Summary:

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verses 1-3:

Tapas (discipline/austerities/mind-management): Conscious choices to align with higher goals by saying “no” to things that don't serve growth. “What is the most valuable use of my time right now?”. Redirecting your focus to what matters.

Ārjavam (straightforwardness/alignment/authenticity): Alignment between thoughts, speech, and actions. Violations stem from fear of loss of something you're dependent on.

Ahimsa (minimizing hurting): Active protection that minimizes harm through threefold deliberation of thought, speech, and action.

Satyam (truthfulness): Truthful speech without omissions or embellishments, right thinking based on objective facts, and purposeful communication that adds value.

Akrodha (resolving anger/resentment): Anger reveals unmet expectations and unresolved emotions. Resolution requires physical restraint (dama) through breathing and mental inquiry (śama) to trace underlying expectations.

Tyāga (renunciation): Mental mastery over objects' grip on your mind, not physical abandonment. Freedom comes from remembering you're bigger than any situation or possessed object.

Śānti (resolution of mind/acceptance): Dropping resistance to reality and reframing situations by asking “What did this teach me?” Peace comes when you stop arguing with reality.

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VERSE 1-3: Values that lead to your freedom and clarity

श्रीभगवान् उवाच
अभयम् सत्त्व-संशुद्धिः ज्ञान-योग-व्यवस्थितिः ।
दानम् दमः च यज्ञः च स्वाध्यायः तपः आर्जवम् ॥ १६-१॥
अहिंसा सत्यम् अक्रोधः त्यागः शान्तिः अपैशुनम् ।
दया भूतेषु अलोलुप्त्वम् मार्दवम् ह्रीः अचापलम् ॥ १६-२॥
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचम् अद्रोहः न अति-मानिता ।
भवन्ति सम्पदम् दैवीम् अभिजातस्य भारत ॥ १६-३॥
śrībhagavān uvāca
abhayam sattva-saṃśuddhiḥ jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ ।
dānam damaḥ ca yajñaḥ ca svādhyāyaḥ tapaḥ ārjavam ॥ 16-1॥
ahiṃsā satyam akrodhaḥ tyāgaḥ śāntiḥ apaiśunam ।
dayā bhūteṣu aloluptvam mārdavam hrīḥ acāpalam ॥ 16-2॥
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adrohaḥ na ati-mānitā ।
bhavanti sampadam daivīm abhijātasya bhārata ॥ 16-3॥

Śrī Bhagavān said:
Bhārata (Arjuna)! Freedom from fear, purity of mind, steadiness in contemplation, charity, judicious restraint (of sense organs), performing rituals, recitation of one’s own branch of the Veda, religious discipline (austerity), alignment of thought, word, and deed…

…absence of hurting, truthfulness, resolution of anger, renunciation, resolution of the mind, absence of calumny, compassion for living beings, absence of ardent longing, softness, modesty, absence of physical agitation…

…brilliance, composure, fortitude, cleanliness, no thought of hurting, and no exaggerated self opinion—all these are there for the one who is born to the wealth of devas.

In previous session, we discussed: (1) Abhayam – fearlessness, (2) Sattva-saṃśuddhi – purity of mind, (3) Jñāna-yoga vyavasthitiḥ – steadiness in contemplation, (4) Dānam – charity, (5) Damaḥ – pausing before physically reacting, (6) Yajña – actions designed to produce punya, (7) Svādhyāya – recitation of one’s branch of knowledge.

Let's continue…

8. Tapas (discipline / austerities / mind-management):

Tapas are not painful disciplines, like standing on one leg for 10,000 years, as often depicted in movies – but a conscious choice to align with higher goals. And to do that, you need to say “no” to things to a certain degree, which don't align with what you wish to accomplish or become.

Tapas puts you more in touch with reality.

For example…

• • Skipping gossip isn’t repression – it’s “I choose wisdom over triviality”.
  • Scrolling social media? Ask: “Is this serving my growth or draining my focus?”
  • If you can’t say no, you’re enslaved by yes.
  • Anger arises → pause → inquire “What specifically am I discontent about?”

Tapas involves Mastery in:

1. 1. Senses: Every input (social media, conversations, environments) shapes your mental landscape. EG: Seeing a friend at an event triggers curiosity → but is that data useful? Thus you’re being more deliberate what you see/hear – and for how long. If you hear someone say their birthday, pet, clothing, favorite food is same as yours – so what! 
   2. Speech: Using too many words? Each word should carry weight and be thought through in the past. Ask: Is it satya (factually true), priya (considerate of their place in the world, stage of life and situation they’re put in), hita (beneficial, healing)?
   3. Mind: Where does your mind like to hang out? Ruminating on past, replaying scenarios in present, projecting the future? Gently and deliberately bring it back to the present with this question, “What is most valuable use of my time right now? What needs my attention?”

3 Crucial Questions Before Acting:

1. 1. Is this necessary?
   2. Does this align with my highest goal?
   3. Will this leave me freer or bound?

9. Arjavam (straightforwardness / alignment of intentions-words-actions / authenticity / honesty):

Story of Yudhishthira's Clever Lie: Consequence of non-straightforwardness

During the great war in the Mahabharata, the Pandavas had a big problem: their old teacher Drona was killing too many of their soldiers. They needed to stop him, but nobody could defeat him in fair combat.

Krishna came up with a plan. “Drona loves his son Ashwatthama more than anything,” he told the Pandavas. “If he believes his son is dead, he'll lose his will to fight.”

So Bhima killed an elephant named Ashwatthama and shouted across the battlefield, “Ashwatthama is dead!”

When Drona heard this, he didn't believe it. He knew only Yudhishthira, known as “Truth-Speaker,” would never lie. So Drona rode straight to Yudhishthira and asked directly: “Is my son Ashwatthama really dead? Tell me the truth.”

After a moment's hesitation, he said loudly: “Yes, Ashwatthama is dead.” Then he added very softly under his breath, “…the elephant, not your son.”  Drona, heartbroken, dropped his weapons and sat down to meditate. While defenseless, he was beheaded.

The consequence for Yudhishthira was immediate: his golden chariot, which had always floated above the ground because of his alignment between thought/speech, suddenly dropped to the earth.

This story shows how even clever wordplay affects you because you’re not outside Isvara’s order.

Definition: Ārjava is alignment between what you think, speak, and do. In which case, you feel at ease. When they're not aligned, you feel dis-ease. 

Why we violate it? What breaks alignment is your fear (likes/dislikes) of losing out what you believe you need for your well-being, protecting a self-image you're built up, relationship, emotional support, or don't wish to rock the boat. You're getting something by not being honest, but at cost of low self-esteem and shame for not having ability to say it how it is.

Examples:

1. 1. “Let's get together soon!”, with no intention of following through.
   2. Other extreme of Arjavam: Bhishma said, “No matter what happens, I have to stick to my word”. He’s rigid, unwilling to change his mind. After war, he admitted “I ended up making a vow to protect Hastinapur, but ended up protecting an unrighteous king”.

Benefit: When your personality is integrated, you're honest – people trust you, and you enjoy being with yourself.

10. Ahimsa (minimizing hurting whenever possible):

Story of the Captain’s Compassionate Killing

A pirate (Angry Spearman) boards a ship with 500 passengers, threatening to kill everyone. The captain faces a dilemma. Himsa (violence) – killing the pirate stops mass murder. Or ahimsa (non-violence) – letting him live risks hundreds of lives.

The captain chooses to kill the pirate out of compassion for both the pirate and the passengers. Why?

The captain spares the pirate the karmic burden of mass murder, which would cause him lifelong suffering. While also protecting innocent lives.

Ahimsa isn’t passive. It’s an action to minimize harm. Restraining a violent person through violence (if appropriate) is ahimsa if the intent is protection. For instance, the captain’s compassionate motive transforms violence into a duty (dharma).

Ahimsa is Practiced via a Threefold Deliberation:

1. 1. Thought: Even mental volition to harm (eg: resentment) creates karma, by making that thought more likely to occur again.
   2. Speech: Speak truth pleasantly. EG: A doctor saying, “Your condition is serious, but we’ll manage it together” avoids truth that hurts.
   3. Action:
      • Honest feedback: Giving constructive criticism to help someone improve, not hurt feelings. If their feelings are hurt, or say you don't know them – that's their resistance, a form of self-protection.
      • Letting go of toxic relationships: Ending a friendship kindly, wishing well for both.

Benefit: Makes you more aware of Ishvara’s presence.

11. Satyam (truthfulness):

1. Satyam (Truthful Speech): Speak exactly as the thing is – no omissions, embellishments, or distortions. EG: Avoid hypocrisy – like preaching detachment while secretly craving validation. Drop your speech to level that you practice.
2. Ṛtam (Right Thinking): Ensuring what you think is objective and factual, as we tend to prefer our biased thinking over facts. EG: When talking about your past relationship, there’s tendency to say they were mostly at fault, not acknowledging, “I too played a part”.
3. Hitam (Purposeful / Beneficial): Ask: What is the added value of what I’m going to say? What’s the intention?  EG: If you don’t know the answer, at least recommend them a resource that can help.

12. Akrodha (resolving anger/resentment):

Anger is latent (already in you) – situations just reveal it. Anger is an indicator of unresolved emotions, expectations were not met, you were treated unfairly, or your needs are not met. It’s also connected to sense of justice (healthy anger).

The Anger Chain (BG CH2, V62-63): Attachment (ruminating on something for too long) → desire (wants to make it “mine”) → anger/frustration (when situation is denied) → delusion (mind creates calls in unrelated associations) → memory loss (of core values) → drunk decision maker → life ruined.

Two-Part Resolution (Dama + Śama)

1. 1. Dama (Physical Restraint):
      • Pause → inhale/exhale count of 4. In police force, this is called “box breathing” (4 sides). That's what they use when confronted with violence. Slows the mind down.
      • Scribble rage on paper to get it out.
   2. Śama (Mental Inquiry): Ask, “What am I telling myself that’s sustaining this anger?”. Trace it to unmet expectations (eg: “They should respect me!”). Flip the script – recall 3 good qualities of the person annoying you. Resentment melts when you see their humanity.

13. Tyaga (renunciation):

Tyaga prevents you reducing yourself to size of the object. You’re always bigger then the object or situation.

1. Not Physical, But Mental Mastery: Tyāga isn’t about abandoning objects (like marbles, money, or relationships) – but dissolving their grip on your mind.  EG: A child’s balloon bursting feels like a crisis, but as an adult, you laugh because you’ve outgrown balloon dependency. 
2. Growth Through Letting Go: Every time you yield to doing the right thing (eg: sharing __ with ___ despite not wanting to) — you expand, because what what you gain (freedom from dependence on that object, or it having a grip on your self-worth), is much bigger and more precious long term, then what you renounce/relinquish. 
3. The Litmus Test of Freedom: Can you lose something without losing yourself? The marbles metaphor extends to jobs, praise, or even relationships.
4. Practical Training: Notice when you argue with reality (eg: traffic jams). Ask: “Is my suffering from the event, or my resistance to it?”.  Like training muscles, repeated renunciation (recognition you don't really need it) builds resilience.
5. The Ultimate Goal: Tyāga leads to joy – not from marbles, but from the space to enjoy them or walk away, knowing you're always bigger then the marbles. 

14. Śānti (resolution of mind / acceptance of the situation):

Ever notice how arguing with a stoplight never turns it green? Śānti is dropping the argument and accepting this is how things are right now, and you need to make the best of what you’re given.

Shanti is also the result of tyaga; objects and situations loosing their hold on you. You no longer associate your well-being to having things.

What causes absence of peace?

When your mind resists what has already happened by replaying stories, “Why me? This shouldn’t have happened!” .  This resistance is like a “wheel stuck in mud” – the more it spins (ruminate on how things haven't gone your way), the deeper you sink into suffering.

Peace comes when you stop arguing with reality.

Techniques for Returning to Shanti:

• 1. A “bad story” keeps you stuck. Reframe it by asking, “What did this teach me?”. Acknowledge that “bad” outcomes are hard, but ideal lessons you need to develop strength and resilience.
  2. Say, “Let it be! What’s next?”. Solution mode.

NEXT SESSION: Wise virtues continue…

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Recorded 9 July, 2025