Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Vedanta Society, San Francisco
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Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Swami Tattwamayananda’s class on Srimad Bhagavad Gita is held at the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco (founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) on Friday evenings in the First Universal Hindu Temple in the West (founded by Swami Trigunatitananda in 1905). Classes are held on Friday night at 7:30 pm. All are most welcome. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the most important spiritual classic of Hinduism. Swami Tattwamayananda, currently the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco, (originally founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) served in various centers of the Ramakrishna Order in India as editor, publisher, and teacher of Sanskrit, Advaitic texts such as Sri Shankaracharya's commentaries on the 'Prasthanatraya' (the fundamental Sanskrit texts of Vedanta philosophy), Buddhism and Indian philosophy. He underwent traditional training in Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit, Vedic and Vedantic literature for many years, from his early days. Before coming to the United States in January 2012 he was teaching Sanskrit, Vedantic scriptures and Indian philosophy at the Training center in Belur Math, the institution that trains the monks of the Ramakrishna Order at the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata, India. Apart from his traditional education, the Swami has also received modern University education in English literature, psychology, European history, and Western philosophy. He is frequently invited for lectures on Yoga, Vedanta, and traditional Hindu scriptures and for participating in interfaith dialogues. For more: Web: www.sfvedanta.org Livestream: https://livestream.com/sfvedanta Facebook: www.facebook.com/sfvedanta YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SFVedanta All Original Content © Vedanta Society of Northern California

  1. EPISODE 118

    118 - The Ideal Devotee Sees Oneness in Existence | Swami Tattwamayananda

    Its meaning is: “O’ Mother Gita, I bow down to you. I invoke your divine presence in my heart. This text has 18 chapters and was preached by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. It was written by the great sage, Vyasa, and is placed in the middle of a much great work, Mahabharata. Its central theme is the philosophy of Advaita – it preaches that creation is one spiritual family and all religions represent so many paths leading to the same spiritual goal. “ The 12th chapter is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of Devotion. The three other paths taught in the Gita are Jnana Yoga – the path of knowledge, Karma Yoga – the path of selfless actions, and Dhyana Yoga – the path of self-restraint. In the 13 th and 14 th verses, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of a devotee. He does not mention rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings. 15 th verse: “A devotee is not agitated by anyone, and nobody is agitated by him. He is free from elation, envy, fear and anxiety.” 18 th and 19 th verses: “His attitude is the same towards a friend or someone hostile to him, towards honor and dishonor, towards praise and criticism, towards heat and cold, and towards happiness and misery. He is content with whatever comes his way and is not attached to a place of residence – such a devotee is dear to Me.” A devotee is well-established in strong faith and inner equanimity, because he has a sense of inner fulfillment. The line of demarcation between the duals disappears for him. The world does not agitate him – he has no reason to be excited, envious, fearful or anxious. There is no otherness for him – he sees the whole world as one spiritual family. He does not do anything to violate the Ritm of nature. 20 th verse: “Anyone who practices this great spiritual discipline with sanctity and sacredness, with unselfishness, with a universal outlook – he is extremely dear to Me.” In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees the presence of God in all beings, and who sees the presence of all beings in God. “ Bhagavata Purana describes that we can reach this highest level of devotion by practicing Navadha Bhakti - Sravanam (Hearing about God), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam (Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam (Surrendering to Him). The 12th chapter of Gita can be seen as a commentary on an important verse in the Bhagavata Purana. The essence of this verse is: “A spiritual seeker can begin his journey at a temple or with a book. That is just a starting point. As he moves forward, he starts seeing the presence of God outside the temple walls. As he evolves further, he sees the presence of God everywhere and in everything. Everything becomes an act of worship. Every thought becomes a meditation, every word becomes a mantra, every action becomes an act of worship, every travel becomes a pilgrimage, every movement becomes a circumambulation around the deity, and the whole life becomes an offering to God. “ What is the residential address of God. Lord Krishna says that his permanent residential address is the heart of all beings. Every Gita chapter ends with a verse which starts as an auspicious prayer referring to the unity and oneness of existence. It then says that Gita was written by Vyasa and appears in the sixth section of Mahabharata. Finally, it equates Gita to the Upanishads. It teaches the science of spiritual enlightenment through four...

    52 min

  2. EPISODE 119

    119 - Distinction Between Body and Spirit | Swami Tattwamayananda

    The 12 th chapter on Bhakti Yoga begins with a question from Arjuna. He asks: “Some people worship God with name and form – they chant and pray. Others worship the imperishable, the unmanifest. Which is better?” Arjuna’s question came from a conflict he was facing. From earlier chapters, Arjuna knew that there are two ways of looking upon God. (1) God as the creator and protector, who listens to our prayers (2) God as the all-pervading divine spirit, that is Nirakara, transcending names and forms. Arjuna thought he could choose between God with form or God without form. It is not a matter of our intellectual choice. It is a matter of our own spiritual evolution. A ten-year-old boy has to attend primary school first – he cannot just choose to go to a university. Similarly, in the beginning of our spiritual journey, we worship God as Sakara, as the creator and protector. Upon the highest realization, we see God as Nirakara, the all-pervading divine spirit present everywhere and in everything, transcending names, forms, time, space, causation, and verbalization. In answer, Lord Krishna says that for those who identify with their body, the path of Nirakara is very difficult. Their only option is to worship God as Sakara, by performing spiritual practices. They can have the intellectual conviction of the highest idea of God to prevent fanaticism. Advaita accommodates the path of Bhakti – each one should follow the path that is most suitable for them. Bhakti reaches its zenith when the devotee feels he is an instrument in the hands of God. In the 13 th to 19 th verses of the 12 th chapter, Lord Krishna describes the characteristics of an ideal devotee. Lord Krishna does not mention rituals or going to a temple. He essentially says that all genuine devotees are good human beings. Lord Krishna concludes the chapter in the 20 th verse by saying that anyone who practices this great spiritual discipline with sanctity and sacredness, with unselfishness, with a universal outlook – he is extremely dear to Him. When a person, who has done spiritual practices in previous life, deviates from that path, God will help put him back on the right path. In Vaishnava tradition, there is a verse, where God says: “The person whom I want to bless, I shall steal all his wealth, I shall ensure he is deserted by his friends and becomes isolated. If he still retains his faith, I shall elevate him to such a high position that he will be the envy of angels.” The 13 th chapter begins with another question from Arjuna. He asks in the 1 st verse: “What is Prakriti or matter? What is the nature of consciousness? What is kshetra or field? Who is kshetrajna, knower of the field? What is known, who is the knower, and what is knowledge?” The context behind this question comes from the 11 th chapter. In the 11 th chapter, Arjuna experiences the vision of the universal form of the divine. This cosmic divine form transcends our concept of time and space. He shows that all the different creatures, animals, suns, moons, stars, galaxies, human beings, celestial beings – they all originate, exist, dissolve and re-emerge within that cosmic divine form. When Arjuna gets this vision, he is freed from doubts. However, some doubts remained. For example, he thought of the cosmic form as God’s body. He thought, “What happens to God’s body?” Lord Krishna starts answering in the 2 nd verse. He says that this body is the kshetram, or field. This body is a complex, intelligent machine. There is a designer behind it who came up with this intelligent design. That designer is the kshetrajna, the one who knows this machine – it is the divine spark that is present within this body. It is present in every being. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and...

    1h 2m

  3. EPISODE 120

    120 - Discrimination Between the Real and the Unreal | Swami Tattwamayananda

    The 13th chapter begins with another question from Arjuna. He asks in the 1st verse: “What is Prakriti or matter? What is the nature of consciousness? What is kshetra or field? Who is kshetrajna, knower of the field? What is known, who is the knower, and what is knowledge?” Lord Krishna starts answering in the 2nd verse. He says that this body is the kshetram, or field. More broadly, we can think of the field as this material universe, which is changing and that is not eternal. It gradually decays and eventually disappears. Kshetrajna is the knower of the field. Within the field there is something that is not subject to modification – that is kshetrajna. It is the Atman, which is immanent, all-pervading and transcendental. When we refer to kshetram as the body, it refers to the following – the physical body comprising five elements, five senses of perception, five senses of action, mind and intellect. We sow seeds of tendencies and impressions in this field through our actions, thoughts, emotions and words. We are reborn with this legacy of tendencies and impressions. They determine in which direction our mind goes. That is why different people demonstrate different level of interest and understanding when reading a spiritual book. We can only understand what we are spiritually ready for. We march towards enlightenment when we realize kshetra as only kshetra, not as the highest reality. Then we look for something higher than kshetra, and our spiritual journey begins. Ultimately, we realize that the divine spark is present as drshta, as the witness, as kshetrajna, in all kshetras. Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between an amoeba and a Buddha is only of degrees, not of kind. Buddha is like the clean mirror, in whom the presence of the lord manifests in His full effulgence. Noble, unselfish action generate spiritual energy which purifies our mind, and helps us manifest this divinity with more effulgence. 3rd verse: Lord Krishna says: “What is the nature of this kshetra? How does it undergo change? How does it originate? What is the real nature of kshetrajna? How does it manifest? Hear this from Me.” 4th verse: “This great science of understanding the distinction between the Real and the unreal – this is the real knowledge of spiritual realization. Great vedic sages sang great hymns on the glory and greatness of this knowledge.” In daily life, we get into trouble because of wrong prioritization. We prioritize the empirical, the non-eternal. When we learn to prioritize the Real, lots of problems of daily life can be avoided. 5th verse: The 5th verse describes the Sankhya philosophy of evolution expounded by Kapila. In Sankhya, there are two categories: (1) Purusha, which is eternal and self-effulgent (2) Prakriti, which is the cause of material evolution. From Prakriti, the first evolute is Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence. From Mahatattvam, the next evolute is Ahamkara or ego-sense. From Ahamkara, the three gunas evolve: Sattva guna, Rajo guna and Tamo guna. The evolutes of sattva guna are the mind, the five senses of perception and the five senses of action. The evolutes of tamo guna are the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The material world consists of the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, sense objects, and human tendencies –desires, love, hatred, pleasure, pain and so on. Within this material world is the divine spark. It is immanent in every being. When we begin to manifest spiritual qualities that are described in the next few verses, then we connect with the divine within. 7th and 8th verses: These verses describe the qualities of someone who has spiritual knowledge. (1) Humility – it is the natural expression of one with spiritual growth because he understands that the body is just an instrument to do great things. (2) Not...

    1h 9m

  4. EPISODE 121

    121 - Spiritual Qualities to Gain Knowledge of Kshetra and Kshetrajna | Swami Tattwamayananda

    The 13th chapter is about the discrimination between kshetra and kshetrajna. Human life in its empirical form is kshetra or the field. Kshetrajna is the knower of the field. Within the field there is something that is not subject to modification – that is kshetrajna. It is the Atman, which is immanent, all-pervading and transcendental. In this field, we sow seeds – our actions, thoughts and emotions are the seeds. They sprout with some results visible in this life and some in next life. This should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation. Law of karma should not be thought of as determinism. Rather, it asks to own responsibility for our actions. Our actions produce two types of results: One that is tangible and immediate. Another, that is invisible (Adhrishtam). These results are Apoorvam – meaning they did not exist before the action. Kshetra or the phenomenal world is constituted by 24 elements, as described in the 5th verse. These are Prakriti, Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The sixth verse adds seven other elements to kshetra - desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, body, intelligence and fortitude. With these, we live in the phenomenal world. Within this material world is the divine spark, Kshetrajna. It is immanent in every being. All problems in the world arises because of we identify ourselves with the kshetra. The one who identifies himself as kshetrajna, as distinct from the field, he is able to understand the impermanent nature of the world and its problems. The next few verses describe the spiritual qualities that one should practice to help discriminate between kshetra and kshetrajna. The qualities described in the 7th and 7th and 8th verses are: (1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – his thoughts, words and deeds become one (3) Non-violence, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Detachment from sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life. The 9th verse encourages us to be broad minded and look beyond our near and dear ones. Relationships become less spiritual when we become obsessed with our near and dear ones to the point of hating others. What we know intellectually does not necessarily become our emotional attitude. Only through spiritual practices and reflection are we able to translate our intellectual conviction into our emotional attitude and spiritual common sense. Shankaracharya says that in spiritual literature, whenever a list of characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person is provided, there is only one purpose. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.

    1h 3m

  5. EPISODE 122

    122 - Highest Devotion and Highest Knowledge are the Same | Swami Tattwamayananda

    Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

    1h 2m

  6. EPISODE 123

    123 - The Divine Reality is All-Pervading| Swami Tattwamayananda

    Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

    1h 5m

  7. EPISODE 124

    124 - Attaining Deathlessness | Swami Tattwamayananda

    Kshetra or the phenomenal world is constituted by 24 elements. These are Prakriti, Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The sixth verse adds seven other elements to kshetra - desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, body, intelligence and fortitude. With these, we live in this phenomenal world. Within this material world is the divine spark, Kshetrajna. It is immanent in every being. All problems in the world arise because we identify ourselves with the kshetra. The one who identifies himself as kshetrajna, as distinct from the field, he is able to understand the impermanent nature of the world and its problems. In the 13th verse, Lord Krishna says: “I am now going to teach you that supreme truth, which alone is to be known, and which alone is to be realized. By realizing that, you will become immortal and realize your deathless dimension. This supreme truth is anadi (beginningless), param (beyond tools of knowledge), and Brahma (all-pervading). It is beyond existence and non-existence.” Atman is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. Atman does not come into existence as a pot comes into existence from clay. It is beyond the state of coming into existence. In fact, it is beyond time, space and causation. Atman is param: it cannot be seen or known by the six tools of epistemology. Pratyaksha is perception. Anumana is inference. Shabda is verbal testimony. Upamana is comparison. Arthāpatti is presumption. Anupalabdi is the non-cognition. These are the six pramanas or tools of knowledge in Vedantic epistemology. Atman is beyond these six pramanas. None of these six instruments of knowledge can explain the Reality. Atman is our own true nature and can only be experienced. The purpose of scriptures is to drive the wrong ideas from our mind, so we can experience this truth. We cannot really explain an experience. Even an empirical experience such as the taste of milk cannot be fully explained. One cannot transcend death at the physical level. When we realize our true nature and its immortal dimension, we transcend death. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi on the topic of immortality. To realize this supreme truth, one needs to attain 20 spiritual qualities that are described in verses 7-12. Per Shankaracharya, these characteristics should be acquired by those seeking to strive for spiritual enlightenment However, these same characteristics become second nature for the enlightened person. These characteristics are: (1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – respects others but does not demand respect from them (3) Non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Sense of renunciation towards sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life. (13) Non-attachment (14) Not being obsessively attached to near and dear ones (15) Equanimity of mind in happiness and unhappiness (16) Constant, unwavering devotion to the spiritual ideal (17) Inclination for solitary places (18) Aversion to mundane society (19) Constant reflection of spiritual knowledge (20) Realizing the ultimate purpose of knowledge. When we acquire these spiritual qualities, we transform the whole world into a temple because we see the presence of the divine everywhere. These qualities describe a good human being. The greatness of Gita is that it gives a spiritual dimension to what...

    50 min

  8. EPISODE 125

    125 - Purusha and Prakriti| Swami Tattwamayananda

    Title: Purusha and Prakriti 13th Chapter: Verses 19, 20, 21, 22 These verses deal with the Samkhya school of Indian philosophy. There are two main schools of thoughts in Indian philosophy. (1) Theistic schools which accept Vedic testimony and (2) Atheistic schools, which do care much for Vedic testimony. The six theistic schools were the Mimamsakas of Jaimini, Vedanta (Uttara Mimamsa of Badarayana), the Samkhya philosophy of Kapila, the Yoga of Patanjali, the Nyaya school of Gautama, and the Vaisheshika school of Kanada. The six aetheistic schools include the four schools of Buddhism, the Jaina philosophy, and the Indian materialists, called Charvakas. Samkhya school is silent about God. It talks about evolution. Its original exponent was Kapila. Later, a karika was written by Isvara Krishna. There are two fundamental categories in Samkhya. (1) Purusha, which is self-effulgent, eternal and inactive. (2) Prakriti, which is active but non-effulgent. The evolutes of Prakriti are Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. Patanjali Yoga Sutras are a practical application of Samkhya. When we practice spiritual disciplines such as Yamas and Niyamas, we start our journey backwards (involution) towards our true spiritual identity as Purusha. The main idea of Samkhya is this - the entire universe comes from Prakriti and exists in Prakriti. The moment we understand that we are higher than this psycho-physical mechanism, that our true nature is Purusha, the evolutionary cycle comes to an end for us. Vedanta accepts ideas of Samkhya, such as the evolutes of Prakriti and its wonderful analysis of the human mind. However, it does not accept the conclusions of Samkhya. 19th verse: “Know that Purusha and Prakriti are beginningless. All these evolutes and changes come into existence as a result of evolution in Prakriti.” In Indian philosophy, there are two concepts of evolution and change. (1) Apparent change or Vivartavada refers to apparent change that can go back to its original state, such as a clay becoming a pot (2) Parinamavada refers to changes that are irreversible, such as an oil seed becoming oil. Vedanta says that the absolute reality appears to have become this world – it is only an apparent change. 20th verse: “Purusha is the self-effulgent reality. It does not undergo any change. It is the presence of the Purusha that allows us to have experiences in this world. What we experience is the evolution of Prakriti in the form of three gunas.” Sattva guna manifests itself as wisdom and serenity. Rajo guna manifests itself as dynamism and ambition. Tamo guna manifests itself as laziness and jealousy. 21st and 22nd verses: “Our body, thoughts, emotions are all parts of evolution from Prakriti. Within this psycho-physical mechanism, there is a divine spark, the Purusha, which is the witness – it is eternal and does not change. Our true identity is the Purusha.” In the Kathopanishad, Yama explains the science of realizing our true identity to Nachiketa. Nachiketa asks Yama for three boons: (1) Let my father not scold me when I return (2) Teach me rituals to get to heaven and (3) Teach me the reality beyond death. Yama then teaches Nachiketa how to transcend death. He teaches him how to transcend our physical identity and realize our true nature as the Atman, which is deathless, and which is present everywhere and in everything. Kathopanishad also compares human life to a journey on a chariot. Atman is the traveler on the chariot, body is the chariot, intellect is the driver, mind is the reins, senses are the horses, and the sense objects represent the path. Just as horses should not dictate terms to the rider, so also, sense organs should not...

    1h 4m
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About

Swami Tattwamayananda’s class on Srimad Bhagavad Gita is held at the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco (founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) on Friday evenings in the First Universal Hindu Temple in the West (founded by Swami Trigunatitananda in 1905). Classes are held on Friday night at 7:30 pm. All are most welcome. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the most important spiritual classic of Hinduism. Swami Tattwamayananda, currently the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco, (originally founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) served in various centers of the Ramakrishna Order in India as editor, publisher, and teacher of Sanskrit, Advaitic texts such as Sri Shankaracharya's commentaries on the 'Prasthanatraya' (the fundamental Sanskrit texts of Vedanta philosophy), Buddhism and Indian philosophy. He underwent traditional training in Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit, Vedic and Vedantic literature for many years, from his early days. Before coming to the United States in January 2012 he was teaching Sanskrit, Vedantic scriptures and Indian philosophy at the Training center in Belur Math, the institution that trains the monks of the Ramakrishna Order at the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata, India. Apart from his traditional education, the Swami has also received modern University education in English literature, psychology, European history, and Western philosophy. He is frequently invited for lectures on Yoga, Vedanta, and traditional Hindu scriptures and for participating in interfaith dialogues. For more: Web: www.sfvedanta.org Livestream: https://livestream.com/sfvedanta Facebook: www.facebook.com/sfvedanta YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SFVedanta All Original Content © Vedanta Society of Northern California

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