| the bhagavad gita study guide chapters 1 through 6 |
*note: this study guide is meant as a companion to the bhagavad gita as translated by swami sivananda, the publication of which includes
commentary and explanation by swami sivananda. any direct quotations are taken from this publication, which may be purchased from the
sivananda vedanta organization. the notes contained in this study guide, with the exception of any direct quotations, are based upon jami
lacerte's study of this translation of the gita, both on her own and under the guidance of swami sadasivananda and brahma swaroop
chaitanya of the sivananda vedanta organization.
commentary and explanation by swami sivananda. any direct quotations are taken from this publication, which may be purchased from the
sivananda vedanta organization. the notes contained in this study guide, with the exception of any direct quotations, are based upon jami
lacerte's study of this translation of the gita, both on her own and under the guidance of swami sadasivananda and brahma swaroop
chaitanya of the sivananda vedanta organization.
chapters 1 through 6 deal primarily with the practice of karma yoga - the yoga of action
chapter 1 ~ the yoga of the despondency of arjuna
summary... in this chapter arjuna expresses to krishna his confusion and despondency at having to fight - and kill - his own kinsmen. he
sees no good coming from it, only sin. even though the kauravas have committed grave sins, arjuna does not see any reason to stoop to
their level. he doesn't care about winning the battle or regaining for the pandavas what is rightfully theirs, because he realizes that he would
be killing the very people for whose sake he would fight. he wants nothing to do with this war, and would rather be slain without putting up a
fight at all than to cause harm to any of his kinsmen and thereby accrue sin upon himself.
notes...
*the first verse of this chapter is a question asked by dritarastra. everything that follows - the entire bhagavad gita - is the answer to that
question.
*during this age, the fighting of wars took place only during the daytme. after nightfall, the sides could mix company. a soldier was
forbidden to fight someone not of his rank.
chapter 2 ~ sankhya yoga
summary... here, arjuna gives himself over to god, admitting he does not know what to do or how to act, and asks krishna for advice in
verse 7. this is significant for the evolution of the spirit - once one reaches the point of surrender, everything goes smoothly from there.
arjuna has a choice, to experience his karma with confusion, or to experience his karma with understanding. he chooses to move forward on
the path toward understanding and turns to krishna for guidance. krishna explains that there is no need for grief: "the wise grieve neither
for the living nor the dead" (verse 11), and the yogic philosophy and wisdom (sankhya) contained in the gita begins here. krishna shows
arjuna the permanence of god and the impermanence of everything worldly. he explains that karma cannot be avoided by simply abstaining
from action. krishna describes the marks of a sage, explains to arjuna the difference between the renunciation of actions and running away
from one's karma, and gives him the preliminary guidelines for the path of the yoga of action.
notes...
*brahman is the absolute divinity, without beginning, without end, all-knowing and all-pervading.
*atman is brahman within the individual. the atman is the true Self and does not act. it is only a silent, unaffected witness of action.
*jiva is the individual soul which has not yet been liberated.
*maya is the cosmic illusion, the great mystery of sensual experience, the veil that hides that which is real (brahman).
*the analogy of the snake and the rope: imagine you are walking in the dark and all of a sudden you see a snake. then the light comes
on and you realize it is just a rope. does this mean that the snake turned into the rope when the light came on? no, the rope was there the
whole time. the rope is always in the snake; the snake is never in the rope. the snake is just an illusion; although we perceive it with the
senses to be real, it is unreal. just the same, maya is an illusion, only brahman is real.
*the 5 roots of suffering (5 kleshas) are ignorance (avidya), asmita (egoism), raga (likes), dvesha (dislikes), and abhinivesha (the fear
of death).
*by overcoming the 5 roots of suffering and realizing - by direct experience, not just by indirect knowledge - the absoluteness of
brahman, you then realize only the body slays or is slain; the true Self is indestructable and free from the bondage of action or inaction.
*the analogy of the clay pot: imagine you have a lump of clay and you form it into a pot. which is "real" here, the clay or the pot? if you
break the pot, what is left? in the beginning there is no pot, only clay, as in the end. you could even say that the pot never exists -
although the senses perceive the clay to be a pot, really it is just clay all along. so it is with the body. the body is not real, it is transitory,
impermanent; it is not there in the beginning and it is not there in the end. the Self is immutable, never changing, never ending.
*the three qualities of nature (gunas) are sattva, rajas, and tamas. sattva is purity; rajas is activity; tamas is inertia. everything we
perceive is made of some combination of these 3 qualities.
*the characteristic marks of a sage of steady wisdom are: satisfaction in the Self; freedom from attachment, aversion, fear and anger;
evenness of mind; withdrawal of the senses.
*the means of attaining steady wisdom are withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) and a one-pointed focus on brahman.
*thought leads to desire; desire to fear of loss; fear of loss to anger; anger to delusion; delusion to loss of discrimination; loss of
descrimination to peril of the spirit. this is the danger of attachment.
chapter 3 ~ the yoga of action
summary... in this chapter, krishna goes on to explain karma yoga in depth. karma yoga must be done with efficiency and focus, and
the actions should be performed well without negligence. someone who renounces actions but still allows his mind to wander and dwell on
attachments is a hypocrite. he who acts without expecations of fruits will attain god-realization. upon reaching enlightenment, the liberated
sage should not renounce the world and go into hermitage but rather do good works to guide others toward liberation.
notes...
*karma yoga purifies the heart.
*the 5 organs of action (karma indriyas) are: speech, hands, legs, procreation, and evacuation. the 5 organs of knowledge are: eyes,
ears, nose, skin, and tongue.
*you must perform your duty whether you like it or not, but it is best to perform it without expectation of its fruits, and with the knowledge
that the Self is not the doer.
*you should never do someone else's duty, only your own.
*great teachers teach not by speaking but by example. imagine a group of people all searching for the entryway into a beautiful garden.
a few of them finally come upon an area of the wall short enough to climb. some selfish men climb the wall and enter the garden and begin
feasting. a wise man, rather than entering the garden and immediately enjoying it for himself, sits on top of the wall and helps all the
others get in.
*karma yoga should be a constant practice
*the 5 layers (koshas) of an individual are: the physical body (annamaya kosha); the energy body (pranamaya kosha); the mental
body (manomaya kosha); the intellectual body (vijnanamaya kosha); the bliss body (anandamaya kosha).
chapter 4 ~ the yoga of the division of wisdom
summary... in chapter 4, krishna explains karma, reincarnation and why he has taken this birth. in every age, an avatar is born,
whenever there is a need for one, whenever there is a decline in righteousness. free will must be present in order for individuals to evolve;
god takes a body as an avatar in order to help things along. he also explains that there is no wrong way to reach god, that there are many
paths and god is impartial in that sense. we continue to go through the cycle of birth and death (samsara) until we have burned off all our
karma. the only way to stop the cycle of birth and death is stop accruing new karma; the only to stop accruing new karma is to attain
liberation of the soul from the bondage of the cosmic illusion. constant and devoted spiritual practice (sadhana) destroys the impressions
(samskaras) created by action by purifying the heart and training the mind. through this practice, we learn to be in the world without being
of the world.
notes...
*action in inaction versus inaction in action: abstaining from action is itself action. you cannot avoid karma simply by running away from
it. likewise, you cannot simply sit still and say that you do not act. you may appear not to act, but still the senses are perceiving and the
mind is thinking, planning, remembering, desiring. these are all actions. by abstaining from action, you are expecting fruits to come of
your abstinance. and so by selfishly renouncing the world, by merely appearing to abstain from action in order to escape karma or in hopes
of some spiritual or worldly gain, you are, in fact, still performing action. this is action in inaction. conversely, if you come to the realization
of brahman, if you come to know, through direct experience and not just indirect knowledge, the reality of the true Self, the body and the
mind may continue to act but the Self watches as a silent unaffected witness. the Self is not the doer of actions, and the Self is free from
the fruits of those actions. once the veil of ignorance is lifted, you are no longer bound by karma, though the body and the mind continue
to act, continue to perform that which is their duty. this is inaction in action. anyone can achieve this realization by following the path of
karma yoga: by continuing to perform their worldly duties, but offering up both the actions and the fruits of the actions to god. acting
without attachment to the fruits of the action is inaction in action - the body and sense organs continue to act, though the Self remains
unchanged. by giving up expectation of a reward for our actions, we purify our hearts. by acting selflessly, by performing action for the sake
of duty while releasing any and all attachment to the fruits of the action, this is karma yoga. if you have no attachment to the fruits of your
actions - good or bad - then you do not accrue karma for those actions. and so arjuna must fight, he must perform his duty; by
surrendering to god and releasing expectation of the fruits of his actions, he is free from the bondage of karma.
*the doctrine of karma has 3 parts: cause/effect, compensation, and retribution. there are 3 kinds of karma: sanchita karma all the
accumulated karma of the past; prarabdha karma is the karma being worked off in this life; agami karma is the karma being created in this
life. there are 3 components that work together to create karma: desire/feeling (ichha), knowledge (jnana), and willpower (kriya).
chapter 5 ~ the yoga of the renunciation of action
summary... chapter 5 begins with arjuna expressing confusion at the idea of inaction in action. he asks krishna which is better: to act? or
to renounce all actions? krishna explains to him that the renunciation of actions isn't just about living in hermitage. a man who renounces
action out of laziness or frustration or fear is a hypocrite. hiding in cave will bring you nothing. but the man who is able to perform his
duties, without attachment to the fruits, is a true yogi. the Self is not tainted by actions, even though the body continues to act. by
identifying the Self with brahman rather than the physical body, through direct knowledge that the Self is not the doer of actions, you can
renounce actions though the body, mind and senses still continue to perform. the yoga of action is far superior to a false renunciation of
actions. furthermore, by identifying the Self with brahman you are released from the bondage of pairs of opposite - hot or cold, pleasurable
or painful, etc., attachment to the fruits of actions is futile, as external objects only bring transitory satisfaction. the enlightened man has
control over the senses and has conquered impulse and desire, being satisfied only in the Self. he practices ahimsa (non-harming) in
thought, word, and deed, devoted to the well-being of all creatures, feeling that all creatures are part of his own Self. there is no
contradiction between the path of wisdom and the path of renunciation of action: true renunciation of action bestows wisdom.
notes...
*the lotus is a sacred flower. the lotus grows in marshy, mucky, stagnant swamp water. the lotus flower itself is a symbol of sattva, while
the water from which is grows is an example of tamas (the growth process of the lotus could be considered rajas). despite the nature of the
swamp in which it grows, the lotus flower is sweet-smelling, beautiful and pure. this is symbolic of the journey the individual soul takes
through the cycle of birth and death: rising above the qualities of nature toward enlightenment; overcoming tamas and growing into sattva.
chapter 6 ~ the yoga of meditation
summary... here, arjuna is instructed that the practice of karma yoga can be used until he has attained knowledge of the Self - those who
have knowledge of the Self practice the yoga of meditation. he explains the difference bewteen intellectual knowledge and experiential
knowledge, and gives step-by-step instructions for meditation. the meditator should practice in a solitary and quiet room, and have only
those possessions necessary for sustenance of the body. freedom from attachments is they key; ascetism does not necessarily means
freedom from attachment, only freedom from temptation. the meditator should sit in a clean spot and make the mind one-pointed by
focusing on the third eye. the mind will wander, this is the nature of the mind; it is best not to get discouraged but rather to keep reigning
the mind in over and over again. as far as lifetsyle, the middle way is best: not too much of anything nor too little. through constant
practice, the senses can be controlled and the pairs of opposites can be overcome. anyone can attain god. by seeing god everywhere and
in everything, one can never be separated from god. arjuna begins to worry that if he does not attain god-realization before her dies, that
all his sadhana (spiritual practice0 will be in vain; krishna assures him that he will pick up in the next life where he leaves off in this one.
the yogi who practices constantly and devotedly will surely attain god in this life.
notes...
*meditation brings discrimination (viveka)
*during meditation, you should never fight the mind - thoughts become strong by our attention. rather, allow the thoughts to pass
through the mind like clouds in the sky, acknowledging them but letting them go as if they don't really belong to you.
*when seated for meditation, the body must be still and light. if you hold your body still by force, it will collapse after just a short period.
imagine your body firm like a mountain, nothing can move you. sitting cross-legged keeps prana circulating through the body instead of
being released through the extremities.
*the mind is as difficult to control as the wind; it is restless but may be restrained by constant practice (abhyasa) and dispassion
(vairagya).
*abhyasa is constant daily practice for an extended period of time (usually the entire life) with no breaks at all. abhyasa must be
accompanied by an enthusiasm for the practice. obstacles will arise - they play a fundamental role. obstacles force you to keep vigilant and
to go deeper in the practice. obstacles exist so that we may overcome them. it is important not to judge your practice or to dwell on the
fruits of your practice.
*vairagya is dispassion, non-attachment to the sense objects, whether seen or unseen, non-attachment even to ideas, not just objects.
vairagya is viveka in action - understanding what things are and then letting them go. desires can never be fulfilled: want brings more want.
the power of desire grows with exposure to the object of desire. this doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy a certain thing. for example, if you
like chocolate, at some point the untrained mind will begin to crave chocolate. the desire will turn to thought, the thought will turn to action
and you will go and find some chocolate. you will eat it, and be happy for a brief moment, but then when the chocolate is gone you will want
it again and again. does vairagya mean you should never have chocolate again? no. it is okay to enjoy chocolate when it presents itself to
you. it is the desire for chocolate you must destroy. then you may enjoy chocolate without being sad when you don't have any, or
performing actions in an effort to have it again.
*the difference between willpower and desire: the cause of desire is an outside source. the cause of willpower is reason from within,
untainted by attraction or repulsion. the root of happiness lies within; true happiness can never be attained from external objects or ideas.
*stages of vairagya: 1) attempt to control likes and dislikes (becoming aware of how desire influences your actions)... 2) renouncing
desires (start with the easiest)... 3) complete contrl over outward action of desire (if the subtle desire still remains, you do not act on it)... 4)
utter control, inner and outer (even the subtle, latent impressions of desire no longer exist)
*there can be no spiritual progress without vairagya. here is an analogy: a man decides to take a boat far across a very large lake to
visit the city on the other side. he leaves in the evening, just as it is getting dark. he rows and rows all night, becoming very exhausted with
all the exertion. but still, he keeps rowing. dawn comes and the sun begins to light his way, and he realizes he has reached a city. he
looks up from his boat and sees the city looks very much like his own. soon, a man walks by and as he gets closer, the man in the boat
realizes that this man walking looks just like his neighbor. marveling at that, he calls to the man and begins to tell him of his long journey
across the water and how their cities seem identical. it is then that his neighbor informs him that he rowed and rowed all night but never
untied his boat from the dock. despite all his exertion, he went nowhere. on the spiritual path, abhaysa (constant practice) is what rows the
boat, but vairagya (dispassion) is what unties it from the dock.
chapter 1 ~ the yoga of the despondency of arjuna
summary... in this chapter arjuna expresses to krishna his confusion and despondency at having to fight - and kill - his own kinsmen. he
sees no good coming from it, only sin. even though the kauravas have committed grave sins, arjuna does not see any reason to stoop to
their level. he doesn't care about winning the battle or regaining for the pandavas what is rightfully theirs, because he realizes that he would
be killing the very people for whose sake he would fight. he wants nothing to do with this war, and would rather be slain without putting up a
fight at all than to cause harm to any of his kinsmen and thereby accrue sin upon himself.
notes...
*the first verse of this chapter is a question asked by dritarastra. everything that follows - the entire bhagavad gita - is the answer to that
question.
*during this age, the fighting of wars took place only during the daytme. after nightfall, the sides could mix company. a soldier was
forbidden to fight someone not of his rank.
chapter 2 ~ sankhya yoga
summary... here, arjuna gives himself over to god, admitting he does not know what to do or how to act, and asks krishna for advice in
verse 7. this is significant for the evolution of the spirit - once one reaches the point of surrender, everything goes smoothly from there.
arjuna has a choice, to experience his karma with confusion, or to experience his karma with understanding. he chooses to move forward on
the path toward understanding and turns to krishna for guidance. krishna explains that there is no need for grief: "the wise grieve neither
for the living nor the dead" (verse 11), and the yogic philosophy and wisdom (sankhya) contained in the gita begins here. krishna shows
arjuna the permanence of god and the impermanence of everything worldly. he explains that karma cannot be avoided by simply abstaining
from action. krishna describes the marks of a sage, explains to arjuna the difference between the renunciation of actions and running away
from one's karma, and gives him the preliminary guidelines for the path of the yoga of action.
notes...
*brahman is the absolute divinity, without beginning, without end, all-knowing and all-pervading.
*atman is brahman within the individual. the atman is the true Self and does not act. it is only a silent, unaffected witness of action.
*jiva is the individual soul which has not yet been liberated.
*maya is the cosmic illusion, the great mystery of sensual experience, the veil that hides that which is real (brahman).
*the analogy of the snake and the rope: imagine you are walking in the dark and all of a sudden you see a snake. then the light comes
on and you realize it is just a rope. does this mean that the snake turned into the rope when the light came on? no, the rope was there the
whole time. the rope is always in the snake; the snake is never in the rope. the snake is just an illusion; although we perceive it with the
senses to be real, it is unreal. just the same, maya is an illusion, only brahman is real.
*the 5 roots of suffering (5 kleshas) are ignorance (avidya), asmita (egoism), raga (likes), dvesha (dislikes), and abhinivesha (the fear
of death).
*by overcoming the 5 roots of suffering and realizing - by direct experience, not just by indirect knowledge - the absoluteness of
brahman, you then realize only the body slays or is slain; the true Self is indestructable and free from the bondage of action or inaction.
*the analogy of the clay pot: imagine you have a lump of clay and you form it into a pot. which is "real" here, the clay or the pot? if you
break the pot, what is left? in the beginning there is no pot, only clay, as in the end. you could even say that the pot never exists -
although the senses perceive the clay to be a pot, really it is just clay all along. so it is with the body. the body is not real, it is transitory,
impermanent; it is not there in the beginning and it is not there in the end. the Self is immutable, never changing, never ending.
*the three qualities of nature (gunas) are sattva, rajas, and tamas. sattva is purity; rajas is activity; tamas is inertia. everything we
perceive is made of some combination of these 3 qualities.
*the characteristic marks of a sage of steady wisdom are: satisfaction in the Self; freedom from attachment, aversion, fear and anger;
evenness of mind; withdrawal of the senses.
*the means of attaining steady wisdom are withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) and a one-pointed focus on brahman.
*thought leads to desire; desire to fear of loss; fear of loss to anger; anger to delusion; delusion to loss of discrimination; loss of
descrimination to peril of the spirit. this is the danger of attachment.
chapter 3 ~ the yoga of action
summary... in this chapter, krishna goes on to explain karma yoga in depth. karma yoga must be done with efficiency and focus, and
the actions should be performed well without negligence. someone who renounces actions but still allows his mind to wander and dwell on
attachments is a hypocrite. he who acts without expecations of fruits will attain god-realization. upon reaching enlightenment, the liberated
sage should not renounce the world and go into hermitage but rather do good works to guide others toward liberation.
notes...
*karma yoga purifies the heart.
*the 5 organs of action (karma indriyas) are: speech, hands, legs, procreation, and evacuation. the 5 organs of knowledge are: eyes,
ears, nose, skin, and tongue.
*you must perform your duty whether you like it or not, but it is best to perform it without expectation of its fruits, and with the knowledge
that the Self is not the doer.
*you should never do someone else's duty, only your own.
*great teachers teach not by speaking but by example. imagine a group of people all searching for the entryway into a beautiful garden.
a few of them finally come upon an area of the wall short enough to climb. some selfish men climb the wall and enter the garden and begin
feasting. a wise man, rather than entering the garden and immediately enjoying it for himself, sits on top of the wall and helps all the
others get in.
*karma yoga should be a constant practice
*the 5 layers (koshas) of an individual are: the physical body (annamaya kosha); the energy body (pranamaya kosha); the mental
body (manomaya kosha); the intellectual body (vijnanamaya kosha); the bliss body (anandamaya kosha).
chapter 4 ~ the yoga of the division of wisdom
summary... in chapter 4, krishna explains karma, reincarnation and why he has taken this birth. in every age, an avatar is born,
whenever there is a need for one, whenever there is a decline in righteousness. free will must be present in order for individuals to evolve;
god takes a body as an avatar in order to help things along. he also explains that there is no wrong way to reach god, that there are many
paths and god is impartial in that sense. we continue to go through the cycle of birth and death (samsara) until we have burned off all our
karma. the only way to stop the cycle of birth and death is stop accruing new karma; the only to stop accruing new karma is to attain
liberation of the soul from the bondage of the cosmic illusion. constant and devoted spiritual practice (sadhana) destroys the impressions
(samskaras) created by action by purifying the heart and training the mind. through this practice, we learn to be in the world without being
of the world.
notes...
*action in inaction versus inaction in action: abstaining from action is itself action. you cannot avoid karma simply by running away from
it. likewise, you cannot simply sit still and say that you do not act. you may appear not to act, but still the senses are perceiving and the
mind is thinking, planning, remembering, desiring. these are all actions. by abstaining from action, you are expecting fruits to come of
your abstinance. and so by selfishly renouncing the world, by merely appearing to abstain from action in order to escape karma or in hopes
of some spiritual or worldly gain, you are, in fact, still performing action. this is action in inaction. conversely, if you come to the realization
of brahman, if you come to know, through direct experience and not just indirect knowledge, the reality of the true Self, the body and the
mind may continue to act but the Self watches as a silent unaffected witness. the Self is not the doer of actions, and the Self is free from
the fruits of those actions. once the veil of ignorance is lifted, you are no longer bound by karma, though the body and the mind continue
to act, continue to perform that which is their duty. this is inaction in action. anyone can achieve this realization by following the path of
karma yoga: by continuing to perform their worldly duties, but offering up both the actions and the fruits of the actions to god. acting
without attachment to the fruits of the action is inaction in action - the body and sense organs continue to act, though the Self remains
unchanged. by giving up expectation of a reward for our actions, we purify our hearts. by acting selflessly, by performing action for the sake
of duty while releasing any and all attachment to the fruits of the action, this is karma yoga. if you have no attachment to the fruits of your
actions - good or bad - then you do not accrue karma for those actions. and so arjuna must fight, he must perform his duty; by
surrendering to god and releasing expectation of the fruits of his actions, he is free from the bondage of karma.
*the doctrine of karma has 3 parts: cause/effect, compensation, and retribution. there are 3 kinds of karma: sanchita karma all the
accumulated karma of the past; prarabdha karma is the karma being worked off in this life; agami karma is the karma being created in this
life. there are 3 components that work together to create karma: desire/feeling (ichha), knowledge (jnana), and willpower (kriya).
chapter 5 ~ the yoga of the renunciation of action
summary... chapter 5 begins with arjuna expressing confusion at the idea of inaction in action. he asks krishna which is better: to act? or
to renounce all actions? krishna explains to him that the renunciation of actions isn't just about living in hermitage. a man who renounces
action out of laziness or frustration or fear is a hypocrite. hiding in cave will bring you nothing. but the man who is able to perform his
duties, without attachment to the fruits, is a true yogi. the Self is not tainted by actions, even though the body continues to act. by
identifying the Self with brahman rather than the physical body, through direct knowledge that the Self is not the doer of actions, you can
renounce actions though the body, mind and senses still continue to perform. the yoga of action is far superior to a false renunciation of
actions. furthermore, by identifying the Self with brahman you are released from the bondage of pairs of opposite - hot or cold, pleasurable
or painful, etc., attachment to the fruits of actions is futile, as external objects only bring transitory satisfaction. the enlightened man has
control over the senses and has conquered impulse and desire, being satisfied only in the Self. he practices ahimsa (non-harming) in
thought, word, and deed, devoted to the well-being of all creatures, feeling that all creatures are part of his own Self. there is no
contradiction between the path of wisdom and the path of renunciation of action: true renunciation of action bestows wisdom.
notes...
*the lotus is a sacred flower. the lotus grows in marshy, mucky, stagnant swamp water. the lotus flower itself is a symbol of sattva, while
the water from which is grows is an example of tamas (the growth process of the lotus could be considered rajas). despite the nature of the
swamp in which it grows, the lotus flower is sweet-smelling, beautiful and pure. this is symbolic of the journey the individual soul takes
through the cycle of birth and death: rising above the qualities of nature toward enlightenment; overcoming tamas and growing into sattva.
chapter 6 ~ the yoga of meditation
summary... here, arjuna is instructed that the practice of karma yoga can be used until he has attained knowledge of the Self - those who
have knowledge of the Self practice the yoga of meditation. he explains the difference bewteen intellectual knowledge and experiential
knowledge, and gives step-by-step instructions for meditation. the meditator should practice in a solitary and quiet room, and have only
those possessions necessary for sustenance of the body. freedom from attachments is they key; ascetism does not necessarily means
freedom from attachment, only freedom from temptation. the meditator should sit in a clean spot and make the mind one-pointed by
focusing on the third eye. the mind will wander, this is the nature of the mind; it is best not to get discouraged but rather to keep reigning
the mind in over and over again. as far as lifetsyle, the middle way is best: not too much of anything nor too little. through constant
practice, the senses can be controlled and the pairs of opposites can be overcome. anyone can attain god. by seeing god everywhere and
in everything, one can never be separated from god. arjuna begins to worry that if he does not attain god-realization before her dies, that
all his sadhana (spiritual practice0 will be in vain; krishna assures him that he will pick up in the next life where he leaves off in this one.
the yogi who practices constantly and devotedly will surely attain god in this life.
notes...
*meditation brings discrimination (viveka)
*during meditation, you should never fight the mind - thoughts become strong by our attention. rather, allow the thoughts to pass
through the mind like clouds in the sky, acknowledging them but letting them go as if they don't really belong to you.
*when seated for meditation, the body must be still and light. if you hold your body still by force, it will collapse after just a short period.
imagine your body firm like a mountain, nothing can move you. sitting cross-legged keeps prana circulating through the body instead of
being released through the extremities.
*the mind is as difficult to control as the wind; it is restless but may be restrained by constant practice (abhyasa) and dispassion
(vairagya).
*abhyasa is constant daily practice for an extended period of time (usually the entire life) with no breaks at all. abhyasa must be
accompanied by an enthusiasm for the practice. obstacles will arise - they play a fundamental role. obstacles force you to keep vigilant and
to go deeper in the practice. obstacles exist so that we may overcome them. it is important not to judge your practice or to dwell on the
fruits of your practice.
*vairagya is dispassion, non-attachment to the sense objects, whether seen or unseen, non-attachment even to ideas, not just objects.
vairagya is viveka in action - understanding what things are and then letting them go. desires can never be fulfilled: want brings more want.
the power of desire grows with exposure to the object of desire. this doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy a certain thing. for example, if you
like chocolate, at some point the untrained mind will begin to crave chocolate. the desire will turn to thought, the thought will turn to action
and you will go and find some chocolate. you will eat it, and be happy for a brief moment, but then when the chocolate is gone you will want
it again and again. does vairagya mean you should never have chocolate again? no. it is okay to enjoy chocolate when it presents itself to
you. it is the desire for chocolate you must destroy. then you may enjoy chocolate without being sad when you don't have any, or
performing actions in an effort to have it again.
*the difference between willpower and desire: the cause of desire is an outside source. the cause of willpower is reason from within,
untainted by attraction or repulsion. the root of happiness lies within; true happiness can never be attained from external objects or ideas.
*stages of vairagya: 1) attempt to control likes and dislikes (becoming aware of how desire influences your actions)... 2) renouncing
desires (start with the easiest)... 3) complete contrl over outward action of desire (if the subtle desire still remains, you do not act on it)... 4)
utter control, inner and outer (even the subtle, latent impressions of desire no longer exist)
*there can be no spiritual progress without vairagya. here is an analogy: a man decides to take a boat far across a very large lake to
visit the city on the other side. he leaves in the evening, just as it is getting dark. he rows and rows all night, becoming very exhausted with
all the exertion. but still, he keeps rowing. dawn comes and the sun begins to light his way, and he realizes he has reached a city. he
looks up from his boat and sees the city looks very much like his own. soon, a man walks by and as he gets closer, the man in the boat
realizes that this man walking looks just like his neighbor. marveling at that, he calls to the man and begins to tell him of his long journey
across the water and how their cities seem identical. it is then that his neighbor informs him that he rowed and rowed all night but never
untied his boat from the dock. despite all his exertion, he went nowhere. on the spiritual path, abhaysa (constant practice) is what rows the
boat, but vairagya (dispassion) is what unties it from the dock.