Notes-bg

Aug 19, 2025:

Till v-12, karma yoga was talked about- same as saatvika sanyaasa. He renounces nishiddha karma and kaamya karma...and pursues yaagna-daana-tapas. 

Next, gnaana yoga:

v13-17: Enquiry into nature of jiva-jagat-ishvara. Self enquiry here. I am akarta...atma. I am abhokta. In agami- v17- no notion that I am a karta. Indriyaani indriyaarteshu....(no punya-papam). Gnaana yoga summary also completed.

v18: Krishna introduces 6 topics and classifies everything into saatvika-raajasa-taamasa. All activities are classified into 2 types: gnaana vyavahaara (gnaanendriya based) and karma vyavahaara (karmendriya based). Gnaana vyavahara is the basis for karma vyavahara. jaanaati-icchati-yatatey.

Both require 3 factors: 

knower, knowing instrument, known object 

karta, karanam, karma (object)  

We have iccha also...between the above two...but we are not considering that.

Krishna takes 3 factors out of the above 6- gnaanam, karma, karta. Each of these, will be divided into 3...based on gunas. Maya is the original cause...and maya has 3 gunas...and hence, everything will have 3 gunas. Guna-sankhyaaney- In Saankhya philosophy.....by Kapila. Vedanta is very open....it takes knowledge from everywhere! 

Saatvika gnaanam (v20): Eka atma gnaanam. Many bodies, many minds, but one consciousness. Ekam (one), avyayam (no change), avibhaktam (indivisible like space)...whoever has this knowledge...is saatvika gnaanam. Where is it? Sarva bhuteshu. Bodies are divided...but atma is not. This is liberating knowledge. 

Raajasa gnaanam (v21): In veda purva, aneka atma is talked about because eka-atma is very tough to understand. Eka atma cannot travel. In veda purva, travelling atma is talked about. What is the travelling atma? 5 components in an individual: 3 bodies + chidabhasa + chit. Of these, body and chit cannot travel. Hence, sukshma sharira + kaarana sharira + chidabhasa....travels. This is jivaatma in veda-purva. In vedanta, we talk about chit. That is non-travelling. This is like mula-murti and utsava murti. One stays as-is...and the other travels! Like God, jiva too...has 2 versions. Whoever...has knowledge of travelling jiva alone...is called raajsa gnaanam.

Aug 11, 2025

Bhaatta meemamsa refutation- "Knowing" brahman is useless. Action is required- we need either "haana" or "upaadaana" says the bhaatta meemaamsa person. But knowledge is useful....it displaces the jiva bhava through knowledge. Hence, brahman is the subject matter of vedanta.

Vrtti-kaara refutation- Hybrid person- He does not say brahma naasti like the previous person. This person accepts nirgunam brahman. He says "brahman knowledge cannot give moksha". It has to be followed by upasana. But upasana is maanasam karma. He says, do this upasana life-long. This will give punya and this punya will give liberation. Shankara has to refute this- He will emphasise that after knowledge nothing more is needed. Nature of knowledge is...I am already liberated. Hence, there is nothing "to do" after knowledge. This is called "dviteeya varnakam"...purvapaksha bhedaat. Knowledge of "yupa", "aahavaneeya" and "indra" is not of any use. You need to use it "in action". Here, meditate, meditate. Like this, you must do action...and hence, knowledge alone is useless. This is vrtti-kaara's viewpoint. Shabara swami (Jaimini's student...who has written bhashyam for jaimini sutras) has said this...some action is required..."Dos and Don'ts".

July 30, 2025

grhastha and unqualified- give more time for yagna-daana-tapas

grahastha and qualified - if staying in grahashashrama..maintain yagna etc. in skeletal form and devote time for shravana-manana.

grhastha and qualified- can take sanyasa and renounce all karma and devote time for shravana-manana.

yagna-daana-tapas is defined in chp 17...with satvik intent.

yagna- do puja for gnaana-vairagya.

yagna-dana etc. primary result. Material result is by-product....but that is not the focus.

"Phalani tyaktva" - giving up material phalam. Do everything for chitta-shuddhi.

Do not get attached to nitya-naimitikka also...because you need to find the time for shravana-manana. Hence, "sangam tyaktva". Do not be addicted to even dvaita-puja (Ma Up).

If I can understand aham brahmasmi....and if the teaching seems relevant...then it means...I am fit to continue shravana-manana.

Need binary format- to understand...there is only atma and anatma...and anatma cannot touch me!

if an unqualified person renounces....krishna says...it is tamasic or rajasic. (He does not talk about qualified). Delusion based renunciation is tamasic (underestimating value of religious life).

if an unqualified person renounces...but the reason is different-cannot get up early etc. (for religious life)...due to laziness and attachment to body...this becomes rajasik renunciation. This is message for Arjuna! 

Satvika....he is unqualified...but he follows the religious life style...it should be done mindset....does not look for material benefit...(he will get it...but that is not the focus)....without attachment to the duties also....he is a satvika sanyasi. Performer of karma is called sanyasi here. Why? He renounces kaamya-karma. Will not use prayer for non-spiritual purposes. He renounces nishiddha karma. He renounces material phalam also. Hence, satvika sanyasi. This is the same as karma-yogi. He is an an-adhikari. 

July 21, 2025

- Is there a difference between sanyasa and tyaga since both mean renunciation?

Krishna says:

1. Some people say- renunciation of action is sanyasa and renunciation of result is tyaga.

2. The first group has 2 different views- renounce All actions versus renounce partial action.

3. Krishna does not give a direct answer! He uses both words interchangeably, Shankara says. (a) Na karmana, na prajaya dhanena....tyagena ekena... (b) Vedanta vignyaana...sanyaasa yogaat (so used interchangeably)

4. Next, what action can be renounced? If an unqualified student, you cannot renounce yagna-daana-tapas. If the person is already qualified, he does not require any of this. He can directly do shravana-manana-nididhyaasana.

Krishna thinks about Arjuna as unqualified. Hence, he should do yagna-daana-tapas. Partial renunciation is correct for Arjuna!

But for Uddhava, he says...leave everything and go to Badrinath and do nididhyaasanam.

Krishna says...sanyasa or tyaga (both are same) is also of 3 types. 

Intro1: (v-5)

Should do yagna-daana-tapas. Because these 3 will purify your mind and will qualify you. Hence, paavanaani maneeshinaam. Hence, religious life and spiritual life are complementary. Both are needed.

Intro2: (v-6)

These 3 (y-d-t) should be done. What should be the attitude? Primary result and secondary result. Primary is sadhana-chatushtaya-sampatti. Secondary is material result (health etc.) Don't ask for anything else. Just...say..."parameshvara preetyartham". Hence, "sangam" tyaktvaa...and phalani cha. You will get "sadhana-chatushtaya-sampatti" in exponential form!

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July 16, 2025:

If a person does not know the scripture, but still does puja etc. with faith...how valid is it?

Krishna says....faith itself is divided into motive, mode, deity. Of these, the motive determines. If the motive is saatvik (i.e. nishkaama), the puja is saatvik...(regardless of conformance to rules of scripture (this point is implied))

After this, Krishna talks about aahaara, yagna, tapas, daanam.

Tapas- kaayikam, vaachikam, maanasam and motive based.

Remember: MOTIVE is the main thing...behind classification here- Satvik, Rajasik, Tamasik...

9 things are compulsory:

(1) 5 types of yagna (2) tapas (3 of them) (3) daanam

Shankara talks about om-tat-sat.

If there is deficiency in nishkaama...if one says om-tat-sat, it will make it! Na iha abhikrama naashah...

karmanaam saadgunya sampaadanam <- VERY IMPORTANT POINT related to om-tat-sat and ties up the question of Arjuna, with this answer!

78 verses in chp 18. Biggest chapter.

It is a consolidation.

Central teaching- aatma gnanam as the solution for samsara (ashochyaan)

moksha sanyaasa yoga- mokshaartham sanyaasa. How? sarva-dharmaan.... Renunciation of ahankara and self-ignorance and jiva-bhaava and kartrtvam (all are synonyms).

v1: difference between "sanyasa" and "tyaga"? They are gramatically synonyms.  Why did he ask? Arjuna feels..if there is a sanyasa definition...whereby, he can escape the war, he will!

 July 6, 2025

v 23-27: Significance of "om tat sat"

nirdesha - name. These are 3 names of ishvara

om- krishna does not define om and tat. avati...sarvaan..rakshati it. Ultimate protection from samsara itself.

tat- that! it means it is not nearby. indriya agocharam. "adhokshajah" Also, eko-naika- etc. tat (VS). Tanoti iti tat (Shankara says in VS)...the one who expands...(during creation time)

vihitaa- created. After uttering om-tat-sat...bhagavan created.

3 factors very important during creation time: veda-gives the method to escape from samsara, yagna- through which we can escape from samsara (yad-yad karma...), B-> important because they preserve the veda (and it is the route to moksha. ..mukham aaseet)

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One of these 3 can be used- either om, tat, sat (or all of them)

24. vidhaanam- vedic instruction. b-vaadi: who follows veda way of life. They utter om in begin/middle/end.

25. tat- for spiritual seekers...moksha kaankshibhih....yagna-daana-tapas...all nishkaama...Just say..."gnaana vairagya siddhyartham". Even if there is deficiency, that also can be rectified.

26. some seekers utter "sat". saadgunya sampaadanam- bhagavan will convert deficiencies and give gnaana-vairaagya. 5 meanings of sat

(1) sat- Pure existence (sad bhaava). (sadeva somya...Chh Up)  (5 features of Existence) (sadbhaavey)

(2) one who leads a noble life- sat purushah (saadhu bhaavey)

(3) sat karma-1- that which benefits a lot of people (prashastey karmani)

1-2-3 in this verse

In next verse....

(4) san-nishthaa- steadfastness (to yagna-daana-tapas) (sthiti)

(5) like 3, but even ordinary karma...if dedicated to ishvara, it becomes sat-karma-2 (tad artheeyam)

v-28 asat- anything opposite to above. No shradhha => action becomes invalid. (in bhagavan, in scripture, in action)...it will be asat karma. Shraddhaa is very important! Comes back to shradhha...(beginning of chapter). Na iha...pretya...not here, not hereafter...Even if some lapses are there, chanting om-tat-sat is very important to make up for lapses!

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June 30, 2025:

Arjuna asked about shraddhaa. Krishna talks about 4 more topics because they are important. 

tametam vedAnuvachanena brAhmaNA vividiShanti, yajnena dAnena tapasA anAshakena’ <- Br Up.

- After karana drishtyaa tapas, now, guna based classification. This is essentially "motive based"

The following tapas should apply for each: saatvik shaariraka tapas, saatvik maanasa tapas etc.

- Satvik tapas: (1) Shraddhaa is the main thing that this tapas WILL spiritually contribute to me. (2) Second is...it should be yuktaihi- with a focused and integrated personality. 

- Raajasik tapas: (1) satkaara maana pujaartham (will be honored) (2) dambhena (publicity) 

- Taamasik tapas: (1) muuDHgraahena: false notion...not supported by scripture at all. All forms of cruel tapas (2) Tormenting the body (atma here is body or oneself) (3) With a motive to destroy someone else.

The following are for daanam:

- Saatvik daanam: Maha-Narayana Up- Daanam is praised. Taittiriya too: shraddhayaa deyam, ashraddhaya api deyam! hriyaa deyam, samvidaa deyam (as per need of recipient), bhiyaa deyam (must share!) Here, daatavyam (it is my duty to share money, time etc.), anupakaariney (no reciprocation expectation!), considering desha-kaala-paatra

- Raajasa daanam: Expectation based! prati-upakaaram, giving with heartburn! (pari-klishtam)

- Taamasa daanam: Opposite of Saatvik: adesha-akaala etc, asatkrtam, avagnaatam (dishonoring)

Finally topic:

How to ensure lapses in any of the above...any saadhana for that matter...is taken care? Use Om-tat-sat.

 

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June 21, 2025

- Charama shatkam

- Chp 13-14-15 focus on gnaana-yoga. Gnanam gives moksha.

- Chp 16-17 focus on preparation of the mind. That's because knowledge has to take place in the mind- "manasaa eva idam aaptavyam". 

- Chp 17:

At the end of Chp 16, Krishna said..."all actions have to be guided by shaastra". Tasmaat shaastram pramaanam tey...

Arjuna asked- what if a person has shraddhaa but does not follow the rules exactly because he has not studied the shastra. Krishna answered- it depends...because with shastram, the person will be guided by his own personality. And based on his personality, his shraddhaa will also be Satvik, Rajasic, Tamasic. Based on this, Krishna gave examples on the deity that is worshipped, the mode of worship etc.

After this, Krishna himself volunteers to talk about 4 more topics- Aahara, yagna, tapas and daanam. These are all required to prepare the mind (for gnaanam). That's the reason. In Aahata and yagna, Krishna divided based on guna.

But when it comes to tapas, he does 2 fold division- "Based on Karana" and "Based on Guna". 

We are now in this "karana drishtyaa tapas" portion. We looked at shaarirakam tapah- all kinds of ritualistic puja.

Now, we are in vaak-tapas.

Swadhaaya- Regular recitation (whether we know the meaning or not)

(1) satyam bruyaat...priyam bruyaat...na bruyaat satyam apriyam...priyan cha anrtan bruyaat....esha dharma sanaatanah (Manusmrti 4.138) Speak the truth..Speak what is plesant...if something is truthful, but unpleasant, don't speak. Speak what is both priyam and satyam.

(2) yogasya prathamam dvaaram- vaang nirodha (Vivekachudamani)

(3) vaak devi vadanaambuje vasatu mey trailokya maataa shubhaa

(4) lakshmih vasati jihvaagrey...jihvaagrey mitra-baandhavaahaa....jihvaagrey bandhanam praaptam...jihvaagrey maranam dhruvam !

Now, we come to  maanasam tapas

(1) Important because this will influence vaak (previous point) and action later. (tat vaachaa vadati....tat karmanaa karoti)

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