Bhagwad Gita - Post 204

THE YOGA OF THE DIVISION OF THE THREEFOLD FAITH

Summary of Seventeenth Discourse

This discourse is termed the “Yoga of the Division of the Three Kinds of Faith”. The theme of this discourse arises out of the question asked by Arjuna in Verse 1 with reference to the final and closing advice of Lord Krishna in the previous discourse, contained in the last two verses therein (Verses 23 and 24). Arjuna asks, “What about those who, even though setting aside scriptural injunctions yet perform worship with faith?”

The Lord replies and states that the faith of such men who ignore the injunctions of the scriptures could be either Sattwic, Rajasic or Tamasic. This would be in accordance with the basic nature of the person himself. And, conversely, as is the kind of faith, so develops the nature of the man.

Thus, in all things like sacrifice, worship, charity, penance, etc., these qualities become expressed in accordance with the kind of faith in which the person concerned is based. 

Three kinds of worship:

Satvika people worship gods and goddesses, rajasika people worship angels and demons, while tamasika people worship ghosts and spirits.

Three kinds of food:

Sattvika people like food that improves health and increases appetite, joy, strength, and longevity. Such food is also tasty, not very dry, cooked with balanced spices, nutritious, and pleasing to the heart. 

The food rajasika people prefer is extremely bitter, sour, salty, dry, hot in temperature and with the spices that burn the tongue and the body.  Such food causes pain, worries and disease.

Tamasika people like food that is ill-cooked, tasteless, putrid, stale, left-over, and filthy.

Three kinds of Yajna

Sattvika yajna is one which is performed following the guidelines of scriptures and saints.

Rajasika yajna is performed with a clear motive of material gain and just to project oneself as a spiritual person.

Tamasika yajna is performed without following any guidelines.  

Three kinds of austerities: 

There are three kinds of austerities, namely, physical, verbal and mental.  Each of these austerities is of three types: sattvika, rajasika, and tamasika.

Each of these austerities is sattvika if it is performed with supreme faith and for spiritual development only, not for any worldly gain.

The rajasika way of performing austerity is to gain honor, attain higher status, receive reverence from people in the society, and is filled with hypocrisy.  The result of such austerity is uncertain and short-lived.

When a person picks up a few ideas and practices them as austerity to torture their own body and mind and simply to harm others, then it is called tamsika austerity.

Three kinds of charity: 

When charity is done with noble purpose it is called sattvika charity.

Rajasika charity is done in order to receive a worldly favor and for material gain.

Charity to an unworthy, at improper place and time, and given with insults and disrespect is called tamasika charity. 

All the above produce results in accordance with the quality of the doer’s faith. These acts done with right faith lead to supreme blessedness. 

When taken up without any faith whatsoever, all these actions become barren and useless.

Om, Tat and Sat 

Om, Tat and Sat are three epithets of Brahman.  By that were created formerly the Brahmanas, the Vedas, and the yajnas. 

Therefore, the followers of the Vedas always begin all yajnas, tapa and charity enjoined by the scriptures with the utterance of “Om”.

People seeking liberation, uttering the word “Tat”, perform yajna, tapa, and charity only for spiritual development.

The word “Sat” is used whenever one refers to the Ultimate Reality or something good or noble.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 203

Verse 23

  

He who, casting aside the ordinances of the scriptures, acts under the impulse of desire, attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme goal.

There are certain norms that have been set forth by ancient Masters, who recorded their experiences and their impressions in texts called Shastras—such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita and the Smrtis. 

These Shastras give us a norm of conduct and behavior prescribed in the light of the ultimate aim of life. Shastras, or scriptures, lay down the necessity to place oneself in a harmonious state of affairs in the context of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. 

The normal way of looking at things, the vision of things based on our independent thinking, is materially construed, and desire-filled. Thus, the necessity to consult and work according to the injunctions of the Shastras is considered here as imperative. 

The necessity for material amenities is something well known to people. We require certain physical comforts, but we cannot have so much of it as would deprive others of an equal share of it in this world. 

Therefore, dharma is supposed to be a restraining order, a principle of limitations set on the desires even for material need.

Kama is the need for fulfillment of emotional requirements.

Dharma puts a limit on our asking for things in this world, whether material or emotional, in the light of the ultimate aim of all beings, the liberation of the spirit, which is moksha. 

The four Purusharthas - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are dealt in a detailed manner in the following post in KARMA theme posts

http://journey-deep-within.blogspot.com/2016/12/karma-part-9.html

We will not attain perfection if we reject the scriptures completely, and try to work according to our own whim and fancy and predilections that change from moment to moment, according to the weakness of our rationality. 

Such a person cannot be happy. A person who is totally independent in his behavior, who cares not for the welfare of others, and who has no consideration for the injunctions of the great scriptures that are intended for the welfare of everybody, such a person will not reap success in this world, nor will it be possible for him to be happy in this world

Chinmaya pens powerful stroke on such men and writes,

“The consequences of such an unintelligent and naughty disregard of the right-way-of-life is clearly indicated here. Propelled by desires, coaxed by greed, torn by anger and constantly dancing to the changing tunes of the lusty flesh, an individual comes to live a life of restless agitations and tyrannical passions. Such a man cannot feel any happiness or attain any cultural development.”

“Therefore, O Arjuna, scripture is your final authority in matters of doubt.” 

We should look at the experiences of great saints and sages and see how they conducted themselves when they were confronted with problems of various kinds. That will be a solution for us. 

But suppose we have such a peculiar, fantastic difficulty whose solution cannot be found in the Vedas or in the Smritis, and even saints had not passed through that experience, then we should go to our Guru. If we do not have a Guru, we should close our eyes and ask the Atman our own conscience, “What is good for me?” If we are honest and sincere and repentant, the light within will tell us what is good for us. 

Verse 24

Therefore, let the scripture be the authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Having known what is said in the ordinance of the scriptures, thou shouldst act here in this world.

With clarity on the above verses, the seeker of an ampler life must necessarily follow the authority of the Scriptures in planning his way-of-life. The right conduct in life can be determined only when the individual has correct knowledge of what is to be pursued and what is to be avoided. 

The grand road to Truth is the same for all. It cannot be determined by each pilgrim according to his own whims and fancies. 

Therefore, every seeker is required to study intelligently the Scriptures, which are the reports left for our guidance by those who successfully walked the 'Path' earlier. 

Not only must one gather true knowledge from scriptures / from a realized master, but they should contemplate, get convinced, undertake relentless meditation and practice what they have learnt and lead their life accordingly.

With this, we conclude the 16^th chapter,

“The Yoga of the Division Between the Divine & the Demoniacal”

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 202

Verse 22

A man who is liberated from these three gates to darkness, O Arjuna, practices what is good for him and thus goes to the Supreme goal!

Freed from these three kinds of traits—Desire, Anger and Greed—one works for one’s own welfare with proper understanding of the way of conducting oneself in life for attaining the spiritual goal. 

One begins to realize and keep in mind what is actually one’s welfare. 

Most people do not know what is good for them. They have a blindfolded vision of things, a distorted vision of things, which makes them believe in things which are really not enduring, and doubt the existence of things which are really there. 

But here, a person who is free from these qualities of kama, krodha and lobha will be automatically purified in nature, and this purified mind will reflect within itself the aspiration necessary for the attainment of the great goal of life. 

In the Kathopanishad, Lord Yama describes two paths  to Nachiketa, 

SREYAS CA PREYAS CA MANUSHYAM ETAH STAU SAMPARIITYA VIVINAKTTI DHIIRAH

SREYO HI DHIIRO (ABHI) PREYASO VRUNIITE PREYO MANDO YOGA KSHEMAAD VRUNIITE

“Both the good and the pleasant approach the mortal; the intelligent man examines and distinguishes them; for the intelligent man prefers the good to the pleasant, the ignorant man chooses ‘for getting and keeping’; the pleasant for the sake of his body”

Preyas means pleasing, desired, gratifying, what appeals to the senses.

Shreyas comes from the root “sri,” which means auspiciousness or radiant and also support. 

In a spiritual path we seek the support of the auspicious like an enlightened master.

Even in the opening of Krishna’s discourse to Arjuna, The Lord describes the 2 paths. 

Contacts (of the senses) with their objects, O son of Kunti, give rise to (the experience of) cold and heat, pleasure and pain. Transient, they come and go. Bear them patiently, O Bharata!

That man indeed whom these (contacts) do not disturb, who is even-minded in pleasure and pain, steadfast, he is fit for immortality, O best of men!

(BG-chapter 2- verse 14,15)

It is only when materialistic yearnings diminish, the intellect, freed from the material mode of passion, is able to perceive the shortsightedness of pursuing the path of preya. Then one gets drawn toward shreya, or happiness that is unpleasant in the present but becomes sweet in the end. And for those attracted to shreya, the path of enlightenment opens up. 

They begin endeavoring for the eternal welfare of their soul, thereby moving toward the supreme goal.

Love.