Summary:

Introduction:

The discussion began with Verse 23, which states the body is made of five elements: space (ākāśa), air (vāyu), fire (agni), water (āpa or jala), and earth (pṛthivī). We emphasized that none of these elements is self. To demonstrate, whether you are experiencing hot, cold, dehydrated, or any other state — you essentially remain you.

We explored the concept of “not-I”: space is not-I, air is not-I, fire is not-I, and so on. No matter how many “not-I”s we add together, we never arrive at “I am.” This applies to both the physical and subtle body.

The subtle body, like the physical body, is composed of subtle versions of these five elements. Our entire life can be seen as interacting with infinite permutations and combinations of these elements, yet none of them constitute our true self.

BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 25

अव्यक्तः अयम् अचिन्त्यः अयम् अविकार्यः अयम् उच्यते ।
तस्मात् एवम् विदित्वा एनम् न अनुशोचितुम् अर्हसि ॥ २-२५॥
avyaktaḥ ayam acintyaḥ ayam avikāryaḥ ayam ucyate ।
tasmāt evam viditvā enam na anuśocitum arhasi ॥ 2-25॥

This (self) is said to be unmanifest, not an object of thought, and not subject to change. Therefore, knowing this, you ought not to grieve.

How do we understand the connection between 5 elements and subtle-body (that which grieves)?

Camera is made of world-stuff; it can capture world-stuff. Similarly, subtle-body is made of 5 elements (subtle in nature), and it’s designed to capture the data of the 5 elemental world. It's also affected by the 5 elements.

Whereas Atma (Awareness) is untouched by the subtle-body, because Self isn't made from 5 elements, but is the truth of 5 elements. 

According to verse, Self (Atman) is…

1. Acintya (unthinkable): EG: Think of flower. But think of atma, which object comes? None. It’s subject able to objectify everything, in it, thought-of-objects are known.
2. Avikārya (doesn’t undergo changes):
   • Body undergoes changes: Asti (present in womb of mother), jayate (born), vardhate (grows), viparinamate (matures), apakṣīyate (decays), vinaśyati (perishes). In presence of unchanging, these 6 changes are illumined. Same with the mind. Yesterday it was different in thoughts/emotion then today, yet there’s one same conscious being yesterday, and today.
     • Knower/Ahamkara changing, thus it can't be Awareness:
       • Mind has 2 operations.
         • Thought 1: Pot-tree.
         • Thought 2: I know (pramata). People use Vedanta to identify with thought 2. Both are thoughts. For example pot is replaced with flower. And Knower replaced with doer.
     • What is relationship between pot-through and Awareness? After pot-thought goes, Awareness of that fact survives.
     • What is relationship between “Knower, or I know” and Awareness? I am doer, I am knower, I am experiencer — is variable. Awareness is invariable content. IE: There is Awareness of the doer. Awareness of the knower. Awareness of the experiencer. Whereas when doer is present, knower is gone. Or when experiencer is present, the doer/knower is gone.
     • Relationship between Ahamkara and Awareness?
       • Ahamkara belongs to mind. “I am cold. Now I am hot. Now I am bored. Now intelligent. Now clueless. Now I am seer/knower/doer”.
       • Therefore don’t call Awareness knower/seer/witness. Awareness is in whose presence activities of knower/doer take place. It is truth of I-sense (bored, intelligent, etc).
3. Avyakta (unmanifest): Awareness hasn’t manifested as any one particular form.

Therefore, knowing that these people before you Arjuna are neither the gross-body nor subtle-body —but their real truth is atma (what is unchanging, eternal, free from gross/subtle-body) — what are you grieving for?

How is grief or sadness created?

1. Recreating unpleasant situations by talking about it.
2. Something you liked, and lost it. EG: Most people in 50/60 constantly talking about their childhood, when life was fun. But it’s telling oneself, “Right now I don’t have that”. Thus mind unable to make use of new opportunities given.
3. Want to get something, but not getting it.
4. Stuck with something you don’t want.

SOLUTION TO GRIEF: You’re given capacity to do (kriya-shakti), know (jnana-shakti), desire (iccha-shakti). How can I use it to best of my capacity? It has nothing to do with age. 

Therefore wise don’t grieve/worry because…

1. Atma: Atma is different from changing body-mind.
2. Acceptance of reality: Body-mind is finite and programmed for change. Not fighting natural order. Meaning changing world (including your body-mind) is not a problem. Only problematic when give it absolute reality, then you miss out on sat-cit. Others convince themselves they are sat-cit, so they give themselves permission to continue indulging in world.
   • Symbol of Nataraja (Ishvara) shows around him is ring (manifestation) which is constantly moving. Shows whole world is undergoing flux, meaning you can’t hold onto anything in it.

NEXT VERSE: Suppose you haven’t understood atma, and think you/other is this gross/subtle-body, then still there’s no reason to grieve…

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Course was based on Neema Majmudar's Bhagavad Gita & Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 20 Oct, 2024