Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 - Lesson 2

Character Sketch

Śakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana embodies the pattern of self-hatred, which is cunningness personified.
Droṇa represents all the best knowledge one imbibes and the teachers one encounters, who guide us but are unable to take us through to the ultimate flowering of enlightenment. It is difficult to give them up since one feels grateful to them. This is where the Enlightened Master, the incarnation steps in and guides us.
Duryodhana, represents one's ego or root-pattern, the most difficult to conquer as it leads one to self destruction. One needs the full help of the Master here. It is subtle work and even the Master's help may not be obvious, since at this point, sometimes the ego makes us deny and disconnect from the Master as well.

Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate act of compassion that one can offer to the world.

Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion.

Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities and all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic, conflict-free way.

Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate Till now everyone blames Bhagavan Sri Krishna for this Kurukshetra war but that's the greatest sacrifice Bhagavan Sri Krishna did to save the planet Earth. If Kurukshetra was not conducted at that time under the controlled conditions and direct supervision of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, planet Earth would not have survived more than three years.

Character Sketch act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities a nd all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and The wide spread availability of the Astra shastras without Shastra, without the knowledge and vision, was posing a huge threat to the whole of humanity and planet Earth, and for life itself. The greatest achievement of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is destroying all the weapons in one controlled condition and saving planet earth, eliminating the nuclear weapons and the knowledge of these nuclear weapons to save humanity from total annihilation.

conflict-free way.

simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic,

Bhagavad Gītā appears in the heart of Mahābhārat in Bhīṣma Parva, the sixth chapter of its eighteen chapters. Veda Vyāsa, the narrator, in glorifying the Gītā sings, 'the one who drinks the water of Ganges (the sacred river for Hindus) attains liberation, what to speak of the one who drinks the nectar of Gītā?

Gītā is the essential nectar of the Mahābhārat, bhāratamṛta sarvasvam as it is directly spoken by Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān kṛṣṇa Himself.'

The armies assembled in the vast field of Kurukṣetra, now in the state of Haryana in modern day Bharat. All the kings and princes were related to one another, and were often on opposite sides. Facing the Kaurava army and his friends, relatives and teachers, Arjuna was overcome by remorse and guilt, and wanted to walk away from the battle out of total powerlessness unbecoming an invincible warrior among warriors.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra out of His utmost concern and love for him and humanity is the content of Bhagavad Gītā. Of its seven hundred and forty-five (745) verses, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sings the Gītā in six hundred and twenty (620) verses responding to Arjuna's fifty-seven (57) enquiries.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa persuades Arjuna to give-up his powerlessness unfitting an Ārya—the spiritually evolved one who understands human life and urges him to raise himself again as Parantapa—the conqueror of enemy, and take up arms and vanquish his enemies. They are already dead,' says Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 'All those who are facing you have been already killed by Me. Go ahead and do what you have to do. That is your responsibility. Do not worry about the outcome. Leave that to Me.'

na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādirna ca saṁpratiṣṭhā aśvatthamenaṁ suvirūḍha-mūlam asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā

The real form of this tree cannot be perceived. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment

If the understanding is present, right action follows tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ yasmingatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ tameva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛittiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī

One must then seek that place from which having gone, one never returns and surrender to the Supreme Being from whom all activities started from ancient times

Bringing awareness into the unconscious through the superconscious meditative route of completion is the only correct way to dissolve accumulated saṁskāras.

Kṛṣṇa speaks further about the causal body where saṁskāras are stored.

He is an extraordinary scientist. A scientist can honestly search for the truth; he can give up his own faith and belief for the cause of this search and is courageous enough to express the secrets, which he discovers step-by-step.

We see these qualities in Kṛṣṇa. He is authentic in His expression or search. He is ready to give up yesterday's truth for today's updated intelligence. Kṛṣṇa continuously updates Himself. Lastly, He is courageous to open up the secrets in public. He is not worried about copyright and intellectual property rights.

The ancient vedic society in Bharat believed that knowledge was free. The idea of copyright did not exist.

Kṛṣṇa is courageous enough to open up all the secrets. Bhagavān beautifully says, 'narūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate (15.3).' No one can perceive the real form of this tree. No one can understand where it begins, where it ends or where its foundation is. However, with determination one should cut down this tree with the weapon of strong will and detachment, asaṇga śastreṇa dṛdhena chittvā (15.3).

No one can see what one has stored in one's causal body. It is like Pandora's Box. All the saṁskāras stored in the causal layer reveal themselves one by one. When we erase four of them, ten will surface. What is inside nobody knows. Only one thing is possible. All the saṁskāras can be cut by a strong will of detachment. With a strong will, with intelligence, the entire causal layer can be completed. People ask the Master to show them how to get rid of root patterns, saṁskāras. Only strong will and intelligence can do that. Do we ask the Master's help to take our hands out of the fire? No! We know fire burns. So, we withdraw our hands immediately. We ask the Master only because the understanding is not there.

If the understanding is present, right action follows. If right action does not happen, be very clear that the understanding has not happened. Similarly, root patterns are dangerous. All that is needed is intelligence and a strong will of detachment. Kṛṣṇa explains that after cutting the tree of root patterns, surrender to the space of eternal silence, from where there is no coming back, tam eva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye (15.4). This is the space in which the whole of Existence is established. One's identity is the collection of one's root patterns, saṁskāras, past bio memories and incomplete desires that are stored in the unconscious mind. This is in the causal layer of our energy. Through deep and focused meditation, we can access this unconscious causal layer and dissolve the saṁskāras stored here. Once done, we no longer return as the same person. We are free of saṁskāras and liberated.

The spirit that leaves the body goes through a comatose state when it passes through this causal body layer. As long as the spirit has not crossed this layer, it can return to the body. This is the power of saṁskāras. These bio-memories or desires can pull the spirit back. That is why sometimes after many years in a coma, people return to consciousness. They are pulled back by unfulfilled desires. However, once the spirit crosses the causal layer, it cannot return to the body. It must move on to the next layer, the cosmic layer.

Once we access this point of dissolution of saṁskāras and move on to the cosmic layer, we no longer operate unconsciously at the behest of our stored bio-memories. We move into an intuitive state of completion, as opposed to our earlier instinctive state of incompletion. We are no longer in an ignorant wakeful state, but in the truly awakened state of consciousness. Bringing awareness into the unconscious through the superconscious meditative route of completion is the only correct way to dissolve accumulated saṁskāras.

Impress upon the students that bringing awareness into our unconscious through the superconscious, meditative route of completion is the only way to dissolve accumulated saṁskāras.

1. Is it possible to complete all our root patterns one by one?
2. What method does Krishna prescribe for destroying the entire causal layer?
3. Which layer of the human psyche is characterised by eternal silence?
4. What is the difference between operating from the causal layer and actions that originate from the cosmic layer?

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. Marbles
2. Thick white paper
3. Acrylic paint (6 colours)
4. A shoebox
5. Six small paper cups

PROCEDURE:

❖ Put a blob of paint in each paper cup.
❖ Each of the six cups should have a different colour.
❖ Now drop one marble into each of the cups.
❖ Swirl the cups around so that the marble gets coated in the colour. Place the white paper inside the cardboard shoe box. Gently drop a coated marble onto the paper.
❖ Shake the shoe box so that the marble runs over the paper in all directions. Once the colour on the marble is exhausted put it back in its cup of paint. And repeat this activity with all the other marbles.

When we are operating from the causal layer we operate unconsciously at the behest of our stored, coloured bio-memories. We move through life based on our instinctive state of incompletion and create more and more messy, conflicting thought patterns within us.

Materials needed

Clay (7 different colours if you don't have 7, you can alternate the colours you have),
Dental floss (to cut the creation in half) .

Procedure:

Show the image of the seven energy bodies to the kids and ask them to reproduce it with the clay

Roll the small ball dough into a ball (Nirvanic body)
For the next layer (cosmic layer), flatten the medium sized dough (of a different colour) and place it around the first ball.
Pinch the sides closed, removing any extra dough in the process.
Create the 5 remaining layers (causal, spiritual, etheric, pranic, physical).
Cut the layered ball in two using floss.
Ask the kids to use their new creation to show where the saṁskāras are stored and to explain how we can complete the causal layer.