[00:00:00] Okay, and Subhash, maybe you can finish that later? Yeah, so after class, anyone else who wants to sign up after class? Would you please be seated? We're going to start our class. If you want to sign up, you can sign up later. And I'll talk about that at the end of the class. Thank you. It's full.
[00:00:33] Okay. Could I suggest that you finish up over there after class, please? Thank you. Om sahanavavatu, sahanav bhunaktu, sahavidyan karavavai, tejasvinavadhitamastu mavidvishavaihi. Om Shanti, Shanti. Good. Welcome back. Let me turn this up a little.
[00:01:39] So, we finished all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita. And now in the next five meetings, we're going to do our overview of those chapters. But before we begin with that, for the last two classes, we've been learning this beautiful Gita Dhyanam. And we'll begin our class today chanting the Gita Dhyanam.
[00:02:03] Gita Dhyanam remembers a sequence of eight or nine verses, which is in praise of the Bhagavad Gita. These are verses traditionally chanted immediately before the study. We're doing things a little out of order. We're doing it after the study. But still, they're lovely verses. We should know them. So, we will recite them today.
[00:02:25] The first verse is in praise of the Bhagavad Gita, which is taught to Arjuna by Lord Narayana himself, compiled by the Rishi Vyasana Mahabharata, the sacred rain of nectar in 18 chapters. O Mother Gita, I venerate you, destroyer of suffering. I'll just turn my chair around. No, it didn't go. There we go. That's the second part.
[00:02:50] Okay, repeat after me, please. Om Parthaya Pratibodhitam Bhagavata. Narayana Swayam.
[00:03:10] Vyasena Kratitampura Namunina Vyasena Kratitampura Madhyemahabharatam Advaitamrata Varshanimahabharatam. Ashtada Shadhyayanim. Ambatva Manu Sandhadhami. Bhagavad-gite bhavad-dveshanim.
[00:04:00] Next verse to Vyasa. Salutations to you, Vyasa, whose intellect is vast, whose eyes are like petals of a lotus, by whom the lamp filled with the oil of Mahabharata was lit with the flame of knowledge. Beautiful poetry. Lots of symbolism. Namostu Te Vyasa Vishalabuddhi. Pullara Vindayata Patranetra. Yenathvaya Bharata Thailapurna.
[00:04:49] Prajwalito Jnana Maya Pradipaha. And to Sri Krishna. Salutations to Sri Krishna, who blesses the surrendered, in whose hands are a staff and a symbol of knowledge, the Shinmudra, who milks the Gita's nectar. Prajwalita Vindayata. Prajwalito Jnana Parijataya.
[00:06:15] Jnana Parijataya.
[00:08:15] This river of battle was crossed by the Pandavas with Sri Krishna as the boatman. Bhishmadronatata jayadrata jala. Jnana Parijataya.
[00:09:13] Jnana Parijataya.
[00:17:59] Jnana, or Jnana Yoga, is Jnana meaning knowledge, is predominant in the final six chapters. Both of these breakdowns are helpful, but neither one of them. We can't be rigid about either of them because there are many exceptions and take it in a very loose sense.
[00:18:21] So this will help us navigate through the 18 chapters of the Mahabharata, of the Bhagavad Gita. Today we're going to see, I think, the first two chapters. We'll see how it goes. So, in doing this overview, I think it would be very useful if we were to return to our English version that we've been chanting together. And we'll do that again here.
[00:18:46] So it goes very quick, but it means in a few minutes you can get the gist of the entire chapter by chanting these verses in English, which is what we'll do. The first verse you can listen and repeat, and then we will chant together. And just to remind you, these are verses that I composed in English, following the meter of the original Sanskrit, the Anitubchandas, allowing us to chant these verses like we do chant the Sanskrit. Also, I'll mention that this is a slightly, not slightly, it is an abbreviated version of the Bhagavad Gita. All the verses are not there. Maybe half of them are there.
[00:19:27] Okay. Repeat after me. "Dhritarashtra said, Assembled on a battlefield, Assembled on a field of Dharma, the Kuru's land, There stand my sons and Pandu's sons. There stand my sons. What did they do, O Sanjaya? Good. Together. Sanjaya said, Seeing the Pandava's forces, Drawn for battle, prepared for war, Prince Duryodhana then approached his teacher, Drona, and he said, "Behold, O Master, standing here, The mighty troops of Pandu's sons, Organized by your shrewd pupil, Dhristadyumna, Drupada's son, Archers bold who in war can match. Even Bhima and Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Firata too, All of them mighty warrior chiefs.
[00:20:49] O Drona, May you now observe Our own warriors illustrious, Bhishma, Karna, Ashwatthama, and Kripa, the victorious. Many other heroes stand here, Who have staked their own lives for me, Equipped with weapons of all kinds. Highly skilled in the heart of war, The strength of our own troops is vast. Bhishma protects them from harm, But their troops' might is limited. Even though Bhima guards them all, Then the conches and kettle drums, Cymbals, tabers, and trumpets shrill, All resounded quite suddenly, Blaring forth so tumultuous, In a glorious chariot, To which white stallions had been yoked, Stood Lord Krishna and Arjuna, On holy conches they did blow, Yudhisthira and Bhima too, Abhimanyu and Drupada, Drishtadyumna and Shikhandi.
[00:22:17] Upon great conches they all blew, The hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons were shattered by the dreadful roar, Blaring loudly resounding far, Through the sky and around the earth, Then seeing Dhritarashtra's sons, Their swords raised high, prepared to fight. Arjuna taking up his bow, Addressed Lord Krishna with these words, Arjuna said, O Krishna steer our chariot, Between both armies gathered here, So I can see those eager to fight, Whom I must now engage in war. Sanjaya said, Arjuna then beheld them all, His uncles, teachers, brothers too, Nephews, cousins and grandfathers, Sons and grandsons and friends as well, He surveyed all those gathered near, Amassed in armies on both sides, Then with his great compassion stirred, Arjuna said in deep despair, Arjuna said,.
[00:23:47] O Krishna seeing my own folk, Here assembled eager to fight, My body shakes, my limbs fall limp, My mouth is parched, my hair on hand, My bow slips from my quaking hand, And my skin seems to burn with fire, My mind is spinning round and round, No longer can I even stand, Our own teachers and relatives, For whom we are prepared to fight, All stand arrayed for battle here, Giving up their own lives and wealth, I do not want to slaughter them, Even if I am slain instead, Since after killing our own folks, How could we live in happiness, How could we not be wise enough, To turn back from this dreadful sin, By discerning the awful wrong, Of destroying our family, If our family is destroyed, Ancient Dharma will perish too,.
[00:25:12] And when the Dharma has been lost, A Dharma will prevail for all, The social hoarder will decline, And our women will be defiled, Those whose clans are corrupted thus, Are damned to hell, So we have heard, O alas, we are now prepared, To commit such a grievous sin, Driven to slay our kith and kin, By our greed to reclaim the throne, If Dhritarashtra's well armed sons, Were to slay me while I did, Unarmed resisting not at all, This would be far better for me, Sanjaya said, Arjuna having spoken thus, Slump down upon the chariot seat, Casting off his arrows and bow, Afflicted by great misery. That's certainly a good way to get the overview.
[00:26:26] So we just chant for a few minutes, And you really get the essence of what's going on in the chapter. So let's take a few minutes though, And look at it a little bit more deeply. Here, get back to this one.
[00:26:53] So here is the detail breakdown of chapter one. I want to, there's a code there. You can make out in the second column are the verse numbers. Verse one, verses two to six, verses seven to eleven. Notice the first column is the one who is speaking. D is Dhritarashtra. S, Sanjaya. Later A, Arjuna. And we'll see later K for Krishna.
[00:27:25] So that's the one speaking. And then you see the subject matter, which is prevalent in those verses. And then at the end of the line is a selected verse from that section that is most important. So of those verses, so of verses two to six, the most important verse perhaps is three. Of course, it's my opinion. You don't have to agree.
[00:27:51] So I've selected the verses which in my opinion I think are the most significant in each section. Now, before we go through this in detail, notice, is there any spiritual instruction in chapter one? In fact, the only thing Shri Krishna says is look. Oh, Arjuna, look. Look across the battlefield and see all your family members. That's really the only thing Krishna says.
[00:28:19] So notice that the spiritual instruction of the Bhagavad Gita doesn't begin until chapter two. We'll see in a few minutes. It begins with verse 11 of chapter two. The actual spiritual teachings begin. Up and to that point, what we see is a continuation of the story of the Mahabharata.
[00:28:44] So pretty much in the middle of those hundred thousand verses of Mahabharata, we find this particular section. So thousands of verses have led up to this point where the story is picked up with the blind king, Dhritarasra, asking Sanjaya what happened on that battlefield. You'll remember that Sanjaya was given this Divya Drishti, this ability to see and hear whatever was happening on the battlefield. He was given that power by Vyasa.
[00:29:20] So it opens, Dhritarasra, the blind king, obviously is not going to be on the battlefield. Dhritarasra and Sanjaya are back in the palace, miles away from the battlefield. Dhritarasra first asks what's going on, and then Sanjaya begins his narration. In verses 2 to 6, Duryodhana describes the opposing army, the Pandava army. And in verses 7 to 11, Duryodhana describes his own army, the Kaurava army. And you can be sure that Duryodhana is kind of bragging. Our guys are tougher than their guys, our army is more powerful than theirs.
[00:30:05] So this is the opening scene. And then after, and Duryodhana is narrating this to Bhishma. So he's saying, "Oh Bhishma, look at their army, look how weak they are, look at our army, look how strong we are." And then after Duryodhana finishes that description, then boom boom, and the conches are going, and the drums are going, and these old Hindi movies do it really nicely. It's kind of exciting, you hear all of this stuff going, and everyone, they're raising their weapons, and they're clattering their, they have these shields, and they're banging on the shields.
[00:30:48] So all of this noise is going on, and that's described, by the way, it's described in a very powerful way. The Mahabharata has some wonderful poetic passages, which are just really made to invoke emotions. That's one of the, Mahabharata is that kind of poetry, made to invoke emotions, and so the emotion of something which is awesome and dreadful, that emotion is conveyed in verses 12 through 19. Then, Arjuna says to Krishna, "Please drive us out on a chariot." That's said in verses 20 to 23. Krishna says, "Please look, look across and see it, see the, see those on the other side with whom you have to fight." And, Sanjaya narrates that in verses 24 to 27. Arjuna looks across and sees.
[00:31:44] Now, he's looking at his opposing army, and apparently, you know, Sri Krishna has an agenda. Sri Krishna positions his chariot, their chariot, right in front of Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa.
[00:32:06] Now, he could have positioned the chariot elsewhere, right? But he put his chariot right there in front of Bhishma. There is no one that Arjuna loves more than Bhishma. And Drona, his teacher, Arjuna is so fond of Drona. Kripa, the family Guru, and all of his other family members and cousins, etc. And it finally sinks in to Arjuna, the reality. Arjuna knows, "Okay, fight, fight. War is coming. But for the first time, Arjuna looks into the eyes of his own family members and knows that in a very short period of time, Arjuna will be engaged in mortal combat with them. What's significant, then, is Arjuna's reaction.
[00:33:06] So, in verses 24 to 27, Arjuna describes the armies, Sanjaya describes the armies. In verses 28 to 31, we begin to see Arjuna's... Oops, I didn't mean to do that. We begin to see Arjuna's reaction. And I'd like you to, we'll just see a very few verses just to get us, just to guide us through here.
[00:33:31] So, here's a very important verse that describes Arjuna's reaction. He says, let's chant it first. Repeat after me. Siddhanti mamagatrāṇī, Mukaṁ cha pariśyati, Vepaṁ cha śarī,.
[00:34:02] So Arjuna says, Siddhanti mamagatrāṇī, My limbs become weak. Have you ever had your knees go weak? You know that feeling? When you get some kind of emotional shock and suddenly your legs are trembling because your knees have grown weak. This is what Arjuna feels. He says, my mouth is parched, my body is trembling, Vepaṁ cha śarī, and my hair stands on end. He goes on in the next verse to say, he says, my mind is spinning, which means he is dizzy.
[00:34:41] Now, look at Arjuna's reaction. What is he feeling? He's describing his physiological response. What is his emotion? Now, if it were somebody other than Arjuna, you might presume he was scared, frightened. But you all know Arjuna's not going to be frightened. He's not capable of feeling fear. What he's feeling is this being shaken to his core, knowing he has to kill his beloved family members. Mind-boggling that he has to kill his own family members. This is an intense emotional reaction. And this is really the key to understanding what follows in the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna is overwhelmed by his emotions. In the next verse he says, I'm too dizzy to stand up. In the end of the chapter one, Arjuna falls to the seat of his chariot. His bows and arrows are scattered on the ground. Look at this. Arjuna, arguably, is the mightiest warrior on that battlefield.
[00:36:10] And Arjuna has already been defeated. Right? He's on the seat of his chariot. His bow and arrow is down. What defeated Arjuna? His own emotions. Please recognize that the Bhagavad Gita begins not with a spiritual problem. It begins with an emotional problem. Arjuna is overwhelmed by his emotions. He's been knocked out of action, so to speak, by his own emotional reaction. And what Sri Krishna tells Arjuna in the coming 17 chapters is all for the sake of lifting Arjuna out of his emotional mess so that he can fight emotional mess. You know, if you look at these symptoms, you're shaking, you're trembling, mouth is dry, dizzy. In modern English, we would call that a panic attack. It is. What is described is the typical symptoms of a panic attack. That is what the mightiest warrior is suffering a panic attack. Amazing.
[00:37:35] And this is why the Bhagavad Gita is so relevant to all of us. Because in life, the biggest difficulties we face are spiritual problems, financial problems with multiple choice. The biggest problems you face in life are: A, spiritual problems, B, financial problems, C, Mother-in-law problems, or D, emotional problems. D, right? The emotional problems are the biggest problems we face in life. And what is the opening problem of the Bhagavad Gita? It is an emotional problem. All the spiritual teachings come. In full measure, the spiritual teachings come. But what is so important to recognize is the context in which the spiritual teachings come.
[00:38:38] So the best way to look at the Bhagavad Gita is this: The pure, powerful, spiritual teachings of Vedanta in the context of addressing an emotional problem. Isn't that brilliant? The spiritual teachings of Vedanta, not in the context of a bunch of Rishis sitting in hud, but the spiritual teachings of Vedanta in the context of addressing emotional problems of life.
[00:39:07] So this is Arjuna's reaction in verses 28 through 31. And then he goes on saying how, in verses 32 to 37, how can we kill our relatives, not for the sake of the kingdom? How can we destroy our family? And we have to keep this brief, because otherwise it won't be an overview. But something I'd like you to reflect on is, when we're caught up in an emotional reaction, our thinking gets distorted. Our reasoning gets distorted. Arjuna knows that this war must be fought.
[00:39:48] He knows it is a Dharma Yudha. righteous battle, means a war in which not fighting it causes more harm. Arjuna knows that very clearly. But then, in these sections, verses 32 through, say, 44, is arguing against fighting the war, and you'll see in those verses, it's evidence of how Arjuna's thinking is distorted by his emotions.
[00:40:22] We call this, in English, rationalization. It's when we use our intellect to justify based on our emotions. And based on our emotions, we feel what we feel, and then we can use our intellect to justify anything. We can justify that up is down and right is left.
[00:40:43] Our minds are devious enough to do that, and you'll see Arjuna doing exactly that. And then, the chapter ends in a very dramatic way. There's one more verse I'd like you to see. Repeat after me.
[00:40:58] This is the second-to-last verse in the chapter.
[00:41:27] Arjuna says, "It would be better for me to, a shastram, to drop my weapons, and stand before," I'll just paraphrase that. "It would be better for me to drop my weapons, and stand before the Kauravas, and allow them to kill me."
[00:41:55] That's what he says. in the last part, "Tan meek, shema, taram, bhavet." "It would be best for me if what?" "Dhartarashtraha, rane hanyahu." "It would be best if the Kauravas were to kill me on the battlefield, and I having dropped my weapons." What is Arjuna proposing here?
[00:42:26] Have you heard the expression in American English, "Suicide by cop?" You've heard that expression, right? It's when somebody wants to die, and the way they do that is they find a policeman, they pull out a toy gun, and they point that toy gun at the policeman. What does the policeman do? Shoots him dead. Why did he pull out the toy gun? He wanted to die. This is a form of suicide. We call suicide by cop. Isn't that what Arjuna's proposing here? It is.
[00:43:01] Suicide by Kauravas, not by cop. And we talked a moment ago about how our emotions can distort our reasoning. Why does someone commit suicide? Because their reasoning is distorted. That's right. And that's what we see here, evidence. Arjuna is so overwhelmed that his reasoning is so disturbed that he can actually consider suicide. And the chapter ends, Sanjaya says. Arjuna drops his arrows and bow, falls to the seat of his chariot. That's the end of chapter one.
[00:43:39] Now, let's move ahead and look at chapter two. I May have to speed this up, isn't that cool? We have a lot to see in five classes. We'll see how it goes. But one thing that will certainly be helpful would be to chant the English parts.
[00:43:59] What I'd like to do, chapter two is a very complicated chapter in that it has several parts. So I'm going to interrupt our chanting several times and tell you about what parts we're seeing. So allow me to interrupt us as we're reciting so that we can see some of the different parts. The chapters are like one unit. Chapter two, though, has several sections. The opening section is a continuation of chapter one, which means the story continues in about the first ten chapters.
[00:44:32] We'll see that. We'll chant together. The Lord Krishna said, "The Lord Krishna did thus address. Arjuna sunk in deep despair, with eyes downcast and full of tears. Overcome by his tenderness, the blessed Lord said, O Arjuna, how can you be disheartened at this crucial time? Your impious and shameful mood will bring you down in great disgrace.
[00:45:11] You are held not to this unmanliness. For it befits you not at all. Cast off this mean faint heartedness. Arise and fight, O Arjuna." Arjuna said, "O Krishna, how can I oppose Bhishma and Drona in this war? How can I pierce with arrows sharp those worthy of my reverence? Rather than slaying such great men, better to live a life of arms, Since by killing them I would gain their wealth and treasures stained with blood. By weakness I am overcome. As to Dharma I am confused. Tell me for certain what is best. I am your student, teach me please." Sanjaya said, "After saying I shall not fight, Silently Arjuna did sit. Then Lord Krishna began to speak. With a slight smile upon his lips." Pause here.
[00:46:33] So this part continues the story from chapter one. You can see Shri Krishna's pep talk. Trying to encourage Arjuna. But Arjuna is still overcome by his emotions. We will see in a little detail. The spiritual teachings of the Bhagavad Gita begin with the very next verse. Which is verse 11. And now we see pure Vedantic teachings. Taught to Arjuna for the sake of lifting him out of his emotional turmoil.
[00:47:03] We'll chant together. The blessed Lord said, "You mourn those who need not be mourned. Yet you speak words of wisdom to the truly wise mourn. Not for those who are dead and those yet to die. Never have I existed not. Nor have you nor these kings of men. Nor shall we ever cease to be. In the future and later lives. The one who in this body dwells.
[00:47:43] Childhood, youth and in old age. Will then another body gain. In this the wise are not confused. These bodies destined. To inspire. An eternal soul. Indestructible beyond thought.
[00:48:06] Therefore go fight, O Arjuna. Neither born nor subject to death. The soul will never cease to be. Eternal and immutable. Living on when the body dies. Just as one casts away worn clothes. Dressing again in new attire.
[00:48:31] So too when old bodies expire. A soul acquires others new. Not by weapons can it be pierced. Nor by fire can it be burned. Not by waters can it be wet. Nor by winds can it withered be. Unmanifest beyond all thought. Unchanging thus our souls described. Therefore knowing this to be so. You have no reason how to mourn. Death is certain for all those born. Birth is certain for all who die. Since this is inevitable. You have no reason how to mourn.
[00:49:25] Also with your Dharma in view. You should remain unwavering. Because for warriors nothing is. Worthier than a righteous war. But if you now refuse to fight. In this battle most virtuous. You will forfeit Dharma and fame. By committing this grievous sins. Great warriors will despise your name. Thinking you yielded due to fear.
[00:50:03] Your enemies with vicious words. Will degrade you a dreadful shame. If you die heaven you will gain. If you win the kingdom is yours. Therefore stand up O Harjuna. And be resolved to fight the war. We will pause here.
[00:50:27] We have seen a very powerful discourse on the pure teachings of Vedanta. Also a little bit about Dharma. And then we come to the next part of chapter two. Shri Krishna can't wait to talk about Karma Yoga. is really the title of the next chapter.
[00:50:47] He's going to begin teaching Karma Yoga right here in chapter two. And he begins by telling you what Karma Yoga is not. Karma means action. To worship God by means of action is often understood as the performance of rituals.
[00:51:08] So Shri Krishna is going to say here Karma Yoga is not the performance of rituals. Just say what Karma Yoga is. We'll see that in these verses. We'll chant together. Thus far of wisdom I have spoke. Of Karma Yoga listen now. Practicing which you shall be freed. From the bondage of all your deeds. Those who seek but pleasure and power. Attached to Vedic rituals.
[00:51:44] They are obsessed with heavenly rewards. Their hearts will never be at peace. Like a pond in a mighty flood. Water surrounding everywhere. Such is the worth of Vedic rites. For one who knows the highest truth. Actions alone you can control.
[00:52:10] But their results you cannot choose. Be not the author of the fruits. Yet to in action be not drawn. Sound familiar? Karma nye vādhikāya. Karma nye vādhikārste ma palesu kadachana. We'll see that more. Oh, this is a little bit more on Karma Yoga. We'll chant. Give up attachment to results. Act instead with this attitude. Treat success and failure alike. Yoga is equanimity.
[00:52:50] Lowly are those who think themselves. To be the authors of the fruits. Arjuna, you should seek support. In Karma Yoga's principles. By this Yoga the wise renounce. Unattached to their work's results. Freed from the bondage of rebirth. They reach the state beyond all grief.
[00:53:19] We'll pause. Because now Arjuna is going to ask a question about Who is an enlightened person? What is the nature of an enlightened person? And the last part of the chapter talks about the nature of the enlightened person. We use the word sthita prajna. And also talks about what are the problems of our senses drawing us away from being a sthita prajna. Away from that wisdom.
[00:53:50] We'll see that in the final part of chapter 2. Arjuna said. O Krishna, please describe to me The nature of enlightened ones. How do the steady-minded speak? How do they sit and move about? The blessed Lord said. O Arjuna, when they forsake All cravings born of their own minds Content in themselves with the Self Such are they whose wisdom is firm With minds untroubled by distress Free from thirst for the world's delights Having no cravings, fear, or rage Such are they whose wisdom is firm Rejoicing not in pleasant times Nor detesting adversity Free from every attachment here Such are they whose wisdom is firm As a tortoise withdraws its limbs All their senses are drawn away From the objects that they perceive Such are they whose wisdom is firm Even for those of wisdom vast.
[00:55:18] Who strive to practice Self-control Their minds can be carried away By the senses Dwelling on objects in the world To them attachment does arise From attachment desire stems forth From desiring does anger spring From such anger delusion comes In delusion values are lost Then reasoning gets overwhelmed Finally the person is lost But those remaining Self-controlled Even when senses clamor strong Free from cravings despising not They attain great tranquility Just as wind carries boats astray Senses can lead wisdom away Therefore those whose wisdom is firm Refrain their senses constantly Which is the conclusion of chapter 2 So already you can see that chapter 2 Is unique because it contains several different Subject matters Different things are going on In the first part, middle part, end of chapter 2.
[00:56:46] Let's return to our summary And we can see that very clearly So, this is a chapter on 2 Chapter 2 is called Sankhya Yoga The word Sankhya here refers to knowledge Spiritual knowledge The chapter that deals with spiritual knowledge It's called Sankhya Yoga And you saw that in the opening 3 verses Sri Krishna gave that pep talk Come on Arjuna, don't be so weak Get up and fight And Arjuna then really from the depths of his heart Expresses how can I kill them? My beloved family members I can't kill them And then finally Just for the sake of time Finally Arjuna asks For Sri Krishna to instruct him This is in my opinion One of the most beautiful and important verses Of the Bhagavad Gita Repeat after me "Karpanyadoshopahatasvabhavah" "Karpanyadoshopahatasvabhah" "Pracchamitvam dharmasam mudhacetaha"
[00:58:09] "Yachreyasya nishchitam bruhitanme"
[00:58:36] Just wonderful verse. First of all, Arjuna admits. He is in over his head, as we would say, overcome by weakness and confused about what is Dharma. First, Arjuna recognizes his own shortcomings, his own limitations. By the way, this is instruction to us all, right? Real wisdom begins with our admission of our own ignorance, of our own shortcomings. If we fail to recognize our own ignorance and shortcomings, how can we possibly come up?
[00:59:18] So, Arjuna admits this, and then he says, "Yachreyasya nishchitam bruhitanme" "Please tell me, what is best?" "Shishya te aham" "I am your student." "Shadhimam, teach me." "Tvamprapannam, please teach me, who have sought refuge at your feet." Certainly, one of the most beautiful verses in the entire Gita. And then, Shri Krishna's spiritual teachings begin.
[00:59:50] Let's go back to our outline. So, first Arjuna, verses 4 to 6, continues to lament how he can't kill his own family members. "We just saw, then please teach me." And a few more verses of Arjuna's reluctance, described by Sanjaya. And then, Shri Krishna, in verse 11, begins the spiritual teachings.
[01:00:17] So, the spiritual, the upadesha of the Bhagavad Gita, really begins with verse 11. And then, Shri Krishna, in verses 20 to 25, begins talking about the true nature of Atma. This is pure Vedanta, followed by a discussion about rebirth, the inevitability of rebirth.
[01:00:38] Let's just see one of those verses, just to see the nature of Shri Krishna's teachings. "Najayate mriyate bhagadachana" "Nayam bhūtva bhavita vāna bhūyaha" "Ajo nitya shāshvato yam purāno" "Ajo nitya shāshvato yam purā" "Nahanyate hanyam hāne shari re" "Nahanyate hanyam hāne na shari re" Talking about the essence, Arjuna doesn't want to kill his family members. But really speaking, all Arjuna is going to do is kill their bodies. Right? Arjuna is going to kill their bodies. He's not thinking like that.
[01:01:38] So Shri Krishna says that the essence of who they are can't be killed. "Najayate" "not born" "namriyate" "nor die" "that which doesn't born, doesn't die" "that which is ajaha" "unborn" "nityaha" "the third line" "eternal" "shāshvataha" "unchanging" "purāna" "ancient" "that one" "na hanyate" "does not die" "hanyamane shari re" "when the body dies" "atma" "is utterly unaffected" "what happens to atma at the time of death?" "nothing" "by the way" "it's also very important to distinguish between atma and sukshma sharira" "we're not going to enter into that discussion right now" "but to distinguish between the true Self" "sachidananda atma" "and the sukshma sharira" "which is the entity that travels" "to make that distinction is crucial and it's frequently confused" "these teachings of chapter two" "though properly understood" "will make you understand it" "by the way" "you also know that all of my past recordings" "all of these classes have been recorded" "they're all on the website" "and on the website with verse numbers" "so if you're going through the Bhagavad Gita" "what does this mean?"
[01:03:06] "what does this particular verse mean?" "you can actually go to our website" "find a particular lecture where I discuss that particular verse" "and you can listen to that lecture" "it will be very useful if you want to understand that" "now" "just for the last couple of minutes let's return to this" "this summary" "so Sri Krishna then teaches the true nature of atma" "and the inevitability of rebirth" "and then there's a little bit of a side topic" "and that is you should fight from the stand" "there are two standpoints" "from the standpoint of Vedanta" "no one dies" "and then there's a second standpoint" "the standpoint of Dharma" "the last three lines" "verses 31 through 38" "are from the standpoint of Dharma" "so Arjuna not only should you fight because no one's going to die" "but you should also fight because of Dharma" "and those topics are listed there" "also once again that far right column when you're using these" "you can look at those particular verses in the far right column" "those will show you the most important verses" "now we saw that chapter 2 is quite elaborate in that it has different sections" "we're going to see this in our next class" "so we're going to see the teachings of Karma Yoga" "and we're going to see the nature of an enlightened person" "these are the last two parts of chapter 2"
[01:04:36] "and we'll see that next week" "all right" "some important announcements" "let's see tomorrow Sunday" "we have our Gita at work study group" "we'll meet tomorrow at 11 o'clock" "you're all welcome" "I think there's a special lecture tomorrow" "you can come and join at 11 o'clock" "at 6:15 we have our usual satsang" "it's a casual question and answer session with me" "weather should be good so we'll meet outside in the garden" "join us for satsang tomorrow at 6:15" "then two weeks from Sunday" "is Arsha Vidya Gurukulam's anniversary celebration" "as you remember from our last week" "I mentioned we're" "next Sunday" "not tomorrow" "a week from tomorrow" "correct" "sorry" "that was wrong" "so a week from tomorrow" "is Arsha Vidya's anniversary" "as you know we've arranged a bus" "and I understand that the sign up list" "is full" "let me just find out" "if we have another 50 people" "we can get a second bus" "I don't think we have another" "how many of you did not sign up but would like to come by a bus" "okay just a few of you" "I would suggest that maybe you carpool or something to join us" "so the sign up is full" "and the cost"
[01:06:06] "I think it's on the sheet" "is $26 a person" "to cover the cost of the bus" will leave at 8 o'clock" "sharp" "from our parking lot" "so that" "a week from tomorrow" "you'll want to be here at 8 o'clock" "and we'll be on the bus" "and the whole day" "is a program" "and I think you get back" "4 or 5 in the evening" "after the program is over" "it should be very pleasant" "anything to add?"
[01:06:31] "no there were only 2-3 hands" "so we're okay" "all right" "so it'll be quite nice" "and let me just mention" "Pujya Swamiji is at the Ashram" "his health condition is very poor" "but improving" "so I think we can expect" "I think" "there's no guarantee" "I think we can expect to see him in the program" "briefly" means maybe 10 minutes "and he May" "he'll speak a little bit" "he actually has great difficulty speaking" "because of his lung surgery" "and so forth" "so but" "but we're fairly sure" "that he'll" "he'll" "come and join us briefly" "and address us" "library" "will be open after class" "and we'll conclude with our prayers" "