Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 - Lesson 4 of 8

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.'

mamai'vā'ṁśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ manaḥ ṣaṣḍhānī'ndriyāṇi prakṛitisthāni karṣati

The living entities in this conditioned material world are a portion of My eternal Self; in this conditioned material world they are attracted by the six senses, which include the mind, dwelling in prakṛti, the active energy principle

After crossing the three layers and going beyond the causal layer, you enter a space where you are free from conditioning. This is the space of completion and creation!

śarīraṁ yadavāpnoti yaccāpyutkrāmatīśvaraḥ gṛihītvai'tāni saṁyāti vāyurgandhānivāśayāt

The spirit in the mind-body living in this material world moves from one body to another carrying these just as air carries aroma

We have the choice to redefine that vāsana, that smell, into either a stink or a wonderful fragrance.

Jīva bhūtaḥ—conditioned living entity, 'conditioning' is the new word that Kṛṣṇa uses here. Recent research tells us that human beings walk on two legs due to conditioning.

A group of scientists recently found a seventeen-year-old boy in a forest. Wolves had raised him. The scientists tried to teach him how to walk on two legs and speak a few words.

They were unable to do this and he died within a year. Man walking on two legs is due to conditioning. Everything we consider as human nature is nothing but conditioning. Here Kṛṣṇa says, 'conditioned world, jīva-loke'. Everything is conditioning. Right and wrong, honor and dishonor, are all conditioning, all are patterns. We think of honor or dishonor because we are taught that way. We are conditioned. If a group of people give us a certificate and clap their hands, we take it as an honor. That is the way we are taught. But never judge yourself by others' applause. This idea of honor drives many people mad. Never accept the judgment of the crowd.

Here Kṛṣṇa gives these meditation hymns to re-program your causal layer for completion of your saṁskāras and creation of space. After crossing the three layers and going beyond the causal layer, you enter a space where you are free from conditioning. This is the space of completion and creation! May you be free from all conditioning! Kṛṣṇa says: 'They are attracted by the six senses that include the mind—manaḥ ṣaṣthānīndriyāṇi prakṛti sthāni karṣati (15.7).'

There are five physical senses and the sixth sense is the mind, ṣaṣthānīndriyāṇi. However, according to me, the mind is the only sense and the so-called five physical senses are slaves to it. The mind jumps around. If the mind can be handled, all the other five can be handled.

The spirit in the body-mind living in this material world, moves from one body to another carrying these root thought patterns just as the wind carries fragrance. Saṁskāras in one body quit that body and take shelter in another.

This continuous vicious cycle of movement of saṁskāras is what Kṛṣṇa refers to as saṁsāra, the life-and-death cycle.

Kṛṣṇa says 'taking these, gṛhītvā etāni saṁyati (15.8)'. What does He mean by 'these, etāni'? In the previous verse, Kṛṣṇa talked about the six senses, including the mind. He refers to them here. When the spirit leaves one body and moves to another body, it carries the six senses, ṣaṣthānīndriyāṇi, the five physical senses and the mind, in the same way as the wind carries fragrances, vāyur gandhān ivaśayāt (15.8).

Kṛṣṇa answers a frequently asked question about sin. People ask whether sins come with them from one birth to another. Sins never follow. Only imprints travel. For example, if a man commits one hundred murders, the quantity will not follow, but the basic mentality of violence accompanies and tortures him. Only the mental setup is carried. The concept of karma is often used to justify actions, by saying, 'It is our karma,' 'It is our fate,' 'It is our destiny, what can be done?,' 'Whatever had to happen has happened.' This is pure fabrication and justification of our negative deeds.

Just as the wind carries fragrances, consciousness carries saṁskāras, causal level imprints, from body to body.

We have the freedom to act: the free will to decide and act. Ironically, only an enlightened Master has no freedom. Enlightened Masters are driven by Parāśakti' s will; they are guided by Her, that universal power, into doing what they must do. Understand: I cannot take a single step on my own. My limbs move in accordance with Her wishes. The ordinary human being, jīva bhūta is in control of his destiny. All that nature provides are paths in our lives and we choose the path we travel by. We decide the path. What drives us into taking one fork or another is vāsana, the 'smell' that the spirit carries. It is the subtle imprint of our past actions, saṁskāras and karmas. It is not definitive or predestined. We have the choice to redefine that vāsana, that smell, into either a stink or a wonderful fragrance. It is in our hands only. Whether we wish to travel in the same merry-go-round or decide to break out and walk free is our decision.

Rāmakṛṣṇa beautifully says that the soul travels from one body to another like we move from one room to another. When He left His physical body, His wife Sārada Devi was about to remove her jewelry. (Traditional Hindu families do not allow a widow to wear jewels, especially the sacred thread signifying marital status, and bracelets.) Just as she was about to remove the sacred thread, Rāmakṛṣṇa appeared and told her not to remove it. He said, 'Where have I gone?

Just to another room. Don't remove your jewelry.' From that time till her end, Sārada Devi followed His words. This may seem easier today. But in those days, in an orthodox Hindu family in a small village, it was not so. She was highly courageous.

Someone who completes with all social conditioning, who sheds all root patterns in his causal layer, moves from body to body as easily as moving from one room to another. We create big buildings. We accumulate a good bank balance. We have friends. Just as we start enjoying life, suddenly death appears before us. We fear death only because it takes everything away from us.

If we are unattached, if our causal layer is not filled with saṁskāras, if we are not gripped by social conditioning, we will not fear death. We know it is like moving from one room to another. As Kṛṣṇa says in Sāṅkhya Yogaḥ, 'It is like changing one dress for another.' The saṁskāras of this life are the result of prārabdha karma, the mindset and bio memory, along with the spirit from the vāsanas, the imprints of the past birth that are carried into this birth. It is always a mix of pain and pleasure.

Helping the students understand that human nature is made up of social conditionings and that we must go beyond the causal layer, to become free from all conditioning.

1. Why do people fear death?
2. How does society influence human nature?
3. Does the sins of one lifetime come with the person into the next birth? What do people say to justify their negative deeds?
4. Why is death described as changing one dress for another?
5. What do we drop and what do we take along into our next birth?

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Used Glass jar Glass paint outliner (black or gold colour) Transparent glass paint or glass stain Paint brushes Cotton swabs (optional)

PROCEDURE:

Remove any paper labels on the glass jar, wash it clean and let it dry. Make the outlines of the design of your choice on your glass jars, you will need to use a glass paint outliner. Allow the outlines to dry completely. Apply the glass paint inside the outlines. If bubbles appear in some areas, simply paint over the bubbles. Let your jar dry.

Like a piece of Glass the human being is pure consciousness, free from all social conditioning, root thought patterns, samskaras and desires or vasanas. However, due to our delusion, with our mind we color ourselves with false patterns of samskaras and vasanas.

Procedure:

Start by asking students to identify out loud the social conditionings that they feel have impacted their lives. What are their ideas of "right" and "wrong", etc. Then, ask them to discuss what they can do to remove those thought currents from their space.

After a few minutes of discussion, narrate this small story: Queen Madalasa gave birth to seven children. Each child became enlightened by the age of seven and moved out of the kingdom. Their father, the king, was puzzled. How did seven children in a row become enlightened? He probed into the issue and found that Madalasa had taught them one phrase, Tat Tvam Asi (You are That). Just by internalizing 'Tat Tvam Asi', their mental setup changed. They were complete with the root thought patterns, saṁskāras in the causal layer. They became enlightened.

Enlightenment is the removal of root thought patterns, saṁskāras and the dissolution of conditioning.

We return to our pure original state. This is why enlightenment is referred to as samādhi. The Saṃskṛit word samādhi means 'returning to the original state'.

When we recognize that we are pure consciousness, we destroy all seed thought patterns that reside in our causal layer and we are not moulded by social conditioning. Anyone who completes all social conditioning, who sheds all root patterns in his causal layer, starts living enlightenment

1. Topic of discussion is "Just as the wind carries fragrances, consciousness carries saṁskāras, causal level imprints, from body to body."

On our death, consciousness carries our saṁskāras, causal level imprints, from the discarded body to the new body. Then we live another lifetime, driven to action based on the vāsana, or subtle imprint of our past actions, saṁskāras. And thus the never ending cycle of birth-and-death continues. If we are unattached, if our causal layer is not filled with saṁskāras, if we are not gripped by social conditioning, we will not fear death.