Summary:

Chapter 2, Verse 26: Even if you view Self (ātman) as going through birth and death (nitya-jātam), grief is still inappropriate. Because force of destruction is essential for life's progression – from cellular renewal to brain development, natural cycles, and life stages. Without destruction, growth, evolution, and new opportunities would be impossible. One must transform their relationship with destruction from fear to objective understanding, recognizing its indispensable role. Verse essence: Even if you see the Self as constantly dying and being reborn, grieving is unnecessary as destruction enables renewal.

Chapter 2, Verse 27: Birth inevitably leads to death and death leads to rebirth. This cycle is governed by cause and effect, like the relationship between seed and tree. Rather than resisting the unalterable past, one should focus on constructive next steps. Giving oneself permission to move forward. Verse essence: Birth and death are inevitable certainties, so grieving over the unchangeable past is futile.

Revision:

Vedanta as a Methodology

Vedanta functions as a precise means of knowledge (pramana), similar to mathematics teaching. Just as mathematical understanding requires more than memorization, Vedanta provides a methodology for deep comprehension. This manifests through the concept of Satya-Mithya, where wherever there is Mithya (apparent reality), that's where Satya (absolute reality) is found.

The Nature of Awareness

Awareness is acintya – unthinkable and indescribable as an object. Questions like “What's it like to be enlightened?” or “What's it like to know the self?” are fundamentally erroneous because they presuppose awareness is an object that can be described or experienced. Such questions expect the respondent to describe something that cannot be objectified. Awareness is not something to be experienced but is rather the illuminator of all experience. It is avikara (unchanging) and always present as the revealer of experience, including thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Even a supposedly enlightened person cannot answer “What's it like to be liberated”, because awareness is not a state or experience – it is that in which all states and experiences appear.

Direct vs Indirect Knowledge

A crucial distinction exists between aparoksha jnanam (direct knowledge) and paroksha jnanam (indirect knowledge). The durian fruit example illustrates this – one can have indirect knowledge about durian without experiencing it, but awareness is always aparoksha – directly known. Unlike objects that can be known indirectly, awareness is self-evident and always present.

Intelligence in Manifestation

Intelligence (Ishvara) manifests as everything in creation (time, space, laws and objects). So everything in creation is bubbling with intelligence. For example, a tree isn't merely a collection of atoms. The tree knows how to conduct photosynthesis, converting sunlight into energy. This process requires intricate knowledge of both the tree's internal systems and the sun's properties. Meaning whatever has knowledge of the tree, must also have knowledge of the sun. Otherwise the tree wouldn't know how to take advantage of the sun.  Additionally, the tree must know about the animals and plants that will depend on it, containing intelligence how to produce fruits that can be digested by various species.

Another example is the water cycle. A system is made to purify salty-undrinkable water of the oceans. Once it evaporates, by help help of the sun, and condenses and rains, the water finds it's way back thousands of miles, to the oceans. This way the Oceans remain full. The whole thing is already planned out.

Furthermore, when examining anything in creation, the smaller you get, the more everything becomes the same. For example, at level of forms, so much difference. But at level of atoms, the world is basically the same (all made of atoms). At level of intelligence, the only statement you can make is, “All that is here is Ishvara (intelligence)”.

BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 26:
Embracing Law of Destruction

अथ च एनम् नित्य-जातम् नित्यम् वा मन्यसे मृतम् ।
तथा अपि त्वम् महा-बाहो न एनम् शोचितुम् अर्हसि ॥ २-२६॥
atha ca enam nitya-jātam nityam vā manyase mṛtam ।
tathā api tvam mahā-bāho na enam śocitum arhasi ॥ 2-26॥

And if you take this (ātman) to have constant birth and death, even then, Arjuna, the mighty armed! you ought not to grieve (for the ātman) in this manner.

The Self and the Body-Mind Complex

If it's difficult to understand that the Self is free of your body-mind, subject to nitya-jātam (constant rebirth), and you still take your body-mind as “I”, even then grieving won't change the fact that the body is designed to go through 6 changes.

Changing Relationship to the Force of Destruction

The way to remove grief is by changing your relationship to the force of destruction – from fear to objectivity. Fear comes from uncertainty, not knowing what will come tomorrow. This involves…

Inquiring into the Force of Destruction

Inquire into the force of destruction, seeing its indispensability. Imagine a world without it:

• There would be overpopulation
• We couldn't rid ourselves of old ideas
• We couldn't move on from hurt
• There would be no new opportunities

Examples of the Necessity of Destruction

1. Birth and Growth: Imagine you're born, without the force of destruction. You'd never grow. It removes old cells, giving way to new.
2. Brain Development: Your brain hasn't fully developed until 18-21. It needs destruction.
3. Natural Cycles: Without the force of destruction, there would be no day/night, seasons, and no food (as it couldn't grow).
4. Life Stages: It gives way to Brahmacharya (education), Grhasta (householder), Vanaprastha (retired), and Sannyasa (inquiring into reality).
5. Relationships: They evolve from a cycle of honeymoon, sexual tension, to comfort to growth.

If You Don't Want the Force of Destruction

Suppose you decide you want things to stop – it won't happen because the world doesn't work per your fancies, but by infallible laws which have been operating for millennia. If it were possible, you wouldn't be able to speak, as silence would never go to give way to your words.

Summary: Embracing the Force of Destruction

Change Your Relationship

Change your attitude. Recognize that you need this force of destruction to evolve. Your life begins to flow, as you're not resisting realities. If you're resisting, it manifests as pessimism, and no one wants to be around such a person.

Befriend the Force of Destruction

Ask it for help. For example:

• • If you want to destroy things in your life you don't want, then turn to prayer. “Lord, Help me get rid of my sadness, anger, judging”.
  • If someone has hurt or dismissed you and you'd like that hurt to go away, prayer needs to be followed up by your own actions, such as:
    1. Reinterpreting the situation
    2. Recognizing the person operates from their own pain
    3. Recognizing others love(d) you
    4. Recognizing that person and/or you lacked the facts which produced the distortion

Ask Shiva (Force of Destruction)

Ask for help to remove erroneous notions making you unable to own up that moksha is the simple understanding, “I am this ordinary Awareness, always available, in whose presence sights, sounds, tastes, colors, worries, aspirations, joys and sorrows are taking place all day long”.

NEXT VERSE: So Arjuna, convert your grief of loss into bringing the force of destruction…

BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 27:
The Cycle of Birth and Death

जातस्य हि ध्रुवः मृत्युः ध्रुवम् जन्म मृतस्य च ।
तस्मात् अपरिहार्ये अर्थे न त्वम् शोचितुम् अर्हसि ॥ २-२७॥
jātasya hi dhruvaḥ mṛtyuḥ dhruvam janma mṛtasya ca ।
tasmāt aparihārye arthe na tvam śocitum arhasi ॥ 2-27॥

For that which is born, death is certain and for that which is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, you ought not to grieve over that which cannot be altered.

The Inevitability of Death and Rebirth

• jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyuḥ: That which is born, has to go.
• dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya: And that which is gone, will come again.

Therefore, there is a cycle of birth and death, ending and starting.

Explanation of Reincarnation

Causes give rise to future births. Anything in the world has this relationship. For example, a tree is connected to a seed, and a seed is connected to the next tree. If this is the case, we can't say “What I, the doer/enjoyer am doing now, won't have a future impact on the doer/enjoyer”.

Acceptance of the Unalterable Past

tasmāt aparihārye arthe na tvam śocitum arhasi: Therefore grieve not for the unalterable past. Because majority of life goes into non-acceptance of the past (resisting things that have already happened). This leads to being troubled/anxious/tense constantly! Acceptance doesn't mean becoming passive. But first acknowledge “this has happened, it is producing discomfort in my life”. Then ask, “What can I do next?”. You have to give yourself permission to fix the situation and move on. Life won't magically give you permission. You go first. 

NEXT VERSE: Arjuna, grieve not, because there's no real death because…

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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 3 Nov, 2024