Everyday Geeta

January 1, 2013 The words and meaning (in English and Hindi) by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji are as below: क्षणं प्रतिक्षणं यन्नवं नवम् । तच्च सुन्दरं सच्च तत्छिवम ।। १ ।। वर्षनूतनं ते शुभं मुदम् । उत्तरोत्तरं भवतु सिद्धिदम् ।। २ ।। kṣhaṇaṁ pratikṣhaṇaṁ yannavaṁ navam tacca sundaraṁ sacca taccivam . 1 . varśanūtanaṁ te śubhaṁ mudam uttarotaraṁ bhavatu siddhidam . 2 . Beauty is that which at every moment is new and fresh, That Alone is Good, Real and Beautiful! May this New Year bring you greater Goodness, Joy and Success जो प्रतिक्षण र्नूतन व नवीन है वही सुन्दर है, सत्य है व शिव स्वरूप है ।।१।। यह नूतन वर्ष अाप के लिए अधिकाधिक अानंद मंगल व सफलता प्रदान करने वाला हो ।।२।। Who can say it better than that? Click here for a downloadable link for the text and meaning. Hari Om and Namaskaar until my next post

December 30, 2012 Thanks to NPR 's TED Radio Hour broadcast on the " Power of Crowds ", I present Marcin Jakubowski and Open Source Ecology . It is a great follow-up to my earlier post on Wikipedia's 10th Anniversary . In that post, I had extolled Wikipedia as a great example of the यज्ञ that is at the heart of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's prescription of Karma Yoga as the road to freedom from the bondage of action. Take this wonderful TED talk by Marcin Jakubowski and take a look at the Open Source Ecology website (OSE). I realized that the truly appropriate, low-cost tools that I needed to start a sustainable farm and settlement just didn't exist yet. I needed tools that were robust, modular, highly efficient and optimized, low-cost, made from local and recycled materials that would last a lifetime, not designed for obsolescence. I found that I would have to build them myself. So I did just that. And I tested them. And I found that industrial productivity can be achieved o...

December 24, 2012 Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

December 24, 2012 Just saw an exciting report on facebook from Chinmaya Vibhooti . the biggest surprise was yet to come. After all the pujas were over, Pujya Guruji went up the dais and treated everybody to a surprise spiritual nectar!! He told us the story of how he recently composed a Hindi poem on Bhagavad Gita comprising over a hundred verses giving a gist of all the chapters. He has named it ‘Gita Kavita’. He then went on to sing the verses on the 1st, 2nd and 15th chapters and concluded with a few verses of ‘samarpan’ or offering to the Lord. Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

December 23, 2012. There is a myth out there that the study of the Bhagavad Geeta must be deferred to old age or when there is a major crisis. If you are one of those who say YSG - Why Study the Geeta, on Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā Jayanti, I have 18 compelling reasons why everyone can and should study the Bhagavad Geeta. I hope to expand on each of these in future posts. Can you think of other answers to YSG? Please share with me in the comments column. YSG 1. Transform Yourself. Śrī Kṛṣṇa successfully transformed the warrior prince Arjuna from a weak-kneed, snivelling wreck to a highly motivated, effective warrior who was clear about his goals and course of action. Are you ready to transform your life? YSG 2. Śrī Kṛṣṇa - The Perfect Teacher for the Ages! Despite being raised in a family of cowherds, it is clear from the Mahābhārata that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is no mere mortal. He was revered by the greatest of the era, he slayed several monsters (rākshasās), advised the rich and mighty and conducted...

December 23, 2012 Today is the auspicious occasion of Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā Jayanti (Anniversary). It is said that on this holy Ekadashi day, over 5-6000 years ago, Śrī Kṛṣṇa taught this sacred message to the warrior Arjuna. It is also marks the second anniversary of the day that I started this blog . On this occasion, I invoke the 1st verse of the Geeta Dhyanam, attributed to Śrī Madhusudan Saraswati. ँ़ पार्थाय प्रतिबोधितां भगवता नारायणेनस्वयं व्यासेन ग्रथितां पुराणमुनिना मध्ये महाभारतम् । अद्वैतामृतवर्षिणीं भगवतीं अष्टदशाध्यायिनीं अम्ब त्वामनुसन्दधामि भगवद्गीते भवद्वेषिणीम् ।। १ ।। OM paarthaya pratibodhitaa.m bhagavataa naaraayaNenasvaya.m vyaasenagrathitaa.n puraaNamuninaa madhye mahaabhaaratam.h | advaitaamR^itvarshhiNii.n bhagavatii.n ashTadashaadhyaayinii.n ambatvaamanusandadhaami bhagavadgiite bhavadveshhiNiim.h | | 1 | | OM, O Bhagavad Gītā, by which Pārtha (Arjuna) was enlightened by the Lord Nārāyaṇa himself, which was incorporated in the Mahābhārata by the ancient s...

December 16, 2012 I came across a reference to this wonderful poem "Brahma" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the first volume of His Holiness Swami Ranganathanandaji's excellent set of three volumes titled Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita .  The poem is filled with beautiful references to the Bhagavad Geeta  Chapter 2 !  Brahma BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON If the red slayer think he slays, Or if the slain think he is slain, They know not well the subtle ways I keep, and pass, and turn again. Far or forgot to me is near; Shadow and sunlight are the same; The vanished gods to me appear; And one to me are shame and fame. They reckon ill who leave me out; When me they fly, I am the wings; I am the doubter and the doubt, I am the hymn the Brahmin sings. The strong gods pine for my abode, And pine in vain the sacred Seven; But thou, meek lover of the good! Find me, and turn thy back on heaven. Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

December 18, 2012 In Geeta 2-51, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's extols those who are free of the attachment to the "fruit of action". कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः | जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ||२-५१|| The wise, possessed of knowledge, having abandoned the fruits of their actions, freed from the fetters of birth, go to the State which is beyond all evil. When one first reads this kind of declaration, an instinctive reaction is, "How can I get anything done if I am not driven by the fruit of action? I expect to be rich, successful, famous, etc. What is wrong with that?" The reality is that while the desire for success might seem like an obvious driver for hard work, the image of these headlines proves just how much the same drive for success can impede performance. It is this pressure to perform that is being addressed in this TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestselling book "Eat Pray Love". If you don't have the time to lis...

December 12, 2012 In Geeta 3-10, Śrī Kṛṣṇa states: सहयज्ञाः प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा पुरोवाच प्रजापतिः | अनेन प्रसविष्यध्वमेष वोऽस्त्विष्टकामधुक् ||३-१०|| At the beginning (of creation), having created mankind, together with sacrifices, The PRAJAPATI (the Creator),said, "by this shall you prosper; let this be the milch-cow of your desire - "Kāmadhuk" (the mythological cow which yields all desired objects). I came across a wonderful letter by Param Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji in my personal collection. Pujya Gurudev always referred to his public Geeta talks as Geeta Gnana Yagna borrowing from verse 4-33 in which Śrī Kṛṣṇa declares that Gnana Yagna is superior to any form of material Yagna. He also referred to the process of organizing the Yagna as an exercise in working in the Yagna spirit as in the verse above. Pujya Gurudev constantly guided us (the organizers) with boundless compassion, yet was always insistent on high quality planning to ensure that the audience be a...

December 8, 2012 I am pleased to report that I have updated the page that lists all verses of the Bhagavad Geeta referred to in this blog. Hope you find it useful. Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

December 8, 2012 The video above shows failure of the first launch of the SpaceX mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) on May 19, 2012. Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji once used the example of a failed spacecraft liftoff to describe the why tuning the mind is so critical on the spiritual path. In Geeta 18-67, Śrī Kṛṣṇa clearly warns of unqualified people trying to understand the Bhagavad Geeta. He is pretty explicit in his caution: इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन | न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति ||१८-६७|| idaM te naatapaskaaya naabhaktaaya kadaachana . na chaashushruushhave vaachya.n na cha maa.n yo.abhyasuuyati .. 18-67.. This is never to be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerities or devotion, nor to one who does not render service, nor to one who desires not to listen, nor to one who cavils at Me (speaks ill of me). In the " Holy Geeta ", Swamiji says: Verses like this in a śāstra are meant as instructions for the students on h...

December 6, 2012 अर्जुन उवाच | मदनुग्रहाय परमं गुह्यमध्यात्मसंज्ञितम् | यत्त्वयोक्तं वचस्तेन मोहोऽयं विगतो मम ||११-१|| arjuna uvaacha . madanugrahaaya paramaM guhyamadhyaatmasa.nGYitam.h . yattvayokta.n vachastena moho.ayaM vigato mama .. 11-1.. By this word of the highest secret concerning the Self, which You have spoken out of compassion towards me, my delusion is gone. Param Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji in "The Holy Geeta" on chapter 11-1. To realize the "Unity in Diversity" is to get an inoculation against the sorrows of plurality. What is the "Unity" vaccine? See Geeta 18-20 सर्वभूतेषु येनैकं भावमव्ययमीक्षते | अविभक्तं विभक्तेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि सात्त्विकम् ||१८-२०|| sarvabhuuteshhu yenaikaM bhaavamavyayamiikShate . avibhakta.n vibhakteshhu tajGYaanaM viddhi saattvikam.h .. 18-20.. That by which one sees the one indestructible reality in all beings, undivided in the divided, know that "knowledge" as SATTWIC (Pure). Hari Om and Namask...