TRAITS OF A GNANI

A Gnani knows that the world has no power to disturb him. He alone empowers the world to disturb him. A Gnani is one who does not disturb the world nor does he disturb others. A Gnani accepts the Raga Dvesha of others. He is not a threat to anyone. His mind is free from emotional problem.

Anything will become a burden if I am very particular about the results of my action. A Gnani accepts the result of his actions with equanimity. You can move with people but avoid emotional dependence on the world. Dependence is sorrow. Independence is Happiness. We have to depend on things and people but learn to manage them. Efficiency increases naturally when the mind is calm. A turbulent mind is a block for all our resources. A calm mind can take a right decision. Any decision involves a risk (wild risk or a calculated risk). Prepare your mind and say ‘I am ready for any result’. This resolve will make me face any situation with ease. Say to yourself that ‘I am ready for any karmapalan’. This will reduce my anxiety. A hundred percent free mind is impossible. Any emotion is a thought. Any thought can continue in my mind only if I permit. I train my mind to divert unhealthy thoughts that comes. Therefore, a mantrajapa is very useful when my mind goes haywire and restless. Then the mind will calm down.

A Gnani practices samatvam or equanimity. Life is a continuous confrontation of pairs of opposites Viz., Heath, ill health, which are continuous opposite experiences. We have to train our mind to remain equanimous. Reaction can make the situation worse. It will increase the pain caused by the situation. If I leave it, the impact of the pain will be lesser and lesser. Remove the emotional content from the pain. Then there remains only biological pain and it will come down. Acceptance will quieten the mind. Stress is emotional disturbance only. Stress reduces our immunity. Many diseases are already inside our body and immunity is keeping them under control. These diseases will flare up due to stress and due to loss of immunity. For maintaining good physical health, our mind should be free from emotional disturbances. This also helps in keeping mental health and harmony. They are useful in maintaining intellectual health also. Bhagavad Gita helps in keeping spiritual health, which is the primary purpose of Bhagavad Gita. We will have mental refinement, which will help in absorbing Vedantic teaching.

Absorption, retention and assimilation of knowledge give unique joy, peace and fulfillment at the mental level, which is called Jivan Mukthi. Therefore, knowledge represents the value wherever he (Gnani) gets an opportunity (ver13 to ver20 of 12 Ch BG). There is a saying “When the going gets tough the tough gets going”. The one who is mentally strong and who mentally enjoys endurance, that person alone can maintain equanimity and emotional immunity (he is a Gnani).

Every painful situation is an opportunity for increasing emotional immunity. Never nourish Raga Dvesha. Remember that nobody will be with us all the time. Therefore, my mind should be ready for a losing situation also. A mind, which is prepared to lose the losable, is the mind of a Sanyasi. In life, every pleasant thing is losable including our own health. One who is not prepared to lose the losable is insane. According to Vedanta, a Gnani does not depend on things, people and situations.

A wet clay Ball will stick to the ground and will not rise up. A rubber Ball when falling on the ground will bounce back. A sound mind will bounce back even after a tragic disturbance, after a mourning period. Living in the past, losing the present and future is an unintelligent way of life. The toughest discipline is speech control. More dependence is not progress. Less dependence is a progress. That is called internal progress. You have to become independent and not depend on anybody. A spiritual person (Gnani) will remain calm in spite of different set of conditions around him including food. Liberation is never possible without spiritual wisdom.

A spiritually ignorant person will say, I am a small individual struggling to survive in this vast universe. Vedanta says that the whole universe including the body and mind and the Galaxy are all a spec in me who is infinite Consciousness. Me referred here is ‘I’ the chaitanya tatvam. I am a spec in the world is “Samsara”. Life is a burden for a Samsari. Life is a blessing for a Sanyasi. The aim of Vedanta is making the vision meaningful. I am an ocean and all galaxies are like bubbles is the Vedantic vision. Adi Sankaracharya refers to this in his famous Viveka Chudamani (when the body falls for a Gnani).

How does a tree look at the event when its leaves fall? Tree will remain and the leaves fall one by one. Everybody is a leaf in a tree called ‘Brahman’, which is infinite and everlasting. You can use the world as the stepping-stone but hold on to God for stability, peace and Happiness. For a spiritual seeker, World is the means and God is the end.

Be Blissful.

S.Sekar

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Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad Gita 55th Verse

Mathkarmakrunmathparamo MathBhaktha Sangarvajithaha

Nirvairaha Sarvabhudeshu Yaha Sa Mamethi Pandava

This verse is a five-point prayer to the lord. This is an important verse of Bhagavad Gita.

You start with emotional Bhakti. You put faith in a particular form of God (Artha, Ardharthi Bhakti). Krishna says, “You dedicate all your actions worldly, secular and sacred actions to me and take the results as a prasada from me” (bagawan). Then you will be able to discriminate between a chocolate and a 100-rupee note. As a child, you prefer the chocolate than a 100-rupee note.

You will realise that Bagawan alone is the greatest God of highest value. In front of Bagawan all the things and beings in the world is perishable. Bagawan is non-perishable and will become the real God.

Attachment in the worldly things should gradually come down. Gradually I should see them as of less important. Our mind grows out of finite desires and goes for the desire for God. Gradually the value for God will increase.

Why should I depend on the perishable thing? If that thinking arises God becomes the primary goal. Means and ends reverse. God is the means and world is the end before and vice versa now. Thus, devotion for God is the mail goal.     

Gradually may you develop Divine virtue, which will take you closer to God. May you gradually develop divine virtues and become Divine. Gradually avoid hating People and things. Hatred is a very big obstacle for Spiritual Goal. Our aim should be “I don’t hate anyone”.

There are moments in life that direct us to certain things. Some call it intuition, others call it fate. Currently I have been led on a path of deep spiritual curiosity. I have been blessed to encounter amazing energies and people along my way. With my Divine source, I am discovering how amazing our life on earth is and how there are limitless possibilities with the assistance of Divine help.

This is the essence of the whole teaching of the Gita. He who practises this teaching will attain Supreme Bliss and Immortality. This verse contains the summary of the entire philosophy of the Gita.

To put it short Krishna says “ He who does all actions for Me, who looks upon Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears enmity towards no creature, he comes to Me (He becomes one with him), O Arjuna”.

S.SEKAR

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PRELUDE TO TWELFTH CHAPTER OF BHAGAVAD GITA

Twelfth chapter is a small chapter consisting of 20 verses but is a very important chapter, which puts the entire Vedic teaching in essence. We can say the 12^th chapter is Veda saraha. This chapter happens to be the final chapter of the middle portion of Bhagavad Gita beginning with the 7^th chapter. Madyama Shatkam dwells upon eswara swaroopa and is based on 11^th chapter. Madyama Shatkam talks about the importance of eswara anugraha or eswara kripa. For this, we require our effort with grace of God. Effort and grace are complimentary like the two wings of a bird. We have to learn to look at the whole universe as eswara’s body. Towards the end of the chapter, Krishna includes a statement. A person proceeds from eka rupa eswara to vishwa rupa eswara only if he has one important qualification. If this qualification is not there, other religious disciplines that he does viz., Vedas etc will be useless and it will not work. Naturally, Arjuna was curious to know what that qualification is. Krishna answers Arjuna about this important qualification, which is Bhakti or Devotion. What should I do to be a Bhakta is a question? What is that Bhakti which Krishna highlighted in the 11^th Chapter?

12^th chapter is a commentary on what is Bhakti. That is why 12^th chapter is entitled Bhakti Yoga and dwells on Bhakti. Krishna is expanding further on Bhakti. Therefore, we have to connect the previous discussion with the 12^th chapter. Bhakti is discussed in the 7^th chapter. Krishna himself talks about 4 types of Bhakti in the 7^th chapter. We have to build up on this. A Bhakta has to progress through 4 stages. Initially we worship the lord to solve our problems. This is called Aarta Bhakti. Children before the exams are Aarta Bhaktas. Preparing to the next stage is Ardarthi Bhakti. Whenever we start a fresh thing Viz., a business venture, a house warming ceremony, a married life there are so many slips between the cup and the lip. We do varieties of pujas for the success of worldly ventures. This is Ardarthi Bhakti. This is also non-spiritual Bhakti. Gradually we have to progress to Jignasu Bhakti. The others who worship are the seeker of knowledge (Jijnasu Bhakti is the enquirer) and the wise (Gnani Bhakta) who are the men of knowledge who have attained to self-illumination. Be devoted to God, whatever be your motive. Devotion will purify the motive in due course. We have to understand that everything in this world is perishable. Eswara Gnanam and surrender to the Lord is the only solution for the problem of Samsara. For a seeker of Moksha this conversion is called Mumukshu Bhakti or Jignasu Bhakti.

I want Moksha but I don’t know how to get Moksha. There are so many people attaining Moksha through different methods. Study of Veda gives Eswara Gnanam. Krishna makes it very clear in the 4^th chapter. You should be interested in receiving the knowledge through a Guru by way of spiritual education program. Things will happen and will work only if the mind is ready to receive the knowledge and assimilate the knowledge received. Fitness for receiving eswara Gnanam should be there. Therefore, Krishna recommends preparatory discipline.

Two important Yoga’s are there for getting Gnana yoga. They are Karma yoga and Upasana yoga. Karma yoga is for diluting Raga Dvesha. Without this (Karma yoga), our mind will not be quiet (3^rd Ch). Second is Upasana yoga. Our mind should not be pre occupied. A preoccupied mind is a smaller mind and cannot focus attention to a guru’s teaching. Mind must be 100% available. For that Upasana yoga, meditation in one form or other is required. Only at that time of Dhyanam mind will have every thought also. A Jignasu Bhakta must go through three Yogas. He has the longest Bhakti duration. He has to do Karma yoga and Upasana yoga for Gnana yoga prapti and Gnana yoga for getting Gnana prapti. Karma yoga, Upasana yoga and Gnana yoga put together is Bhakti Yoga. Krishna calls it Annanya Bhakti. Jignasu Bhakti will become Gnana Bhakti. Gnana Bhakta is a liberated person. 12^th chapter can be briefly divided into two parts. First is 3 yogas presented by Krishna. This is discussed up to 12^th verse. When a person has done all the 3 yogas he will get converted into a Gnana Bhakta.

What is the Life style of a Gnani Bhakta? What benefit he will get by becoming a Gnani Bhakta? The description of a Gnani Bhakta (Chitapragna) is given in 2 Chapter BG Ver 54 to Ver 72.  By Chitapragna Lakshanani is meant natural or spontaneous traits of a Gnani. A Chitapragna of the 2^nd chapter is Gnani Bhakta of 12^th Chapter (Para Brahma, 12 Ch, Ver 20). Jignasu Bhakta will become a Gnani Bhakta. Krishna divides from 3 to 5 stages of yoga. 2 levels of Karma yoga, 2 levels of Upasana yoga and 1 level of Gnana yoga. Krishna tells the first level of Karma yoga as Sagama karma. He permits worldly desires. The second level of Karma yoga is doing Pancha Maha Yagna. The first level of Upasana yoga is meditation upon my own favorite deity. The second level of Upasana yoga is Vishwa rupa dhayana. I meditate upon Vishwa rupa eswara as descriped in 11^th Chapter. Learn to look at the Universe as the body of the lord. The Fifth and final step is Gnana Yoga consisting of Shravanam, Mananam and Nidhith yasanam. We finally come to Nirguna Eswara Bhakti. This beautiful Bhakti Yoga package is talked about in the 12^th Chapter and the chapter starts with Arjuna’s question to Krishna.

Be Blissful

S.SEKAR

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DESIRE TO NO DESIRE IS THE ANSWER

Desire, Anger and Fear are to be eradicated while doing Karma Yoga. Kama (pleasure) is a major problem that affects Life and has to be removed from your thoughts. Cultivate good thoughts and appreciate every day the nature’s beauty around you.  Unethical desires alone are to be condemned. May you encourage only healthy desires. Three organs in the body generate desires. Sense organ gets tempted and is the founder member. Mind becomes the next member nourishing the Kama. The next is Buddhi, which justifies unethical desires. Sense organs initiate the desire. Control sense organs by avoiding temptations. Say no to drugs, no to liquor, cigarette etc. Once you take to them thereafter coming out is difficult. Sense control is the best method of mastering Kama. Ethical Kama will become non-binding desires. You will feel complete fulfillment.

Only when you have desires, you will be born again. Man has desires. He is an extrovert. Be an introvert, discover yourself, and seek the truth.

Human – Desire = God.

A quotation comes to my mind when I think about desire. I believe this statement to be true.

“A Person, who has wants, Worships

A person, who has no wants, is worshipped”

Note: Wants = Desires

          No wants = No desires or Desireless

Every human being has a bundle of desires (Vasanas). Vasanas are unfulfilled desires. You merely satisfy your desires, as you grow older. Still you will have a bundle of desires and there is no end to it. You have to move from selfish desires to unselfish desires and finally selfless desires in order to move to something higher. When desires are exhausted, you merge with the higher truth.  For example, the river merges with the ocean. Ocean says the river is in me and I am also in the river. What you see is Individuality of the river to the totality of the ocean. You are able to relate to one and all.

Every human being can make a life for himself. All you need is to be determined and put in your efforts to reach the goal (spiritual goal). The only goal a human being has in life is to get back to his original state.

Be blissful

S.SEKAR

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AMAZING VISHWARUPA DHARSHANA

We should understand that the entire world is in the infinite Vishwarupam of the lord. The entire space is the body of the lord. In Upanishads, we get this description of Vishwarupa varnana.

Vishwarupa dharshana is not an extraordinary form of the lord. It is an extraordinary way of looking at the Universe itself as the body of the lord. World as the body of the lord is already available in front of me. It need not appear newly since it appears all the time. We do not experience the world as the body of the lord. We only experience the world and so we don’t have vishwarupa dharshanam. We require two qualifications for Vishwarupa dharsan. One is we require Gnanam and the second is Sanskara which is refinement of the mind. In Hinduism Sanskaras or Samskaras are the imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience in this life or the previous lives. These Samskaras then colour our life, nature, responses, state of mind etc. “Whenever an action is performed by a person with the desire for a specific result (whether for oneself or another), sanskara is created. These accumulate and determine the situations with which we will be presented in the future and will influence the scope of future actions”. Gnanam makes us understand that God is the cause of the Creation. Universe is the product of Eswara. Cause alone expresses in the form of varieties of things. Bagawan is the cause and world is the effect. Bagawan alone with different names and forms is appearing as universe. Bagawan with names and forms is called the universe. Even though we use ornaments such as bangles, chains etc, we know all of these as gold.  We have gold darshan only.

When I experience the product, I don’t see the Karanam(cause). Even though the entire world is the body of the lord eventually, Bagawan is the owner of the entire creation. I don’t accept the entire creation to be owned by the Bagawan. I claim ownership with respect to a few things, few people, property etc. This is because, ‘I’ have got mamakara. Once I claim ownership of possession, I want to take control of them. The problem is that I don’t have control over anything at all. When I try to control the uncontrollable, anxiety is inevitable. I have trespassed into the property of the lord. Bagawan’s prosecution is our mental stress, strain, fear, anxiety etc. If only I remember that I don’t have ownership, I can’t control anything and that I can only contribute, my life will be a blessing and also peaceful. I can raise the children properly. What they are going to do is not in my control. Do not control in every stage of their life.

Pray to God; O lord whatever happens according to the law of Karma let it happen. Let me do whatever I have to do all the time. Let me do my duty, relax my mind, and enjoy the wonderful Vishwarupa. Reduction of Ahamkara and Mamakara (I and mine) and reduction of Raga Dvesha (likes and dislikes) is required for having viswarupa darshana all the time. Lord Krishna blesses Arjuna’s mind Divya Chakshu (third eye). Krishna made Arjuna experience the Vishwarupa Eswara, which is the attitude towards the world itself as explained above.

Krishna tells Arjuna, “With your own eyes you will not be able to see my cosmic form. I will bless you with divine eye Viz., Divya Chakshu and you can see me”. Because of Ahamkara and Mamakara factors, our mind gets narrower and narrower. We are always preoccupied with something or other and we don’t have time to appreciate the Vishwarupa Eswara. We don’t appreciate the trees, flowers, which are, present everywhere in nature. We always worry about a few things centered on Ahamkara and Mamakara; our mind gets subjective, and we look at every event as Ahamkara and Mamakara. Once we eliminate them, we can live in the present. Everything becomes glorious and holy if we have the right attitude. Karma yoga and Upasana yoga helps to overcome Ahamkara and Mamakara and remove that narrow mind. Three ingredients make our mind preoccupied. They are Raga (attachment), Soga (grief) and Moga (delusion / conflict).

The Body of the lord is all pervading Akasa (Taittiriya Upanishads). The space (Akasa/ Sky) is the body of the lord. The infinite space is available all the time. There can be only one all pervading space. We have to read books on Astronomy to know about stars and outer space. The nearest star is Surya or Sun. During summer, we even cannot see the Sun. Surya is only an ordinary star. There are stars above the sky, which are brighter than Surya or Sun god. We can compare the size of our planets to stars in the outer space, galaxy etc.

Life is a unique opportunity given to us by Bagawan. We have to enjoy the presence of Vishwarupa Dharshan. Once I look upon world as Eswara itself, my attitude to the world is one of reverence only. Since the entire universe is contained in the body of the lord, I am in the presence of the lord. I am in the very lap of the lord all the time. Just as a wave need not do anything to enjoy the presence of the ocean. The waves are always in the presence of the ocean. So also, I am always in the presence of the lord.

I should not claim ownership of anything as everything belongs to Bagawan. He can take anything from me without prior notice. I am only the user of what Bagawan has given me. When you claim the ownership of body and mind, it is called Ahamkara version of ownership. When I claim to possess something or someone Viz, my husband, my children, my things, it is called Mamakara. Ahamkara and Mamakara become an obstacle in appreciating bagawan as absolute.

Every experience in our life is coming from the world consisting of things, beings and experiences (varieties of situations). Until you go to bed, it continues. We react differently to situations based on our Raga, Dvesha, Kama (entertainment), Krodha and Moga. We are tension ridden all the time. This is a typical human mind. For a Vishwarupa Bhakta, all of these are not things, beings and situations. They are all Eswara vishwarupa. World does not give me experiences. Only God gives me experiences. Whatever god gives me is fair. There is nothing unfair in Bagawan’s treatment. I get what I deserve according to the law of karma. Whatever Bagawan gives is prasada. I should accept that without any complaint. This awareness is there for a Vishwarupa Bhakta (Nishkama Bhakti 9^th Chapter of BG).

The more you see the creation the more wonderful it is. No organ of our body can be created by anyone. You can only take precaution with regard to an Earthquake, Tsunami, Hurricane, Storm etc, but you cannot prevent them from occurring. It is the work of Nature (Bagawan).

Arjuna, filled with wonder, bowed down his head (Fear of seeing a huge form of lord) to the Lord and spoke with joined hands (Showing Bhakti). Our eyes are capable of experiencing only Boologa (earth). Arjuna saw beyond Boologa with extended vision spatially and time wise. He could see the future Mahabharatha war in a symbolic form. He saw the all-pervading Vishwarupa. Whatever arrives and departs is finite only. His vision is described as a circle with circumference everywhere with center in all places, which means it is infinite.

Divinisation is required for spiritual growth. From Eka rupa to Vishwarupa to Arupa (No form), understanding of Bagawan is compulsory.

Be Blissful.

S.SEKAR

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THOUGHTS ON ‘I’

If I am I because You are You

And You are You because I am I

Then I am not and You are not

But If I am I because I am I

And You are You because You are You

Then I am and You are

But we are Not

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Simply stated, what that means can be summarized by

“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” – Oscar Wilde

While that’s correct, let’s look a little deeper and ask why be you. If your life has a purpose (and it does) then you cannot find and fulfill that purpose without you being you. Your value is the unique you. There is no one else like you and therefore no one else can fulfill your purpose. Giving and sharing that unique you matters.

If you want to be original just try being yourself, because God has never made two people exactly alike. No two fingerprints are the same. No two ear lobes are same.

Have faith in yourself. Have a doubtless belief in yourself. That is the way you will win. The rule is there is no rule.

You are not just matter. It is you that matters.

S.SEKAR

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Five Ways to Create Good Karma

Karma, in layman's terms, is an individual's action, intention, work, or deed. We can define it as any deliberate action willfully done by a human being. Action done by animals does not come under karma. Animals are programmed and they don’t use their freewill. For an animal, we call it as Chesta. Action done by us in our sleep will not come under karma, as it is not done willfully / deliberately. In simple terms, it can be said that your actions define your future, for what you sow, is what you will reap. In order to live a happy and peaceful life, it is very important that we create good karma around us. Our goodness, love, care and help towards others is what will lead us to a calm and happy life. Don't do wrong to anyone, even if you feel he has wronged you. Revenge is never the answer, as it lessens his wrongful deeds and adds to yours. Always remember no person can get away with harming another. Sooner or later, he has to pay for his karma.

There have always been arguments over whether karma relates to the deeds of past life, or the present ones, affecting the future. The cycle goes both ways. It is observed that at some point of time a person experiences undeserved sufferings and pains. This can be related to one’s past wrongful deeds. The only way to get rid of this is by staying positive and creating good karma around you, to the extent that it overpowers the wrong deeds of your past.

Here are a few ways to help you create good karma around yourself.

Think Positive: Your thoughts define your personality and with a positive outlook towards life, people and work, you will automatically create a positive bubble for yourself. A positive mind only thinks of betterment, and the one who thinks for the betterment of all, is only adding to his good deeds.

Spread Love: Love more, hate less. Not a new ideology though, but worth mentioning. You can win over evil just by the simple act of love. It isn’t easy to be good to people who may not be treating you right, but remember, never stoop down to that person's level in order to deal with him. It will only fill up your heart and mind with negativity. Try to be nice always, don’t hurt anyone. Stay happy and spread happiness. Ignore negative people.

Understand Pain: Always think before acting. Never let your actions be the reason for a person's pain. We must understand that if our actions hurt, or cause pain to another, it only adds to our bad deeds, which sooner or later, will get back to us.

Clear Intentions and thoughts: Bad action creates bad karma and so does bad intent. We may feel that what we think or feel remains with us, but such is never the case. Every thought is accountable. You should always be careful of what you think, for it soon changes into actions and every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Select your friends wisely: We are generally known by the people we hang around with. It is a common notion and a much factual one too that, the people we stay with most of our time have an impact on our behavior and thinking. It is therefore very important to stay with positive, happy and kind-hearted people. Spending time with negative and evil souls will only, sooner or later, incorporate the same feelings in you.

Let our thoughts deeds and actions be centered on doing good things to all the other people around us. Let us be happy always, also make others happy, and thereby create a positive energy around us. In happiness lies our prosperity.

Be blissful.

S.SEKAR

Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com