Class Notes by Bhargavi
Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna that the only source of his symptoms of being overwhelmed physically and mentally is Moha, delusion. With delusion, we not only forget about who we are but we feel who we are not. We start to believe in the illusion. Bhagavan begins pulling Arjuna away from Anatma by facilitating Vidya (Knowledge). This Vidya is ‘Adhyatma Vidya’, words on the spirit! Adhyatma Vidya is a synonym for ‘The Upanishads’. When we too feel overwhelmed at certain times and certain place, the only way to feel cheerful and content is through the Upanishad course. The study of the Upanishads is not for scholarliness or comparative religions, it is for us to practice. We are studying the Upanishad only if we are living the Upanishad. This is the most experiential course!
Lesson 17 is titled ‘Prayojana’, the result of experiencing the Upanishad. In the last class, we studied Kathaupanishad, 2:6:14: “When all the desires that dwell in the heart are destroyed, the mortal becomes immortal and attains Brahman even here”. We have knots in the heart and in our lives. This mantra shares what one will feel when these knots are cut. The final cutting of the Hridaya granthis is through Samadhi (Sam=well, aa=toward, dhi= placed). Samadhi is a synonym to contemplation. In Samadhi, we well toward place the ego into the spirit. The serenity described in this verse is through identity where one stops believing in what they are not and become established in who they are.
In Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6 verses 34 and 35, Bhagavan Krishna is sharing with Arjuna how powerful the mind is. In fact, it is Arjuna telling Bhagavan Krishna because in presence of the Lord, he becomes self-reflective. Bhagavan Krishna then shares with Arjuna the way to well toward place the mind, is persistence or Abhyasa. This persistence is a form of pushing back against the mind by pushing it back to its source. This can be understood by visualizing a still lake and a large boulder falls into the middle. The waves created go away from the boulder and keep hitting the shores again and again. In this visualization, the still lake is awareness. The boulder is the ego. The waves are the equipment. Only because of the ego, do the equipment exist and keep creating experiences that also get destroyed. The mind is extrovert yet the one who is practicing listening and contemplation, they are pushing the mind back until they cannot push back anymore until there is only a still lake. The knots of our heart are a elemental limit just like the Vasanas. Another word for Vasanas is Karma, the kind of Karma where all that revolves around action is addressed.
The mantra Pujya Guruji shares is for those who do not dedicate themselves to cutting the knots of the heart. In Kathaupanishad, 2:5:7: For those who are not liberated in this lifetime/embodiment, then they will go to another womb for embodiment. It is the Jeeva that takes up another body. The type of body is described as ‘Stanuhu’, means immovable. In this context it refers to a plant (does not move from its place) and also stones, animals (things that cannot move and/or enquire). This cycle goes on and on, according to their personality development (Vasanas). This is the truth according to the rishis. We should have faith in their knowledge and experience when they share insights on what happens to our personality before freedom. It has been shared that we all go through 8.4 million wombs/embodiments. Rishis share those who are not free, their Jeeva notion enters different embodiments again and again. This is facilitated by Karma. Some details on division Karma has been shared and these details help us with contemplation.
First division of Karma is known as
Sanchita Karma: Sam=well, chi=to collect. Sanchita means ‘well collected’. It is our past karmas.
Prarabdha Karma: Prakarshena arbdha=well commenced. It is our present karmas that we are currently living through.
Agami Karma: Well coming. These karmas coming in the future.
A stone, plant and an animal (Bhoga yoni) are less evolved than us and have sanchita and prarabdha karma. They do not have agami karma. They only exhaust or evolve. Human (yoga yonis) can exhaust and also earn karmas which means we can evolve and devolve. The implication for us is to not live in an ignorant way. For the human who is ‘knotless’ or limitless, they are egoless. Ego is a sticky part of who we are, it sticks to intellect, mind and body. It also sticks to ‘my family’, ‘my home’, etc. If there is no ego, there is no stickiness. The enlightened one (no ego), disidentifies from their Sanchita karma and have the insight that past cycle of Avidya kama karma doesn’t relate to them. They only relate to the spirit. As for the agami karma, it gets distributed among the people who serve them, both good and bad. Those who dislikes the one who is enlightened, the papa karma sticks to the one who dislikes them. We should therefore live more carefully. Enlightenment is a faith based understanding and if one is careless, we could end up not treating them in the right way and that will be detrimental to us. The best way to live is to have faith that all are enlightened and treat all as such. As for the prarabdha karma, if we visualize that the body is the school and the mind is the student. Student is learning to be independently joyous. When the student learns to be independently joyous, they no longer remain students and the individuality dies. Bhagavan lives as you and you live as Bhagavan! Guruji shares that we should become the empty flute that Bhagavan Krishna plays through. Guruji also shares that because the body of such enlightened ones still lives amongst us even though their mind is independently joyous, we have the fortune of being in their presence and learn from them. Eventually the school closes too (Body dissipates).
We cannot understand the law of Karma. Shri Ramana explicitly states in Upadesha Sara not to try to decipher the law of Karma, instead just focus on practicing Karma Yoga.
Bhagavan Krishna showers His immense love upon us by sharing the message of the Upanishads through Bhagavad Gita.
Earlier in the Upanishad, the rishi shares ‘Na babhoova kaschid’. Kaschid=anything, na=never, babhoova=manifests; meaning, The Infinite Brahman never manifests, never creates, never springs into a Jeeva. Implication for us to not to invest in trying to understand Karma and Vasana when I have neither. Infinity is Being! Dedicate every experience to Being!