In the 10th Chapter of Bhagavad
Gita, Krishna spoke to Arjuna in 35 verses. Krishna was talking about the various
manifestations of the truth (the reality).In our journey of life,
we experience the same truth (God principle) as is explained analytically in
the 10th Chapter.
Any spiritual seeker constantly
seeks inputs from all sources until he discovers a path to transform himself.
Similarly, you will have to explore and identify a path by which you can
transform yourself. In this process, it is important to remember that only you
can lift yourself. Only you have to step up and take responsibility for your
evolution and growth. In this journey of seeking transformation, you will attain
knowledge from various sources; however, you should understand that knowledge
alone without comprehension would not serve purpose. Therefore, comprehension
of the knowledge is necessary to attain complete transformation.
Krishna spoke to Arjuna, a
spiritual seeker and was available to give him the entire philosophy and
knowledge needed for spiritual transformation. However, as previously spelt
out, knowledge ‘as is’ is meaningless unless the receiver is able to
comprehend and utilize it, even if the receiver is the great Arjuna himself. In
undertaking this journey of transformation, a seeker must be self analyze the
answer to one important question.
What sort of human are
you?
The very purpose of having
sessions on Bhagavad Gita is to help one, help himself. To
help yourself ascertain your level of spiritual development, you can draw a
graph on spiritual development of a person from 0 to 100 on x axis and the life
Span on y axis, where zero denotes that a person is not at all developed and
100 denotes a fully developed person. At zero, the person’s actions can be
categorized as self-centered, taking interest only in the activities of his
family and himself. He is incapable of thinking beyond his own circle. This is
the primary level of development is observed in almost all animals and insects.
Unfortunately, most of us fall also in this category.
Here, the important difference
we need to realize is that we are different from these other living things. It
is because we are bestowed with physical and mental faculties much higher them
and therefore are created to achieve a higher level development.
Keeping in mind that you need
to progress from zero to hundred, you must start thinking beyond your
circle. Let your home be the centre of your affection but
not the boundary of your affection. Albeit your family’s
sorrows are your sorrows, and their joy yours, these feelings must gradually
but steadily spread from the inner circle (family) to everyone.
Do not feel content with the
knowledge that you have come across but not understood or utilized. Break free
from the shackles of ignorance and try to learn and implement the knowledge
gained.. For example, if a businessman is interested only in his business and a
homemaker only in her home, both fail to look beyond the circle drawn by them.
This indicates that they are at the Zero percent (0%) development level.
You should realize that to get
100% development level, you have to look beyond your inner circle by stretching
your boundaries. Try to apply the knowledge like Arjuna, which would help you
in your spiritual growth. Once you are able to expand your circle size, and are
able to treat them similar to your inner circle, your spiritual growth
increases.
Understand how life is a
wonderful opportunity and discover the meaning of life by starting to accept
all as your own. Find the purpose of your life and not live through life as is.
As life is filled with a lot of ups and downs, enjoy each moment and understand
the reason for such fluctuations in your experiences. However, most of you are
fatigued and tired by the time you reach middle age. This is because you fail
to stand and smell the roses along the way. The ups get overshadowed by the
downs we face. You should not let this happen.
This brings us to empirical
knowledge on a spiritual journey. This journey of spiritual development is
explained to us very eloquently in Bhajagovindam by Adi Shankara. He explains
the vicious cycle of birth and death and what one needs to do in order to
escape this vicious cycle.
In the Shloka 21 of Bhaja Govindham, the stanza
“Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam
Punarapi janani jaTarae shayanam Iha
samsaarae bahudhusthaarae Krupayaaparae paahi
murarae”
denotes a cycle of birth and death a human has to undergo based
on his Purva Janma Vasanas (inherited predispositions) and the law of karma
(sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence). Till we
attain the 100% level of spiritual development we will all undergo this vicious
cycle of birth and death. Although, there is no set time when one can
decisively tell when one can escape this cycle of rebirths, it is very well
elucidated in the following shloka, what steps one needs to take in order to
progress fast and forge in that journey towards the 100% level of development.
The whole shloka focuses on
intellectual bondage. It urges you to pose important questions by ourselves and
find the answers to the same by yourself. However, when you fail to pose these
questions or find answers, our ignorance in these matters boomerang on you and
cause sorrow, you in turn blame the other person or the environment or even
God! This shloka calls on you to maintain a dispossess viewpoint towards our
possessions even during your ownership over them. It is important to understand
that attachments need to go, but not objects of attachment. The problem is with
your attitude and not the objects. Detachment is the removal of selfishness,
demands and expectations However, maintaining this spirit of detachment in our
relationships or over our possessions is what is difficult. Today you put in a
lot of effort to acquire things or maintain relationships but your
possessiveness towards them makes you agitated, bitter and irritated. To
overcome this, you must analyze all the things you feel attached to, then
remove the possessiveness but retain the possessions, only then will you enjoy
the fruits of your labor.
Conclusion:
In this process of spiritual
development, it is important to understand that actions based on superstitions
and beliefs would not provide solutions your problems. There is no other way to
come out of or mitigate your problems except by finding the truth (posing
the right questions and finding answers for them). You
may feel unhappy, agitated, and devastated in your journey of finding the
truth.
Understand that the ultimate
abode of all you experience in the world is the truth. Everything
is happening in the universe as governed by that truth viz., the law of
gravity, water boiling at a particular temperature, water freezing at a
specific temperature; there is a law governing all this, which is the ‘ultimate
truth’. In Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna says to Krishna, "Reality is that
truth that I am seeing". Everything is happening because of
cause and effect. If you wish to lead a life where you are spiritually
developed, start acting now. You are the maker of your fortune. Whatever you do
today will have an effect on tomorrow. Even the smallest of steps you take
to find the truth would result in giant leaps of your spiritual development.
It is crucial for you to
reflect over this truth right here and right now. You have to understand that
time is of essence here. Do not waste your precious time on pursuing only
material ends. Go find the truth and spread the knowledge about the process.
Be Blissful.
S.Sekar
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com