Summary:

Lesson 81 shows how effect is never away from it's cause. Jiva is of Jagat. Jagat is of Ishvara. Ishvara has it's existence in Brahman. Also satya-mithya relationship is revisted to arrive to ultimate truth; Awareness.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10: Verse 7, 8, 9, 10

Revision:

• Verse 4-7 speaks of Īśvara svarūpa, stating Lord is both intelligent (nimitta-kāraṇam) and material cause (upādāna-kāraṇam). Meaning when looking into universe, one should remember:
  • I am seeing only manifestation of Lord.
  • I need not put separate effort to enjoy darśanam (vision) of Lord. EG:
    • If holding different ornaments, need not put special effort to have darśanam of gold. The very ornament is only manifestation of gold.
    • Similarly, when seeing furniture in front, recognize wood alone has manifested in form of furniture.
  • Therefore, kāryam darśanam (effect) is always kāraṇa darśanam (cause).
  • Meaning, I need not close eyes to enjoy presence of Parameśvara (supreme Lord). Whatever experiencing is God alone.
  • This also means temple/holy-sanctuary is not required for invoking devotion.
    • Temples fulfill a need for uninformed and scripturally illiterate minds, attached to eka-rūpa (iṣṭa-devata) (Stage 1).
• This vision is called: viśva-rūpa-bhakti or virāt-bhakti (Īśvara’s entire physical body/universe). Bhakti elaborated Verse 8-11.
• How does virāt-bhakta look at life experiences?
  • Every experience is of jagat (time/space/objects). Jagat is manifestation of Īśvara. For this reason, one is never away from Īśvara.
  • Hence all pleasant/unpleasant life events are faced WITHOUT resistance.
    • What does “without resistance” mean?
      • Present is choiceless. Because already arrived. We only have choice about future.
      • Since present is form of Īśvara, I attend to it with viveka & vairāgyam. This is called svadharma (doing duty as asked by environment in the moment).
      • This is having prasāda-buddhi: Intellect acknowledging all is an opportunity for spiritual growth. Objectivity.
• Because of prasāda-buddhi… Virāt-bhakta has unbroken devotion in the mind.
  • Makes Bhakta is disinterested in talking about worldly events, because everything is already pervaded by Īśvara.
  • Once mind operates at viśva-rūpa-darśanam, it’s turned off discussing mundane things. Because mind is revealing in laws/orders all around.
• NEXT VERSE: Īśvara svarūpa…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 – Verse 7:

etāṃ vibhūtiṃ yogaṃ ca mama yo vetti tattvataḥ |
so'vikampena yogena yujyate nātra saṃśayaḥ ||

He who really knows this glory and power of Mine, is blessed with unshaken knowledge. There is no doubt in this.

• Verse 4-6 concluded that Īśvara is the ultimate cause of INNER and OUTER world.
• How is Īśvara the cause, when it’s REAL nature is nirguṇa brahman?
  • Īśvara’s power of manifestation is called (per verse): yoga. IE: māyā śakti.
    • What is māyā? All knowledge/power in potential unmanifest. Hidden aparā-prakṛti.
      • So māyā is invisible potential in Īśvara, just like butter is invisible potential in milk.
        • Once extract butter, can not directly know it’s milk cause. But can infer: THERE MUST BE A CAUSE of this butter.
        • In same way, we can’t see Īśvara directly (because that would be limiting it to time/space)… but can infer presence of Bhagāvan.
          • How? By the effects of laws/orders working in perfect harmony.
  • When Īśvara is wielding His unmanifest power of māyā, it’s called: vibhūti.
• vibhūtiṃ yogam ca mama: In Me, both exist; yoga (māyā) AND vibhūti.
  • Yoga / māyā: cause, nirvikalpa (free from changes), avyaktaḥ (beyond perception).
  • Vibhūti: effect, savikalpa, vyaktaḥ (perceivable).
• Saḥ yogena yujate: Who understands this world is God’s form, will be taken to Stage 3.
  • What is method to Stage 3: nirguṇa Īśvara jñānam.
• Such person will get avikampena; strong conviction / firm knowledge / niṣṭhā-jñānam. Meaning formless nirguṇa Īśvara is the final reality.
  • Benefit of Stage 3: Can FULLY enjoy Stage 1 & 2 (eka rūpa & aneka/viśva rūpa).
• NEXT VERSE: V8 onwards, clarity of vision is developed by practicing aneka rūpa bhakti…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 – Verse 8:

ahaṃ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṃ pravartate |
iti matvā bhajante māṃ budhā bhāvasamanvitāḥ ||

“I am the source of everything, everything proceeds from Me.” – knowing thus, the wise ones, who are endowed with devotion, worship Me.

• What is BENEFIT of practicing aneka-rūpa?
  • Rāga/dveṣa They rule because we categorize world as favorable/unfavorable. Likes/dislikes make mind agitated, constantly complaining.
  • If see everything as Lord, then how can like/dislike anything! Meaning stress/tension instant reduction.
• Aham sarvasya prabhavaḥ: I am cause of everything… including pleasure/pain, birth/death, health/disease.
  • Aham refers to Kṛṣna, also called Vāsudeva.
  • Vāsudeva: That in which ALL have their being. IE: Īśvara
    • Just like table has it’s being IN wood. In same way, jagat (time/space/objects) has it’s being IN Īśvara.
    • And since Īśvara is self-evident consciousness, whatever has it’s being in Īśvara, becomes evident to consciousness.
• Mattaḥ sarvam pravartate: Because of Me, everything is sustained.
  • Unlike humans who create, and then forget/abandon their creation… Bhagavān never forgets because all aparā-prakṛti belongs to Him.
  • Nothing created goes out of existence. It’s reused in future. EG: We are drinking water, drunk by dinosaurs.
• Iti matvā: Hence knowing jagat is from Me alone, a wise person gains, recognizes and knows Me.
  • What does wise person know FIRMLY?
    • Just like how all ornaments resolve into one Gold, in same way: All names-forms resolve into Īśvara. And truth of Īśvara is Awareness (Brahman).
• Mām-bhajante: For this very understanding, wise person gains Me, becomes one with Me.
  • Because there is no essential difference between samaṣṭi and vyaṣṭi. They are mithyā only, which resolve into satyam.
  • In this way, person becomes the perfect karma-yogi.
    • Meaning: “I welcome each day, because it is Īśvara prasāda”. A growth opportunity. A blessing. “As unpleasant/pleasant this may be, I use THIS result as OPPORTUNITY to appreciate Īśvara’s cause-effect orders, from which we can learn from.”
• NEXT VERSE: Who has clear vision, is one with Me.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 – Verse 9:

maccittā madgataprāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam|
kathayantaśca māṃ nityaṃ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca ||

Fixing the mind and senses on Me, mutually sharing the knowledge (about Me) and speaking of Me, they are always contended and delighted.

• Meaning, these bhaktas know and abide in the essence of teaching:
  • Brahman is the ultimate cause. Brahman is Awareness.
  • Brahman has capacity to manifest jagat. This capacity is called: māyā.
  • From standpoint of manifest jagat, Brahman is referred to as: Īśvara.
  • Meaning Īśvara is cause of jagat (which also includes body-mind).
    • Thus effect (jagat) is non-different/separate from cause (Īśvara).
  • Cause-Effect Comparison:
    • Cause is called: satyam (independent reality).
    • Effect is called: mithyā (dependent-reality on independently existing principle).
    • EG:
      • Shirt (mithyā), depends on: cloth (satyam).
      • Cloth (mithyā), depends on: thread (satyam).
      • Thread (mithyā), depends on: fiber (satyam).
      • Fiber (mithyā), depends on: particles (satyam).
      • Particles (mithyā), depends on thought-concept (satyam).
      • Thought-concept (mithyā), depends on Awareness (satyam).
      • What is final satyam? That which can’t be reduced further? Awareness.
• In this way, by knowing Īśvara is everything, bhakta is ONE with Īśvara.
  • How? Logic in 3 steps:
    • Step 1: Īśvara is both maker & material cause. Hence manifestation (effect) is not separate from Him (cause).
    • Step 2: If Īśvara is everything, including my body-mind-senses, then they also not separate from Him.
    • Step 3: Is consciousness/Awareness separate from Īśvara? No. Because consciousness is required for Īśvara (all knowledge/power to manifest the jagat).
  • Conclusion of 1-3: Whichever angle I look at myself, I can never be separate from Parameśvara (another name for Īśvara).
• Maccitāḥ: Those whose minds are in Me, through their knowledge, they are not-separate from Me.
  • How is this possible?
    • What instrument understands/doesn’t understand? Mind.
      
    • Is Mind separate from Awareness? No.
      
    • If Mind is made up of thoughts, what sustains them? Awareness.
      
    • And what is the essence of both Īśvara and mind? Awareness / satyam / Brahman.
    • In short: Because of this understanding, they abide in Me (Bhagavān) as Me (Bhagvān), spontaneously.
• Madgataprānāḥ: Jñāni’s living is resolved in Me. Prāṇa represents sense organs.
  • What does living involve? Perception (sense organs) and perceiver (ahaṅkāra). And both have their being in ONE Consciousness.
  • Thus both perception & perceiver is never apart from Consciousness.
    • Meaning, perception of sense organs is not hindrance to knowledge of Self. Being in world doesn’t hinder advaita vision.
    • What is hinderance to advaitam? Not perception.
  • Śankara says: jñāni’s vision is never away from the WHOLE.
    • Metaphor: Is your arm ever away from you? No. Nobody desires their own arm. We only desire what we believe is separate from our body. While jñāni knows all material is 5 elements > sustained/resolved into Īśvara, whom jñāni is not away from.
• Ramanti: They revel.
  • How? Bodhayantaḥ parasparam; teaching each other and talking about Me. Then they discover tuṣyanti; satisfaction.
    • What kind of satisfaction? The same kind as when in presence of beloved. You want to share with them.
      • Jñāni has same satisfaction nityam (always), because either (1) sharing self-knowledge (2) contemplating upon self-knowledge.
• This verse is about jñāni and jijñāsu. Both share this knowledge. In process their own clarity grows.
  • Only in sharing, you discover what you REALLY know. And pair of eyes become a check. Any incongruencies or vague knowledge is felt.
• Therefore listen (śravaṇam), reflect (mananam) and share (nididhyāsanam).
• NEXT VERSE: Those committed to Me, gain Me…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 – Verse 10:

teṣāṃ satatayuktānāṃ bhajatāṃ prītipūrvakam|
dadāmi buddhiyogaṃ taṃ yena māmupayānti te ||

To them who are ever steadfast and who worship (Me) with devotion, I give that Yoga of wisdom by which they reach Me.

• Satayayuktānām: bhakta’s life is ever connected to Me. Never forgets relationship with Me, in and through relationship with others.
  • EG: Wave in ocean is related to ocean only. Because it is born/sustained/dissolves into Ocean.
    • Hence it’s fundamental relationship is with Ocean.
    • Suppose wave falls in love with another wave. Makes child wave. Buys square-wave-house. Makes wave-friends.
      • Because they all began in time, relationship between each is incidental/secondary.
    • So virāt-bhakta has assimilated: “I am like wave, Lord is like ocean. Other humans like waves”.
      • Meaning maintain sight of the permanent-ocean relationship. How? Morning prayer, “Lord, let me remember you throughout today’s preoccupations.”
• Why is satatayuktāḥ every connected to Me… ever loves Me?
  • Is it because bhakta is forced to love Bhagavān out of fear for missing mokṣa in this lifetime? No.
  • So does it mean TO LOVE?
    • Love is to understand To know it deeply.
    • Human mind cannot love unless is understands the object of love.
    • Hence Love is NOT an action. EG: Can’t say “Tomorrow at 5:30pm, I will love partner 50% more”.
    • So love is discovered in time, through understanding.
  • Applying to Bhagavān: How to love Him?
    • By knowing Him through śāstra.
    • Without śāstra-jñānam, bhakti is partial/superficial.
• Thus Krishna concludes, dadāmi buddhiyogaṃ taṃ: By loving Me, I will progress your path from Stage 1 (eka rūpa) > Stage 2 (aneka/viśva rūpa) > nirguṇa Īśvara – through buddhi-yogam (jñāna-yoga).
• yena māmupayānti te: Through jñāna-yoga, the loving-bhakta apprehends nirguṇa Īśvara / Ātma.
  • If guru/śāstra is required, Īśvara’s law-of-karma will provide opportunity.
• NEXT VERSE: In what way Lord helps the bhakta to remove beginingless avidyā…

Keywords: ahankara aham kara, apara prakriti, atma, avidya, avyakta, bhagavan, darsanam, darshana, ishvara, jijnasu, jnani, karana, karyam karana, krsna, maya, mithya, nididhyasana, nirguna, nistha jnana, nitmitta, prana, prasada, raga dvesha, rupa, sakti shakti, samasti samashti, sastra , shastra, sravana shravana, svarupa, tushyanti, tusyanti, upadana, vasudeva, vibhuti, virat, visva vishva, vyakta, vyasti vyashti

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• Afterclass work

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

Recorded 4 Feb, 2020