The other side is that the forces of prakriti – the gunas sattva,
rajas, tamas – in a dramatic manner become the subject as well as the
object, as the magician became the performer as well as the rope on which
he was climbing. Or, to give another example, in a dream you are pursued by
a tiger, so you run and climb a tree. This tiger is nothing but your mind,
and the space between, the distance between the tiger and the tree is your
mind, the process of running is your mind, the tree is your mind, the
climbing is your mind, and you have become an individual involved in this
process by the activity of your mind. Such a drama can be performed by your
mind by creating a spatial and temporal distance, bifurcating the seer and
the seen, the actor and the acted, the tiger and the man, and so on.
guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate (BG 3.28). Knowing that there is
no such thing as your wanting an object, no such thing as the senses coming
in contact with things, but only the same force subjectively colliding with
the same force objectively, as it were – knowing that even this so-called
colliding or coming in contact of the subjective side with the objective
side is made possible by another drama of there being a space and time in
between – knowing this, the wise one is not attached to anything in this
world.
Third Chapter which explains the whole philosophy of action, the
Thirteenth Chapter which concentrates more on the analytical, philosophical
side of things, the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Chapters which describe the
glory of the Almighty and the magnificence of the Creative Principle, and
Chapters Five and Six which hinge upon concentration and self-integration
process, all these are to be especially studied. The First and Second
Chapters act as a kind of introduction to the whole theme, and the actual
working of the entire structure of the teaching of the Gita is now to be
commenced from the Third Chapter. QUALITY OF VARNA IS DETERMINED BY THE
MANIFESTATIONS OF THE ACTIONS AND KARMAS, WHICH MAY CHANGE GENERATIONS
AFTER GENERATIONS OR CONTINUES TO FOLLOW IN ONE THREAD. VARNA IS WELL
EXPLAINED IN VEDAS BUT MISINTERPRETED BY THE VESTED INTERESTS.
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Objection 4.
Justifications for a war not clear. No specific difference in dharmic
policy between Pandavas or Kauravas presented. So, who is righteous and who
is not?
KR: JUSTFICATIONS OF MAHBHARTHA WAR
“The starting point of understanding of war is the understanding of
human nature.” Since the evolution of human the world has witnessed variety
of war and each of these wars are viewed from different perception. One
such view focuses on motive and purpose behind the war and analyzing it as
just. Mahabharata is a prominent Just War held in the Indian History. It
elucidates the two concepts *Jus ad bellum and Jus in bello *through the
battle of Kurukshetra, that was held between moral
conventionalists-Pandavas and moral parasites- Kauravas. [Jus ad Bellum
(Law on the Use of Force): Governs when a state may legally engage in armed
conflict. Core principles include proper authority, just cause, last
resort, and proportionality. Jus in Bello (Law in War): Governs the methods
and means of warfare to minimize suffering. It applies equally to all
parties, regardless of who started the war, and focuses on distinguishing
combatants from civilians].
‘ Even a person that is disrespectable, that is of uncleansed
soul, and that is very cruel, may succeed in earning great merit as the
hunter Valaka by slaying the blind beast (that threatened to destroy all
creatures). ......... A deceitful person, falling away from all duties and
abandoning those of his own order, always wishes to betake himself to the
practices of Asuras for supporting life. Such a sinful wretch living by
deceit should be slain by every means. Such sinful men think that there is
nothing in this world higher than wealth. Such men should never be
tolerated. No one should eat with them. They should be regarded to have
fallen down in consequence of their sins. Indeed, fallen away from the
condition of humanity and shut out from the grace of the gods, they are
even like evil genii. Without sacrifices and without penances as they are,
forbear from their companionship. If their wealth be lost, they commit even
suicide which is exceedingly pitiable. Among those sinful men there is no
one to whom thou canst say, 'This is thy duty. Let thy heart turn to it.'
Their settled convictions are that there is nothing in this world that is
equal to wealth. The person that would slay such a creature would incur no
sin. He who kills him kills one that has been already killed by his own
acts. If slain, it is the dead that is slain.” [ANUSASANA PARVA] CHAP 109
"Yudhishthira said, 'How, O Bharata, should a person act who
desires to adhere to virtue? O bull of Bharata's race, possessed as thou
art of learning, tell me this, questioned by me. Truth and falsehood exist,
covering all the worlds. Which of these two, O king, should a person adopt
that is firm in virtue? What again is truth? What is falsehood? What,
again, is eternal virtue? On what occasions should a person tell the truth,
and on what occasions should he tell an untruth?'
"Bhishma said, 'To tell the truth is consistent with
righteousness. There is nothing higher than truth. I shall now, O Bharata,
say unto thee that which is not generally known to men. There where
falsehood would assume the aspect of truth, truth should not be said.
There, again, where truth would assume the aspect of falsehood, even
falsehood should be said. That ignorant person incurs sin who says truth
which is dissociated from righteousness. That person is said to be
conversant with duties who can distinguish truth from falsehood. 1 Even a
person that is disrespectable, that is of uncleansed soul, and that is very
cruel, may succeed in earning great merit as the hunter Valaka by slaying
the blind beast (that threatened to destroy all creatures). 2 How
extraordinary it is that a person of foolish understanding, though desirous
of acquiring merit (by austere penances) still committed a sinful act! 3 An
owl again, on the banks of the Ganges, (by doing an unrighteous deed)
obtained great merit. 4 The question thou hast asked me is a difficult one,
since it is difficult to say what righteousness is. It is not easy to
indicate it. No one in discoursing upon righteousness, can indicate it
accurately. Righteousness was declared (by Brahman) for the advancement and
growth of all creatures. Therefore, that which leads to advancement and
growth is righteousness. Righteousness was declared for restraining
creatures from injuring one another. Therefore, that is Righteousness which
prevents injury to creatures. Righteousness (Dharma) is so called because
it upholds all creatures. In fact, all creatures are upheld by
righteousness. Therefore, that is righteousness which is capable of
upholding all creatures. Some say that righteousness consists in what has
been inculcated in the Srutis. Others do not agree to this. I would not
censure them that say so. Everything, again, has not been laid down in the
Srutis. 1 Sometimes men (robbers), desirous of obtaining the wealth of some
one, make enquiries (for facilitating the act of plunder). One should never
answer such enquiries. That is a settled duty. If by maintaining silence,
one succeeds in escaping, one should remain silent. If, on the other hand,
one's silence at a time when one must speak rouses suspicion, it would be
better on such an occasion to say what is untrue than what is true. This is
a settled conclusion. If one can escape from sinful men by even a (false)
oath, one may take it without incurring sin. One should not, even if one be
able, giveaway his wealth to sinful men. Wealth given to sinful men
afflicts even the giver. If a creditor desires to make his debtor pay off
the loan by rendering bodily service, the witnesses would all be liars, if,
summoned by the creditor for establishing the truth of the contract, they
did not say what should be said. When life is at risk, or on occasion of
marriage, one may say an untruth. One that seeks for virtue, does not
commit a sin by saying an untruth, if that untruth be said to save the
wealth and prosperity of others or for the religious purposes. Having
promised to pay, one becomes bound to fulfil his promise. Upon failure, let
the self-appropriator be forcibly enslaved. If a person without fulfilling
a righteous engagement act with impropriety, he should certainly be
afflicted with the rod of chastisement for having adopted such behaviour. 2
A deceitful person, falling away from all duties and abandoning those of
his own order, always wishes to betake himself to the practices of Asuras
for supporting life. Such a sinful wretch living by deceit should be slain
by every means. Such sinful men think that there is nothing in this world
higher than wealth. Such men should never be tolerated. No one should eat
with them. They should be regarded to have fallen down in consequence of
their sins. Indeed, fallen away from the condition of humanity and shut out
from the grace of the gods, they are even like evil genii. Without
sacrifices and without penances as they are, forbear from their
companionship. If their wealth be lost, they commit even suicide which is
exceedingly pitiable. Among those sinful men there is no one to whom thou
canst say, 'This is thy duty. Let thy heart turn to it.' Their settled
convictions are that there is nothing in this world that is equal to
wealth. The person that would slay such a creature would incur no sin. He
who kills him kills one that has been already killed by his own acts. If
slain, it is the dead that is slain. He who vows to destroy those persons
of lost senses should keep his vows. 1 Such sinners are, like the crow and
the vulture, dependent on deceit for their living. After the dissolution of
their (human) bodies, they take rebirth as crows and vultures. One should,
in any matter, behave towards another as that other behaves in that matter.
He who practices deceit should be resisted with deceit while one that is
honest should be treated with honesty.'"{WHAT IS RTA RIGHTEOUSNESS IS
DEFINED.}
Among the 18 books, book 6 to 10 speaks about Kurukshetra. The
holy book Bhagavad-Gita portrays it, as the battle about sovereignty;
emphasizing it’s not for kingship or one’s own pleasure but for peace – a
just cause. As every war has its own cause, a war held to endeavour the
just cause is termed to be Just War. The “Just War Theory” deals with the
justification of why and how wars should be fought. According to Jus ad
bellum, a war is justified in terms of the just conditions it is fought.
The principles of jus ad bellum include; Just cause: Possessing just cause
is the primary condition of jus ad bellum. Self-defense against any form of
aggression is the only just cause, under which a state can resort to war.
* Right intention: The prime objective of right intention here is
to redress an injustice already suffered.* Proportionality: One should seek
this second principle of proportionality, when the right intention demands
the use of aggressive force. Proportionality deals with what kind of
morally permissible force ought to be used that minimizes the overall
sufferings of the battle. Kurukshetra- A Battle for Just--Mahabharata and
Jus ad bellum-----The Jus ad bellum considers, war to be last resort. It
ensures the declaration of war, if at all the possible peace missions fails*.
In case of Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva*, elucidates the peace efforts taken
by both the parties. Out of the two, it was Pandavas, who were in frequent
support to avoid conflict. Evidently, King Drupada’s priest was sent to
Hastinapura, putting forth his arguments of just pointing out the right of
Pandavas over their paternal property. In turn, Dhritarastra in helpless
position to convince his son Duryodhana, sends Sanjaya to the sons of
Pandu, demanding them to avoid war, even if their lands were not returned.
Pandavas, feeling devoid of all measures, takes one last move towards peace
negotiation. This time it was Krishna, who visits Duryodhana as an
ambassador to negotiate peace deal. *Krishna uses all methods of upayas
such as saman, dana, bheda* and when all these failed he chose danda .
Despite, of all these talks, Duryodhana was very firm ensuring not to
concede even a *pinprick of territory to Pandavas.* And this eventually,
led to the preparations for war.
Primarily, just cause serves to be the overriding element of jus
ad bellum. In regard with Mahabharata, the cause of Pandavas is viewed as
just. It was the failure of Kauravas satisfying the contract held with
Pandavas to concede their land once they return after the period of exile .
Pandavas, were defeated by Kauravas in the dice game. Kauravas, besides
demanding ransom of territories of Pandavas, exiled them for the period of
13 years. This exile was made under a mutual contract that their lands
would be returned after the completion of period of 13 years of exile.
Surprisingly, Duryodhana, failed to abide by the truce and did not handover
property of Pandavas, over which they had legal rights. Considering this as
cause, with an intention set right to retrieve the lost territory, Pandavas
opt to choose war over peace.
CAUSES BUILT UP: (MAHABHARATHA) (GANGULY EDITION) On the
day before Krishna's arrival, Dhritrashtra had called an assembly to
discuss how to greet Krishna. Dhritrashtra said, "Krishna is the Lord of
Creation, the source of all power, wisdom and opulence. Let us welcome Him
with great respect and honour. I will offer Him the most opulent palace of
Dushasana and sixteen golden chariots drawn by excellent horses and many
costly gifts. Let us decorate the city. Tomorrow we will declare a festival
in honour of Krishna." Vidura agreed with Dhritrashtra but also added,
"What you are doing is good but don't think you can win over the Lord of
the Yadus by offering Him wealth. His real desire is that you give at least
five villages to the Pandavas." Duryodhana said, "What Vidhura is saying is
correct. There is no use of offering gifts to Krishna because He will think
that it is a sign of weakness. Bhisma shook his head, "Krishna will not
become angry whether He is properly received or not. We cannot insult Him
nor can we win Him over. Whatever He desires will happen and we cannot
check Him by any means. We should follow His directions O King, and make
peace with the Pandavas." Duryodhana had already discussed his wicked plans
with Shakuni and Kama. Therefore these words made Duryodhana's eyes filled
with anger. "I will never share power with the Pandavas. When Krishna
enters, I will take Him captive. Then the Yadus, Vrishinis, Pandavas and
the whole world will be at my disposal."
Dhritrashra was shocked to hear his son's words. "O child do not
speak in this way. A messenger should never be harmed in any way, what to
speak of one such as Krishna. He is our relative and dear to all of us."
Bhisma spoke with fury, "O king, your son chooses only evil and never good.
You follow him on this unrighteous path towards certain ruin. I do not want
to listen to any more words from this sinful person." Saying this, Bhisma
strode out of the assembly hall in a rage. Dhritrashtra ended the session
and everyone left. Soon Krishna and Satyaki approached the outskirts of
Hastinapur. Crowds of people lined the roads to greet Krishna. Ladies stood
on the balconies and showered fragrant flowers. The sounds of musical
instruments and conch shells filled the air. Krishna dismounted the
chariot. Fifty tall and well-armed soldiers walked ahead of Him to clear a
path through the crowds. Loud shouts of "O Govinda!" were heard everywhere.
Krishna was brought directly to Dhritrashtra in the royal court and
received with great respect.
It was decided that there would be a full assembly on the
following day when they would hear Krishna's message. Then taking
Dhritrashtra's permission, Krishna left the court and went to Vidura's
house to see Kunti. Vidura was overjoyed to see Krishna approaching his
home. They embraced each other lovingly. Then Krishna went inside to see
His beloved aunt Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas. Kunti greeted Him and
shed tears, thinking of her sons. Krishna saw that His aunt had become weak
through fasting and grieving for her sons. They sat down to talk. 64in a
choked voice Kunti inquired about her heroic sons and how they had
suffered. She ended, "O Keshava, I do not grieve for the defeat of the dice
game, the loss of the kingdom or even the separation from my sons. I grieve
for my dear daughter-in-law Draupadi who was insulted in the court of the
Kurus." Krishna consoled His aunt, "You have given birth to five great
heroes. Your sons are known for their virtues, they have controlled sleep,
laziness, anger, joy, hunger and thirst. The time has now come for them to
be installed as kings and surrounded by prosperity." After respectfully
bidding farewell to Kunti, Krishna returned to Duryodhana's palace. The
palace was as high as a mountain. It was built of white marble and decked
with precious gems and gold engravings. Krishna passed through three main
parts of the palace and at last reached the central hall.
Duryodana was seated amidst a thousand kings and warriors. Next to
him were Shakuni, Kama and Dushasana. Duryodhana welcomed Krishna warmly
and personally worshipped Him, offered Him the traditional gift of a cow.
He folded his palms and said: " We welcome You, O Govinda. What can we do
for You? Please accept an invitation to dine with us. We have prepared
Dushasana's palace for Your residence, which is even superior to my own
palace." Krishna replied gravely: “ I will not eat with you, O hero, nor
shall I stay in Dushasana's palace." Duryodhana smiled and spoke with false
humility. He tried to convince Krishna to accept their hospitality. "Are we
not as dear to You as the Pandavas?" 65Krishna explained that He had come
only as a messenger and would agree only after He had fulfilled His
objective. "One should eat another's food only if there is love or if one
is in distress." He also told Duroyodhana that it was wrong of him to bear
malice for the virtuous Pandavas. He would rather eat in the simple house
of Vidura. Leaving Duryodhana fuming, Krishna left the hall and went
straight to Vidura's house. Vidura greeted Him and they ate happily
together. Later they talked to each other. Vidura mentioned that Duryodhana
was influenced by evil-minded people and would not accept good advice.
Krishna told Vidura not to worry.
* He explained that He had come on a peace mission and would do
His best to prevent the war.* After speaking to each other for a long time
Krishna and Vidura rested briefly. Next morning after completing their
morning baths and worship, they set off for the assembly hall of the Kurus.
In the hall the Kuru elders waited with anticipation. Krishna entered the
hall holding Vidura's and Satyaki's hands on either side of Him. He was
greeted warmly by everyone and made to sit on a beautiful jewelled throne.
With His divine vision Krishna saw many rishis approaching from the sky
wishing to join the assembly. He asked Dhritrashtra to offer them proper
seats. The rishis were duly offered golden seats and worshipped with great
respect. Krishna looked at Dhritrashtra and came straight to the point. He
said, “May there be peace between the Kauravas and Pandavas. May no heroes
be slain on either side. Only for this have I come O king, I have nothing
more to say." Then Krishna explained in detail how the noble Kuru dynasty
was known 66for its virtues and urged Dhritrashtra to come to the right
path and not listen to his evil minded son, Duryodhana. He spoke for a long
time but Dhritrashtra remained silent. Some rishis like Narada Muni,
Parshurama and Kanwa also apoke. They agreed with what Krishna was saying.
During these peace talks Dhritrashtra agreed with Krishna but was saying
that he was helpless. Duryodhana was becoming more and more angry. As the
discussion went on, Dhritrashtra spoke to Duryodhana and convinced him to
make peace. Duryodhana was f urious. He could not hear any more. He got up
and strongly opposed Krishna's message of peace.
*In fact he cunningly blamed the Pandavas for all that had
happened and finally said, "I will not give the Pandavas even that much
land which can be pierced by the point of a needle."* Krishna chastised
Duryodhana in a stern voice. By now even some of Duryodhana's brothers were
convinced that peace was the only solution. Dushasna also had begun to
favour peace. But Duryodhana could not tolerate the situation any more. He
stormed out of the assembly hall. His ninety-nine brothers and ministers
followed him. After this Krishna tried again to speak to Dhritrashtra. He
said many things and concluded, "One man should be sacrificed for the sake
of a race, a racefor the sake of a town, the town for the benefit of the
country and the earth for the sake of the soul." But Dhritrashtra was too
attached to his son to take this advice. Dhritrashtra invited Duryodhana's
mother Queen Gandhari to the assembly. Gandhari came to the assembly. She
was also in favour of peace. Duryodhana came back. In a gentle voice she
tried to convince him but he remained as obstinate as before. Gandhari
tried to explain to her son but he did not want to listen. She said, "You
have heard this advice again. One who ignores the good advice of
well-wishers will regret it later. But his enemies will rejoice." i Krishna
explained that He had come only as a messenger and would agree only after
He had fulfilled His objective. "One should eat another's food only if
there is love or if one is in distress." He also told Duroyodhana that it
was wrong of him to bear malice for the virtuous Pandavas. He would rather
eat in the simple house of Vidura. Leaving Duryodhana fuming, Krishna left
the hall and went straight to Vidura's house. Vidura greeted Him and they
ate happily together. Later they talked to each other. Vidura mentioned
that Duryodhana was influenced by evil-minded people and would not accept
good advice. Krishna told Vidura not to worry. He explained that He had
come on a peace mission and would do His best to prevent the war.
*Many people argue and say that God could do anything, and they say that
God should have avoided the war by his own Sankalpa (Will).* Here, we must
notice that Krishna was not willing to use his divine strength for the
benefit of mankind directly. He was living as human beings do, and he
wanted to use the normal human methods by which to control various actions.
There are thousands of people in the world who are willing to demonstrate
these spiritual aspects in a manner which is quite easy to understand.
There are great people who will help you to follow the essence of the Vedas
in an easy manner. Until the peace negotiations were completed, he did not
want to accept the hospitality offered by Duryodhana; and he went and
stayed in Vidura’s house. Because such rules of conduct were being observed
in those days in the matter of political negotiations, they were always of
a very high order. Today, if ambassadors come from other countries, they
are driven to the Raj Bhavan straight from the airport; and even before the
negotiations begin, a dinner is arranged and other types of hospitality is
given to the visitor. In the conditions that are existing today, if we
accept and put into practice the ideals that were demonstrated in the
Mahabharatha, our country will certainly prosper. We are thinking and
taking the view that the Mahabharata simply consists of people who were
warmongers. This is not correct. *The Mahabharata is an ideal text for
people who are peace lovers. *
At the outset of Kurukshetra, the rules of war were commenced and
accepted by both the rival parties of the battle. Apparently, with regard
to proportionality rules such as equals fight equals where a chariot
warrior can attack a chariot warrior and a horse warrior can attack the
horse warrior. The use of unfair means to retaliate enemy was restricted.
And a soldier with broken weapon and one who doesn’t have armour should not
be attacked . Pandavas ensured these rules were followed. This can be
evidenced where, Arjuna being an archer attacked Karna who is an archer in
turn. Similarly, it was Bhima versus Duryodhana and Yudhistra versus Salya.
During the course of conflict, Pandavas ensured not to use unfair means and
kept it up throughout, making the criteria of proportionality get proven.
Consequently, Pandavas striding behind their just cause, ensured
that their journey under Kurukshetra, is in just manner as well.
Nonetheless, there were few deviations held that could be again justified
as a factor of defense with a motive in accomplishing their right intention
at the end. Apart from spiritual, religious, cultural lessons the great
Indian Epics talks about the wide range of concepts of war. Considering
Mahabharata as a plot of war regardless of its spiritual and cultural
ideas, the Just war theory is applied making it verified as just war in the
Indian history. In spite of few divergences, major criterion of both the
elements- jus ad bellum and jus in bello, such as just cause, right
intention, proportionality was proven thus making it a just war. In the
contemporary times, the evolution of technology has reduced the number of
just wars being fought. However, interpreting Kosovo war through the case
of Battle of Kurukshetra, proves the former to be the just war of the
contemporary times.
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Objection 5.
Devotion is one way to reach god. But why would a creator expect such
loyalty from its creation is not clear.
Devotion or Bhakti Yoga is a process of centring one’s actions on God. It
is the process of Deity-Yoga. The benefit is for ourselves it is a centring
device and not a theological necessity. Devotion is one of 4 paths of
spiritual practice taught in the Gita and the underlying principle is that
Krishna and the devotee are non-seperate, so Bhakti is a method of
connecting with one’s own higher Self.
Gita 15:7. An everlasting part of Myself, having become the Jīvātman in the
mortal world, acquires the [five] senses, and the mind which is the sixth,
and abides in Prakṛti.
Gita 10:20. I am the Self, O Gudakesha (Arjuna – Conqueror-of-sleep),
dwelling in the hearts of all beings. I verily am the beginning, the middle
and also the end of all beings.
As long as humans have existed, the state of Self-realisation
has been at the centre of philosophical debate across traditions. The
Bhagavad Gita has acted as a guide for many in pursuit of both
Self-realisation and God-realisation. The ancient scripture is a
conversation between Lord Krishna and His disciple, Arjuna, as they stand
on a battlefield. Everything begins as Arjuna is reeling and confused,
needing to choose between his attachments and his dharma. Over the course
of 18 chapters and 700 verses, their conversation plays out as Krishna
guides Arjuna to understand the ultimate reality and his necessary duties.
Despite this conversation happening 12000 years ago, it has held up against
the test of time. It’s eternal truths continue to guide us towards
realisation – even today. Out of love for us and for the sake of our
enlightenment, Krishna was not only talking to Arjuna but to everyone,
including those who followed.
Even when the physical body ages and eventually dies, the soul
will stay imperishable, immortal, and eternal. There is no reason for
sorrow as the soul, our essence, lives on. To help Arjuna come to terms
with the fact that his perception of reality is flawed and to acquaint him
with the idea that he, and therefore us too, are the soul, Krishna starts
to create cracks in Arjuna's attachments and identification with his body.
The soul is a spark of the Divine Himself. Each living being carries Him
and His Divine qualities inside and there is nothing that could ever change
that. ‘Weapons do not cut the Self; fire does not burn It, water does not
wet It, and wind does not dry It.’ - Bhagavad Gita, 2.23 The embodied soul
might be covered in layers leading us to believe this reality to be true,
but Krishna reminds us, just like our body and even our mind and intellect
are prone to change, our perception of that reality will also change. It is
only in the quietness of one’s being that we can see the true reality and
observe the Self or soul, the unchanging and immutable truth.
‘One person sees the Self as a wonder, likewise another speaks of It
as a wonder; still another hears of It as a wonder. But even after hearing
of It, no one truly understands It.’ – Bhagavad Gita, 2.29 In Chapter 2,
verse 29, Krishna describes the soul as something wonderful that no human
mind has ever known. Mere human comprehension and words are not enough to
capture the greatness and brilliance of the soul. Nevertheless, we can feel
and perceive it when we go deep within. Paramahamsa Vishwananda says,
‘there are a few special people in the world who possess such virtue and
purity of heart, (…) Because of their faith in God, their reverence for
God, just hearing about the wonders of the soul creates a great bhav inside
them.’ ‘When your intellect, well-enlightened by listening to Me and firmly
placed, remains unshaken in a concentrated mind, then you will attain the
vision of the Self and attain yoga.’ - Bhagavad Gita, 2.53 Over the course
of the next three chapters, Krishna teaches karma-yoga and jnana-yoga.
Karma-yoga leads you to Self-realisation by renouncing the fruits of
action. When you renounce the fruits of action and live in a true state of
equanimity, then there is no new karma. All do you do is burn the old until
you realise your true Self. Through Jnana-yoga, you attain knowledge of the
Self by developing proper knowledge and renouncing action.
While these two paths are incredible tools for Self-realisation,
Krishna offers a third alternative. He offers bhakti-yoga which isn’t about
attaining the Self. It’s about attaining the source of the Self, the
highest state, God-realisation. ‘But more than all the yogīs, he who has
faith and worships Me, is deemed by Me to be the highest of all.’ –
Bhagavad Gita, 6.47
What is God-realization?
When we speak of enlightenment we have to distinguish between
Self-realisation and God-realisation. The latter would be the ultimate
state where the bhakta, the lover of God, is fully absorbed in
God-consciousness and has surrendered body, mind, and soul to its fullest.
The bhakta knows that there is only God and all that is exists is a
manifestation of His will. God-realisation has been described as a state
of being where one is in constant union with the Divine. However, such
level of consciousness can only be given through grace. Even though a
Self-realised person demonstrates certain qualities, only His Grace grants
the final goal when the bhakta puts all his trust in Him and surrenders.
‘In Him take refuge in every way of your being and by His Grace you shall
come to the supreme peace and eternal status.’ – Bhagavad Gita, 18.62
Lord Krishna holds the bhakta who reciprocates this Love very dear. When
one is filled with Love for the Divine one is ready and God will give full
understanding to the bhakta which leads him to God Himself. It is, after
all, Love that is the essence of everything and which drives the universe.
But how does one go about attaining that grace? How does one become the
dearest of the Lord? In His mercy, Krishna also provides the answer that in
chapter 18, verses 65-66. ‘Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship
Me, bow down before Me and you shall come to Me. I promise you this for
certain, for you are dear to Me.’ – 18.65 ‘Abandoning all dharmas,
surrender to Me alone. I will take care of all your sins; I will liberate
you. Have no fear.’ – 18.66
This is God’s promise to us. Throughout the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna
shares the many ways a seeker of truth should act in order to attain the
highest knowledge, but maybe most beautifully, Krishna discloses that the
final and most important element of realisation is Love and devotion. Love
and devotion can help one overcome any challenge as the very fabric of life
is Love. Without Love and Devotion, knowledge is just knowledge. If that
knowledge doesn’t lead one to grow in love and surrender to God, then it is
useless. It will all just be theory if we don’t listen closely to His
Divine words and go into the quietness of our heart. Soon enough the Divine
will reveal Himself. Learning how to apply the principles of the Bhagavad
Gita to your daily life can be challenging. Focusing on living life to the
fullest but without attachment, Bhakti Marga teacher, Mayuran
Senthilnathan, walks you through the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and
provides practical steps you can take to apply its teachings to your life
today.
विमलमतिरमत्सरः प्रशान्तः शुचिचरितोऽखिलसत्त्वमित्रभूतः
प्रियहितवचनोऽस्तमानमायो वसति सदा हृदि तस्य वासुदेवः
Which is the dwelling place of Vasudeva?
Clear mind, spotless mind, sinless mind, calm and composed, clean conduct,
friend of everyone, speaking nice words, never offending anyone with words,
whose delusions — maya — are gone, whose limitations are gone. Such a
person — his heart is the dwelling place of Vasudeva.
Yamaraja is telling his duta whom to avoid:
यमनियमविधूतकल्मषाणामनुदिनमच्युतसक्तमाननाम् अपगतमदमानमत्सराणां व्रज भट
दूरतरेण मानवानाम्
Those who observe yama and niyama, whose kalmasha (sins) are already washed
away, who are obsessed with Achyuta, engrossed in Achyuta — their pride,
arrogance, sense of competition, envy — all are gone. Stay away from them.
You don’t have to bring them to Yamaloka. Yamaloka is only for those who
take rebirth. Such people don’t have to take another birth. So stay away
from such people.
विश्वं सर्वत्र पूर्णत्वात् स्वरूपगुणवैभवैः
The name Vishvam indicates completeness — completeness with respect to His
forms, attributes, and abilities. When you call Him Universe, then nothing
is left out.
Vishwaroopam is nothing but a Macro form of the person;
who can be in a normal form and also can reduce to aorta of micro form; By
showing vishwaroopam God wants to show his/her comprehensive power and it
gives confidence to the opponent.
Arjuna was not starting war till he saw Viswaroopam of
Krishna; Krishna’s Viswaroopam gave clarity to Arjuna and sacred Bhagavad
Gita narrated by Lord himself.
Sitadevi was in a very much confused state in Lanka when
Anchanyea met her; Though Anchaneyar said lot of good words she was still
had some subtle doubt being a vanara how can he do this biggest thing.
Hence by showing his Viswaroopam Anchaneya gave confidence to Sitadevi that
Lord Rama will surely come and give good lesson to Ravana and release her
from this situation.
When Satidevi lost her physical form after being insulted by her
dad Dhakshan; She want to rebirth to a befitting couple. On her search she
found Parvatharjan who was an ardinent shiva devotte and she felt he was
the best one and she invited him for discussion. She showed her Viswaroopam
to Parvatharajan; He was very much delighted and prostrated to God . The
below words of Parvatharajan was mindblowing. He said, ” Mata !!
Tripurasundari I am very much delighted that you are going to be my
daughter and Lord Shiva going to be my son in law, please show me the ways
how I should equip myself to recieve you as my daughter”. By the words of
Raja, Devi was very much pleased. Their conversation is in ” Devi
Gita”which is found in the last nine chapters (31-40) of the seventh
skandha of Devi Bhagawatam.
It deals with the universal form of the Devi, meditations on the
major texts of Upanishads, ashtanga-yoga, the yogas of jnana, karma and
bhakti, locations of the temples dedicated to the Devi and the rituals
pertaining to her worship.
This Micro and Macro cosmic transformation says us our knowledge
also should be like that. If we take a concept, we should be able to expand
and talk for 2 hours or should talk the crux within 3o mins also. If we
have deep insight only we can expand or shrink same way the Almighty shows
the viswaroopam and tells us the supremacy and the power they has.
The concept of Micro/Macro Worship integrates the belief in a
God who is both transcendent (ruling the universe) and imminent (present in
daily life). It balances large-scale, corporate worship with intimate,
everyday devotion. Macro Worship (The Big Picture): Recognizing the "macro"
God—the creator of the universe, who oversees nations, history, and the
overall "Kingdom" mission. Recognizing God's engagement in the micro"—the
minute details of life, such as personal habits, individual struggles, or
small acts of service. Worship bridges the gap between individual, daily
experiences (micro) and God’s larger, eternal purposes (macro), fostering a
sense of peace and divine alignment. In essence, it is the practice of
seeing God not only in the grand, sweeping narrative of history but also in
the small, seemingly mundane moments of daily life.
Bhagavad Gita 12.9 TILL END:
If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me, O Arjun, then practice
remembering Me with devotion while constantly restraining the mind from
worldly affairs. If you cannot practice remembering Me with devotion, then
just try to work for Me. Thus performing devotional service to Me, you
shall achieve the stage of perfection. If you are unable to even work for
Me in devotion, then try to renounce the fruits of your actions and be
situated in the self. Better than mechanical practice is knowledge; better
than knowledge is meditation. Better than meditation is renunciation of the
fruits of actions, for peace immediately follows such renunciation. Those
devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living
beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment
to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and
ever-forgiving. They are ever-content, steadily united with Me in devotion,
self-controlled, of firm resolve, and dedicated to Me in mind and
intellect. Those who are not a source of annoyance to anyone and who in
turn are not agitated by anyone, who are equal in pleasure and pain, and
free from fear and anxiety, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me.
Those who are indifferent to worldly gains, externally and internally pure,
skillful, without cares, untroubled, and free from selfishness in all
undertakings, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me. Those who neither
rejoice in mundane pleasures nor despair in worldly sorrows, who neither
lament for any loss nor hanker for any gain, who renounce both good and
evil deeds, such persons who are full of devotion are very dear to Me.
Those, who are alike to friend and foe, equipoised in honor and dishonor,
cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and are free from all unfavorable
association; those who take praise and reproach alike, who are given to
silent contemplation, content with what comes their way, without attachment
to the place of residence, whose intellect is firmly fixed in Me, and who
are full of devotion to Me, such persons are very dear to Me. Those who
honor this nectar of wisdom declared here, have faith in Me, and are
devoted and intent on Me as the supreme goal, they are exceedingly dear to
Me. THUS, ONE WHO CAMEOUT OF THE PRIME-MATTER MUST GO BACK TO THE SAME
MATTER; SO ALSO, THE ATMAN AS BRAHMAN; FROM BRAHMAM CAME THE JEEVATMA; SO
JEEVATMA CAN ONLY GO BACK TO PARTAMATMA OR STAY WITHIN FOR JANMAS. CHOICE
IS THAT OF THE INDIVIDUALS.
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K RAJARAM IRS 13526 TO BE CONTD
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