Category: BLOG IN ENGLISH

This chapter is especially important for students who find it difficult to concentrate on studies. Also explained in this chapter are Who is a Yogi? How does a Yogi think? What is Yog kriya ?

In this chapter, Shree Krishna continues the comparative evaluation of karm yog (practicing spirituality while continuing the worldly duties) and karm sanyās (practicing spirituality in the renounced order) from chapter five and recommends the former.

 When we perform work in devotion, it purifies the mind and deepens our spiritual realization. Then when the mind becomes serene meditation becomes the primary means of elevation. Through meditation, yogis strive to conquer their mind, for while the untrained mind is the worst enemy, the trained mind is the best friend. Shree Krishna cautions Arjun that one cannot attain success on the spiritual path by engaging in severe austerities, and hence one must be temperate in eating, work, recreation, and sleep. He then explains the  meditation for uniting the mind with God. The mind is indeed difficult to restrain, but by practice and detachment, it can be controlled. So, wherever it wanders, one should bring it back and continually focus it upon God. When the mind gets purified, it becomes established in transcendence. In that joyous state of meditation, one experiences boundless divine bliss.

Arjun then questions Shree Krishna about the fate of the aspirant who begins on the path, but is unable to reach the goal due to an unsteady mind. Shree Krishna reassures him that one who strives for God-realization is never overcome by evil. God always keeps account of our spiritual merits accumulated in previous lives and reawakens that wisdom in future births, so that we may continue the journey from where we had left off. With the accrued merits of many past lives, yogis are able to reach God in their present life itself. The chapter concludes with a declaration that the yogi  Those who perform prescribed duties without desiring the results of their actions are actual  YOGIS , not those who have merely ceased performing sacrifices such as AGNI YAGYA or abandoned bodily activities.

This chapter compares the path of karm sanyās (renunciation of actions) with the path of karm yog (work in devotion). Shree Krishna explains that both lead to the same goal, and we can choose either of them. However, renunciation of actions cannot be done perfectly until the mind is sufficiently pure, and the purification of the mind is achieved by work in devotion. Hence, karm yog is the appropriate option for the majority of humankind. Karm yogis do their worldly duties with purified intellect, abandoning attachment to the fruits of their works, and dedicating them to God. Thus, they remain unaffected by sin, just as a lotus leaf remains untouched by the water on which it floats. With the light of knowledge, they realize the body to be like a city of nine gates within which the soul resides. Thus, they neither consider themselves as the doers nor the enjoyers of their actions. They are endowed with equality of vision and see a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater equally. Such truly learned people develop the flawless qualities of God and become seated in the Absolute Truth. Worldly people strive to relish the pleasures that arise from the sense objects, without realizing that they are verily the source of misery. But the karm yogis do not delight in them; instead they relish the bliss of God within.

The chapter then goes on to describe the path of renunciation. The karm sanyasis perform austerities to control their senses, mind, and intellect. They shut out all thoughts of external

To the soul who is aspiring for perfection in Yog, work without attachment is said to be the means; to the sage who is already elevated in Yog, tranquility in meditation is said to be the means.Of all yogis, those whose minds are always absorbed in me, and who engage in devotion to me with great faith, them I consider to be the highest of all.

In Chapter four, Shree Krishna strengthens Arjun’s faith in the knowledge he is imparting to him by revealing its pristine origin.Lord Krishna explains  how this is an eternal science that he taught in the beginning to the Sun God, and it was passed on in a continuous tradition to saintly kings. He is now revealing the same supreme science of Yoga to Arjun, who is a dear friend and devotee.

Arjun is quite surprised and  asks how Shree Krishna, who exists in the present, could have taught this science eons ago to the Sun God. In response, Shree Krishna discloses the divine mystery of his dissension. He explains that though God is unborn and eternal

However, his birth and activities are both divine, and never tainted by material imperfections. Those who know this secret engage in his devotion with great faith, and on attaining him, do not take birth in this world again.

The chapter then explains the nature of work, and discusses three principles—action, inaction, and forbidden action. It discloses how karm yogis are in the state of inaction even while performing the most engaging works, and thus, they are not entangled in karmic reactions. With this wisdom, the ancient sages performed their works, without being affected by success and failure, happiness and distress, merely as an act of sacrifice for the pleasure of God. Sacrifice is of various kinds, and many of them are mentioned here. When sacrifice is properly dedicated, its remnants become like nectar. By partaking of such nectar, performers are cleansed of impurities. Hence, sacrifice must always be performed with proper sentiments and knowledge. With the help of the boat of knowledge, even the biggest sinners can cross over the ocean of material miseries. Such knowledge must be learnt from a genuine spiritual master who has realized the Truth. Shree Krishna, as Arjun’s Guru, asks him to pick up the sword of knowledge, and cutting asunder the doubts that have arisen in his heart, stand up and perform his duty.

therefore, with the sword of knowledge, cut asunder the doubts that have arisen in your heart. O scion of Bharat, establish yourself in karm yog. Arise, stand up, and take action

In this chapter of Bhagwad Gita ,Shree Krishna explains that all the mortal beings are obliged to work by their inherent modes of nature,this implies that the beings are intrinsically guided as to how they shall behave and act in their bodily abode, Lord Krishna further states that nobody can remain without action for even an instant. The category of people who externally exhibit renunciation by wearing and donning the “Bhagawa Vastra” ie the ochre Robes but are internally dwelling upon the worldly pleasures and sense objects are hypocrites are far removed from the supreme soul .

Greater to them are those who practice “Karm yog“, and continue to engage in action externally, but give up attachment from within. Shree Krishna then propounds that all living beings have responsibilities to fulfil as integral parts of the scheme of God’s formation. When we execute our arranged duties as an obligation to God, such work becomes “Yagya” (sacrifice). The performance of of “Yagya”is naturally pleasing to the heavenly gods, and they bestow us with material prosperity. Those who do not accept their responsibility in this cycle are sinful; they live only for the pleasure of their senses, and their lives are in vain.

Shree Krishna then explains  that unlike the rest of humankind, the enlightened souls who are situated in the self are not obliged to fulfill bodily responsibilities, for they are executing higher responsibilities at the level of the soul. However, if they abandon their social duties, it creates conflict in the minds of common people, who tend to follow in the footsteps of the great ones. So, to set a good example for the world to imitate, the wise should continue working, although without any motive for personal reward. This will prevent the ignorant from prematurely giving up their prescribed duties. Arjun then asks why people commit sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if by force.

 The Supreme Lord explains that the all-devouring wicked enemy of the world is lust alone. As we know that fire is covered by smoke, and a mirror may be masked by dust, in the same way desire covers up one’s knowledge and pulls away the intellect. Shree Krishna then gives the call to Arjun to slay this enemy called desire, which is the embodiment of sin, and bring his senses, mind, and intellect under control.

Sankhya Yog

Lord Krishna or our supreme God  starts by inducing in Arjun a desire for knowledge. He does this by pointing out that his state of confusion is not worthy of respect hence is dishonourable and unsuitable for righteous people. He then goes on to remind Arjun of the consequences of illusion, which are hurt, notoriety, failure in life, leading to the  degradation of the soul.

Lord Krishna says this feeling of discomfort is felt by all and more so when we are confused  but it is not the natural condition of the soul.  He says that feeling of annoyance, if correctly channelled, can become a commanding impetus leading towards the highest knowledge.

The moments in our life when we are facing pain,rejection and other dilememas is the time a resolution of doubt occurs which helps a person acquire an indepth understanding than before. So we can say that Lord Krishna (the supreme God) sometimes deliberately puts a person in chaos, so that he or she may be propelled  to search for knowledge and move towards the state of higher bliss and on a road towards nearness with the Lord. The final outcome is that when the doubt is finally resolved, that person reaches a higher level of understanding.

Shree Krishna goes on to explain that the the feelings Arjuna is experiencing is neither moral duty nor true sympathy; rather, it is expression of grief and delusion. It has its roots in weakness of mind.A weak mind only faces such delusions , If his behavior was truly based on wisdom and mercy, then he would experience neither confusion nor grief but would be able to suitable comprehend the correct path of Righteousness.

He propounds that Bheeshma and Dronacharya and the others who are on the opposite side are all people  worthy of his reverence and love. Bheeshma  no doubt was considered  the embodiment of chastity.. To treat these men of high merit as enemies now seemed dreadful to the noble-minded Arjun. If getting in dispute with these respected elders was improper, according to Arjuna,so he says  then how could he ever think of attacking them with weapons? What arjun implies here is, “O Krishna, please do not  heve doubt  on my courage and valor. I am prepared to fight. But from the perspective of moral duty, my duty is to respect my teachers and to show compassion towards them.”

Arjun commiserates that, if he did kill these noble elders, tainted with their blood, and so much of bloodshed  his sense of right and wrong ie his consciouss  would not let him enjoy all the royal benefits of ruling the kingdom even though he may win over the three worlds.All the victory would simply be useless for him.

Arjun’s situation is not exclusive.We mortal beings also face a similar dilemma in our day to day lives  This is perpetually the condition we sometimes find ourselves in as we go through the expedition of life. We want happiness, but we undergo misery; we have a thirst for  knowledge, but are unable to lift the cloud of ignorance; we crave perfect love, but repeatedly meet with disappointment. Our college degrees, acquired knowledge, and mundane scholarships do not provide solutions to these perplexities of life. We need divine knowledge to solve the puzzle of life.and this is exactly what you would find in a simplified form in “ Bhagwad Gita ,”. Such is the path Arjun has decided to take.

In sharp contrast to Arjun’s words of weeping and lamenting , Shree Krishna smiled, displaying that the situation was not making him despair; rather he was perfectly happy with it. Such is the all pervasive attitude exhibited by someone with knowledge in all situations.

With our incomplete understanding, we find faults with the situations we are in—we criticize and complain about them, wish to run away from them, and hold them responsible for our shortcomings and misery. But the enlightened souls inform us that the world created by God is perfect in every way, and both good and bad situations come to us for a divine purpose. They are all arranged for our spiritual evolution, to push us upward in our journey toward perfection. Those who understand this secret are never disturbed in difficult circumstances, facing them with serenity and tranquility.

Lord Krishna explains  that those who are surrendered to God simply do their duty in all situations, without being affected by outcomes. Such persons never lament because they accept all circumstances as God’s grace.

Shree Krishna begins by explaining that the entity that we call the “self” is really the soul, not the material body, and is eternal, just as God himself is eternal.

Adhyay One – ARJUNA VISHAD YOGA

Bhagavad Gita  is one of the most beautiful and soul enriching spiritual texts ever written, the protagonist or the central figure Arjuna, the great warrior is a true devotee and inquires to   Lord Krishna about several issues as compelling today as they were ions of years ago.

In the“ Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Sanjay Ki Nazar Se ,I,  Dr Sanjay Biyani have used contemporary, simplified language to bring this inspiring work to life.

In this enlightening text it is explained that when a person goes through misery, it awakens him, and then leads him to experience knowledge. During this periods of darkness and misfortune a person should feel humble and realize that this is the time when he would experience true enlightenment. This is why the very first chapter is referred as Arjuna Vishad Yog. Just like Arjuna faces the dilemma in the battle field so do we all mortal beings in our day to day lives encounter such predicaments.

When in a depression or Vishad, one keeps on seeing everything as not right, It is like a negative zone that engulfs a person, it rattles and jolts them up. These negative thoughts can come at home or at the work place. To move out of this negative space, you need some supporting foundation and a firm base. And that comes to you from knowledge, which is so amply provided by the Bhagwad Geeta ,the beautiful discourse between the Lord and his devotee.

Facing the duty as a warrior to fight the Dharma or righteous war between Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna is directed and adviced by Lord Krishna to consummate  his duty as a warrior .

Here Lord Krishna  also perorates the most important questions relevant to our existence which are Who is the real me? What is the purpose of my Life? How can I attain eternal Bliss??

Shri Krishna also explains that the  soul is imperishable and indestructible to the seeker of knowledge who is Arjuna. He explains that the individual soul is unbreakable and infrangible, and can be neither burned nor destroyed.

The soul is immutable, abiding, deathless and eternally the same. This knowledge is of paramount importance for us also as  knowing this, we would not lament and grieve for the temporary body. He compares it to the simple process of a mortal being simply changing clothes. So, the body dwindles and finally dies but the soul does not die: it simply changes bodies.

Through the knowledge of the  Bhagwad Geeta it is expressed tha that those who have purified their awareness, becoming absorbed in sacred acquaintance and exonerating any impurities in the mind, are released from karma that frees them from any future births. They are for ever freed from any more births in the material world and are delivered to the spiritual atmosphere.

In this way we enter into this spiritual journey of “Shrimad Bhagwad Gita” with me Sanjay in this spell bounding series “Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta Sanjay Ki nazar se”