Summary:

Chapter 12, Verses 6-7: Dharma isn't rigid but requires contextual wisdom, as shown through Mahabharata examples (Bhishma, Draupadi). Adharma creates subjectivity and confusion, while dharma reduces mental impurities and prepares the mind for self-knowledge. Vedantic meditation helps reorient the mind from limited self-concepts to seeing oneself as a manifestation of Ishvara.

Chapter 12, Verse 8: Placing mind and intellect in Ishvara means developing a healthy relationship with emotions rather than trying to control them. Emotions serve as indicators and should be neither suppressed nor artificially heightened. The intellect must become subtle enough to appreciate Ishvara's presence through self-reflection and inquiry. Decision-making should arise from universal values (samanya-dharma) rather than binding likes and dislikes.

VERSE 6-7:
Methods to devotion to Ishvara

ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्-पराः ।
अनन्येन एव योगेन माम् ध्यायन्तः उपासते ॥ १२-६॥
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya mat-parāḥ ।
ananyena eva yogena mām dhyāyantaḥ upāsate ॥ 12-6॥

तेषाम् अहम् समुद्धर्ता मृत्यु-संसार-सागरात् ।
भवामि न चिरात् पार्थ मयि आवेशित-चेतसाम् ॥ १२-७॥
teṣām aham samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṃsāra-sāgarāt ।
bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayi āveśita-cetasām ॥ 12-7॥

However, those who worship Me, keeping me as the ultimate end, giving up all actions unto Me, meditating upon Me with a commitment in which there is indeed no other… …for them, whose minds are absorbed in Me, Pārtha (Arjuna)! before long I become the liberator from the ocean of saṁsāra that is fraught with death.

Continuing this verse from previous session…

Offering all your actions onto Me: (Your actions are going to altar of God)

Involves keeping actions with dharma. I can’t ignore dharma while acting because it’s a non-negotiable order.

We discussed what dharma is in previous session. Let's continue with…

How Dharma Can Be Misinterpreted:

Dharma is not absolute. Can’t be followed rigidly.

Examples of misinterpreted dharma…

1. 1. 1. You lie to save someone: Victim seeks your shelter. Bully knocks on your door, asking if he is in your house. You lie, “no”. You weren’t doing it unethically, but to protect the victim.
      2. Mahabharata: Shows even educated beings make wrong interpretations:
         • Bhishma: Taken vow. Whoever is Hastinapur king, will be protected by Bhishma until end. Result: He ended up serving blind-king, and taking Duryodhana’s side. Because rigidly sticking to dharma (protect Hastinapur). Correction: I have no obligation to protect an adharmic king.
         • Draupadi: She did 3 things in court:
           1. Asked the court if going to sit and watch her disrobed? Bhimsa didn’t do anything, not because he’s indifferent, but understanding of dharma was, “It was Yudhisthira who decided to play. He didn’t have to accept he invitation. He couldn’t stopped anytime. Thus has to bear the consequences. Who am I to interfere?”.
           2. Who did Yudhisthira lose first, himself or me? If lost himself first, then slave no right to bet a queen.
           3. She thinks of Krishna who responded unhesitant, supplying endless sari. What did Krishna understand? (a) Fraud: Game was fraud. Dice was manipulated. You don’t need to honor a cheated game. (b) Can’t treat innocent person like this: Suppose Shakuni didn’t cheat, even then Draupadi was treated unacceptably.

Conclusion: If interpret dharma to suit your gains, can’t escape feedback system.

Why need Ishvara (in form of dharma) to understand final reality:

Adharma = subjectivity = ruled by likes/dislikes = causes selective listening = partial knowledge.

Adharma keeps mind confused, intolerant, subjective. Puts everything into pratibhasika. Looks at anything as, “How can I use this to fulfill an agenda”. Maintains individuality. Operates through rigid likes-dislikes, rejecting what is truly helpful.

Thus need dharma (Ishvara) in form of right conduct, right thinking, to reduce angularities. Then mind’s soil becomes fertile for self-knowledge seeds.

Conclusion:

Thus “offer your actions onto Me”, means infuse your actions with dharma, and remember that dharma is Ishvara who lifts the veil.

Meditating upon Me:

Strength of past orientations overrides Vedantic knowledge. Thus meditation is time when you relax and reorient yourself. Bring the Vedantic teachings into your Meditations.

EG:

• • I’m worthless > I’m one of manifestations of Ishvara.
  • From seeing glass half-full/empty (subjectivity) > Both half-full and half-empty.
  • Optimist/pessimist > realist.

Points of Vedanta Meditation:

• • Definition:

    • Saguna brahma vishaya manasa vyapara: Relating to Ishvara. Meaning it deepens your knowledge of reality.

  • Step 1 (Preparation):

    • Get into mode of meditation. Body scan. Breathing.

  • Step 2 (Focusing the Mind):

    • Benefit: Develops concentration, breaks habit of impulsive associative thinking.
    • Repeating Japa:
      • Take any mantra that’s meaningful.
      • Give mind task for 1+- min; and you’ll find mind can’t even follow a simple job without (a) wondering off, (b) engaging in associative thinking (useful in some context).
      • Your job: Bring mind back to mantra whenever it wonders. As time progresses, it wonders less. Develops concentration.
    • Noticing Silence Between Japa:
      • You can also observe silence between each japa mantra.
      • Who are you? Neither the thought nor silence. There is one presence in whose presence both thought and silence exists. So you’re creating a cognitive distance by asking “Am I really the thought/silence?”.

  • Step 3 (Relating with Ishvara):

    • Stop Japa repetition. Begin thinking about the Vedantic teaching (Saguna brahma vishaya manasa vyapara).

    • Involves (what to do during Vedantic meditation):

      1. Bring in any Vedantic teaching that speaks to you, and contemplate upon it.
      2. Contemplation on mantra meaning:
         • EG: “Om nama śivāya”. You’re not invoking a blue person, but all pervasive Intelligence from a standpoint of destruction.  Meaning Intelligence manifests as series of laws, and one of them is law of destruction. To this force of destruction (or law), my salutations because I need it.
      3. Thinking how Shiva (Ishvara) plays a role in your life. EG:
         • Auspicious: That which is auspicious. You can’t give attribute of auspiciousness to Ishvara. But when you bring Ishvara into your life – then your life becomes auspicious.
         • Destroyer: Force that destroys each moment to give moment to new. Learn to embrace it by seeing it’s indispensability (how important it is in your life). Let’s you rid of old patterns/body. Feeling changes from fear to gratitude.
      4. Ask for help in reference to yourself:   (Prayer)
         • Remove mental patterns: “Force of destruction, please help destroy my judgmental pattern / ignorance the veils reality”. Must follow up with action.
         • Ask for help to redefined story about yourself (attitudes, orientations you want in yourself).
         • Re-Understanding of World to be manifestation of Ishvara.
      5. Ask for help in reference to others:   (Re-understand painful situations)
         • Repetitive Hurt/Resentment: Any traumas that keep returning which you can’t settle account with (“This person has been unfair to me”).
         • EG:
           • Uglier sister: Sister felt secondary (unloved by father). With husband, she doesn’t trust him. With son, she’s controlling as wanted to give excess love to son which she didn’t get from father.
           • Child denied soccer: Child was strongly opposed playing soccer by parents. And felt angry as couldn’t do anything about it. In adulthood, he gets angry whenever someone has different opinion from him. Produces problems at work. Fix: Become a coach for kids soccer.
         • Corrections:
           • Fact: Start by stating the objective fact what happened and how it made you feel.
           • Acknowledge your power: Now I’m adult, I have resources to correct this.
           • Reinterpret Situation:
             • I took it as if something is wrong with me, but he/she didn’t have all facts about situation and me.
             • They were coming from their own pain, just like me, which caused their behaviour.
             • Others responded to me positively.
             • Maybe my perception of that person (who I felt hurt by) was skewed because I was carrying a load. Makes you responsible for future-self (who too can be under influence of misperception).
             • Mother says, “Maybe there are some distortions in me that is pushing my son away.”
             • If producing depression: Then find out what specific story is producing prolonged “there’s no point to anything”.
      6. Can also Pray in Meditation: 
         • Logic of why prayer works: Prayer is an action. Prayer is an action thus also produces effect. Action > effect is a law, thus can’t fail.
         • Prayer has to be seen as one of variables (working with the laws), rather then demanding Ishvara to give goodies (else personalizing it). If don’t understand Ishvara, then prayer is personalizing Ishvara.
         • Even if prayer doesn’t work, you don’t dismiss Ishvara, as understand multiple variables decides outcome (not just one). Prayer adds one more variable, which changes probability.

Summary of What’s Involved in Vedantic Meditation:

1. 1. Krishna is expanding meaning of “Relating to Ishvara”. It’s not just prayers, bajans. But seeing presence of Ishvara in all things. Such as seeing dharma as laws of Ishvara. Then loads go away like “I’m not compensated enough”.
   2. Japa
   3. Recognize how Ishvara plays role in your life.
   4. Redefine past hurt: Re-understand painful situations in broader perspective, to reduce emotional pain.
   5. Prayer.

NEXT VERSE: What does it mean to put your mind/intellect in Ishvara…

VERSE 8:
Having healthy emotions & nuanced intellect 

मयि एव मनः आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिम् निवेशय ।
निवसिष्यसि मयि एव अतः ऊर्ध्वम् न संशयः ॥ १२-८॥
mayi eva manaḥ ādhatsva mayi buddhim niveśaya ।
nivasiṣyasi mayi eva ataḥ ūrdhvam na saṃśayaḥ ॥ 12-8॥

In me alone may you place the mind; in me may you place the intellect. Thereafter, there is no doubt that you will abide in me alone.

What does it mean to put your mind (manas) in Me?

Emotions are Ishvara’s order. They’re neither negative nor positive, but indicators whether you’re still on course. They also show your inner stories/beliefs about things.

When are emotions no longer in Ishvara’s order:

Attempting to control them. Not possible, else nobody would choose to be depressed/angry. “Control emotions” creates further loads.  

How to gain mastery over emotions?

1. 1. Developing objective (healthy) RELATIONSHIP to them. For example to…
      1. Fear:
         • Healthy: Fear when your friend gets too close to edge of cliff.
         • Unhealthy: Fear stops you from pursuing your life. Starts affecting decision making.
      2. Sorrow:
         • Healthy: Lose dear friend. Grieving (poetry, etc). Necessary. If don’t let it out, becomes more uncomfortable.
         • Unhealthy: When natural sorrow turns into depression (additional thinking). Correction: Find out where are you losing perspective.
      3. Happiness:
         • Unhealthy (artificial peaks/troughs): We heighted our happiness with our story, “I got a promotion and pushed everyone else down”. Or “I’m so glad my teacher is like this, while others aren’t”. Happiness depends on other’s failures/pain.  Consequence of this is, when things don’t go your way, you’ll fall into deep trough.
         • Correction: When winning tennis player shakes hands he gets humbled, recognizing he could’ve been on the other side.
   2. Removing love-connection blocks:
      • Conscious mind wants love. But unconscious is rejecting receiving the love from the other. Because there is some hurt in the unconscious. If I open myself up, I’ll get hurt like last time. Or love reminds you of past hurt.
      • SOLUTION: Fastest way to heal is to give it to someone else. Pray to have the block removed. Because block of connecting to one person is the same block of connecting to Ishvara.
   3. Breathing:
      • Deep breath, hold 10, release 5.

What does it mean to put your intellect (buddhi) in Me?

Need nuanced buddhi: Logical thinking can be used to ascertain things. But has to become subtle/nuanced enough to appreciate presence of Ishvara, who am I, my relationship to universe. The intellect becomes subtle through self-reflection, and inquiry into nature of things, seeing connections between things.

Until then, life remains partial. Partial understanding of world distorts dealings with world.  EG: High achievers become intolerable or impatient of others, pushing passive types more into a corner. Or perfectionist unable to find satisfaction in anything.  (highly aggressive [high achievers, pressure, perfectionists, protests / passive). Meaning differences in personalities aren’t the problem, but controlling the side that doesn’t appease your likes.

Decisions are not arising from pressure of binding likes/dislikes, but what is appropriate for well-being of me and the other. Prioritizing according to your values. Aligning actions with samanya-dharma (universal values).

NEXT VERSE: How to align mind/intellect to Ishvara’s order through practice (abhyasa)…

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Recorded 11 Jan, 2025