The Indian Dharma

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the important discussion on “Detachment” and how our three “Gunas” aid / prevent us from practising it. We’ve in due course, discussed few excerpts from the Bhagawad Gita too, wherein Bhagawan Krishna had given us an elaborate accord on how to control our senses and thereby walk the path of detachment. Of course, it is possible to practice detachment while we are amidst our family life or “Samsaara” – Just that, we should be very careful not to get too much attached to worldly affairs. Of course, having a spouse, children, good job, money, etc. are important for our day-to-day survival, but detachment can be practised if we offer all of this to Bhagawan’s lotus feet while we’re doing all of our “Karma”. Whereas, the problem comes if we’re doing it with a selfish motive, and with that mindset, we would start getting attached to each and everything that we do. This is the reason why we see some people getting so much obsessed with earning more and more money, name, fame, etc. whilst forgetting Bhagawan completely in due course!

As we move forward with this important discussion, we’ve to talk about one significant habit that most of us have. This habit is very much connected to what we’re discussing currently as well. If we’re getting immense success in our life, we would never even think of Bhagawan! Whereas, if we’re encountering a failure, or any problem of any sorts, that is when we would start thinking and praying towards Bhagawan! Is it a good practice? What does this signify? If we look at this habit from the context of “detachment”, it simply implies that those people who are forgetting Bhagawan completely whilst experiencing success, are totally getting attached to the fruits of their actions. They are not able to think beyond it. Whereas, if the same people encounter failure, again, their attachment towards the fruits of their actions gets shattered completely and thus start running towards temples, Matts, etc. in search of Bhagawan, Aachaaryas, etc.! We might wonder thus, “Oh! If these people could have come much before this catastrophe, how better the situation would have been?”

Now let us take this explanation forward a bit – Why do we exhibit such behavior? It is because, if we’re focusing only on the result of our action while performing our “Karma”, we build unwanted expectations. We start focusing on the short-term success and forget to look at the bigger picture. The moment we realize that our expectations are getting shattered, we cannot take that shock! This is why we run towards Bhagawan for help! Of course, I’m not saying that Bhagawan wouldn’t help us in such situations – He would definitely help us out, but the question is different here. Are we going to Bhagawan for short-lived pleasures and happiness, or are we going to Him for a long-term goal called “Moksha”? For example, we would be writing many examinations as a benchmark to pass our undergraduation and postgraduation courses. Do we take up the examinations just for the sake of attaining good marks, or do we take them up to ultimately learn something for our life as we move on with our jobs? If we’re going to write examinations merely for scoring marks, this is short-term thinking, isn’t it? Whereas, if we’re going to take the examination as an opportunity for us to learn something new, this is what is called long-term thinking. This is exactly what applies to our day-to-day Karma too. If we’re going to Bhagawan for short-term goals, it means that we’re not long-sighted in life.

For instance, in the Mahabharata story itself, we might know this event – One fine day, Arjuna and Duryodhana approach Bhagawan Krishna together before the war started. Upon seeing both of them coming together, Bhagawan Krishna was surprised! Have they reconciled with each other by any means? However, upon deeper understanding, Bhagawan Krishna realized that they had come to meet Him for something else. Duryodhana’s intention was to act “smart” and thus asked for the entire army that Bhagawan Krishna possessed. As Duryodhana asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna immediately grants the entire huge army of countless horses, elephants, infantry, etc. that was under His possession. Arjuna was looking at all this, and Bhagawan Krishna laughingly asks him thus, “Oh Arjuna! See, Duryodhana had acted smart and has taken away all my army! What are you going to do now? How are you going to fight the war without anything?” Arjuna replies thus and this is something that all of us should understand, moving forward: “Oh Keshava! So what if Duryodhana takes away all of your army? So what if he has a possession of a huge army during the war? So what if he has Guru Dhronaachaarya, Bhishmaachaarya, etc. who are invincible at war during any given day? Unless and until you are with me, I don’t have any issues! You are an epitome of Dharma and I’m sure if you’re with us, Dharma would always win. Hence, my desire here is not to win over these people, but to win over Adharma, for which, I’m sure you would aid us!”

This is an epic reply from Arjuna and with this, Bhagawan Krishna Himself is moved! He assures and reassures Arjuna that He would be amidst the Paandavas at all times, to ensure that victory is theirs! From this instance, what do we understand? It is important that we have Bhagawan amidst us in whatever action we do. This is where the real detachment comes. If we’re having Bhagawan in our thoughts and heart, irrespective of whether we’re facing victory or defeat, we can be rest-assured that Bhagawan would be able to sail us through from all the catastrophes that we face. Of course, following the path of Dharma is not easy. We would see in the Mahabharata that Yudishtra (Dharma-Putra) suffered all through his life, just for the sake of maintaining the Dharma, isn’t it? Bhagawan Rama Himself had to undergo all sorts of sufferings in the forest for fourteen long years, just for the sake of walking the path of Dharma isn’t it? But at the end of it all, it would always be Dharma that would have the last laugh!

Hence, we should realize this point for today, and let us meticulously try and practice “detachment” in whatever Karma we perform. We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 😊

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on how the three Gunas, Satva, Rajas and Tamas try and dominate our sense organs and through that, how do we perform our “Karma” every passing day. For instance, if our “Satva” Guna is flying high, we would be able to be a balanced person in whatever we do. We would be able to exhibit calmness and composure, and because of that, we would be able to take the right decisions at the right time to move forward with our “Karma”. Similarly, if our “Rajo Guna” is high, we would be short-tempered in whatever we do, or whenever we talk with people around us. Even for small things, we would get frustrated and angry very easily, resulting in irritation – Not only to ourselves, but also to others! In the same lines, if our “Tamo Guna” is flying high, we would exhibit all sorts of withdrawal behavior, procrastination, unwanted laziness at crucial times, etc. This would again affect our productivity and our “Karma” takes a backseat.

So in all of these cases we’re witnessing how the three “Gunas” play their games in altering our “Karma”. In fact, Bhagawan Krishna emphasizes on this same point in His Bhagawad Gita as well. He says, “Oh Arjuna! There are two biggest enemies for human beings in this world, which prevent them from following the path of attaining “Moksha” through “Karma Yoga”. Those two enemies are none other than “Kaama” (Desire) and “Krodha” (Anger)! If you’re going to give in to these two enemies, nobody can save you in this world and you’ve to totally forget attaining “Moksha”! We can witness from this accord, how blunt is Bhagawan Krishna when it comes to anger and desires. Now if we can go back and relate this to our current discussion, we shall understand that both these enemies are the resultant of our “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna”. Hence, we should be very careful here and practise serious restraint when it comes to these two big enemies.

Of course, we might feel that it is very nice for all of us to read through all this, but is it practically possible for us to exercise 100% restraint from anger and desires? We’re all amidst the “Samsaara” and if we’re in this state of life, how can we compromise on our anger and desire? For instance, all of us would have the desire of earning money, leading a luxurious life with a good and a decent family, desire for our children’s education, marriage, etc. At the same time, if things do not go as per our plan and expectations, we naturally tend to get angry and frustrated. If such is the case, how would we be able to practice 100% restraint?

This, of course is a valid doubt that all of us have in our minds. Yes – All of us have families, roles and responsibilities associated with it. All of us have the basic needs of having a good standard of living to be fulfilled. However, as we’re doing all of this as part of our daily routine, can we also think in this line? For instance, if we’re wanting to lead a good standard of life, can we offer this to Bhagawan’s feet? In other words, if for instance, we’re purchasing a big apartment for ourseves – Can we have this mindset that we’re buying this big apartment for making a grand dwelling place for Bhagawan? In similar lines, we get married to our spouse. Can we have the thought that we’re getting married to take the path of “Dharma” forward, as prescribed by Bhagawan? Similarly, we are having children – Can we have the mindset that we’re having children, who in turn would form our next generation to continue our “Dharma” forward without a break? We’re preparing tasty food everyday in our kitchen. Can we have a thought that all this food that we’re making, is for Bhagawan and we shall consume whatever He hadn’t consumed? If we’re able to answer a “YES” to all of these questions above, we can always be in the “Samsara” and still perform all our “Karma” meticulously. This is what we refer to as “detachment” from worldly affairs.

In other words, we are still doing all whatever is required to run our family life successfully, but we’re performing all our tasks with Bhagawan in our hearts. All our actions, although they might be worldly in nature – If we’re able to dedicate them to Bhagawan’s lotus feet, we become totally devoid of worldly attachments. This is the real meaning of the “Kaayenavaacha” sloka that we had witnessed few episodes back. In fact, this is exactly what Bhagawan Krishna too emphasizes in His Bhagawad Gita when He preaches about “Karma Yoga”. He clearly explains to Arjuna that all of us have to perform our duties, but we should leave the results of them to Bhagawan’s feet. He knows what to give us at what time. He advises to Arjuna that as a Kshatrya prince, he should take up the “Gaandeeba” (Bow) and wage the battle and not run away from it like a coward. Even though there are Bhishma and Guru Dhronaaachaarya on the other side, he should still go ahead in waging the battle, because all of them stood by the path of “Adharma”. This was a battle, not between family members and the “Aachaarya”, but was a battle between “Dharma” and “Adharma”. This is where real detachment should be understood!

So for today, let us understand the deeper meaning of “Detachment” and let us try and implement it in our daily lives. It is not just enough that we read through and leave it at that. We should try and make a meticulous effort to follow Bhagawan Krishna’s words as well. Hence, let us strive to do this from today atleast! We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 😊

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed how the three “Gunas” – Satva, Rajas and Tamas manifest themselves through our sense organs, in whatever action that we perform. Depending upon the dominance of each “Guna”, we perform our “Karma”. We had witnessed an analogy yesterday as to how different people view the same situation in different ways. We understood the reason behind some people having a totally negative ideology towards any situation that they come across in their lives. This is primarily because their “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna” show their dominance over the “Satva Guna”. For a Yogi or a Mahatma, every situation that they come across would only give them a smile on their face and nothing else. This is because, as they had spiritually advanced over the years, their “Satva Guna” has also exponentially increased over time within them. It is only because of this, the Satva Guna is manifesting from within them, during whatever good or adverse situation they are passing through.

Moving on thus, we had concluded yesterday’s episode with a small but an important question thus – We’ve so far explained that the “Satva Guna” should dominate in whatever we do, isn’t it? How do we know this from whatever we do? What is the proof that the “Satva Guna” is increasing its dominance over the other two “Gunas”? Let us witness the answer for this set of questions today as we move further with this important discussion. There is of course a way to identify within ourselves, which Guna is dominating over the other. Here, we’ve to first observe our thought process – In whatever work that we’re doing every day, both personal and professional, if we’re not having unwanted confusions, tensions, etc., we can know for ourselves that our “Satva Guna” is flying high! If we’re able to maintain ourselves calm and composed at all situations, without getting angry, frustrated and irritated unnecessarily for small things, it means that we are very high on our “Satva Guna”. Whereas, on the other hand, if our “Rajo Guna” is trying to overpower our “Satva Guna”, we would be able to witness within ourselves that we get angry on others even for small things. We would get irritated and frustrated quite easily and thus, would lose our stability of mind in thinking and making decisions. This is exactly what we call “Short-tempered” attitude. In our daily life itself, we might be able to see some people bursting and fuming with anger even if a small object is not in its own place at the workplace, or even if there is a small mistake done by somebody. Some people even get so high on anger at that particular instance that they start throwing things around, breaking objects, etc. This is where, the “Rajo Guna” begins to dominate us too strongly. Thus, if this situation unfolds, our mind totally loses its stability and we tend to take wrong and momentous decisions, which might be extremely dangerous in nature.

This is where modern day leaders should learn their lesson – At any point in time, a leader should never give room for the “Rajo Guna” to manifest and exhibit dominance. We should realize that we have so many people who are dependent on the crucial decisions that we’ve to take. Employees’ families, livelihood, corporate careers, etc. are all tied to leaders’ key decisions. If the “Rajo Guna” in the leader is going to dominate too much, employees’ future is going to be at stake, isn’t it? This is where, if we’ve to become great leaders, we should always try and keep our emotions at check. If we’re keeping our emotions at check, automatically our “Rajo Guna” influence would start coming down. Once the “Rajo Guna” influence starts to come down, we would automatically have a balanced frame of mind, which would help us to take critical decisions in an effective manner.

If we look at the origin of “Rajo Guna”, it all starts from a small desire, which in turn manifests into a bigger desire, which in turn manifests into jealousy, which in turn manifests into anger and frustration if that desire is not fulfilled, and finally, this behaviour manifests into our day-to-day routine too. This ultimately would isolate us totally, and nobody would even want to strike a normal conversation with us. If this happens, where is the question of being a good leader? Thus, we’ve to be extremely careful here.

Now, let us look at the third “Guna” – The “Tamo Guna”. Three important characteristics from within us, exhibit to the world that we’re high on “Tamo Guna”. First is “excessive sleep”. Second is “laziness”. Third is “lack of concentration” in whatever we do. These three are the typical characteristics of the “Tamo Guna” dominance. Of course, we can ask a counter question here – If this is the case, shouldn’t we sleep at all? Should we be awake all the time? The answer is “No!” Sleep is important for the body. There is no denial about it. We’ve spoken about sleep in a very detailed manner during our “Vidura Neeti” episodes and readers can refer back and recollect it. Sleep is important, but excessive sleep is the problem. For instance, if we require a regular 6-hour sleep, and if we’re sleeping for 9-10 hours a day, this means that our “Tamo Guna” is flying high in us! If we’re reluctant to do any task and if we’re feeling lazy all the time, this also implies that we’re flying high on the “Tamo Guna”. As a consequence of this, if our concentration levels are extremely low in whatever task we perform, this also has the same implication as mentioned above!

Hence, it is upto us to understand the three “Gunas”, how they manifest in us at all times, and how they exhibit themselves with time and situation too. If we’ve to make sure that our “Satva Guna” is the dominating “Guna” amongst the three, we’ve to put our meticulous effort to increase it. It all starts from our regular food habits, till the various methods that we adopt to condition our mind. We shall talk about this in the next upcoming episode and for today, let us understand these important points! Stay tuned! 🙂

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on some intricate aspects of the “Karma Theory” that our Sanaatana Dharma texts establish time and again. Here too, in the Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puranaa, Bhagawan Krishna elucidates and reiterates the theory to Uddhava and explains the significance of “detachment”. In these lines, we had witnessed yesterday as to how different people view the same situation differently and what makes people perform their “Karma”, irrespective of whether it is “Paapa” or “Punya”. We had a detailed discussion on how the three important “Gunas” – Satva, Rajas and Tamas try to overpower each other at critical situations, which is why different people react differently to the same situation. We should remember here that all of us have all the three “Gunas” manifested in us at all times. This is because, all of us take birth in this world as a result of our past “Karma” and the extent to which our “Karma” is good or bad, would trigger one of the three “Gunas” to be exhibited at different situations. We have understood this concept clearly in the previous episode and with this, we shall move on with an illustration for this point in this episode as we move on.

For instance, if someone is performing a “Saptaaham” of Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana. We already know the concept of “Saptaaham” – That is, this Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana is divided into seven different segments and is to be recited and experienced for seven continuous days. If we are also part of the seven-day event, we might see some people attending the event for five or six days, but wouldn’t be able to make it up for the seventh day for whatsoever reason. How can this absence be viewed by different people? For instance, if my “Satva Guna” is being manifested over and above the other two “Gunas”, what would I think? I would think thus, “Oh! Perhaps these people couldn’t make it for the last couple of days, because they might have had an emergency situation at their homes. Or, they might have fallen sick! They’ve attended for five continuous days, and ultimately, they would have intended to come for the remaining two days as well! However, they might have not made it because of some genuine reasons!” This can be the thought process that might run behind a person for whom the “Satva Guna” is dominating.

Now, if this same situation is to be viewed by a person for whom the “Rajo Guna” is dominating, what he / she would say? “Oh! How can they bunk this important event like this, without any Bhakti in them? If we would have bunked like this, will they be silent and happy? These people aren’t very professional in whatever they do! They’re so irregular! They’ve come all the way for five days and what’s wrong if they attend it for two more days?” We shall clearly see the difference here, isn’t it? If the “Rajo Guna” is starting to dominate in ourselves, it manifests through unwanted anger, jealousy, etc. against others. Now, if this same situation is to be viewed by a person for whom the “Tamo Guna” is dominating – What would he / she say? “Oh! I was thinking that only I was feeling sleepy all through the five days of the Bhaagawatha Puraana discourse! When I look around, I see many people sleeping like how I do! Although there are so many people who had come to attend the seven-day event, but how many of them would have clearly understood and experienced the discourse fully for all the seven days?” This might be the thought process for those with the “Tamo Gona” dominating! We can see here that their laziness, sleepiness, etc. are manifesting through their eyes and other sense organs, isn’t it?

Thus, from this example we can witness here that the situation is the same – Attending the seven-day “Saptaaham” event of Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana. But there are three different views for the same event here – A view that is dominated by the “Satva Guna”, “Rajo Guna” and the “Tamo Guna”. If we happen to get the divine darshan of great “Yogis”, “Mahatmas”, “Sadgurus”, etc. we would be able to witness that they would be able to view all situations with the same level of “Satva Guna”. They would always be in a happy and an estatic state of mind, wherein they are matured enough to see Bhagawan in all what they do! This is the highest epitome of the dominance of “Satva Guna”. But, why aren’t we able to attain this state? For instance, if we see two people fighting with each other, we should have that maturity to see the good in both of them as well, apart from the bad. If for instance, somebody is scolding and abusing me for no reason, I should be able to grasp only the good from that insult or abuse. For this, I should have something special in me, which would enable me to discard the bad and grasp the good. This “something special” is nothing but the “Satva Guna”. Whatever we are seeing around us – if we’re able to witness each and every thing, every living being, every situation, etc. with the dominance of the “Satva Guna”, it is only then that we’re progressing spiritually.

Of course, this is not only applicable for what we see with our eyes. The “Satva Guna” dominance should be for our ears, our nose, our taste and our touch. If the “Satva Guna” is becoming the dominating factor in all our five senses and their outcomes, only then our spiritual progress is going on a steady path. Thus, we should understand this important point today. Now comes the next question – We’ve so far explained that the “Satva Guna” should dominate in whatever we do, isn’t it? How do we know this from whatever we do? What is the proof that the “Satva Guna” is increasing its dominance over the other two “Gunas”? An important answer awaits us in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very important point of discussion wherein, we had emphasized the significance of “neutralizing” both our “Paapa” and “Punya” Karmas, so as to attain the highest “Moksha”. Of course, we’ve understood that we can still restrain ourselves as much as possible from performing “Paapa” Karma, but when it comes to the “Punya” Karma, we can still escape the benefits of it by surrendering all of our actions to Bhagawan’s lotus feet. In this way, we would still be performing “Punya” Karma, but without getting the benefits or the effects of them to stick on to us. If we allow the benefits to stick on to us, we would again go to the “Svarga Lokha” and eventually come back to this world to take a re-birth, once the benefits of our “Punya-Karma” are over. This is why we often chant “Sarvam Krishnaarpanamastu!” at the end of every auspicious spiritual practice or offering that we do to Bhagawan. This is to signify the very concept of surrendering all our “Punya Karma” onto Bhagawan’s lotus feet, thereby making us eligibile to attain the highest “Moksha”.

We concluded the yesterday’s episode by asking a question thus: What makes us perform any action that we keep performing day in and day out? Let us look at the answer for this important question in today’s episode, as we move on. By this time we might be knowing that there are three important “Gunas” (Characteristics) that are imbibed into us at every time – The “Sathva Guna”, “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna”. All these three “Gunas” are present within our physical body at all times. All our sense organs, inclusive of our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin are engulfed into these three “Gunas”. Most importantly, our mind is also deeply immersed into these three “Gunas” as well. Thus, these three “Gunas” are omni-present everywhere within us and around us. It is ultimately the “Atman” of ours which is the “Guiding light” for all these three “Gunas” to express and manifest themselves through our physical body at different times, depending upon the situation. With the help of the “Atman”, the three “Gunas” manifest themselves through our eyes, our ears, nose, etc. as per the requirement at that instant of time. For instance, if we’ve to identify people standing or sitting in front of us, the three “Gunas” transcend through our eyes, so as to identify who are these people – Whether are they strangers or known people. Thus, with the help of the Atman’s knowledge, our eyes start taking a “statistics” of all people who are in front of us and eventually submit these statistics to our mind to take it further. Once the statistics reach our mind, it starts manipulating why have these people come here in front of us, what are they wanting from us, etc.

Thus, we can see here that the three “Gunas” manifest themselves in our physical body everywhere and when it comes to identifying people or things, etc. the “Gunas” transcend through our eyes, make calculations, send it to our mind, which makes the “analysis” to find out who is what. All this “analysis” is possible only because of the help rendered by the “Atman”. Similarly, if we listen to sweet music, again our three “Gunas” are manifested through our ears, so as to identify which song is being sung and who is singing it. This data is sent to the mind and thus, with the help of the knowledge from the Atman, we’re able to enjoy the music. Now that we’ve understood this concept, we shall witness where the real problem exists. If our sense organs transcend and manifest the “Satva Guna” more than the other two “Gunas”, while collecting data and if our mind does its “analysis” only with the domination of the “Satva Guna”, then everything would be smooth and normal, without any unwanted problem. But the issue comes now when the other two “Gunas” namely the “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna” start dominating their presence in both our sense organs and our mind. If for instance, our “Rajo Guna” is trying to overpower the “Satva Guna” in the process, we start feeling angry and frustrated even over small things. Whereas, when the “Tamo Guna” starts dominating over the “Satva Guna”, we start feeling lazy, and unwanted thoughts of experiencing physical pleasures come our way.

If we look at it closely, the situation might be the same. But different people grasp the same situation differently and it is only because of the domination of one “Guna” over the other. For instance, we have nice tasty food in front of us in a banana leaf. Three people are sitting next to each other. It is quite normal to witness three different views on the food coming from the three different people who are consuming it, isn’t it? Perhaps, for the person who is dominated by the “Satva Guna”, would respect the food that is on the plate and consume it without any hiccups. Whereas for the other people, who might be dominated by the “Rajo Guna” and “Tamo Guna”, would start complaining about the food by saying that the salt / sweet content is more / less, quantity of food is more / less, etc. This is how we see that for different individuals, different Gunas try and dominate, which results in differences in opinions amongst people, even though the situation might be the same. This is why even in Management, we often keep saying that different individuals view the same situation differently in an organization and it is important for managers / leaders to draw a concensus amongst a majority of their employees when crucial decisions are to be taken.

So for today, let us understand this important point and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further. Stay tuned! 🙂

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on how do we reach “Vaikunta” or “Moksha” or “Paramapada”. We’ve also witnessed that all these three “terminologies” mean the same, and attaining it requires us to neutralize both our “Paapa” and “Punya” accounts (Karma). We’ve witnessed how we take repeated births in this “Manushya Lokha”, due to our “Karma” and the nature of it. If we’ve accumulated exceptionally good “Karma”, we’re going to get the highest human birth and that too with all the luxuries one can ask for. If otherwise, we’re going to take births of animals, insects, plants, germs, bacteria, viruses, etc. We’ve to go through the entire cycle and finally obtain a human form, so as to strive for reaching the ultimate “Moksha”. Now that all of us have already traversed through all of those stages and have attained a blessed human birth with Bhagawan’s divine grace, we should utilize this opportunity to strive hard for attaining “Moksha” and becoming “Muktaatmas”.

We had concluded yesterday’s episode with an important open-ended point of discussion – How do we neutralize both our “Paapa” and “Punya” accounts? Of course, we can avoid performing the “Paapa” Karma as much as possible from our end. It’s quite a doable task for us to refrain from important activities that would enhance our “Paapa” account. However, what about the “Punya” account? How do we neutralize that? Should we stop doing “Punya” Karma in this world, just because we’ve to attain “Moksha”? If we stop doing the “Punya” Karma that we’re doing right now, how will this world function and sustain? How do we balance both? This is where we often chant this following sloka:

“Kaayenavaacha manse indriyairvaa buddhyaatmanaava prakritesvabhaavaath!

Karomi yath yath sakalam parasmai Naaraayanaayeti samarpayaami!!”

We might know this sloka very well – We chant this sloka at the end of our “Sandhyavandanam” practice everyday, as well as towards the end of the Vishnu Sahasranaama. Now what is the meaning of this sloka? What are we trying to convey to Bhagawan by chanting this sloka? The sloka explains thus, “Oh Bhagawan Narayana! I do not wish to experience the effects of whatever “Punya” Karma that I’m performing! Of course, as per your instruction, I had performed all the “Punya” Karma. I performed all the good deeds in this world, not for experiencing my selfish benefits out of it, but for making you happy! I performed these good deeds just to see you smile! I would like to submit all the aftereffects of my good deeds under the divine lotus feet of yours!” Also, we often say this as well – “Sarvam Shri Krishnaarpanamastu!” We often say this at the end of any important spiritual practice like “Yaaga” or “Yagnya” or whatever. Why do we say this? This implies that whatever good experiences that I would receive at the end of this spiritual practice, I selflessly surrender them to Bhagawan Krishna’s divine lotus feet! Isn’t it real “detachment”?

As we understand this important point, we might have a counter question here – “If we submit all our “Punya” to Bhagawan Krishna, what is he going to do with all of it?” The simple answer for this question is that, He’s not going to do anything with our Punya and Paapa Karma. Bhagwan Krishna Himself reveals in the Bhagawad Gita isn’t it? No form of Punya or Paapa Karma can affect Him in any way. He is beyond all of this! In fact, what is “Punya” and what is “Paapa”? Any activity that we do, which brings immense happiness to Bhagawan’s heart, is called “Punya” and any activity that we do, which brings sadness to Bhagawan’s heart is called “Paapa”! Thus, we should make sure that our activities should always bring immense happiness to Bhagawan every passing day! If we continue doing this, and if we’re surrendering all the aftereffects of our “Punya” Karma to Bhagawan’s feet, “Moksha” is inevitable for all of us. This is the most important point that we should understand from this discussion.

Thus, as a summary, if we’ve to attain Moksha, we should be able to neutralize both the “Paapa” and “Punya” Karma. “Paapa” Karma can be neutralized by refraining totally from doing them. “Punya” Karma can be neutralized by surrendering all the benefits of it to Bhagawan’s feet. Once we do so, we can be rest assured that we’re on our way to attain “Moksha”.

Moving on further, we’re going to analyse why are we involving ourselves into any action that we do everyday. As we’ve witnessed already, we’ve taken this human birth because of our past “Karma” – Both “Paapa” and “Punya” together. In this human birth, we perform enormous amounts of “Karma” (again, both “Punya” and “Paapa” Karma), owing to the directions in which our sense organs drag us towards! An important question thereby arises here – What makes us perform any action that we keep performing day in and day out? Can this action be avoided or modified based on the “Punya” or “Paapa” involved in it? An important discussion on this front awaits us in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on some “eligibility criteria” for Atmans to reach the ultimate “Moksha”. We’ve witnessed the fact that if we’ve to attain “Moksha” or “Vaikunta”, we’ve to neutralize both our “Paapa” and “Punya” accounts to zero. If we have one more than the other, we would either land up in the “Svarga Lokha” or the “Naraka Lokha”, only to be pushed back again to take a re-birth in this world, to undergo the entire cycle of birth and death. We’ve witnessed that those “Atmans” which manage to transcend into “Vaikunta” by neutralizing their accounts are called “Muktaatmas”. However, there is another category of “Atmans” that we’ve to talk about, which are “Nityatmas”, which are “permanent residents” at Vaikunta. For instance, we know about “Garuda” (Bhagawan’s permanent “vehicle”), Vishvaksena, etc. All theses people are permanent residents of Vaikunta and there are at the disposal of Bhagawan every time in some way or the other.

Thus, with this accord, we understand that “Atmans” are of three categories and ultimately our duty now is to make solid efforts to transform our “Atmans” to “Muktaatmas” by clearning all our accounts!

“Ekassaiva mamaamsasya jeevasyaiva mahaamate!

Bandhaha asyaa vidhayaanaadhir vidhayaacha tamantate tharaha!!”

Here, Bhagawan Krishna continues with His accord towards Uddhava thus, “Oh Uddhava! Please realize this important point here – Each individual takes a birth in this world by assuming a form, as per his / her “Karma” track record! For instance, if we’ve to take a human birth, there are certain criteria of “Karma” that is required. Similarly, if we’ve to take birth of any other animal or plant, etc., again there are certain criteria of “Karma” that is involved. However, once we take a human birth, again, depending upon our “Karma”, we are born either in an affluent family or a poor family. Our characteristics, nature, habits, actions, etc. are all determined by our past “Karma”. Also, the situations through which we traverse through during our life span, the happiness, sorrows, trials, tribulations, etc. – All depend on the “Karma” that we’ve accumulated over the past!”

This is why we witness every now and then practically that our lives are full of ups and downs and is never a constant curve. For instance, there might be people who might have all sort of facilities, wealth, infrastructure, etc. under them. However, if we go and check whether they’re really happy and at peace with all of it, many would paint a sorrowful picture! Why is this happening? It is primarily because of the actions that we perform. We come to this world with a mixture of both good and bad “Karma”. According to the good “Karma” that we possess, we get all the possible riches in this world. However, our bad “Karma” keeps pulling us down everytime by not allowing us to enjoy all the luxuries that we might possess.

Thus, the point from this description is that, we should understand that we’re not entirely this physical body. We’ve taken this physical body because of our “Karma” and once it gets over, our physical body is rendered useless, isn’t it? This is why Bhagawan Krishna is repeatedly emphasizing the point to all of us that we should not get carried away by the nature of our physical body, the luxuries that we might possess in this birth, etc. All of these are just “by-products” of our past “Karma”. This is one of the first points of awareness that should develop within us, when we practice detachment. We should understand that if we’re able to burn away all our “Karma”, our physical body and wealth, etc. that are associated with it, would automatically cease to exist. As we do this, we create an opportunity for ourselves to cross over the vicious birth-death cycle.

This is where, we come towards Bhagawan’s feet and seek surrender. Once we surrender to Bhagawan’s feet, is He going to grant us “Moksha” then and there? For instance, after reading this episode today, all of us take a resolution that from today onwards all of us are going to seek Bhagawan’s feet in total surrender, and are going to strive to attain “Moksha” through it – What should we do? First and foremost, we should stop doing all actions that are described as “Paapa Karma” in our Sanaatana Dharma literature. There is no second thought on this. This is the first step that all of us can take a resolve to start with. But immediately we might ask another question – “What about the “Punya-Karma”? Of course, we should do lot of “Punya Karma” in our lives – We should definitely help the needy, protect the vulnerable, serve food to those who are hungry, etc. We should of course do lot of “Dhaana” and “Dharma”. However, as we keep doing this, we would get the result of these noble “Punya Karma”, isn’t it? We might be able to lead a luxurious, happy and a peaceful life in this birth itself, or we might get an even better birth during our next birth, or we might even go to “Svarga Lokha”, “Chandra Lokha” or “Surya Lokha”, or we might even get a birth as one amongst the “Devas also. But whatever might be the case, we might still not be able to reach Vaikunta!

So what do we do here? Things are looking a bit confusing isn’t it? One on hand, we say that all “Paapa Karmas” should be stopped. There is no looking back on this of course! But having said that, should we stop all the “Punya Karmas” as well? If that is the case, how will this world function normally? Only because of many people performing many Punya Karmas, this world is functioning without much problems. Else, how will the needy get food, or how will the poor people get any sort of solace? Here we can see that “Punya Karma” is required, but at the same time, we should not get the effect of the “Punya Karma” on us, which might still prevent us from going to Vaikunta! What do we do? An interesting answer awaits us in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂

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In the previous episode, we had tried our best to “decode” the “Moksha” or “Vaikunta” experience by understanding some important points pertaining to how do we reach Vaikunta or “Moksha”. The ultimate understanding here is that, the Vaikunta experience is as pure as the faultless diamond stones and is totally devoid of any sort of bad or sorrowful experiences, which we often experience in this world due to our own “Karma”. We thus, should understand that attaining Vaikunta or Paramapada or Moksha are one and the same, and for that, we need to “qualify” ourselves. Just like how we’ve to pass the entrance tests to get into prestigious institutions like the IIT’s and IIM’s in India, we should also pass all the “entrance exams” that Bhagawan is conducting for us, so as to make ourselves eligibile for admission into the most prestigious place called “Vaikunta”! J We should understand this firmly and thus, focus our spiritual practices into this ultimate goal.

Now for attaining this “Vaikunta”, we should first of all have the motivation isn’t it? For instance, if we do not even know that gold or diamond are the most expensive ornaments ever, why are we even going to go to the jewellery shop? If our interest is never into getting into an IIT or an IIM, why at all should we work so hard and write tough entrance examinations to clear them? Thus, if we’re going to limit ourselves within our own small framework of life, without gaining the awareness that there is something that is much better and priceless to attain, how are we going to take any steps towards attaining that? This is where, the awareness is very much required and this is why we’re having all such discussions as part of this blog series. We’re witnessing this Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana for so many episodes for more than a year now, only for the prime reason that we’ve to inculcate that awareness of how blissful Vaikunta and Bhagawan are. Only if we know and understand this bliss, will we gain interest in our pursuit towards “Moksha” isn’t it? This is also why our ancient Maharishis have documented all of Bhagawan’s interesting “Leelas” (Divine plays) in the form of Shrimad Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana, etc. so that, we would be able to experience all of these in a lucid form. Thus, if we’re not taking efforts to read through our rich scriptural texts of our Sanaatana Dharma literature, how are we going to gain that interest of attaining “Moksha”? This is why we have this entire blog series called “The Indian Dharma”, which is solely aimed at creating that awareness and interest in us to follow the path of attaining the highest “Moksha”.

This apart, now we should understand the path that would take us to “Vaikunta”. We’ve already discussed a glimpse of this in the past as well, but here we shall discuss it in detail – In order to attain the highest Vaikunta experience, we should be devoid of both our “Paapa Karma” (Bad deeds) and “Punya Karma” (Good deeds). Our “Karma balance” in our account should be totally zero! Many of us might have the myth here – If we perform lot of “Punya Karma” we would be able to attain “Moksha”. This is never going to happen. If our “Punya Karma” count becomes more and more, we would only attain the “Svarga Lokha”, which is also called “Indra Lokha”. There of course, we would be able to enjoy all the happiness and bliss of that “lokha” and finally when our “Punya Karma” account gets over, we would again be pushed back to this “Manushya Lokha”, only to take another birth as a human being or any animal. Of course on the other hand, we also know that if our “Paapa Karma” (Sins) outnumber our “Punya”, we would enter into the treacherous “Naraka Lokha” – A detailed description of Naraka Lokha and its constituents have been discussed in our older episodes. Readers can go back to those episodes and witness the description for more details. However, after we experience all the punishments for our “Paapa Karma” at the “Naraka Lokha”, we would again be pushed into this “Manushya Lokha”, only to take re-birth as a human being or an animal!

Thus, we should understand here that attaining Vaikunta is possible only if we neutralize both our “Paapa” and “Punya” accounts. If either of it outnumbers each other, we would either go to “Svarga” or “Naraka Lokha” respectively, and once again come back to this same “Manushya Lokha” only. This is why it takes lot of time and births for us to attain that ultimate goal. Moreover, we should also understand that many a times, we might not even attain the “Svarga” or “Naraka Lokha” straightaway after the end of every birth. Depending upon our previous “Karma”, we would again take birth in this world as a living or a non-living object, again perform all possible good / bad “Karma”, and only if we cross the threshold of either of them, we would be able to even transcend to the “Svarga / “Naraka Lokha”. It is thus amidst this continuous process of repeated births and deaths, do we slowly come to the state of neutralizing both our “Paapa” and “Punya Karmaas” together. This is the time that we would be able to transcend beyond the “Svarga” and “Naraka Lokha” towards the highest “Vaikunta” and those “Atmans” that are able to transcend towards the “Vaikunta” are referred to as the “Muktaatmas”. Once the “Muktaatmas” reach Vaikunta, they automatically get transformed to “Nityaatmas”, or “Nitya Jeevas”, wherein, from that point onwards, they would permanently be residing only at Vaikunta, never to come back to this “Manushya Lokha” again!

So for today, let us understand this process very clearly and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further to witness who are some examples of “Nityaatmas” as we move on further! Stay tuned! 🙂

• 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed yet another important point with respect to our Atman. As we’re entering into Bhagawan Krishna’s important accord to Bhagawan Brahma, we’re witnessing this important categorization of the Atman. We’ve witnessed the three categories. Viz., “Baddhan”, “Muktan” and “Nityan”. We’ve witnessed the detailed description of the first two categories of the Atman – Baddhan is the one that is totally engulfed into the “Karma” cycle of repeated birth and death in this world. The second one, “Muktan” is the one that is able to liberate itself from this “Karma” cycle by surrendering to Bhagawan’s feet and using this human birth as an opportunity to spiritually progress to that level of attaining “Moksha”. This is where we also witnessed the process of how we attain Moksha after this human birth. As we come to the end of this human birth, our present “Shareera” gets disposed off (burnt) and we take a new “Shareera” after taking a dip at the banks of the Viraja River. With that “Shareera”, we progress upwards towards Vaikunta or Paramapada which is the ultimate abode of Bhagawan Vishnu. Once we reach there, we become “Muktaatma” and would never return back again to this world.

Moving further with this understanding a little bit more, as we’ve seen that we would be taking a different “Shareera” as we proceed to “Moksha”, we should understand that this new “Shareera” is purely divine in nature. It is composed only of the “Satva Guna” (Righteousness and purity personified). Our physical body that we have now in this world is a combination of the three “Gunas” – “Satva”, “Rajas” and “Tamas”. This is why we always keep witnessing see-saw swings in our daily lives – At times we would be very happy, peaceful and balanced. Suddenly we would feel that anger is taking over our demeneaur for no reason! At times, we would feel like sleeping for a long time and thus, laziness takes over our physical body, making it inactive. Thus, we can see here that a combination of these three “Gunas” – Sathva, Rajas and Tamas acts upon our “Shareera” in this human form at the same time. However, as we move into the different “Shareera”, post the Viraja river, it would only be of the “Sathvik” quality.

With this understanding, we should now witness what is the “real” meaning of attaining Vaikunta. What would be the state of Vaikunta? Is it the purest state of happiness or bliss? Or, is it the purest state of sorrow? Or, is it a place where nothing at all is there? Won’t we have any sort of experience at Vaikunta? All these questions might be intriguing our minds as we continue to read. We get these questions in mind because of some propagations that “Mukthi” is a state wherein there would be nothing in it. We would be totally devoid of any sort of divine experiences. There would be no happiness, nor sorrow! This is a wrong propagation and if some of us are into such things, it is better that we learn deeply about this and then propagate. Vedas and our “Sanaatana Dharma” texts never talk about all of such things. “Moksha” or “Vaikunta” is a divine place and all experiences that we would get there would be so pure, happy and divine. Unlike this world where we live in – We experience both happiness and sorrow alternatively, isn’t it? However, in Vaikunta, there is no question of sorrow at all – Because, we’re going to eliminate all our sorrows and miseries here itself, before we transcend to Vaikunta.

This is exactly like how we have a bag full of rice grains, that are mixed with stones and sand particles. What do we do usually? We put the entire mixture into a plate, pick up all the unwanted stone and sand particles and thus separate the rice grains from all of them, isn’t it? Similarly, in this human birth, we pick up and throw all our unwanted sorrows, miseries, catastrophes, etc. and finally as we ascend towards “Moksha” we become like those pure white rice grains, sans the stone and sand particles. However, we might again ask this question – “Is this the real analogy that we can give for the Vaikunta experience”? We can still negate this. Because, as we separate the rice grains from the sand and stone particles, we would still get the earthly smell or taste of sand isn’t it? Although we might have been successful in physically separating the rice from the sand particles, there are some innate characteristics that would still stick to the rice particles, which we would not be able to separate. Similarly, even in this world, if we’re still able to eliminate all our sorrows and miseries, we would still be able to recollect some sorrow that we had many years back, isn’t it? Those thoughts would never vanish from our minds until we die. However, the Vaikunta experience isn’t like this – It is even beyond this. If we thus talk about the Vaikunta experience, it is even devoid of these thoughts that are deep within. There is absolutely no trace of even any bad thoughts, sorrows or miseries. This is the amount of purity that we’re talking about, when we understand the “Vaikunta Experience”.

Let us look at another analogy here – For instance, all of us know the characteristics of diamond. When we buy some diamond stones from the jewellery shop and take it to a person who can identify which of the stones are pure and which ones are faulty. The blacksmith would segregate the two categories of stones by looking carefully at each stone under the mirror. Of course, the faulty ones can be corrected and made pure stones of diamond. However, there is a difference between the two categories, isn’t it? The first category which is originally pure without any fault is like the “Vaikunta Experience”. Whereas, the second category of faulty diamond stones which were polished to make them pure, is like our “Manushya” experience, where we try and progress spiritually and correct all our faults, sorrows and miseries! This is the difference we should understand when it comes to the “Vaikunta Experience”!

So for today, let us spend a thought on this and let us try and understand this difference very clearly. We shall wait till the next episode to witness the continuation of this discussion in detail! Stay tuned! 😊  

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In the previous episode, we had witnessed an extended discussion on why our physical body (Shareera) is very important for us to maintain properly, as well as not to get too much attached to beautifying it. Of course, our “Shareera” is nothing but the vehicle given by Bhagawan to all of us to carry out our spiritual pursuit, for which we’ve taken birth in this world. Hence, our Shareera should be well-maintained with all required aspects of our personal hygiene and cleanliness. We should follow all the procedures that are elucidated in various Sanaatana Dharma texts as to how should we take care of our Shareera and maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, having said that, if we’re going to focus on more than what is required, it simply means that we’re getting too much “attached” to this “Shareera”. This is where, Bhagawan Krishna is repeatedly advising us to draw the thin line of difference between taking care of our physical health and beautifying our body. Of course, we should have a presentable appearance wherever we go, according to the requirement and situation. But, giving more importance to appearance than required, is something we should take care of and try to avoid as much as possible.

With this accord, we have come to the end of this important discussion between the “Avadhoota” Sanyasin and King Yadu, which is part of Bhagawan Krishna’s important advice of “detachment” to Uddhava. Through this entire accord, the Sanyasin is conveying the important message that he is extremely happy and peaceful because he has understood all these important lessons from these twenty-five different items in this world. He advises King Yadu that he too should understand these lessons, and if he does, he can also be extremely happy and peaceful for the rest of his lifetime.

Now moving on to the next important “Charitra” – As mentioned before, Bhagawan Krishna is continuing with His important pieces of advice to Uddhava. He’s now taking few excerpts from His conversation with Bhagawan Brahma. Let us start this discussion today. He is going to explain what is “Karma” and what is “Bhakti” and how does the “Atman” involve itself into the “Saadhu-Samaagama” (Company with good and spiritually advanced people). Apart from this, He is going to explain what is “Saathvika Bhakti”, “Raajasic Bhakti” and “Taamasa Bhakti”. He is also going to talk about which amongst these are the best, and which amongst these should we avoid. Apart from these, there are many more aspects that we’re going to witness in this section.

“Baddho mukta ithi vyaakyaa gunato me na vastuthaha!

Gunasya maayaa moolatvaath name mokshona bandhanam!!”

As we move into this important “Charitra”, we’ve to understand one point here – We can categorize “Atman” into three types. “Baddhan”, “Muktan” and “Nityan”. People who are falling into this first category of “Baddhan” would be engulfed into the “Karma” cycle, perform more and more “Karma” and would keep experiencing the results of all the “Karma” that they perform. Hence, these people are caught into the cycle of “Karma” endlessly without any opportunity to come out of it. The second category of people falling under “Muktan” are those who are able to gain relief from the entire “Karma” cycle by neutralizing all their good and bad “Karma” and finally attain the highest “Moksha” or “Vaikunta”. It should be understood here that if we use terms such as “Moksha”, “Mukti”, “Paramapada” or “Vaikunta” interchangeably, it all means the same. The “Shabdha” called “Moksha” in Sanskrit means “Freedom”. IF we’re getting freedom from someone or something, where do we go?

For instance, if we’re imprisoned for some wrong doing and after few years we get released from the jail – Where do we go? We would automatically go back to our dwelling home isn’t it? Similarly, all of us are imprisoned inside the jail called “Karma”. This entire world is a prison. If we’re spiritually progressing day by day and year by year by using the opportunity that Bhagawan has given us in this birth, we would definitely get the freedom from this world (“Moksha”). Ultimately, when we get that freedom, where do we go? This is the place called “Paramapada”. “Pada” means “Place” and “Paramam” means “Last”. If we’ve to understand the meaning of the phrase “Paramapada”, it simply means that there is no better place in this entire universe to go to, apart from this! Moreover, once we reach the “Paramapada”, we would never come back to this world again. This is exactly what is “Shri Vaikuntam” as well – The dwelling place of Bhagawan Vishnu. This is also the same as what we refer to as “Attaining Moksha” or “Mukti” or “Salvation”. Thus, all the people who attain the ultimate “Moksha” are catergorized under “Muktan”.

Thus, we should also understand that all of us are going to attain this state tomorrow or very soon in the future. We’ve been reading through the “Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana” text all these days and months meticulously. By reading all of this, we’ve also by now, mended our ways a lot and we’re starting to witness lot of change in our spiritual progress. Hence, all of us can be confident that we’re walking the path to attain the highest “Moksha”. But as we attain “Moksha”, we would lose this present “Shareera” that we have right now. We would assume a different physical form when we go there. As we depart from this world, we all know that our physical body is burnt to ashes. However, our “Atman” takes a subtle form and travels towards the “Archidaardi Maarga”. Within the wink of an eye, our Atman would cross a river called “Viraja”. Once the Atman takes a dip into that holy “Viraja” river, we would get a brand new “Shareera” which is shining and glowing in all aspects. It is with this divine “Shareera” will we be able to live in “Vaikunta”.

We might be wondering what difference would exist between the existing “Shareera” of ours that we have today and the “Divine Shareera” that we would take after we take the holy dip at the “Viraja” River. Let us wait till the next episode to find out the difference and to move on further with this important discussion! Stay tuned! 😊