In the fourteenth chapter of Bhagwad Gita,
Lord Krishna reveals the truth about the three gunas and what lies beyond
them. Lord says that in the beginning of the creation he blessed and empowered his divine
Maya Shakti or Prakriti to start the process of creation. This divine mother
has the three gunas inherent in her, which are the Sattwa, Rajo and Tamo
gunas. Initially these gunas were unmanifest and also in a state of
equilibrium, but the moment creation starts it is these gunas get vibrated
and activated,
and subsequently start manifesting. The entire creation is just the manifestation of
these three gunas. Whoever understands these gunas understands the secret of
creation.
Tamo Guna:
Tamo guna is responsible for all that is inert
in the creation. Tamo guna is inert, and is thus the material cause of all
inert things, the mountains, rivers, objects, and even the physical bodies
of all living beings. Gunas effect everything including the moods &
motivation of the mind. So whenever this Tamo guna starts increasing, we see
inertia, inactivity and dullness in the mind. It is demotivated and
disenthused and the mind is as though tired. The joy of people having
predominance of tamo guna is in sleeping, loitering around with no sense of
responsibility. The life is a burden for them and their value structure and
accordingly formulated and accepted. While there are some benefits of tamo
guna, its pre-dominance in the mind is a road to disaster and devolution.
Rajo Guna:
Rajo guna is the power behind activity.
Wherever there is activity in the creation, the knower's of gunas, see it as
a play of rajo guna. Rajo guna is compulsive activity, helpless activity. It
is activity borne out of a sense of lack within, an activity motivated by
seeking. Activity which shall ensure our very survival and existence. While
this guna too in right ratio is a blessing it does become a curse for
someone who has its predominance. Wherever there is rajo guna there is
self-centricity and selfishness. Whether it is work, enjoyments or
relationships, its all for filling our cup. Concern and sensitivity is just
a matter of necessity and convenience. It is rajo guna alone which brings
about intense desires and fiery anger. Arrogance, and the entire family of
Shad Vikara (Kama-Krodha etc) are all seen to be effects of rajo guna
alone. Mind is unstable and disquiet, person does not have patience to even
study properly, they resort to imagination more than to valid knowledge. A
mind having predominance of rajo guna is a sure shot recipe for endless
seeking and choking dissatisfaction. Such people see the world from vyashti
(individualistic) point of view. The society and the world is fragmented for
them, and the ego-prompted wars are an inevitability. They are very prone &
susceptible to diseases like hypertension and various psycho-somatic
disorders (stress etc.)
Sattwa Guna:
The third guna is Sattwa. It is the power
behind all knowledge oriented things & activities. It is the material cause
of our mind & intellect and wherever there is sattwa guna, there is
quietitude, thoughtfulness and better knowledge & wisdom. It is a blessing
for all students and a doorway to all magnanimous & positive qualities and
values. With sattwa guna there is a compulsive drive for more & more
knowledge and its associated joys. Such people seek good books & good
company, they prefer quietitude, simplicity and contentment, because it all
facilitates their dedicated pursuit of knowledge. If they do not get good
company then they are unhappy, and may go out of the way to seek good, wise
company. They are basically healthy & good people. Its a joy to meet such
people, because they are basically very sensitive, understanding and
intelligent people. The main feature of these people is that they are not
bothered about their needs & requirements. One, their requirements are very
less, two, they do their best and truly leave the rest to god, moreover they
do not crave for the ephemeral, transitory joys of the world outside and
seek something more permanent. They live more to serve & give rather than
get. Even though such people may be less, yet they are also very different
from the rest. They too seek, but seek knowledge and more permanent joy. It
is these people alone who make a good sadhaka & student, and thus it is
these alone who realize the truth of their Self and the world on the whole.
They alone can awake to the Gunatita awastha.
Gunatita:
Gunatita is that which transcends the gunas.
It is existing in & through all gunas yet like the sky remains untouched by
anything which is in it. It is like the screen of a movie theatre, on which
alone projections are made, because of which alone all projections can be
seen, yet it is something which remains untouched by anything which is
projected on it. That which is gunatita is the very self of all that is
existing anywhere, yet is immaculate & untouched. It is all-pervasive,
infinite and is without any limits of any kind. It is the very self of all.
It is Brahman, the timeless infinite truth revealed in the Upanishads. It is
of the nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda, the pure blissful, self-effulgent,
existence. A sattwic person is capable of directly knowing the existence of
such a divinity as his very self and also the self of all.
The secret of awakening to this 'gunatita
awastha' is just by 'seeing' this fact very clearly that every activity
without any exceptions whatsoever, are just the play & effects of the three
gunas alone. Whether there is something is is knowledge-oriented and thus
bringing greater light, activity oriented or even something which is
deluding, it is all the domain & realm of three gunas. The implication of
seeing this fact is that 'I' the subject, becomes free from the doership of
all activities. We discover that I am just a witness, who is basically a
non-doer, whose existence is untouched by anything whatsoever. Such a wise
person discovers a quiet, untouched, inactive, infinite existence in &
through all activities. This discovery doesn't call for the cessation of any
activities, yet I see myself as a non-doer. This is the aparokshanubhuti of
the Self as Brahman, the direct knowledge of the truth of Self. This is the
awakening into the gunatita awastha.
An awakened person thereafter doesn't cease
any natural activities. That which is the doer are the gunas, and their flow
goes on. We just watch the show. Gunatita is neither averse to any activity
nor wishes the cessation of anything whatsoever. He just negates all notions
of personal involvement or doership. The only activities which stop are
those which were initiated by the the wish of personal fulfillment and
aggrandizement. There is inactivity inspite of all activities. A person who
sees himself as one who transcends the gunas remains untouched by the
activities of all gunas. The gunas dance in his presence, and none of this
dance is for any personal objectives. The very seeing of that which
transcends the three gunas takes away any wish for any further self-centered
activity. So there is no identification or even involvement with any gunas.
Such a person is thus seen to be balanced and non-reacting in all
situations, good, bad or ugly. This awakening is the door to freedom. This
is in short the essence of the fourteenth chapter of Bhagwad Gita.
Quote
"The only
limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."
Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and
weary of battle, came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a
meager harvest and the many years of war, quickly hid what little they had
to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing their hands and
bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.
The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves
and the first soldier then turned to the village elders. "Your tired fields
have left you nothing to share, so we will share what little we have: the
secret of how to make soup from stones."
Naturally the villagers were intrigued and
soon a fire was put to the town's greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in
three smooth stones. "Now this will be a fine soup", said the second
soldier; "but a pinch of salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!" Up
jumped a villager, crying "What luck! I've just remembered where some's been
left!" And off she ran, returning with an apronful of parsley and a turnip.
As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley,
carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask
of wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.
They ate and danced and sang well into the
night, refreshed by the feast and their new-found friends. In the morning
the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At
their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have
given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones",
said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the
crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by
sharing that we may make a feast". And off the soldiers wandered, down the
road.
New Talks
Eight talks on the entire
Drg-Dryshya Viveka by Poojya Guruji (in Hindi) were released this month.
These talks were given at Lucknow in Mar 2008.
Quote
"Age
does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, does protects you
from age."
in the 3rd part of
advaita makaranda you mentioned that someone who is 'nishkaam' would
not even bother about gaining moksha. what does that mean?? self
realisation is the goal, isnt it? we shoudnt be result oriented even
in this regard??
You are right that in nishkama karma one
should not even have any desire for moksha, and it is this
selflessness alone which paves the path for moksha. Only those people
who can afford such a selflessness, whose sraddha about their divine
nature has become so very deep-rooted, that they get prepared for
moksha.
Moksha is not reaching somewhere, but
realizing that you are, were and shall always will be Brahman.
Knowledge is all about knowing an existing fact. So while this sadhaka
humbly knows that I am yet to awake, yet now there is no doubt that
Moksha is all about knowing my real self, which is Brahman. The beauty
of real sraddha & belief is that even before you directly 'see' the
truth you can start singing the song of fulfillment. A Karma Yogi is
one who fully believes this and therefore, lives like a fulfilled &
blessed person, even before you directly realize this.
One can live a blessed selfless life,
even by seeing the ever showering blessings of God, and to the extent
one can live with such selflessness, to that extent one lives like a
Karma Yogi.
A
five days Sadhana Camp just before the Mahashivratri was organized from
1st to 5th March 2008. Devotees were taught the Shiv-Aparadha-Kshamapana
Stotram, Shiv Mahimna Stotram,
Shiv-Puja, and other details of Shiv Upasana. Every day there was a
Rudrabhisheka by one of the devotees and everyday there was
sankirtan of 'Om Namah Shivaya' mantra. Conclusion of this
Shiv-Upasana Camp was with the
celebration of Mahashivratri.
Rudrabhisheka during the Camp:
During the Camp Rudrabhisheka was done daily by some devotee, and
this was guided by Poojya Guruji and the other ashram Mahatmas.
Mahashivratri Celebrations, Indore:
Mahashivratri was celebrated with great devotion on 6th March. Gangeshwar Mahadev Temple
was decorated tastefully with the Ganga-avatarana Jhanki, and
hundreds of devotees came for darshan and satsang.
Deeksha of Brni Divya Chaitanya:
On
Mahashivratri day, Dr Lilia Stepanova, a US scientist of Russian origin was
initiated as Brahmacharini Divya Chaitanya by Poojya Guruji. She is
at the ashram from Dec 2007 and is undergoing a crash Vedanta
course. She will leave Ashram for Russia in the last week of April.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Lucknow:
Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji conducted a very satisfying Gita Gyana Yagna at Hari
om Mandir Hall from 13th to 20th March. He gave discourses on the
Drg-Dryshya Viveka and Gita Chapter 14. On the last day the Mandir
authorities organized a big bhandara for all.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai:
Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji conducted a Gita Gyana Yagna at Conference
Hall of National College, Bandra, Mumbai from 16th to 20th March. She gave discourses on the 17th chapter of Bhagwad Gita and Sadhana Panchakam in
the morning.
Holi Ger Procession, Indore:
The Holi celebration of Indore is very famous. There is a unique
tradition of taking out a big colorful procession by different
societies & localities through the city. Ashram Mahatmas were
invited by Dr Khandelwal to witness the event.
Imp Dates
Important Dates in April 2008
2
Wed
Ekadashi -
Papmochani
5
Sat
Chaitra Amavasya
7
Mon
Gudi Padwa, Navratra (2065) begins
14
Mon
Ram Navami
16
Wed
Ekadashi - Kamda
20
Sun
Hanuman Jayanti
Forthcoming Programs
Gita Gyana Yagna, Bhavnagar:
Poojya Swamini Amitanandaji will conduct a Gita Gyana Yagna at Swami Ramdas
Ashram, Bhavnagar from 14th to 21st April.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Ahmedabad:
Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji will conduct a Gita Gyana Yagna at
Ramkrishna Kendra, Maninagar, Ahmedabad from 26th April to 2nd May.
Gita Gyana Yagna, Mumbai:
Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji will conduct a Gita Gyana Yagna at
Mumbai from 19th to 25th May.
Trip to UK:
Poojya Swamini Samatanandaji has been granted visa for her proposed trip to
UK. Her travel plans have been finalized. She leaves for London on 30th May
and will be in the UK for two months. The programs are being finalized.
Sadhana Camp, Rishikesh:
Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji will conduct a Sadhana Camp at Arsha
Vidya Peetha, Rishikesh from 18th to 24th June. Devotees need to arrive at
the ashram by 17th evening and can plan their return journey by 25th. The
subject matter will be the last two sections of Kathopanishad and the 7th
chapter of Gita.
Guru Poornima Camp, Indore:
A five days Sadhana Camp is being organized at Vedanta Ashram just prior to
Guru Poornima. The camp will be from 13th to 17th July.
