Everyday Geeta

April 27, 2011 Once Pujya Swami Tejomayanandaji was teaching chapter 18 and explaining the 15th & 16th shloka शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः | न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ||१८-१५|| shariiravaaN^manobhiryatkarma praarabhate naraH . nyaayya.n vaa vipariitaM vaa pa~nchaite tasya hetavaH .. 18-15.. 18-15. Whatever action a man performs by his body, speech and mind --- whether right, or the reverse --- these five are its causes (listed in the 14th shloka). तत्रैवं सति कर्तारमात्मानं केवलं तु यः | पश्यत्यकृतबुद्धित्वान्न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः ||१८-१६|| tatraivaM sati kartaaramaatmaanaM kevalaM tu yaH . pashyatyakR^itabuddhitvaanna sa pashyati durmatiH .. 18-16.. 18-16. Now, such being the case, verily he, who unintelligently looks upon the Self, which is "alone" (never conditioned by the "equipments i.e. body-mind-intellect" ), as the doer, he, of perverted intelligence, sees not. Guruji used a murder mystery to explain the problems of doership and enj...

April 21, 2011 I moderate a Geeta study class on Saturdays at the GIIS East Coast campus. A week ago, Pujya Gurudev (we watch his videos ) was teaching Chapter 3, shloka 19. तस्मादसक्तः सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर | असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुषः ||३-१९|| tasmaadasaktaH satataM kaaryaM karma samaachara . asakto hyaacharankarma paramaapnoti puurushhaH .. 3-19.. 3-19: Therefore (O Arjuna), always perform actions (duties which must be done), without attachment; for, by performing action without attachment, man attains the Supreme. I was struck by how much this resonated with a topic Guruji discussed when he passed through Singapore recently. We were discussing the problems in the Middle East. Egypt 's former president, Hosni Mubarak and his sons had been arrested that day (April 12/13). Someone said that the whole of the Middle East seems to be in trouble. I asked, "Swamiji, we're constantly told today to be an agent of change. Change locally, think globally. But our acti...

April 15, 2011 Happy Tamil New Year to everyone. Puthandu kara varusam vazthikkal. Pujya Guruji was on a transiting through Singapore. Satsangh was a joy with several insightful discussions. One comment he made, makes it very simple for me to post here. Someone asked about his talks on Srimad Bhagavatam, 7th Canto in Sidhabari, in May 2011. That got Guruji discussing one of his favorite texts. (Be patient, the Geeta reference is not far away.) The below quote is based on a recording I made, any errors are entirely mine. Guruji: "When we do Bhagavat Saptaah, I have to miss out so many beautiful things. Here I am doing only one canto.  Hiranyakashipu was a great Vedantin. He knew everything. Only thing he never applied it to himself. He taught everyone else. 'Atma is real. Because of avidya, and identification with upadhis it becomes a jeeva and experiences duality.' All of this he has taught his mother and to Hiranyaksha's wife. Yet, next day he goes and fights with ev...

April 6, 2011 I had emailed my blog to a few close friends and relatives and invited comment. Got this from my cousin sister in Sydney. It is endearing to see you express your Rajasic attachment to Bhagavad Geeta in the form of the blog page that you have created to explore the meaning of Geeta in everyday mundane matters. As an intense and committed disciple of Bhakti-Yoga, I desist from my conditioned tendency to entering into intellectual discussions on the sacred subject of Bhagavad Geeta. This is because through continued satsang of and service to my ShriGuru, I have come to relish the sweet pastimes and glories of the Supreme Lord. Once you start relishing the nectar of Bhakti......any intellectual discussion feels bland and tasteless. However, for my dear brother, I am choosing to make an exception....only because I trust him to have an open mind....through which perhaps I can transmit the wonderful and glorious message of Bhakti, as I have come to realize and relish. As highly ...

April 3, 2011 Following my earlier post on the India-Pakistan semi-final, here is an update on the historic final . समत्वम् - Equanimity fell by the wayside for every Indian and Sri Lankan fan. Did anyone see an Indian / SriLankan viewer who maintained their equanimity throughout the match? In Geeta 12-15, Śrī Kṛṣṇa says: यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः | हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ||१२-१५|| yasmaannodvijate loko lokaannodvijate cha yaH . harshhaamarshhabhayodvegairmukto yaH sa cha me priyaH .. 12-15.. He, by whom the world is not agitated (affected) , and who cannot be agitated by the world, who is freed from joy, envy, fear, and anxiety --- he is dear to me. One could easily rearrange the above to describe the relationship between the Indian team and fans all over the world: "The team, that despite raising our hopes and dashing them, the team that gives us joy, creates envy of anyone who defeats them, creates fear and anxiety in every major match, th...