Video 32

32. Bhagavad Gita l Chapter 3 Verses 19-21 l Swami Sarvapriyananda

they were on and krishnam vande age so we were in the third chapter of the bhagavad-gita a couple of verses which we did last time let's chant them together I have a few comments on those before we move on this is chapter 3 verse number 17 17 and 18 yes - at Meriter I was shot yes - at Moretti rivas odd Atma trip - jimana Atma trip - c'mon admony virtuous and touched harmony was untouched the sakaram Naveed dirty Guardian Naveed dirty na watashi o are too naive etosha retain auto knock retaining a question mushiya sarva bhuteshu natassja serve booth issue khurshid akhtar via shreya Garciaparra verse 17 means the person who delights only in the Atman that is our real self in pure consciousness who is entirely satisfied with your consciousness the real self is entirely contented in the Atman so three words who delights in who is satisfied with and who is contented with the Atman within that person has no duties to perform that is the seventeenth verse 18th birthdays such a person has nothing to gain by action or anything - or nothing to lose by inaction in the world such a person does not depend on any being for for anything there's no purpose for which that person will depend on anything or any person anything in the world so this is the what is what's being talked about first of all it does not directly apply to most of us here unless you are enlightened already it's talking about the perfected state of Jeevan Mukta an enlightened person but it's worth considering what looking into see at the beginning of spiritual life as we begin to understand this higher quest spiritual quest there is a tendency to withdraw from action this vide roll from action is called never T that means circling inwards when I run out into the world to get things objects money achievement learning Fame relationships when I'm running out into the world I want I want that is called profit t probability means circling outwards moving outwards from the center and that privately can be of two types it can be hard might can be a dharma in the sense it can it can there can be moral action or one might do that immorally also it can be moral or immoral and there one must know what is right and what is wrong and try to do what is right and avoid that which is wrong but and never et this inwards withdrawal from worldly action when we realize that the reality is not to be attained in the world true peace lasting joy overcoming of suffering is not possible through poverty by being engaged in the world the immediate tendencies to withdraw I don't really need these things so why should I do these things let me be drawn and that's exactly what Arjuna was doing see when he heard about Vedanta in the second chapter that the Atman is beyond any action it is pure consciousness pure being his immediate reaction was good that's what I want so I don't want to fight this stupid war I don't want to be involved in all of this now the truth is that door never et a spiritual withdrawal is almost almost inevitable in any spiritual path in the path of service karma yoga when karma becomes Karma Yoga our activity our being scattered in many fold worldly activities reduces to certain service activities I am working for the welfare of others I'm working as a service in devotion to God and what about the hundred other things you are involved with earlier I don't want them anymore I have nothing really to gain from them so activity is reduced in bhakti-yoga my affections were scattered among so many people and things in places and actually objects in the world and activities in the world my affections are now pulled back from all of that and focused only on God again you see withdrawal and it's most evident in Raja yoga when my mind was scattered in a thousand things I used to think about so many things about the world wanting something being anxious about our other things being fearful about something hoping about something else remembering things about so many things and people and places and activities in the world that's the mind turned outwards or everything but in Raja yoga what happens the path of meditation all of that has to be turned inwards I focus in button whatever your method of meditation whatever you method out meditation you focus on the Easter day without the chosen idea focus on on the visualization of a deity you focus on the in-breath and the out-breath even the witness meditation let the mind run as it will there it doesn't nobody ever tells you let the mind run and run as it will and that's the end of it no you are the witness if you flow away with the mind and it's not meditation so whatever form of meditation it still withdrawal notice then all spirituality definitely begins with a kind of a draw kind of stepping back from whether it's the path of action path of devotion path of meditation but the path of knowledge points out something very vital neither action nor inaction neither privately nor never et is the reality the reality is beyond action and inaction it is beyond privity and everything that unattached pure consciousness which is alike the witness of all our activities and the witness of our inactivity which in itself has no connection with activity or inactivity that pure consciousness is the truth the way of knowledge tells us that and that pure consciousness that Atman our real self underlies all our activities worldly activities and spiritual activities it underlies all our engagement with the world and withdrawal from the world all our probability and every in itself it's neither gravity not everyday it's always there that is something to be understood probability walking running that is moving action sitting down in action speaking action keeping silent in action eating action fasting in action waking will be action there deep sleep in action in all of these cases this is private tea and everything the Atman is the same everywhere that has to be understood otherwise in the path of Indian spiritual path it's often the attraction of nudity in worldliness private taste attraction in worldliness also there is never a teen activity that's called laziness couch potato that is thomas ik spiritual seeker genuine spiritual seekers do try to withdraw from the world and that's good to a certain stepping back is necessary but always to keep in mind so in all of this to keep in mind that reality which you are seeking call it God call it the Atman call it the absolute whatever you call it on the emptiness the food systems in this clear light of the void whatever you call it is beyond activity and inactivity it's beyond both it's only then that pure consciousness the Atman becomes identified with a body mind then the two divisions become clear activity and inactivity as such for the Atman there is no activity or inactivity but when you become identified when I'm identified and I limited to this body mind as we are as we are identified with this I think I am this then clearly there is activity and inactivity these two divisions become very clear notice action and inaction karma and a karma provision everything both are actually action until we are enlightened until we realize ourselves as the transcendent consciousness until that as long as we think of ours as this being body mind thoughts emotions then whatever happens is action is within the realm of action eating is action what about fasting its action you already know too much way Dante me know fasting is not eating how can not eating the inaction you're not doing anything I was in action but fasting is an action it requires effort it's deliberate it's consciously done in Indian languages suppose bengali cut chi means eating it's a verb oopah wash gucci if you translate I am doing fasting look at the do verb they're psychologically if you look at it even sitting quietly and in meditation seems the most inactive thing ever that's also action it's taking a lot of effort especially for restless people yeah takes a lot of effort apparently nothing is happening that's also something happening that's action I saw this cartoon once meditation teacher is teaching the stability in student the teacher is sitting like this student is sitting and student is looking like this at the teacher what what next and the teacher is also looking at the student this is it nothing happens that's it but that's also action action and inaction both erection also one more thing to be noted the entire range of action and inaction including all spiritual practices up to the highest nirvikalpa samadhi the entire range is within Maya in Bengali Salaam Krishna's to see my aura laka the area the kingdom of Maya the area it's within the boundaries of Maya within even difficult for Samadhi so why how do you know the highest Samadhi is within my why do you say that because it has a beginning an incident you put in a lot of effort to reach that state are you always in the vehicle personality of course somebody else might do but I am NOT I am working towards it towards high meditative States if you're working towards it it's something that is produced it's still within action and still within Maya only Atman or Brahman the absolute is beyond Maya so that's another point we have to keep in mind another point about action and inaction this identification of the body with the with the Atman its identification means only because of ignorance I do not know what I really am so I think I am this body mind this identification is always involved with selfishness there is an amount there is some kind of selfish motive always involved in action most cases something it could be a gross thing like let me have you know pleasures in the world of fun in the world or money in the world or you know just a party in the world that could that's action there was New Year's Eve midnight run that's action that's physical action outside or it could be that I am just let me sit quietly I want peace of mind I want peace of mind that's also the kind of there's a there's a selfish motive for me it's involves a good motive but it's still involved in there's a little bit of selfish motive is involved the person they are talking about here the enlightened person has no selfish motive the moment we realize we are the Atman forever beyond action and inaction all selfishness disappears and therefore therefore the activity of such a person is unselfish all the action that originates from an enlightened being is unselfish no not for the sake of that particular body and mind some of it may be natural feeling hunger eating but generally the action that they deliberately undertake is for the welfare of others is a blessing to others that's one one thing to understand the verse is the stur karyam Naveed deity in 17th verse number 17 for the person who's enlightened who has who delights in the pure consciousness who is completely centered and stable in the pure consciousness for that person there is no it says there's no further duty karyam the word carrier means in transcript of their karma the thing which has to be done thing which is our duty to do the duty that we have to perform for such a person there's no more duty who has duty who has duty when sadhu Rams of dusty here he put it this way though the person who has likes and dislikes I want this I do not want this Duty comes in there it tells you that which of those likes are our moral ethical good which of those dislikes our moral ethical good and which are not so you have to filter our likes and dislikes through the prism of morality to through the prism of duty to know what is right and wrong likes and dislikes if you have likes and dislikes there is duty if there is a clinging to life I must remain like this then there is duty if there is fear of death there is duty but for this person is enlightened person who does not have likes and dislikes for this person all of this is either the play of Maya or it is all Brahman what will you like and what will you dislike whom to like and whom to despise which condition of life is nice and which condition of life is bad because it's all one may be a tragedy one may be a comedy but both are movies in one sense you have no preference the two it's more it's not really true that the tragedy is horrible and the comedy is wonderful in fact from an artistic perspective a particular comedy may be horrible and a particular tragedy might be beautiful you might say because the crucial thing is both are movies that's very important the reality is untouched by them then it doesn't matter if it's a tragedy or a comedy not in real life though real life look at the words real life if real life becomes the Atman is pure consciousness then the move this life becomes a movie then you have no more clinging to life we never think let the movie go on and on and on forever that would be horrible it must come to an end even the best one and you're okay with that there is no fear of death the terror the movie is going to end no if it's all that if you like it all that much you can come back for the next show and if you're a resident and you do come back for the next show there's this cartoon I saw which said an Indian guy talking to an American get the American guys says that look I'm a born-again Christian and Indian guy says well I'm a born again and again and again and again see if you like the show so much you can come back for it you can you can take up you can come back for a repeat show as much as many times as you like so the enlightened person has neither clinging to life nor fear of death death is death of the body has no particular likes and dislikes all is divinity to that person there's no particular selfish motive involved there in the actions of this person see in our own body tarantulas he was a vicious dog waiting for from that perspective the divinity is one organic unity we are all parts of God in which she stood right evident so the example he gave is from that perspective he said in this body look at how the organs cooperate with each other so when you are washing hands when this hand washes the other hand there is no question of I want something from you there's no question of ego see I'm doing so much for you no it's part of the same thing you have a sense of unity with it and there is there is no ego of the sense that I am doing something there is no question of asking for something in return there is no say fishness involved in all of this action exactly like that for the enlightened person all the activities of this particular body and mind is for the welfare of the entire divinity which is present all around whatever they can do their actions their words their thoughts also you're always well wishes for everybody but Cruz now you might say this is an enlightened person not me well if I'm going to be enlightened one day these are practices for me that which comes naturally to the enlightened person are practices for me long ago in the second chapter when we are studying their Shankar Acharya in one of the places he comments that what is the use about stud what is the use of studying about enlightened people one uses whatever are the natural characteristics of enlightened people what who might we might call saints or Jeevan Muktha or Bodhisattvas or whatever those are practices for the rest of us we try to emulate we try to be like that today it's not relevant really but today I was reading a nice article on existence realism very nicely a philosopher professor it's sort of a turning of a kind of change in the wave of thought this he's a professional philosopher and he says how this person became a philosopher an academician he says he was a boxer and a philosopher and bad at both so he was very unhappy rights in that article he's very unhappy and he had decided to kill himself to commit suicide and he's sitting in a coffee shop and on table there was this book it's a book by the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard Soren Kierkegaard yeah he's a like a the existentialist before exist any list where exist initially see was an existential that way so he's a Christian existentialist so there when he reads this book he immediately feels that there is some higher purpose in life it's not little ups and downs of life really don't matter and that higher purpose is deep within us it's our own real nature which we are seeking so he says he he actually stole the book he put it under his to her and he took it and he read the book and he says it saved his life and he went back to both boxing and philosophy so now he's a philosophy professor and he's too old to box but he's a boxing coach also why am I saying this okay in that article later on he says in modern thought it is fashionable it is the style to be suspicious of everything it is starts from Nietzsche it's called the hermeneutics of suspicion we talk about any kind of ideal unselfishness enlightenment spirituality and the hermeneutics of suspicion is look closer there's something else behind it it's just a mask your people are showing to you for anything higher Noble the ideas to deconstruct it and find something behind it which is almost inevitably nasty and low that is the style and this is the trend of academics all across the modern world now many people don't know why they do it because the whole idea often of writing an academic paper academic paper I'm talking about that and the humanities the whole idea of often writing an academic paper is to expose something is to show how horrible things are and many people who have learned this from the professors they called it goes under the name of critical thinking generally critical thinking is supposed to if you show critical thinking shows you something nice and high then you're made a mistake you're not academic enough if to show it's nasty something is nasty there so person is unselfish dedicates all his or her life to the baby taking care of the poor or the homeless well dig deeper find out what happened in that person's childhood maybe the person was not a success a loser at school or something like that now once recognition from others and is doing it this way so really the person is not concerned about the homeless of the poor really the person wants recognition from everybody else aha we've got him now and this philosopher he says when the point I'm making is not this the philosopher was written this article I liked it so much in the end he says one let's deconstruct the deconstructionist s' one reason it's so popular to do this is once I show that behind every noble thing is something ignoble then it saves me the effort of being noble myself I need not follow any ideal in life I can go on doing exactly what I please because all ideals are false anyway and I can show you be clever and he says that's disastrous some an idealist like Kierkegaard saved my life just by reading a few pages of his book you can deconstruct that also but all right yes so these are some of the comments I wanted to make about these two verses next verse number 19 the small receptor satatam the smaller scepter satatam Guardium karma samachar Guardium karma sama Chara esatto Shirin karma esatto Sharon karma para mop naughty Purusha para mop no t Purusha therefore always perform action without attachment do the thing which has to be done without attachment attachment to the results working thus in an unattached wait in a detached way you attain the highest that means perfection enlightenment whatever you call it God realization Nirvana whatever you call it in this way if you live if you act in this way this verse actually brings to a conclusion a topic that was started long ago in the second chapter the famous verse on Karma Yoga Carmindy Vedika rostam awfully ashoka dakshana 47th verse that the topic of karma yoga how to trap transform my day-to-day actions into spiritual action why do you have to transform my day-to-day action to spiritual action otherwise there is a sharp division between what is spiritual and what is secular let it be let there be a sharp division usually there is so this is the church and this is the state this is secular and this is sacred this is meditation that's work this is God and that's the world it's good to begin with but it's not a good place to be in as we go on in life why because the demands of the world are so strong you have a job and you have people to take care of I don't you take care of me but you guys have to go out there and and you have to do all of this and it leaves so little time and energy for spiritual practice one of my brother monks is is humorous he has a sort of biting sense of humor so he was giving a talk once he used to work with with the Swami's who helped our President and vice-presidents who give initiation mantra diksha so when you take initiation there's certain things that you have to answer some like a questionnaire is filled up you have to submit certain details about yourself so one of the questions he said one of the questions when you fill up a form about your mantra initiation is will you be able to do the mantra the Jabba daily and he says that all all of you you all right yes so boldly sometimes so big it goes out of the line this way and that which spills over yes I will be able to do it and he says unfortunately that boldness and that confidence disappears in after initiation and after that you come and say you know Swami it is so much work is hardly any time for spiritual practice yes there is time for eating there is time for everything else but there's no time for spiritual practice why there's a reason when I make a division between what is spiritual and what is secular that what that which is secular takes up so much time energy and attention that the spiritual part of it diminishes there is not enough time left over there's not enough energy left over and its importance diminishes this world why is it so because we take this world to be real we are in a position where we take this to be real and what is spiritual is still pretty theoretical it's a matter of what I have read what I have heard what I believe in do you know it to be true that God exists right now do you feel the presence of God and at all times it's difficult but do you know that the world is real yes do you feel the presence of the world yes all the time yes effortlessly yes I have to put in a lot of effort to shut the world out the world the world comes in effortlessly if it's the other way around the presence of God is effortless all the time without any effort it's always there then spiritual practice is no problem at all it's automatic but now it's the opposite since now it's the opposite you have to look at what you are doing in the world outside not just you as - I remember one of my brother monks went to the Swami sometimes we take a break from ashram work we go up to the mountains to meditate and so and so forth so one of my brother monks went to the head Swami Swami I want to go up to the Himalayas to meditate I want to do tapasya at about seven spiritual practice and this one will look puzzled and what have you been doing here easy the be answer who but here is a school or a hospital or a temple or a store or bookstore or something like that what's what's playing in my mind it's work that's worship this is work that same division is carried on and it's it's there's nothing to blame it's natural for us we fall into the same trap so many funny memories come from my early monastic days one novice was there Brahmachari that means a beginner like I was also began at that time and this person was very simple a village lad but quick to get angry so you're sitting in the his duty was to sit in the bookstore and sell the books there there were spiritual books in the ashram he's sitting there and these people come visitors and they say lots of things you know so these visitors are standing there in his earshot they didn't know whom they were opening their mouths before they said oh these monks also do business you know they're also in Hindi it sounds worse in Hindi it's a doobie business cut time this ad is also doing business and this brahmacari he was so quick to you know a quick temper said what you saying I am doing business here because it for him it's curvy of a spiritual practice using and I'm here to do business and when he would get furious he would fold this dhoti in half and slap his thighs that's that's the traditional Indian wrestling stance and then he jumps up on the table and these two visitors are so terrified and they fell at his feet mahadji this is Osso swami forgive us a kromagg is your mahadji so it's not work it's actually supposed to be spiritual practice another monk I know who was a great meditator who was very well known for from very early in the morning evenings it would like sit ramrod straight and still like a statue and meditate for hours on end now in his meditation time in the evening he was given the duty of looking after the children who are studying so the kids are studying and there has to be someone to monitor the whole thing it's a school a boarding school we wondered how this monk would react because it's his meditation time so he was to do that that work in his meditation time one day at 'no i still remember so clearly we were walking with that monk at at night after food and he said you know and he is senior to me he said you know we should hope this work that I'm doing I find it I get the same joy out of it as meditation it's just work for me but he says I get the same feeling out of it as meditation I thought he was exaggerating I mean we all know the theory karma yoga is also supposed to be spiritual work so it's a spiritual practice and suppose you're supposed to be you know get a sublime elevated feeling out of it it mind becomes calm and quiet I thought use this giving me the theory but he meant it he actually felt it so work is to be spiritual eyes my brother monk who went to ask for a break and go off to the Himalayas and do spiritual practices quote-unquote so he got the scolding of his life the head monk said what have you been doing here so many years if all the spiritual practice is what you do have once in the morning and once in the evening half of which you're dozing you're supposed to be meditating if that's your only spiritual practice and the rest of it is not spiritual practice then you're a vagabond so our activity has to be converted into spiritual practice and that verse 47 verse of second chapter very famous verse garment near where the car is tells us how to do it Garmin Nevada car st you have the right to the action alone what is right before you think to be done you have the right to do that Marple a shock reduction not to the results there off our eyes are usually on the results somebody joked for every ethical action we don't want to do the action what we want to get the result and for every unethical action bad action evil action we want to do the action but not get the result of that the result of unethical action is pain and suffering and punishment Garmendia vatican esteem ma Felicia Kardashian you have no right to the results the results will come as a as a combination of many factors your work no doubt but your past karma God's grace societal factors many things are behind it you work for the sake of work then the third thing it is said in that verse is ma karma fella hater who do not be motivated into action forth forgetting things from out of it your right is to the action not to not do the things which you get out of it and then finally krishna knows our our psychology when we are told these things then Easter no but then I won't do anything if I'm not going to get anything out of it alright and I'd rather relax so the last part of the verse is mati is Angus to occur money to not be attached to inaction as either always work that same thing has been said here in verse number 19 the smart-ass octa being detached so totem karyam karma samachar keep on working what work whatever is to be done in your life whatever is right whatever is your duty in in your job in your community in your family what is right why don't people do what is right the only reason is wrong adoration likes and dislikes our minds are conditioned to chase after pleasure to avoid the unpleasant and so if chasing after pleasure means I have to overstep the bounds of duty by bounds of morality I'll do it because I can't resist it if doing the right thing means it's unpleasant hard work boring work won't do it because it's hard work boring or even though it's the thing to do so the reversal is doesn't matter what gives me pleasure or does not give me pleasure what is right do that there's so much discussion about this in ethics there is the teleological theory of ethics there is a utilitarian theory of ethics there is the entre deontological theory of ethics all big words nothing very deep in them but it might sound scary I was there for whole course on these subjects only professor Robert Jason who is a Nobel Prize winner in economics he was teaching this at Harvard dis and I was sort of an auditor I was to sit and listen there would be other professors there were three professors in from Harvard who are teaching this course on ethics why should we do what should be done what should be done one says whatever maximizes welfare whatever maximum what is welfare satisfaction whatever maximize your satisfaction do that so yeah that means I will do whatever makes and maximizes my happiness no no no the wrinkle there the little fine print there is whatever maximizes the satisfaction of everybody in the community that you have to do the utilitarian approach there's another approach the deontological approach which says not what maximizes utility or satisfaction do what is right don't do what is wrong how do you know what is right that which is your duty you have to do that what is our duty deontology means duty to do your duty how do you know what is your duty now that depends what is the law is your duty what your religion tells you whatever you believe it it's your religion tells you that's a duty what your conscience tells you that's the duty it could differ well these are different approaches to tell us what is right and what is wrong so what is right do that cut terbium karyam karma samara and that also do it without without expectation of personal benefit without an axe to grind you wouldn't believe the amount of certain hair-splitting discussions that went on oh I heard a nice quote which I can share with you we have this phrase hair-splitting discussion very subtle distinctions so one of the professor's there is Howard this time he said the finer the hair the more important it is to split it so right and wrong let me just share it's sort of tangential but if I tell the story I'll remember the story otherwise I'll forget tangential to this but it's interesting so I was in this class this semester and the discussion was on ethics on right and wrong and it's not all the tangential because the topic of discussion was the bhagavad-gita now there is a famous experiment in ethics called the trolley problem those of you have studied [Music] ethics utilitarianism especially you know there's a trolley problem that this experiment is it's a mental experiment not actually done it would be illegal to do it actually mental is a thought experiment the experiment is this suppose you're standing and there's a trolley running on rails and it's rushing down out of control and you have a lever now you see the way the way the trolleys rushing it will go down this path and kill ten people they don't know that the trolleys rushing towards them but you have the capacity of changing the track if you pull the lever the trolley will go not on this way but on this track and at the end of this track five people are standing they will die but then ten people will be saved what will you do one might say that oh that's pretty easy I have to do something and save these ten people but it just means five people will be killed you can see how that'll be they can make it finer and finer let it be ten people and nine people here and all you might say no my religion my personal belief forbids me from killing anybody I don't know what many things can happen so I will not touch the rear of the lever so different alternatives are possible you will see what what is your answer and how do you back up how do you argue for your answer so that's what they want to see so professor I Madison brought up this but this is Harvard right so very brilliant K people have the kids they're not kids they are it's also it's a graduate seminar so whatever the textbook says and whatever the professor says take it for guaranteed it's strong so they will have to say something that's completely different from it otherwise you can't be there so this student who is sitting next to me said neither of them none of those options are acceptable why no no you have to choose one no neither of them is ethical what is ethical ethical is to look for a better alternative see after all this is supposed to be applied in real life in real life it's not so cut and dried you're really ethical person do you see where is going the really ethical person will look for a better alternative to horrible alternatives by present person's dying 10% staying what sort of ethics is this either way you are a murderer then no I don't agree I look for a better alternative that is the third option and that's what we should look for so and the professor I much the same remember he is above 80 but he's very sharp he understands and he agreed and then he told us the story which I will share with you the story is this it has to do with the Pope so he said let me share a story with you he says many years ago the Pope and then he is cute that we said not this one not the one before him the one before him the Polish one and then somebody had to shout into his ears Pope John Paul the second yes that one he called me and two other economists from Harvard one was Kenneth arrow who was also a Nobel Prize winning economist I don't know if it's at Harvard but anyway he and the third one he refused to name because he's still alive so it's the third one I will go unnamed so three of us were called to the Vatican among many other experts you know the Vatican issues what are called encyclicals that means the Pope's message to the Catholic community and to the world community at large and usually they're written in Latin so this was an encyclical about world poverty and how to deal with poverty and so and so forth john paul ii and professor matheson said we have been consulted about it and this third economist who was going unnamed he caught hold of the pope and he said holy father you must write in that encyclical that capitalism is the only way three market economics is the only way and that you must put it in there in fact legal pope has to say is pope says it's a big bet so that's the only way for welfare of humanity every other system has failed and the pope turned to that economist and caught hold of his hand and he said you know considering the unhappiness that has resulted from unchecked capitalism the unhappiness it has brought to humanity I am sure the Almighty Lord in his compassion and wisdom we'll think of an alternative and then professor Sen said Kenneth arrow was sitting there and there's some coffee table or something like that he wrote on the back of the men menu pop one economists 0 and short like this and then he had a little addition to that story he said the encyclical was issued and actually one of those paragraphs is written by me by professor much the same and he said that I always have it's a source of Solace to me said once if I go to the gates of heaven I'm stopped I will ask I think st. Peters at the gates of heaven alas 10% people look at your papers do you know who wrote that you have to let me in cute story but the point is that yes ethical one must search for the ethical alternative that's that was the idea you don't have to be trapped by the trolley problem it one thing that showed me was it should not be trapped by theories or textbooks should follow your heart and see what and don't be overwrought by Authority they are not we may be over already so Harvard I have Nobel prize-winner but the students they're just the opposite you know nothing you don't know anything and the things they say they say to be did I hope to hope the professor's don't hear it so a shock torture and karma that which is to be done our duty whatever the Duty is do it without attachment the commentators say do it as a worship of God Ishwara rather not them if you have a if you have a belief in God devotion towards God it becomes easier otherwise detached action sounds so dry so what was started in the 47th worst second chapter and it shows them the result of that what what happens 17th and 19th words eighteenth verse and in 19 worse that same what was the 47th verse is repeated so how does one come to this state when you are above all action and inaction when you realize you're delighting in the self you are established in pure consciousness that is the result and how do you do that 19th verse just repeats whatever has been said so far para mop notable Usha attains the highest 28 verse Carmen Eva Hassan's it dim Carmen Eva Hassan's it dim osteogenic osteogenic ah da lucca sangrahani VAR p loca sangrahani VAR p some pasha incur to maha see some passion car to maha see shri krishna's encouraging Arjuna Arjuna may have a doubt that I'm a warrior and what you're telling may apply to some monk or something but this doesn't apply to me then he says look at the Warriors in your own warrior class there was King Janaka and others who are well known in our history that they attained perfection Sun City means perfection they attained perfection through action alone karmana eva through action alone they attained perfection so you also do that the way they did it you should do that and even considering the welfare of the people you should act this is the second thing he says now a couple of points here one is I must add or qualify what I said earlier what did I say earlier the pure consciousness Atman the reality is beyond action and inaction I said that earlier now I'm going to take it back no I'm not going to take it back I'm saying it is beyond that but also imminent in that action and inaction are nothing but the play of consciousness I said pure consciousness is neither action nor near inaction is the witness of both one second statement I'm making now both action and inaction at the play of consciousness I'm in Hindi it has more punch I'm translating what Assad who said it's a very mark magic karma akarma Donaghy a Jaden Cavanaugh say I'm Chaitanya Cavanaugh say they are Willis is a very beautiful world it's like a divine play both are the divine play of consciousness you are that pure consciousness which is expressed in your in your activity which is expressed in your meditation also which is expressed in your waking in your dream and your in your deep sleep in your walking and talking and you're keeping sight as silent and sitting all of them are expressions of the same consciousness okay this point one point to the highest is attained through action this is troublesome for us as means non duelists Abdul Athens Shankara is very clear about this action cannot take you to the highest what can take you to the highest knowledge Shankara is very clear what does action do action can do exactly what has been said earlier it purifies your mind our all our impurities in the mind our selfishness our attachment our hunger in for sense pleasures they are purified mind becomes clear and calm and through meditation that clear and calm mind is focused and through that focused clear in calm mind if you listen to Madonna knowledge comes I am the pure consciousness always was M always will be that is real realization but that realization comes not to the action that comes through knowledge and that knowledge comes through vedanta to come to class not go out and do good works in in society there that is useful as a preparation for coming to class but ultimately knowledge is what gives us enlightenment even the word enlightenment means knowledge basically so when Krishna says by action alone people reach perfection I can immediately see Shankar going or Krishna is messing things up slip of tongue because he's cutting out knowledge here he says by action alone one can reach perfection so what he does is what is perfection but friction is the purity of the mind which prepares you for knowledge so he adds so karmana eva by action alone in his commentary he adds the karmana eva by action alone oh so did wa rana by Butte through the purification of mind para map notice in dim perfection is attained but he adds inserts a clause through the purification of the mind so the purification of the mind is attained through action karma yoga gives you purity of mind but Tioga and Raja will give you concentration of mind and to the pure and concentrated mind Gianni yoga the way of knowledge gives you enlightenment and liberation that's his structure and this verse does violence to a structure so he's immediately up and ready to repair the damage done by Krishna why not what is this what's his problem what's what Shankar Acharya problem why why is he so it is a very deep reason and very valid reason if action leads to perfection suppose you say but friction is not not purification of mind here clearly Krishna is talking about some Sydenham means the ultimate perfection realization Nirvana moksha whatever you call it and he clearly says through action alone they attained perfection why can we not have that so the answer from an athletic perspective is if it is true action then it must be something produced what connection do it can make something it can unmake something Shankar Acharya says four things would path do it can produce a pure you can attain something you took the train and came to the station and you attained the Vedanta Society came here that's also action and then some Scalia you can repair something it needs a coat of paint you do something it refines crude oil made into petroleum and so many products a process of refinement action does that and Vicario you can change one thing into another milk is change into yogurt for example so that's a classic example he uses none of these will give you enlightenment and moksha because all of them are transformable if you attain he says if you produce enlightenment if you attain the ultimate through work then it can change again that which was not and now has been produced by your effort after sometime it can go away inevitably anything that is produced is subject to destruction anything that is that is modified is subject to further modification anything that is refined is subject to deterioration if you make yourself you attain moksha you can lose it also then what's the difference about the path of knowledge the path of knowledge just reveals to you that you are already free moksha is ever attained it's a by knowledge you attain moksha by knowledge within liberation but what kind of knowledge is it knowledge that you are the Atman you were always the Atman you wear always liberated right now you are also liberated you just don't know it enlightenment is just knowing it that which it exists eternally as the very nature of the Atman what is the very nature of the Atman moksha eternal liberation and that's what you already have we just do not know it and the path of knowledge is to reveal that to us and that moksha can never go of it nobody can take it away from you Shankar Acharya says that moksha produced by karma is Vanaja it can be destroyed it can be lost you can attain freedom from the cycle of birth and death and then again come back again what kind of freedom is that even further what Tarakan sadhus will say I agree with them they say even the moksha attained by bhakti is also can be lost and the sadhu said carefully that be careful I'm not saying it will be lost but it can be lost why because it is given to you by God that which is given by a superior power can also be withdrawn not in a bad way what that sadhu said if I narrate you will immediately recognize it say he said suppose by your efforts you attained and the grace of God devotion to God you attain moksha liberation you're not no longer in the cycle of birth and death but in a devotional path wherever in the Blessed company of God now suddenly God takes it into his head I'm going to be incarnated I'm going as Krishna or Ramakrishna and they say hey you you and you stop that meditation business come with me we have to go to earth and be and do a lot of good to humanity yes Vivekananda Lagonda was in meditation and sri ramakrishna comes and says will you not come with me humanity is suffering and we're kind so the shock and sadness at the point he took away from it is of course the whole thing is very blessed there's no harm coming to this enlightened person at all liberated but you may have to take a break from your meditation and come and establish Vedanta societies and think to things like that in bhakti but the Guayana Siddhanta is you're ever free and that does not prevent you from working that's the interesting thing it does not prevent you from establishing Vedanta societies are doing good to the world or doing whatever because all of this even while doing all this action even the enlightened that truly speaking ever unenlightened are truly speaking ever free what to speak of the enlightened only that we do not know it that's why we suffer those who know it do not suffer they realize their own ever free self therefore by action alone if you attain moksha Shankar Acharya says no no no no big problem by action attaining purification of mind and then moksha now Shankara gives a nice explanation he says then what is the meaning of this verse what what is krishna saying here three points he makes first point Janaka and others having attained enlightenment they kept on in that that state of perfection as Jeevan Mukta acting for the welfare of the world they remained in action for the welfare of the world that's perfectly acceptable to a non-duality one or he says originally may take it in this way when Janaka was a spiritual seeker perfecting himself he used the path of action to by himself and then reached perfection that is enlightenment true knowledge second third you may say that well Janaka did action out of a sense of duty he was not enlightened but you may say that now I have heard all the talks I'm enlightened I need not do any action suppose that Jeana says that he could be within his rights but that's what is his argument is I will not fight this stupid war so suppose you say that then krishna adds locusts Angra hemay huapi some question even then if you think you're enlightened you do not need this action at all even then considering the welfare of the world you need to do action so these are the three points he makes one more words I am done why should I act what is it what what is my relationship to the welfare of the world suppose I don't want to do welfare of the world and I suppose I want to sit quietly I mean I'm enlightened I've realized I am pure consciousness let me enjoy it give me a break why do I have to do action what is the connection between my action and welfare of the world krishna says in the next verse [Music] da-da-da-da-da-da da-da-da-da-da-da so your pramana muru t say you're from Onam kuru t loca stood on over 30 local stood on over today whatever the superior person does whatever your ideal does that people follow what that person sets as the standard of behavior the masses follow that and therefore Arjuna because you're a superior person so little bit of flattery he's sort of arguing him into a corner because you're a superior person what you do maybe you are enlightened maybe you don't need action but you need to do the right thing because if you do not do what is duty others also will not do the duty others left so you will be responsible for harming society you must me you must set an example for it's so true so true leaders not just spiritual people of course spiritual teachers we were reading in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount to his apostles you will be the City on the hill the light which cannot be hidden therefore he says you have to be careful because people will look at you and learn from you city on the hill is everybody can see light which cannot be hidden you can see and you're supposed to be a light to everybody so spiritual teachers especially should be very careful about their activities I remember once when a young monk left the order and our president at that time Swami petitions is still so vivid remember is 98 years old and we are all surrounding him all other monks and this issue came up of this young monk word left or he did something wrong and he had to be he had to be expelled from the order now the Swami was very unhappy he said very sad very quietly unhappy and they all been around little commiserating yes yes so bad is too bad when he looked up and he said what he was unhappy about he looked at the assembled monks the senior monks all around him and he said if we seniors do not set the example this will be the result so he's not unhappy because that monk left that's also bad but he's unhappy he's showing his unhappiness at the senior monk warning them that don't think oh that person did something bad and he had to be expelled what is your contribution to that what example have you set for that person definitely spiritual teachers but everybody else also teacher especially in school especially schools colleges universities yes but schools leaders in fact Shankaracharya news commentary when he says fresh to superior person he says leader Arjuna is a leader a leader in your office in your corporate office wherever you're working whatever you see I am I'm not a leader your leader to your even to your small section if you're looking at looking after the particular part of the job your leader there you set an act you set an example by what you do parents one of the toughest jobs were setting an example is absolutely necessary with somebody joked the one of the toughest jobs in the world what are the most important jobs in the world for which no qualification is necessary no training is necessary not qualification is necessary training is necessary unfortunately without any training and without any qualification people are parents and they become they are in that position where they are what the children imitate this is saying in child psychology children do not listen they imitate they imitate you've seen kids running around and the father and mother come and they say I tell the kids do pronounce to the Swami like it is running around here and they are jumping and when they themselves come and do pronounce the kiddo it's a game to the kid the child logs rushes enters the program very quickly because it's if the parents are doing it it's worth doing until a certain age maybe ten or twelve I don't know what it's now you are parents are the heroes for the kids after 13 years eros so that that's nothing then there's friends are heroes up to 11 or 12 father mother teach especially teacher so there's so many funnies to stories about the influence of teachers all silly school stories you know the school English teacher the school would teach the students and the father of that boy was a English teacher in the college and he looked at the notebooks of his child who was maybe 10 years old or less and it says net any tea tea none is wrong who taught you this my teacher said so he's wrong it's any tea not any TT you go and tell your teacher so he goes I think many Indians know this story it's very silly so the boy goes back to school and he has written any tea and teacher said how many times have to tell you net is ne DT then the little boy says no it isn't how do you know how dare you who told you that it's it's any tea who told you that my dad Oh your dad what does your dad know what does he do oh he's an English teacher in the university teacher said oh and then he says even your dad is right but I'm right too if you put one more tea the net becomes stronger you know it's yes lead by example they always say lead by example in in the army into your office but at home too and in the monestery - of course it always doesn't work this little story I was a novice and in one of the ashrams where there were little children in the in the hostel in their dorms so one of the things was all the kids had to clean the dorms morning and evening get to sweep and some of the monks were very strict so the kids were scared of them I was not even ever scared of me but the problem is that the head Swami would I would incur the wrath of the head Swami because the doorman's I was supposed to look after was not particularly clean others were speaking Spanish I knee and they used to have a month believe it or not once a month a neatness price which we never won and others won and cheered and you know and but the kids were always on my side so the kids on the day when others would win the prize for neatness and we didn't and the kids would say don't worry did a consoling me don't worry those are other guys you know they weep 29 days at month and laugh on the last day but we laugh 29 days a month so don't worry we are happy working with you so one day I thought I have to lead by example so in the morning when the sweeping was supposed to be done I pulled out the broomstick and started sweeping the dorm and the kids you know they were sort of relaxing and then they looked at me one by one they set up and looked at me what I was doing I'm sweeping the dorm silently in with a grim face and and it sort of praise which says so this is what it has come down to and then one of the kids started clapping and all the kids started clapping what happened they said this is the kind of warden we want very good go on you know like they're too clever for that lead by example things it's not going to fall into that trap all right do we have a question Carmen I ever he said a mosquito Jonica idea and on the next one yogi adulterate is reached whatever the superior person does that others imitate especially true in spiritual life but in every other aspect also and that's true for all of us it's not just the Guru or the CEO or they the president of the university has to do that all down the ladder all of us we have to set an example and it's a responsibility any comments questions yes Swamiji about the the difference between karma and in knowledge or whatever it's like I mean you learn by doing things I mean you if you put your hand and the fire you burns and you don't do that anymore yes what is the necessity of by keeping it so separate like yes yeah you might say what is the necessity of keeping these two separate for example we learn by doing things that is true remember there's only one kind of knowledge speaking about here knowledge of our true nature which is permanent and unchanging the rest is all true in the world of course you have to read books if you go to the lab you have to live life then you know as you said you you read that you shouldn't touch the fire if you're wise you learn not wise otherwise you actually touch the fire and you get older and then you learn yes by doing things we learn from the world that's no doubt about it but this is he's talking about our real nature which is which is finally learned through removing the ignorance about it so there has doing noise no plays no part in it it does but at the lower levels it's there's nothing that you can do which will lead you to that enlightenment straight away but it does help a lot of doing has to be done at the Karma Yoga level a lot of doing has to be done at the bhakti Yoga and Raj available at subtler and subtler levels all that has to be done if we do not do our bit at the level of Karma Yoga so I'm your Shogun on disease - you know he would say humorously he would emphasize that Karma Yoga in the ashrams when we are show Conda was in the Vedanta so here Society of Northern California in San Francisco he would emphasize he would his talks were all about Advaita but the disciples he would say work work and work now he says you may think that the Swami doesn't think I am ready for meditation that's why he's telling me to do Karma Yoga I will show him and indeed you will show me but not in the way you thought yeah so action certainly action is important action see Ramakrishna puts it very beautifully in the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna he says action is the first karma he says karma is the first chapter in spiritual life in the book of spiritual life karma is the first chapter it begins with karma first from unethical action to ethical action clean up your house then from ethical action too unselfish action that's one step further because the collection can also be selfish I'm doing nothing wrong I'm doing the right thing which for myself and for me and mine then you go become wider it's for everybody certainly ethical but also unselfish so we go from step by step by step from a dharma to Dharma from Dharma to karma yoga what you said about learning through action there is this famous saying about philosophy wide why do we need philosophy at all the famous saying I think Socrates or Plato an unexamined life is not worth living who was that Socrates or Plato Socrates and unexamined just taken as a classic unique selling point for philosophy why do we need philosophy at all an unexamined life is not worth living unless you know what you're doing what are you doing it for what's the point of it all and what's it what's the point of doing these things so unexamined life is not worth living so that was for hundreds of years that was the selling point of philosophy Sartre jean-paul Sartre the existentialist starts he he challenged it he said an unlived life is not worth examining that's very existential east and very French so action has its place but what Shankara is saying by doing things you may prepare yourself but ultimately enlightenment is a matter of knowing or not knowing and that knowing is helped by doing but it cannot be produced by action itself also remember the reason that separation was there there's a particular context specific to Shankara he is interpreting the Upanishads he is writing commentaries and Upanishads which is Vedanta basically but the Upanishads are embedded in the Vedas and other than the Upanishads the rest of the Vedas are concerned with action so in order to distinguish the Upanishads sharply from the other ritualistic portion of the Vedas which were concerned with fire rituals and yoga and all of that we had to make this sharp distinction yeah I remember in is the first line to the issue of punishing the issue open assured the first line the comentary is the first line when Shankaracharya starts is coming to india open assured the first line is ishavasya media do mantra na kar Museveni octa ha these mantras which are starting now the eShop initial asia was submit that gums album these mantras have no connection to karma that's the first thing is eating's what saying he's picking a quarrel with the ritualists when he begins the commentary his first line is is starting with the quarrel to the ritual is the Vedic rituals he says what is coming now does not belong to you it is a radical thing to say because the issue of a she open assured is the 40th chapter of the Shukla yo dude way the Sun hit its a imagine a book 40 chapters suddenly this guy Shankara turns up and he tears out the fortieth chapter from your book and he says thirty nine chapters belong to you but the 48 chapter is mine and so it leads to fierce debates we can see why he wants to be very clear about this because there are other teachers who will say by doing these rituals you will reach enlightenment he doesn't want to say no outright because he dismisses all of that outright remember his own Upanishad also forms part of that book if he dismisses those 39 chapters then who is to say the fortieth chapter is also not is is right that could also be wrong so he has to say that's also right but it has nothing to do with this that's good for giving you what you want in this world and in heaven and if you do it dispassionately without attachment all those actions are good for preparing you for the 48th chapter which is what I'm going to talk about so that's a good question oh here two questions here there and here yes what what is the difference between chanting vedic mantras and doing japa oh because very chanting also is said to be reached least to enlightenment the Vedic chanting is little restricted because there are a certain ways of doing it so traditionally a person would be invested with the sacred thread and then initiated into Vedic studies and there's a particular way of chanting those mantras which were which are taught so if you know it this person here I don't want to take his name he'll feel embarrassed but he knows how to do it so those people are taught they can do it without being taught it is generally recommended that don't chant Vedic mantras that's the general idea but japa once you have got the mantra from the Guru or even if you have not got a mantra from the Guru some a standard mantra like om namah shivaya om namo bhagavate vasudevaya these things can be changed by yourself there's no particular method or tune to do that if you're initiated by guru guru gives you a method and a mantra japa is somewhat of a later practice Vedic mantras are more ancient than that they were chanted according to a certain system for the production of certain results need not be spiritual results could be worldly or heavenly results also that was called karma kanda so it was part of a whole structure of Vedic society now we don't really belong to that I mean the society has changed so much even in India it's changed so much of course Vedic chanting has been kept alive by Brahmins from ancient times but the major but japa is something that everybody can do everybody they can do it and Jabba is usually used so both are used for both worldly purposes and for spiritual purposes here we concern only for the spiritual purpose so this is one difference that Vedic mantra chanting is a little restricted there are certain systemic requirements which are required but Java is for everybody yes microphone here that'll be last question okay so I'm in college and I'm trying to figure out what to do with my life so with regards to duty you might understand why I'm asking this kind of question if I don't want to be fueled by my likes and dislikes and satisfying selfish desires how do I know what duties I want to choose to fulfill with my life or except upon myself yes I'm in college too by the way yes this is a good time to think about it one is what's right in front of you so you're in college right in front of you is what you can take from college but you can study and learn and develop yourself it's a wonderful opportunity so use that to the best don't let the tears will be diverted by the hundred and one diversions so easily available today I mean I was amazed to see how studying has changed I watch this in incredibly smart kids and sometimes I can see what they're doing this sitting in front of me and the way people study these days is maybe I'm out of touch but some of you may know about it so the student she is listening to the professor taking notes answering texts chatting on Facebook looking up some things which the professor is saying on google checking up on the professor what is and all of its going on at the same time so this is the new mode of engagement but anyway so that's one thing right in front of you this study but the traditional things you know make yourself useful to society look after your brothers and sisters and parents these may sound old-fashioned but these are duties too because they are in front of it they are there as we grow older we take responsibility for others a good indicator is follow your own highest ideal of all the things that seem good to you could be anything as it says your ideal people follow their follow their ideal and it's ideal is a whole range film stars sports stars ideals and you will see people change their hairstyle and the address according to whomever they like at that moment rock stars now own highest it must something that appeals to you but also among all the things that appeal to you it also must be something that's Noble so how do I know know what feels big to you vast to you you know like ideal use are idealistic in earlier times and even today also it's very natural so what Speedy's idealistic to you what feels good to you one good indicator is of something idealistic of ideal is that it will benefit others also not just you you will find something that is and we if you do it do good to you but will do good to a lot of others that's a good sign of of an ideal I'm leaving it vague because and your own ideal can be can change your you pursue something wholeheartedly for some time and after five years you find I'd rather do something else good very good but at every time we must be able to answer this question what is your dream what is it that you're pursuing then we are living a consciously directed life Duty sometimes sounds so boring and old but I remember I'll end with this Swami Vivekananda said the ideals of India are renunciation and service it's a tag and to Porsha renunciation in service now if you tell this to modern Indian youth it sounds so boring renunciation why should I renounce and service why should it do service why should I do any good to any I'll serve myself so it sounds boring a person I know who is by profession and management consultant but a very great admirer of song Vivekananda and it's basically he's a philosopher wonderful Sweeney was venkatrama the same thing he rephrased in such a way that it immediately became attractive to young people he said instead of saying renunciation and served we say a passionate commitment to a higher ideal that's renunciation and what do you mean yes when you are passionately committed to a higher ideal everything else falls away automatically you don't have to renounce when you're chasing something high it demands all of your time and energy all the silliness of life in the superficial it is fall away automatically renunciation is automatic you don't have to do it and the second thing service he says a commitment to the evolutionary potential of all beings what is that that I seriously believe everybody can be better than they are physically morally emotionally intellectually socially everybody can do a little better I believe that and I would like to help young people wow this is great yes this is my life I want to do this same renunciation and service Oh Shante Shante Shante he hurry he said Krishna