should reflect in our actions.

We can convert our everyday activities as a tool for spiritual development. Whatever we do, if we do with total dedication and with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, we get a sense of fulfillment and inner conflicts are resolved. If we cannot do our duty as an offering to God, we can do it for the good of others. Swadharma is a conflict free way of doing our everyday duty.

47th verse: “Even if doing one’s own swadharma is filled with difficulties or imperfection, one should stick to that. One should avoid the temptation to do other people’s duty.”

Society expects us to do our role even if it is imperfect. When we do our swadharma, it loosens our karmic blocks. A beginner’s mind may not cooperate when he starts spiritual practices. This is due to karmic blocks which creates conflict between the mind and the intellect. When we do our swadharma, it generates spiritual energy and loosens the karmic blocks.

When we do our Swadharma, we feel inner contentment. We feel: “I have done what I ought to have done” and “I have attained what I ought to have attained.”

51st verse: “One becomes fit to attain the highest spiritual truth when he has (1) a pure intellect (2) the ability to restrain his senses (3) the ability to control his mind and emotional forces with a strong determination to practice his ideal and (4) attained freedom from raga (obsessive attachment) and dwesha (obsessive aversion).”

Intellect that acts just as intellect is not necessarily pure. Intellect that acts as wisdom, which has the higher faculty of wisdom to use the intellectual resources for good, higher purpose is a pure intellect.

A Rajarshi has the ability to use his intellectual resources for higher purpose. He attains Rajatvam (kingly qualities) with his intellectual resources. He attains Rishitvam (saintly qualities) with his wisdom. As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.

Knowledge without wisdom becomes a liability. Knowledge with wisdom becomes a creative force. Betrand Russell said: “Unless we develop wisdom as much as intellect, the development of the intellect will only lead to downfall.”

Vedic literature talks of a deity called Medha. Medha has two meanings: (1) The ability to retain higher ideas in the mind (2) Higher faculty to make proper use of what we know and avoid the temptation to use it for a bad purpose.

In the 51st verse, Yukta means self-restrained, one who is the master of the senses. Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses, and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind.

Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.

If the intellect is pure, then we become free from raga (obsessive attachment) and dwesha (obsessive aversion). A pure intellect enables us to perform our actions as Swadharma – with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and with a sense of detachment. This, in turn, gives us mental equilibrium, and frees us from raga and dwesha.

52nd verse: “Such people with higher faculties like to spend their time in solitude. They practice moderation in food and exercise of the senses. Their words, activity and thought are properly restrained. They practice meditation. They develop a sense of detachment from extreme likes and dislikes. They develop mental equilibrium.”

Solitude is a spiritual quality and different from loneliness. Solitude is not just the physical absence of anyone else. It is the mental and emotional state of being with oneself. When the mind and intellect start functioning with inner peace, the person wants to spend time in solitude. Such a person can practice solitude even within a crowd.

As we grow in spiritual life, our eating habits, thoughts and senses are naturally disciplined.

53rd verse: ”In such people, egoism, thirst for power, inner pride, lust, tendency to possess material things, selfishness – they slowly disappear. They naturally become calm and quiet. This leads them to the highest spiritual wisdom.”

In Gita, there is an evolution of Arjuna’s mind. In the first chapter, he wants to run away from an unpleasant duty. By the 18th chapter, all his doubts are gone.

The 18th chapter is the longest and is about moksha-sannyasa-yoga. It is also considered as a condensation of the previous 17 chapters.

Moksha represents the highest value in human existence and means liberation from the bondage of samsara. Sannyasa means giving up the feeling up doer-ship and the renouncement of ego.

According to Hindu tradition, four values guide human life – dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. Kama represents our desires, what we want to achieve. Artha represents the means to achieve those goals. Dharma represents a set of moral disciplines that guide and regulate our pursuit of artha and kama.

When we do not violate the path of dharma, then we can focus on something higher than artha and kama. That gives a new meaning to life. Life becomes more livable and enjoyable.
The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukha, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.

These are two stages in our pursuit of the transcendental. First stage is one where we use the higher transcendental value to guide our daily life. At a higher stage, we attain the higher transcendental value and become a mendicant.

It is important to understand that in Gita, the principles of dharma, artha, kama, and moksha are primarily meant to be applied at an individual level (not at a macro, society level), for one’s own spiritual development in everyday life.

In Hindu tradition, there is a method of understanding the central theme of a book, which is comprised of six elements: Upakrama-Upasamhara (commencement, conclusion), Abhyasa (practice or reiteration), Apurvata (novelty), Phalam (practical utility), Arthavada (glorifying statement) and Upapatti (logical analysis).

Upakrama-Upasamhara – Normally, the beginning and conclusion should be the same. Gita does not begin with a focus on action It starts with Arjuna’s dilemma, which was due to ignorance. When this ignorance was removed through knowledge, he became a man of action. Arjuna’s last statement in the Gita is: “I am now free of all doubts. I shall act according to your instructions.”

Abhyasa – Gita repeatedly talks about efficiency, detachment, bhakti, and karma yoga. It emphasizes that jnanam is necessary to be active in an intelligent manner.
Apurvata – If something is stated in Gita but is not stated elsewhere, then it must be the central theme of Gita.

Arthavada - Gita ends with the glorifying verse: “Wherever the ideals of action and contemplation are present, there will be victory, prosperity, justice and stability of life.” This verse is a condensation of the 18th chapter.

Upapatti – Gita gives a logical analysis to drive the idea: “Live in this world, work for prosperity, but know that this alone will not bring lasting peace and happiness.”
The central theme of Gita combines the four values of dharma, artha, kama and moksha.

Based on dharma, we should live in this world. Over time, we realize the true status we should give to worldly life and start thinking of higher transcendental values.

3rd verse: “According to scholars and sages, performance of Yajna, dana and tapah should not be given up.”

Sannyasa does not mean being physically inactive. Lord Krishna states in the 3rd chapter: “A person who thinks who is active without the idea of yajna, that person gets bound to this world.” Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish activity done for the good of others and as an offering to God – activities done as yajna don’t lead to bondage. In the same chapter, Lord Krishna gives a warning: “A person who deliberately gives up his duties and imagines that he is going towards moksha, he is a hypocrite.” All great spiritual men of the word, such as Shankaracharya, were active.

The status of householder is supreme in Hindu tradition. It should be understood before we discuss sannyasa. Jainism and Buddhism are oriented towards sannyasa. Hinduism is not a negation of life. Rather it is a balanced approach towards life. Hinduism emphasizes that we should follow the four values: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.

Hinduism gives a very high stature to mother and wife. One of Panini’s verses says: “If a husband performs a vedic ritual without his wife, it is considered incomplete.” Another verse says: “A house without a mother and wife is like a forest.”

There are two levels of Sannyasa. The primary is Mukhya sannyasa, where one takes to sannyasa because of one’s natural evolution. Buddha’s renunciation and Yajnavalkya’s renunciation in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are examples of such sannyasa. The secondary is Gauna sannyasa, where one is ordained into sannyasa by an institution.
Sannyasa does not mean physically giving up wealth and resources. One must give up one’s selfish sense of ownership. Without the ideal of renunciation, one won’t be able to use his resources for the good of others. The richest man can be a man of renunciation – King Janaka was one such example. On the other hand, the poorest man can be a man of tremendous attachment.

Besides Bhagavad Gita, there are other gems in the Mahabharata. One example is Vyadha Gita. Vyadha became a jivan mukta through his spiritual practices. Upon attaining the highest realization, he did not give up his profession as a butcher. He continued his secular activities, fully established in his true spiritual identity. His dialogue with another saint constitutes Vyadha Gita.

In the 11th chapter, Arjuna experiences the vision of the universal form of the divine. Lord Krishna shows that all the different creatures, animals, suns, moons, stars, galaxies, human beings, celestial beings – they all originate, exist, dissolve and re-emerge within that cosmic divine form. When Arjuna gets this vision, he is freed from all doubts. He understood that he is not just a body-mind complex with one life.

-7th chapter: verse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda January 15, 2021.
-Gita’s eighteen chapters are divided into three sections, each with six chapters. The first section deals with the knowledge of spiritual practice. The second section deals with the knowledge of Bhagavan. The third section deals with knowledge of Atman.
-Advaitic scholars also treat the three sections as interpretation of the mahavakya: Tat Tvam Asi. First section deals with Tvam. Second section deals with Tat. Third section deals with the unity of jivatma and paramatma. It represents our evolution in understanding of God.
-1st verse: “With the mind completely intent on Me, taking refuge in Me, learn from Me and know Me in full, without any doubt”
-2nd verse: Lord Krishna explains Jnanam and Vijnanam. Jnanam is the knowledge of God from books. When that knowledge becomes a reality in our life, because of our own real experience (anubhuti), it is called Vijnanam. Then every thought, word and deed become sacred.
-In the beginning, there is a line of demarcation between the secular and spiritual. When one progresses, eventually, one reaches a stage where this line is broken, and every secular activity becomes spiritualized. In the beginning, it is “work and worship”. Later it is “work as worship”.
-Sri Ramakrishna said: A jnani reasons about the world through neti-neti. To a Vijnani, Brahman alone has become everything, and the world is a mansion of mirth. A jnani is like a person who has just heard of milk. A vijnani is like a person who has drunk the milk, enjoyed it and is nourished by it.
-We cannot choose to be a vijnani – it is not a concept. It is not a matter of choice – rather a matter of where we stand right now and how we evolve. We reach vijnanam through spiritual practices and by going through the stage of jnanam.
-How does a vijnani live in this world? Even at the highest stage, he falls back to the empirical level and lives like normal people. Whatever he does, it involves a spiritual element. This is seen in great spiritual teachers such as Sri Ramakrishna. Another example is of King Janaka, who lived like a rajarshi.
-Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.
-3rd verse: “Among thousands of people, very few strive for a spiritual life. Among those who sincerely strive for spiritual life, very few realize the truth.”
-Not many people can think beyond the immediate and empirical. One of the reasons is that most people examine the value of everything by its tangible utility.
-This verse is similar to one from Dhammapada, which says: “It is very difficult to get human birth. Among them, very few desire to live like a cultured human being. Among them, very few follow the law of dharma. And among them very few reach enlightenment.”
-Human birth is a golden opportunity. Once we realize that there are many others who will reach the stage of human birth only after many life cycles, it should give us renewed confidence and a different perspective on life.
-4th verse: “My lower prakriti – Apara prakriti or Kshetram - is eight fold. The first five are the subtle dimensions of the five elements: earth, air, water, fire and space. The remaining three are mind, intellect and egoism.”
-According to Sankhya philosophy, from prakriti comes mahatattva, then ahamkara, then mind, senses, and the subtle elements.
-5th verse: “My higher prakriti – para prakriti – is the principle of consciousness by which the entire universe is sustained. Everything is made conscious by the presence of this inner, divine spark.”
-Creator is present in his creation. If this were not so, it would lead to dualism. In the 4th and 5th verse, Lord Krishna gives a prelude, before discussing in later verses, the unity of existence.
-We can easily understand the presence of para-prakriti by the following example. If someone, who does not have a physical problem, suddenly dies, something departs the kshetram. And body/mind, that was otherwise operational, stops working. That something is the Antaryami - the immanent, divine reality.
-6th verse: “These two prakritis are the source of all. I am the origin and the dissolution of the universe.”
-The higher prakriti is everywhere – in the hero and the villain, in the good and the bad. Electricity is everywhere in the house, and depending on the color of the bulb, it emits light of different color. Similarly, our samskaras are like the glass of the bulb, which determine how this higher prakriti manifests. With spiritual practices, we can make it manifest in its full effulgence.

-6th chapter: verses 46, 47; 7th chapter: verse 1
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda January 8, 2021.
-6th chapter, 46th verse: “This Yogi is superior to the Tapasvi (one who practices extreme asceticism), superior to the Jnani (one who is a mere scholar), and superior to the Karmi (one who follows rituals).”
-Scriptures, asceticism and rituals have their place in spiritual evolution. However, a seeker should not stop there. He should go beyond. After traveling some distance, he should have genuine inquisitiveness about the higher truth – that’s when his real spiritual journey starts.
-6th chapter, 47th verse: “Of all the Yogis, the one whose self and mind is always merged in God with shraddha, devotion, love and sweetness – he is the greatest.”
-The attitude of bhakti (devotion) makes the spiritual journey a sweet and enjoyable experience, even in the midst of difficulties that the seeker may face. Many great mystics had to face difficulties – they were able to withstand them with the love and sweetness of their devotion.
-Mumukshu is one who aspires to enter the path of Yoga. He starts his journey with Karma Yoga, surrendering the fruits of actions to God. However, such surrender is not easy and can involve effort and strain. Combining karma-yoga with devotion, the mumukshu can turn it into a sweet, enjoyable experience.
-Both Narada Bhakti Sutra and Shandilya Bhakti Sutra define Bhakti as the “nature of supreme devotion to God”.
-Sadhana bhakti is the means and sadhya bhakti is the goal.
-Sadhana bhakti is of two types: (1) Vaidhi bhakti, where the devotee is still evolving and performs daily rituals such as prayers and reading of scriptures. (2) Gauna bhakti, which expresses itself through the three gunas, as sattvic bhakti (serene, contemplative), rajasic bhakti (externally expressive) and tamasic bhakti (crude expression of bhakti).
-Sadhya bhakti is of two types: (1) Prema bhakti, where the devotee doesn’t feel any strain. Devotion for him is a sweet, enjoyable experience – he transcends time, effort and strain. (2) Para bhakti, where the devotee feels total identification with God.
-If prema bhakti can be brought to everyday activities, where we can do our work as an offering to God, then that work becomes a means for us to enjoy inner serenity, and to achieve freedom from strain.
-In the 47th verse, Lord Krishna says that the highest devotee is one who is devoted to God in the most exalted sense of the term - who has reached sadhya bhakti, prema bhakti and para bhakti – where life itself becomes an occasion for celebration, every moment becomes enjoyable, and every thought, word, and deed becomes spiritualized.
-7th chapter, 1st verse: “With the mind completely intent on Me, taking refuge in Me, learn from Me and know Me in full, without any doubt”
-“Me” in this verse refers to Brahman in Advaitic tradition - not just one deity, but God as understood and conceived by different traditions. Gita says that irrespective of what path one follows, it leads to the same destination, that is prescribed in Gita itself. Rig Veda says: “Reality is one; sages call it by different names.”
-Gita’s eighteen chapters are divided into three sections. In the first section, Jnanam means knowledge of spiritual practice. In the second section, Jnanam means the knowledge of Bhagavan. In the third section, Jnanam means Atman.
-A devotee should see the world as a manifestation of God’s magnificence. With this attitude, he will evolve and ultimately reach a point, where he understands that the world is relative – he will evolve from duality to non-duality.
-In modern times, it is best to practice karma-yoga, but with a spiritual ideal in mind. It is difficult to practice any of the three yogas – karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga – in isolation. They have to be combined. A karma yogi cannot escape being a devotee of a higher ideal.

-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 18, 2020.
-6th chapter: verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46
-In the 37th, 38th and 39th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person? Has he totally failed and fallen from both worlds – having neither attained anything in the secular world nor in the spiritual realm? I have this doubt, which you should dispel.”
-In normal activities, we may see tangible results soon after the activity. In spiritual life, there are results, but the results may not be in visible form all the time. These results are Adhrishtam (not visible) and Apoorvam (did not exist before the activity). These results are never lost.
-In answer to Arjuna’s questions, Lord Krishna discusses three categories of people in the next few verses. At the lowest level is Vimudha –one who is highly confused and deluded. At the next level is ārurukṣhoḥ - one desirous of entering the path of Yoga. At the advanced level is ārūḍha – one who has entered the path of spiritual life.
-Vimudha will be born in a family where, at different stages of his life, his past samskaras start unfolding. Arurukṣhoḥ will be born in a pure and prosperous family, where his parents are spiritually oriented, and where his unfulfilled desires can be fulfilled. Arūḍha will be born in a family that has a tradition of producing great spiritual aspirants.
-Pedigree is not a criterion for rebirth. One of the greatest devotees, Prahlada, was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.
-44th verse: “The spiritual disciplines and samskaras from previous lives – they constitute the momentum that moves the seeker forward. With a sincere enquiry for higher truth (jijñāsuḥ), he begins his spiritual journey, and is superior to one who mechanically practices rituals.”
-The stories of Ajamila and Jada Bharata show how our inherited samskaras are never lost, and how the force of our past samskaras helplessly push us towards spiritual life.
-Ajamila initially led a spiritual life but had a deviation later. His son’s name was Narayana, synonym of Lord Vishnu. At the last moment, when he uttered Narayana to call his son, his mind went towards Lord Vishnu and he attained liberation.
-King Bharata retired to a hermitage for spiritual practices but developed strong attachment towards a baby deer. He was born as a deer in his next life, but under the effect of his samskaras, he stayed near a hermitage. In his next life, he was born as a great saint - Jada Bharata - always established in his identity with Atman.
-45th verse: “This Yogi who strives with great tenacity, becomes completely purified, is perfected through his evolution across many life cycles, and eventually reaches the highest goal.”
-46th verse: “This Yogi is superior to the Tapasvi (one who practices extreme asceticism), superior to the Jnani (one who is a mere scholar), and superior to the Karmi (one who follows rituals).”
-Per Shankaracharya, mere scholarship and intellectual understanding leads to chitta-bhrama-karanam (mental confusion). It is not spiritual wisdom, which gives inner tranquility. A Yogi is superior, because he has attained spiritual wisdom.
-Asceticism is of three types: (1) physical, such as external purity (2) Verbal, such as truthfulness (3) Mental, such as self-restraint. A yogi is superior, because he has attained all three of these qualities.
-Rituals can bind us and hinder further progress. A Yogi has transcended rituals, and is, therefore, superior.
-Scriptures, asceticism and rituals have their place in spiritual evolution. However, a seeker should not stop there. He should go beyond. After traveling some distance, he should have genuine inquisitiveness about the higher truth – that’s when his real spiritual journey starts.
-Mind does not cooperate due to the storehouse of negative samskaras. To turn the mind into a friend, one should develop a surplus of positive samskaras by doing noble deeds, reading of scriptures and through holy association.
-If a seeker has mumukshutvam (desire for spiritual liberation), then other qualifications, such as holy association, come naturally.

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 11, 2020.
-6th chapter: verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44
-In the 37th, 38th and 39th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person? Has he totally failed and fallen from both worlds – having neither attained anything in the secular world nor in the spiritual realm? I have this doubt, which you should dispel.”
-Shankaracharya says that a seeker with shraddha, who has not yet attained the ultimate goal, may have a deviation from his spiritual ideal – this is called Yoga-bhrashta.
-When we come in contact with sensory objects that can take us away from our spiritual path, we should withdraw our senses from these objects. We should do so by thinking about the dangers of succumbing to such temptation (dosha-drishti) – we should do so again and again.
-The faculty to detect such temptation and withdraw from – it grows when we feed our mind with higher spiritual ideas and associate with holy people. Then, we develop an inner self-correcting mechanism.
-Lord Krishna answers in the 40th verse: “Even if you had a deviation, do not worry. You will not lose anything. Your spiritual samskaras are like a fixed deposit that no one can take away from you – it is yours forever. Even if you want a material life, you will be forced to continue your spiritual journey – you will be helpless because of the power of your accumulated spiritual samskaras.”
-What happens to a Yoga-bhrashta? Lord Krishna answers this question from two different perspectives in the 41st and 42nd verse. 41st verse discusses a seeker who has not achieved Shama (self-restraint), and 42nd verse discusses a more advanced spiritual seeker.
-41st verse: “If a devotee has practiced spiritual disciplines in this life but has not achieved shama - and he has a deviation towards the end - he will be able to continue his spiritual journey by being born in a pure and prosperous family, where his parents are spiritually oriented, and where his unfulfilled desires can be fulfilled.”
-42nd verse: “Those who are more advanced are born in families that have a tradition of producing great spiritual aspirants. Such a birth is rare indeed.”
-In both 41st and 42nd verse, Lord Krishna’s main message is: “Nothing is lost, and you are never late. You can begin your journey right now.” We can start by praying or by doing noble deeds that give us inner tranquility and enrichment.
-Pedigree is not a criterion for rebirth. One of the greatest devotees, Prahlada, was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.
-43rd verse: “That mind and impressions inherited from previous spiritual life – you connect with those tendencies. You continue your spiritual journey. You strive for your spiritual life more vigorously. Because of the latent memory of striving hard in previous life, you desire not to fail in this life.”
-The 43rd verse explains the mystery of how our samskaras transmigrate. At death, even though our senses of perception and action are gone, the tendencies that they created are stored in the Antahkarana (mind, intellect, memory and ego). These stored tendencies in the Antahkarana are never lost and are born again.
-Per Shankaracharya, at re-birth, if good tendencies are dominant, they begin to manifest without delay. If bad tendencies are dominant, then the good tendencies lie dormant for some time and assert themselves after the negative tendencies are extinguished.
-44th verse: “The spiritual disciplines and samskaras from previous life – they constitute the momentum that moves the seeker forward. Those who even have a wish to lead a spiritual life, they will reach their destination.”
-When we transcend rituals for material prosperity and start praying for higher things, we start our journey towards the highest spiritual destination.
-Some scriptures say: “what we think of at the last moment, that we become in the next birth”. When we breathe our last, we will have a collection of conflicting thoughts. These thoughts are determined by our collective life as a whole. We can have a good thought at the last moment by building a storehouse of positive samskaras that will assert themselves at the last moment.

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 4, 2020.
-6th chapter: 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41
-Spiritual life is our ideal. We have to restrain the thought currents in the mind by feeding it with positive ideas. However, the mind is called Vikshipta-manah, always wavering like a pendulum.
-Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). The mind of a normal person is in Vikshipta state.
-Spiritual life is about coming face to face with our own mind. When we try to turn the mind away from the pulls of nature, the mind revolts.
-In the 35th verse, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: “You are right that the mind is restless and difficult to control. Yet, it can be controlled through constant practice and through renunciation.”
-When we develop a sense of renunciation towards what is harmful to the mind, and we practice disciplines that feed the mind with positive food, then the mind becomes calm and quiet.
-We should slowly withdraw the mind from conflicting thought currents by directing it towards positive channels. The existing storehouse of negative samskaras has to be nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras. Positive samskaras are generated by reading of scriptures and through holy associations.
-Spiritual growth is achieved by constant practice and by one’s own self effort. When we are hungry, we have to eat to get rid of the hunger. Similarly, our own effort is crucial for progress in spiritual life. Through practice, one gets uncommon power of mind.
-36th verse: “Yoga is very hard to attain by someone whose mind is not in his control.”
-We should always keep in our mind a spiritual ideal. In the midst of our secular activities, we should recollect our spiritual ideal again and again.
-In the 37th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, his mind wanders about, he feels he has not progressed enough, and he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person?”
-If a spiritual seeker feels that he is not making progress, it actually shows that he is making progress. Without making progress, he would not feel such dis-satisfaction. At the same time, it means that he has not made enough progress.
-When a person starts his spiritual practices with shraddha - - it is like boarding a train that is bound to reach its destination.
-The person referred to in Arjuna’s question is an ārurukṣhoḥ - a spiritual seeker who is still evolving. He has not reached the Yoga-ārūḍha state, where he experiences identity with the Atman. He could also be a karma-yogi, who has not achieved contentment.
-38th verse: Arjuna continues his question: “Has he totally failed and fallen from both worlds – having neither attained anything in the secular world nor in the spiritual realm?”
-Per Shankaracharya, a spiritual seeker may find himself in a stage where he continues to earnestly pray, do karma-yoga, meditate - and yet does not feel inner contentment. At the same time, he sees others enjoying the world around him. This is a state that every sincere spiritual seeker has to go through.
-Shankaracharya also says that a seeker with shraddha, who has not yet attained the ultimate goal, may have a deviation from his spiritual ideal – this is called Yoga-bhrashta. His past samskaras may assert themselves as one of the following obstacles to deviate him from his spiritual path - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration.
-There are many examples of seekers who led an intense spiritual life, then had Yoga-Bhrashta in their last life and died. In their new life, at some point, the old positive samskaras assert themselves and lead to a mysterious spiritual transformation in their life.
-Lord Krishna explains later in the 40th and 41st verses: “Even if you had a deviation, do not worry. You will not lose anything. Your spiritual samskaras are like a fixed deposit that no one can take away from you – it is yours forever. Even if you want a material life, you will be forced to continue your spiritual journey.”
-Time is only an imagination. Birth and death are a continuous process. Everyone is born again based on accumulated samskaras.
-Lord Krishna explains further in the 41st verse: “If a devotee has practiced spiritual disciplines in this life but has a deviation towards the end, he will be able to continue his spiritual journey by being born in a family where his parents are spiritually oriented, and where his unfulfilled desires can be fulfilled.”

-6th chapter: verses 32, 33, 34, 35
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 27, 2020.
-32nd, 33rd, 34th and 35th verses are interrelated. 32nd verse concludes the important idea of the spiritual unity of the entire creation. 33rd and 34th verses present Arjuna’s question on whether the equanimity of mind can be achieved. The 35th verse contains Lord Krishna’s response to Arjuna’s question.
-32nd verse: “He who judges pleasure and pain everywhere by the same standard that he applies to himself, that Yogi is regarded as the highest.”
-The first stage of spiritual evolution is Atma-jnanam, where we realize that behind and beyond the body and mind, there is the Atman. At the second stage, we realize that this Atman is identical with Brahman. At the third stage, we realize that Brahman as God is present everywhere and in everything. At this highest level, one develops ekatvam (oneness) and samatvam (evenness).
-For a person who has reached this state of samatvam, every secular thing becomes spiritualized. His mind does not deviate from the state of samadhi.
-We can look at clothes made of the same thread from two perspectives. We can see them as different clothes, or we can see the same thread in these clothes. Similarly, for the spiritually evolved person, wherever his mind goes, he only connects with its spiritual dimension. He cannot consciously do harm to anyone.
-“yatra yatra mano yāti tatra tatra samādhayaha” (Drg-Drshya-Viveka 30)
-The statement “Brahma satyam, jagat mithya” is only at a philosophical level. At the highest advaitic level, which transcends all duality, one experiences “Brahma Satyam, jagat satyam”. The world, when perceived from a transcendental perspective, without names and forms, becomes non-distinct from Brahman.
-In the Bhagavad Purana, there is a dialogue between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees in all beings the presence of God, and who sees the presence of all beings in God.“
-33rd verse: Arjuna says: “You have taught me this Yoga of ekatvam and samatvam. I do not see the possibility of it becoming a reality in my life because my mind is restless.”
-34th verse: Arjuna continues: “The mind is restless, turbulent and not yielding. It is difficult to control the mind like the wind.”
-Arjuna thought that running away from his duties and taking on the life of a mendicant was the right path for him. Lord Krishna eventually tells him that the life of renunciation is more intense, as it deals with inner warfare. Renunciation is about taking on bigger challenges and more difficult than facing external challenges.
-35th verse: Lord Krishna responds: “You are right that the mind is restless and difficult to control. Yet, it can be controlled through constant practice and through renunciation.”
-Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). Arjuna’s question reflects the state of his mind as Vikshipta.
-When we develop a sense of renunciation towards what is harmful to the mind, and we practice disciplines that feed the mind with positive food, then the mind becomes calm and quiet.
-From the Bhagavad Purana: “If horses are not under your control and running away, you don’t jump away from the horses. Instead, holding the reins steady and strong, you direct the horses in the proper direction. Similarly, one should control the rebellious mind, by controlling its negative thought currents.”
-The Bhagavad Purana says that one should slowly withdraw the mind from conflicting thought currents by directing it towards positive channels. The existing storehouse of negative samskaras has to be nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras. Positive samskaras are generated by reading of scriptures and through holy associations.
-According to Shankaracharya, the word Krishna means the one whose holy name helps remove the negativity from our mind. A farmer ploughs his field to remove undesirable vegetation. Similarly, Lord Krishna’s name purifies our mind and removes all undesirable elements.

-6th chapter: verses 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 20, 2020.
-28th verse: “Such a Yogi, free from all obstacles, experiences Atyantam Sukham – ultimate, infinite, spiritual bliss.”
-Atyantam Sukham is not the temporary absence of unhappiness. It is happiness itself. It is the feeling of permanently being settled in a state of contentment, even in the midst of obstacles and challenges.
-Antaraya means obstacles. Patanjali refers to the following obstacles, which cause the mind to wander - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration.
-Spiritual life is about moving against our natural instinct, which is driven by the attraction of senses towards sense objects. In spiritual life, we turn the mind away from the pulls of nature. We turn it towards our true inner chamber, the Atman. In the process, we face obstacles.
-This Yogi, who experiences his unity with the transcendental reality in every moment and action, is Yoga-antaraya-varjitah – he has transcended all antarayas (obstacles) in his spiritual life. The Yogi gets the feeling of Atyantam Sukham, because these antarayas cannot distract his mind.
-29th verse: “Such a Yogi develops an equanimity of mind, an eye of evenness for all things, because he beholds the presence of Atman in all beings and he beholds the presence of all beings in his own Atman.”
-An ideal devotee may ready his holy books and go to the temple - but in his interactions with others, he sees all as children of the same God, whom he worships in his temple and whose instructions he reads in the holy book. Religion goes beyond the four walls of the temple – it reaches the hearts of everyone.
-In the Bhagavad Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees in all beings the presence of God, and who sees the presence of all beings in God.“ The same answer is given in the Gita.
-30th verse: “One who sees God in all beings, and all beings in God – that person is never separated from God, and God is never separated from him. He is always in the company of God. “
-As we advance in spiritual life, our interpretation of the Divine Reality also changes. In the early stages, as we experience happiness and unhappiness, we attribute these opposites to God as well. The highest reach of spiritual evolution is when we realize the Divine Reality within our own hearts, and we experience its presence in everyone and everywhere. Then we live in the constant company of God.
-31st verse: “That Yogi, that spiritually illumined person, he is always established in this ideal of spiritual unity. He worships my presence everywhere. Whatever his mode of life, that devotee lives in me, and I live in him.”
-The favorite dwelling place of God is the pure heart of a devotee. Often, we do not allow him to stay there as we have other guests occupying the space such as: desires, anger, hatred, aversion, fear and doubt. When trying to enter, God withdraws, as he sees other guests occupying the space. If the heart is pure, God enters that residence.
-32nd verse: “He who judges pleasure and pain everywhere by the same standard that he applies to himself, that Yogi is regarded as the highest.”
-Whatever is desirable to us, we should assume is desirable to others also. We should treat others as we want to be treated by them. A spiritual seeker develops this attitude when he reaches the highest level of spiritual unity.
-The entire cosmic existence is one for a spiritual seeker who has reached this highest state. He feels compassion towards all beings and towards nature. To him, religion and spirituality transcend the barriers of culture and nationality.

-6th chapter: verses 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 13, 2020.
-23rd verse: “The Yogi then reaches a state of severance from any feeling of incompleteness such as agony, pain and unhappiness. This is called duḥkha-sanyoga-viyogam”
-Every experience of happiness at the empirical level is only the temporary absence of unhappiness. We reach a state of permanent happiness with an evolved, steady and equanimous mind – when we look upon both happiness and unhappiness with a higher perspective, without attachment or aversion.
-So long as we look upon ourselves as the mind and body, we cannot have permanent happiness. When we identify ourselves as Atman, the transcendental reality, then we experience Brahmanandam – highest, permanent happiness.
-24th verse: “We should abandon all desires. Desires are born of sankalpa. This should be done by restraining our senses using the mind alone.”
-Sankalpa means brooding or thinking about worldly objects. Desires are created when we connect with worldly objects through the senses. The mind creates a false notion that we need them to be happy.
-Mind should be slowly lifted through healthy, sublime desires that are rooted in unselfishness - such as reading of scriptures, noble deeds, and holy association. This helps purify our samskaras and restrain the desire for worldly enjoyments.
-25th verse: “With the buddhi set in patience, with the mind linked to Atman, let the spiritual seeker try to attain to peace and quietude by degrees. He should not think of anything else.”
-Spiritual practices should be done with moderation to avoid delusions of the mind. Mind should be gradually liberated from the clutches of the senses. The senses should be liberated from the clutches of sense objects. The mind should be linked to Atman – it then becomes steady.
-26th verse: “When the restless mind wanders away, it should be brought back closer to Atman.”
-Mind is a continuous flow of thoughts. If the thought currents are conflicting, they manifest as restlessness and unsteadiness of the mind.
-Patanjali refers to the following obstacles, which cause the mind to wander - Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration.
-Atman is steadiness, bliss itself. Mind should be brought closer to Atman by feeding it with ideas that remind one of his true identity as Atman. Then the distractions of the mind slowly disappear and it becomes tranquil.
-27th verse: “Mind becomes calm like an ocean with all waves completely subsided. When the mind identifies itself with the Atman, supreme bliss comes to the Yogi. His mind becomes serene, all his passions are gone, and he becomes free from all disturbances.”
-The first step is to free the mind from the clutches of the senses. Then the mind becomes pure and slowly gets directed towards Atman. Then Avarana (veil that conceals our true identity) and Vikshepa (false projection) disappear.
-At such a stage, the mind is free from distractions caused by Rajo and Tamo guna. A jeevan mukta has such a mind – such a Yogi thinks that everything is Brahman.
-One can look at the ocean in two ways. One way is to look at it as disturbed with waves and currents. Another is to look upon the waves and currents as constituted by the same water that constitutes the ocean – they emerge, exist and dissolve in the ocean. The Yogi who looks upon everything as Brahman is like the person who sees the same water in waves, currents and ocean.

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 6, 2020.
-6th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21, 22
-19th verse: “A lamp placed in a sheltered place does not flicker. Similarly, the mind of a Yogi who has reached the Niruddha state through concentration, is steady and does not waver.”
-Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). Most beginners are in the third stage, where the mind sways like a pendulum. Yoga helps our mind become steady and evolve towards Ekagra and Niruddha state.
-Mind goes after objects that senses are attracted to. When it does not get what it desires, it gets bitter and angry and slowly loses its balance. To prevent the mind from wavering, one should have a higher ideal, that keeps the mind and senses employed and directed towards a healthy channel.
-It is possible to steady the mind in the midst of daily duties. Anything that distracts the mind should be clubbed together as of lesser importance. While doing worldly duties, one should know that there is something beyond that is of primary significance.
-In Vedanta, for a thing to be real, it should satisfy two criteria (1) It should remain without change in the past, present and future – both time and space. (2) It should remain without change in waking, dream and deep sleep states. One should look upon all distractions as part of the changing phenomenon that constitutes the relative. He should keep his mind focused on the Absolute Reality. Then his mind will not waver.
-Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind.
-20th verse: “When the mind is completely controlled by concentration, it attains tranquility and peace. Then the Yogi is able to see the Atman by the Atman and recognize his own true identity as the Atman. He attains complete contentment and does not look for anything else.”
-Such a Yogi transcends the realm of pain and pleasure. He is neither elated in a pleasant situation nor depressed in a painful situation. He realizes that both are harmful, and he keeps his mind steady in both situations.
-21st verse: “Such a Yogi experiences Atyantikam sukham – real infinite bliss. This experience of bliss goes beyond senses and normal faculties – it is perceived by the purified mind and intellect of the Yogi, a mind that has ceased to be mind and has merged with the Atman.”
-Normal mind is of a fleeting nature and experiences empirical happiness, which is only the temporary absence of unhappiness. Atyantikam sukham is transcendental bliss that goes beyond the cognition of the mind and the intellect, and which never becomes anything other than happiness. It is a feeling of inner fulfillment and enrichment that cannot be explained – it can only be experienced.
-Atyantikam sukham is the type of happiness that everyone is seeking. Unfortunately, without being aware of it, they only chase momentary happiness, which is the root of all painful experiences. Vedanta helps us reach this highest state of happiness with an evolved, steady and equanimous mind. Buddha, Christ and Sri Ramakrishna experienced Atyantikam sukham.
-This highest happiness is also called Brahmanandam, which is beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.
-22nd verse: “After attaining this spiritual concentration, the Yogi realizes that there is no other acquisition superior to that.”
-When we feel that there is nothing greater than what we have already acquired - that is the real foundation of real, lasting contentment. Then we won’t be moved by any kind of sorrowful experience.
-Lord Krishna says that any effort we put towards attaining this highest bliss remains ours across lives. A sincere, humble desire to pray or read a holy book creates a positive vritti that stays ours forever. We inherit it as a spiritual bank balance when we are born again, so we can start our journey where we left off.

-6th chapter: verses 16, 17, 18
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 30, 2020.
-16th verse: “Success in Yoga is not possible for him, who eats too much or doesn’t eat at all, nor for him, who sleeps too much or is awake too much.”
-Eating is used as a metaphor here for any kind of activity by the senses of action and perception, as they feed the mind. All such activities should be done with moderation. Extreme ascetic practices and extreme indulgence are both equally harmful.
-Some seekers may over-indulge themselves in spiritual activities thinking that they can reach the goal faster. Since we play with the mind in spiritual life, this should be done with moderation. There are remedies for over-exertion at physical level, but very few such remedies exist at mental level. For example, long hours of pranayama can cause asthma and delusions of grandeur.
-Some seekers are able to practice extreme asceticism successfully as they may have attained a high level of self-control from spiritual practices in previous life.
-According to Shankaracharya, the purpose of spiritual life is to transcend the physical level. With extreme asceticism, the body may become weak and drag the mind to physical level.
-Prayer or meditation should not be done in a way that makes one feel exhausted. Meditation should bring a feeling of inner bliss and contentment. If one has a sense of reverence towards what he is practicing, he will be able to sustain the practice without feeling the effort, and he will be able to overcome obstacles – both external and from his own mind.
-If one enforces spiritual practices on himself before being ready for it, it can create bitterness. For example, someone who is always fasting may start finding fault in others, even though the purpose of fasting is to get closer to God.
-Extreme asceticism can also manifest itself as a strong desire to let off the steam after the spiritual activity – for example, the desire to watch TV soon after meditation. This happens because of the desire to escape the strain or effort put into the spiritual activity.
-Spiritual disciplines involve a delicate process of purifying our samskaras and sublimating them. A beginner should make himself ready for spiritual practices by holy association and by reading spiritual literature. This gives the mind a new focus to concentrate upon.
-17th verse: “Yoga is the destroyer of all problems and miseries. It is attained by that person who is moderate and steadfast in eating, recreation, work, sleep and wakefulness.”
-Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). Most beginners are in the third stage, where the mind sways like a pendulum. If they over-exert, once the spiritual activity is over, their mind can sway in the extreme opposite direction. Hence, moderation is necessary.
-Moderation is also necessary at work. If work becomes the only supreme goal, then setbacks in life can shatter the mind. Laziness and extreme obsession to work – both should be avoided.
-One who practices moderation in all activities, for him Yoga becomes a path to spiritual discovery. He feels inner joy from his spiritual practices, A true devotee of God is in a state of perpetual contentment. Mystics and devotees, such as Prahlada, were in this state of contentment and free from strain, even when faced with problems.
-18th verse: “When a devotee is able to fully control his mind which rests in the Atman alone, when he becomes free from all desires, when he becomes established in the presence of the Lord in his own heart – then he is said to have attained Yoga.”
-Sri Ramakrishna attained this state of Yoga. He felt the presence of the Lord within him, he was focused completely on the Divine Reality, and all his emotions were spiritually sanctified.
-God’s presence is like a magnetic hill. When a boat passes near the magnetic hill, its nails and screws loosen. Similarly, God’s presence drives away lust, passion and anger.
-When one is established in Yoga, all of his emotions get purified by devotion. A cooked seed cannot germinate. Similarly, when emotions are purified and sublimated, they don’t do any harm.

The 18th chapter is the longest and is about moksha-sannyasa-yoga. It is also considered as a summary of the previous 17 chapters.

Moksha means liberation from the bondage of samsara. In modern times, it can be interpreted as liberation from utilitarian values, ultimately reaching a state where we stop searching for continuous happiness, and where we don’t suffer from the ups and downs of life.

Sannyasa means giving up the feeling up doer-ship and the renouncement of ego.
The chapter starts in the first verse with a question from Arjuna. He asks: “What is the nature of Sannyasa and Tyaga? I want to know the distinction between the two.”

In previous four chapters, Lord Krishna taught Arjuna that one should give up activities that are rajasic or tamasic in nature and evolve towards sattvic activities. Lord Krishna also says in the 8th verse of the 3rd chapter: “No one can escape the need for action. It is impossible to be in a state of inaction.” So, one the one hand, Lord Krishna says that action is inescapable. On the other hand, he says that one should perform sattvic activities only without desire for results, and one should give up other activities. Arjuna’s question is rooted in his confusion as to what actions should be performed.

In Hindu tradition, two underlying principles guide human life.
The first principle is that every person has to go through four stages of life: Brahmacharya (student), Grhastha (householder), Vanaprastha (forest hermitage) and Sannyasa (renunciate). Manu Smriti says that Grhastha ashrama supports all the other three stages of human life. There is also another verse which says that when one sees the face of his grandchild, when his face begins to wrinkle and when his hair begins to turn grey, he should retire to a life of hermitage. It may take several life cycles for one to reach the stage of sannyasa.

The second principle is the division of society based on people’s innate spiritual qualities (gunas) and their actions (karmas). The four groups for conduct of duties are: (1) Brahmana (2) Kshatriya (3) Vaishya (4) Sudra. The groups should not be seen as higher or lower. Rather, it is a system to analyze people based on natural temperaments.
Those who take to Sannyasa give up all activities related to worldly desire. They only undertake activities that are for the good of others and that have no selfish motive.
According to Yamunacharya, who wrote Gitartha Sangraha, the central teaching of the 18th chapter is: “Whatever we do according to the principles laid down by ancient spiritual teachers is appropriate. Whatever we do that is against these principles is inappropriate.” The essence of this statement is to progress in spiritual life by practicing our everyday activities with a sattvic attitude and giving up our sense of doer-ship – “God is acting, I am not acting.”

1st verse: Arjuna asks: “I want to know the meaning of Sannyasa and Tyaga.”

2nd verse: Lord Krishna answers: Tyaga means giving up the desire for results. Sannyasa means giving up all activities motivated by selfish desire.”

There are two levels of Sannyasa. The primary is Mukhya sannyasa, where one takes to sannyasa because of one’s natural evolution. The secondary is Gauna sannyasa, where one is ordained into sannyasa by an institution.

There is a statement in one of the Upanishads: “When a person wants to become a monk, at that very moment, he should become a monk.” It may happen at an early age, as was the case with Shankaracharya, or it may happen at old age. The split second that one develops an intense conviction that the world is transient, at that moment he should quit the world. This is the ideal concept of sannyasa and is called Mukhya sannyasa. Buddha’s case is an example of Mukhya sannyasa.

If a person has studied scriptures and takes sannyasa as part of an institution without full spiritual evolution and without full conviction that the world is impermanent, that sannyasa is secondary and is called Gauna Sannyasa.

3rd verse: “According to Samkhya philosophy, all actions should be given up. According to Mimamsa philosophy, performance of Yajna, dana and tapah should not be given up.”

According to Shankaracharya, one can ascend to higher stage of sannyasa from any stage in life. He says that a monk should not give up laukika karma – everyday duties and responsibilities. Instead, he should give up all ritualistic activities meant for material prosperity. He should do his duties with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, without any selfish motive. This way his activities turn into a worship towards God, his mind becomes pure, and he becomes fir for the highest spiritual evolution.

-6th chapter: verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 16, 2020.
-10th verse: “A person who wants to be a Yogi should constantly practice concentration and develop a natural tendency to live in solitude.”
-A beginner should not force himself to be in solitude – he should develop the desire naturally by practicing spiritual disciplines. Once he is evolved, he can practice solitude even when he is in the midst of a crowd.
-Spiritual practice is one’s individual journey. The seeker should not discuss his experiences in public, as it can affect his inner progress.
-When spiritual practices are done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, it has a positive effect on the mind. It becomes tranquil and focused. The seeker does not feel fatigue in his practice.
-When a beginner sits for meditation, his mind may be agitated. This happens because all previous impressions (vrittis) stored in his chittam come to the surface. These vrittis should be restrained by creating counter vrittis through spiritual practices such as karma yoga, prayers, reading of scriptures and holy association. When we meditate, these positive tendencies will also come to surface and nullify the negative ones.
-11th verse: “The seeker should sit on a firm seat in a clean place. The seat should neither be too high nor too low. The seat should be made by placing Kusha grass on the ground, then spreading a tiger/deer skin over it and then spreading a clean/soft cloth on top.”
-Meditation is a universal spiritual practice. Where you sit and what you sit on – these are relative and subject to changes according to time, culture, geography, and availability of materials.
-12th verse: “Seated on that seat, he should subdue wavering of the mind and senses, he should make his mind one-pointed, and he should practice Yoga for the purification of the mind.”
-The mind is made one-pointed by stopping the inner and outer wavering of the mind. One should control inner wavering by developing good samskaras. Prayers and holy association help develop these good samskaras. Over time, the good tendencies become dominant and turn the mind into a friend. External wavering may manifest as fatigue. This can be overcome with inner concentration and by developing positive samskaras.
-13th verse: “During meditation one should sit firmly on his seat with his body, neck and head in a straight line. His eyes should neither be completely closed nor completely open – they should be “as if” gazing at the tip of the nose.”
-During meditation, firmness and steadiness of the body should be a pleasant, natural and effortless experience. This prevents the body from dragging the mind towards itself.
-A beginner will experience darkness within, if eyes are completely closed. If eyes are open, they drag the mind to the external world.
-These instructions are important for a beginner. For one who is highly evolved, these instructions are not very relevant – he can turn his mind towards God irrespective of where he is.
-14th verse: “With a serene heart, free from fear, with his mind controlled, living a chaste life – he should be focused on Atman, as his goal is to realize the Atman within.”
-Vows, disciplines, self-restraint, and purity of life are emphasized for both mendicants and householders.
-A beginner should practice meditation with his body and mind alert, avoiding any form of laziness. When he becomes advanced, he will experience naturally tranquility within. The effort involved in the early stages will be gone. At the advanced stage, he experiences total freedom from fear. He has nothing to fear, as he identifies with the Atman.

- 6th chapter: verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 9, 2020.
- 6th verse: “The positive aspect of mind, that is linked to Buddhi and Atman – that mind is our friend. The uncontrolled mind, that is away from spiritual values, acts as if it is our own worst enemy.”
- Mind is our friend when it instinctively guides us on the spiritual path and gives us warning signals when undesirable thoughts emerge. Such a mind has conquered the lower self, is restrained and is linked to the higher self.
- The mind which has moved us away from our natural tendency to do what is good for us, is under the power of the lower self, and creates stumbling blocks when we want to implement a change for the good – such a mind is our enemy.
- If we cannot direct the mind to spiritual values, we should direct it to other higher values such as music, culture and philosophy. This keeps the mind properly employed and away from harmful channels.
- 7th verse: “A person who has reached the stage of Yoga-ārūḍha is self-controlled, is constantly focused on the Atman, and is established in inner peace and poise. For him heat/cold, pain/pleasure, honor/dishonor are the same.”
- A Yoga-ārūḍha has renounced his ego, desires, and all his sankalpas. He has given up all kinds of identification with actions and their results.
- We cannot suddenly decide to have equanimity of mind. It is developed gradually by focusing on a higher transcendental ideal. If we guard ourselves from being over-joyed in pleasant situations, then we can prevent ourselves from being grief-stricken in painful situations.
- A Yoga-ārūḍha experiences Prashanta – absolute peace and inner tranquility – because his mind is identified with Paramatma. His Antahkarana becomes calm and quiet because of mergence with Paramatma. His mind functions as God/Guru, sitting within and guiding him.
- The external characteristics of a Yoga-ārūḍha are: (1) he is self-restrained (2) he is contented (3) his presence gives contentment to those around him.
- 8th verse: “Such a Yoga-ārūḍha is free from desires and attachment to sense objects, is equanimous in his outlook, and experiences tremendous feeling of contentment. Not only has he understood the truth but also, he has realized the truth. He is unmoved and undisturbed, because his senses are in control. To him - a lump of earth, a stone, and gold are of equal value.”
- Sri Ramakrishna had this equanimous outlook – to him gold and mud were the same. King Janaka remained poised when someone reported to him that his city was burning. They both identified their real “I” as Atman.
- 9th verse: “A Yoga-ārūḍha looks upon people with a higher spiritual perspective. He looks with equal regard upon a well-wisher, a friend, an enemy, one neutral to him, one who does not take any side, one who acts against him, a relative, a righteous person, and an unrighteous person.”
- This verse represents different attitudes of human nature. Mind changes its attitude depending on who we interact with. A Yoga-ārūḍha is equipoised in all such situations. He attains this state by feeding his mind with great spiritual ideas and lifting his mind to higher levels of consciousness.
- There are two ways we can look upon the world. If we look at it through the lens of the world, we experience plurality and won’t have peace of mind. If we look upon it through the lens of God, then we can practice equilibrium of mind, and the world won’t disturb us.
- 10th verse: “A person who wants to be Yogi should constantly practice concentration and develop a natural tendency to live in solitude.”
- Solitude is natural for the spiritually evolved, but dangerous for those who are not ready. Out of solitude comes the strength to work in public. In solitude, we accumulate spiritual wealth that we can distribute to people. A beginner should not force himself to be in solitude – he should develop the desire naturally by practicing spiritual practices such as karma-yoga.

-6th chapter: verses 3, 4, 5
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 2, 2020.
-3rd verse: “For ārurukṣhoḥ - a spiritual seeker who is still evolving - duties become the path that will take him to a stage that transcends duties. For Yoga-ārūḍha - the sage who has attained the highest state of Yoga - inaction becomes natural; he withdraws himself from worldly pursuits and bondages.”
-4th verse: “When a seeker has given up all sankalpas, and he has absolutely no attachment to sense objects or to actions, then he reaches the highest state of Yoga.”
-When we identify ourselves as the doer or enjoyer of our actions, we walk into a trap and worry about the consequences of our actions. This worry can manifest itself as anxiety, negativity, complaints and concerns – it is called Sankalpa.
-Work will naturally produce a result – sometimes favorable and sometimes not favorable. Sankalpa does not affect the outcome – it is unnecessary, and just a play of the mind.
-A Yoga-ārūḍha, has renounced his ego, desires, and all his sankalpas. He has given up all kinds of identification with actions and their results. The three characteristics of a Yoga-ārūḍha are: (1) he is not attached to sense objects (2) he has no interest in external activities and (3) he is free from all sankalpas.
-To reach the stage of Yoga-ārūḍha, one has to first start his spiritual journey as ārurukṣhoḥ. At this stage, the mind will present obstacles due to past negative samskaras. To counter this, one should increase the storage of positive samskaras.
-Mind tends to look in the external world, what it has already stored within itself. When the storehouse of positive samskaras is increased, mind will seek spiritual objects and holy company. This helps one progress from ārurukṣhoḥ to Yoga-ārūḍha.
-5th verse: “A seeker should lift himself through his own self and never let it weaken himself. When mind, senses and ego are conquered, he will be able to raise himself to the highest spiritual state – his mind is then his friend. On the other hand, his mind will act as an enemy, if it is guided by the senses.”
-Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-A real Yogi focuses his mind exclusively on the task at hand. His senses are perfectly under control. His mind is in perfect harmony with Buddhi, which is linked to Atman.
-When a seeker practices self-restraint by withdrawing from external objects, there is a risk of him becoming careless and inactive. To prevent this, he should provide a counter focus by increasing his spiritual practices such as practicing karma-yoga, offering prayers, reading spiritual literature, and associating with holy company. Then his self-restraint becomes effective.
-Saints and mystics, such as Swami Vivekananda, demonstrated great self-effort and self-confidence to raise themselves in their spiritual life. They were very humble, but behind their humility was great Atma-balam – the inner strength of Atman.
-Lord Krishna mentions strong determination as one of the essential characteristics of a true devotee. The other two characteristics are that such a devotee is fully content and has full control over his senses.
-A strong will is essential to help us raise ourselves and to face obstacles from the external world and from our own mind. Once we make our own effort to lift ourselves, God also comes to assist us. We then become graceworthy.

- 6th chapter: verses 1, 2 and 3
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 25, 2020.
- In the first five chapters, Lord Krishna infuses in Arjuna a sense of duty and righteousness of action. He then explains Advaita philosophy, karma yoga, and how to perform duties with a sense of sanctity and scaredness, and without desire.
- In the 5th chapter, Lord Krishna describes two types of renunciation. (1) Renunciation of the identification of oneself as the agency of action and (2) Renunciation of the strong desire to enjoy the fruits of one’s actions. To achieve this, one must make his mind ready by undertaking spiritual practices and by transcending obsessive attachment and aversion.
- 1st verse: “The one who performs his duties without attachment to the fruits of his action – he is the ideal man of renunciation, not the one who physically gives up his duties.”
- Renunciation is both for monks and householders. It is a symbol of our spiritual wisdom that there is something higher that we should aspire for, and that we should go beyond the realm of worldly enjoyments.
- Lord Krishna implies through this verse that just by giving up external vedic rituals, one does not become a man of renunciation. He needs to transcend them. A beginner should perform rituals with desire for worldly comforts. As he evolves, he should perform the rituals with a higher perspective of purifying his mind – this allows him to transcend rituals.
-Know that devotion to karma yoga and renunciation are the same in actual practice. They constitute an integral part of our spiritual life. One cannot achieve this without giving up our thoughts and concerns about the results of actions.
- A real man of renunciation performs all his duties with full attention, but without anxiety about what he is doing and what the results will be.
- There are two types of karmas; (1) Kaamya karma – karmas performed with an objective and (2) Nitya karma – our everyday obligations. One should not give up these karmas. Rather, one should perform them with a sense of prayer, mentally offering to God and for the good of humanity. Then these karmas have a purifying effect on our mind and lead to Chitta-shuddhi.
- A person who has attained Chitta-shuddhi can practice meditation naturally. When a beginner meditates, he may feel restless due to negative samskaras. These samskaras can be removed through the practice of unselfishness in daily duties.
- One should not suddenly sit for meditation, as it can create conflicts. He should slowly lift his mind to higher levels by reading good books or listening to bhajans. Practice of selfless duties also prepares the mind. Meditation is the seventh stage in Patanajali’s Ashtanga Yoga – Yamas, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhayna and Samadhi.
- 3rd verse: “For a spiritual seeker who is still evolving, duties themself become the path that will take him to a stage that transcends duties. For the sage who has attained he highest state of Yoga, inaction becomes natural – he withdraws himself from worldly pursuits and bondages.”
- Swami Vivekananda said: “The world is a gym for us to work out our karmas, climb the ladder of spiritual life, and transcend action and inaction.”
- For a beginner, whatever work he does – that work offers an opportunity for him to work out his karmas, purify his mind and get to the next stage.
- This evolution is demonstrated in the life of Sri Ramakrishna. When he came to Dakshineswar, he performed all rituals with meticulous care. After a few years, he was completely identified with Brahman and could not even pluck a flower - he saw it as non-distinct from Brahman.
- At the highest state, one does not have to perform rituals. The whole life is spiritualized. Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship.

-5th chapter: verses 27, 28, 29. 6th chapter: verse 1
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 18, 2020.
-In the 4th chapter, Lord Krishna gives an exposition of Karma-Sannyasa, but advises Arjuna to practice Karma-Yoga. A spiritual seeker should begin practicing Karma-Yoga by reducing his attachment to work and its results. Karma-yoga helps him achieve inner purity and to reach the level of spiritual fitness, so that one day he can practice renunciation in the true sense of the word.
-In the 5th chapter, Lord Krishna explains that the purpose of Karma-Yoga is to achieve Chitta-Shuddhi (inner purity), so we can instinctively practice non-attachment. Gradually, this leads to the stage of Moksha (liberation), where we experience Akshayam-Sukham (everlasting happiness).
- The 27th, 28th, and 29th verses introduce Dhyana-Yoga, the art of meditation, discussed in detail in the 6th chapter.
- 27th & 28th verse: “Keeping out all external objects, keeping the gaze steady between the eyebrows, controlling the incoming and outgoing breaths, with senses, mind and intellect fully under control, with Moksha as his supreme goal, free from desire, fear and anger – a man of meditation attains Moksha and becomes ever free.”
- External objects are kept out through non-attachment and by practicing restraint, so the sense organs do not flow towards them. A beginner should practice by focusing on a higher ideal, such as mantra or the form of a spiritual person, whose association fills his mind with spiritual ideas.
- The left eye represents Krodha (anger) and the right eye represents Kama (desire) – together they represent the world. When we transcend both kama and krodha, we attain even-ness, which is the symbol of Atman, represented by the mid-point. Then we go beyond all duality and all opposites, such as good and bad, pain and pleasure.
- During meditation, one should sit in a proper seat, with head, body and neck in a straight line (Sthira-sukham-aasanam). Eyes should neither be completely closed nor completely open – they should be “as if” gazing at the tip of the nose. A beginner will experience darkness within if eyes are complexly closed. If eyes are open, they drag the mind to the external world.
- There is a relationship between the flow of breath and our thought currents. When our mental balance is altered, it is accompanied with a slight disturbance in the breathing system. If we regulate our breath and make it rhythmic, we calm the mind.
- The sage sublimates all his emotional elements – desire, fear, anger, skepticism, negativity, anxiety – to one supreme goal of attaining Moksha. These emotional elements, dedicated to God, do him no harm. He becomes Mukta (liberated).
- 29th verse: “Such a sage is liberated and attains eternal Shanti (peace). He sees God as Suhridam Sarva Bhutanam - the friend of all beings - as the dispenser of all yajnas. He sees God as the giver of all grace and benefits for whatever spiritual practices we undertake. From this understanding, he derives eternal peace.”
- He does not want anything for himself. He lives his life spreading harmony and joy among all living beings.
- Mahabharata says: “God is the friend of all created beings, always engaged in the welfare of the whole creation”.
- 6th chapter, 1st verse: “The one who performs his duties without thinking about the fruits of his action – he is the ideal man of renunciation.”
- We only renounce what we earn, and what is the result of our own work. When we give up what we struggle for, that is real renunciation.
- A real Yogi is both a karma-yogi and a karma-sanyasi. He continually does his duties, but mentally gives up any claim to the results of his actions. He practices action and renunciation at the same time. This is the natural characteristic of a highly evolved spiritual person.
- Shankaracharya discusses the characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person to remind us that these characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.

-5th chapter: verses 23, 24, 25, 26
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 11, 2020.
-23rd verse: “A person who can conquer the temptations of lust and anger, while doing his everyday duties, and before leaving this body – such a person is established in Yoga and is happy.”
-24th verse: “That spiritual seeker, whose happiness is within, who is relaxed within, whose light is within, he alone is a Yogi, and that Yogi attains happiness from his mergence with Brahman.”
-The real source of happiness is always within, in the Atman – not external. For example, we may think that good chocolate is a source of happiness. But eating the same chocolate may not give the same happiness if the tongue has an inflammation, or the mind is disturbed.
-When we realize that we are in reality the Atman, we experience the whole existence as existing within, and feel complete identity with it. Then we feel happiness within (Antah-sukha), we rejoice, and we feel illumined.
-King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya: “Endowed with what light does a person live in this world?” The first answer was sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers was eliminated, subsequent answers were moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options were eliminated, the final answer was Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. It is the light of all lights - that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.
-When a person identifies with this light, he experiences spiritual freedom, happiness within, and illumined within. Such a person sees Brahman as non-distinct from himself (Brahma-Bhoota). Such a person is called a Yogi and attains Brahma-Nirvanam.
-25th verse: “Such a Yogi – all his imperfections are gone, and his doubts are dispelled. He has achieved perfect control over his mind and senses. Absorbed in Brahman, he works for the welfare of the whole creation (Sarva-bhoota-hite-ratah).”
-For the Yogi, who has reached spiritual freedom, all sanchita karmas are destroyed. Prarabdha karma are accumulated karmas that have already started unfolding. Sanchita karmas are accumulated karmas that are not yet manifesting.
-Unlike a beginner, who has to fight with his lower self, a Yogi who has attained spiritual freedom, has natural, effortless control over his mind and senses. His intellect, emotions and will are sublimated to a spiritual ideal.
-Such a Yogi, who experiences the highest happiness, has an instinctive eagerness to give that happiness to others. Whatever he does is for the welfare of others (Sarva-bhoota-hite-ratah).
-26th verse: “Those self-realized people who are free from lust and anger, who have controlled their senses and mind – they realize their spiritual identity with the Atman, and experience total freedom, here and hereafter.”
-When a person becomes liberated, his spiritual outlook is changed forever. He carries this emancipation with him everywhere and in every moment, as he conducts his duties in everyday life.
-When King Chitraketu’s young son died and he was lamenting, Sages Aṅgirā and Nārada helped him understand the temporary nature of the relationship between father and son, that the physical body come and goes, and that the Atman manifests in the body. This put a spark of spiritual wisdom in Chitraketu’s heart.

-5th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 4, 2020.
-19th verse: “The highest spiritual seeker has already transcended the relative and sensory temptations in this life itself. To him, spiritual sameness is a fact of everyday life and experience, as his mind is established in Brahman who is the ideal of sameness.”
-20th verse: “He, who is Brahma-jnani, who is established in Brahman, who experiences his unity with the entire existence in every micro-moment, whose mind, intellect and attitude is steady, who is free from delusion – he is fully established in even-ness. He is neither jubilant on getting what is pleasant nor depressed when getting what is unpleasant.”
-A tiny boat being tossed around by mighty waves, becomes steady when it is anchored to something stable. Similarly, we achieve real equanimity of mind, when we focus our mind on Brahman, who is the highest ideal of steadiness. We then develop a refined sensitivity, and we maintain poise even in unpleasant situations.
-21st verse: “When our mind is not attached to external objects of the senses – rather it is tranquil through absorption in Brahman, then we experience Akshayam-Sukham – happiness that is undecaying, eternal and imperishable.”
-Happiness from contact with external objects is of a fleeting nature, and it takes us away from our inner support. Empirical happiness is only the temporary absence of unhappiness. It is not Sukham (happiness) in the highest sense.
-Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how the blind pursuit of happiness at sensory level brings destruction - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-We achieve Akshayam-Sukham, when through spiritual practices and devotion, we identify with our real spiritual identity, that we are Brahman. Our mind is then tranquil, and it cannot be dragged away by the senses.
-22nd verse: “Every enjoyment at the sensory level is a source of misery. It has a beginning and end. A wise man does not rejoice in them, as he has the wisdom to look beyond the senses and the mind, and he realizes the fleeting nature of sensory enjoyments. Such a person is called Buddha.”
-There is an ascending order in our pursuit of happiness. It begins at the sensory level. Next is intellectual happiness, where one can forego sensory enjoyments – even this happiness is not everlasting. The highest source of happiness comes when we are content from identification with our true spiritual identity, which is Atman - the real source of Akshayam-Sukham - never injured, never unhappy, never bored.
-The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukha, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.
-23rd verse: “A person who can conquer the temptations of lust and anger, while doing his everyday duties, and before leaving this body – such a person is established in Yoga and is happy.”
-Every ordinary experience of happiness has its counterpart – for example, profit and loss, pleasure and pain. Highest transcendental happiness is happiness which never becomes anything other than happiness.
-When we identify with our true spiritual nature, Atman, then both lust and anger - the two great enemies of human mind - disappear.
-Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind. Any of the three Yogas – Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga or Karma Yoga – can help us undertake this journey successfully.
-Devotion to God removes all obstacles in the way of spiritual life. When we surrender to a higher spiritual power, all our thoughts and impulses get refined. We don’t control the impulses; we direct them to God. A fire reduces everything to ashes – similarly, devotion to God acts like a fire that destroys all wrong emotions and feelings that are stumbling blocks in our spiritual life.

-5th chapter: verses 17, 18, 19, 20
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 28, 2020.
-17th verse: “Those who have reached Moksha, whose intellect is absorbed in Brahman, whose identities have become one with the divine Reality, who are steadfast, and whose mental impurities are cleansed – they get free from the wheel of lifecycles.”
-Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. We are born again with Samskaras, which then regulate our life and determine further actions. In this way, the wheel of lifecycles continues.
-Our spiritual quest begins when we think: “Is there something beyond this wheel, and is there a way to come out of it?”
-Buddha taught the world how to get out of the wheel of lifecycles, by following the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path.
-When the spiritual seeker realizes his true spiritual identity – that he is not the body/mind, that he is the eternal Atman – that knowledge is like sunlight that purifies him and removes all his ignorance. His intellect, thoughts and actions are not centered around fleeting objects of enjoyments, but on the transcendental principle of divine unity of existence.
-The seeker then reaches the state of not coming back to this empirical life of worldly existence, of conflicting experience of opposites, such as pleasure and pain, happiness and unhappiness.
-18th verse: “Those great spiritual giants - described in the 17th verse – they are called Panditah. God has become a reality for them. They see the same reality in everything, and everything in that reality. They look with an equal eye on a Brahman with learning, a cow, and elephant, a dog and an ignorant person.”
-A Panditah is one who has realized the reality of Atman, and his identity with the Atman. Whatever he sees within himself, he sees everywhere and in everything. He transcends diversity and gets established in equality of vision.
-The ideal of Panditah may seem unreachable on the surface. Shankaracharya says that whenever a scripture presents a high spiritual ideal, the purpose is to encourage us to slowly develop the characteristics of that ideal. That ideal then starts regulating our actions, thoughts and words. A spiritual seeker should not pretend that he has already reached the highest state.
-Spiritual practices such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Swadharma are means to reach that eventual equality of vision. We then realize that the same Atman is present as the immanent divine spark in everyone. We realize that behind all the manifoldness, there is one divine principle.
-This equality of vision is only possible when we practice non-attachment, are free from raga (obsessive attachment) and dwesha (obsessive aversion), and we perform our actions as Swadharma – with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-A spiritual seeker should practice friendliness (Maitri) towards fellow spiritual seekers, practice compassion (Karuna) towards those who are less evolved, practice happiness (Mudita) towards those who are more evolved, and practice a filtering attitude (Upeksha) towards those who may shake his faith.
-19th verse: “The highest spiritual seeker has already achieved this goal in this life itself, transcending the relatives. To him spiritual sameness is a fact of everyday life and experience, as his mind is established in Brahman who is the ideal of sameness.”
-When a seeker attains the highest state, he will deeply feel it in his own inner being. He will also develop spiritual common sense to properly live in this world. No one teaches him this common sense – it comes to him with the practice that takes him to the highest state.
-20th verse: “He, who is a Brahma-jnani, who is established in Brahman, who experiences his unity with the entire existence in every micro-moment, whose mind, intellect and attitude is steady, who is free from delusion – he is fully established in even-ness. He is neither jubilant on getting what is pleasant nor depressed when getting what is unpleasant.”
-Our constant quest for enjoyment is the real cause of disappointment. To be happy, we should stop looking for happiness all the time.
-This state of even-ness is the natural characteristic of a spiritually evolved person. This state can only be reached through spiritual realization. The attitude of even-ness is not the goal. The goal is to experience the unity of all existence. The attitude of even-ness is a by-product of the spiritual progress made towards this goal.

-5th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 21, 2020.
-14th verse: “The Lord does not get involved in what we do. Neither agency, nor action, nor the fruits of actions can be attributed to Him. Our own Swabhava is responsible for how we act.”
-15th verse: “The all-pervading Reality does not accept the merit or demerit of anyone. Jnanam (knowledge) is enveloped by ignorance – that’s why people get deluded.”
-Swabhava is our inherent nature that determines our outlook to life and our actions. We are responsible for our actions and control our destiny. God is beyond any kind of agency of actions, and distributorship of results of actions. However, if our heart is pure and we pray with true earnestness, God’s grace can dawn on us.
-Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. Samskaras express through our determination to act in a certain manner, called Sankalpa. Sankalpa leads to further actions. This wheel continues, and it shapes our Swabhava.
-Samskaras are of two types: (1) Klesha, which are related to experiences from this life, and (2) Karmasaya, which are related to previous life experiences.
-Swabhava can be of lower or higher form. The lower form causes us to act based on our biological tendencies. The higher form causes us to act based on sublime tendencies such as unselfishness, broad mindedness, and spiritual wisdom.
-Spiritual practices such as Yamas, Niyamas, and Ashtanga Yoga can help to bring out the higher Swabhava that is inherent in all of us. Gita recommends the practice of Swadharma to bring out this higher Swabhava.
-Mind is compared to a lake with many layers, which has pure water below and mud/filth at the top. With spiritual practices, the mud/filth of the outer layer is removed, and our true higher Swabhava is brought to surface.
-16th verse: “Those whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of the Atman – their knowledge manifests like the Sun, removing the ignorance.”
-When we perform karma yoga and offer our actions to God, the actions/results do not go to God – rather they have a purifying effect on our own mind, they bring out our higher Swabhava, and they remove our ignorance. Just like when we suffer from cold and move towards sunlight, the cold does not go to sun – rather the sunlight removes the coldness.
-Karmas are of three types: (1) Prarabdha karma – accumulated karmas that have already started unfolding (2) Sanchita karma – Accumulated karmas that are not yet manifesting and (3) Agami karma – karmas that are yet to come. When we perform spiritual disciplines, we free ourselves from Agami karmas. Highly spiritually elevated persons also burn their sanchita karmas – only their prarabdha karmas continue.
-17th verse: “Those who have reached Moksha, whose intellect is absorbed in Brahman, whose identities have become one with the divine Reality, who are steadfast, and whose mental impurities are cleansed – they get free from the rotation of lifecycles.”
-18th verse: “Those great spiritual giants - described in the 17th verse – they are called Punditah. God has become a reality for them. They see the same reality in everything, and everything in that reality. They look upon with an equal eye on a Brahman with learning, a cow, and elephant, a dog and an ignorant person.”
-A Punditah develops unique, spiritual common sense. It gives him a sense of what is real and unreal, who should be trusted and who shouldn’t be, and so on. His characteristics are similar to that of a Stitha-prajna, who is always contented, established in equanimity of outlook, and has instinctive common sense.
-Spiritual common sense is natural to a Punditah. One should not try to falsely imitate a Punditah. When we perform spiritual practices, we help our own mind to attain higher level of spiritual purity, so one day we can have the same spiritual common sense that a Punditah has. We will gradually evolve, knowing every inch of our journey.

- 5th chapter: verses 10, 11, 12, 13
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 14, 2020.
-10th verse: “Those who do their actions without attachment, offering their actions and results to God – they are not affected by anything. They are like a lotus leaf that lives in water, but never gets wet”.
-The ability to detach oneself from the results of actions is one of the most important characteristics of Yoga. When established in Yoga, one does his actions with great efficiency, but mentally remains detached, thereby remaining stress free.
-When we perform actions with obsessive attachment to results, we are enslaved – worried about the results. The path to freedom is to work with full enthusiasm but without obsessive attachment to results of our actions.
-Yuktah is a person who is established in the Yoga ideal. Whatever he does, becomes an offering to the sacrificial fire of Brahman. All his activities get a spiritual direction – even seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting, grasping, and opening/closing the eyelids.
-11th verse: “A spiritual seeker evolving towards the highest state performs actions with his body, mind, intellect and sense – but remains unaffected, as he practices the spiritual tool of non-attachment in every micro-moment, in every thought, word and deed.”
-The psychological meaning of non-attachment can be understood by contrasting a Yogi with an adventurer. Both work with great tenacity. However, if results fall short of 100%, the Yogi continues to smile, while the adventurer may feel shattered. Non-attachment does not mean indifference to action.
-We feel fatigued when we associate ourselves with the body and mind. Our true nature is Atman. The more we associate with Atman, the farther away we go from the body and mind identity. Then we can watch our body and mind doing the work, without feeling fatigued.
-Nitya-mukta is a person who is ever-free, never bound by any entanglements, and always established in his true nature as Atman. For him there is no origination or termination of bondage, he is never bound, and he does not need to struggle for liberation.
-12th verse: “Those who are established in Yoga (Yuktah), mentally give up obsessive attachment to results of their actions, and attain the highest peace. Those who do not practice Yoga, are swayed by their desires, remain attached to the results of their actions, and get bound.
-Peace described here refers to natural, effortless, perpetual peace. It is not the temporary presence or absence of happiness and unhappiness.
-Rajarshi is one who combines kingly and saintly qualities. He works with full enthusiasm and efficiency like a king, but he remains totally free from attachment.
-13th verse: “The person who has control over his senses, resides in the body of nine gates, established in his true identity as Atman. He looks upon himself distinct from the body, and not involved in any action”.
-Vashi is a person who has succeeded in controlling his senses. He can direct his mind in one direction, rather than letting it be dragged in five directions by the five senses. Whatever he does, he can do with 100% attention.
-The body is compared to a city with nine gates where the Atman resides. The nine gates are: Two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, and two in the lower part of the body.
-From Mundaka Upanishad: “The Lord creates this world like a spider. It emits a substance from its body, builds a net, stays there and then withdraws the net into itself. Similarly, the Lord creates this world using Himself as the material and efficient cause. Then He withdraws it within Himself.”
-Jivatma resides within the body, but remains distinct from it, and independent. When the body decays, jivatma accepts another body.
-One cannot practice non-attachment so long as he looks upon himself as the body. The first step to spiritual evolution is to have a belief that there is a transcendental, divine spark that presides over the body and that is distinct from it.

Title: Performing Actions with Sattvic Shraddha

17th Chapter: verses 26, 27, 28; recapitulation of 17th chapter

It is difficult for normal human beings to perform their spiritual practices with perfection. With the utterance of “Om Tat Sat”, when we perform any act - Yajna, dana and tapah – they become purified. When we offer our activity to the all-pervading reality that is present in everyone and everything, the activity is purified. They become auspicious and spiritually meritorious.

26th verse: “Sat indicates the Absolute Reality which is all-pervading, immortal, good for humanity and which sustains us. Sat means sat-bhāve “with the intention of essential goodness and nobility”, sādhu-bhāve “with auspicious intention” and praśhaste karmaṇi “Inspired by the an inner call and the Atman within”.

27th verse: “With great steadiness, when we perform Yajna, dana and tapah, it is called Sat. Any activity done for the sake of Tat, which is the all-pervading divine reality, is also Sat.”
Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish deed that is done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and as an offering to God. Dana refers to any act of compassion, kindness and charity meant to help others. Tapah means austerity, activities that we do with the mind and senses focused on a single purpose with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.

When we perform anything thinking of the all-pervading divine reality, then it becomes worship in the form of action, and it brings an element of steadiness to the activity. Steadiness comes from the Absolute Reality which is eternal and unchanging.
28th verse: “Performing Yajna, dana and tapah with a sattvic attitude and a sense of dedication to the divine is Sat. Its opposite is called Asat. Performing hutam (sacrifice), dattam (charity), tapaḥ (austerity) or kṛitam (any other activity), without sattvic shraddha is Asat.”

Shraddha cannot be properly translated in English. Shraddha refers to a sense of sanctity and sacredness that helps us preserve higher values. It can also mean faith in scriptures, God, teacher, and a sense of integrity. The shraddha of human beings is three-fold – Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika. Yajna, dana and tapah should be performed with sattvic shraddha.

When we perform charity there is a possibility that we may get the opposite of gratitude from the recipient. That can hurt us unless we are guided by a higher spiritual ideal in the act of charity. Sattvic shraddha turns any activity into a spiritual activity.

The following is a recapitulation of the 17th chapter:

The 17th chapter starts with a question from Arjuna: “Those who have a high degree of shraddha but do not know how to follow shastram, what happens to them?”
Shraddha is of three types - Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika. Sattvika is the highest and most sublime. It manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. If a person is very active and makes a show of his wealth and power, his attitude is Rajasika. Tamasika attitude manifests itself as laziness and delusion.

In a rajarshi (philosopher king) – the philosophical aspect comes from sattva guna and the kingly aspect comes from rajo guna. His rajo guna is dominated and regulated by sattva guna.

Shraddha is based on our inherent natural tendencies, which is based on our samskaras. Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara.

In Patanajali Yoga Sutra, Vyasa says: “The river of the human mind flows in two directions. One is of a positive nature and takes us towards higher spiritual fulfillment. The other is of a negative nature and takes us away from our cherished aspirations.” The mind may not act as our friend when it is not ready. For example, when we want to meditate (positive flow of the river), the mind may procrastinate (negative flow of the river).

Vyasa also says that we can turn the mind into a friend with a refining process. The refining process starts with doing some noble, unselfish deeds. Such deeds increase the store house of positive samskaras and negate the negative samskaras. The mind then begins to evolve. When we perform our activities with sattvic shraddha, we improve the proportion of positive flow in the river of mind.

The following discussions took place in the question-answer section of the class:
The translation of Sanskrit words, such as Samskara, are limited in scope in the dictionary meaning. They can only be explained by giving examples. An example of past samskaras is a child prodigy in music, whose family has no background in music.

We should put our ego to good work. When we perform an activity as Swadharma and as an offering to the divine, the ego is sublimated to a sattvic level.

Creation moves in cycles – from creation to sustenance to dissolution to re-emergence.

-5th chapter: verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 31, 2020.
-5th verse: “The spiritual destination reached by men of Jnanam (knowledge) can also be reached by practitioners of karma-yoga. Both paths take us to the same goal.”
-A person who is lazy should first learn to be active. At the next stage, he can do his duties with a sense of surrender, offering his actions and results to God. This is called Karma-Yoga. Karma-yoga will take him to the next stage of Chitta-shuddhi (inner purity), which leads to Jnana-prapti (knowledge of Brahman), which leads to Moksha (liberation).
-A person who follows Jnanam is a karma-yogi of the highest order, practicing renunciation of his actions and results, and offering them to God. It stems from his awareness that there is a Divine Reality present everywhere, and everything is a manifestation of that Reality.
-The royal path of spiritual evolution is always in front of us. We can continue to do our normal duties, but we can start doing them with freedom from selfishness and greed. Then our normal responsibilities become a path for us to progress spiritually.
-6th verse: “Renunciation of action is very difficult for those who have not already gone through the path of karma-yoga. One has to practice karma-yoga to be able to renounce later.”
-Karma-yoga purifies the mind and helps the person reach a stage where he can practice renunciation. A person who wants to be a monk cannot continue in the life of renunciation, unless his mind is previously trained and purified with karma-yoga. Real renunciation is nothing but giving up ahamkara (false ego) and kama (desires).
-7th verse: “A person whose mind is purified by selfless devotion to his duties, whose ego is sublimated, whose senses are under control – such a person realizes the highest spiritual truth. He realizes that his own Self is present in everything.”
-A person whose mind becomes pure and whose ego gets refined, he becomes broad minded and tolerant. He experiences spiritual unity (Sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma), seeing everyone in his own Self and his own Self in others.
-The path of Bhakti (devotion) is another way of reaching the same spiritual destination. In this path, one practices complete self-surrender to God, thinking of Him in every action and every moment, and with complete faith that God will protect Him.
-For the highest devotee of God, there are no injunctions for or against, and he goes beyond do’s and don’ts. Whatever he does is for the good of others. He sees himself in everyone and everyone in himself.
-8th & 9th verse: The knower of truth (Tattwa-vit), centered in Atman, thinks that his senses are moving among sense objects, but he is not involved. He thinks thus even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting, grasping, and opening/closing the eyelids.”
-This state of non-involvement is a natural state for a highly evolved mystic. It is not something that a beginner should pretend to have reached. A beginner should direct his senses to creative channels and associate with holy company. The final state comes unasked – one does not choose it. The highest renunciation comes naturally to us in our spiritual evolution.
-10th verse: “Those who do their actions without attachment, offering their actions and results to God – they are not affected by anything. They are like a lotus leaf that lives in water, but never gets wet”.
-When we perform selfish actions, attached to the results, we are enslaved – worried about the results. The path to freedom is to work with full enthusiasm but without obsessive attachment to results of our actions.
-If we work like a servant of God, then we can work as if we are the master. If we work thinking that the work is ours, then we end up working as slaves/servants. A loyal servant who works for a good master, works with total freedom – he knows that the master is worrying about the results of his undertakings.

-5th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 24, 2020.
-1st verse: In the 3rd chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Karma-Yoga to Arjuna. In the 4th chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Jnanam and the ideal of renunciation to Arjuna. This creates confusion in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna asks Lord Krishna: “You are recommending the renunciation of action, but you also taught me the path of action. Tell me which path is better for me.”
-2nd verse: Lord Krishna answers Arjuna’s confusion in the 2nd verse. “Both renunciation of action, and the path of selfless action are valid means for liberation. Of these, the path of selfless action is superior.”
-There is no such thing as total withdrawal from action. Even for a split second we cannot remain inactive. Best way is to engage in actions as karma-yoga. As we evolve, we reach a point where we can give up the desire for the results of actions and we give up our lower ego. We never give up actions.
-Combining action and renunciation gives us the advantages of both, while avoiding their disadvantages. When we do our actions while renouncing the obsessive attachment to results, we can continue to do our duties/obligations without being anxious of unpleasant results.
-When we are free of selfish desires and obsessive attachment to results, we can dedicate our entire energy on the task at hand, with mental freedom, free from kama and krodha. This ultimately yields better results, and this gives us a feeling of real joy.
-Arjuna’s confusion represents his level of readiness to understand the teachings of Lord Krishna. If we go to an ocean of pure water with a jar, we can bring back a jar of pure water. However, if we go to the same ocean with a spoon, we can only bring back a spoon of pure water. Similarly, as we evolve, we find deeper meaning in spiritual statements.
-3rd verse: “He is the real man of renunciation, who neither likes nor dislikes, who has neither obsessive attachment nor aversion, who is totally free from pairs of opposites – such a person is totally free from all bondages.”
-In the spiritual psychology of renunciation, there are five levels of evolution. (1) At the first level, one does activities that are instinctive, such as walking, eating and drinking. (2) At the second level, one takes up higher activities such as fasting and praying. (3) At the third level, one performs various types of fire sacrifices for achievement of heaven (4) At the fourth level, one gives up the performance of rituals and lives the life of a mendicant (5) At the highest level, a nitya-sannyasi renounces all selfish desire and dedicates himself for the good of others.
-A nitya-sannyasi practices the combination of action and renunciation every day, every minute. He is actively engaged in actions for the good of humanity, while practicing renunciation. He is on the way to the highest spiritual realization (Brahma-Sakshatkara [ब्रह्म-साक्षात्कार]).
-4th verse: “Only those who are not aware of the true nature of action and the true nature of renunciation, will argue that the two paths are different and in conflict with each other. The truth is that the person who practices one path will gain the fruits of the other path as well.”
-Great men and women of renunciation – Buddha, Jesus Christ, Lord Krishna – were also the greatest men of action. A sthitaprajna or nitya-sannyasi, as described in Gita, is all the time renouncing and also all the time working.
-5th verse: “The spiritual destination reached by men of knowledge can also be reached by practitioners of karma-yoga. Both paths take us to the same goal.”
-When people of active temperament begin to do their actions as karma-yoga, their mind begins to evolve. They begin to feel inner contentment. In course of time, they learn that there is a Divine Reality present everywhere and everything is a manifestation of that Reality.
-If one goes to a forest hermitage but has worldly desires, he is not truly practicing penance. On the other hand, one who is active in the world doing his duties as a karma-yogi, with shraddha and without attachment – he is the real practitioner of penance. One’s own home is a spiritual hermitage, if one is a man of action and renunciation.
-6th verse: “Renunciation of action is very difficult for those who have not already gone through the path of karma-yoga. One has to practice karma-yoga to be able to renounce later.”
-When we perform our actions as karma-yoga, we feel inner tranquility. Mind then becomes ready for the stage of renunciation, where we can sublimate our ego, and where all attachments, obsessions and selfish desires disappear.
-Mahatma Gandhi practiced Anasakti-Yoga. He led a life of action, but he was not attached to results. When we are non-attached and work for the good of humanity, our duty is no longer a burden. At the same time, it helps us grow spiritually.

-5th chapter: verses 1, 2
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 10, 2020.
-In the 3rd chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Karma-Yoga to Arjuna. He says: “Engage in selfless actions, without attachment to results. Perform every action as Yajna, as an offering to God and for the good of others.”
-In the 4th chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Jnanam and the ideal of renunciation to Arjuna. He says: “Jnanam is the spiritual awareness of our true nature, that we are Atman. It is the royal path to spiritual enlightenment. Renouncing all actions, focus on this Jnanam, which (1) becomes a boat to take us across the ocean of samsara (2) becomes a fire that reduces our karmas to ashes (3) becomes the ultimate purifier that removes the curtain of ignorance.
-This creates confusion in Arjuna’s mind. In the 1st verse of 5th chapter, Arjuna asks Lord Krishna: “You are recommending the renunciation of action, but you also taught me the path of action. Tell me which path is better for me.”
-Arjuna’s confusion represents his level of readiness to understand the teachings of Lord Krishna. If we go to an ocean of pure water with a jar, we can bring back a jar of pure water. However, if we go to the same ocean with a spoon, we can only bring back a spoon of pure water. Similarly, when listening to the instructions of the same teacher, different students reach different levels of understanding depending on the readiness of their mind.
-Lord Krishna answers Arjuna’s confusion in the 2nd verse. “Both renunciation of action, and the path of selfless action are valid means for liberation. Of these, the path of selfless action is superior.”
-Arjuna’s confusion shows that he did not properly understand the spiritual psychology of karma-yoga. A person who is lazy due to Tamo-guna should first learn to be active. A person who is already active due to Rajo-guna should practice karma-yoga. He should combine his activities with spiritual values such as detachment to results and look upon all results with equanimity of mind. Karma-yoga will take him to the next stage of Chitta-shuddhi (inner purity), which leads to Jnana-prapti (knowledge of Brahman), which leads to Moksha (liberation).
-No one can physically and mentally remain inactive. Anyone who artificially remains inactive and claims to be in contemplation is a hypocrite. Those who are spiritually evolved are also active – the difference is in their attitude, as they are not attached to the results.
-Indian spiritual tradition discusses two types of temperaments in individuals. (1) Pravritti – those who practice action. Majority of people belong to this category. (2) Nivritti – those who choose to live a contemplative life. They are among the minority. While both temperaments are important, those who practice Nivritti, have given eternal values to humanity.
-The path of “renunciation of action” is for those who are spiritually evolved, such as Buddha, Shankaracharya, Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Vivekananda, and Swami Trigunatitananda. They are still active but renounce their ego and the results of their actions.
-Those who are not ready to renounce their ego or the results of their actions, should focus on doing their duty than being lazy. For example, householders should first focus on their duties towards their family. Slowly, then can begin to renounce their ego and take on selfless activities that are good for humanity.
-Karma-yoga helps us to reach the level of spiritual fitness, so that one day we can practice renunciation in the true sense of the word.
-Great householders can also practice renunciation, not just monks. An ancient verse in Hitopadesa says: “If one goes to a forest hermitage but has worldly desires, he is not truly leading a spiritual life. On the other hand, those who live in the world attending to their daily duties, but mentally renounce their desires – such a person’s home becomes a hermitage.”

-4th chapter: verses 40, 41, 42
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 3, 2020.
-Shraddha refers to a sense of sanctity and sacredness, sincerity, integrity and honesty. When all these attitudes are combined, it is referred to as shraddha (श्रद्धा).
-Patanjali refers to the following obstacles in the 30th verse of Yoga Sutras. Doubt is one of them. “Disease, mental laziness, doubt, lack of interest, sloth, clinging to sense pleasures, false perception, lack of concentration, and unsteadiness in concentration – these distractions are the obstacles to knowledge.”
-Doubt can be of two types. (1) Creative doubt, which is coupled with shraddha (श्रद्धा), and demonstrates a true thirst for knowledge. Buddha, Swami Vivekananda and Shankaracharya had creative doubts. (2) Negative doubt – seekers who ask questions without any shraddha (श्रद्धा). Their mind is closed, they don’t derive any benefits from answers to their questions, and they keep asking the same questions again and again.
-40th verse gives a stern warning referring to those who do not know how to practice constructive doubt: “An ignorant person, who has no shraddha(श्रद्धा), who is always doubtful and skeptical – he is spiritually doomed and headed towards his own destruction.”
-Negative doubts can be due to past samskaras. It can have the most crippling effect on one’s personality, as it causes one’s attention and energy to be dissipated.
-Doubts(संशय) are natural for a sincere spiritual seeker. Doubts and conflicts don’t exist for people in two categories: (1) Those who are absolutely foolish and live in enjoyment of their ignorance (2) Those who are highly evolved and live in an unshakeable state of inner bliss.
-After some spiritual practice, doubts arise for sincere spiritual seekers. Those who are struggling against the natural flow of the senses will feel these conflicts because they are going against the current. They should remind themselves of the risks of being doubtful and turn their mind to something sublime.
-Buddha conquered his doubts with strong determination. As described in Lalitavistara, he sat under a tree with the following vow: “Let this body dry up; let the skin, bones and flesh of the body fall apart; but I will not leave this seat until I attain that supreme knowledge.”
-Jnanam is the spiritual awareness of our true nature, that we are Atman, that our true nature is not the body, mind or intellect, which go through changes. When doubt is combined with shraddha(श्रद्धा), we develop this Jnanam, which (1) becomes a boat to take us across the ocean of samsara (2) becomes a fire that reduces our karmas to ashes (3) becomes the ultimate purifier that removes the curtain of ignorance.
-41st verse: “Actions will not bind us when we are established in our true identity, when we perform actions with a sense of renunciation, and when our doubts are destroyed with shraddha(श्रद्धा) and Jnanam. We are then able to do our duty efficiently without being bound.”
-We feel we are bound when we identify ourselves with the body, mind and the empirical world. Bondages are washed away with the conviction that the world is not permanent, that our life is changeable, and that Atman is the only permanent reality. Then we can look at ups and downs in the empirical world with a sense of equanimity.
-The story of Nachiketa’s great shraddha(श्रद्धा) and his three boons from Kathopanishad represent the creative value of doubt in spiritual evolution. Proper questions are needed to evolve further. The three boons that Nachiketa asks are: (1) Let my father not scold me when I return (2) Teach me rituals to get to heaven and (3) Teach me the reality beyond death. Yama then describes life as a journey for highest spiritual enlightenment.
-An ideal seeker of truth should have the following characteristics as described in verse 16 of Vivekachudamani: (1) Pure intelligence (मेधावी), which is not cluttered by worldly objects, and which is dedicated to the pursuit of higher ideal; he should be able to read or listen to ideas and grasp their true meaning (2) Ability to accept what is good for him, and reject what is undesirable. (उहापोहविचक्षणः)
-42nd verse: “Therefore, you should cut this constant doubt with the sword of Jnanam and shraddha. Then you will be established in Yoga and have the right spiritual attitude.”
-Combination of Karma and Jnanam helps us conquer the confusion in our mind. Be established in Jnanam – that you are the Atman – and do all karmas as service to God. This combination allows us to spiritualize all secular activities - renuncation and service together.

-4th chapter: verses 36, 37, 38, 39
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 19, 2020.
-Jnanam is the spiritual awareness of our true nature, that we are Atman, that our true nature is not the body, mind or intellect, which go through changes, and are of a fleeting nature. 36th, 37th and 38th verse use three approaches to illustrate this Jnanam: (1) A boat (2) A fire (3) The ultimate purifier.
-36th verse compares this Jnanam to a boat, which takes us across the ocean of Samsara (संसार). Even if we have an undesirable past, this Jnanam will purify our thoughts and actions, and we begin to do everything as Swadharma (स्वधर्म), with complete concentration and detachment. Actions no longer have any negative consequences on us.
-Samsara (संसार) refers to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth – our actions leave a residual effect on our mental system, which then become strong attitudes, that prompts us to do further actions (karma-vritti-samskara-chakra). We carry these mental tendencies with us from life to life.
-We develop this Jnanam by practicing seven spiritual disciplines: (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real (2) Renunciation of what is unreal (3) Self-control: shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha and samadhana (4) Mumukshutam (5) Shravanam (6) Mananam (7) Nididhyasana.
-By pursuing these disciplines, at some point, we become aware of our true nature, that we are the Atman. This spiritual awareness (Jnanam), then acts as a boat to cross the ocean of Samsara. We can then watch our own life as a witness, unaffected by it.
-37th verse compares this Jnanam to the fire of knowledge – Jnana Agni - that reduces all karmas (actions) to ashes. The symbolism of fire is taken from vedic sacrifices – whatever was offered to the fire during these sacrifices, was reduced to ashes.
-Actions are inevitable, because we cannot be quiet even for a split moment. At the same time, actions have the problem of unpredictability – sometimes they produce desirable results, sometimes they don’t.
-Once we develop this Jnanam – that actions take place at empirical level, that our true nature is Atman – then consequences of actions will not have an effect on us. They will be destroyed, reduced to ashes. We then develop a transcendental perspective, an inner poise and equanimity of mind. We look at happiness and unhappiness as two sides of the same coin.
-38th verse refers to this Jnanam as the ultimate purifier – it removes the curtain of ignorance that hides our reality from us. We are bound to reach this spiritual awareness, once we are perfected in Yoga.
-We do not attain our true nature due to spiritual practices. Spiritual practices just remove the veil that hides the reality from ourselves. Our true nature, as Atman, cannot be the effect of anything.
-Patanjali states that all spiritual efforts are made to remove the obstacles that hide our reality from us. Just as one removes earth to dig a canal and bring water to irrigate a field - similarly, spiritual practices remove our mis-understanding - that we are the body, mind or intellect - and reveal our true nature to us.
-With this spiritual awareness - that we are the infinite, pure consciousness - we feel inner contentment, which is real, transcendental happiness. Empirical happiness is just the temporary absence of unhappiness.
-Karma Yoga is the royal highway that takes us to this Jnanam. One can start on this royal highway at any moment, by doing everything as Swadharma, with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-39th verse: “A person who has shraddha(श्रद्धा), who is devoted with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, who has succeeded in controlling his senses – he attains this Jnanam. Once he has attained this Jnanam, he attains supreme peace.
-40th verse: The ignorant, who has no shraddha (श्रद्धा), who is always doubtful and skeptical – he is spiritually doomed and headed towards his own destruction.” (The next class will discuss how to confront this negative tendency.)
-Skepticism can be of two types. (1) Creative skepticism, driven by a true thirst for knowledge. Seekers with creative skepticism, once they are convinced of the truth, they become champions of that truth. Swami Vivekananda was such as seeker. (2) Negative skepticism – seekers who ask questions without any seriousness. Their mind is closed, they don’t derive any benefits from answers to their questions, and they keep asking the same questions again and again.

-4th chapter: verses 34, 35, 36, 37
-18th chapter: verses 64, 67, 72, 73
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 19, 2020.
-34th verse: “A seeker of spiritual wisdom should approach a wise teacher with humility, do service to him and ask him questions with all sincerity and shraddha. Then the teacher will instruct him with true spiritual knowledge.”
-In terms of inquiry, there are two types of seekers. (1) Those who are humble, straightforward and inquisitive. Once they are convinced of the truth, they become champions of that truth. Swami Vivekananda was such a seeker. (2) Those who ask questions without any seriousness. They pretend to be convinced, but they keep asking the same questions again.
-When we have reverence towards the teacher, and a pure thirst for knowledge, our dedication to the subject is intensified. This leads to natural tendency for further inquiry. This characteristic is demonstrated even in the secular world by great scientists.
-There is famous verse in Vedanta that summarizes the concept of Guru-shishya parampara, long succession of teachers and students: “I bow down to those great masters, succession of great teachers, who expounded Vedantic ideas, and thanks to whose efforts, I am able to study the same ideas today.”
-18th chapter, 67th verse: “Do not teach this spiritual wisdom to those who have no austerity, no devotion, no self-restraint, no humility to do service, and who after listening will belittle you or the wisdom you are imparting”
-Unless we are mentally ready with the right attitude, spiritual instructions will not provide real benefits. Our innate tendencies, from past samskaras, can create a mental block.
-Listening to great ideas is beneficial only if we approach with humility and purity. If a glass is empty and we pour pure milk in it, we get a glass full of pure milk. If the glass already has some dirty water, and we pour pure milk in it, we won’t even drink the resultant mixture. Humility and purity allow us to act like the empty glass and receive the full benefits of instructions.
-An ideal seeker of truth should have the following characteristics: (1) Pure intelligence, which is not cluttered by worldly objects, and which is dedicated to the pursuit of a higher ideal; he should be able to read or listen to ideas and grasp their true meaning (2) Ability to accept what is good for him, and reject what is undesirable.
-Sister Nivedita was an example of an ideal student. The combination of her purity/sincerity and Swamiji’s greatness as a teacher led to her complete transformation.
-35th verse: “Once you get this spiritual wisdom from a wise teacher, you will not be deluded again. By that wisdom, you will experience the spiritual unity of the whole creation”
-18th chapter, 64th verse: “You have listened to Me and My instructions. Now I will teach you the most profound truth of all.”
-18th chapter, 72nd verse: Lord Krishna asks Arjuna after imparting all spiritual instructions. “Have you listened to me carefully, did you follow my instructions, did you understand what I said, are you now free from your delusions and doubts?”
-18th chapter, 73rd verse: Arjuna answers: “Now my delusion is gone. I am totally free from conflicts. I have got back my memory and feel spiritually awakened. I am fully settled in mind and will act according to your instructions”
-36th verse: “If you approach your teacher with this attitude and reach your spiritual goal, then that spiritual knowledge becomes a boat with which you can cross the ocean of worldly life. Even if you have an undesirable past, your dedication will open up your mind, and help you imbibe the teachings completely.”
-37th verse: “As a blazing fire reduces wood into ashes, similarly, the fire of knowledge reduces all karmas into ashes.”
-When sage Suka went to see king Janaka, and entered his city and court, he saw everything made of sugar. This means that sage Suka experienced the unity of the whole creation, seeing God in everything, and everything in God.
-To achieve the highest state of realization, such as that achieved by sage Suka, one needs to practice the following four spiritual disciplines. (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real (2) Renunciation of what is unreal (3) Self-control: shama, dama, uparati, titiksha, shraddha and samadhana (4) Mumukshutam, or desire for liberation.
-An ancient verse says: “It is better to be like an ant that always moves, even though slowly, and covers a long distance, than to be a fast-moving bird that does not make any effort to move at all”.

-4th chapter: verses 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 12, 2020.
-Yajna in Gita refers to any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God.
-Yajna as a Vedic ritual involves lighting a fire, chanting mantras, offering auspicious things in the fire as an act of renunciation, for the good of the world and to propitiate the devatas (gods).
-Verse 27: Atma Samyama Yoga refers to bringing self-restraint to the senses of perception, senses of action and the mind, and giving them a higher spiritual orientation. It is an inner yajna, where the yajna fire is kindled through spiritual wisdom that there is divinity in the entire creation, in every activity and thought. We offer all our actions, thoughts, deeds into this yajna fire.
-Atma Samyama Yoga enables us to spiritualize our whole life. Every act, thought, deed is performed as Yajna. Every secular activity becomes spiritualized. We can live in tune with the entire creation, as we are convinced of the divinity in everything.
-Yajna is based on the idea that we cannot live in disharmony with nature and expect harmony within. With Atma Samyama Yoga, we connect with the inherent harmony with nature. Harmony outside brings harmony within.
-With Atma Samyama Yoga, great qualities such as - non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from stealing, moderation, non-possessiveness – naturally come to us.
-28th verse: There are others who sacrifice material things (dravya yajna), who meditate and undertake vows (tapo yajna), who sacrifice through yoga (yoga yajna), and who read scriptures and realize their ideas (jnana yajna). These are all different ways of practicing Yajna.
-First step in practicing Yajna is to develop a higher spiritual ideal in our life, and think beyond immediate, tangible benefits. By practicing yajna, one finds harmony and peace everywhere.
-An ancient verse describes the prayer of a woodcutter to the birds who live on trees, to illustrate harmony with nature. “I am going to cut this tree. I pray to you to move to another tree. I am depriving you of your habitation and for that I seek your mercy”.
-Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.
-Another Vedic verse describes the morning prayer of sages: “Let the earth remain in its perfect purity, let the streams and rivers be filled with pure water, let Agni remain in its perfect purity”. Their morning prayer was for the good of creation, and to bring auspiciousness and prosperity to the whole world.
-29th verse: Some perform yajna by controlling their breath (pranayama). Pranayama is helpful in bringing balance to the mind, but it should only be practiced after being grounded in Yamas and Niyamas.
-30th and 31st verse: There are others who practice restraint in eating food. Whatever we do, if we do it as Yajna, without selfish motives – then our whole life becomes spiritualized.
-32nd verse: Through all these karmas done as Yajna, you proceed one step closer towards the realization of the divine within you. All actions done with selfish motives bind us to the world. All actions done as Yajna takes us to moksha (liberation).
-33rd verse: All actions eventually lead to knowledge. A devotee who is grounded in the knowledge that everything is Brahman – he is not easily influenced by external circumstances. However, a devotee who is a beginner or follower of Bhakti, needs to be careful about what he eats and who he associates with.

-4th chapter: verses 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 5, 2020.
-The subject of verse 24 is how to spiritualize our entire life - how every secular activity, every word, deed, thought, emotion can be spiritualized – how we can stop seeing the distinction between the secular and spiritual.
-Verse 24 is uttered with a deep sense of reverence before people eat food. It emphasizes that everything is, spiritually, one. This truth can be realized by associating all actions with the Divine.
-With the imagery of a Vedic ritual (Yajna), this verse says: “the process of offering, what we offer, the one who offers, into what it is offered, the act of performing the ritual, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.” Our purpose, our actions, the tools that we use, the mantras that we chant, the Agni (fire) – all are expressions of the same supreme reality. This is natural for the person with highest realization – to him, every act is equally spiritual; there is no distinction between the secular and spiritual.
-Similar verse is in Bhagavata Purana. It says: “Whatever we do with body, mind, senses of perception, senses of action – dedicate it as an offering to God”
-Actions that we do deliberately, and our instinctive tendencies and thoughts – all can be given a spiritual orientation, by attaching a sense of sanctity of sacredness, by being free from selfish motives, and by offering them to God. We can start this spiritual journey at any time.
-These secular activities then become many ways for us to progress towards our spiritual destination, while at the same time, allowing us to serve for the good of the world. Then, we feel inner harmony and contentment.
-Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God.
-A beginner sees secular and spiritual activities as separate. A more evolved seeker does his secular activities as spiritual. For an even more advanced seeker, the line of demarcation between the two disappears. For the seeker at the highest level of realization, whatever he does is spiritual, including activities such as eating food and interacting with others.
-A great devotee looks upon inconveniences also as friends, as they remind him of the higher spiritual reality and the limitations of this world.
-Verses 25-29 describe different types of sacrifices. Some perform sacrifices to the devas (gods); some sacrifice in the fire of Brahman; some sacrifice all activities at sensory level; some sacrifice the functions of all the organs and pranas; some sacrifice through penance and others through Yoga; some sacrifice through reading of scriptures.
-All these sacrifices can be given a spiritual dimension by performing them as Yajna. The attitude with which the sacrifice is performed makes all the difference. Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world and material prosperity (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God. Gita discusses Yajna in its broader sense of noble activity, which becomes a royal highway for spiritual prosperity.
-All of our daily activities – even the minutest one – can be done as Yajna. The act of cooking food, eating, digesting – all can be done as Yajna. By thus spiritualizing the secular, we get Chitta-prasada (inner contentment).
-This attitude can be extended to human relations and also to external nature. Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.

-4th chapter: verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 29, 2020.
-A karma-yogi is free from kama (desires) and sankalpa (mental worry about results). He is also free from the sense of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship. He may have a high spiritual ideal as goal, he may work with total efficiency, but he works non-attached. His body and mind are always under control, and he is not affected by the success or failure of his actions.
-Karma Yoga helps us work with a sense of total relaxation. It allows us to work with more focus and concentration, and thereby achieve better results. Work done as karma-yoga, purifies our chittam, and takes us a step forward in fulfilling our spiritual goal of lasting inner contentment.
-For a karma-yogi, work becomes play, and work becomes an experience of relaxation. To achieve this state, one has to give up desires. One should start by first developing higher, noble desires – it helps open up the spiritual path. Once desires are promoted, in the next stage, one can go beyond desires.
-A karma-yogi is always working, but always contented. A lazy man who claims contentment is a hypocrite. Epoch makers - Buddha, Shankaracharya, Sri Ramakrishna, Jesus Christ, Vivekananda – were always active and worked for the good of others.
-22nd verse: “Such a karma-yogi is always content with whatever comes to him; he is unaffected by pain/pleasure, good/bad, misery/joy, profit/loss; he is free from envy; he is unperturbed in success or failure; he is always active, but free from bondage.”
-Shankaracharya discusses the characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person in second chapter. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.
-One should read scriptures that provide a picture of such enlightened Yogis, and their characteristics. Then one should try to develop the same qualities.
-The real test of spiritual values happens in secular contexts. How we interact with people who do not share our ideas, how we handle success and failure in secular contexts – these are real tests of our spiritual values. Equanimity of mind during ups and downs in secular contexts, is proof that we are spiritual.
-For a jeevan-mukta (liberated), samatvam (equanimity of mind) is natural and automatic. We can practice samatvam, by doing everything with enthusiasm, mentally offering it to God, and then forgetting about it. Then we get total relaxation and contentment.
-A karma-yogi, after reaching highest state, won’t have any external transformation. However, his whole life will be different, and he will be free from kama, sankalpa, and mental vrittis.
-There is no obligation for a spiritually illumined soul to work, as he is not bound by a sense of duty. He works only for the good of others, and he has no desires of his own. If he decides to live an introspective life, that is also his own choice. One of his important characteristics is total freedom.
-Gita presents Yajna as a higher approach to work. Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world and material prosperity (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yajna in its broader sense of noble activity, which becomes a royal highway for spiritual prosperity.
-23rd verse: Who is liberated and whose mind is immersed in Brahman, whatever he does, it is Yajna. It doesn’t bind him – rather it shatters away the chain of bondage.”
-Selfish actions bind us to the world. Unselfish actions, done as Yajna, break the chain of bondage. Everyone can practice Yajna, by doing their actions for the good others, and by surrendering the results of all actions to God. When actions are performed as Yajna, we feel harmony within and with external nature.
-24th verse: This verse illustrates the attitude of someone who has reached the highest stage of spiritual evolution. To him, everything is Brahman, his whole life is spiritualized, and his every action is sanctified. In the context of eating food, he thinks – the act of offering, what we offer, who offers, into what it is offered, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.
-Ancient mantra chanted at time of sannyasa: “Now onwards, every word is a mantra, every movement is a circumambulation around the deity, every thought a meditation, and the whole life is an offering to God”
-This attitude of highest spiritual seeker is similar to concept of highest devotee of God in Bhagavad Purana. The highest devotee is one who sees God in everything and everything in God.

-4th chapter: verses 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 22, 2020.
-18th verse: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached.
-This verse provides a brief picture of Vedanta-Sadhana – how to practice Vedanta in daily life through non-attachment while doing duties and responsibilities, and thereby enjoy a state of equilibrium.
-When we perform actions but feel anxiety, it is because we interpret ourselves as the physical body. Non-attachment means we identify ourselves as Atman - beyond the body, mind, and intellect – then any amount of activity will not make us exhausted. We think “My body is working, I am not working. I am Atman”
-If one identifies himself with Atman, he can remain as if he is inactive, seeing inaction in action. He identifies himself beyond action and inaction.
-When moving in a boat, we feel as if trees on the riverside are moving in the opposite direction, even though we know they are stationary. Similarly, all actions and inactions take place at empirical level, when we identify with the physical body. When we identify ourselves as Atman, there is no action or inaction, as Atman is not in need of engaging in any activity – it is beyond the concepts of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship.
-What does action in inaction mean? Inaction in Gita implies withdrawal from action. There is no action for Atman, so there is nothing to withdraw from. One cannot withdraw from action, unless there is action.
-Our actions are not perfect and do not always produce the desired outcome. We should perform actions to the best of our ability but remain non-attached. Then actions do not bind us, and we can stay free of worries.
-One should always keep trying to do the right thing – this will keep him away from the risk of doing the wrong thing, because the mind cannot stay quiet even for a moment.
-Offering all actions to God is not easy for an early spiritual seeker. As he evolves, he develops an awareness that prevents him from dedicating wrong actions to God, thereby preventing him from doing the wrong actions.
-The secret of success of great spiritual personalities – Buddha, Shankaracharya, Sri Ramakrishna, Jesus Christ, Vivekananda – is that they worked at super-human levels, but remained non-attached, established in their true identity as Atman.
-Swami Vivekananda said: The world is a gym for us to work out our karmas, climb the ladder of spiritual life, and transcend action and inaction.
-19th verse: “Those spiritual seekers, whose undertakings are devoid of selfish motives and desires, they are the wise. Their actions do not bind them. Such wise people are called Pandita”.
-One whose mind is withdrawn from the empirical world, who is free from kama (desires) and sankalpa (doer-ship), whose desires are burnt by the Jnana-agni (fire of spiritual illumination), who understand the transitory nature of empirical world, who is established in Brahman as the only reality, whose mind is always oriented towards higher spiritual ideas, who is free from worries and fears – such a person is called Pandita.
-Verses 20, 21, 22: These verses provide the psychology of inner contentment. We should do all duties with full enthusiasm, but have the spiritual awareness that success is not permanent. State of total relaxation comes when we perform our actions, but we feel that we have not done anything.

Title: Purifying Spiritual Practices with Om Tat Sat

17th Chapter: verses 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

23rd verse: “In the Vedic literature, specifically the Upanishads, it is stated that “Om Tat Sat” constitutes the essence of all vedic literature. It represents the triple designation of Brahman. These three words are behind the origin and creation of the Brahmanas, Vedas and Yajnas.”
Om represents the vedas. The entire vedic literature can be condensed into Om. All the vedas are an attempt to describe Brahman which can only be experienced. At the empirical level, Brahman is denoted with Om. Om represents the highest spiritual awareness, the highest wisdom, the highest existence, the highest consciousness and the highest blissfulness.

Sri Ramakrishna said that the highest level of experience cannot be explained. It is a deeply felt experience whose language is silence. Below silence is Om, which is the first audible, verbal symbol of the divine. When we elaborate Om, we get Gayatri. When we elaborate Gayatri, we get Upanishads. Below the Upanishads, there are many mythological books. All these books are meant to take us beyond books. The highest experience is beyond all these books.

Dharmaśāstra says: “All Vedas are founded on Pranava (Om). It takes you away from the transmigratory cycle of Samsara. It is the essence and totality of all verbal presentations. Any mantra without Om becomes meaningless.”
Every mantra is preceded by Om. It is because the mantra becomes sacred when associated with Om.

Omkara is not a letter symbol. It is a sound symbol comprised of three sounds A-U-M. It is pronounced with an elongated vowel sound. “A” represents the totality of waking state experiences. “U” represents the totality of dream state experiences. “M” represents the totality of deep sleep experiences. Together, they represent all our experiences, as we cannot have any experience outside of these three states.

“A” is pronounced with an open mouth. “U” is pronounced with the mouth half open. “M” is pronounced with the mouth closed. We cannot pronounce anything which does not belong to these three categories. And, since everything in the world has a verbal counterpart, A-U-M represents everything in this world.

“Tat” stands for the totality of existence. It also indicates Brahman. In the mayavakya “Tat-tvam-asi” -which means “The spiritual truth that you are seeking is non-different from yourself - “Tat” indicates Brahman.

“Sat” is explained in the 26th verse. It is used to denote the Absolute Reality. It also represents goodness, auspiciousness and steadiness in dana, tapah and yajna.

Why is the utterance of “Om Tat Sat” important? It is difficult for normal human beings to perform their spiritual practices with perfection. With the utterance of “Om Tat Sat”, when we perform any act - Yajna, dana and tapah – they become purified. They become auspicious and spiritually meritorious.

For full effect, “Om Tat Sat” should be uttered with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and with full awareness. Mantras gather potency because they have been recited by spiritual seekers and sages for thousands of years. They help us realize the spiritual truth when we recite them with full concentration on the meaning of the mantra.

24th verse: “Therefore, one should practice dana, tapah and yajna by uttering Om. When you do so, the activity becomes purified.”

Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish deed that is done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and as an offering to God. Dana refers to any act of compassion, kindness and charity meant to help others. Tapah means austerity, activities that we do with the mind and senses focused on a single purpose.
25th verse: “When we perform dana, tapah and yajna with the utterance of Tat, it means we are performing that duty without expecting any fruits in return. We offer the activity and its fruits to the all-pervading divine reality.”

“Tat” means Brahman, the all-pervading divine reality. When we perform dana, tapah and yajna with a sattvic attitude, and offer our activity and its fruits to Brahman, the activity is purified.

When we offer our activity to the all-pervading reality that is present in everyone and everything, the activity is purified. In fact, this is the essence of the Brahma-Yajna-Mantra in the 24th verse of the 4th chapter. With the imagery of a Vedic ritual (Yajna), this verse says: “the process of offering, what we offer, the one who offers, into what it is offered, the act of performing the ritual, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.”

There is nothing in this world, but Brahman. The Brahma-Yajna-Mantra brings the spiritual unity of existence to every thought, word and deed, including eating food. There should be no line of demarcation between our secular and spiritual life. Every secular act should be spiritualized.

We should live life like the mantra in Rigveda which means: “Let every thought become a meditation, let every word become a mantra, let every action become an act of worship, let every travel become a pilgrimage, let every movement become a circumambulation around the deity, and let the whole life become an offering to God.”

26th verse: “Sat indicates the Absolute Reality which is all-pervading, immortal, good for humanity and which sustains us. Sat means sat-bhāve “with the intention of essential goodness and nobility”, sādhu-bhāve “with auspicious intention” and praśhaste karmaṇi “Inspired by the an inner call and the Atman within”.

Divinity is present in all of us. However, in some people it does not manifest because of the effect of past samskaras. At some point, people feel an inner call to do something good for humanity. This call is inspired by the Atman within. When we do something inspired by this inner call, we feel inner joy and contentment.

We can be a good human being without affirming our faith in God. Swami Vivekananda said: “Live life in a way that even if you do not accept God, God will accept you.”
27th verse: “When we think of the Absolute Reality through the utterance of Sat, it brings an element of steadiness to the activity and becomes a blessing to humanity. Steadiness comes from the Absolute Reality which is eternal and unchanging.”

Tapah should be done with a sattvic attitude where the mans and the goals are in harmony. Success becomes a liability if tapah is done with improper means.

-4th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 2nd chapter: verses 48, 50
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 15, 2020.
-Karma is any kind of activity – physical, thoughts or words we speak. Gita approaches karma with a broad meaning to help one progress spiritually, as opposed to interpretation of karma as Vedic rituals for secular prosperity.
-Karma has both psychological and philosophical significance. Psychological - every action leaves a residual effect that influences our character. Philosophical – one should perform duties as an end in itself, without looking for tangible benefits.
-Path of karma is difficult to comprehend. Two approaches can be followed for conduct of karmas. (1) Whatever we do, do as Swadharma, without any selfish motive. Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked”, by virtue of our qualification and fitness. (2) Whatever we do, do as an offering to God.
-14th verse: “Actions do not stain Me, and I have no desire for the fruits of My actions. Those who know this, will not be enslaved by their actions.” “Me” in this verse refers to Atman.
-We cannot do anything without it affecting our character. At the same time, we cannot monitor all actions. The way out is to do every action without selfish motive, as Swadharma, as Yajna. This yogic approach helps one remain unbound even while doing unpleasant actions.
-2nd chapter, 48th verse: “Do your duty being established in Yoga - linking your mind to Atman. Then you can remain in a state of equilibrium and do even unpleasant duties with a smile, without any feeling of effort.
-2nd chapter, 50th verse: Through Yoga and detachment, work becomes effective, and liberates one from bondage (2nd chapter, 50th verse: Through Yoga and detachment, work becomes effective, and liberates one from bondage (yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam). It enables one to enjoy their success.). It enables one to enjoy their success.
-Isha Upanishad says: “Enjoy the world through the medium of renunciation. Do your duties as offering to God. Then you get inner contentment (chitta-prasada).”
-15th verse: “In ancient times, great spiritual seekers attained the highest spiritual enlightenment using this approach of karma-yoga. The efficacy of this path has already been demonstrated by them – you just need to follow this path”.
-If one remains idle or runs away from challenging situations, one commits spiritual suicide. One should always keep trying to do the right thing – this will keep one away from the risk of doing the wrong thing, because the mind cannot stay quiet even for a moment.
-When one feels conflict, one should not mistake it to be a sign of confusion. Conflict is rooted in higher sensitivity and spiritual evolution. Healthy conflict should assure us that we are on the right track.
-16th verse: “Even the wise are confused on what is the nature of action and inaction and what is wrong action.”
-Duryodhana said: “I know what is the right thing to do, but I cannot do that. I know what is the wrong thing to do, but I cannot resist from doing it”.
-17th verse: “The nature of karma is difficult to comprehend. One should understand the true nature of action, that is sanctioned in scriptures.” One way to decide the right action is to determine what a great spiritual personality had done or would do in a similar situation.
-18th verse: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached.
-If one identifies himself with Atman – beyond the body, mind, and intellect – then any amount of activity will not make him exhausted – his body and mind may get tired but he is not tired. He can remain as if he is inactive, seeing inaction in action. He identifies himself beyond action and inaction.

-4th chapter: verses 11, 12, 13
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 8, 2020.
-11th verse: “In whatever ways people worship Me, I fulfil their aspirations. Everyone follows My path, and approach Me from different angles”.
-First statement on interfaith harmony comes from Rigveda Samhita: “Truth is one, sages call it by various names”
-As one evolves spiritually, he passes through the following stages: (1) Rituals (2) Theology (3) Philosophy (4) Mysticism (5) Experience. Shankaracharya emphasizes experience as the natural culmination of spiritual practices. Then we see God everywhere and everything in God.
-People climb a hilltop from different trails. When they reach the top, they realize that all trails lead to the same destination. Similarly, when we reach the experience level, we become universal in our outlook. We see that beyond all social, cultural and linguistic differences - lies the same spiritual truth.
-Shiva Mahimna Stotra states: “The goal towards which you are traveling is one. The paths could be different. Those who reach the highest spiritual truth, see the whole creation as one spiritual family – they cannot harm or hate anyone, as they see everyone as non-different from themselves”.
-12th verse: “People looking for success and immediate results pursue ritualistic worship of different gods. This reflects the stage of their spiritual evolution, as people follow the path that is suitable for their own aspirations”.
-There are four levels of spiritual seekers: (1) Those who are in distress and seek God’s help (2) Those who pray for material comforts (3) Those who are inquisitive to know what lies beyond empirical comforts (4) Those who have realized the highest spiritual truth.
-13th verse: “God created the four-fold system in society based on people’s innate spiritual qualities (gunas) and their actions (karmas).” This verse is often mis-interpreted and should be properly understood. This system was not hereditary – rather it is based on the spiritual evolution and mental constitution of each person, so each one can progress by following his Swadharma. Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked”, by virtue of our qualification and fitness.
-The four groups for conduct of duties are: (1) Brahmana (2) Kshatriya (3) Vaishya (4) Sudra. The groups should not be seen as higher or lower. Rather, it is a system to analyze people based on character types, so each person can determine their swadharma.
-The three gunas determine how we interact. These gunas are: (1) Sattva guna: tendency to be spiritually inclined and be naturally meditative (2) Rajo guna: tendency to be dynamic and active (3) Tamo guna: tendency to be lazy and avoid pursuit of higher knowledge.
-Chaturvarnya system is not hereditary. Mahabharata has several examples of saints who were not born as Brahmanas, but lived as Brahmanas. One example is of Vyadha, who was born to a meat seller, but was an illumined person (Brahmana), and followed his swadharma of selling meat.
-Shankaracharya defines Brahmana as one who has a dominance of Sattva-guna, and who demonstrate the characteristics of sama and dama. Sama is the ability to be naturally contemplative on divine presence. Dama is the ability to withdraw senses of perception and action and keep them focused on higher spiritual ideal.
-Shankaracharya defines Kshatriya as one who has a dominance of Rajo-guna, and in whom sattva-guna is secondary. He is dynamic and works hard to acquire power, wealth and success.
-Shankaracharya defines Vaishya as one who has a dominance of Rajo-guna, and in whom tamo-guna is secondary. He is interested in trade and agriculture.
-Shankaracharya defines Sudra as one who has a dominance of Tamo-guna, and in whom Rajo-guna is secondary. He is interested in serving others.
-The system described in 13th verse is a profound analysis of human types found in all cultures and civilizations. In course of time, it suffered from prejudices. Every century, great men emerged to articulate its true meaning.
-Buddha explains in Dhammapada the meaning of Brahmana: “Who struggles hard to free himself from desires, who has realized the supreme truth and his real nature, and who is devoid of any wrong thoughts - him I call Brahmana”

-4th chapter: verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 1, 2020.
-6th verse: “Though I am unborn, and beyond all changes – yet, without being subject to the regulation of prakriti and the three gunas, keeping prakriti under control, I incarnate.”
-“I” does not refer to Lord Krishna as a limited human being. Rather it refers to the eternal dimension of His personality as Atman. As Atman, He is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death.
-Highly spiritually elevated men are called Satya-Sankalpa (सत्य-सङ्कल्प). They are capable of assuming any human form at their own divine will. They only appear to take the human form – actually, they are established in their true identity as Atman, and are beyond any human weakness.
-Avatara (incarnation) is endowed with three qualities. (1) As Atman, He is unborn (2) He is devoid of any changes (3) He is the lord of all beings - and present everywhere, in everything,
-Avatara is endowed with six Bhagas (great spiritual characteristics). (1) Great effulgence (2) Great prosperity (3) Great power (4) Great knowledge (5) Great renunciation and (6) Great reputation.
-Avatara emerge in all cultures. When we look beyond the diversity of language and culture, we find universality in their teachings and a cosmic unity. In their everyday life, activities, and teachings, there is always a visible transcendental connection.
-7th and 8th verses: “Whenever there is a decline of dharma (धर्म) and increase of adharma (अधर्म), then this incarnation takes place to preserve dharma (धर्म), to protect virtuous people, to remove their obstacles and to punish evil doers.”
-Ritam (ऋतम्) is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature. Satyam means truth – a person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices Satyam (सत्यम्). Dharma (धर्म) refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam (सत्यम्). For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma (धर्म).
-Avataras are epoch makers and different from ordinary saints and prodigies. They are not affected by prarabdha-karma (प्रारब्ध–कार्म) – karmas that are responsible for present life. They are born with inherent, highest spiritual realization. With time, their spiritual stature grows; their teachings become more relevant; they continue to inspire for thousands of years.
-9th verse: “He who knows My divine nature, My birthless dimension, will not be born again. He becomes a Brahma-jnani (ब्राह्म–ज्ञानि, knower of Brahman).
-Avatara is a synthesis of divine and human. His birth and actions are only relative, at the empirical plane. His true identity is divine only, as Atman. Human form comes and goes. The spiritual ideal represented by the Avatara is eternal – one who understands this mystery of impersonal behind the personal, attribute-less behind attributes, birthless behind birth, becomes a Brahma-jnani (ब्राह्म-ज्ञानि).
-When we pray to a deity, we should always invoke the infinite, transcendental reality represented by that deity and pray to Him. We should do so in every word and every minute of our meditation and prayer.
-10th verse: “Those seekers - who are free from attachment, fear and anger – who are always dependent on Me only – who become purified by Tapas(तपस्) – they reach the highest spiritual realization.”
-God is the only real friend, and worth depending upon. Every other object of dependence only leads to misery.
-In 12th chapter (Bhakti Yoga), Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of an ideal devotee. He is never miserable, knows everything other than God is relative only, is always contented, and is always connected with the transcendental reality with his mind and senses under control.

-4th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 24, 2020.
-Lord Krishna says that he first taught Yoga to Surya, who taught it to Manu, who then taught it to Ikshavaku. It has been handed down through the “Guru-shishya parampara”, an unbroken succession of teachers-disciples.
-In course of time, this Yoga was lost - because those who were expected to preserve this spiritual tradition, failed to practice it properly. Whatever they practiced came to be mistakenly known as Yoga. They did not live as Rajarshis.
-Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers.
-People should always remember that tradition does not begin with them – rather they inherit it, and it is their duty to preserve it. They should not disown the past. Great cultures and civilizations have survived through parampara.
-Parampara can lead to fanaticism or tyranny of hierarchy. In such situations, to make adjustments, great teachers emerge. Such men are called Avatara.
-Avatara is Lord descending to human level to preserve values and readjust spiritual equilibrium in the world. Avatara is sublime aspects of human and divine rolled into one.
-Avatara can be understood with the concept of parampara. People should understand that civilizations did not begin with them – rather, parampara drives continuity of civilization, resting on the shoulders of great epoch makers.
-If anyone claims to manufacture new truth, disregarding what is already stated in the scriptures, we should not believe such a person. Truth is handed down through parampara.
-3rd verse: “Today, I have taught you this Yoga, the supreme secret, because you are my devotee and friend, and fit for this instruction”
-Among the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was chosen for the instruction. Even though he was confused and had internal conflicts, he had the ethical courage to implement what he was being taught.
-4th verse: Arjuna asks Lord Krishna to reconcile how he could have taught to Surya, when Surya was born many years ago, and Lord Krishna’s birth was much later.
-Arjuna’s confusion arises because he looked upon Lord Krishna only as a highly refined human being, not as an Avatara - born as Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Shankaracharya and Sri Ramakrishna.
-Avatara signifies descent of the Atman to human form. The Atman takes human form from time to time to protect and sustain the spiritual equilibrium of cosmic existence.
-When we do spiritual practices, we ascend from human towards divine. Avatara represents descent from divine to human.
-5th verse: “Both of us have had many births in the past. I know that, but you don’t. I know that I have a spiritual dimension, but you don’t know that”
-Atman is present in all of us. Avatara understands that a normal human being doesn’t understand this truth. Normal being identifies with body, mind and intellect, and forgets his own spiritual identity.
-With ascent through spiritual practices, a normal being realizes the divine truth. Avataras are aware of this when they are born. They may still do spiritual practices as a way to teach others.
-Avatara is like a mighty ship that can carry thousands of people across the ocean of samsara, and can go back and forth. Ordinary seekers are like a boat by comparison.
-Avatara’s life seems as if everything is pre-meditated. This is seen in the lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Shankaracharya, Jesus Christ and Buddha.
-Avatara, by his very nature, knows that He is eternally pure, immortal, omniscient, free from bondages and free from delusion.
-6th verse: “Though I am unborn, and beyond all changes – yet, without being subject to the regulation of prakriti, keeping prakriti under control, I incarnate.”
-“I” does not refer to Lord Krishna as a limited human being. Rather it refers to the eternal dimension of His personality as Atman.
-Ordinary beings are subject to interplays of time, space and causation. Avatara is not limited by time, space and causation. Avatara is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death.
-Avatara only appears to become a human being – He does not become a human being. As described in Vivarta-vada (विवर्तवाद), it is a momentary change that can go back to its original state. Parinama-vada (परिणामवाद) refers to changes that are irreversible, such as an oil seed becoming oil.
-In Avatara’s everyday life, activities, and teachings, there is always a visible transcendental connection.

2nd chapter: verses 62, 63. 3rd chapter: verses 41, 42, 43. 4th chapter: verses 1, 2
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 17, 2020.
-You should discipline your senses – do this in the beginning itself rather than waiting for a strong blow. That way, you can get rid of the problem of desire, and not be enslaved by senses.
-Desire means obsessive attachment to stimuli from senses, that we know will bring our downfall. We want to get out of it, but we are not able to take to a spiritual ideal, until it is too late. Gita helps us develop spiritual common sense to control our desires.
-Intellectual desires, such as in arts and philosophy, can help in the beginning by diverting the mind from sensual pleasures. However, just intellectual pursuit is not enough as it can lead to cynicism. Intellectual desires can also be given a sublime direction.
-There are two types of intellectual assertiveness: (1) Creative and constructive, which is grounded in intellectual honesty, as demonstrated by Swami Vivekananda, and (2) Cynicism, where people are stuck in a wheel asking the same questions, without making an effort to listen and get out of it.
-An enlightened person is one who transcends happiness and misery, and who looks upon both of them with the same attitude. He is fully immersed in his true identity as the Atman. This gives him immense joy.
-62nd and 63rd verse of second chapter explain how one falls in spiritual life. Those who keep thinking of sense objects develop a strong desire to enjoy them. They direct efforts in that direction. When these efforts do not succeed, they become angry, which leads to delusion, which then leads to total confusion of memory and degeneration of the mind.
-Unless one can divert the senses towards creative channels, it brings destruction. To divert the mind, one needs to feed the mind with good food.
-The Atman is superior to the intellect, which is superior to the mind, which is superior to the senses. Therefore, restrain your senses. By restraining the senses, and identifying with the Atman, one can destroy the obsession of desires.
-Kathopanishad compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not dictate the terms to the mind.
-Doctrine of karma should not be interpreted as fatalism. Rather, karma-yoga is an approach that enables us to do all our duties with full freedom, as the master of our senses, and with steady spiritual common sense.
-Story of “Appointment in Samarra” is discussed to illustrate how the doctrine of karma can be wrongly interpreted.
-Shankaracharya gives the example of an arrow which has left its bow, but that can change its direction because of a strong wind. Similarly, with our spiritual practices and by the grace of God, we can escape the consequences of unpleasant karma.
-4th chapter of Gita continues the discussion of karma and yajna. The theme of this chapter can be described as: “Dissolving action in knowledge”.
-Lord Krishna’s teachings come to us from two streams: (1) Narada Bhakti Sutras, which says that through spiritual surrender (Sharanagati), we can convert all actions into acts of worship. (2) Through Gita, which says that through Swadharma, we can convert every activity into spiritual practice.
-Lord Krishna says that he first taught Yoga to Surya, who taught it to Manu, who then taught it to Ikshavaku. It has been handed down through the “Guru-shishya parampara”, an unbroken succession of teachers-disciples.
-In course of time, this Yoga as lost - because those who were expected to practice it (for example, reigning monarchs) and lead by example, they were unable to control their senses and failed to practice it properly. Whatever they practiced came to be mistakenly known as Yoga.
-Rajarshi is a person who has the dual qualities of a king (Rajatvam) and a saint (Rishitvam). As a king, he has great prosperity, dynamism and efficiency. As a saint, he has a calm attitude, can see far into things, and understands the limitations and impermanence of his wealth and powers. Janaka and Ashoka were examples of Rajarshis.

3rd chapter: verses 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 10, 2020.
-36th verse: Arjuna’s question – “Impelled by what force, do we do unpleasant things, even though we are unwilling?”
-37th verse: Lord Krishna says – Kāma (Desire) and Krodha (Anger) are the two great enemies. They are also linked to the two problems of Rāga (attachment) and Dvesha (Aversion), discussed in earlier verses.
-33rd verse: Even a wise man is seen as following his natural, psychological disposition. This is true of even great mystics, but they do their natural duties, from a higher perspective. Story of Vyadha is discussed – he was a realized person, but did not give up his profession as a butcher.
-34th verse: Our natural tendency is to have attraction or aversion to stimuli from the senses. Mind interprets experiences from these stimuli as Sukha (pleasant) - to which it develops attraction - or Duhkha (unpleasant) – to which it develops aversion.
-If we allow mind to be enslaved by these sense stimuli, we are doomed - mind will waver with sukha and duhkha. Mind should be the master of the senses, not enslaved by them.
-If we can free the mind from extreme attachment and aversion, we will conserve energy and mind will be in a state of equilibrium.
-Mallinātha defines Rāga as: We remember certain experiences of the past that are stored in Chittam. We feel a strange attachment towards them, even though we know it is spiritual slavery.
-Patanjali discusses Rāga as something that brings external enjoyment that is momentary. Once it disappears, what is left is unhappiness. Happiness is nothing but temporary absence of unhappiness.
-Rāga can be given a spiritual promotion with Bhakti. If you want to love something, have love for something sublime and transcendental. Love God. This sublimation of mental disposition is called Bhakti – it becomes a tool for our spiritual progress.
-Dvesha can also be given a spiritual promotion. Have aversion towards things that are not good for us or humanity.
-35th verse: It is better to practice one’s own Swadharma, even if practiced imperfectly, than doing someone else’s work in a perfect manner.
-Examples of danger when entrapped by sense objects are provided from the animal kingdom. Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-The intellect should control the mind, which should control the senses. Then senses then become obedient and useful instruments.
-37th verse: Kāma and Krodha are the two enemies that draw our mind to actions that we don’t want to do. There are four other enemies: lobha (greed), moha (ignorance), mada (pride), mātsarya (envy). Kāma is the chief enemy.
-When kāma emerges in mind, we direct efforts to fulfill it. If we are successful, we are happy. If not, we get angry. Anger leads to delusion, which leads to loss of memory – at that point, senses take control of our whole personality.
-This happens despite intellectual awareness, as mind and intellect do not co-operate. Religion and philosophy are tools to free the mind from senses.
-38th and 39th verse: As fire is covered by smoke, mirror by dust and embryo by amnion – so also, mind is enveloped by kāma and krodha. Knowledge is covered by kāma – it is like a fire that should be controlled.
-Kālidāsa’s Kumārasambhavam: “Youth, money, power – each individually can lead to one’s downfall, if one has no spiritual common sense. What to speak of all them combined together”.
-40th verse: Kāma resides in the antaḥkaraṇa (mainly mind), five senses of perception and five senses of action. Antaḥkaraṇa refers to four compartments: mana, buddhi, chitta, ahamkara.
-When kāma enters the mind, it activates the senses of perception and action, prompting them to fulfill the desire. Slightest failure can have a devastating effect on a mind that is not in control of senses.
-Ancient ayurvedic verse from Sushruta Samhita, emphasizes that physical health needs to be complemented with a pleasantly disposed and contented mind, senses and spirit.
-This is only possible by linking the mind to the transcendental because psychological problems can only be solved at the spiritual level. Mind can be given a higher orientation by feeding it with spiritual ideas – then it becomes stable. Then it can look beyond the world of senses. It remains steady in pain and pleasure, happiness and adversity.

3rd chapter: verses 22, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 3, 2020.
-In the 30th verse, Lord Krishna provides a unique approach to life as a whole. With complete absorption in Brahman and a mind centered in Atman (Adhyātma-chetasā), take a spiritual attitude to life. Do this by surrendering all actions to the Lord. By doing so, one can perform all duties, free of worries.
-When we perform our work with the sense of “doership”, it creates mental burden. This can be remedied by dedicating all actions to the Lord, as if one is performing them as a servant for the Lord. By doing so, one can go about doing his duty or even sit quietly not doing anything, free of any stress.
-Any duty – one involving technical work or the duty of sitting quietly at home during a lockdown – becomes pleasant with Adhyātma-chetasā. With this attitude, one should have the strong conviction that he is an instrument in the hands of the Lord and dedicate all actions and results to Him.
-Karma Yoga is not limited to physical actions alone. Every word, thought, idea and speculation can be linked to Yoga, by combining Tyāga and Yoga. Join every activity to a higher spiritual ideal through Tyāga – this can be done by developing Adhyātma-chetasā.
-22nd verse: Lord Krishna says: “There is nothing for Me to do by which I want to attain anything. Still, I don’t keep quiet. I do everything as Swadharma”. Swadharma, is work that naturally comes to us “unasked”, by virtue of our qualification and fitness. When we do our Swadharma, we find contentment.
-If we do not do our duty as “Swadharma”, without attachment, there is every chance we will do it as “Paradharma”. To avoid this, we should stick to Swadharma.
-Lord Krishna: A person who is inactive when he has work to do – such a person will go down in spiritual and material life. On the other hand, a person who performs duties with full dedication but without attachment – such a person will accrue the fruits of actions, and will not be bound. He will know the essence of everything and is called “Tattwa-vit”.
-Those who constantly practice this teaching – that all actions should be performed with a spiritual attitude, dedicating the actions/results to God – they will be on the path to spiritual freedom and will be free from all bondages.
-Lord Krishna: This universal teaching should be practiced with great śraddhā, without unnecessary criticism and fault finding. śraddhā helps us evolve and sublimate our ego, which allows us to pursue a higher spiritual ideal.
-Shankaracharya says: “If our ego is strong and we cannot practice giving up the sense of doership – then do your work for the sake of the Lord like a servant serving the master. Spiritual seeker with this Adhyātma-chetasā becomes free from all worries and sorrow. Any person who does not listen to these teachings, becomes a victim of his skepticism and remains imprisoned within the walls of his worries”.
-Prakriti has two meanings: (1) External nature of the phenomenal world (2) Human consciousness. If we think of ourselves as the evolute of Prakriti, we cannot develop Adhyātma-chetasā. One who can detach from Prakriti is a jñāni, and becomes liberated.
-33rd verse: Even a wise man may follow the characteristics of his external nature, because of his Prārabdha -karma. However, what is common across all wise men is this Adhyātma-chetasā.
-34th verse: Attachment and aversion to senses are natural – however, jñānis are not bound by these. They look upon them as natural characteristics without identifying with them.
-35th verse: It is better to practice one’s own Swadharma, even if practiced imperfectly, than doing someone else’s work in a perfect manner.
-Even the attempt of performing Swadharma has spiritual value, as it saves us from following “Paradharma. Swadharma also helps in purification of our ego, by investing it in actions that are for the good of others, and thereby opening the pathway to spiritual freedom.

3rd chapter: verses 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 27, 2020.
-We are living in difficult times with the health crisis from Coronavirus. Vedanta teaches that we have an inherent, inner power that helps us confront such a challenge, and transcend the fear of the unknown.
-26th verse: One should not try to disturb the natural understanding of the average person. For the average person, the sense of purpose helps him organize his actions. All of his actions are crystallizations of his vāsanās and saṃskāras. If we tell such a person to work without a sense of purpose, his mind will go blank.
-When we perform our actions as yajña, for the good of the world, we get spiritual contentment. However, this is the highest ideal and one should not start this process suddenly – rather, every person should evolve gradually.
-Our actions are not determined by our will. Rather, they are guided by Prakṛti – forces of nature and our mental constitution. Even if we want to do something, sometimes we are not able to, as Prakṛti drives us in another direction.
-One should start by feeding the mind with spiritual food and generate healthy saṃskāras. Gradually, this will make the mind ready for higher spiritual practices. Unless we are spiritually ready, we cannot understand the true meaning of scriptures.
-Seven disciplines for a spiritual seeker are prescribed. (1) Discrimination between unreal and the Real - viveka (2) Renunciation of what is unreal - (3) Self control: śama, dama, uparati, titikṣā, śraddhā, samādhāna (4) Desire for freedom - mumukṣutvam (5) Hearing - śravaṇa (6) Reflection - manana (7) Meditation - nididhyāsana.
-Pandemics can create mental problems in people, as they worry about being infected, and wrongfully think that the crisis is a permanent one. However, human civilization has always bounced back from calamities. “nitya-anitya-vastu-viveka” gives one a correct understanding of what is Real and what is unreal (is a passing phase).
-27th verse: Guṇas of Prakṛti perform all actions. However, people get deluded and forget this reality. Deluded they think “I am the doer”.
- Prakṛti has two meanings: (1) External nature of the phenomenal world (2) Human consciousness. If we think of ourselves as the evolute of Prakṛti, then we deny ourselves of our true spiritual dimension.
- Prakṛti as human nature expresses itself through three guṇas. Tamo-guṇa is the lowest and manifests in the form of inertia, inaction, ignorance and laziness. Rajo-guṇa is higher, and manifests in the form of action and enthusiasm. Sattva-guṇa is the highest level and manifests in the form of spiritual common sense and actions restrained by spiritual wisdom. Natural evolution of human consciousness is from Tamo-guṇa to Rajo-guṇa to Sattva-guṇa.
-All actions are prompted by one of these guṇas or a combination of these guṇas. The way we view life depends on the impressions stored in cittam or karmāśaya, based on the karma-vṛtti-saṃskāra-cakram. Individual jīvas carry them from life to life. People forget this and think “I am the doer”.
-When we interpret ourselves as the doer, we interpret momentary setbacks as if they are permanent.
-30th verse: This verse provides an opposite view to 27th verse by contrasting the view of the ignorant person with the view of the enlightened. “Renounce all actions and dedicate them to Me, with mind completely focused on Me. Be free from selfishness and go ahead doing your duties”.
-The enlightened person identifies with his higher dimension – that he is not the physical body, that he is the Ātman. Identifying himself beyond nature, he can watch as a witness. In a state of contentment, he acts. Tragedies don’t unsettle him.
-28th verse: One who knows the reality of life as a whole, and that there is something within him that is the witness of nature and transcends nature – such a person is called “Tattva-vit”. He has an insight into the nature of guṇas and is able to take life’s tragedies in stride.
-29th verse: Such a person of perfect knowledge (“Tattva-vit”), whose actions and words are mature and who has a settled view – he should not try to unsettle the views of the average person (related to 26th verse).
-31st verse: Those who practice this truth with great śraddhā, they can live in the world confronting problems, while staying fully contented and happy within. They live their whole life as an offering for the good of others. By doing so, they work for their own good.
-Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature, at a cosmic level and at an inner level. When we direct our actions without disturbing Ritm, we can enjoy life. We can live life doing good to others – such a life is called yajña.
-Live in close proximity to nature. Contented within, make your presence a source of contentment for others.

3rd chapter: verses 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 14, 2020.
-Karma-Yoga is the science of combining spiritual values in our secular worldly duties. It can be practiced in every moment, with every thought, every word and every action.
-22nd verse: People follow the path of the enlightened ones. The enlightened person does not sit quiet – instead, he is always active. In a state of contentment, he acts. This is true of all great spiritual teachers.
-Contentment refers to the feeling: “I have done what I should done, and I have achieved what I should have achieved”. This is possible when action and contemplation are combined, and when we practice detachment from desires.
-Action is problematic for the un-enlightened – he feels enslaved, is driven by desires, and the sense of incompleteness prompts further action. Action is a blessing for the enlightened, who works as a master for the good of others, and has no need to work for selfish purposes.
-23rd and 24th verse: Lord Krishna says: “If I did not continue my work, the whole world will perish”. He means that since people follow the enlightened, if he preaches a philosophy of inaction, people will imitate and there will be disaster.
-Lord Krishna: Never go about teaching the highest spiritual ideal to people who do not have the spiritual maturity to understand its true implications. All great teachers come down to the level of the student. Ashoka’s example is cited from Indian history – because he tried to force a uniform social structure based on a high ideal, the country was ultimately invade by barbarians.
-Imitation is a problem and blocks path to future progress. It prevents one from achieving the qualities that can only be achieved through hard work – those qualities alone takes one to the highest level.
-25th verse: There are two types of people. (1) Those who work hard with motive and are ignorant of the higher philosophy of Karma-Yoga. For them, every small problem becomes a big headache (2) Those who work equally hard, but who are grounded in Karma-Yoga, and see their work as Swadharma. They are not worried and are called Vidwan.
-Detachment does not mean lack of sensitivity. Rather it means doing more for the good of the world, as a master of the senses, with mind as friend, and facing unpleasant duties with a smile.
-26th verse: One should not try to disturb the natural understanding of the average person. For the average person, the sense of purpose helps him organize his actions. All of his actions are crystallizations of his vasanas and samskaras. If we tell such a person to work without a sense of purpose, their mind will go blank.
-Shankaracharya’s life is discussed: At the age of seven, he became a monk. By the age of eight, he had read the scriptures. By the age of sixteen, he had mastered the scriptures and written philosophical discourses. He then walked the Indian subcontinent four times and left by the age of thirty-two. His life is an inspiration but an average person cannot imitate his example.
-Sri Ramakrishna and Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story is discussed to illustrate how a teacher determines what is the right spiritual dosage for the student. Girish had high integrity but was an alcoholic and not ready to do even a single prayer every day. Sri Ramakrishna asks him to give him his power of attorney. Thereafter, it became impossible for Girish to touch alcohol, and he transformed into a saint.
-Every person should evolve gradually. The difference between a Buddha and an average person is of degrees, not of kind.
-We can generate healthy samskaras by our own effort and starting this instant. We start by doing good actions because we have freedom at a physical level but not at mental level. Physical actions done with noble objective generate healthy samskaras.
-Witness-ship is a higher state of spiritual evolution under Vedanta, where we observe our own mind as Sakshi. Samskaras of mind become objectified, resulting in non-attachment.
-Sankhya philosophy is dualistic and does not accept witness-ship. This philosophy believes in (1) Purusha, who is effulgent but inactive and (2) Prakriti, which is non-effulgent but active.
-Advaita-Vedanta accepts the psychological analysis of Sankhya. For example, its theory of evolution and how the chakra of actions, vritti, samskaras and vasanas operate.

3rd chapter: verses 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 31, 2020.
-Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Life is not one chance – rather, based on impressions and unfulfilled desires of past life, one is born again.
-Within the same family, different children have different characteristics. Only a tiny fraction of the characteristics can be traced to genealogy. Their unique characteristics come from past life. Despite each one having unique characteristics, there is a consistent Ritam of harmony that one should follow, both with other human beings and with nature.
-16th verse: He who follows this cosmic wheel of Ritam, principle of inter-relatedness and lives in harmony with nature – he lives in contentment. Others, who disturb cosmic life live in sin. Sin means something that we do to harm others and which, ultimately, harms us.
-17th verse: Such a person, who follows harmony with nature and living beings, is aware of his identity with nature, and sees the Atman manifesting as this harmony. He sees that the same Atman is inherent and immanent in all of us. As such, he cannot do anything that disturbs this harmony.
-Bhagavad Gita has ~700 verses and achieved prominence because of the commentaries written by Shankaracharya. It transcends religion and speaks about the quest for higher spiritual values that go beyond the physical.
-Ramanuja’s illustration of cause-effect Chakra is discussed. Food comes from clouds/rain, rain from water absorbed by sunlight, rivers empty their water into oceans, ocean water is absorbed by clouds, clouds come down as rain, rains give us food grains, food grains make human life possible and then there is prosperity/happiness.
-Shankaracharya says that the entire universe is a cycle of cause-effect link. This link may not be obvious like physics, but is intensely felt. When we do something wrong, we feel inner conflict. When we do dis-interested actions as Yajna, we feel contentment.
-Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of relatives, etc. Vedas discuss 14 types of such Yajnas. (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yajna in its broader sense of noble activity, which becomes a royal highway for spiritual prosperity.
-18th verse: Such a person, who performs all actions as Yajna, he doesn’t have anything to gain or lose. He feels permanent contentment, yet he doesn’t sit quiet but is fully active.
-Vedantic interpretation of richness is discussed. If a person has a lot of money but is not satisfied, he is poor. On the other hand, if a person has no money but is contented, he is rich.
-19th verse: Therefore, perform your actions, which are your obligations, without any attachment. By performing actions as such, one can reach the highest.
-To lead a spiritual life, one need not get rid of what he has and there is no need to achieve what he doesn’t already have. Whatever we do, we can start doing with a new perspective.
-When we do our duties with attachment, it creates mental anguish, which does not improve the performance of that duty. The same duty done without attachment leads to higher efficiency. Gandhiji’s example is discussed.
-20th verse: This verse refers to men with great spiritual merit. By Karma-Yoga alone, King Janaka attained perfection. Therefore, perform your actions without selfish motive.
-Philosopher King: Only the highest philosopher can be the most effective administrator, as he is aware of the limitations of his power, money and authority. Only a person who can think beyond money/power, should be allowed to handle money/power. Janaka was a philosopher king.
-Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava: “Youth, money, power – each individually can lead to one’s downfall, if one has no spiritual common sense. What to speak of all them combined together”.
-Story of Janaka: Once Janaka was sitting in his court, when he got news of fire around the city. He stayed calm and made arrangements to put out the fire. When asked how he could stay calm, he replied: “Nothing is mine that will be destroyed. I am the Atman”. He then proceeded to give a discourse on Atman.
-25th verse: 25th verse should be studied in combination with 20th verse. There are two types of people. (1) Those who work hard with motive and are ignorant of the higher philosophy of Karma-Yoga. For them, every small problem becomes a big headache (2) Those who work equally hard, but who are grounded in Karma-Yoga. They are not worried and are called Vidwan.
-We cannot change our duties and obligations. We can change the way we interpret our actions. Karma-Yogis are able to work with greater efficiency because they have a different perspective on their actions.
-Soul has a natural way of connecting with next life. The general background for this is prepared in past life. If we die with a strong desire left, we will be born in circumstances where that desire can be fulfilled. Metaphor of an insect is provided, who fixes its front leg on next step before moving forward. Lord Krishna says that our spiritual practices from this life is deposited in our spiritual bank balance for our next life.

Title: Meaning of Om Tat Sat

17th Chapter: verses 20, 21, 22, 23

Yajna, Dana, and Tapah – these spiritual principles have the triple dimensions of Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika.

Yajna refers to any noble, unselfish deed that is done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness and as an offering to God. Our everyday activities can be spiritualized when we perform them as yajna. Then there is no difference between the shrine and the workplace. Any activity not done as yajna becomes a bondage – it is an invisible chain that binds us to the world.

Dana refers to any act of compassion, kindness and charity meant to help others.
Tapah means austerity, activities that we do with total dedication and with a sense of going beyond the body-mind complex.

20th verse: “Charity done with the attitude “It is my duty to help this person”, done in the right manner without any expectation of return, given to someone who is in need of it, who will use it for constructive purpose, and done at the right place and time – such charity is Sattvik.”

21st verse: “When charity is practiced with the expectation of getting something back in return or done with a mind that is not happy as it is struggling with its own greed, ort done with a desire to be known as a charitable person – such charity is Rajasik.”

22nd verse: “Charity done at the wrong place, at the wrong time, or to unworthy person or without regard for rules and etiquette – such charity is Tamasik.”
Suppose a person is sitting in a dirty, filthy place and we give him restaurant food. It is an example of wrong place. Suppose that person has already had his meal and we give him food. It is an example of wrong time. Suppose we give money to a person who uses it for terrible things. It is an example of charity to an unworthy person.

The 23rd and 24th verses are very important and explain how we can purify our spiritual activities such as yajna, dana and tapah.
23rd verse: “In the Vedic literature, specifically the Upanishads, it is stated that “Om Tat Sat” constitutes the essence of all vedic literature. These three words are behind the origin and creation of the Brahmanas, Vedas and Yajnas.”

There are four vedas. Each veda has four parts – Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad. Samhita contains hymns to deities. Brahmana contain description of rituals. Aranyaka contain philosophical discussions and spiritual disciplines. Upanishads contain the highest and most sublime portion of the vedas.

It is difficult for normal human beings to perform their spiritual practices with perfection. For example, a prayer is effective when the mind, the act of prayer, the thoughts and emotions are all focused on the prayer. It is difficult for normal human beings to do so – there is an inherent incompleteness and imperfection in their prayer. The same applies to rituals. The spiritual practice – a prayer or an offering or a ritual – can be purified by uttering “Om” or “Om Tat Sat.”

The utterance of “Om Tat Sat” can have two levels. The utterance has more effect when we understand its meaning. It has less effect if it is uttered without understanding its meaning.
Om is a word symbol that represents the totality of existence and divinity. Whatever we experience in waking state, dream state or deep sleep state – they are all represented by Om.

Om is comprised of A-U-M. “A” represents the totality of waking state experiences. “U” represents the totality of dream state experiences. “M” represents the totality of deep sleep experiences. Together, they represent all our experiences, as we cannot have any experience outside of these three states.
Om contains the essence of all vedas. All the vedas are an attempt to describe the Absolute Reality which can only be experienced. At the empirical level, the Absolute Reality is denoted with Om.

Om comes from two Sanskrit roots which mean “something that is all-pervading that sustains us, protects us from problems of the empirical world, and leads us to the highest spiritual realization.”

Sri Ramakrishna used simple language to describe Om. In ascending order, he said: “Puaranas are the lowest. Higher than Puranas are Upanishads. Upanishads are condensed in Gayatri. Gayatri is condensed in Om. Beyond Om is total silence.”

The highest level of experience cannot be explained. It is a deeply felt experience whose language is silence. Below silence is Om, which is the first audible, verbal symbol of the divine. When we elaborate Om, we get Gayatri. When we elaborate Gayatri, we get Upanishads. Below the Upanishads, there are many mythological books. All these books are meant to take us beyond books. The highest experience is beyond all these books.
Tat means “I am offering it to the all-pervading, divine reality.” It is used to purify all forms of yajna, dana and tapah. These spiritual practices may have inherent imperfections which are rectified by utterance of Tat.

When we offer our activity to the all-pervading reality that is present in everyone and everything, the activity is purified. In fact, this is the essence of the Brahma-Yajna-Mantra in the 24th verse of the 4th chapter. With the imagery of a Vedic ritual (Yajna), this verse says: “the process of offering, what we offer, the one who offers, into what it is offered, the act of performing the ritual, the goal to be reached – everything is Brahman.”

There is nothing in this world, but Brahman. With this strong conviction, when we utter this mantra before eating food, then whatever we eat becomes purified.
Sat means strong, steady faith. Yajna, dana and tapah, when done with a sense of sanctity, sacredness, sincerity, honesty and integrity – they get purified.

Sometimes devotees chant “Hari Om Tat Sat”. Hari is the name of Vishnu and means the Lord.

3rd chapter: verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 24, 2020.
-Verses 12 & 13 have a contemporary significance. They discuss the importance of living in perfect harmony with nature, and how that helps us to live in perfect inner harmony.
-Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of relatives, etc. (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yagna in its broader sense of noble activity.
-12th verse: Those who eat and cook for themselves, produce food and wealth only for comfort and luxury, without sharing with others – they don’t eat food, they eat sin. On the other hand, those who get things from nature, but give part of it back to nature, they will be liberated from their sins. Giving back means practicing contentment, practicing absence of greed and having a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-If we only take from cosmos/nature without giving back, we exploit and disturb the existing balance of life. Nature then responds with problems such as climate change, famine and environment pollution. When the balance of nature is disturbed, our lifestyle also gets disturbed at an internal level.
-Satyam means truth. A person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices truthfulness and feels contented.
-Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature.
-Dharma refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam. For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma.
-12th verse refers to two types of people. First type “live to eat” – they are driven by extreme greed and exploit nature. Second type “eat to live” – they are driven by a higher philosophy and consume food only to keep physical life intact.
-Verses 14 & 15: From food, living beings come forth. Food comes from grains and grains come from rain. Rains are a result of Yajna. Yajna comes from Karma, which are prescribed in the Vedas. Vedas are imperishable and describe the highest philosophical truth. We are part of a cosmic cycle. When we take action as a sacrifice, as part of the cycle, we renounce our selfish desires. Therefore, all higher ideas are centered on principles of renunciation and unselfishness.
-Physical bodies, mind and speech are affected by the food we eat.
-Law of Karma and the doctrine of re-incarnation: whatever we do affects our own life and life outside of us. Everything is inter-related and nothing is without a cause. Law of karma is more powerful and more lasting than any scientific law, which can be modified as nature unfolds its secrets.
-All actions leave an invisible residual effect, as well as a tangible visible result. The invisible residual effects form tendencies in our character, which stay with us. We get from nature according to how we deal with nature.
-All rituals in Karma-kanda of Vedas, are based on giving back to nature a fraction of what nature gives you. One important principle in fire ceremony (homa) is to offer to fire something that we use in everyday life – such as milk, butter and cooked food. One should use mother earth and all that it provides with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.
-16th verse: He who follows this cosmic wheel of Ritm, principle of inter-relatedness and lives in harmony with nature – he lives in contentment. Others, who disturb cosmic life live in sin. Sin means something that we do to harm others and which, ultimately, harms us.
-Cosmic wheel has two meanings: (1) Wheel of harmony. Live life in a way that gives peace to others and that is in harmony with nature. (2) Continuous cycle of life and death prompted by karma. Allow nature to live in prosperity; nature then allows you to do so.
-Yajna can be practiced in every action and every moment. Gita presents Swadharma as a way to practice Yajna bring cosmic harmony in everyday life and action. Swadharma is our natural way of work and that we feel perfect harmony with. When we do our Swadharma, we derive inner contentment. When we do work as Swadharma, we won’t exploit nature and won’t disturb the inherent harmony that exists.
-Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism, Vedanta and Tantric tradition. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Death is a comma or a semi-colon, not a full stop. Vedanta states that you come out of this cycle when you recognize your own spiritual reality. Buddhism says that when you attain Nirvana, you transcend this state of endless cycles.

Chapter 3 Verses 10, 11, 12, 13.
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 8, 2019.
-Yajna means 14 Vedic rituals, in the narrow sense.
-In a broader context, it means the art of harmonizing contemplation and action – selfless, sanctified action.
-Ritam is the Vedic concept of the harmonizing thread of all creation.
-Perfect health is the result of being established in this interrelatedness.
-By performing Yajna, all desires are fulfilled through perfect harmony with Ritam.
-A solid philosophy is needed behind actions. Trying to do good without a spiritual ideal may lead to an inability to continue action when we get shocked by the opposite consequence of our attempts to do good.
-Working as a form of worship is called Yajna.
-Becoming successful does not necessarily lead to inner contentment. Actions lead to their empirical result, but also an individual residual effect or spiritual vibration.
-When we act and cook only for ourselves, we sin but when we act and cook for others our actions become Yajna.

Chapter 3 Verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 1, 2019.
-The mind will not keep quiet even for a split second (kṣaṇamapi). We do not have control over the mind, instead, we learn to redirect it toward creative channels. The mind then becomes our friend and guide.
-When the mind becomes the object of our awareness, then it becomes calm and quiet.
-If we try to remain physically inactive, but still have a lot of mental desire, then we will become hypocrites (mithyācāraḥ). We cannot even travel the journey of life (śarīra-yātrā), without performing actions.
-The Katha Upanishad uses the chariot imagery to illustrate the vehicle with which we travel the journey of life. The buddhi, deciding faculty, is the driver. The mind, the stream of conflicting thoughts and feelings come one after another, is the reins. The senses of perception – touch, smell, taste, sound, sight – and the senses of action – speech, hands, feet, generative, evacuative – are the horses.
-Using our deciding faculty, we must give up slavish attachments to sense objects.
-Our desire and ego must be given a promotion to accomplish noble things, this naturally leads to real unselfish action. At the beginning, we cannot give up all ego all of a sudden.
-We learn to do work with a sense of faith, without desire for any special immediate practical benefit (niyataṁ karma), so we have no sense of worry.
-The Sanskrit word yajña has a narrow meaning - a prescribed Vedic ritual - but it also has a wider meaning - the art of doing all of our obligations with a sense of sanctity and seriousness.
-Satyam, dharma, and ṛtam refer to the truth; the ethical, spiritual foundation; and the unifying harmonizing principle behind all phenomenon, respectively. When we act according to these three principles, it is called yajña.
-When we violate this yajña principle of action, our action binds us to the world. All actions leave an invisible residual effect, as well as a tangible visible result. The invisible residual effects form tendencies in our character, which stay with us.
-We inherit a spiritual bank balance in our next life. Negativity, doubt, etc. are a result of the inheritance of samskaras generated from bad actions, tendencies.
-Shiva-loka refers to a realm where everything is seen in its sublime dimension.