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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18

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.'

jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ parijñātā trividhā karmacodanā karaṇaṁ karma karteti trividhaḥ karmasaṁgrahaḥ

Knowledge, object of the knowledge and the subject of the knowledge, the knower, are the three factors that stimulate action; the senses, the action and the performer comprise the three components of action.

If we find our own answer for the 'why' we will become spiritually enlightened!

jñānaṁ karma ca kartā ca tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ procyate guṇa-sañkhyāne yathāvac chṛṇu tānyapi

According to the science of guṇas, there are three types in knowledge, action, and performers of action. Listen as I describe them.

A sattvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others.

sarvabhūteṣu yenaikaṁ bhāvamavyayamīkṣate avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣu taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam

That knowledge by which one imperishable reality is seen in all Existence, undivided in the divided, is knowledge in the state of goodness.

Once you focus on the present, your space of completion increases manifold and you drop expectations and attachment.

pṛthaktvena tu yajjñānaṁ nānābhāvān pṛthagvidhān vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam

The knowledge by which one sees different realities of various types among all beings as separate from one another; such knowledge is in the mode of aggression.

Only if you are conscious, you can attract the space of completion.

ṛṣṇ

The guṇas are of three kinds: satva, rajas and tamas. Satva is defined as calm, peaceful, spiritual and good, etc. This is generally the attribute of spiritually inclined persons. Rajas is translated as aggressive, passionate and active, etc. This is the primary attribute of kings, warriors and business people. Tamas is lazy, ignorant and passive, etc. Tamas is seen as the inactive component that many of us experience at times. It is the active component of those who live to eat and sleep.

Kṛṣṇa defines a sātvic person as one who sees the collective consciousness, the whole, in parts. He understands that he is not alone and not an island, rather he is linked with everyone and everything in this Universe. He understands his connection with the cosmic energy.

A sattvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others. Because he completes with his root patterns, He realizes that his survival and possessions, the 'I' and 'mine', are meaningless. His activities are selfless, without expectation of praise or reward, and without attachment to the process or result. Such a person is not affected by the seeming success or failure of what he undertakes because there is no feeling of 'I' and 'mine' involved in his actions.

It is not that difficult to move into a sātvic state. True, you may not be able to stay there all the time, but once you understand how this state completes you, you try more and more to stay there.

To be in the sātvic state is to understand that past and future are mere illusions. They do not exist. Past is gone, never to return. Why worry? Future is a mirage. All you can do is activate your present moment. That is all you can do. The present moment determines your future. Once you focus on the present, your space of completion increases manifold and you drop expectations and attachment. You just do what is needed. You respond to reality. You respond to the now. You are in satva.

You fall into a rājasic state when you distinguish between 'you' and 'I', between this and that. There is no differentiation. Your mind, the ego, creates this differentiation. Your root thought patterns, saṁskāras overpower your complete cognition and bring up this delusory cognition of differentiating between you and others. A rājasic person does everything expecting a reward. He is selfish, aggressive and impatient. When he does not get what he wants, he is upset. Failure is a blow to his ego.

A rājasic person can never be happy and complete. Please understand, almost all of you are driven by rajas. This is the predominant attribute in modern society. Rich or poor, intelligent or foolish, educated or uneducated, almost everyone compares himself with the next person and wants what the other person has. As long as you are driven by your desires, and not complete with what you have, you are in rajas.

Too much of society has entered into human beings. You all have become social beings, you are no more human beings. You just have a set of manuals – at what age what is expected of you, at what age what are you supposed to do, and where are you supposed to be, how are you supposed to be talking, what are you supposed to be thinking, how are you supposed to be behaving. See, by default society is incomplete. So you are put in that rājasic space. Only if you are conscious, you can attract the space of completion.

Helping the students gain a better understanding of the gunas. -Helping the students understand how to be in the present moment.

  • 1. 1.What does a sattvic person focus on?
  • 2. How does a sattvic person see the past and the future?
  • 3. How does a sattvic person respond to
    • "success" or "failure"?
  • 4. What does a rajasic person expect?
  • 5. Why can't a rajasic person ever be happy and complete?
  • 6. What creates a differentiation?
  • 7. How can you attract the space of completion?

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Paper, sparkles pen, pencil, marker eraser Scissors Glue, etc.

PROCEDURE

Ask the children to draw 3 portraits (one for each of the gunas) and to write 3 qualifications for each. Then ask them to share moments in their lives where they have experienced each state and how each state makes them feel about themselves.

INFERENCE

A satvic person is not focused on himself, he is focused on enriching others. Because he completes with his root patterns, He realizes that his survival and possessions, the 'I' and 'mine', are meaningless. You fall into a rājasic state when you distinguish between 'you' and 'I', between this and that. A rājasic person can never be happy and complete.

Materials required: Paper, Pen, eraser, (material needed to write a short script)

PROCEDURE:

Ask each student to write a scenario (a situation that has really happened to them) where they put a lot of effort into something but didn't get what they were hoping for (they did not get the praise, prize, result they wanted). Then ask each student to share with the group and ask the other students to describe how a sattvic person would handle the situation. At the end, ask each student to assess their own reactions to situations, do they react more in a sattvic, rajasic or tamasic way. Do they act/react consciously or unconsciously? Encourage them to reflect on how being in a sattvic state completes them and how they can move more and more into a sattvic state.

INFERENCE

It is not that difficult to move into a sātvic state. True, you may not be able to stay there all the time, but once you understand how this state completes you, you try more and more to stay there.

Engage a discussion about how society is by default incomplete and how it puts us in the rajasic state. Ask students to share their understanding and to give concrete examples about their own lives. Also ask the students how they feel they can get out of the rajasic state.