Summary:

Session focuses on the nature of human problems and the concept of Atma (the self). It distinguishes between two types of problems: situational issues and a fundamental problem related to self-recognition. The fundamental problem is the desire to see oneself as a complete being, free from limitations. Krishna addresses this by emphasizing the nature of Atma, which is unborn and unchanging.

Key Concepts:

1. Panditah na anuśocanti (2.11): The wise do not grieve because they see Atma as unborn and unchanging. This understanding comes from an inquiry into the nature of being, recognizing an unchanging presence (Sat-cit) that allows one to witness changes.
2. Sat-cit (Existence-Awareness): This is the unchanging reality that underlies all forms. It is not individual but one undivided whole, similar to how space seems divided by objects but is actually one continuous entity.
3. Satya-Mithya Analysis: Krishna points out that all changing forms (bodies, minds, objects) are mithya (dependent reality) and do not affect the final reality (satyam). Mithya forms reduce to atoms and particles, concepts — but the final reality is existence-awareness (Sat-cit), which is limitless (Ananta).
4. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 17: This verse emphasizes that Atma is indestructible and pervades the entire world. No one can destroy this unchanging reality, just as waves cannot change the water.
5. Resistance to Teaching: Analogy of a frog in a well is used to explain why people resist this teaching. Just as the frog is comfortable in its well, people are comfortable with their limited understanding and resist the broader vision of reality.
6. Vedanta Vision: Unlike common spiritual teachings that suggest ascending to a higher reality, Vedanta teaches that Sat-cit is not an object but the very essence of “I am.” It is something already accomplished but not yet recognized.
7. Wave-Water Analogy: The relationship between mithya (wave) and satyam (water) is used to illustrate that one does not have to give up their individual identity to understand the broader reality. Instead, one should put their individuality into perspective, recognizing it as part of the larger, unchanging existence-awareness.

REVISION VERSE 16:

Humans have 2 kinds of problems…

• First problem is situations that throws us off.
• Second problem is fundamental. I want to recognize myself as a complete being that doesn’t lack anything. Because world keeps reminding us of our limitations, and world never fills the individual. Krishna first addresses fundamental search for freedom from smallness/limitations.

How does Krishna begin addressing Second Fundamental Problem? 

• Krishna says “panditah na anuśocanti” (2.11, “The wise don’t grieve”): How are panditas free from limitations, and why don't they grieve? They see atma (the truth of the person) as that which is unborn.
• How to understand? Undertake inquiry into this being. Without negating the individual, there’s one thing that’s unchanging that allows you to witness changes taking place. Unchanging presence is of nature of Existence-Awareness. Sat-cit are not two things. Existence is of nature of Awareness.
• When we say “awareness”, it's not referring to the changing states of the mind, such as waking or dream state, or the hundreds of states the mind goes through in waking. States are fluctuating. Awareness throws light on what we don’t know now, and later come to know. Awareness reveals your mind's ignorance and knowledge.
• Sat-cit isn’t individual to just you. It’s one.
  • EG: Space is always one, seems divided due to objects presence. In reality, space exists before object exists, and while object manifests. Cup-space is just provisional. Similarly, atma is one, which is as-though confined in presence of one body-mid. Mistake is to take attribute of body-mind as “I” (the all pervading atma).

TRANSITION TO SATYA-MITHYA:

• Krishna points out changing (all bodies, minds, rocks) called mithya (or asat), which never changes the final reality (satyam).
• How to understand? Look at any changing form. Body nothing but parts/legs. Each part (EG: hand), reduces to muscle/blood/nerves. Then take blood, reduces to white blood cells. So any form reduces further. Additionally, science adds, forms reduce to atoms > particles. Scientists say they can’t find final building block of universe, because mithya doesn’t have an independent reality.
  • But there must be final reality upon which all forms exist, and itself is self-existing. Upanishads reveals the final building block is existence-awareness. All mithya forms collapse into it. Thus sat-cit becomes Ananta (limitless), as it is the only thing there is (there’s no second sat-cit).
• Knowing this, one becomes free, because you have shifted identity from effect to cause.
  • EG: Wave shifts identity from being wave to being water. Wave doesn’t deny it’s wave-ness. What did wave do to become water? If brought in another reality that was there all along. Water is not produced, only revealed.
• The shift is simple but hard because focus for lifetimes has been on wave-ness.
  • Suppose you ask, “What do I do with this knowledge? So what if I’m the whole”. It means this reality (water) doesn’t seem real; individual (wave) is more real, and unwise wave is trying to find ways how to make water benefit the wave’s life.
• To get the full import of this teaching takes time. Just like it takes time to figure out what’s being printed on a page. First time hear this, it’s like first line is printed. At start, it’s overwhelming, like a far vision.

Is my sat-cit same as yours?

• You can make 2 statements. Either:
  1. Your sat-cit is different from my sat-cit.
     • If my sat-cit is different from yours, then I have to give my sat-cit an attribute. But different attributes belong to body-mind (and nothing about body-mind lasts).
  2. There’s only one sat-cit. Consciousness doesn’t have attributes, that in whose presence different attributes are revealed.
• So while our body-minds are different, they both reduce into invariable existence-awareness.

BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 17

अविनाशि तु तत् विद्धि येन सर्वम् इदम् ततम् ।
विनाशम् अव्ययस्य अस्य न कश्चित् कर्तुम् अर्हति ॥ २-१७॥
avināśi tu tat viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam ।
vināśam avyayasya asya na kaścit kartum arhati ॥ 2-17॥

Know that, by which this entire world is pervaded, to be indeed indestructible. No one can bring about the destruction of that which does not change.

• INTRO:
  • Krishna is speaking of Atma which is indestructible/immortal because it’s independent of what comes-goes. EG: Just as pot is incapable of destroying clay, or waves don’t change the water in anyway.
    • Arjuna’s overwhelm was based on him going to kill all these variable bodies. But bodies don’t have independent existence apart from THE REALITY (atma). Bodies are given for period of time to express yourself, to come to this teaching.
    • Arjuna's vision is focused on various sand castles on the beach, missing out they're all made of the same sand. For this reason, Arjuna has resistance to the teaching…
  • RESISTENACE TO THIS TEACHING = NOT READY: Suppose frog is in well. Well is it’s universe. Wants to get fulfillment in it. Person comes and says, “Frog, I will show you the real world”. Frog is taken out of well to the surface. Frog sees much larger world, and gets frightened. Frog wants to go back to well, as it’s so comfortable there. Similarly, when we listen to big vision, we want to go back. Therefore requires a master-student like Arjuna. Genius of teaching is, it keeps bringing you back to your comfort zone, then takes you out, etc.
• VERSE:
  • Avināśi:
    • Sat-cit is avinasi (indestructible). Destruction is of forms. Wave comes goes… water remains as-is.
  • Yena sarva idam tatam (Entire world is pervaded by sat-cit):
    • It’s not just pockets of consciousness, but one undivided whole. It’s anantam (it is the only thing there is; thus it's infinite).
    • Where is this limitless undivided reality? In and through these changing forms, there’s an unchanging reality.  
    • Vedanta vision is different vision from common spiritual/religious world, which says: You have to ascend to some place away from forms, and park yourself in THE reality.
      • Correction:
        • Sat-cit is not an object, but your very “I am”. Sat-cit is praptasya-prapti (it’s something you already have, something that’s already accomplished, but not yet recognized).
        • What is relationship between mithya (your body-mind) and satyam (Awareness)? Pot is mithya. Where is clay (it’s final truth)? The whole thing is clay.
        • Why do we miss the reality when reality is everywhere? Because mind is so used to giving reality to forms. The pot doesn’t have to transcend anything, nor go anywhere to join/meet with the clay. Mithya requires satyam, and pervading the whole mithya, the satyam remains free. IE: Clay never takes on attribute of the pot (such as height/shape). If clay becomes the pot, then can’t change the form.
• COMMON QUESTION: How do I bring this knowledge/understanding to my daily living?
  • You’re asking the question from standpoint of wave, and asking, “How do incorporate into my life, the fact that I’m the water?”. Question is coming from incorrect standpoint. Mind is coming back to the familiar form.  It shows the mind hasn’t grasped, thus seems irrelevant, and is trying to find ways “How can I, a small individual, benefit from this fact, so that I become bigger?”.
  • Correction:
    • Science has two approaches:
      • Pure science: One spends whole life in understanding how world works.
      • Applied science. “Now that I’ve understood the world, let me go back to the world and realign my life with the new paradigm”.
    • Bhagavad Gita employs both approaches. 
    • Krishna intentionally goes back-forth between throwing light on whole reality, and asking, “What are implications of this knowledge in terms of my relationship and attitude while living?”.  
    • Does wave have to give up it’s waveness to understand everything is water? No. Without negating wave-ness, you add one more dimension; water. We generally think, that to be in touch with water, I have to give up wave-ness. Vedanta is saying, put wave-ness (individuality) into perspective. It doesn’t say “waveness doesn’t exist or is illusion”.
• NEXT VERSE: Body is not a problem when used to gain wisdom of your nature…

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Course was based on Neema Majmudar's Bhagavad Gita & Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 15 Sept, 2024