Summary:
Chapter 2, Verse 44: Those lacking discernment (vyavasāyātmikā buddhi) are easily swayed by flowery promises of pleasure and power. Such people, with minds clouded by materialistic pursuits, jump between various spiritual techniques without understanding their true purpose. They misinterpret scriptures, including the Bhagavad Gita, due to their attachment to worldly results.
Chapter 2, Verse 45: The Vedas deal with the three gunas (traiguṇya-viṣaya), but one must transcend them. A sattvic disposition is characterized by straightforwardness, non-violence, and freedom from dualities. This requires emotional maturity – neither suppressing nor lashing out at emotions, but using them as indicators. One must avoid both rajasic tendencies (driven by personal likes/dislikes) and tamasic qualities (seeking shortcuts, avoiding inquiry). Verse essence: Make mind sattvic as a stepping stone to moksha.
Chapter 2, Verse 46: Just as a well becomes insignificant during a flood, all limited actions and their results lose importance upon Self-knowledge. Once one realizes their true nature as ananda-svarupa (fullness itself), pursuing limited results becomes meaningless. The sattvic mind, like the well, serves its purpose only until Self-knowledge is attained.
Revision of Verse 41-43:
Even privileged birth comes with challenges & limitations
Arjuna was highly evolved and privileged, a leader with a big family and skills. Despite that, he was going through challenges such as losing kingdom, go to forest, witness wife dishonoured, face rivalry from Duryodhana. Arjuna was impacted by effects of those he is connected to — something you can’t avoid. Then there’s collective/national challenges such as pandemics, global warming, economic instability.
Krishna responds to this reality by saying you can’t retain individuality and simultaneously want things to go your way.
For example, a wave that retains wave-ness will always be challenged and afraid due to comparisons, and needing to prove oneself, and afraid to reach the shore and crash.
What’s needed is paradigm shift, by asking “Am I a little individual, or Atma (which is Nitya Shuddha – always untouched)?”. But for most, being one with Ishvara is a distant possibility. In which case Karma-Yoga is provided.
Karma-Yoga is for person whose recognized, goal isn’t to have relatively better births, but knowing my truth is free from individuality.
When change identity from wave to water, you at once, are no longer confined and every wave is in you. For this, you need a clear mind. Just like clear bucket water is needed to capture the sun as-is. Wavey water won’t accurately capture reflection of sun, and muddy water won’t capture at all.
What are signs of a clear mind (sattva guna / vyavasayatmika mind)?
Your mind isn’t overly ruffled in challenges, retains composure. Understand human nature, giving people freedom to be who they are, knowing you can’t change them. How much cheerfulness and enthusiasm your generally have. How much are you learning from life experiences? How much resilience? Situations don’t corrupt you and make you bitter. Karma-yoga helps you develop all these traits so final understand of Brahman can take place.
NEXT VERSE: Without vyavasayatmika mind or sattvic mind, one is overwhelmed by choices…
BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 44:
Lack of discernment makes one take to countless techniques…
भोग-ऐश्वर्य-प्रसक्तानाम् तया अपहृत-चेतसाम् ।
व्यवसाय-आत्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ॥ २-४४॥
bhoga-aiśvarya-prasaktānām tayā apahṛta-cetasām ।
vyavasāya-ātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate ॥ 2-44॥
For those who pursue pleasure and power exclusively, whose minds are robbed away by these (flowery words), well-ascertained understanding does not take place in their mind.
Suppose you’re told “Do these prayers and you’ll have success in life” — this sounds much easier. Thus most will do anything you tell them due to lack of Vyavasāyātmikā Buddhi. Mind wonders between goals. Finds refuge in flowery words (puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ). Studying the Bhagavad Gita gives rise to additional erroneous notions due to misinterpretation.
NEXT VERSE: Krishna explains the real purpose of Bhagavad Gita & Vedas…
BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 45:
Sattvic mind is means to an end
त्रैगुण्य-विषयाः वेदाः निस्त्रैगुण्यः भवार्जुन ।
निर्द्वन्द्वः नित्य-सत्त्वस्थः निर्योगक्षेमः आत्मवान् ॥ २-४५॥
traiguṇya-viṣayāḥ vedāḥ nistraiguṇyaḥ bhavārjuna ।
nirdvandvaḥ nitya-sattvasthaḥ niryogakṣemaḥ ātmavān ॥ 2-45॥
The subject matter of the Vedas is related to the three variable qualities. Arjuna! Be one who is free from the hold of these three-fold qualities, from (the sorrow of) the pairs of opposites; be one who is ever established in sattva-guṇa, who is free from the anxieties of acquiring and protecting, and who is a master of oneself.
For most, spirituality is a means of increasing enjoyment and power. They see scriptures through eyes of traigunya-vishaya (scriptures are related to 3 gunas — qualities of the mind). Thus acquiring (yoga) and protecting or holding onto things in life (kshema) becomes the final goal.
While the discerning ones with vyavasayatmika-buddhi, recognize the real purpose of Bhagavad Gita is moksha. Thereby the 3 gunas become a means to an end. Specifically, one needs a sattvic mind. So let's look into them…
Sattvic disposition (clean, integrated personality):
Involves having…
- Straightforwardness (Ārjavam): Being sincere and transparent. Saying what you want to say, then following up with your actions.
- Non-violence (Ahiṃsā): Mindfulness what impact are your words and actions having on you and others.
- Free from pairs of opposites (nirdvandva): Quality of remaining inquirous, rather then forming solid black-white (dualistic) opinions. Maintaining objectivity and composure in presence of physical opposites (heat and cold), emotional opposites (victory and defeat). You don’t forget Ishvara’s presence in them.
- Doing right things for right reasons, rather then for wrong reasons.
- Panchatantra STORY demonstrates: “Story of the Three Fish”: In a lake lived three fish – one was wise and proactive, one was intelligent but reactive, and one was foolish. One day, they overheard fishermen planning to return the next day to catch fish from their lake. The wise fish immediately recognized the danger and said to the others, “We must leave this lake tonight and find another water body. It's better to act now than regret” This fish exemplified doing the right thing (warning others and taking action) for the right reason (protecting everyone), despite potentially “rocking the boat” of their comfortable existence. The second fish dismissed the warning, saying they could figure something out when the time came. The third fish completely ignored the warning, saying whatever will be, will be. The next day, when the fishermen came, the first fish had already left. The second fish managed to play dead and escaped when thrown on the bank. The third fish was caught and died.
- Emotional maturity: Two extremes of emotional management are: (a) Lash out or (b) Suppress (pretending everything is fine). Sattvic person does neither and sees emotions as neither positive/negative. Uses them as indicators. They throw light on what requires undoing/addressing. They are by-products of your stories and beliefs.
Rajasic disposition:
Centered on and driven by personal likes & dislikes. Life purpose mostly about what pleases me. Often ignores future repercussions. Selective knowledge (doesn’t want to learn Ishvara just because uncomfortable with it).
Tamasic disposition:
Sees adharma as dharma. Lazy, looking for quick shortcuts, doesn’t want to work hard, nor inquire. Wants to be spoon-fed. EG: Person asks, “Why do I need BGita, I’m already a good person?”, means he already decided what is final purpose of life and what it means to be “good”.
Goal is to become more sattvic to realize you're free of the sattvic mind…
What do you do with a clear (sattvic mind)? Know your Atma is free of the 3 gunas which belong to the body-mind. Atma lights up the gunas, while remaining free of them. SUMMARY: First become sattvic > cross the gunas by knowing your truth.
NEXT VERSE: Shows sattvic mind & Vedas was merely a means to an end…
BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 46:
Sattvic mind is means to an end
यावान् अर्थः उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके ।
तावान् सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः ॥ २-४६॥
yāvān arthaḥ udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake ।
tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ ॥ 2-46॥
For the brāhmaṇa who knows the self, all the Vedas are of only so much use as a small reservoir is when there is flood everywhere.
Water in a well is precious. Suppose it rains and floods the village. Now the well water loses its significance.
Similarly, before knowing Atma, doing limited actions for limited results had value (like a well).
After recognizing Atma, those same actions (for sake of limited results) becomes meaningless and pointless. Because my nature is ananda-svarupa (fullness), which nothing can top. EG: You can’t add sweetness to what’s already sweet.
Meaning, while living as an individual, the gunas are important (need to become sattvic). When knowledge takes place and recognize, “I am immortal, undivided, all-pervasive, indestructible” — then pursuit of having a sattvic mind (well) has done it’s job.
NEXT VERSE: Recognizing where you have and don’t have a choice…
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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.
Recorded 22 Dec, 2024