Summary:

Lesson 118 summarizes CH12 in context of seekers journey. It's a chapter about your endeavor from total ignorance to complete knowledge. It shows us the progression of devotion to the highest.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, SUMMARY

Summary of Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12:

In CH12, Lord Krishna condenses essence of Four Vedas in 20 verses.

How does CH12 start?

In CH11, Krishna revealed to Arjuna that entire universe of names-forms, laws-orders are manifestations of One Intelligence. So from standpoint of manifested universe (you’re experiencing now), this infinite Intelligence is called: viśva-rūpa-īśvaraḥ.  Arjuna’s mistake in CH11 was he witnessed viśva-rūpa (as though) an existence different from his own. So he pushed the physical world away. This act of pushing away (instead of embracing), sustained his perturbed mind. Therefore almost all restlessness can be traced to one root cause — living with false conclusions towards self, world and Isvara. Meaning: Choosing not to use free will to look into the troubling persistent thoughts. And resisting what-is-infront-of-me, instead of taking time to get curious about it.

CH12, VERSE 1: Arjuna’s fear of the world motivated him to solve it.

• So he asked Krishna, “Resolve my perturbed mind (the obstacle denying me from capturing the final reality), which is better bhakti: saguna OR nirguṇa?
  • What is saguṇa bhakti? Entire karma-kāṇḍa section of Vedas. Every spiritual practice other then jñāna-yoga.
  • What is nirguṇa bhakti? Self-knowledge, specifically found in Upanishads, Brahma Sūtra, Bhagavad Gītā (CH2, 7, 9, 13, etc). Can also mean moksha whereby devotion is spontaneous and effortless.
• Krishna answers: It’s not a matter of “better”, but a matter of qualifications. Meaning saguṇa-bhakti qualifies the aspirant to nirguṇa-bhakti.
• Then Krishna enters two topics:
  1. Devotional Spiritual Practices: Verse 3-12. Involves Karma Yoga, Upāsana Yoga, Jñāna Yoga. Devotion (bhakti) isn't any one practice in particular. But all of them.
  2. Fruits of those Spiritual Practices: Verse 13-19.

Methods of Relating to Ishvara & Arriving to the Final Truth:

For simplicity, there's:

1. Karma-Yoga
   • Karma yoga is primarily focused on action in the world.
   • It's suitable for extroverted minds that are too impatient or undisciplined to look inwards.
   • Karma yoga involves performing actions with the attitude of offering them to Īśvara (Īśvara Arpana Buddhi) and accepting results as a gift from Īśvara (Īśvara Prasāda Buddhi).
   • It's about aligning one's actions with dharma (moral order) and that very dharma IS Ishvara. Thus you're aligning to Ishvara.
2. Upasana-Yoga
   • Upāsana yoga involves various forms of mental meditation (dhyāna). It's more suitable for those who have become more introverted and can focus inwards.
   • Upāsana yoga includes practices like Kriyā-Yoga, Tantra (including “Kundalini Raising”), Rāja-Yoga, Kashmir Shaivism, Asthanga-Yoga, and Hatha-Yoga.
   • It has two levels:
     • Level 1 (eka-rūpa-īśvara-dhyānam): Meditating on a personal symbol or mental image of God.
     • Level 2 (aneka-rūpa-īśvara-dhyānam): Meditating on the cosmic form of Ishvara.
3. Jnana-Yoga
   • It's the most advanced stage, requiring a highly purified and focused mind.
   • It involves deep study and contemplation of shastra under the guidance of an acharya.
   • It aims at reconciling contradictions about reality and leads to direct realization of the Self.

Now let's go into the details…

1. 1. Karma Yoga – Level 1 (also called: Sakāma-bhakti):
      • For beginners who prioritize worldly goals (kama and artha)
      • Involves fulfilling your personal desires – while extending your gratitude to Ishvara before consuming the fruits of your actions.
      • When person is born, they carry forward from past life (a) puṇya/pāpa karma (b) unfulfilled desires (unfinished business). Both a/b make up this life’s prārabdha-karma (destiny), which itself is modified by free will (puruṣārtha). This means, it’s unwise to tell young person that desires are “bad”, or to suppress them. Because prarabdha-karma is too strong.
      • Question: What practice to prescribe so this person channels the force of their prārabdha, into a spiritual sadhana? Because if prarabdha is left untamed, it’ll lead to ongoing cycles of rebirth.
        • Answer: Person is allowed to do any action to fulfill his/her desire. But whatever happens, see the result as a blessing OR response from the Intelligence. Ishvara prasada.
   2. Karma Yoga – Level 2 (also called: Niṣkāma-bhakti):
      • Eventually bhakta becomes mindful of this Intelligence not only in results, but also in one’s actions. Therefore bhakta’s actions become a form of devotion to this Intelligence, and not just for my sake.
      • This attitude purifies/expands the mind.
        • How does it expand/purify?  Long as actions are done for my sake, they’ll continue reinforcing the limited individual, whose life is operated mainly by should's and shouldn'ts. Whereas when recognize your actions influence the whole world, then actions become more responsible. 
   3. Upāsana Yoga Level 1 (Abhyāsa-yoga or eka-rūpa-īśvara-dhyānam or iṣṭa-devata bhakti):
      • Involves meditating on a personal symbol or mental image of God. 
      • Aims to improve focus and concentration.
      • KY L2 lessened mind’s agitations (should-ism’s), thus person becomes qualified for meditation. What kind of meditation?  Personalized or customized meditation that bhakta feels attracted to.
      • What happens inside meditation of UY L1 bhakta? Relate and appreciate qualities of your iṣṭa-deva.
   4. Upāsana Yoga Level 2 (aneka-rūpa-īśvara-dhyānam or viśva-rūpa-īśvara-dhyānam):
      • Involves a shift in perspective towards the world. The devotee begins to see any object as a manifestation of the Lord. Moves beyond the concept of a personal God.
      • UY L1 makes buddhi refined enough to question one’s own iṣṭa-deva. Persons gets suspicious at divisions of Gods. EG: They’re all bound within time-space. Who created time-space? Etc.
      • Therefore iṣṭa-deva becomes extended to entire universe, called: viśva-rūpa-īśvaraḥ. Lord is everything. Everything is Lord.
   5. Jñāna-Yoga:
      • Prior 4 stages have made buddhi vapable of grasping subtler realities.
      • Involves inquiry into Brahman through three stages: śravaṇa, manana, nididhyāsana. 
      • Thus final stage is whereby the mind inquiries into the non-changing Awareness that’s illumining the mind (thought, emotion) and the body (sensations).
      • What is jnana-yoga?  Consistent and systematic Vedantic study of a length of time, under guidance of a competent ācāryaḥ. “Competent” means, teacher has grasped the full vision of the reality. And has ability to teach it.
        • Exception (very rare): Guidance of acharya isn’t always the case. Some carry over lots of culmination from past life. EG: Ramanujan (math), Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta (had faith in teacher). Even silent teaching (reminder to still the mind).
      • 3 Stages of jñāna-yoga:
        1. śravaṇam: Carefully listening to and attempting to ascertain what's being said.
        2. mananam: Removal of doubts since Vedanta will challenge your existing world notions.
        3. nididhyāsanam: Repeatedly reminding my higher nature to myself through continued inquiry.
           • Irresponsibility in partial schools of Vedanta: They go straight to nididhyāsanam. Meaning teaching mostly consists of REMINDING the seeker of his/her highest nature. This is ineffective because: (a) Previous 4 sādhanās haven’t qualified the mind to hold the vision. That’s why seeker gets frustrated through time, (b) śravaṇam, mananam was skipped.

Fruits of Relating to Ishvara

Verse 13-19.

How to know jñāna-yoga is working?

The knowledge has an emotional transformation in your personality. If it doesn’t, continue 5 sādhanas.

Explanation how self-knowledge has emotional impact:

• • STEP 1: Understand ignorance is problem of buddhi. Everyone is born ignorant.  For example ignorant of Math, walking/eating, language, etc. As we learn, we remove ignorance of various subjects. As we do, there is a certain relief.
    • Meaning, where does knowledge and removal of ignorance take place? Buddhi. Emotion (like relief) is just a by-product of having removed ignorance within the buddhi. Meaning ignorance of my real Identity is also within scope of buddhi.
  • STEP 2: Motive for removing ignorance? Why do we remove ignorance in the first place? Because it’s painful, frustrating to NOT know. It reminds us of our smallness. Meaning we can’t stand ignorance because everyone inherently knows my nature is limitless.  Some find their own ignorance so repulsive, can’t even spend a minute in conversations with topics they have little knowledge about.
  • STEP 3: Many emotional issues stem from “inherent smallness”. Over time, person notices removing relative ignorance doesn’t remove my sense of smallness. This leads to low self-esteem, inferiority/superiority complex, greed for more, jealously, anger (when desire is obstructed). Meaning, root of problem is ignorance about “I AM”. Effect of this ignorance is emotional disharmony in various forms. Therefore, the more ignorance of “I AM” is removed, the more emotional harmony body-mind enjoys in respect to inner/outer world. BG 4.37: There is nothing as purifying as knowledge. Fire of knowledge consumes every sin.

What is the benefit of self-knowledge while alive?

Change of relationship to 3 roles (we conduct while living):

1. Role of doer (kartā). Jīvanmukta’s actions NOT born out of incompleteness. But done out of fulness. Since mind isn’t mulling over it’s smallness, it’s more available to present tasks, thus performance in relative world is improved.
2. Role of enjoyer (bhoktā) / experiencer. Since Jīvanmukta operates from fullness, it helps one absorb challenging times.
3. Role of perceiver (how the individual looks at the world). Jīvanmukta’s knowledge about nature of this world is firm (intelligent/material cause). Hence it perceives it with sanctity. Everything is worthy of worship. EG: Three people were building a temple. They were each asked what they were doing. One person replied, “I'm breaking stones, another building temple, another facilitating connection between God and people”. Same action, different attitude.

SUMMARY: Therefore the true jīvanmuktaḥ is ironically the most prayerful, devotional. Fake spirituality is talking/teaching Oneness, yet life lacks an aspect of devotion, or dismissing objects in this universe. The more enthusiastic/proactive you are in life, the more spiritual. Because your place in this universe is not insignificant, because it’s within the scope of Ishvara’s grand order.

Keywords: abhyasa-yoga, bhokta, brahma sutra, ista-deva, istha-devata, isvara prasada, jivanmukta, jnana-yoga, karma-kanda, karta, nididhyasana, nirguna, papa-karma, prarabdha-karma, punya-karma, purusartha, purushartha, saguna, shravanam, upasana yoga, vishva-rupa, visva-rupa

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Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching given to Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya), Paramarthananda & Chinmaya Mission.

Recorded 16 March, 2021