Summary:

Lesson 165 shows an empowering way to conquer fear. Personality profiles. If you don't find ways to incorporate the knowledge, it'll quickly be overridden by old vasanas. Importance of charity. Deliberately directing sense organs. Two types of yajnas.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 1

Revision:

• CH16 Divided into 5 sections:
  • VERSE 1-3: Qualities of daiva-sampad (Divine Dispositions).
  • VERSE 4-6: General Intro to āsura-sampad (Demonic/Unrighteous Dispositions).
  • VERSE 7-21: Detailed descriptions of āsura-sampad (Oriented towards adharma).
    • VERSE 13-15: Thoughts of an āsura.
  • VERSE 22-24: Conclusion.
• abhayam: Fearlessness.
  • 1^st cause of fear:

Everyone concerned how future (change) to unfold. This is natural. But becomes problem when turns neurotic (life governed by stress and fear of future [what will happen to me after death, will I be reborn, will these spiritual efforts go to waste, etc]).

Example of coping with change intelligently: In Mahabharata, Parikshit received a curse that he'll die in 7 days. Approaches Sage Shuka, and requests, “Give me that knowledge that'll release me from future births. I only have 7 days”. Sage Shuka responds, “You're lucky to know you'll live next 7 days. I don't even know a minute from now.” Then imparted the knowledge.

So abhayam is one who embraces the fact of change and sees each change (future) as sing of advancement.

For example:

• • • • Leaving the comfort of mother womb, was the first MAJOR change.
      • By age 2, identity is formed, thus perception of world changes.
      • Adolescence brings emotional, biological, intellectual changes… in form of asserting independence from family ties, establishing friendships outside family, exploring opposite sex, wanting to reform the society.
      • Joining workforce (and negotiating their values with yours).
      • Marriage (instant change to lifestyle + relearning definition of compromise/sacrifice).
      • Raising a child (learn to suspend your needs).
      • Midlife crisis (reflecting whether we're happy, how far we've come).
      • Death of a parent (sometimes producing a void, as no longer have the unconditional love).
      • Dealing with declining senses.
      • Finally the instant change experienced when heart stops and subtle-body officially disconnects from the gross.

We can see that change throughout life is inevitable. We just need to cope with it correctly.

How? B.Gita reveals that Ishvara's nature is all-intelligence, all-power which itself undergoes constant change to take into consideration every new input provided by the jiva's actions, and translates the inputs into outcomes.

Meaning this grand-order brings about predictable changes according to the collective choices. The order doesn't have it's own likes/dislikes, hence fear is unwarranted.

Therefore essential ingredient of emotional maturity is understanding that every change in our life is not random, but is governed by One infallible order. The more we recognize that, the more we give up resistance to change, and able to relax more into what's happening, and intelligently utilize each change as learning opportunity.

SUMMARY: The intelligent-design allows us to exercise freewill, make informed choices, and reap the benefits therefrom.

Example of allowing change: An unnamed woman camouflaged her incapacity to say “No” as a spiritual trait of accommodation. She'd say “Yes” even if she wouldn't follow-up. Even felt resentful for doing things she didn't want to do. One day she decided to change; to look at her inner dynamics. Discovering her siblings were favoured, and she figured that only way to get approval/validation from parents is by accepting demands. People-pleaser. After discontent of this behaviour, she decided to change. She decided to pause and think whether she's saying “Yes” out of pressure to be validated, or from her own volition (conscious intention). Eventually her self-esteem strengthened because she's established herself closer to the Reality (vyavaharika).

• • 2^nd cause of fear:
    • Lion cub brought up in flock of sheep, will run away from fox. When realizes his Identity as lion; fear goes. So concrete knowledge of one’s identity (innate emotional/intellectual make-up) removes apprehensiveness/hesitation.
      • One way to align identity & svadharma is by getting to know your emotional/intellectual make-up. Most accurate is via self-inquiry.
      • If self-inquiry is lacking, then personality profiling systems Many exist like Hippocrates “four temperaments” and Carl Jung's psychological types.
    • This system divides personalities into 4 quadrants:

• • • From the chart above, can create 4 general personality styles:
      1. Indirect and PEOPLE oriented.
         • Name: Relator.
         • Soft spoken. Easy going. Most concerned with being liked and getting along with others.
         • Won’t make a decision until everyone who could be affected by it, agrees and is satisfied.
         • HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS TYPE: Be quieter, patient and sensitive to his/her feelings.
      2. Indirect & TASK oriented.
         • Name: Analyzer.
         • Concerned about precision, numbers, facts and details.
         • EG: Computer programmers, accountants, engineers.
         • HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS TYPE: Need to be accurate/precise about your language. Specifics!
      3. Direct and TASK oriented.
         • Name: Director.
         • Outspoken. Low on people orientation, but high on task.
         • Primary concern is Results, and often insensitive to other’s feelings.
         • EG: Salesmen, firemen, combat officers. Shark tanks.
         • HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS TYPE:
         • Cut to the chase and get to the bottom line quickly.
      4. Direct and people oriented.
         • Name: Socializer.
         • Direct and outgoing.
         • Likes to talk. Will ask you lots of questions about you and will talk of his/her accomplishments.
         • HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS TYPE: Ask them lot of questions.
• sattva-saṃśuddhiḥ: Mental purity.

Resuming: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 Verse 1:

• Jñāna-yōga-vyasthitiḥ: steadfastness in Jnana (knowledge of morals) and yoga (practice).
  • JNANA:
    • Knowledge of anything doesn’t happen naturally (unlike life experience). Accordingly, must deliberately acquire it.
    • EG: Buddha didn’t attain Awakening sitting passively; it’s indicative of meditating on the knowledge gained previously.
  • YOGA:
    • Without incorporating the knowledge throughout your dealings, it’ll be overridden by old-ways. So you’re wasting time if not incorporating (start for 5 sec).
• Dānam: Charity.
  • Sure fire method to test if have unhealthy attachment to things (lobhaḥ / greed); which generates feeling of heaviness in life (small thorn no big deal, but X many thorns [attachments] = heaviness).
    • Irony of holding onto things: Supposed to give security, but produces insecurity do to becoming dependent.
  • Benefits of charity:
    • Fastest way to cure scarcity mindset.
    • Produces adṛṣṭa-puṇya (this life or next).
    • Makes you feel good. Increase self-esteem.
    • Helps minimize anxiety of death; because death is ultimate dānam (giving away all).
  • Practice: Give away the unnecessary / collecting dust.
• Damaḥ: Deliberation at level of physical. (Talking, walking, eating, moving).
  • Doesn’t mean suppression. But consciously direct sense organs, rather then letting them subordinate to direction which vasanas are leading them.
• Yajñaḥ: relationship to Divinity.
  • 2 types:
    1. Regular/ritualistic/formal.
       • Memorised & meaningful. EG: puja / mantra / prayer / incense.
       • Inaugurates religion/spirituality in your environment.  
    2. Converting ordinary/mundane work into a worship.  Improvised.   Karma-Yoga (converting karma into yoga).
       • EG:
         • When brush teeth, think “May Lord also brush my mind”.
         • Before writing a report, remember it may hurt/improve someone’s life.
       • Look upon each action as an offering to Lord, because this is His creation.
       • Accept any consequence as Ishvara-prasada (a unique, customized experienced delivered just for you for sake of self-growth).
         • EG: (Rāma-carita-mānasa, Bāla-kāṇḍa Dohā, 129-139) Nārada fell in love with beautiful deluding damsel, Viśvamohinī. He asked Lord to give him a handsome face so she would choose to marry him.  But Lord have him a monkey-face. When Viśvamohinī saw, she laughed at him. Nārada got angry with Lord, but realized later that God saved him from the deluding damsel.

Keywords:

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

Recorded 5 April, 2022