Character Sketch

• Śakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryodhana embodies the pattern of self-hatred, which is cunningness personified.

• Droṇa represents all the best knowledge one imbibes and the teachers one encounters, who guide us but are unable to take us through to the ultimate flowering of enlightenment. It is difficult to give them up since one feels grateful to them. This is where the Enlightened Master, the incarnation steps in and guides us.

• Duryodhana, represents one's ego or root-pattern, the most difficult to conquer as it leads one to self destruction. One needs the full help of the Master here. It is subtle work and even the Master's help may not be obvious, since at this point, sometimes the ego makes us deny and disconnect from the Master as well.

• Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion.

Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities and all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic, conflict-free way.

Karṇa is the repository of all good deeds and it is his good deeds that stand in the way of his own Enlightenment. Śrī Kṛṣṇa has to take the load of Karṇa's puṇya, his meritorious deeds, before he could be liberated. The Enlightened Master guides one to drop one's attachment to good deeds arising out of what are perceived to be charitable and compassionate intentions. He also shows us that the quest for and the experience of enlightenment is the ultimate Till now everyone blames Bhagavan Sri Krishna for this Kurukshetra war but that's the greatest sacrifice Bhagavan Sri Krishna did to save the planet Earth. If Kurukshetra was not conducted at that time under the controlled conditions and direct supervision of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, planet Earth would not have survived more than three years.

act of compassion that one can offer to the world. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa, the 8th most powerful purnāvatar of Ṃaha Viśnu, is the embodiment of pure celebration, boundless love, compassion, and completion. Bhagavan Ṣri Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation demonstrating and expressing Ṣarva Ṃangalatva all the auspicious qualities a nd all dimensions of an avatar during His physical happening. The līla Bhagavan Ṣri Krsna is one of sheer innocence and The wide spread availability of the Astra shastras without Shastra, without the knowledge and vision, was posing a huge threat to the whole of humanity and planet Earth, and for life itself. The greatest achievement of Bhagavan Sri Krishna is destroying all the weapons in one controlled condition and saving planet earth, eliminating the nuclear weapons and the knowledge of these nuclear weapons to save humanity from total annihilation.

conflict-free way.

simplicity, in a peace-loving, diplomatic,

Bhagavad Gītā appears in the heart of Mahābhārat in Bhīṣma Parva, the sixth chapter of its eighteen chapters. Veda Vyāsa, the narrator, in glorifying the Gītā sings, 'the one who drinks the water of Ganges (the sacred river for Hindus) attains liberation, what to speak of the one who drinks the nectar of Gītā?

Gītā is the essential nectar of the Mahābhārat, bhāratamṛta sarvasvam as it is directly spoken by Nārāyaṇa, Bhagavān kṛṣṇa Himself.'

The armies assembled in the vast field of Kurukṣetra, now in the state of Haryana in modern day Bharat. All the kings and princes were related to one another, and were often on opposite sides. Facing the Kaurava army and his friends, relatives and teachers, Arjuna was overcome by remorse and guilt, and wanted to walk away from the battle out of total powerlessness unbecoming an invincible warrior among warriors.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa's dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra out of His utmost concern and love for him and humanity is the content of Bhagavad Gītā. Of its seven hundred and forty-five (745) verses, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa sings the Gītā in six hundred and twenty (620) verses responding to Arjuna's fifty-seven (57) enquiries.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa persuades Arjuna to give-up his powerlessness unfitting an Ārya—the spiritually evolved one who understands human life and urges him to raise himself again as Parantapa—the conqueror of enemy, and take up arms and vanquish his enemies. They are already dead,' says Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 'All those who are facing you have been already killed by Me. Go ahead and do what you have to do. That is your responsibility. Do not worry about the outcome. Leave that to Me.'

śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsāj jñānāddhyānaṁ viśiṣyate I dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāc chāntir anantaram

Knowledge is better than mere practice. Meditation is superior to knowledge. Renouncing the fruit of actions is better than meditation. After renouncing the fruits of actions, one immediately attains peace.

Surrender is even better because the moment we hand over our expectations regarding results of our actions to the Divine, inner healing and peace happens.

Kṛṣṇa gives so many possibilities. Step-by-step, He gives options. Actually, these are not only for Arjuna's mind. These are for all kinds of minds.

Let me tell a small story from Ramaṇa Mahaṛṣi's life: Somebody goes to him and asks, 'Bhagavān, what spiritual technique should I use?' He says, 'Do ātmavicāra, Self-inquiry. Start questioning — Who am I?'

After a few days, the devotee comes back and says, 'It is difficult to do Self- inquiry, can I just meditate?' Bhagavān says, 'Alright, do meditation.'

After a week, the person returns and says, 'Meditation is also difficult. Can I do japa, repetition of mantra and recitation of verses?' Bhagavān says, 'Alright, do that.' A few days pass and he is back again saying, 'Japa is also difficult. Can I do pūjā, the ritual worship?' Bhagavān says, 'Alright. Do pūjā.'

Within a week the man is there asking, 'Pūjā is also difficult. Can I start going only to the temple?' Bhagavān says, 'Alright, do what you want.' Masters do not want to close the doors for anybody.

They do not give up on anybody. Please understand, they give possibilities for everybody. Here, in these verses, Kṛṣṇa deeply enriches giving options to everyone.

We need to have tremendous spontaneity to understand this. Only with spontaneity will we be able to handle these instructions. For example, if you don't feel like meditating and are in a low mood, don't try sitting in a room with closed doors, forcing yourself to meditate. Just go out, go to the temple. Spend some time freely walking and moving around. It will relax you. Then you can enter into meditation.

And if you are not able to do that also, do something else. Do something that helps to keep you in a relaxed mood that makes you feel relaxed. Then, you can enter into meditation.

Here, Kṛṣṇa gives step-by-step instructions up to the ultimate and last step. The last step is being in the consciousness, being in bliss. But just because you can't do that, don't stop trying altogether.

Don't give up on you. Do something enriching at least. I have seen people speak about meditation, about ātma-sādhana and all sorts of complicated things. But when it comes to practice, just thinking of meditating makes them stop their rituals, everything. In the end they do not even meditate. They say, 'I don't have enough time, Swamiji. My mind won't concentrate and I cannot sit quietly.' First they stop everything in the name of meditation. Then they drop meditation because of other reasons! Then they have neither this nor that. Kṛṣṇa doesn't want that to happen.

'Today just because something is said to me I will not change. I cannot! I am not going to change.' Then we can never be spontaneous and complete! We will miss life and miss it miserably.

The quality of life updates itself. It can be called intelligence only as long as it updates itself. Intelligence is living energy.

The Saṃskṛit word dhī means 'that which is alive'. In Saṃskṛit, the word for intelligence is dhī. Dhī is energy that is alive, which continuously updates itself.

An incident about spontaneity: Once I was giving a discourse on the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad. An elderly person, who looked like a well-read scholar, walked into the hall. After the discourse, without any basic courtesy, he stood up and said, 'All these fools have not read anything, which is why you can make them listen to you.

Can you make me listen to you?' I said, 'Please come nearer Sir. I cannot hear what you are saying.' When he came nearer I said, 'Please come to this side and repeat what you said Sir.' He moved to that side. Then I said, 'I think there is a table in the way, please move to the other side Sir.' He moved and came nearer. Then I said, 'You have already listened to me three times. Now sit and listen to what I have to say!'

When you have spontaneity, nothing can stop you. Spontaneity is a great spiritual Quality. Here Kṛṣṇa gives four different instructions. Either you can establish yourself in Bhakti Yoga – Path of Devotion, or live a regular life of spiritual routine, or sacrifice all the fruits of action to God, or live in consciousness and act. You can do whatever you want. He says, 'If not this, do this. If not these, then that...'

Somebody asked me, 'Swamiji, why do we have so many gods in Bharat or in the Eastern religions?' All Eastern religions have many gods, whether you consider Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism. They all have many gods, so many saints and so many gurus, while Western religions have only one God. Why?'

Vivekananda puts it across beautifully in one discourse. Freedom is the basic condition for growth. In any field, if growth has to happen, freedom is the basic condition. In the East they have had inner freedom.

No one disturbs your religion here. Spiritual practice is an option. That is why we have the concept of iṣṭadevatā, your favorite god. Iṣṭadevatā means you can worship whatever form suits your mind.

The scriptures mention 330 million devatas, demigods or gods. Actually I think that was probably the size of the population at that time! They wanted each person to have his own customized god. That is why they say 330 million gods! If the scriptures were to be written now, they would say six billion gods.

Each one has the freedom to choose their path and one's own god. Each one has the freedom to consider himself as god as he realizes the divinity in himself.

People have inner freedom, which is why the East has grown so much spiritually. In the West, you can't have your own god. In Bharat, anyone can declare himself to be a saint overnight. In the freedom of the East, many good things happen. Tremendous research happened in the inner world because of that freedom.

Much research has been done in the inner world and many truths related to the inner world have been brought to light, brought to humanity, because so many people have entered into it. There will always be a few fakes. When so many millions of people take the path, and so many millions of things are expressed, one or two superstitions come about as well.

You may think superstitions exist only in relationship to spirituality. A lot more superstitions exist in science. At least in spirituality the masters do not have any vested interests in declaring something. Nothing significant will be added to their personal lives. They are still going to eat only that much and are going to wear only those few pieces of clothing.

But when it concerns scientists, whatever they declare is going to give them name and fame, money, and additional comfort in their lives. So naturally they have vested interests. With spiritual people, the more they renounce and the less they enjoy the outer world comforts, the more they are respected. So naturally, whatever truths they declare, whatever research they do will not add anything new to their personal lives. The respect they are given is based upon their lives, not their words. With scientists, it is based on their words. So in science, there is a greater possibility for superstitions than in spirituality.

And when more and more people take to this spiritual life, there will always be one or two superstitions that result. Just because of this, we can't say that religious freedom or spiritual freedom is wrong. There is a lot of good in it also.

For any growth to happen freedom is a basic necessity. Here, with these four options, Kṛṣṇa is expressing spiritual freedom for us. He says that there are so many paths, and tells us to choose whichever one suits our mentality, and to practice at least one option. It is not so important which option that we choose. It is essential only that we choose something !

Here Kṛṣṇa gives Arjuna the spiritual freedom to choose and of course, not only to Arjuna, but through Arjuna, to all of us. If you cannot practice the regulations of Bhakti Yoga, try to work for Me because by working for Me, you will enrich yourself and come to the perfect stage.

Then one by one He gives all enriching options and finally says, 'If you can't follow these practices to enrich yourself, engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge.' He says, 'At least collect all these life solutions.'

Cultivation of knowledge means collecting solutions to life's mysteries, such as how to avoid depression, how to be more courageous, how to be strong, how

to avoid unwanted desires and how to prevent emotional blocks. This kind of knowledge that you can collect as life solutions can help and protect You. In the USA, you are taught about earthquake kit, that water bottles and other vital safety things should be a part of the kit. Western society prepares people for

these eventualities. But we also need to prepare people to face the earthquakes that happen within, the emotional imbalances that occur within. Just like

preparing for an earthquake, one needs to be equipped with an inner earthquake kit. This inner earthquake kit is what I refer to as 'life solutions' or knowledge. Collect these things now so that when you face depression, you will be prepared. All of us will face some sort of inner earthquake at some point in time.

Have an outer earthquake kit in your car, and an inner earthquake kit in your heart.

We can have an earthquake kit in our cars and an inner earthquake kit in our hearts or inner space. Never take inner earthquakes lightly. Taking inner earthquakes lightly means we are acting out of ignorance. When quakes come in the outer world, we can blame somebody and be rid of the responsibility. But when it comes to the inner world, we can't blame anybody. Each of us must take responsibility for everything happening in and around us.

You must help yourself ascend. You must raise yourself by yourself. If you can help yourself ascend, then you are your best friend. Otherwise you are your worst enemy.

He gives enriching possibilities, among the different paths like practicing, cultivation of knowledge, meditation or renunciation of the fruits of actions, karma phala tyāga. Among these paths, one is better than the other. First, He mentions that the path of meditation, dhyāna is better than knowledge, jñana jñānād dhyānaṁ viśiṣyate. Better than meditation is offering every-thing at the feet of God—dhyānāt karma phala tyāgaḥ. He says that by renunciation of the fruits of action one can immediately achieve peace—tyāgāc chāntir anantaram (12.12).

When we renounce ownership to what we do and hand over the ownership to the Divine, peace and bliss descend upon us. There is true liberation in giving up attachment to the results of what we do. This liberation comes from not having expectations of any kind. We are detached from the results of our actions. That allows us to focus totally on what we have in hand, in the present moment of completion. Staying in the space of completion is peace, bliss, liberation, or mokṣa.

Impress upon the students that it is best to be totally focused on what we are doing at hand i.e. in the present moment.

• ❖ Why do we have so many gods in Bharat or in the Eastern religions?
• ❖ What is Social Freedom?
• ❖ What is Inner Freedom?
• ❖ What is the pitfall in being attached to the results of your actions?
• ❖ What is the benefit of being totally focused on what we have at hand i.e. in the present moment?

Part 2: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 - Lesson 9 of 14_English_part_2.md