How can we put the teaching of Gita in our daily life

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How we can put the eternal teaching of Gita in our daily life. By sadanand ji

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Bhagavad Gita occupies a unique place in the pursuit of truth, the

truth that transcends time and space – sanaatana dharma. The student

of Gita is a man of action, Nara, and the teacher is the Lord of the

Universe, Narayana, and the teaching is in the midst of a battle

filed. The dramatization of the set up is unique, and symbolizes the

relevance of Gita to resolve eternal conflict – the fundamental human

problem - conflict of do-s versus don't-s, conflict of duty versus

attachments, conflict of right versus wrong or conflict of dharma

versus adharma. Unlike in the Upanishads where the contemplative

teaching normally takes place in the quietitude of serene Himalayan

environment, Gitopadesha starts in the middle of two armies that are

ready to fight. The teaching in the battlefield is dramatization of

the war within and war without. The teaching starts before the first

arrow was shot and when the student looses his objectivity because of

his attachments. The attachments cloud his vision of right from wrong.

This was true for Arjuna and this is true for all of us. The teaching

is needed to face the war squarely with right attitude. Arjuna

represents the man of action, who feels responsible to uplift dharma,

who has gone through life's struggles and tribulations, and who is

ready to fight for justice. As a kshatriya prince, it was ingrained

in him that he should uphold dharma at any cost. The dramatization of

Bhagavad Gita set-up indicates that dhaarmic action or an action to

uphold the righteousness forms a basis for evolution of the mind and

for its purification, before one retires for contemplation on the

higher nature. Krishna not only provides a methodology of how to act,

but also with what attitude one should act, along with the secret of

success in any pursuit. In addition, He also teaches the essence of

the human goal in all our pursuits, and how to acquire that state.

Thus, Gita is not only a yoga shaastra but also contains the Brahma

vidya. Typical of all Hindu scriptures, the teaching is done in the

form of a dialogue, samvAda, between the teacher and the taught –

KrishnArjuna samvAda. The student is encouraged to ask questions to

clarify his understanding.

 

The teaching is not sectarian or provincial; it is addressed to all

human beings transcending gender, cast, creed, or nationality, who

are struggling to experience their divine nature, the universal

oneness of their soul, while facing the continuous onslaught of

vicissitudes that life provides. It is the teaching that synthesizes

the unity than glorifies the diversity, that unifies than

discriminates, that invites than imposes, like a mother who steers

the child to a greater happiness with discipline and love. It evokes

bhakti or love for the highest, out of fulfillment than out of

emptiness, with love-divine filled with compassion and sacrifice than

love of greed, of demanding or of begging.

 

Gita echoes the teaching of eternal by a universal teacher who

proclaims the teaching from eons, which was sung by sages and saints

of the yore – `RishhibiH bahudA gItaM'. Krishna himself declares that

He himself taught this knowledge eons ago to Vivaswan, and now He is

teaching again purely out of love to Arjuna and thus to humankind.

Gita is a quintessence of Upanishads milked by Lord Krishna himself

for the benefit of humanity - sarvOpanishhadO gaavO dhOgdhA gOpAla

nandanaH. It does not deal with a philosophy of academic interest,

but deals with Brahma vidya, about the knowledge of eternal reality

along with the science of dynamic application to gain that knowledge,

yoga shAstra. The love or devotion is rational and not sentimental,

and it is universal with fullness as it is all inclusive and not

narrow mindedness with exclusions. It proclaims:

yO yO yAm yAm tanum bhaktaH shraddayArchitumicc hati|

tasya tasya calAm shraddhAm tameva vividhAmyaham| |7-21

" Whoever, whoever he may be he who, and whatever, whatever form he

worships Me, the universal principle, with full devotion, in that and

in that form alone I give him the unshakable faith. It emphasizes the

formless form of the ever-existent truth, which includes all forms,

while excluding none. Hence, any form is as good as any other form.

That form that captivates one's mind and that takes one beyond the

form is an ideal form for him. Furthermore, Krishna declares that in

whatever way one worships that form he blesses them in that way, " ye

yathaa maam prapadyante taam stathaiva bhajaamyaham " . Thus, devotion

to the universal principle knows no bounds, no norms to be followed,

no methodology, no rules and regulations, not even specific forms to

be used. Krishna declares:

patram pushpam phalam toyam, yo me bhaktyaa prayatcchati|

tadam bhaktyupahRitam ashnaami prayataatmanaH| |

Whoever offers me with full devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or

even some water, with pure heart without any demand, without any

beggary, I receive it with love. It is not a transactional love. It

is love of adoration thanking for whatever that has been given. Man

is blessed with an impeccable body to transact with the world

outside, a beautiful mind to feel emotions of the heart and a

contemplative intellect to think conceptually and learn – what more

can one ask for. The love for the divine depicted in Gita is an

unadulterated pure love. It is a longing of the soul for the supreme

reality to become one with it, without any expectations, without any

fear, without any reservations. The culmination of the love is the

complete surrenderance to the supreme, where there are no more

divisions or no more distinctions of any kind, where all the notions

of jiiva including the separateness from the Lord are dissolved in

that pure love. Pure love demands identity without any exclusions, evolving from

sAdRisyam to sAmIpyam to sAyujyam – vision and admiration of the Lord, closer

acquaintance with the Lord and ultimately to become one with the Lord.

 

Bhagavad Gita is applicable for all centuries to come and for the

whole humanity, since it deals with eternal reality and man's

struggles to realize the supreme. Thus, it deals with the science of

yoga. Its approach is catholic taking one beyond the narrow corridors

of fanaticism, which involves exclusiveness that is contrary to the

oneness of the totality. Dramatization of the teaching with superior intellect

Krishna in the driver's seat with rains in his hand teaching Arjuna who is

confused in the battle field is a symbolic representation depicted in

Kathopanishad.

 

Bhagavaan Shankara in his introduction to Gita bhaashhya states that

Lord Narayana having brought forth the entire universe from

unmanifest to manifest provided a two-pronged approach to humans for

their evolution; pravRitti, the path of action and nivRitti, the path

of contemplation.

loke2smin dvividhaa nishhTaa purA prOktA mayAnagha|

jnAnayOgEna sAnkhyAnAm karmayOgena yOgena yOginAm|| 3-3.

The pravRitti is set forth by the creation of prajaapatis, who were

imported with the knowledge of action, and nivRitti is set forth by

the creation of Sanat kumaaras who were imported with the knowledge

of contemplation. Both aspects are essential for the prosperity and

stability of the world. The first is needed to ensure the socio-

economic welfare (abhyudaya) and the second is for spiritual freedom

of all beings (niHshreyasa) . This is both for individual growth as

well as for the stability, welfare and prosperity of the world. Thus,

Shankara summarizes the teaching of Gita in terms of Karma yoga as

essential ingredient to develop the human faculty for Jnaana yoga.

Karma yOga involves the five-fold duties (panca mayA yagnas) ordained

by the Vedas, which purifies the mind for jnAna yOga. JnAna yOga

helps to acquire jnAna which helps to cross the thresholds of

samsAra, that is to nirvaNa or liberation. Thus, pravRitti to

nivRitti to mOksha is the path emphasized in Gita. Bhakti is the essential

ingredient needed for the success in each path.

 

Bhakti, pure love or devotion, involves complete surrenderance to the

Lord or prapatti or sharaNAgati. In the path of pravRitti or

KarmayOga, it manifests as unconditional offering of all actions to

the Lord or kainkaraya bhaava or Iswaraarpita bhaava, and accepting

the results with prasAda buddhi or blessings from the Lord. In the

path of nivRitti or path of contemplation, Bhakti manifests as

unconditional surrenderance of the ego at the alter of the truth, in

the awakening of the knowledge of the unity with the totality.

 

Goal of a Human Life: Pursuit of happiness seems to be the

fundamental goal of all living beings. Hence either it is pravRitti

or nivRitti, what one is seeking for is the absolute uninterrupted

happiness. Hence, whether he is religions or irreligious, whether he

is Hindu or non-Hindu, whether he is young or old, whether he is

married (grahastha), bachelor or sannyaasi, what one is seeking for

is not the Lord, not the soul, not moksha, but absolute eternal

happiness. Happiness is not an object nor does it come with any

object. It is a state of mind that is contended, with no more wanting

or no more desiring mind, which feels adequate with itself. Such

moments of happiness are achieved momentarily whenever a desire is

fulfilled. A desire is an expression of feeling of inadequacy.

Fulfillment of desire eliminates that inadequacy at lease momentarily

until another desire props up in the mind. One cannot reach adequacy

and thus happiness, by fulfilling the desires, since fulfillment of desires only

broods more desires, like pouring gasoline to putout the fire. Hence, it is said

in manusmRiti

sarvam paravasham duHkham sarvam Atmavasham sukham|

yetat vidyAt samAsena lakshaNam sukhaduHkhayOH| |

Any dependence on other than oneself is sorrow and any dependence on

oneself is happiness. Know that this in brief is the definition for

happiness and sorrow.

 

Liberation or mOksha or nirvANa, in brief, is freedom from

dependence. Any freedom or mOksha that makes one to depend on

something other than oneself is only another form of bondage. Longing

for freedom is an inborn desire. Search for happiness is also an in

born pursuit. When one goes after something, be it wealth, power,

sensuous pleasure, etc, or one goes away from or avoids or gets rid

of things, in both cases one is only after happiness or freedom.

Every pursuit of human being is dictated by his likes and dislikes or

raga-dweshas, which propel him to go after a thing or to get rid of a

thing. His happiness depends on the fulfillment of his desires or

likes and dislikes or vAsanas. Hence as long as he depends on his

likes and dislikes for him to be happy, he is not free. Any

fulfillment of his likes and dislikes only reinforces his likes and

dislikes and enslaves him further. It is like getting happiness by

drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Hence, any dependence on fulfillment of his

likes and dislikes for

his happiness is only slavery.

 

Freedom from dependence on his likes and dislikes then becomes a gate

way for his mOksha or liberation. One cannot easily get rid of one's

likes and dislikes nor one can reach fullness by fulfilling his likes

and dislikes. Thus, a human being is caught up in a whirlpool of

desire – actions – desires giving rise to birth-action- birth (janam

to karma to janma), an unending cycle. There cannot be any freedom

until and unless one is free from the onslaught of ones likes and

dislikes. Krishna teaches yoga of action and yoga of knowledge to

free oneself from the pressure of these two, which He calls as two

great enemies for a human being.

 

Freedom is freedom from limitations. Any limitation makes one to be

dependent and not independent. It can be at the body level or mind

level or intellect level. A sense of limitation causes a feeling of

inadequacy, which propels the mind to go after objects. By gaining

objects or getting rid of objects one wants to get rid of the sense

of limitation. However, a state of limitlessness cannot be reached by

adding or subtracting finite things or objects. Yet, a state of

limitlessness alone is state of absolute inexhaustible happiness that

one wants to be (anantameva aanandaH), while a limited human being

cannot gain limitlessness by adding any limited things or beings. In

fact, a limited human being can never attain limitlessness or

infiniteness, yet the longing for limitlessness or happiness is in

born and universal. We are caught up with dichotomy; we cannot stop

longing for limitlessness and we cannot gain limitlessness. Vedanta

comes to our rescue to teach us that we are that what we are seeking for.

Happiness that we seek comes from our own nature since we are by

nature limitless that we want to be. Limited can never become

unlimited. If we are already unlimited then what makes us to be

longing for limitlessness? If we assume that we are limited not

knowing that we are unlimited then there is search for unlimited.

Ignorance of our true nature is our fundamental problem and only

solution to the problem is to understand the problem in correct

perspective and recognize our true nature. MOksha or liberation is

therefore not gaining something since infinite cannot be gained, not

going somewhere since infinite cannot be reached, but by recognizing

our true identity. Vedanta declares that our true nature is sat-chit-

ananda – which is existence-conscious ness-limitless. These are not

attributes but very essence, since sat is chit and chit is sat which

is limitless and limitless is `I'.

 

Hence, freedom is not something to gain but recognition of our

fundamental nature. Bondage is only due to misunderstanding or

mistaking ourselves to be this unconscious, limited inert object such

as body, mind or intellect. Here limitlessness is infiniteness in

absolute sense which can only be one without a second, ekam eva

advitiiyam, hence Brahman. ayam aatma brahma, that this self that I

am is Brahman, one without a second, is the declaration by the

shruti.

 

This understanding of our true nature is not readily accepted due to

our deep-rooted preconceived notions about ourselves that we are

limited time-wise, space-wise and object-wise and thus we take our

selves to be mortal, ignorant and unhappy. This understanding forms

the basis for the teaching of Bhagavad Gita by the Lord to not only

set Arjuna right but also the whole humanity. Gita forms a manual of

how to claim our immortality that we are. A sage screams out in the

Upanishad addressing us:Shrunvantu vishhvE amRitasya putraH – `Listen

you all, the sons of immortality' – implying that immortality is our

birthright. We are not sinners as the other religions call us since

divinity is our birthright. This teaching can sink in only when our

minds are free from preconceived notions about ourselves. That is, it

is free from the pressures of likes and dislikes, since they are the

outgrowth of our presumed limitations. Hence karma yOga is taught to

purify the mind from the pressure of the vAsanas and to make the mind

qualify for jnAna yOga. jnAna yOga is then taught to gain the

knowledge of our true nature.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda