- BHAGAVAD GITA -🔗

BOOK XVIII, VOLUME XV

Work Always Under God's Protection

Authored by

THE SPH NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

18.54

The entire purpose of Gītā is to enrich you to complete with your root patterns and drop the ego!

18.55

bhakti (devotion) and jñāna (knowledge) are not separate. Where there is devotion, there is knowledge and where there is true knowledge, there is devotion.

18.56

When you surrender, a space is created that allows the power of coincidence, the power of extraordinary possibilities to happen.

18.57

Every word of Gītā, every word of Kṛṣṇa, is energy

When you 'know' Kṛṣṇa, there is nothing else to know.

You think that the survival instinct is essential in order to exist. You will realize the futility of the survival instinct only when you surrender. After that, you will automatically realize that you can live without the instinct to survive or the instinct to possess. You will realize that you can live in the material world without these instincts ruling you. This is what Kṛṣṇa means when He says that He will protect you. His energy takes care. When you surrender, a space is created that allows the power of coincidence, the power of extraordinary possibilities to happen. Automatically things fall into place. Automatically you are taken care of by the energy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

When you believe that you are intelligent enough to use your mind and go your own way, you are asking for trouble. Kṛṣṇa says you will perish if you follow your mind and senses instead of listening to Him.

We must understand two things. The first is about listening to one's mind and the second is about not listening to the Master. Vedic chants end with the word namaḥ. What does this mean? It means 'I surrender to You.' Each time you utter a vedic prayer, you say, 'I surrender to You, my Lord.' Is there another system of prayer that so thoroughly destroys your ego?

So, just because you do not surrender to a Master or a favorite deity, because one is human and the other is stone, do you think you are the Master, free and independent? You surrender to someone else for money, power or lust. One of these will surely happen. How much more sensible it is to follow and surrender to someone out of intelligence, because that person is more aware and complete, and can guide you on the path to completion?

Why are we reluctant to surrender to another person? It is because we have been captured by our mind and senses. We are in a jail and we are captive. We fear losing the identity that our mind and senses have created for us. We fear letting go of that identity. Our mind fights against shifting our allegiance from that ego and identity to someone else.

Devotion and Knowledge are not Separate Please understand that bhakti (devotion) and jñāna (knowledge) are not separate. Where there is devotion, there is knowledge and where there is true knowledge, there is devotion. The entire purpose of Gītā is to enrich you to complete with your root patterns and drop the ego! All you need to do is understand one verse of Gītā, one statement of Kṛṣṇa, in its entirety. That is enough to enlighten you. This is what Vivekananda meant when he said that the study of one handful of earth can teach you about the entire earth. You need depth, not breadth of knowledge..

The other way is the deep surrender that happens within, the unbridled love that arises within you and through which you merge with the Master. Along with the merger, comes the knowledge that you are no different. Seemingly, knowledge comes from devotion; jñāna comes from bhakti. The truth is that both happen simultaneously. Duality happens when you are open to that Cosmic energy but you still feel separate. You are like the ocean drop that knows it is part of the ocean but sees itself as separate. To reach this stage, you need to be open. When you are closed, you do not even accept that there is this huge ocean of which you are a part. You are ignorant. Duality or dvaita is the first step

ONE VERSE CAN ENLIGHTEN YOU!

❖ Read the 2 sentences written in the inference section below and ask each student to select one verse from the Gita. ❖ Ask them to write it down beautifully and to decorate the paper. They can hang it in their room and contemplate on it continuously.

All you need to do is understand one verse of Gītā, one statement of Kṛṣṇa, in its entirety. That is enough to enlighten you.

Ask the students to observe what happens in their inner space as they surrender to Swamiji's Murti, to a Deity or any object they feel connected to. Then, encourage them to share their experience of surrendering. Once everyone has shared, the acharya will play the role of someone who does not want to surrender to anybody (you can use the reasons Swamiji told). Tell the students that you don't want to turn into a slave, etc. The students have to help you shift your cognition about surrendering.

THE EXPERIENCE OF SURRENDERING

Realize that you are a slave to your senses and not the master of your destiny as you imagine. Be aware that your pains and sorrows arise from the mistaken belief that you are the master of your destiny. Once you realize this, you will look for an alternative.

VAAKYARTHA SADHAS

BOOK XVIII, VOLUME XVI