Bhagwad Gita - Post 79

Verse 37

Arjuna Uvaacha:

Ayatih shraddhayopeto

Yogaacchalitamaanasah;

Apraapya yogasamsiddhim

Kaam gatim krishna gacchati.

Arjuna said:

He who is unable to control himself though he has the faith, and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, having failed to attain perfection in Yoga, O Krishna?

The journey toward God-realization begins with Shraddha (faith). Many sincere souls develop faith in the divine knowledge of the scriptures by virtue of the sanskara of their past lives, or the association of saints, or reversals in the world, etc. 

There can be many reasons that create the Shraddha required to begin the journey. However, if these aspirants do not put in the necessary effort and become ayatiḥ (lax), then the mind remains chalita (restless). 

Such aspirants are unable to complete the journey in this life. Arjuna enquires into the fate of such sadhakas.

Verse 38

Kacchinnobhayavibhrashtash

Cchinnaabhramiva nashyati;

Apratishtho mahaabaaho

Vimoodho brahmanah pathi.

Fallen from both, does he not perish like a rent cloud, support less, O mighty-armed (Krishna), deluded on the path of Brahman?

  

 Chinmaya writes, 

"In summer, mushroom-shaped floating castles of clouds arise from behind the mountains to peep into the valleys below. At the touch of some strong current of wind the mass takes to flight, leaving along its trail, small bits of fleecy cloudlets. Those little ones, torn away from the parental bulk, get knocked about and are at the mercy of every puff of breeze. 

Such summer cloudlets, aimlessly kicked about according to the whims and fancies of the winds, can never fulfil the expectations of the farmers, or the clamor of the thirsty. Unfulfilling themselves, they get tossed hither and thither without any haven for themselves. "LIKE THE RENT CLOUD," Arjuna asks, "will not the aspiring self in the seeker be forced to roam about and ultimately get lost in the vast theatre of the Universe?"

Dear All, 

Firstly, an aspirant having exclusively offered all activities unto the Supreme Lord without having performed any activities for attaining the heavenly spheres does not arrive there. 

Secondly failing to obtain success in yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by dhyana or meditation one does not attain moksha or liberation from the material existence either. 

Thus, not qualified for both and deluded on the path leading to the Brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all existence and atma tattva or realization of the soul. 

Arjuna here represents the world of Spiritual aspirants in all times, past and present, when he asks this question to Sri Krishna, 

Does such a one perish or does such a one escape death? 

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 78

Verse 32

Ᾱtmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ

Paśyati yo’rjuna,

Sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ

Sa yogī paramo mataḥ:

“Hey Arjuna!

He who beholds all things as he beholds himself…”

We love all things as we love ourselves. Even the trees and the stones will respond to our call. There are no non-living or dead elements in this world. The various levels of creation such as matter, vegetable, plant, animal, human, etc., are only various stages of the expression of consciousness, but no level is totally without consciousness.

It is present even in a stone. If that were not the case, there would be no possibility of evolution. In as much as we are able to locate our Self as the deepest reality of all things, we will be able to locate the same reality even in a stone. 

Everything in the world will shine like the light of the sun, and sparks of flame, as it were, will be seen jetting forth from every atom in the cosmos. If we see solar light emerging from every atom and every electron, only then does it become possible for us to consider outside things as beloved, as valuable as our own self.

Sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ

Sa yogī paramo mataḥ:

“Whether he is in a happy state or in an unhappy state, that great yogi is lodged in Me.”

This is a great promise, as it were, that the Lord has bequeathed to us in these four verses which tell us how great God is, how compassionate God can be, how near God is to us, and how easy it is to contact Him. All these aspects of our relationship with God are brought out in these four verses, which we should recite. They can be recited in any language.

A doubt arises in the mind. “Well, all this is very well. I practice yoga, and I am struggling to achieve perfection in this life itself. But suppose, in spite of my ardent struggle and striving, I do not attain the goal before the discarding of this body? 

Then all the effort in the direction of God-realization by way of yoga will also be destroyed. Years of practice will become futile. 

To this, a great consoling reply comes from the great Lord. There is no perishing of effort. The body may be discarded, but the force that is generated by our concentration, by our practice of yoga, will come with us because in death the body perishes but the mind / the effect of our actions/ sadhana,  does not perish. 

Since all effort in yoga is a mental effort, a conscious operation, our yoga practice will not be futile or a waste because the mind will take with it all its assets in the form of the great work that it has done in meditation. The power of meditation which is impregnated into the very structure of the mind will be carried with it even if we take another birth. So, we should not be afraid that if we die in the midst of the practice of yoga there will be a loss of effort. No such thing will take place. 

Because of the power of our practice, we may be born in a highly conducive atmosphere in which there is no kind of disturbance to us. Now we have a lot of disturbances—political disturbance, social disturbance, personal disturbance, communal disturbance, and all kinds of things. Due to difficulties of this kind, we cannot easily practice yoga in this world. No such difficulty will be there afterwards. 

All factors will be conducive to our practice. We will be born into such a noble family, into a royal family, as it were, due to the great practice that we have carried on in this present life. Or we may even become the son or daughter of a great yogi such as Vasishtha or Vyasa. Then what else would we require? Such blessedness is difficult to attain, but it is possible to attain it. 

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 77

Verse 30

Yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam

cha mayi pashyati;

Tasyaaham na pranashyaami

sa cha me na pranashyati.

He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he does not become separated from Me nor do I become separated from him.

Verse 31

Sarvabhootasthitam yo maam

bhajatyekatwamaasthitah;

Sarvathaa vartamaano’pi 

sa yogee mayi vartate.

He who, being established in unity, worships Me who dwells in all beings,—that Yogi abides in Me, whatever may be his mode of living.

Verse 32

Aatmaupamyena sarvatra samam

pashyati yo’rjuna;

Sukham vaa yadi vaa duhkham sa 

yogee paramo matah.

He who, through the likeness of the Self, O Arjuna, sees equality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, he is regarded as the highest Yogi!

Verse 30

Yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra: “He who beholds Me everywhere”; sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati: “and beholds all things in Myself.” Therefore, “He who beholds Me in all things sees My presence in everything, and also sees all things located in Me.” 

I shall not lose him, and he shall not lose Me.” God will not desert us. We will never be disconnected from God. All things shall be provided to us by this Great Being, provided that we are able to convince ourselves in the heart of our hearts that all things are located in the Absolute and the Absolute is located in all things. 

We are dear to God and God is dear to us in such an intensive manner that we are perpetually inseparable. That state of life is the attainment of great godliness .

In the blog post as well as in a talk several years before in Sai centre, the author has dealt with Loving God outside , Loving God within and then Loving all ( which has to culminate into serve all)

The essence of that talk is given below, which echoes the same essence as this verse.

Once and Only when we have  realized God within the cave of our heart, then seeing the same essence in all, in everything happens on its own. We cannot possibly see each and every one as a form of God, whichever form it may be. 

Either we realize God as LOVE in the path of Bhakti or as SELF in the path of wisdom. It is only then, that we verily exist as LOVE/ SELF and each being, each object, everything outside us come, touch us and take the essence of LOVE/ SELF that we are, with them and return happily.

Verse 31

Sarvabhūtasthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajatyekatvam āsthitaḥ: “One who adores Me as residing in all things, as the Atman, or the Self, or the essence of all things; one who worships Me in this way—locating Me everywhere, worshipping Me in all things, beholding Me in every little form and name—whoever does this is able to achieve this great unity with Me.” 

Ekatvam āsthitaḥ means he who has attained to a unity of perception in the midst of the diversity of things. Whatever be the mode of that person’s life, that person is one with God.

Sarvathā vartamānopi sa yogī mayi vartate: Such a person, irrespective of his occupations, location and circumstances, is rooted in God because of the great concentration that he has practiced on the deepest Self in him as the Self of all beings.

This again is echoed in the easence of the talk, quoted in the  earlier verse. 

Continued...

Love