Jnaneshwari On Satsangh (BG. 10.9)

[Guest guest]

praNams,

 

In message #38941, Shri Ram Chandranji had a few words

about Satsangh. The following commentary for verse 10.9

of Bhagavad Gita in Jnaneshwari (Shri. Jnanadev's commentary

for Gita), is related to that. I found it too beautiful to keep

to myself!

 

10.9. With their mind and life centered on me,

extolling me to one another, and constantly

conversing about me, they find solace and rejoice.

 

Those who have become united with heart soul,

and me and become thoroughly contented, have

become forgetful of birth and death in their

passionate zeal for self knowledge. Then they begin

to dance, in sheer ecstasy,with the joy of conversation,

exchanging their thoughts and experiences of

self-knowledge (116-120).

 

When two close-lying lakes in spate overflow into

each other, their waters mingle and their waves rise

into spirals, so in the union of self-realised devotees,

the ripples of their ecstatic joy get woven into a braid

and the grandeur of self-knowledge of one displays

itself, in harmony with the self-knowledge of the other.

 

As if the sun should wave a light before another

sun or the moon should embrace another moon, or

two streams of equal flow should mingle with one

another, so when such blessed souls come together,

they form a confluence of sacred streams of divine life,

throwing up on its surface pure sentiments (sattvic bhavas).

 

Then the devotees become as it were presiding deities

on the high way in the form of a dialogue. Overflowing with

this supreme bliss they forget their body-consciousness and

proclaim loudly their rapturous joy at having attained union

with me, (121-125).

 

They declare to the whole world in a sonorous voice

like that of clouds the secret and music mantra, which

the master discloses in solitude to his disciple. Just as

when a lotus blossoms, it is unable to contain its sweet

smell within itself, and wafts it equally to prince and

pauper, so these devotees, while singing my glory,

become so absorbed in the soul's joy that they become

oblivious of everything and thereby lose their

body-consciousness. Utterly oblivious of the time's flow

by day and night in this overflowing love for god, they

remains settled in the enjoyment of their blissful

union with me.

 

==

Let us all revel thus in the light of the glorious way

that our Lord has shown us.

[The above text is taken from

http://www.bvbpune.org/chap10.html]

 

praNams to all Advaitins,

Ramakrishna

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Ramakrishna:

 

This week during our Bhajagovindam Satsangh, we have discused verse 9

which provides the ladder for salvaion and is reproduced here:

 

 

Sankara in Bhajagovindam outlines how Satsangh is the first step of

the ladder for liberation:

 

satsaN^gatve nissN^gatvaM nissaN^gatve nirmohatvam.h .

nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM nishchalatattve jiivanmuktiH – Verse 9

 

(satsaN^gatve nissaN^gatvaM = Through satsanga (company of good and

holy people), non - attachment (is achieved); nissaN^gatve

nirmohatvam.h = by non-attachment, non- infatuated state; nirmohatve

nishchalatattvaM = through non- infatuated state, tranquility;

nishchalatattve jiivanmuktiH = from tranquility, freedom from bondage

of birth.)

 

From the company of good and holy people, one develops a state of non-

attachment; from this comes freedom from delusion; this leads to a

state of tranquility of mind, which enables one to attain freedom.

Sri Sankara here gives us a ladder to climb up to the level of

salvation. The first step is satsanga: the company of holy people,

saints, good men and women. This is the basis of all further steps.

Very few people such Sri Ramana Maharishi is self-made. Almost all

of the spiritual giants of the past and present had teachers, gurus.

In modern times, Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Vivekananda, Swami

Chinmayananda, Swami Dayananda Saraswati and the acharyas of Sankara

Mutts had several teachers, who initiated them to various spiritual

disciplines followed by them. The flow of knowledge is from the guru

to disciples. This has been the method of transmission of this

knowledge through generations, through centuries. In Chinmaya

Mission Centers Satsanghs (study groups and camps and yagnas) play an

important aspect of spiritual awakenings.

 

It is a well-known fact that good character is developed from the

company of good people and degradation is likely to follow the

company of the wicked. Hence the sadhakas desirous of God

realization should attempt to keep only the company of really good

people. Satsanghs help them to know which is real and which is

transitory through group discussions and by exchanging their

experiences. Equipped thus with true knowledge, the aspirant slowly

develops non-attachment to things of the world. The Gita lays great

stress on non–attachment; it is termed Anasakti Yoga. This attitude

of renunciation of worldly pleasures and charms is required for

further progress. The sadhaka who is non-attached slowly gets free

from delusion. By meditating on the Lord in a group or even alone it

is possible to get the mind purified. When the mind gets purified,

we are guaranteed to reach the state of tranquility. The tranquil

mind soon realizes Truth. The Yogi now attains freedom -freedom from

the chain of birth and death; freedom from ignorance, misery,

transitory nature of the world.

 

The ladder thus shown by Sri Sankara is similar to the one given in

the Gita: In Gita, Sri Krishna shows a ladder which goes down – to

degradation (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, slokas 62 and 63)

 

" Dhyaayato vishayaan pumsah sangasteshuupajayate

Sangaat samjaayate kamah kamat krodhobhijayate

(Brooding on the objects of senses, man develops attachment to them;

from attachment comes desire; from desire anger sprouts forth.)

 

Krodhaat bhavati sammohah sammohaat smruti vibhramah

Smrutibhramshaat buddhi naasho buddhinaashaat pranashyati. "

(From anger proceeds delusion; from delusion, confused memory; from

confused memory the ruin of reason; due to the ruin of reason he

perishes. " )

 

It should be pointed that the entire Gita provides us the ladder to

cross the Ocean of Samsara (SamsaraSagaram). Sri Ramkrishna

Paramahamsa suggests the following clue for all seekers: " He who is

dead as it were when alive, that is to say, as desire-less as a

corpse, becomes competent for Brahma–jnanam "

 

 

advaitin , " Ramakrishna Upadrasta "

<ramakrsn wrote:

>

> praNams,

>

> In message #38941, Shri Ram Chandranji had a few words

> about Satsangh. The following commentary for verse 10.9

> of Bhagavad Gita in Jnaneshwari (Shri. Jnanadev's commentary

> for Gita), is related to that. I found it too beautiful to keep

> to myself!