Gita in Daily Life - Ch.6

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

[1] Ram Chandran-ji’s posts on Ch.6 (Yoga and Yogi)

 

http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25815.html

 

with excerpts from Swami Krishnananda’s Book, and

 

[2] a detailed summary of Chapter 6 in

 

http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25814.html

 

are to be recalled now for better understanding of further

discussions. A recall of some earlier postings, as in [3]:

 

http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25786.html

 

may also be necessary. With this background let us now

take up Chapter 6 as far as it concerns Gita in Daily Life.

 

The first four shlokas have something important to say on

what to do in our daily life. No physical renunciation is

necessary. Just do your duties without depending on the

fruits of your actions. (#1) Detaching the mind from the

world (sannyasa) and attaching it to God (yoga) are but two

sides of the same coin (#2).Renunciation is only for one

who has already reached heights of yoga (#3). Reaching the

heights of yoga is nothing but renunciation of all wishes

and schemes and of all sense-attractions and actions. (#4).

 

Thus what does this amount to? It all amounts to saying:

Have an active life. Let not activity be renounced. It is

inward renunciation that is important. By doing works with

the continuing practice of inner renunciation the conquest

of the desire-mind and the ego becomes feasible.

Renunciation of the fruits of action as contrasted to the

renunciation of the action itself is what leads to the

conquest of desire-mind (See [2] above).

>From here Krishna takes us to the equal-mindedness to all

things, happenings and persons. (#s7, 8 and 9).

 

Thereafter the chapter takes us onto Meditation. For

discussions on Meditation, peace of Nirvana and stilling

of emotive mind, etc. see [3] above. The birth pangs of

clearing the debris of our personality through meditation

can be painful in the beginning (See [1] above). For a

detailed analysis of the shlokas on meditation one may

refer, among others, to

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/livehappily_3.html

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/livehappily_4.html

 

In these shlokas besides the actual daily meditation there

is a specific injunction for moderation in everything that

one does daily (shloka #s 16 & 17) – living habits, sleep

and food.

 

The last part of Ch.6 comes back to daily life. Abhyaasa

(Practice) and Vairagya (Dispassion) are strongly

recommended as the only means to bring the senses under

control (#35). The winding part of the chapter again

brings Bhakti to the forefront (#31) as the climax of all

the yoga-sAdhanA talked about in describing Meditation.

Among all yogis, the devotee who has given his inner self

to the love of God is the greatest, says the last shloka

(#47).

 

So Recipe for daily life: (as far as 6th chapter is

concerned)

1. Doing all duties with inner renunciation

2. Equal-mindedness to all things, persons and happenings.

3. Meditation practice as part of a life-long yoga-sAdhanA

4. Moderation in activity, in sleep and in food

5. Love and faith in God, who is to be seen as the Self in

all.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

New on my website, particularly for beginners in Hindu philosophy:

Empire of the Mind:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/ManversusMind.html

 

Free will and Divine will - a dialogue:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/FWDW.html

[Guest guest]

Namaste

> A recall of some earlier postings, as in [3]:

>

> http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25786.html

>

> may also be necessary. With this background let us now

> take up Chapter 6 as far as it concerns Gita in Daily Life.

>

> The first four shlokas have something important to say on

> what to do in our daily life. No physical renunciation is

> necessary. Just do your duties without depending on the

> fruits of your actions. (#1) Detaching the mind from the

> world (sannyasa) and attaching it to God (yoga) are but two

> sides of the same coin (#2).Renunciation is only for one

> who has already reached heights of yoga (#3). Reaching the

> heights of yoga is nothing but renunciation of all wishes

> and schemes and of all sense-attractions and actions. (#4).

>

 

It is interesting to read Shankara's introduction to the sixth

chapter:

 

atétänantarädhyäyänte dhyäna-yogasya samyag

darçanaà praty

antaraìgasya sütra-bhütäù çlokäù sparçän

kåtvä bahiù [Gétä 5.27] ity

ädaya upadiñöaù

 

Shankara characterises dhyana-yoga as the 'antaranga' proximate

means of 'samyag darshana' right knowledge or realization. He also

mentions the sixth chapter is begun as an exposition of the

aphorisms on the Yoga of Meditation started in verses 27-28 of the

fifth chapter.

 

Does dhyana-yoga ultimately lead to self-realization? Certainly,

according to Sankara, :

"yogasya phalan brahmaikatva darsanam sarvasamsara vicchedakaranam"

(6.28) the fruit of Yoga (Meditation or specifically Nidhidhyasana)

is the identity with Brahman

which is the cause of uprooting of Samsara in its entirety.

 

Shankara categorises actions (rites and duties) to be undertaken by

a Spiritual Seeker so long as the seeker is unable to ascend to the

Yoga of Meditation.

 

more to follow

Sundar Rajan