VedantaBites

  The Bhagavad Gita Starts with the word Dharma and ends with Mama . Hence, the essence of the Gita is My Dharma Krishna is referred as Madhusudana which means: One who destroys your consequences of action ( Karma Phala )  He also killed a Demon named Madhu Bhagavad Gita teaches us the difference between Standard of Living vs   Standard of Life

 Table of Contents - Chapter 2    For best view in Mobile, turn to landscape mode. In the previous verse Bhagavan Krishna teaches Arjuna to be able to endure extreme opposites with calm. Healthy Mind is secret of Life - Swami Shantanandaji of Chinmaya Mission A deeper definition of Unreal would be that:  It's something that did not exist in the past and will not exist in the future.  It may exist now.  It's always time bound.  Every material objects around us has a self-life.   Let's take the example of the Car from above.  I own a Car, it's a 2025 model.  This means the Car did not exist prior to it's manufacture.  I may drive this Car for 10 years or 15 years but eventually the Car will stop working and I have to get a new Car.  Or if the Car is damaged beyond repair in an accident, it may have to be sent to Junk yard and eventually recycled.  Therefore, the Car I have now is temporary. This concept can be applied t...

     Table of Contents - Chapter  2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode Link to Verse 14 If we were to do Sadhana to split the mind and the Self and pull the Self above the mind and hence develop endurance to pair of opposites........ A questions comes in Madhusudana's Gudhartha Gita - Is Mind and the Self different from each other?  The experience and feelings are of the Mind , where is the Self then? If Mind + Self is a package that makes us, are we stuck?  Mind will always have attachment and the Self will try to liberate.  This is in fact the Battel of Kurukshetra that's going in the background of each and every human.   Swami Chinmayananda's Holy Geeta: Through the Geeta, our poet-seer Vyasa is making Lord Krishna declare that the purpose of life for every one is the attainment of Perfection and to evolve one must make use of every little chance in one's allotted span of life. This is continued in the next verse with the c...

  Vivekavani Gitajourney The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda Bhagavad Gita by Madhusudana Sarasvati Dnyaeshwari in English  My notes from Various Bhagavad Gita Satsangs Notes from Swami Shantanandaji Satsang (Head of CMW) Swami Shantanandaji Bhagavad Gita week in Jan 2025 Self Study and Mannanam and personal experience  Table Of Contents Table of Contents - Chapter 1  Table of Contents - Chapter 2

   Table of Contents - Chapter  2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode What's the benefit with this high endurance to Heat and Cold?   Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda in his Holy Geeta talks about this verse by saying, we do not experience by our sense organs but through our sense organs.  External objects (including other humans) can make us happy or annoyed as these experiences are only modification of the mind.   The same object or person can give different experiences to different people.  My best friend could the most annoying person to my other friend.  How is that the two people I click with so much would have so much of a mismatch?  Bhagavan Krishan says, it's because of our mental composition. Even with this difference, we need to understand that all these are temporary and shall pass .  What is forever is the Self.  Also Bhagavan has introduced the concept of Titisksha or Endurance. Since the likes-dislikes, ...

 Table of Contents - Chapter  2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode What is the distinguishing factor between I, Me, and Mine ?  I is the "Self" and everything else is my or mine.  My hands, my face, my eyes.   We don't say I eyes need glasses - we say my eyes need glasses We don't say I house - we say My house We don't say my remember - we say I remember Everything that is my and mine is not permanent BUT everything that is I is Permanent. In the example above, as the child passes through various stages, the body grows leaving the previous body behind.  Each stage is reached by death of the previous stage.  But one thing does not die.  What is that entity that makes this person remember the events of childhood?  The child body is no longer, but the memory can be very vivid.  This entity called the Eternal Self is what Bhagavan Krishna talking about.  This Eternal Self leaves the Body with it's memories and im...

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to landscape mode In the Plastic Bottle to Plastic Spoon example above the Plastic never changed it's property.  It just changed the form and name and it's usage.  Here, the I The Self can be compared to Plastic.  I am born as a female, I live a full life.  Die one day.  Then I may come back as a male in the next birth or an animal, who knows!!  The point is that I The Self (Plastic) is the same, even though it may not look like that from the surface. Takeaway is that when we Face a Situation in life, instead of emotion taking over, we should strive to think objectively.  Verse 13 How can the Self Be Separate from the Body? Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

 Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode It is said by many great commentators of Gita that the actual teaching starts from this verse and the entire message of the Gita is embedded in this verse (sloka).  Hence, this verse (sloka) is referred as the BIJA (seed) verse of the Bhagavad Gita. In the present day, the Human race has accomplished great advancement in many areas!!  There is  artificial intelligence and automation everywhere.   It should be understood that nothing can replace built in natural intelligence in all living creatures (plants/animals/humans).   Each and every human has a unique mind and intellect that acts according to its own experiences and traits.  Logic and reasoning should be used for decision making which is unique to each human being. Bhagavan starts by explaining the basics. Existence ( Sat ), Consciousness ( Chit ), and Bliss ( Ananda ) are built in to each and every human b...

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode The Chariot Symbolism:   Arjuna dropping his weapons and sitting back on the floor of the Chariot with Bhagavan Krishna as the Charioteer holding the reins of the horses tied to the Chariot has been interpreted as a symbolism of our Body and Mind.    Direct quote from The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda (our Gurudev). The Ego (Arjuna) with confusion sits back in the Body (Chariot) after throwing all egocentric activities (his Bow).  The sense organs (White Horses) are held back well under control by the pulled in rains (The Mind).  Then the Charioteer (Pure Intellect) would lend to the Ego a Divine strength and guide it to the ultimate victory over the forces of Adharma with the help of Dharma.  Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode The mind is constantly playing games with us.   It's easier said than done.  One can gain the knowledge of how mind works but then to put the knowledge in use takes years of practice.  The scriptures say that it takes multiple births to have this mind control. Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For Best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode. Click here for the Video At this point, Arjuna realizes that he is no position to make a clean judgement call and needs help.  This is an important turning point in the entire discourse as Bhagavan Krishna now gives him the  life support. Madhusudana Sarasvati in Gudhartha Gita --> The word Karpanyam  means greedy.  Here, it refers to Arjuna's ( and the Arjuna in us) toxic attachment with people and things.  We are so greedy that we are terrified even with the thought of losing them.  Arjuna had to kill them!! Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode Continuing with the example from previous verse : You are the captain of your team and in  dilemma.  No matter who is on the opposing team, you are committed to your team.  All players on your team look up to you.   The right action is to play your best regardless of the outcome of the match. Arjuna's mind had gotten in reverse.  The paragraph below is from The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda.  I have summarized it to one short paragraph. Our mind kind of works like an assembly line.  It receives information as stimuli through the external sense organs (eyes, ears etc.) and passes them to the intellect for processing and decision.  Intellect processes them and passes it back to the mind to take action through the organs of action (hands, legs etc.). But if mind is agitated and deluded, this synchronization is broken and mind by passes the intellect and mak...

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape mode We face this question "should I do it or not do it?" day in-out.   Should I tell my neighbor to turn down the music at night?  What if he feels bad? Should I tell my Boss that one of her habit is really annoying? Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

 Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, please turn to Landscape Mode It is estimated that around 4 million gathered to fight the war.  Kaurava army had about 2.5 Million and Pandava army had about 1.5 Million.  (This is a round up figure.  The numbers may vary in various references).  Arjuna was one of the 4 Million.  The war was a fight between Justice & Injustice (Dharma & Adharma).  In this scenario, it is not right for Arjuna to call the shots to withdraw from the War.   Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to Landscape Mode Takeaway: When someone who is best among the best, gets into a state of complete mental breakdown, words of friendship, softness, or sympathy will not get the person out of that state.  A jolt of equal intensity is needed to shake up the person from that state. Swami Chinmayananda's commentary on the Holy Geeta: Arjuna is called Eunuch which mainly refers to the six characteristics that he has and now lost it. Fearlessness, Daring, Enthusiasm, Right decision, Power, and Heroism It should also be understood that Eunuch is referred to his mental state which is not masculine enough to get up and fight or feminine enough with soft compassion. In my opinion, Arjuna was in a complete mess and needed clean up!!  Table of Contents - Chapter 1 References

  Table of Contents - Chapter 2 For best view in Mobile, turn to landscape mode Takeaway: When one is distressed to the extent that he/she is unable to even understand the reality and goes into a panic zone, the well wisher need to shake this person out of the zone.  Kind words will not work.   It's called tough Love.  It's a very common practice for Coaches in professional teams to be rough and tough with the players at the critical time of a match.   It is also common for people to go into this numb state when something  unexpected happen.  A mother upon losing a child may not accept the fact that the child is dead.  She may talk to the lifeless body of the child.  Thinking the child is asleep.  At that point, no matter how insensitive it may sound,  a true well wisher would shake up the mother and bring her to reality that the child is dead!! Such was the state of Arjuna and he had the perfect Coach!! Table of Contents ...