Authentic Sanatana Dharma is the most inclusive way of life. Teachers, teachings and taught are all inclusive. Our scriptures have texts that include Kama Shastras (Desire fulfillment), Artha Shastras (Desire procurement), Dharma Shastras (Desire management) and finally scriptures on Mokhsa Shastras (Desire relinquishment). Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is a text belonging to the category of Moksha Shastra. The ideal relationship with Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is to know every detail of this entire text. If this is not possible, then we should try to know at least a chapter. If that also seems difficult to accomplish, then at least a section of it should be comprehended. If this also seems like a daunting task, then we should look for specific verses to master and implement. These verses are like gems that we should try to read, understand and apply in our lives.

We have explored gems on evolving, deciding and are presently studying gems that give us messages on communicating. First of the gems in communicating was in Chapter 14, verse 17. Vivekji shared a wonderful quote on communication: “A leader is not one who only stands up to speak but also one who sits down to listen”! Tamasic personalities are lazy and tend to have an inferiority complex and their default is to not communicate (they don’t speak or look people in the eye). Rajasic people are those who speak that comes out of a superiority complex. Sattvic people who have calmness within know when not to speak and when to speak. Some examples from our scriptures include Kumbhakarana (Tamasic), Ravana was rajasic as he always talked and was not willing to listen to advice. Vibheeshana was an example of a Sattvic person who knew when to speak and advised Ravana against his actions when no one else dared to do so. Beyond the three gunas, is when one is tuned with their Adhyatma, inner Self. Those who are in tune with their inner Self are actually in tune with the entire creation. For an enlightened person, ethics don’t apply. For one who has surpassed the gunas, there are no rules of communication. Most of their communication is without speaking…such people can make others feel what they need to feel.

Chapter 17, verse 15: The first quarter of the verse states that we should not bother/ disturb people with our speech. Ears are the most powerful sense we have. Eyes are limited in their capacity to see far away objects but through ears we can know and learn or these objects thereby giving us as if we have had an experience of them. That is why our scriptures are known as “Shruti”. Sanatana Dharma is still thriving thanks primarily to this oral tradition. Hence the emphasis on good speech that does not bother people. “Anudvegakaram” word can be split into A-dukha (good space or happiness). There is enough sadness in our society, we should therefore be vigilant of our conduct through our words. When we bother others, it means that we are bothered ourselves.

How do we go about not bothering others? Our words should be the following:

1. Sathya: Truthful. This can be incorporated into our communication is to exaggerate less (especially when speaking to a diverse group of audience)

2. Priya: Beautiful. We can practice this by being less standoff-ish. Being stand off ish makes our tone quite ugly and jarring and the implication of that is we don’t have to say sorry so much and other people don’t have to say to say that you are forgiven so much.

3. Hitha: Useful. We can practice this by complaining less. When most of the time people don’t act on our complaints, the complaints become useless for everyone.

With the above-mentioned framework prescribed for the means to communicate, we should engage in analysis and implementing this framework (described in the third quarter). Self analysis (Svadhyaya) and Self practice (Abhyasa) are the terms used to encourage us to keep analyzing time and again. This process is what is known as “reconciliation”. Just like after a meeting in a work place setting, we reconcile and summarize the main thoughts and action items. In the absence of reconciliation, meeting becomes fruitless and wastage of everyone’s time. We should find our own parameters to see if we are incorporating these frameworks into our own day to day communications. Vivekji shared with the class how He grades himself (as a percentage as to how in-tuned He was with what He wanted to share) after every formal discourse based on how he assesses Himself. He encouraged us to use His system or develop one that works for us. He shared that For His system of grading: 60% is garbage, 70% is going (it happened but nothing memorable), 80% is good and 90% is Great (in secular sense) and Gurudev (faith based sense). All of this is a form of Samskrithi, where we are living intentionally, carefully and meaningfully and are poised for evolution. People who act in a random way are playing out a form of Vikrithi, which is destruction of who they are.

All these practices are called Tapa (last quarter of the verse), burning of comfort zone and complacency. This is called discipline of speech. According to our shastras, the first leader who organized urban development was King Prithu. Raja Prithu’s style of speaking to his subjects is described in Shrimad Bhagwatam (Skanda 4: Adhyaya 22: Shloka 17). Listening to the king speak like this, all the listeners had smiles on their faces and they then responded. An ideal communicator should speak like this:

1. Saram: Essential. This is like Sathya

2. Sushtu: Relevant. This is Hitha

3. Mitam: Measured. They know when to speak, how much to speak, etc.

4. Madhu: Sweet. This is Priya