Bhaghavath Gita lectures by Sri Sathyadhyana Theertha, Chapter 7, Part 16

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hari sarvottamma, vaayu jiivottamma

 

shrii gurubhyo namaha

 

shrii kR^iShNa parabrahmane namaha

 

MOKSHA SADHANA NIRUPANVU- " AMALA BHAKTHI SCHATHTH SADHANAM " - (DESCRIPTION OF

THE METHOD OF ATTAINING MOKSHA):

 

CONSIDERATION OF ACCESSORIES OF DHYANA KARMAYOGA:

 

Question: Swamy, so far you have told us that aparoksha jnana is attained

by a system of sravana etc... Today you have to kindly clear our doubt that

karmaa yoga has no part to play in acquiring jnana.

 

Answer: In BGs, Sri Krishna has described Karma yoga in two ways. In a way

sravana & manana also are types of Karma. For the purpose of attaining

aparoksha jnana all action by speech, by mind by body are called Karma,

parayana of sasthras is karma by mind, performance of prescribed karmas are

action of body. Karma yoga means with a frame of mind of sanyasa, rejecting

all likes & dislikes (love & hate) knowing numerous kalyana gunas of

paramathma, like his independence, with devotion (bhakthi) in Vishnu,

performance of prescribed karma, without being interested in the result, at

the end surrendering everything to paramathma. Such a karmayoga becomes

actual cause for dhyana yoga described in 6th chapter & through dhyana for

aparoksha jnana. In this description, how karma causes the rise of jnana is

not very relevent. If it has been said that mere physical work would be a

cause for acquiring jnana, there would not been room for the doubt how does

physical work help to acquire jnana. Now position is that, paramathma will

be pleased with nishkama karma which is performed with bhakthi & jnana &

grants the permission for dhyana. This is acceptable to all.

 

Such special karmayoga has 4 aspects.

 

1. Performance of prescribed Karma with intention of surrendering it to

paramathma. This is simply called karma.

 

2. Arising from sravana, etc... knowledge (jnana) of paramathma called

sankhya.

3. Being free from love & hate called sanyasa

4. At the end, surrendering all results of karma to paramathma is thyaga.

It is very agreeable to Krishna to say that all the four parts together

through dhyana ensure aparokshajnana. Krishna has asserted in first shatka

(first 6 chapters of BG) that these four karma, sankhya, sanyasa & thyaga

together cause jnana.

 

BG 2-48: Hey Dhananjaya, rejecting all interest in the result of karma

adopting jnanayoga, without being affected mentally whether you suceed or

fail in your attmept, do your prescribed karma without being interested in

results with thyaga, forms important jnanopaya (jnanayoga).

In this sentence " sangam thyakthva " indicates sanyasa " Kurukarmani "

indicates karma, " yogastha " indicates sankhya, in the end, thyaga is

suggested.

BG 2-51- Those who have confirmed Bhagavath thathva through study of

shastras surrender to Krishna all results of Karma, they perform, & through

dhyaana attain aparoksha jnana & finally attain Mukthi.

BG 4-18-23: One who believes that he is not doing any thing independently

himself, while he is doing anything even when he is asleep, paramathma who

is independent prompts all action, is a jnanee.. He has jnanapaya. He gets

the complete result of Karma. (from this necessity of sankhya has been

mentioned). Any one who starts all his karmas without any interest in its

results, & does not intend doing it for any particular result, (without

sankalpa), scholars call him as thathvajnana whose sins have been burnt by

the knowledge that paramathma is the independent kartha (agent), one who

does the karma) & jeeva is dependent kartha (agent). One does not get karma

bandha, even if he does much karma provided he believes that he is the

reflection of paramathma who is ever satisfied & completely independent &

that he is not an independent agent, & has no interest in the result of the

work he does. One who has a frame of mind without desire, will be

disinterested in the indriyas of his own body. Such jnani just for the

purpose of keeping his body & soul together, even if he does some worldly

action, he does not incur sin. One who is satisfied (thruptha) with what he

gets by paramathma's echcha (wish) not affected by pleasure & pain or loss &

gain does not get karma bandha even when he does karma (from this the

necessity of Sanyasa, Sankhya, Karma, have been indicated). In BG 4, one

who has no interest in the result of the karma does not consider himself

independent, believes firmly that Vishnu is sarvoththama, & does all karmas

just to please Vishnu. Such a person is not affected by all his karmas, &

he will become free from all his sins.

In this sloka, " Gathsangasya " indicates sanyasa " Mukthsya jnana vasthitha

chethasaha " indicates karma yoga & thyaga. Thsi is visista karmayoga.

 

In 5th chapter, Krishna says, Sankhya, Sanyasa, karmayoga together causes

dhyana & ensure aparoksha jnana.

 

4. Sanyasa free from Kama, performance of karma with intention of

surrendering the results to paramathma together become cause for Mukthi.

Again Krishna says that Karma yoga & Sanyasa together with sankhya are

necessary to acquire jnana through dhyana.

5. BG 5-6/7: Hey partha! If one does not have the yoga of surrendering the

results of karma, mere free from kama such sanyasa lands in naraka (hell).

The sanyasi who has yoga with manana attains brahma very early. One who

does prescribed karma, with intention to surrender the results to

paramathma, with a clean mind, (free from interest in result, sanyasa)

having control over indriyas, keeping his mind firmly in paramathma who is

antheryami in all chethanas is not affected by karmas he does.

From the following sentences of Krishna, it is clear that sankya which is

firm knowledge of thathva, sanyasa which is free from sankalpa, thyaga-

intention of surrendering all results of karma to paramathma- are very

essential for acquiring jnana.

6. BG 5- 8 to 13: Karma yogi, who intents to surrender all results of karma

to paramathma, who is doing manana of paramathma who has understood thathva,

even though he is doing all the karmas through his indriyas like, seeing,

hearing, walking etc... thinks that he is not doing any thing independently

himself, but doing only as directed by paramathma who is the only

independent agent, is not affected by the karma he does. Krishna says that

practice all along has been like this, only yogees for the purpose of

purification of athma, thinking they are dependent on God for everything,

without interest in results do karma by body by mind, & by indriyas. One

who has no intention of surrender is effected by karma & he may go to hell

also. But who do with the intention of surrender, without pretension of

independence, without interest in result, such people through jnana attain

mukthi.

 

In BG 4, Krishna has described Visishta karmayoga, with sankhya containing

thathva jnana of paramathma. He has further stated that such karmayoga, is

in different farms & that karmayoga is useful to dhyana yoga which ensures

aparoksha jnana.

 

BG 4-24 to 31: The yogi who believes that all things that are used in the

homa are under the control of Brahma & Brahma pervades all of them like,

seats for sitting, homa dhravyas, Agni, all karma including samadhi, that he

himself has been prompted to do the homa by brahma & does homa will attain

Mukthi (through aparoksha jnana). Krishna has described the frame of mind

with which karma should be performed, to be useful to attain aparoksha

jnana, & to show such visista karma yoga is of many forms, he has mentioned

eleven by name:

1. Some yogies submit their upasana (worship) as yagna to paramathma.

2. Some others do homa in the agni, with the faith paramathma is there in

agni, as yagna by name, & they are doing homa as prompted by paramathma &

submit the same to him.

3. Some others control jnanendriyas & submit the same action as yagna to

paramathma.

4. Some others when they are actually doing an action, they feel it is

actually paramathma in them is doing the act & submit the same to him i.e.

in that action they do not accept any personal benefit for themselves.

5. Some others all the action done by karmendriyas like pani, padha i.e.

hands & legs, tongue, eyes etc... & the action of the five vayus like prana,

udhana, etc... as yagna submit to paramathma.

6. With the faith that I am prompted by paramathma, & for pleaasing

paramathma, they give all their properly money etc... to deserving people &

submit the same to paramathma as yajna.

7. Some others thapas, like chandrayana, vishnupanchaka, Bhishma panchaka

etc... as yagna submit to paramathma.

8. In this way, many yajnas have been explained by paramthma since these

are actions done mentally (manasica), Kayika (bodily), vachika (orally), you

should understand them as varieties of karma. Understanding like this by

doing the karma of war, which is in your interest as a kshathriya, you can

attain mukthi. Among the yagnas that have been enumerated (11 in numbers)

the best yajna is jnana yajna (i.e. one where he earns jnana).

 

Hey partha, all karmas become fruitful if one who does them attains

aparoksha jnana, which Krishna says the completion of such visishta

karmayoga & its results.

 

9. BG 5-17: The jnanees that keep their mind (buddhi) in paramathma again

& again, who believes that paramathma is their lord, who firmly have faith

in him who believes that paramathma is their most important shelter (asraya)

for them, the paroksha jnanees, become completely free from sins through

aparoksha jnana, attain Mukthi, from which there is no return to samsara.

Here the condition of mind (manas) which should exist just before the

attainment of aparoksha jnana, is described. It should be understood that

this condition of mind has been achieved due to the influence of visishta

karmayoga. In chapter 6, Krishna has said that sanyasa, thathvajnana

sankhya) karma, & thyaga are included in visishta karma yogi.

 

In the complete karma yoga, knowledge of sastras is one of the items. This

is clear from the description of dhyana of a top class karmayogi.

 

BG 6-8: Yogi that has achieved the results of Dhyanayoga is completely

satisfied with the knowledge that Vishnu is Sarvoththama (greatest), which

he earned from study of veda & other shastras & with higher knowledge of

greatness of God, who is not affected by dhvandhva like heat & cold, love &

hate, etc... who has control over indriyas & consider money as equal to

stone, he is the yogi that has completed the yoga.

 

Question: Swamy, in all the sentences , you have said only 3 items have

mentioned: 1. Not desiring the result or free from the defect of kama

which is sanyasa. 2. Thathva jnana which is sankhya 3. performance of

prescribed karma. Why you have not mentioned the fourth item namely thyaga

which is surrendering the results of Karma to paramathma?

 

Answer:

 

 

TO BE

CONTINUED.................................................................

 

Lectures on Bhaghavath Geetha (Dhwaitha Siddhantha Vaijayanthi) by H. H.

Sri Sathya Dhyana Thirtha Sri Padhangalavaru, Uttaradhi Mutta

Translated into English by Sri Krishnamurthy

 

Published by Sri M. R. Krishnamurthy & Sri M. N. Gururaja Rao of Mumbai

 

Printed at:

Parishree Printers

100/3 Nagappa Street

Palace Guttahalli

Bangalore 5600 04

Telephone # (80)36828

 

All rights remain with Uttradhi Mutt, Basavangudi, Bangalore 560004

Permission was given to post it in this list by the Uttradhi Mutt

authorities & by Sri SathyAthma Thirtha Swamiji of Uttradhi Mutt.

 

bhAratIramaNamukhyaprANA.ntargata shrii kR^iShNArpanamasthu