Everyday Geeta

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

November 14, 2012 In these times of Deepavali, when the talk everywhere is the "victory of good over evil", the logical question is, "Who is good?" In 4-8, when Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, He takes birth "to protect, the good..." परित्राणाय साधूनां ४-८ (paritraaNaaya saadhuunaa.n 4-8), whom is He referring to? The perfect answer is provided by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji in the e-Gita lesson course conducted by the Chinmaya International Foundation . One who follows the right ways, who wishes good for even those who harm him (apakāryeṣu yaḥ sādhu sa sādhu abhidhīyate - अपकार्येषु य: साधु स साधु अभिधीयते), who sticks to the path of good despite temptation and troubles (nyāyāt pathāt na vicalanti dhīrāḥ - न्यायात् पथात् न विचलन्ति धीरा:), and who continuously works for the good of others (parakāryaṁ sādhnoti iti sādhuḥ - पाराकार्यं साध्नोति इति साधुः) is good. Now, I just need to be a "good boy" and get going towards completing the course that I s...

October 24, 2012 तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया | उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ||४-३४|| tadviddhi praNipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa . upadekShyanti te GYaanaM GYaaninastattvadarshinaH .. 4-34.. Know that (the Supreme Truth) by prostration (to a Guru), through questioning, and service, the "wise" (i.e. the Guru) who have realised the Truth will instruct you in (that) Knowledge Today is Dussehra or Vijayadashami . This is the perfect day to recommit ourselves to the study of the Bhagavad Geeta. In India, traditionally, students offered दक्षिण (dakshiNa - gifts) to their teachers as a token of their gratitude. For students of the Geeta, my personal recommendation would be to head to the e-course conducted by the Chinmaya International Foundation . As the course brochure says: This course indeed offers the crystallised, experiential wisdom and insightfulness of Swamiji, with great depth and clarity, delivered with simplicity and accessibility. It bears...

July 31, 2012 There is a very effective point made in lesson 1 of the Chinmaya International Foundation's   e-Gita course . It was brought up again by Swamini Vimalanandaji while introducing the context of the Bhagavad Gita at the Dharma Sevak program in Chinmaya Gardens, Coimbatore last week. Reading chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Geeta, one should never be surprised if we find ourselves nodding at Arjuna's arguments. After all who wants war? As someone said, "War never settles what is right. Only what is left!" Yet, there are many other reasons why Arjuna reminds us of ourselves. Like me, Arjuna is an accomplished individual who likes to win. He is ambitious.  Frequently, we do not consider ourselves spiritual and are only seeking an answer to a topical problem.This contrasts to the Upanishads where the student is usually a spiritual person who has set out to seek the Truth.   We have all been through a situation which has taken an unexpectedly fearful turn. Or where my...

June 5, 2012 Is there anyone out there who has not been bored to death when someone went on and on about some topic? Param Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji discovered the PERFECT antidote. I was reminded of this when I came across the reference to it in lesson 6 of the Gita online course conducted by the Chinmaya International Foundation . I first saw this in Pujya Guruji's talks on the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha Sāra Saṅgrahaḥ . Once our Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanandaji, was asked whether he was bored because of the presence of an extremely talkative person. He replied, "He talks, the sound reaches the tympanum and the vibrations reach the brain, the intellect understands and orders the head to nod. Why should I get bored? I stand apart from it all!" The verse of interest here is Geeta 3-28. तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः | गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते ||३-२८|| tattvavittu mahaabaaho guNakarmavibhaagayoH . guNaa guNeshhu vartanta iti matvaa na sajjate .. 3-28.. But He, t...

June 5, 2012 Sometime ago I had started a series of posts on role models based on Geeta 3-21 (यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठ: - yadyadaacharati shreshhThaH). I came across a reference to Gopichand Pullela in lesson 6 of the Gita online course conducted by the Chinmaya International Foundation . Gopichand Pullela is the second Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championship in 2001 and is currently the coach for India's Saina Nehwal. After winning the championship, it appears that he was approached by major soft drinks manufacturers to promote their product (reportedly Coke or Pepsi) and he turned this down simply because he was convinced that such aerated drinks were bad for health. The wikipedia entry for Shri Pullela quotes him as saying, "As a result of aggressive marketing by cola companies, people have stopped drinking healthy drinks like fruit juices and people in the villages have actually begun to believe that soft drinks are good for health. Aerated drinks are not on...

January 27, 2012 My frequency of posting has recently reduced. Hope this one kick starts the series of posts in 2012. I have posted previously on the Online Gita course conducted by the Chinmaya International Foundation. I have been doing it since July and I am on lesson 5, a bit behind where I should be. Their expectation is that one does two lessons per month - however, just haven't had the time. In my previous post on the " Lord as Dentist " I have discussed Geeta 3-8. The succinct pointers on duty in lesson 5 are very interesting. Without giving much away, here they are: Duties come unasked Ignorance is no excuse when it comes to duties (as it is for the law) Duties are thankless Duties have no special rewards Duties and responsibilities increase with age and stature Lots of food for thought there. BTW, I have made it very easy for readers to subscribe to my posts by email. Just enter your email address on the top right of the post and hit the submit button. Also, ...

August 4, 2011 You may have seen my post on the online course on the Bhagavad Geeta launched by the Chinmaya International Foundation. The course is authored by Pujya Swami Tejomayanandaji himself. I have enrolled in this program and seen the first lesson. I like it already. Several points made in the first lesson struck home immediately. 1. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was born blind, Pāṇḍu was born with leucoderma, and Vidura was born to a maid servant. None of the three, according to the prevalent laws of the state, was eligible to the throne of Hastināpura. Pāṇḍu and Vidura had no complaints, only Dhṛtarāṣṭra became bitter about his blindness and weaker because of his attachments. 2. Once, after the war, when the Pāṇḍavas were relaxing, Arjuna asked Śrī Kṛṣṇa to repeat the Bhagavad Gita. The Lord said that a masterpiece cannot be repeated. The Lord himself declares गीता मे हृदयं पार्थ Gītā me hṛdayaṁ pārtha. The Gītā, O Arjuna, is my very heart. Would definitely recommend you enroll yourself asa...

June 27, 2011 I have just enrolled for this online course on the Bhagavad Geeta. If you're interested, please join too. I have always found Guruji's talks invaluable in gaining the correct perspective and understanding of the Gita. You cannot lose on this small investment for your life. For other posts where I reference Guruji or his teaching click here . As I come across something of interest in the course, I will be sure to post. I have also updated the ' Studying the Geeta ' page on this blog. Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post.