Gita summaries - chp 16

When we study any chapter of the Bhagavad Gita we should not lose sight of the central teaching of Gita. The central theme is given in the introduction when Arjuna surrendered to Lord Krishna unable to deal with his intense sorrowful condition of the mind. He says,” I also know that this sorrow will not go away with any means at my disposal.” Though he was born in a noble family, rich, famous, the greatest archer, respect; Arjuna says that those cannot mitigate his great sorrow. “Even if I get the whole earth as a gift this sorrow will not go away,” says Arjuna. Lesson number one:  From this it is clear that human sufferings cannot be overcome with wealth and fame, relations, status etc. Lesson number two: Arjuna wanted to eliminate this sorrow by taking Krishna’s help. Now Krishna has to prescribe a medicine to cure Arjuna’s disease of dukham.

            The first verse of advice from Krishna is aśocyān anvaśocas tvaḿ prajñā-vādāḿś ca bhāṣase gatāsūn agatāsūḿś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Only wise people are free from grief. By this statement Krishna says that only wise people do not grief and those grieving people are otherwise. Otherwise means ignorant. Therefore the slogan of Gita is: Ignorant people grieve and wise people do not grieve. Putting in another language; ignorance is the cause of grief while wisdom is the only remedy. Not any kind of wisdom but athma jnanam; Brahma jnanam. The primary aim of Gita is jnana pradhana as a remedy for human sorrow. That is why at the end of every chapter we say; iti upanishadsu brahmavidyayam. Both Gita and Upanishads don’t say that brahma vidya is one of the solutions of samsara but it is the only solution. There is no question of all paths leading to moksha; there is only one path to moksha and that is jnanam. Our problem is ignorance and only solution is jnanam and in any yuga.

            So the central theme of Bhagavad Gita is self-knowledge and the only medium or instrument for knowledge is manah or budhihi. If knowledge is the goal then the mind or intellect is the tool. Just like physics knowledge or chemistry knowledge happens in the mind so also spiritual knowledge has to be learnt in the mind or intellect. There is no other method; if there was Krishna would have blessed Arjuna with a touch or Arjuna would have done pada puja if it was possible. But even in the middle of the battlefield Krishna only taught Arjuna. There are many statements in the Upanishads that say that mind cannot know Brahman and in some place only the mind will know. How do we resolve this contradiction? Unrefined mind cannot know; only refined mind will know. In Sanskrit a refined mind is called samskrutha anthakaranam while unrefined mind is called prakrutha anthakaranam. This Krishna himself says in the 15^th chapter, yatanto yoginaś caiman paśyanty ātmany avasthitam yatanto 'py akṛtātmāno nainaḿ paśyanty acetasaḥ. Akruthmana means unrefined mind; kruthmana is refined mind. So if we want to self-knowledge we not only need a mind; we need a samskrutha mind.

            But unfortunately most of us are born with prakrutha anthakaranam only. Therefore we have to work very hard to convert prakrutha anthakaranam to samskrutha anthakaranam. We require certain methods for this conversion. Our ultimate aim, parama lakshyam, is jnana dukha nivritti while our immediate goal is anthakarana samskarah (refinement of the mind). Now we have two types of sadhanas; one for samskara pradhana and another is jnana pradhana. That is why the entire Vedas is classified as Veda purvah dealing with samskaras and Vedanta dealing with jnanam. Our Vedas prescribe a lifestyle full of prayers and rituals and these are called samskarah. We have 41 samskaras right from conception to the tomb from seemandam, punya vachanam, nama karanam, vivehah and even the cremation is a samskara in which the body is offered so that I get a better birth next time so that I can be closer to jnanam. Only refinement of mind takes time, knowledge does not take time at all. Like cooking it takes time shopping for vegetables, cooking gas etc but eating does not take time at all. Tat tvam asi is just three words but it does not appeal to an unrefined intellect. Vedanta will only make sense to a prepared mind. When I listen I don’t understand the teaching; if I understand I don’t retain the knowledge and all these are due to asamskrutha anthakaranam only.

            In the last shadgam of the Gita; the 13, 14, and 15^th chapters concentrated on jnana prapti. Krishna assumed that we are all samskrutha purushas. Then Krishna realizes that we all come in different reservation quotas; we have entered Gita study without necessary qualifications. If an unrefined mind studies Gita it will conclude that Gita does not work for us. So Krishna devotes the next two chapters entirely to anthakaranam samskara.

            Now what exactly do we mean my refinement? Any refinement will have two processes; dosha apanayanam (removal of impurities) and guna aadanam (addition of virtues). When we take a bath it is a samskara and when we apply soap it is dosha apanayanam. After taking bath we stand before the mirror and decorate the face; it is guna aadanam. Both these must be used for the purification or refinement of the mind. Dosha apanayanam is removal of unhealthy and sickening traits of the mind; then we add beauty to the mind by cultivating positive and healthy traits. The positive gunas Krishna calls “Deivi Sampath” which makes a human body a divine being on earth. The negative trait that has to be very deliberately removed is called “Asureem Sampath”. In the 16^th chapter Krishna gives a list of Deivi Sampath to be cultivated and a list of Asureem Sampath to be eschewed. That is why this chapter is called “Deiva Surva Samsadhi Vibhaga”; this chapter does not come under Vedanta but comes under Veda Purvah. This comes under dharma sastram and not jnana yoga. Krishna adds that the Deivi Sampath will be a catalyst and pushing force for a person to acquire jnanam as it makes the mind more and more refined. While asuree sampath will drag and pull a person away. Therefore Arjuna, you must know what is good and what is bad.

            We don’t really need Krishna to tell us about wholesome virtues; we can ourselves prepare a list using common sense. I want others to love me, others to be compassionate to me, I want others to be truthful to me, I want others to be helpful. So what I want from others, those things I must do to others. Then what are the things I should avoid? Whatever I don’t want others to do to me; I should not do those to others.  I don’t want others to criticize me, insult me, angry with me, hate me; then I should also scrupulously avoid these in interactions with others.  These are deivi and asuree sampath but Krishna out of compassion gives a big list of “virtues to acquire” and “vices to drop”.

            The first three verses Krishna gives a big list but I am going take only 6 virtues which I consider important and I will also mention 6 vices to get rid of.

            The first Deivi Sampath is “self-confidence” or “athma vishvasah”. This is a foundation upon which all other sadhanas are possible. If I don’t have faith in myself then I cannot achieve anything in life. For an individual low on self-confidence even God cannot help. I only argue with God,” O God, you don’t know who I am? It is impossible.” I will end up a fatalistic person, a cynical person and a negative person. Even to lead a healthy life one must be positive even more so for a spiritual seeker. Even doctors say that those patients who have faith in the treatment and the doctor, it is found that their immunities improved. And pessimists have weaker immunities. That is why Krishna starts with “abhayam” or “courage”. The 18^th chapter says that if you are diffident even the Lord cannot help you. You should start walking only then you’ll benefit from God’s grace. So lesson number one is “self-confidence”; courage and freedom from fear of failure. We have stories of Bhagirathi and amrutha matanam etc that show this value.

            The next value is “self-mastery”. God has given us a set of tools; he has given us a human body which is capable of working for liberation. Buffalo body is not capable of liberation that is why there are no buffaloes or dogs in my class! The Lord has given us a set of jnanadriyani and a set of karmandriyani and an active mind and a powerful intellect. By paying a huge currency of punyam we have got a human form. By using the human boat I must reach my destination and for that I must make the instruments under my control. I should drive the car, the car should not drive me. The kartha should control the karanam and not the other way round. Sometimes you see in walks that a dog is pulling the man and is leading the person! That is why we have all kinds of vrutams to control my tongue (eating tongue and talking tongue) or getting up at Brahma muhartam everyday. First control over my body then I must learn to control over my words, my sense-organs, and the subtlest control is the control over my thoughts. Your body-mind alone is your friend and your body-mind alone is your enemy. A healthy body is your friend and a sick body is your enemy. A cheerful relaxed mind is your friend as it can do wonderful work while a burdened depressed mind agitated restless mind becomes your enemy. We have the entire asttaga yoga of Patanjali for self-mastery.

            The third positive trait that Krishna talks about is “self-integration”. Since there are different instruments and all of them must not only be under my control but they should function in co-ordination; in harmony like an orchestra. As in a concert with different instruments everyone must be in harmony and in sequence otherwise it will only be noise. Once the intellect takes a decision the mind must co-operate and my sense-organs must implement. Imagine your intellect wanted to come to this lecture, your body co-operated by walking to this hall and now imagine your mind is wandering now! Did I lock the door properly or not? Did I switch off the gas cylinder or not? Then you are here but you don’t hear. The intellect has made a right decision but the mind does not co-operate. Even keeping one’s words come under integration; punctuality is integration.

            The fourth virtue is “humility”. With the first three traits – self-confidence, self-mastery, and self-integration – generally a person is successful. And when success comes it should not go to the head, I should remember any success is not only due to my efforts but also due to favourable factors. That is why after every function there is a thanksgiving where everyone’s contribution is mentioned. All those factors, known or unknown, we call it Ishwara. Without the grace of the Lord nothing can happen. We have in the Keno Upanishad where the arrogant devas were taught a lesson by God. Agni was not able to burn a blade of grass, vayu was not able to lift a blade of grass in front of God. They were utterly humiliated; they later realized that everything is possible only due to Bhagawan’s grace only. So when you succeed in any venture remember god’s grace and be humble and modest.

            The fifth value is “purity”. The purity of mind, purity of thoughts and purity of motive. What is the test of purity? At this moment all your thoughts in the mind are only known you. Thank God! You can shake hands with someone with a smiling face while inwardly cursing him. Now imagine through some mechanism by which all your thoughts are printed and published. For Bhagawan all our thoughts are known. You can hide your thoughts from everyone except God. Imagine even as thoughts are occurring in the mind and they are known to other people; now what is percentage of thoughts you are willing to publicize? The more impure the mind the more is the percentage we don’t want to publish; and purer the mind you are willing to open your thoughts to anyone. If your mind is such that you can reveal your thoughts without censoring or editing then your mind is pure. Purity is extremely important for athma jnanam. There is no hidden thought at all; extremely difficult. But the benefit is shantih and peace of mind.

            The last trait we will consider, though Krishna gives a longer list, is “compassion”. The most important human virtue that makes a human being a human being is compassion. Now-a-days psychologists talk a lot on empathy. Empathy is a quality by which a person can attune himself to someone’s feelings. Generally a person cannot feel another person state of mind; be it depressed or angry or lost or confused etc. But once a mind gets more and more sensitive it will be alive to other’s feelings. Once a person’s mind becomes so sensitized that it can feel other’s pain then that person will never be a cause of pain to others. This requires tremendous sensitivity. A sensitive mind is a compassionate mind and a compassionate mind has the empathy to listen to others especially when they are in distress. Such a mind listens to others and alert to other’s feeling. If you cannot mitigate someone’s sorrow at least don’t add on to it. That is why Krishna says Daya Bhuteshu; kindness not only to fellow human beings but to animals and plants too. All the six virtues are called deivi sampath which we have to cultivate.

            Then Krishna talks about “asuree sampath”. I will take six traits that we must immediately drop. These are the six enemies of a human being; we always think of external enemies actually the internal enemies are like the militants, terrorists living within. A neighbouring country you can easily win a war but if there is a rebellion and anarchy within then it is a huge disaster. Like we see in Kashmir. So deal with the inner enemies first. The six inner enemies are kama, kroda, loba, moha, mada and matsaryam.

            The first internal enemy is “kama”. Why is desire an enemy? For two reasons. When kama is obstructed it leads to anger. And if kama is satisfied then it generates more desires. One who is hungry for hundred rupees will ask for thousand; and if you have thousand then you desire for lacs; if having lacs you desire for crores; then MLA, then a deva, then Indra, then Brahma and then Shiva or Vishnu. There is no “tripti” in accomplishing a desire for finite can never infinite through more acquisitions. Kama leads a person to become more extrovert and active; they are caught in a beehive of activity and trapped like in a whirlpool. Therefore kama is one shatru. Then how to handle kama? It is done in stages. First stage is removal of illegitimate and immoral desires. Then even legitimate desire we must fulfill them only after fulfilling our basic duties. Without giving up one’s spiritual and religious life then only in the rest of the allotted time one can try to fulfill legitimate desires. Desires or kama should not encroach our nitya and nimitta karmas. Then in the final stage when the mind is more matured you will see that the legitimate desires should become non-binding desires. If they are fulfilled it is the grace of the Lord, and if it is not fulfilled it is the will of the Lord. Thus desires must be handled in three stages: legitimate desires then moderation and then “non-binding” desires.

            The second enemy is kroda. Why is anger an enemy? Because it leads us to several negative consequences. Ahimsa is the first consequence; an angry person causes violence and injuries to others. Violence through words or physical action and it is paapa karma. The second negative consequence is anger leads to injustice. Whenever an angry person performs an action it is not action but an impulsive reaction. There is no deliberation, no thinking is involved and I will punish people more severely than required. That is why we have courts of justice where punishments are meted after due consideration while in anger person is prone to injustice. When anger is there, thinking will be absent and this leads to injustice and paapam. And the third negative consequence of anger is destruction. Physical anger may lead to physical destruction (some people throw vessels or tear paper in anger) and anger may lead to loss of relationships also. Relationships that were nourished for decades can be destroyed in one moment of angry expression. So one must understand very clearly that anger is an enemy. If you have to get angry then direct your anger to your anger. Because anger hurts and affects you so much. What is the remedy? First recognition it is deadly, first an education like anger is injurious to my health as in cigarette warnings. The second way is to go back to the desire that caused the anger for anger is nothing but obstructed desire. If desire is the seed then anger is the tree. There are some who say that anger is essential. In that case I should get anger but anger should not get me! 

            The third one is “lobah” or not sharing our possessions with others. Stinginess. I want to enjoy myself, I want to hold on, I don’t want to give anything to anybody. That “possessor ship” is lobah, greed is also lobah, miserliness is lobah. Why is lobah an enemy? In reality we don’t possess anything in life for everything is a temporary gift from the Lord. Bhagawan has given these gifts for us to use and grow spiritually. Then we have to hand them back to HIM with a note of thanks. Instead if I hold on or control them tightly then Bhagawan will have snatch them away from me one by one. So let me use all these gifts in the form of wealth, people and relations keeping in mind that they all belong to the Lord alone. If you have loba then you are bound to get disappointed. Life will be painful if you hold on to things. Because of some good karma which we call Ishwara anugraha you have a wife, children, wealth, house etc. When these are all snatched there is pain but if we share it others there is ananda. Loba is an enemy and it must be eliminated by sharing.

            The fourth one is “moha”; delusion or confusion. The greatest delusion is we think our happiness depends on what we have. But the scripture says that one’s happiness depends on what we are. Delusion is the wrong notion that happiness is proportional to possessions. Moha is an enemy as I waste my life working in the wrong direction. While I should be working on myself instead I keep working on my surroundings and people. Some people come and say,” Who do I change my wife’s thinking and behavior?” and the wife comes complaining,” How do I change my husband’s behavior?” ..laughs. This is wrong thinking and moha will only go away with Vivekah or wisdom. Money and status will not give happiness and understand that clearly.
            The next enemy is “madah” or arrogance. Puffed up head. Madah is also an enemy. We cannot be successful all the time and when failure comes an arrogant person cannot withstand that. One failure and there is tremendous pain. Madah leads to jealousy. When I feel I am superior then I cannot accept another person around me who is better than me. I hate him and avoid him. When others talk about his glory I tell them,” do you know his personal life?” Tell some tales and pull him down. I cannot stand anyone glorifying others. Whether you like it or not there are many people superior. Giants are there and that’s why in sports records are broken all the time. Actually I am not great; whatever glory I have it is nothing but a gift from the Lord.

A true devotee is never arrogant or envious for he knows the truth: all glories belong to the Lord. I am must be grateful that I am a patram, a vessel, for the Lord’s gift.

Then the last one is “matsaryam” or jealousy which is a result of comparison. In creation “taratamyam” (comparison) is inevitable. Never compare yourself with others; rather be happy with what you have and what you are. And enjoy growing without comparison. When you compare yourself with an inferior person you will develop superiority complex. When you compare with a superior person you will develop an inferior complex. Any comparison will lead to complexes. Why compare for everything is beautiful. A rose is beautiful as a rose, a jasmine is beautiful as a jasmine, and I am beautiful as I am. I don’t have his complexion and I don’t have that person’s nose; that’s why the entire cosmetic surgery is thriving everywhere. Accept as you are and enjoy growing. Any comparison or competition is matsaryam. People say competition is best but sastra says competition is a negative action. Competition not only brings out the best it also brings out anger, jealousy and cheating also as we see doping scandals in athletics. Therefore get rid of matsaryam not by competition but by co-operation and admiration. When someone is better than you learn to congratulate that person openly for God’ s manifestation is more in that person.

Thus get rid of these negative traits, cultivate positive traits and then you will have a samskrutha mind and such a mind can easily get jnanam and liberation. Because Krishna talks about positive and negative traits this chapter is called “Deiva Asura Sampadhi Vibhaga” yoga.