Gita summaries - chp 17

We saw in the last chapter that only a fit mind can gain atma jnanam while an unrefined mind cannot. Thus we divided the human mind into two types: prakrutha mind and samskrutha mind. And so there will be two types of people: prakrutha manushyah and samskrutha manushyah. There the journey for each of us is to move from prakrutha manushyah to samskrutha manushyah and then jnani manushyah. Swami Chinmaya describes it beautifully; from animal-man to man-man to finally god-man or divine-man. It is to be noted that prakrutha manushya can never become a jnani directly; he has to necessarily go through samskrutha-man.

            What is the norm of deciding who is prakrutha and who is samskrutha? A prakrutha person is one who is entirely governed by his or her raga-devesha. My likes and dislikes become my actions and I don’t bother to care whether those actions are good for the society or not. Such a person does not believe in right-wrong and entirely driven by his or her concerns alone just like animals. A dog will bark and it will not stop to consider that it might disturb the lecture in Sanskrit college; or a cow will cross the road without waiting for the signal (it need not also). A samskrutha person also has likes and dislikes but he does not go by his whims and fancies alone. Before implementing his feeling he will stop to consider: is it proper for me to do? What are the consequences? I don’t want to benefit personally at the cost of other people’s well being. Even though I like to do, I restrain. Also there might be some work I don’t like but yet I will perform them if it is for the good of other people around. So for any spiritual seeker before doing any work of raga-dvesha nature, stop to consider whether it is proper. If the action is proper then  I perform it otherwise I nip it in the bud. Similarly for dvesha also, you have to act if it is good for the society like paying the tax. When my life is governed by dharma-dharma then I am called a samskrutha purusha. Not when it is governed by raga-dvesha!

            The one whose life is governed by dharma-dharma (one who abides by dharma) is called dwija or twice born. Everyone at birth is a prakrutha purusha as a baby only drinks and sleeps and wakes up when it messes up. We have to learn to be born the second time just as a baby grows into a child going to a gurukulam and learns dharma from an acharya. And for a dwija who are the parents? For a samskrutha the mother is Gayatri and father is the acharya. So in the brahmacharya ashrama a child learns and grows into a responsible citizen. Imagine if all the citizens of a nation follow dharma-dharma how wonderful that country would be? It is not physical knowledge or Maths knowledge that a country needs and more important is for its citizens to practice dharma.

            So the journey is prakrutha purusha  à samskruth purusha à jnani purusha. Veda purvah deals with changing a prakrutha purusha to samskrutha while Vedanta is used by a samskrutha purusha to become a jnani.

            I said that a prakrutha manushya is governed by raga and dvesha and so we can divide them into two types. When a prakrutha manushya is governed by raga pradhana, which is otherwise called a selfish person, then he is called prakrutha asura manushyah. And if a prakrutha manushyah is dvesha pradhana (dvesha dominates more like raga); which means lot of violence or cruelty, he is called prakrutha rakshasa manushyah. We come across people who enjoy violence and destruction like those psychopaths who come to school with a gun and shoot everyone without provocation. Now we have three kinds of people:

a)      Samskrutha manushya, dharma pradhana (selfless people)

b)      Prakrutha asura manushya, raga pradhana (selfish people)

c)      Prakrutha rakshasa manushya, dvesha pradhana (cruel and violent people)

The sastra gives a technical name for these people. Samskrutha purushas are called satvik or satva pradhana, prakrutha asura called rajasic and prakrutha rakshasa are tamasic. So we have deiva, asura, and rakshasa purushas in all.

            Of the three the deadliest one are the tamasic people who are a direct threat to the society. Immediate surgery is required. Rajasic is mandha variety though selfish people do not create an immediate threat to the society. But in the long run they are harmful to themselves and others. So Tamasic is adhama, rajasic is madhyama and satvic is uttama. Krishna will give a set of values in this chapter so that some wholesome traits, satvic ones, to be cultivated and unhealthy ones, tamasic ones, are immediately dropped. And rajasic ones what has to given up in due course and satvic ones that you have to take to and follow. This is the background of this chapter in which Krishna involves 5 topics. And each topic he divides into satvika, rajasic and tamasic. We ourselves can do the division for whatever is cruel is tamasa, whatever is selfish is rajasa and whatever his selfless is satvika. But Krishna out of compassion takes these five topics and divides them as by these three gunas.

            The five topics are: Shradha (faith), Aahara (food), Yagna (worship), Tapa (austerity), and Danam (charity).  Shradha is the first topic which I will discuss later and since it is the first quality this chapter gets the title “Shradha triya Vibhaga yoga”. We will see aahara first.

            Aahara: This is the grossest thing we call start with. The baby starts life with a cry and the next is cry for milk. And both are connected to the mouth and we go through life either with a talking mouth or eating mouth! And if nothing is there, there is always a chewing gum. I was surprised to find that they were selling popcorn in the trains as “time pass”. Samskrutha is not supposed to do that. Krishna talks about three types of aahara because what food we consume it influences our personalities. In Chandogya Upanishad food is divided into three levels; gross, subtle, and subtlest. The grossest form of the food caters only to the taste buds only, it does not cater to anything else. That part enters the stomach and goes into waste. The subtle part of the food is the nutrition part. It does not cater to the taste but it caters to the well being of the physical body (sthula shariram).  The subtlest part of food nourishes the sukshma shariram which nutrition sciences don’t study. That is why you’ll find nutrition extols the virtues of onion or garlic which our scriptures don’t appreciate. The sastras prescribes only those foods that are beneficial to both the physical body and subtle body; that is only those foods that is good both physically and spiritually. When the aahara is shudham the mind is also shuddam. Therefore we divide aahara into satvika, rajasic and tamasic aahara

            Krishna says “vegetarian” is satvic food. Sastras ban non-vegetarian foods. Then those food that is offered to the lord, those foods that consumed after the remembrance of the Lord is satvic. It is maggnya annam. Krishna includes all the sweet varieties, madhuram, as satvic. That is why in any our festivals it is sweet pradhanam. Ghee is also considered satvic which is totally opposite to what modern science says. They say ghee would lead to cholesterol but Sastras recommends ghee. So any food that is sweet, has ghee and offered to the Lord is satvic.

            Then what is rajasic food? All the other five rasas or tastes: sour, bitter, pungent, astringent are rajasic. Beyond a certain limit it will make a person extrovert and incapable of quietly sitting and studying the sastras. Excess of salt and spicy are rajasic in short. Somebody said that Rama got angry while in Kishkinda and on enquiry it was found to be in Andhra!....laughs. Such rajasic food promotes passion.

            What is tamasic food? Uncooked food. Science says salads are good but not sastras. Uncooked and overcooked food are tamasic. And any food not offered to the Lord, any food that has gone stale, and that food which is kept for days, weeks etc because fridge is there! In foreign countries it seems they cook food on Sundays and keep it for rest of the week. Sastra does not agree, any food kept overnight is tamasic. Spiritually not good but paapam also. That is why in daily sandhyavandanam there is prayachitam. yad-uchishtam-abhojyam yadvaa dushcharitam mama, sarvam punantu maam. I have eaten food “uchchishtam” the food that has been eaten by someone and leftover food. Uchchista anna is supposed to create tamo guna. This will cause dullness of budhi. Even a food that is not offered to the Lord is called “abhojyam”. So one must at least think of the Lord before sitting down to eat.

            Then the next three are yagna, danam and tapa. These three are considered to be very important spiritual sadhana for every Hindu and every Vaidhika. Every householder must follow these three disciplines at the very minimum. Prayer and worship is called yagna and it must be an integral part of our life. There is no excuse to say “I have no time” for yagna is as important as eating one’s food. For yagna I recommend pancha maha yagna that I described in detail in chapter three. Then danam which is charity. It is not something we have to learn from other religions but it is very much part of our scriptures. Tapah means moderation in everything. Never get lost in any pursuit. Follow the golden mean.

            Yagnah: The Satvic, rajasic and tamasic varieties of yagna are depended on three factors. The type of deities worshipped: According to Sastras even the deities are classified as per the three gunas. Normally the deities we worship like Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Ganesha would be satvic for they contribute to your spiritual growth. Rajasic deities are gandharva, kubera, Indra are demi-gods who contribute to material growth. There is a temple in Badrinath that has a Kubera idol and it is believed that if you keep a money in the palm and take it back you will earn a lot of  money. Tamasic deities are those black magic deities like bootha, pratha, rakshasa, yama dhoota, shakini, dakini (all those mahanaysa mantras). Ask yourself what kind of deities you like and then your yagna would be that. That is if you worship Satvic deities then you are performing satvic yagna etc.

Then the next is “the manner of worship”: Satvic worship is quiet and withdrawn like dhyana, tapa. In fact you will not even know someone is praying. Rajasic is noisy like those processions, singing and dancing, throwing colour powder etc. Like during Ganesha festival in Mumbai. Tamasic worship is torturing the body; you might have seen people piercing spears in the body , animal sacrifice, liquor as those Gods are given liquor etc.

Finally “motive of worship”: In satvic worship the motive “loka samasthe sukino bhavanthu”. For the well-being of all, for chitta sudhi, chitta vishalaha etc. In rajasic the motive is dhanam, dhanyam, pashum, putra labham, shatha samasram, etc. It is not wrong. As I said earlier unlike tamasic it need not be dropped immediately but rajasic is something you have to grow out of. Someday you must learn to pray, Annapoorne Sada Poorne, Shankara Prana Vallabhe, Jnana Vairagya Sidhyartham. Rajasic motive is materialistic and selfish. Tamasic motive are those destructive, harmful, injurious. Whether I get or not, the other should not get it; such prayers are tamasic. Bhatruhari says that noble ones are those who sacrifice their well-being and do good to others; this is first category. Second variety is those who do good to others but without causing any difficulty to themselves. Like I will drop you in my car if it is in my direction not otherwise. The third variety is those who harm others for one’s own well-being. And the worst variety is those who harm others for no reason at all, just for the heck of it. Tamasic are those who use religion for negative ends. So we have three kinds of yagna based on the kind of deity, the method and the motive. You can extend this to shradha also. Those who have faith in satvic yagna then their faith is satvika. Those who have faith is rajasic yagna then their faith is rajasic and extend it to tamasic faith.

            Then Krishna talks about three kinds of danam. What is satvika danam? That danam which is given to the right person, the right thing and at the right place and time; and considering other’s requirement and given with respect. And without insulting the other person or expecting anything in return. dātavyam iti yad dānaḿ dīyate 'nupakāriṇe deśe kāle ca pātre catad dānaḿ sāttvikaḿ smṛtam. I should not consider danam as an investment. Some people even think that educating their children will help them in old age. This is also a business contract with one’s own children. No. The correct attitude is “I do my duty to my children and if they don’t do their duty to me then it is my prarabda”.

            Rajasa danam is a charity in which a person wants a benefit for that. He wants a return for it. Also “parikelisettam” – he gives charity with a heavy heart. There is no joy in giving at all. He wants name and fame for that. He organizes a big function with all the photographers and video etc. If the photo has not come well, they will call back that person and take the gift back and again stand in pose for the cameras! Even in tube-lights they write their name in such thick letters that even the light does not shine forth properly. But it is better than tamasa danam. At least they give charity.

            Tamasa danam is giving the wrong gift at the wrong time. A person buys a sweater in Badrinath during winter and he comes back to Chennai and gives it to his servant in the month of May. What is the benefit?  Any gift must be given to the right person and the right time and without belittling the person. Or asking the recipient to come hundred times! Even tamasa danam is better than no danam. So let no danam people come to tamasa danam and then further graduate to rajasa danam and satva danam. Danam is important.

            Tapa is discipline or austerity. Krishna classifies tapah from two different angles. Not only guna wise classification but also the instruments of tapas also. When the tapas is physical or body oriented it is kayikam tapas like walking in Thiruvanamalai or visiting temples like Sabarimalai or doing many rituals physically etc. In our scripture physical rituals or tapa is given importance. This is required to destroy tamo guna. One of the greatest enemies of a human being is laziness or solid tamas. Earlier you would do a pradakshina in a temple and now the doctors say run in the beach! Earlier you earned both health and punyam and now only health!

            Next Krishna talks about vachikam or vak tapas; verbal discipline. This is the most important disciple for vak or mouth is the most important organ next to intellect. For everything the intellect conceives and perceives you can convert them to vak. That is why we have millions of books, libraries, internet and this is wisdom in verbal form.  That is what makes us different from animals. Even Vedas have been preserved from different millennia in the form of shabdha. If the words are not there then my wisdom will go with me. And when Newton discovered gravity there were words to teach the next generation. But for words every generation has to reinvent all over again. Words are so powerful that it is a double edged sword. It can be extremely beneficial or destructive. So be extra cautious while speaking. Just because there is no tax don’t keep on yapping. Some people even talk in their sleep. Restrain.

            Krishna gives four factors one must keep in mind before speaking. Before the words come out of the mouth into the world it should face through four filters. Restraining the mouth is the first spiritual discipline says Shankaracharya. Once you control the tongue all other sense organs are controlled. anudvega-karaḿ vākyaḿsatyaḿ priya-hitaḿ ca yat svādhyāyābhyasanaḿ caiva vāń-mayaḿ tapa ucyate. First factor is, your words must be non-hurting, non-disturbing. Anudvega-karam or verbal ahimsa. That is if I talk to a person who is not interested in listening to me then that itself is a violence. Some people just start from 1945 and keep on going. I would suggest you say two sentences and wait for the other person to respond; be considerate to check whether the other person is interested in your talk. Don’t dump your words on them; it is a paapam. Therefore the first violence is talking to a person who does not want to listen. Second violence is talking to a person when he is talking to me. Most of the time we are talking simultaneously with each busy thinking of the reply then listening. Lot of noise and heat is generated and no light. Or you use a lot of negative and abusive language; loud speaking and all of them will come under hurtful speech. Krishna says,” learn to be alert while speaking.” Then the next condition is satyam, speak the truth. Speaking truth is not the emphasis but if at all you are speaking never speak untruth. Otherwise you call all of them and say: Delhi is the capital of India which is a truth no doubt but not that others what to hear. So the point if you are speaking, never lie or speak untruths. Our motto is satyameva jayate, whether you are materially successful or not you will gain spiritually. Therefore always speak the truth and never lie. The next factor is priyam. May your language be polite, gentle, soft, pleasant. Even the most unpleasant thing you can present pleasantly and vice versa also. And finally hitam. Speak what is good for all and not for time-pass. Any talking should be beneficial to the other. And if we observe this rule most of the rumours and gossip.will end.

            Finally we have manasa tapa or mental discipline. manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaḿ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥbhāva-saḿśuddhir ity etat tapo mānasam ucyate. Two factors Krishna highlights here: purity and equanimity. Purity of motive, which we discussed in the last chapter. Let anyone have access to my thoughts, I don’t feel embarrassed. Next is saumyatvam. Everywhere there is stress and even while conducting a relaxation programme there is stress!

            Having analyzed tapas from instrument angle now Krishna will analyze from the stand point of guna also. When tapas is for cruel purposes it is tamasic, when tapas is for selfish ends then it is rajasic and when it for a noble cause then it is satvik. In all the puranic stories asuras like Hiranyakshupu or Ravana do arduous tapas and then do all kinds of cruelty. Such tapas are tamasic. So Krishna discusses these topics shraddha, aahara, yagna, danam and tapas in this chapter. We must get rid of tamasic immediately, grow out of rajasic and cultivate satvik.

            Krishna concludes this chapter with this beautiful promise. Even though I want to be satvik at times I slip to rajasic or tamasic inadvertently. Krishna says,” If you violated by mistake for you are only a human being and I will give you a remedy by which you’ll convert all your actions to satvik actions.” After the completion of an action you dedicate it to the lord. Chant the mantra Om tat sat. oḿ tat sad iti nirdeśo brahmaṇas tri-vidhaḥ smṛtaḥbrāhmaṇās tena vedāś ca yajñāś ca vihitāḥ purā. Om tat and sat are three names of God. Om means who is the protector of the world. Tat means one who is beyond sense-perception. Sat is one who is eternal God. May you remember these three words and even if you commit a mistake inadvertently then also there is no harm. Then Bhagawan will convert those actions into Satvic. Caution here: this is not for deliberate mistakes but only for genuine errors. This is like saying “sorry”. So don’t abuse this mantra, be sincere and dedicate all the actions to the Lord. With this the seventeenth chapter is over.

            But there is one topic which is not in the last two chapters and I wish to discuss that. I consider it useful and important. Krishna talks about the virtues to be developed in chp16 and chp17. And a list of negative traits to be dropped but HE does not say how to accomplish that. We have five methods of acquiring the virtues and avoiding the vices. The first is Vivekah. We have to study the significance of every virtue. I should educate myself and sensitize my mind to appreciate the spiritual loss when I violate a value. Every violation brings a spiritual loss. When Yudhishtra lied about Ashwattama his chariot came down and this is symbolic representation that every violation brings a person down spiritually. So sensitize the mind by studying the significance of the value. This is an intelligent process. The second is Sankalpah; taking a resolve just like Harichandra. They were many who dedicated their lives for a value. So take a value and follow it for a week or month come what may. Write imposition 20 times in the morning and night and each time you violate do prayachitam. Each time Gandhi broke a value he fasted, such was his commitment for a value. Sankalpah can also be translated as auto-suggestion or vritam. The third method is prati paksha bhavana, meaning practicing the opposite. When there is hatred to a person deliberately practice love by bring the image of that person to your mind. When there is miserliness deliberately practice danam. The fourth is satsangha, association with virtuous people. By the law of association we unknowingly adopt their character. And finally if all of them do not work then prarthana. O Lord all the virtues mentioned in the scriptures I am not able to deliberately develop, you alone have to help me out. By using one or more of vivekh, sankalpah, prati paksha bhavana, satsangha and prarthana we have to become samskrutha purusha and then jnani and then mokthah.