January 18, 2024 | Class Notes by Isha Darbari

Intro 

• Story of an old man who wanted to change in life– he lived on a port, and one night got onto a boat and kept rowing the whole night. Eventually he fell asleep. When he woke up, he realized he was exactly where he started, because he never took off the rope that was tied to the pillar
  • If you want change in your life – most likely you’ve acted like this man: you want the change, so you work hard for it; but you don’t need this change- you’re not leaning into it
  • But for all of us, in this course and community, we need this change – it’s not about changing cities, jobs, etc; it’s about sankranti – transitioning from dependent joy to independent joy
    • That comes from working hard and smart
    • Smartness = reflecting; when one reflects more, living and self-development make more sense
• Jan 14, 2008 – Vivekji has now completed 16 years of serving full time, 10 years of virtual teaching ☺ 

• Dialogue with Dharma
  • Dharma = responsibilities
  • Many of us have many responsibilities, but often as we engage in these we become unintentional – we are doing, but why we are doing is not clear;
    • Reflecting infuses intention into what we do
    • It is intention that causes evolution; if there is no yoga, there is no evolution 
• What are two signs of one who is evolving?
  • Complaining less 
  • Being more cheerful 
• Yaksha Prashna: A demi-God’s questions
  • The one who is answering is Raja Yudhishthira
    • A leader who is balanced even in challenges
    • His current challenge: his brothers have died, and he has to answer these questions

Discourse 

Review 

• Answer 43: Chandrama jayate punah – the moon is born again after being born
  • Moon = an icon for our minds
  • Try to keep your mind close to you
    • By doing so, you don’t allow the mind to be so dramatic
    • If the mind drifts from you, it starts to overthink, becomes cynical 
    • Analogy: in rock climbing, as someone goes up, you have to keep tightening the rope, so that if they do fall, they don’t fall backwards
• Answer 44: Agnih himsaya bhaisajyam – fire is the remedy for snow or fog
  • The original fog/ original snow is not outside, but inside: moha – confusion of who we are, what we’re supposed to do 
  • Fire is symbolic for an ideal, ie using the intellect
• Answer 45: Bhumih avapanam mahat – the Earth is the greatest vessel
  • The pancharnas: we are all born with 5 debts – 2 are to nature’s forces and nature’s beings
  • When one knows how much the Earth has given to us, we play our part and start to feel we are a part to this whole
    • Forgetting how much the Earth gives is a strong sign of ego; one feels they are the whole, so they don’t play their part 
• Answer 46: Daksyam ekapadam dharmyam –Dharma solely stands on efficiency
  • It is humans that can be intentional
    • Animals, plants, stones can’t be intentional nor inquire
  • Intentional life leads to integration
    • When you integrate completely, one re-becomes Infinity; like condensing matter so much that it becomes a pure sphere of energy 
    • Dharma is one being intentional in their life -> causes one to change
• Answer 47: Danam ekapadam yasah — Fame solely stands on charity
  • A framework in terms of investing more, giving more of oneself
    • Sing
    • Deepen this to seek
    • Deepen this to support – where one is being charitable, offering their resources
    • Then serve – one is giving their time
    • And finally surrender – one is giving their effort
  • This is a methodology for giving up dependence; those who are independent are the ones who are remembered  
• Answer 48: Satyam ekapadam svargyam —  Truth is the only path to heaven
  • Heaven is having a quiet mind
  • When we live in a truthful way, our mind is quiet – satya (truthful) and svargya (quiet)

New

• Answer 50: Kimsvet ekapata sukkham – what is the sole support / cause for happiness?
  • Sheela (nobility, good conduct)
  • Absolute – what is a sign of nobility? Inclusivity
    • Exclusivity is ignobility, inclusivity is nobility
    • Valuables tend to be exclusive—ex: if I have these earrings, then you don’t have these earrings
    • But values are not exhaustible – if you are a compassionate person, I too can be a compassionate person 
  • Is capitalism contributing to sadness in America?
  • Relative– What makes one noble/ good conduct? To be uncompromising
    • Not compromising on what you know to be right
  • Tactile moment — 

• Answer 51: kimsvet atma manushyasya – what is the center/ soul of a person? Putra (a son/ child)
  • Absolute
    • If one takes this answer literally, it is very exclusive –  there are many without children or sons
    • Those who are of a younger generation to you and are close to you, that being is custom designed to help you evolve
    • You have that specific being in your life to help you evolve 
  • Relative
    • When you have someone of a younger generation close to you, you care for them
      • That caring is part of the process of going from living from me to living for we, moving towards Infinity 
      • This happens in a very tangible way
      • Ex: as a parent of 2 young kids, there’s such an experience of things going wrong/ things not going your way
        • This makes many people very uncomfortable
        • When you have someone like that in your life, they help you grow out of me/my in your life
• Answer 52: kimsvet deva krippah – who is a God-given friend? Bhariya (a wife)
  • Absolute – someone of the same generation who is close to you (neighbor, friend, sibling, etc)
    • Why are they in your life? They are custom designed to help you evolve
    • Vivekji: My wife is like a mirror to me where I come to see my weaknesses more clearly
      • When you see your weaknesses, be thankful 
  • Relative – bhariya = the one who nourishes
    • They are God-given;  really, they are in your life to make you stronger than context
    • What God is trying to guide us to is to be stronger than context
      • Reflect—who really is nourishing you? 
  • Tactile moment 

Discussion

What makes one compromise?  Com-promise = broken promise

• Vivekji’s answer: Clarity leads to conviction which leads to confidence 
• We’re not clear about what compromise is, so we do it; if we were clear about what it is, we likely wouldn’t as much 

What makes one uncompromising? 

• Vivekji’s answer: when you know compromise doesn’t work, you lock in on being uncompromising
• Reflection from Guruji: If someone is your enemy, and it doesn’t work out for them, they tend to become your best friend
• All this time we don’t feel good compromising – why do it then? 

Dialogue

• Clarification about Question 51-  what is the soul of the person?
  • There’s only 1 soul/ atma/ Brahma, etc – this is not asking about that atma
  • This is more asking, like what is the spirit of Houston (Houston Rockets, Houston oil, etc)
  • If I were to ask – give up everything in your life, it’ll be anything but your children (ex: if there were a fire – they are the first to rescue)
    • In that sense, soul 
    • In the Gita, the word atma is used in different ways: soul like body, mind, ego etc — this is why context is important 
• What is the balance between reflection and over-thinking?
  • Overthinking has the under-tone that you’re doing something to be liked—really you’re externalizing your completeness
  • Reflecting is not about being liked, it’s about what is right; coming from a place of evolution 
  • Practical strategy: when you recognize that you are over-thinking, go and do something
    • If you don’t physically act, the fruit in your mind will ferment
  • In terms of reflecting: if you recognize that you are reflecting, be grateful; because if you feel grateful, you’ll build that habit for next time

RAW

RAM last month

• Every time you feel stressed, take a tactile moment/ press pause
  • Ex: Kit-Kat song “give me a break” 
  • Tactile moment = give me a break from this unintentionality

RAW for this week  

• Say out loud “custom-designed” many times throughout your day
  • Someone of the same generation who nourishes you – custom-designed
  • Someone of the younger generation who challenges you – custom-designed