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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12

Formless Is Difficult

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THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

kleśo'dhikatarasteṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām I avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate

For those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, the formless, it is more difficult to advance; attaining the formless unmanifest is difficult for the embodied.

If you are able to make anything negative into positive, the moment it enters into your life, you are Śiva—Causeless Auspiciousness.

For those whose minds are set on the unmanifest, the formless, it is more difficult to advance; attaining the formless unmanifest is difficult for the embodied. Kṛṣṇa says here what many of us know to be true. He says, intellectuals find it more difficult to comprehend the Divine.

Once, Brahma and Viṣṇu had a conflict as to who was greater.

For any conflict, two egos are required. When anybody, who is in space, time and form, forgets to take responsibility for other's irresponsibility, there will be conflict. Now, the Universe is at stake!

So Śiva, the one who is responsible for everything, enters the realm of space and time as Aruṇācaleśvara, as jyotisthambha, an infinite shaft of light that spans the Universe. Śiva said to them, 'The one who finds either of my two ends is greater.'

Viṣṇu assuming the form of a boar, dug through the earth searching for the lower end of the light shaft. Brahma flew up as a swan to reach the upper end. After a very long time, Viṣṇu realized the futility in trying to find Śiva's beginning and returned. He restored his authenticity by completing with Śiva, for attempting to look for His unmanifest beginning. Brahma continued regardless.

On his way up, he found a flower floating down, who said that it was falling from Śiva's head for many lifetimes of Brahma. Startled, Brahma realized there was no way he would reach the end of the shaft, and forced the flower to support his claim that he, Brahma, had picked the flower from Śiva's locks.

Hearing Brahma's lie, his lack of integrity, Śiva became furious and taking the form of destruction, Rudra, cut off one of Brahma's heads and forbade him from being worshipped. There is metaphoric meaning to this happening. Viṣṇu represents wealth or sthiti (sustenance) and Brahma represents intellect or sṛiṣṭi (creation). Sṛiṣti and sthiti think that they are the ultimate until samhāra, destruction enters their life. Only then, do they realize that they are not the ultimate!

That is why Mahādeva has to happen in their life in the form of Rudra, destruction. Mahādeva appears to Brahma and Viṣṇu to expose their inauthenticity to them, and makes them responsible for their inauthenticity and others' inauthenticity.

In one's search for the truth, the Divine, the unmanifest, avyakta, which is what the intellectual seeker is focusing on, the intellect, the mind or ego will be the block that makes the path difficult to traverse. The individual carries not only the body but the mind as well. And with the mind, it carries the ego. As Kṛṣṇa points out avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ (12.5).

Shedding the ego and restoring completion is the most difficult thing for the mind-body system. Ego provides the mind-body with its identity with its existence. Till then, Mahādeva, the embodiment of completion and responsibility, has to appear again and again in your life to remind you to take responsibility. Whether now or in Kṛṣṇa's time, the world revolved around the power of thought, the power that seems to provide knowledge and skills. It was essential for one's recognition and status in life.

Dropping the ego and taking responsibility to restore authenticity is the most difficult thing for the body-mind, especially for one who is focused on the intellect. Whenever you look at any destruction as a reminder of your inauthenticity and irresponsibility, it is no more a destruction in your life. You have learnt how to make anything negative into something positive, to strengthen your life. If you are able to make anything negative into positive, the moment it enters into your life, you are Śiva— Causeless Auspiciousness.

Impress upon the students that the unmanifest formless form of god can be experienced by going beyond the body and the mind. The mind is an illusion and the ego blocks our ultimate truth from us. Once the mind and the ego is dropped the formless form of God is revealed.

  • ❖ In the message in the story of the jyotisthambha ?
  • ❖ How does the ego block spiritual advancement?
  • ❖ What is greater: the ability to generate wealth and sustain oneself and others; or the ability of creativity or intelligence?

MATERIALS NEEDED

  • 1. Paper
  • 2. Pencil, eraser
  • 3. Thin brush
  • 4. Glue
  • 5. Half a teaspoon yellow turmeric powder
  • 6. Half a teaspoon red kumkum powder
  • 7. Half a teaspoon greyish white bhasma (sacred ash)

PROCEDURE

Draw an outline of your hand on a piece of paper. Now draw the outline of Ganesha, the God of auspicious beginnings in the inside of the outline of the hand. Draw Ganesha's eyes and tusks. Outline the Ganesha, his eyes, tusk and the hand with a black colour pen. With a brush, apply glue inside the tusk and white portion of your Ganesha's eyes.

PROCEDURE

Keep the eyeballs uncovered and coloured black. Heap a pinch of bhasma on the two tusks and the eyes of Ganesha so that the bhasma sticks to the glued surface. Now dust the page clear of the excess bhasma. Cover the rest of the Ganesha with a coat of Kumkum powder and cover the hand with a coat of turmeric powder.

INFERENCE

Remembrance of God brings auspiciousness into our lives.