Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is categorized into three sections. Chapters 1–6 focus on “Tvam” i.e Prince Arjuna. Chapters 7–12 talk about “Tat” i.e Bhagavan Krishna and chapters 13–18 focus on “Asi” i.e How Prince Arjuna IS Bhagavan Krishna. Right at the beginning of chapter 7, Bhagavan Krishna teaches Jnana (knowledge) and Vignana (wisdom). Knowledge is when we understand “God is” and “I know happiness”, it becomes wisdom when we realize “God is I” and “I am happiness”. This point of inflection in chapter 7 is when Prince Arjuna’s focus changes from himself to God. To be able to live Advaita, we have to be deeper. Jnana has to deepen to vignana. We have to deeper/higher/bigger than our enemies such as jealousy, procrastination, ego etc. Ego needs to be absorbed into the spirit.

Recap: In verse 15, Acharya Shankara shares that we are forgetting our real nature and because of this we project. Verse 16 says that this forgetting and projecting is a disease and is affecting our inner world. Verse 17 talks about the medicine for this disease of the inner world. To learn about this medicine, we should look at how our panchakoshas (5 sheaths) work. The body interacts, the breath inputs, the mind interprets, the intellect instructs and the ego identifies. The medicine that is needed to counteract the above actions (the 5 “I”s) is that the intellect should be made to shift its focus from instructing to inquiring. The intellect that instructs the ego to flow outward and identify when starts inquiring, it pushes the ego back to the spirit thereby stopping it from identifying. A “semi” is coming from and is in the “Omni”. Culmination of this perpetual inquiry is “You just know”. This medicine can be facilitated by following our Dharma (Samanya, vishesha) that leads to Antahkarana Shuddhi (purification of mind).

Verse 18: After talking about this disease in the world in the previous verse, Acharya Shankara is sharing about it in the outer world. He says that this forgetting and projecting is causing “creation” in the outer world. We are forgetting that there is a difference between consciousness and creation. (In the inner world, this projection leads to us forgetting the difference between I and my thoughts). In Shrimad Bhagavatam, the third Skanda, the focus is on “Sarga” (creation of the elements). Skanda 4 is called “Visarga” (special creation), this is where Bhagavan Brahma takes these elements and “as if” combines them to create articles, beings and circumstances. If we think deeply, even the elements are “as if” meaning there are no elements or combination of elements, it is only Brahman/existence/awareness and if we know this, we are joyous. This distinction between consciousness and creation is veiled. This veil stays like this as long as we are not engaged in perpetual inquiry. Avarana is mixing us up. We don’t deny our existence, but we get mixed up and think this existence is of the body, not the background existence. This can be changed by changing our vision, Advaita is a vision. We can develop vision be developing virtues and virtues comes from values and values come from living it in every experience. This power (of Avarana) is “as if”controlling of Brahman. This is one of the 8 powers of Hanumanji. However, we know that nothing can control the infinite. Another infinite has no relevance to controlling another infinite. So this “as if” control is really a leela (a play) where the infinite has allowed itself to be controlled but in reality this is not possible. What we are supposed to do with a play is to simply watch it. The practical point from this verse is to be less controlling and merely be a witness of the events in our life. One subtle way we express this control is by letting our emotions reflect those of others around us (anger, sorrow, etc). We should simply observe these emotions within us and of those around us and not get affected and afflicted by them ourselves. Because of this apparent control, the infinite appears like it is changing (Vikriti or devolution), this change in the form of death scares us. The existence in the form of elements can never die. Since last year, we would not have expected the rapid pace of changes that we have observed. But what exactly has changed it is the combination of these elements (not the elements). The way to neutralize this Vikriti (change/act in a careless way) is through Samskriti (act in an intentional way by learning from every experience). When we deepen our Samskriti, we will understand and appreciate that people we love the most, are going to change and will disappoint us. Swami Tejomayanada shared that unless virtues are dedicated to God (not even humanity), we will be disappointed because even humanity is changing. The only facet of any experience that we have gone through that is unchanging is God, spirit. Dedicate yourselves to that presence and Vikriti only applies to the combinations and they are relative not absolute.