Summary from Sriram ji
Hari om
Today's class continued to focus on how Bhagavad Gita came out as the essence of Mahabharat. The broad topics covered were
- Background of how Gita came out
- Background of Chapter 1
- Comparison of Arjuna's and Duryodhana's frame of mind
- We need a teacher!
- Background of Chapter 2
- Next session: Karma yoga: 1 to 10 verses. Read and padha vibhag
- 1-3 – Sanjay
- 4-6 – Harinath
- 7,8 – Sriram
- 9,10 – Ramya
Mahabharata is the oldest and largest epic in the world. 10 million verses composed by Bhagwan Vedavyaasa in the entire epic. 1% of that – 100,000 is Mahabharat. Towards the center of this 100K were 700 verses for Bhagavad Gita given from Bhagwan Krishna to Arjuna.
Dhritharashtra, along with Pandu and Vidura; none of them were considered the right king based on their qualities. Vidura and Pandu accepted the limitations but Dhritharastra didn't accept it due to the feeling that he was the eldest brother. That small thought made him do many things. He let Duryodhana be who he was. His own mental war of how to deal with his loss of power and potential loss of power for Duryodhana if Yudhishtra becomes king. Duryodhana tried to kill them many times, sent them to forest, and still didn't not give any piece of kingdom because he always felt that he was always lesser than them, to prevent loss of his prominence to them. The greed of wanting to have the power, made them do things which became Adharma. Pandavas weren't perfect either, however they took the side of Dharma. The physical war between the Pandavas and Kauravas was about following what is right vs following what is not right, it was NOT about who was superior. It was about Dharma. So it was a Dharmayudhha. Was between good and bad karma. The same thing happens in our minds. It is about the daily wars in our minds – what is noble vs what is ignoble.
A comparison on the Day of the war – the two protagonists – Arjuna and Duryodhana: Commonality: Both of them were in a state of delusion.
Difference: Arjuna was willing to listen to Krishna. Duryodhana unwilling to listen to anyone.
Commonality details:
Arjuna: Oh Krishna, Take me to the center of the armies.
Krishna places the chariot in front of his teachers and at the center.
Arjuna saw what this war was going to do, he went into a psychological breakdown. One thought – led to the ladder of fall of stability of mind of Arjuna. He had the fear that they might lose the war, but then when he saw his teacher and grandsire will be killed by his own hands, that thought was like a step and ball rolling down the steps, and it took pace and gathered unstoppable momentum (of his thought process into depression,, he fell on his knees, could not hold his bow. He was in 2 states of mind (delusion and Shoka (sadness)). Illusion: war is going to create meaningless calamity, shokha that his kith and kin were to die.
Duryodhana: Despite having 11 akshohinis, and the great achieved archers and teachers, he always had the fear that he was going to lose, he knew it as he was on the Adharma side. He was standing there and telling his teacher, who are there, are here, giving them more power than to himself. It's like going to an exam, thinking about end result, giving him nervousness. He was in a state of delusion (commonality with Arjuna).
Difference:
Arjuna was willing to listen Krishna. I will listen, but cannot guarantee that I can do everything I am told. Duryodhana was not willing to listen. Bhishma blew the conch to distract him from his emotional spiral and get him into focusing on the war. Whereas Arjuna said to Krishna, 'please help me'.
We need a teacher:
Same thing happens to us. We need to be willing to listen to a teacher. When we get into those critical moments of anguish or delusion happens, we should start off with the willingness to listen. Some Kids behave like Arjuna, and some kids like Duryodhana. But eventually willing to listen and willing to do, is the ideal state. Arjuna respected Krishna for his knowledge and the way he lived his life as Arjuna grew up together. Only through the process of Gita, he realized that Krishna is a personification of Brahman. We need to understand
- There are many kinds of gita. We only know Bhagavad gita. There is also Vidura gita in Mahabharat, Rama gita in Ramayana, Hamsa gita in Bhagwatham, Ashtavakra gita, Avadhoota gita, Ramana maharishi – Ganapathi muni wrote Ramana gita. Gita is "teacher and a student conversation". Teaching of highest knowledge.
- Krishna decided to give Arjuna the highest knowledge in the battlefield – why not during calmer times? Krishna avatara was taken to teach what is dharma and adharma. Krishna went into dhyana state to teach him the entire gita. When asked to repeat, Krishna cud not, as he said he was in meditative state earlier, as that was critical moment for Arjuna. Those moments have to happen for Krishna to give highest level, when Arjuna was at highest level.
- There are certain moments where both teacher and student is at highest moments
- Context of the war outside and within
- The knowledge imparted was not about asking Arjuna to go into sanyaasa, instead to do dharma. We look at our own lives, we need to do our dharma. It's a very practical knowledge for us for our day to day life.
- It's not just physical war, its mental war, we need to be in state of mind to get the knowledge, have a teacher, and the knowledge of gita is practical.
- Each chapter is called a Upanishad as well as a yog. Both knowledge is inter-twined in each chapter.
- Upanishads give us the highest brahma gnaana.
- Yoga is practical knowledge of how to live, how to do things. What you don't have right now, what you desire to get, is called yoga.
- Concluding remark – Niruktha of every chapter has the word yoga. - Way to study gita is:
- Look at each verse, each word, each padha, each pankthi, each sloka. And take it as is, try to get as much as possible from that slokha.
- Remove the avagunas, and be bound to the feet of guru, and be a humble student, unlearn many of the things we think as knowledge, then only we begin to learn
- Arjuna vishaadha Yoga:
- Arjun is in delusion of how I can kill my own kith and kin, instead shud I just do sanyasa, or just give up and allow dhritharashtra sons to kill me
- Arjuna's lamentation
- Dhuryodhana sees army of pandavas – senapathi is dhristadhyumna, but Duryodhana talks a lot about Bhima as he is afraid of Bhima thru out his life. Also the words used – Arthra-Thathra – "for those there, he feels they are right here". He had no faith in his own army as he was mentally weak before the war even started. Kauravas had strong warriors, but they did not have the morality. That defeated them. It's not the external resources one has when facing a tough situation, instead when we have morality or righteousness, there is no fear, then we will do well.
- It is grief of Arjuna that made him willing to transform himself. In all our life, we need that one critical moment, and recognizing that moment is the first yoga. Understanding and accepting the problem is a good portion of the problem solved.
- Towards the end of chapter 1 Arjuna was talking like a Pandith - kulakshaye, kula dharma, kulakgnaana, sanatanaa, etc.
- Verse 2
- dṛiṣhṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanastadā
- āchāryamupasaṅgamya rājā vachanamabravīt
- Pandavas anikha – Duryodhana talks to his guru about the power of Pandavas. Take any of the numbers in Akshauhini, sum them, and it will be 18. War was for 18 days. 18 akshauhinis. Saadhanas – 15 fences around the jeeva, 16 is jeeva, 17 is brahmathathava srilakshmi, 18 – purushottama.
- Notes for 9 divisions of the army:
- Patti - 1 Elephant, 1 Ratha (Chariot), 3 Horses and 5 Foot soldiers
- Senamukha - 3 X Patti = 3 Elephants, 3 Rathas (Chariots), 9 Horses and 15 Foot soldiers
- Gulam = 3 X Senamukha = 9 Elephants, 9 Rathas, 27 Horses and 45 Foot soldiers
- Gana = 3 X Gulam = 27 Elephants, 27 Rathas, 81 Horses and 135 Foot soldiers
- Vahini = 3 X Gana = 81 Elephants, 81 Rathas , 243 Horses and 405 Foot soldiers
- Prutana - 3 X Vahini = 243 Elephants, 243 Rathas, 729 Horses and 1215 Foot soldiers
- Chamu = 3 X Prutana = 729 Elephants, 729 Rathas, 2187 Horses and 3645 Foot soldiers
- Anikini = 3 X Chamu = 2187 Elephants, 2187 Rathas, 6561 Horses and 10935 Foot soldiers
- Akshauhini = 10 X Anikini = 21870 Elephants, 21870 Rathas, 65610 Horses and 109350 Foot soldiers
- Pandavas had 7 Akshauhinis
- Kauravas had 11 Akshauhinis
- Verse 36: Aathathaaayi – "hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ"
- One who does sins.
- Arjuna said Even killing the evil folks will cause paapa to us.
- Shastra says: if you see Aathathaayi anywhere, they need to be removed.
- To qualify as an aathathaayi
- They need to have set fire to someone house
- Poisoning
- Stealing property, coveting wife of someone else
- Worst qualities
- Duryodhana did each of this and is an aathathayi. As per shastra, he shud be killed at once.
- Shaashana thryayathe ithi shaashtraa
- Shaastraas are meant to be strictly followed.
- Never ever doubt the actions of Bhagwan in any place.
- Our limited mind which is not clear, correct, it makes up a decision just looking at a situation. It needs to be as per shaasthraa.
- Arjuna because of his lack of correct understanding of shaasthra: what is dharma vs what is not dharma, he thought killing these aathathaayi is acruing sin. This is when saankhya yoga is given.
- Chapter 1 (Arjuna Vishaadha Yoga) – inability of clear thinking of Arjuna led to the amruthathva –Sankhya yoga – a summary of all chapters of gita
- Arjuna continues his state of mind – saying all his stuff about killing kith and kin. He is ready to give up swarga-loka. Krishna comes to verse 11 where actual gita starts. Ashochyaanan ashochasthvam, grieving for people who you need not grieve for. Talks about this 'soul can never be killed, only the body going to persish, aathma never going to get killed'.
- Aathma gnyaan – introduction.
- Verse 13.
- Dehinosminyatha dehe...
- Body grows from child to old age. Aathma goes from 1 body to another (indicating rebirth).
- Dhehi raha- gnyaani. A gnyaani knows this concept clearly.
- Verse 14
- 'Maathra sparshaasthu kounteya..'
- Nature is come and go. Don't get attached to these
- Essence of gita teaching is seen as grief management
- Sadness keeps us away from happiness. Figure out how to manage the grief. Happiness is already there and visible.
- Chapter 2 he teaches – why he should not grieve. One from knowledge perspective: Grieving for body, or jeeva? Or for the aathma which never dies?
- Takes the path of dharma – and says why grieve of dharma. As everyone in kaurava are doing their dharma dying in a war doing their dharma, some attain moksha, some attain punya.
- People that are to be killed – they are also doing their dharma – bheeshma – protecting their kingdom. So Arjuna shud not be grieving for Bheeshma either.
- If Arjuna runs away, then he is not doing his duty
- If someone is a kshatriya, if he fights (whether he wins or dies), he will always be regarded as someone who did their dharma.
- Arjuna, you protect dharma (don't worry if you will win or die).
- From a material perspective, you will be able to bring value system. if you run away, kaurava will anyways hunt and kill you. At least die doing ur duty
- Krishna tried to help him understand why his grieving doesn't make any sense.
- Vishwa roopa dharshana: these people are already killed. These nimitha maathra – like you have been appointed for a job, so do it. You become the nimitha. We breathe, hear, blink, eat, functions what control do we have any of this? Hairs on our hand. All this wonderful things happen, how, what role do we play? The sun the moon will continue to be there, after we are long gone. Thinking about these is referred to as meditation – appreciate all the creations makes a person humble. And appreciate the shaasthraas.