Video 33

33. Bhagavad Gita l Chapter 3 Verses 22-26 l Swami Sarvapriyananda

Oh was the suitum daivam devaki param anand krishna monday so we were doing the third chapter of the bhagavad-gita and we were on the 21st verse let's just chant twenty 20th and 21st again come on Eva he Suns it him he Suns it him asked it Jonica street Jonica loca sangrahani VAR p loca sangrahani VAR p some passion to maha see some person to maha see Rattus Rattus dr. David Thoreau Jana DeVito Jana say it from Arnhem kuru t say from on impurity locust a new birth 33rd annual 30 we were at this point right 21st alright so what is being discussed here is Shri Krishna says about the question of action how do we relate it to our lives when we are spiritual seekers quite apart from all our spiritual practices you may be meditating you may be devotional you may be studying philosophy all of that is very good and that's the core of spiritual is doing good good work serving others but then life is also there to be led you have jobs and families your personal life what do we do with that how do we spiritualize it to what extent do you engage with the world so the in recent years in Buddhism there has been this big movement called engaged Buddhism engaged Buddhism means what is Buddhism's take on the important social issues of the day what's Buddhism steak on on global warming on a multitude of social and economic issues in the world today how do we change and reform and develop society do good to people using Buddhism and that has been a big movement I was waiting for the pushback and today I read this article it says it's an it's an article on the name of the article says it all disengaged Buddhism so it's a proposal which I've not read article yet I don't know what what the it's a professor a philosophy and I just want to make a comment here it's something that I've been seeing at the Harvard Divinity School also but not just at the Harvard Divinity School it's also across this country and across the world religions in recent years faced with dwindling interest from from people have discovered as kind of great urge to look for ways to make themselves relevant so religions what we are doing for the homeless all good good all very good causes for preventing global warming for the LGBTQ till it seems especially in an academic setting when I see the discussions going on in the classrooms and outside at the Divinity School for example that that's what religions are they are huge social and moral reformers and progressives and society nothing could be further from the truth I think my personally think this is you have to understand this properly and I would love your reactions I personally think that the leaders of religion are making a great mistake the great mistake is this in trying to stand up for good things in society which religion should what you're forgetting is the core the what you call the unique selling point of religion is put a user marketing term the uniqueness of religion why do we come to religion because religion gives us the best politics no it doesn't religion gives us the best environmental ethics not really you could make a case for it but that was never ever the central thesis of religion religion is at its heart transcendental and if it's not that it's nothing religion that its heart says that there is this ultimate reality which transcends our empirical cotillion life and if you find it if you tune yourself to it you are blessed your problems are solved and this life also becomes blessed not emphasizing that and then looking up social issues which you can cherry-pick every 20 years the issue changes and you pick up one and say we stand for this or even more stupid we stand against this that that is a losing proposition why I will tell you so religion is it progressive on women's rights or not and that's a big issue of discussion it's an issue which should be discussed and we should be open to change and progress and definitely so these are things to be taken care of but at its heart religion is not there as a champion of women's right or somebody else's rights what happens when you do that is one becomes inauthentic it just takes anybody with a little bit of common sense to point out for centuries and millennia religions have been massively we suddenly try to put yourself forward as the face of change and progress it doesn't cut any ice what is the source of equality for women or gender rights or whatever it is modern constitutions the law of the land the ideas of Kant the Constitution here democracy human rights religion may have contributed something to it or what century is it because religion has contributed a lot to human civilization more than anything else so if I come forward and say look here is my religion it's better than all the others because it gets gives more rights to women the immediate reaction should be our Constitution in this country or any any modern democracy gives much more rights than your religion to women today by doing that do you follow what I'm saying by doing that you are undercutting the central purpose of religion and then what happens is then you sit back and wonder the Divinity School for example people are wondering why are people losing interest in the number of nuns I know any nuns nearly a quarter of American adults say they are not interested in organized religion they don't identify as any religion at all quarter nearly a quarter that's a huge huge number and that's the fastest growing segment not Christians Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus know the fastest growing segment is people who don't want to identify with religion so I hope you don't misunderstand me my position is religion should be progressive religion should be liberal everything that that runs counter to modern progressive values which religions should take a hard look at what they have been saying and be open to change at least be at par with civilization not behind net not ten steps behind civilization you don't have to be ten steps ahead either ken Wilber put it this way he said in the 21st century to remain relevant religions have to do three things one stop fighting among each other that really turns off people today to carry on ancient enemy T's so religion is a cause of quarreling and violence between people and nations that has to stop number one number two religion has to be in sync with science with reason like it it not we are in the age of science just because my book says some particular doctrine and I take it literally and it flies against every against proven science common sense against science against which is mainstream you have to be willing to let go Swami's anaconda said that religion should subject itself to the same tests that science does and if something does not satisfy those tests something because proven to be false he says let it go no matter how sweet and comforting that which is false is can in the long run never be good for us so science and religion must be harmonized with science I am NOT saying that you have to adopt a scientific reductionist materialist worldview not at all a materialist it's a worldview it's not science but the proven facts of science which are established beyond doubt one should not go against those things be rational yes reason and religion will not suffer for it absolutely not there is not a single doctrine at least in Vedanta there isn't there's not a single tenet in the higher spirituality which is found in every religion which is against science nowhere I have no problems with it I have friends who are leading scientists I have a friend who is a monk and a leading mathematician cutting edge doing cutting edge work in string theory no problem being a monk third Ken Wilber says religion must not be against the progressive values of civilization in the 21st century whether it is on gender or race or environment or whatever region should not be seen as obsolete and pulling backwards there at least be in harmony with with progressive thinking in human civilization up to that it's fine and and it that should be so that's my position that's what I'm saying what about action what about our day to day life should we act you might say Swami are you making a case for religion withdrawing from public life and being disengaged disengaged Buddhism so that's a big temptation when you are on one hand is becoming embroiled in social justice issues and that becomes all of religion and then people lose interest in it on the other hand is a kind of withdrawal from society a kind of solipsistic withdrawal into oneself where one has no connection with the issues of the day and with society so that's the issue which krishna is dealing with here he is saying that be engaged act before you great kings but Arjuna Zak is a king a prince so great Kings princes before you like Janaka is a Janaka and others they reached perfection through action now at this point Arjuna might think well Janica reach perfection in what sense maybe he did karma yoga to purify the mind the whole Shankara structure of sadhana spiritual practice he did Karma Yoga to purify himself and then reached perfection through knowledge and then he had no need of action any further but that's not true because Janica remained an emperor throughout his life or the second option could be he was already enlightened and yet he kept on acting and kept on working in in society for what krishna says locusts Angra hum for the welfare of the world for doing good to the world I have drawn a fine distinction I hope it's not too fine it's like splitting hairs a hair splitting distinction yes one must be engaged and do good to the world no that is not the purpose of religion this is what I'm trying to say the central purpose of religion is God realization enlightenment eduarda moksha whatever you say that is the purpose and that having attained that Krishna recommends on your way to attaining that or having attained it be engaged in action work for the welfare of the world so this is what he has said why should I do that if Arjuna feels maybe Janica did it but suppose I don't do it what's the harm if I do not do it then krishna replies there is a harm yada yada a charity stretch to whoever whatever the leading persons in society do in any organization in the family in the community in the organization in nations and in civilizations those whom we look up to what they do the rest of us tend to follow I told you that child psychologists say that children do not listen they limit it well we are all children at some level of the other so we love to imitate follow whom we like or admire so those whom they like or admire supposes an enlightened person does that person need to do anything at all anymore for attaining the goal of life which already this person has attained no so can that person sees action will give any harm may be no harm to that person as such but there could be a harm to everybody else those who look up to that person and they may think that oh so maybe I don't need to meditate anymore look here is Krishna who is the perfect embodiment of all these spiritual values and he doesn't seem to be meditating he's having a good time you know with the driving the cows around in wind oven or dancing with the gopis or fighting a war in politics and what not so maybe I don't need to meditate also bad example because there is actually a book hari hampshire which talks about the life of krishna and there you see what an extraordinary routine II followed getting up before sunrise and meditating for hours on end before he takes care of other duties in life so whatever a person of excellence does others follow so you are Jun are a leader in society if you do not act if you do not fulfill your duties you do not do what is good for yourself in society others are going to do the same thing others are going to do the same thing one more bad example the Buddha sacrilegious to say anything like that but there is a point to it the huge amount of monasticism which followed the Buddha because he became a monk and he insisted on monasticism so over the centuries monasticism became very popular in India thousands of Buddhist monks huge monasteries and all supported on public funds and Bide by the laity in the long run it didn't do much good either to the amongst themselves or to society so if you have an example yes there is some there's some people who need to become monks who do become monks but there have a large number of people who remain in society and are very spiritual to and ideal should show that but even while being a king like he says while being a king or so in our mythology you find examples of housewives who were enlightened a butcher who was enlightened a king a minister a warrior a hunter in the jungle so many examples of people are in and on the margins of society or in the mainstream and many of them or all of these were examples of people who are enlightened showing quite apart from the fact of enlightenment showing that it is possible in any station of life if you wanted it's not that will come automatically of course it if you want it he makes a point here which I did not attend to last time so yet primary impurity locust turn over today this person of excellence whatever the literal meaning is whatever he shows to be the pramana the primeira literally means instrument of knowledge or that by which we get knowledge but here what he means is this and this interpretation I'm taking from mother Suzanne Saraswathi he says suppose I raise a question like this Arjuna suppose Arjuna has a question in the mind like this you give the examples of Janaka and others but why should I look at Janaka and others I will do what the scripture tells me to do for this we need to know in Vedanta the pramana the source of knowledge is the Shruti or the text the Upanishad is the source of knowledge so Upanishads the Gita is based on the Upanishads so I will look at the scriptures let's see in a wider canvas I will look at the scriptures of my tradition what they tell me to do I will do why should I see what this person did or that person did I will do what what the text tells me to do that has been the opinion of many people the problem with that only problem with that is when I try to do what the text tells me to do it's still my interpretation you cannot get around that we can't say no it's your interpretation but what I am doing is that what the text tells me to do is the text has told you to do it and you have filtered it through your understanding and mind I mean Sui especially in this country you know in the increasingly in India too it's a very individualistic age so we will say yes it's my understanding what's wrong with that we are and we are encouraged come to your own understanding which is absolutely necessary but let me give you a like that engaged Buddhism and distinguished Buddhism let me give an argument against your own understanding one sadhu in Uttarakhand said this he said I will do so because I have understood it let others say what they will this is the heights of foolishness and the heights of ignorance also why I have become attached to and identified with one intellect how do I know the this intellect is the best of all it's an instrument you see why we we behave in this way because we are so attached to the intellectual so identified with the mind I see no difference between myself and the mind so when I say I have understood it this way so I will do it now one of the instruments at your disposal the intellect has understood this text in this way be dispassionate about it okay my understanding is this let me look at the understandings of a few other people how is this intellect is far superior to every other intellect throughout civilization crazy when you put it that way it looks very stupid and yes true that's inevitable one can't bypass that but then that only gives me more reason to make sure that I get as good and understanding as possible and their Krishna says look at the examples that's why I always say when we have deep philosophical questions all questions about what to do in life look at those you consider to be exemplary look at the lives of the saints of the jeevan mukta the enlightened people what would they have done so often they ask what would Jesus do it's a good question what would Swami they can't do in this way in this situation or what would Krishna do or or at least tell me to do so the highest ideal I'll come to you we must take that into account will it isn't the example of the Saints contradictory could be but generally it's a very very good example very high example how they understand the text and they exemplify it in their lives is a very good input to have again one must not be fanatic about it know the text very well and see how the Saints have lived their lives how people how great people who pre people you admire what did they do in such circumstances that's a good way of good way of understanding it ultimately again you of course yes true true true you thought of it but many people might not one person might say this is what the Gita transmitted when this I will do and can do something very narrow and limiting it could happen but Shruti tells it the Shruti always opening shots always point you it gives see which is higher text or the enlightened person it's the enlightened person but in Hinduism and there is a danger to that what is the danger I can claim to be enlightened and then every fool gathers a few foolish followers and then in the eyes of my foolish followers I am the enlightened person so what I say becomes pramana the authoritative commandment and because it's there in their minds that the enlightened person is higher than the text then let's follow this guy forget about text no a balance is required always exercise your reason shooty you Keanu bootie is the formula Shruti is the text Yuki's reason it must not fly in the face of reason it must not be irrational and anubhooti the experience of enlightened beings not the experience somebody claims an experience and then asks you to go against the texts and go against your reason be careful be careful did that yeah well but you are you're just giving an input that's true the Shruti always in in Hinduism you always the person was enlightened yet Rovira irrelevant e there comes a point where even the Vedas are no Vedas for you you have reached such a point but Arjuna might ask suppose I have reached such a point then why should I do anything for anybody else and he says the is not the way of the enlightened ones they always work for the welfare of others so you should also be engaged in them in work for the welfare of others they did what absolutely almost always that's why I'm very careful there are exceptions there are no rules for the enlightened person that's that's the good thing and the dangerous thing also so that's why one has to be in general yes the standard is set by the Scriptures but then which scripture and what is the interpretation that's the thing so it's always good to look at the lives of enlightened people and and the texts and once reasoning the thing is there is no one size fits prescription for everybody that is one thing that Hinduism came to thank God and understanding thousands of years ago a vast range of prescriptions are there his action necessary absolutely and absolutely not his meditation good for you yes and no devotion meant for you absolutely and no what do you mean it depends everything really depends where does the shoe pinch where am I starting off Sonia shokhin under these famous admonishing - not famous in the nice admonition to one of his disciples he was in the Vedanta Society of Northern California and he insisted his great wadn't in talking about a non dual philosophy but he insisted on karma yoga everybody should work hard and dedicate and be detached and dedicate the fruits of action to the Lord so he is scolding one of the devotees I think it's been a letter probably madam you think I am telling you to do karmayoga action because I don't think you are ready for meditation and you think I will show the Swami and you will only not in the way you thought you would if once one pursues this path sincerely one very quickly if one is honest to oneself you don't have to tell anybody else one is honest to oneself one very quickly sees where one is and what one needs right now the problem with the scripture directly is interpretation of the scripture going to the scripture in Scripture only this has happened again and again in history with mixed results I remember in class our professor was visiting Vienna and he came back not Vienna Geneva we came back that was the source of the one of the main strands of the Protestant movement so he came back and he was talking about the you know when Martin Luther broke away from the Catholic Church the cry was Sola scriptura the scripture alone why should I listen to the Pope or the Catholic Church the scripture alone let me go directly to the Bible and I will do what the Bible tells me why should I follow the church why should I follow Pope why should I follow the Saints so that discussion was going on and I said and what was the result the result was a hundred different denominations a hundred little churches with their own doctrines did you get one interpretation of the Bible the true one true interpretation of the Bible yes you did but the one true interpretation of the Bible was actually a hundred or more two hundred thousands of now what you have is thousands of churches and denominations each claiming to have but most of them at least those are more narrow ones claiming to have the interpretation of the Bible not true it's still an interpretation always good to look at the lives of people who have sincerely followed this path ultimately it's your own decision of course so Medusa's answers with he makes that point if Arjun asks why should I not look at the text alone and why should I look at Janaka and all these examples you have cited krishna says it is people like this who make it a pramana so yet from Arnhem kuru T what does the text say everyone will give a different interpretation what should I do look at what this person you consider to be a saint did with that scripture that's a very good that's a very good light on the scripture okay now Krishna takes this further and he says look at me if you're still in doubt about whether you should act or not whether you should be engaged with the world or not look at me 22nd know me per toss ticket 'i'm nami part a sticker terbium trisha location channel trisha location channel no no bottom about the boom none of Optima Bob topham birthday evil chuckle morning morning so if you still are Jenny if you still have a doubt whether I should be engaged with the world or not look at me I have no duty in this world in three words you know all the words I have no duty because I have nothing to gain whatever there is nothing that I have not got and there's nothing for me for the to gain therefore there is nothing that that I have to do and yet I am continuously in action I'm continuously I work continuously so you can stay Krishna as a Jeevan Mukta as an enlightened person or as an Avatara in either case the idea is that generally we act because we want something so I want money or pleasure or fame or achievement and I've worked towards that as one should and if I have achieved if such a state comes where I've achieved all of that suppose I don't want any of these I want enlightenment I want to be like Buddha or vacant and or something but I have to work towards that also that things to be done you have to meditate and repeat a mantra and do good deeds to people and attend endless vedanta classes lots of things to be done so I worked towards that - but suppose you had attained that - suppose you're an enlightened being now what do you have to work towards you have Krishna says there's nothing for me to work two words and yet I am in action why he will tell later but I am in action all the time I I do not I do not abandon action so look at me and if you think you are enlightened will still take a look at me I'm enlightened you can at least you consider me to be enlightened or an avatar which is higher and you here I am engaged in action so this is the argument that Krishna is putting forward to Arjuna let me mention here does an enlightened person before enlightenment let me go even further back in the world do we need to act you will say everybody will say yes you will be in trouble if you don't act you'll be homeless very soon and then you'll be out of medical insurance you will be out of this and that and and your own body and mind will will you know will become sick or ill if you don't take care of yourself and so many things will happen if you don't work if you're not engaged in action at the personal level at the family level at your professional level holy mother used to say in a very simple way to the ladies around her would say my dear work is Lakshmi Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth she would see in Bengali Kajal okey but what does in which sense does she mean it she says both the body and mind will be well if you are engaged in work shareed mon Dieu even attacking so and she set an example she worked harder than people around her we're a hard-working lot but she worked harder than anybody else from early before sunrise till late in the night she was engaged meditation worship cooking cleaning counseling taking care of people so many things and the number of people she took care of from monks to the ladies of the house to the children the cows in the cowshed down to the parrot in the cage there was a parrot to when it would call out Gangaram I think and she would cry out from the kitchen yes my child I'm coming I'm coming so she took care of everybody not as a favor she says it's a very good practice it's a very good thing to do people ask how do you get peace of mind each yoga has a different answer Karma Yoga says you get peace of mind if you are more concerned with the with helping others than with your own troubles very simple direct solution in earlier days I've seen in families in India one of the persons would be most hard at work would be the grandmother often maybe a widow but she's busy she's not keeping the best of health herself but there are children and grandchildren and affairs of the house to be looked after and so many things she had doesn't have a moment to spare to look after herself and she keeps well an example where if you are taking care of others even for monks one very senior monk in our we have a hospital where one of the first hospital started by our order in Banaras in Kashi so the monks they actually along with the nurses and the doctors they actually worked there and in the hospital wards and take care of the patients one of the older monks who was working there in the 1930s 40s maybe he is talking to a group of younger monks he's saying that what is all this you complain about that you have bad thoughts and impure thoughts and you feel unhappy you have to struggle with your mind your mind you know it's not under control monastic problems what is all this that I hear when I became a monk 50 years ago in that hospital the first thing I found that people are suffering and there isn't there isn't we're chronically understaffed so from early in the morning I would rush to the hospital I know this person needs a medicine that person needs these fruits cut and given to that person this person needs the bed plant bed pan to be cleaned and I am there and often I would he said we would miss our lunch lunch would be in the ashram so we have to come from the hospital to the ashram we would miss lunch or we would realize late that it's already lunchtime and in monasteries there are little rootless there's a bell and God help you even God can't help you if you're if you're more than 30 seconds late so and these he said we would go back to the monestry to find everybody gone and a plate of cold food left out there or sometimes we missed that too and then we rushed back missing that most important thing in you know the Indian nowadays the great Indian siesta not so people are very busy in India but in monasteries we preserved the ancient tradition somebody said baloo room at our main monastery yes they said what a wonderful place when everybody is up and working amongst our sleeping everybody it's a peak working hour 2 or 2 o'clock 3 o'clock in the afternoon gates shut but in the defense of the Swami's they get up at 3:30 in the morning so they needed so it's but it's an old tradition in India everybody used to do that until recent very corporatized everybody's working all the time and we would miss that the afternoon siesta go back to the hospital and work and work til we would come back we would miss the evening meditation and would come back late in the night what if there was any food we would have that and go to bed we would repeat the mantra a few times the moment our heads touched the pillow go to sleep it's so exhausted and fifty years have passed just passed like that we never felt that you have to struggle with you know impure thoughts or anger or lust and mind is not under control there's no time for that of course I'll credit to him because he had the mentality to stick it through for and that's a machine which purifies you this is called jitter should the purification of the mind so work is is absolutely very good when you're climbing your way up to enlightenment in the world yes and you're near way to enlightenment work is absolutely necessary but the question is after enlightenment Krishna is talking about somebody suppose Arjuna says I know I'm enlightened then do I still do I do it and do need to do work for people here there are three alternatives swami Gambier ananda ji who was the 11th president of the order he wrote a very nice essay about this enlightened person and work three possibilities for the jeevan mukta jeevan mukti is enlightened by living still in this body the ideal of the bhagavad-gita you realize your identity as the absolute you know who you are what you are and you continue to exist in this body as long as the body lives he says there are actually three possibilities one is the enlightened person has no engagement with the world fully enlightened has no engagement with the world has nothing to do it with the world or at least more or less nothing to do with the world and there are examples see that's why this is a question if everybody you consider to be enlightened was up and doing running a hospital or school okay there's no question about it they do it so we have to look which which is the closest hospital I can go and work in our school or something but that's not true there were so many enlightenment and there are till now who have absolutely nothing to do with society yeah it's possible so he says the first category is an enlightened being who is absolutely absorbed in the transcendent aspect of Brahman I am Brahman the world is an appearance I have nothing to do with it including one's own body and mind absolutely for an enlightened person even is one's own body and mind as part of the world is not Brahman it's an like a snake in a rope do I need to get up and drive the snake away no it's a mistake it's not there somebody another example is the blue color in the sky how do you remove the blue color in the sky do scrub no go about in the Manduca Konica says if the samsara was there we could have removed it it's not there so the enlightened person there are examples Ramana Maharshi great example he lived on a mountain yes so many people went there and they got benefit from him but he was not engaged in social action don't mistake me he did a lot of work Swamy Damodar Anand there was a great Swami of our order who passed away a few years ago he was nearly 96 one of all most wonderful song is I still have wonderful memories of him as a young man young boy actually he ran away from home and went to meet Ramana Maharshi and he went to Ramana Maharshi he wrote about it later in an article in the mountain path he went to Ramana Maharshi and he stayed in that place in their Arunachala and in that cave with Ramana Maharshi for a few days and he writes about how they were sitting and dressing vegetables together Rama nama himself he would take part in all the activities of the ashram would insist in doing all the work which everybody else was doing and and then he asked what do you want in life what do you want to do and find Rama no mercy told him go the Ramakrishna order had become a monk and he obeyed and so he went and and then he was there for so many years I saw him in his old age I attended some of his classes totally irrelevant fact but interesting fact even at the age of 95 he had perfect teeth and his dental records are a case study in in a medical college in Australia yes that you that it is possible anyway there's nothing to do here or there we to do with enlightenment so he's he said that he saw a man was she working actually doing work so but that's there but not a lot on the scale of schools and colleges and hospitals and none of that and no social action even more totapuri a wandering monk knower of brahmin enlightened probably the only interaction he had with society was the occasional student he taught and the students were off a little high caliber like Ramakrishna and that's not an isolated example there have been such people is it all right it's perfectly all right so Ramakrishna himself tells the story about the three friends who are walking along and they see a high wall and they're curious about what's on the other side of the wall and with great difficulty one of them climbs up and sees something on the other side and shouts oh how wonderful and dances on top of the parapet and jumps on the other side another two are befuddled what happened what did he see second person climbs over and starts jumping and shouting oh how wonderful and jumps over without telling anything to this the third person who climbs up there and he sees a wonderful festival going on out the other side like a festival of joy and wonderful things are happening and he wants to join his friends there and have fun there but then he realizes who will go back to the village and tell the poor suffering people there there's such a sense wonderful thing is there so he turns around he doesn't go over the ledge it comes back to so those are the people who come back and tell us they come back and tell us and thank God so that's the first category who do not get involved so this the first two who jumped over the ledge they belong to the first category some teach a few people some may not even teach some may remain completely unknown to society sri ramakrishna says their enlightened people who whom you would take for madmen crazy there's a second category Swami Kabir Angie says of an enlightened being Jeevan Mukta who regards this world not as non-existence as a wonderful play of Maya and delights in the play of Maya still not much practical good to you but sees the world as as like a magic show there's the description of a yogi who came to the shaneeshwar when Sri Ramakrishna was there and he would meditate all day in his room only once in a day he would come out of the room and look at at the Ganga the river Ganga and the temple and the towering may be the clouds in the sky and and shout wah wah wonderful wonderful oh how wonderful all this is and then go back to his room and go back into meditation that's the second category who look upon the first category looks upon the world as an appearance not no attention there they are absorbed in Brahman or in God second category looks upon the world as a magic show as something wonderful they are sometimes these people are the crazy people of God they behaved like lunatics sometimes the third category so uncommon disease is those who see the same they are also fully enlightened they see all of this and their hearts are their hearts overflow with compassion for the rest of us and they turn their back on that complete transcendence and they come back to us and they teach and they help us these are the great teachers of religion from the centuries from from millennia and to them we owe this royal road to enlightenment whether it's the Buddha's or the Ramakrishna's or Vivekananda Christ and so on we have different classifications we say one is an incarnation someone is a prophet someone is an inn Jeevan Mukta that's all later systematization but definitely these are people who have shown us the path to enlightenment the great spiritual masters of humanity so these are the three options why I said this shri krishna prefers the shri krishna prefers the third one correct the third option if you ask three krishna what should one do what should an enlightened person do he says it's better to be like the third one yeah we were reading the Sermon on the Mount there's a part I did not read the Bible Jesus Christ says to his to his apostles that you will be like a city on a hill a light that cannot be hidden so he also wants his disciples who have got that knowledge didn't share it let it shine forth in the world there are many people who are hungry for this so deep they will Buddha when Mara which is the Buddhist equivalent of Maya tempted him to stop him from getting enlightenment did not work scared him tried to scare him did not work finally the Buddha got enlightenment one last try Mara appeared before the Buddha and said well you have done it you have seen through the veils of illusion you have seen the truth but you know something nobody will ever understand what what what you have seen there's no use trying to tell these people and the Buddha thank God he said some perchance may understand and so he walked to Sarna to give his first sermon there and then 2500 years ago the whole history of Buddhism starts from there so Shri Krishna clearly says he prefers this third kind who is engaged for the welfare of the world one more yadi him knock watiam hear the hum no but IAM ja to culminate and Rita Jo to culminate and Rita mama but manova auntie mama but one overton t minutiae minutiae portal russia if i did not do so that means if i did not engage myself in action at and rita tirelessly tirelessly then humanity would follow in my footsteps they would do if i did not perform action they would also stop performing action mama but man were taunting the path that i take humanity to would follow it what's wrong with that you are an enlightened person even Shankar Acharya says Tatars are kosher so what's wrong with that Shankar Acharya comments here what is the harm if people follow you you are Krishna you're an enlightened person you are an Avatara people should follow you suppose you do not act and people do follow you what will happen 24:03 do you remain local would see the your email oka Nakul Machida hum na courier Majid Sankar SEO jacket awesome Sankar SEO Curtis Yamaha Yamaha Cooper hanami MA Raja if I do not work if I do not engage myself in action the world's would perish I make I will cause confusion and will ruin these living beings the world's would perish means the stability on Karachi recommends the stability of the world of civilization you'll upset the stability of civilization people will start following me and maybe draw from action if I would draw from action and then they then what would society and civilization come to people did not fulfill their duties and obligations and their role in society and all sort of withdrew from action to sit in a cave not possible for the majority of humanity once the Holy Mother Masada she was telling one of the younger monks Vivekananda she said Noreen Rakhal Tarek Vivekananda Brahm Han and the Shivan and she said my child they are of such stature they could live their lives meditating under a tree it is for you that they spend their life's blood building these monasteries enough for the generations who would come later on so that's the standard they don't need these monasteries they don't need any of this they are the ones who can actually withdraw from action without any harm to their own spiritual life but no they did it for future generations of spiritual seekers and as an example to the world they spend till the last moment where they can the work till the last momentum and all of them they work till the last moment of their lives if I do not engage myself in action Shankar's yogic artists iam I will be the cause of confusion so people will be confused about the duties and obligations if Krishna didn't do it why should I do it why should I earn money support a family do my job and look after society uphold morality and ethics provide leadership fight against injustice why the Lord Himself who came as an avatar didn't do it so I won't do it either no Rupa honey ami Maharaja I would be the cause of destruction of Earth of Raja means all beings in this world and people remember what he's referring to here is the doctrine of the avatar the Avatara comes to help us and so he's saying what travesty that would be what a paradox that would be tragic paradox that would be I am supposed to help and raise civilization and if I would be the cause of the destruction of civilization if I did that if I if I did not engage in action suppose arjuna things yes but if i get engaged in action won't I become worldly again get trapped in the world we think sometimes like that because we make a clear division between the sacred and the secular here is my spiritual life and here is my worldly life shri krishna wants us to erase the difference what does he want us to do he want us he wants us to spiritualize the whole of our life even the mundane actions remember wherever we are whatever we are doing the truth is we are actually centered in God all the time in the worst of times also I will say shocking things but it's not shocking from the advaithic perspective in the time of depression in the time of sin also in the time of the worst of circumstances in our life when we think we are far away from spirituality and religion you're perfectly centered in God it makes perfect sense from Advaita philosophy from from the Advaita metaphysics only we don't know it only we don't know it we are not aware of it psychologically we are not centered in God psychologically we are scattered in the world that's why this problem happens all we need to do is just take cognizance of a fact our relationship is not with the world that which changes continuously and that which does not change the two cannot have real relationship if at all this idea is true that the Atman the self is an unchanging reality it is an obvious fact that the world is changing everything is changing in the world body is changing our own minds are changing continuously then I the unchanging Atman have no relationship with the world with the body with even the mind no relationship at all I am always centered in the divine self another thing that which changes continuously than appearance that which is real does not change only problem is the real does not appear before us that's why we think it's not there the real the Atman pure being is always there as a great philosopher Bradley he was I'm seeing great philosopher because I've read a little bit about him nobody reads him nowadays he was an idealistic philosopher in the in at Cambridge or Oxford in the early part of the 20th century he was an elder contemporary of Bertrand Russell he wrote this book called appearance and reality so at the very beginning he says what appears is not real and the real never appears it's a play on the two meanings of the English word appearance appearance means what you see here doesn't that it has appeared to you the second meaning of appearance is in the sense of deceptive so that person appears to be dressed trustworthy what am I saying not trustworthy so appearance is deceptive appearances has two meanings has two meanings one is what is what you're experiencing that appear the world appears to us second meaning is deceptive appearance means appears as something as it is really not so the reality never appears what appears is not real when we had this old book appearance and reality in our library and I was a novice at that time this was 20 years ago so I was going to the book and I found it so vedantic but I thought it's difficult so I thought who will teach it to me we had a professor a retired professor come in to teach us Western philosophy a very nice or very interesting old man aneroid burns activity he's passed on since he was a disciple of swami up hidden under so you have a connection to swami Abed are under here so I asked him but sir would you consider tutoring me in this book appearance and reality you so delighted this professor he looked it was short with big eyes he said Oh Maharaja that's what they call the Maharaja what to study this nobody wants to read it anymore nobody wants to read these books and he was of course if you want to read it I'll help you so he would give up his afternoon siesta very big sacrifice he would come to teach us and we would give him a room to take rest before the class so that rest time he gave it up to teach me and we went through about half the book appearance and reality there are two parts of the book first part is appearances second part is reality we never got to reality but the appearance part I read and I'll share something interesting a couple of months ago I was at at Harvard in the philosophy class there in the class suddenly the professor asked and all these guys are very smart people they are all all doing graduate work so the professor asked by the way has anyone here read Bradley and I was the only one who respect and he was so delighted he said look I read it and we had a little back and forth and he said I recommend it strongly to all of you should if you're going to understand Buddhism we should read Bradley yeah so appearance in reality what appears is not real what what is real never appears what appears to us world and people and Duty is an action is an appearance it's not real and what is real the self the pure consciousness pure being which we are it never appears as an object to you that's always there so we are always choice Leslie centered in divinity we are always there being centered in divinity deal with this appearance dealing the disappearance is what is called work what's your problem no harm will come to you that's what Krishna is telling how should you work he says as people in the world what with great attachment and desire and tension and anxiety do you do the same activities you may work in you may take care of a family do your job in upcoming the community in the corporation in your in your company and do all that work but in an enlightened fashion as an enlightened being how like this as I'm always centered in divinity he says did we read this 25:24 we have read so 25 is coming next he will tell how should I work then suppose I have to work and you're an enlightened person how do you work them all you're a spiritual seeker on the path of enlightenment you are afraid to get entangled in the world again then how should you work 25 soccer manya withdrawn so subtle money withdrawn so ya Taku Ruben tip ha ha ha Korea withdrawn status at couriered with drones that are sector chicky-chicky [Music] just as ordinary people in the world work with so much attachment sakta have become so attached I will do this and get this and therefore they work do you also do the work which work oh I'm an enlightened being I will only teach Vedanta but nothing else that's the only work for me no whatever is in front of you whatever is in front of you do that if teaching Vedanta is in front of you do that but if holding a job and taking your family or running an organization is in front of you teaching in class is in front of you do that which place is apart from God so do that but Korea with Duan status actor you do that without attachment without attachment being centered in the divinity do that without attachment they do it with attachment they want something out of it but then why should I do it what's the purpose Shakeel should loca Sangram desiring the welfare of all beings all beings loca sangra means welfare of all beings let all be happy let all be without disease let all overcome obstructions in their lives and the old Sanskrit prayers evading prayers are there all not just me and mine then that some solid becomes samsara again we are well wisher to everybody in the world including people you might think oh they are enemies or they don't like me including them - they are no different from anybody else and they are all nothing other than God God in all of those forms so you seek to do welfare why should I do welfare to God God doesn't need welfare all right you worship God in those forms that's your worship worship does not only mean flowers and incense and mantras it can also mean go go to class and teach kids it can mean medicines and nursing given to patient literally the divinities in front of you all our lights our only tragedy is not the so-called tragedies which we are which we keep on complaining about sri ramakrishna says who weeps for God people we buckets of Tears for the children and for money he's found out the two main things which cause tears children and money who weeps for God so you were desiring their welfare or you can work work as worship of the Lord in all of these forms then one more verse I think mother Susan sells what he says this wait a minute I have realized the world is an appearance that the divinity alone is real existence consciousness bliss I am the witness consciousness and realizing this one gets enlightened and free from all sufferings so if I really want to help people I will liberate them from the sufferings so my work should basically be give endless Vedanta classes right why should I do anything else why should I do anything else tell them hey don't run after money or sense pleasures or the fleeting vanities of this world the beginning of imitation of Christ when it is a vanity of vanities all is vanity except to love the Lord to worshipped so that was the code idea of every religion so why should I not do that why should I what's the need for schools and colleges and homeless shelters and social activism why should I need all why do I need to do all that he says here 26th was very important nobody badum generate no Buddha badum generate aghanim karma sangganim karma sang you know joshi cervical morning Josh I eat cervical morning with Duan yuktah some are children with Duan you so much Aaron yuktah being centered in your Divine self no Buddha Batum Junaid do not confuse people do not throw them into confusion whom karma Sanjana those who are worldly and there they are headlong pursuing worldly success and fame and pleasure and anyway they haven't asked you sir don't confuse them what is confusion arose in such a is confusion is you know all this you are pursuing it will not give you any pleasure it will not give you any satisfaction it is all Maya rather you are existence consciousness bliss that which you are looking for is within yourself realize that and be happy stop doing these things now what will happen is they will not be able to reach enlightenment they will not be able to progress spiritually and what they wanted to do in life that also because if you are truly if you have some depth in spiritual life when you speak because these words are true it echoes in people's minds and what it does first is it harms them it it weakens their you know their one pointed focus on the world somewhere inside it it throws them into confusion they will still go to the world but with we can resolve they will try to be spiritual with with with no results at all and it'll be a mess rather what it's vacant I said if you are able to help then take everybody wherever they are and give them an upward lift yes you want money wealth yes you know your spirituality what do you say from a spiritual perspective all very good but do it ethically whatever you can get through your own hard work within the limits of morality and ethics that's good and once you get it try to see how you can help others don't you see you will get much more happiness that way now that's what you have not stopped that person from trying to become a millionaire or make a killing on the stock exchange go ahead but now you try to guide him towards philanthropy and selflessness an expansion of the self if you had said stop no good there come to the ashram the mountains I'll find a cave for you sit there and meditate and realize that your Brahman won't work even the greatest of things monasteries that we're beautiful Island that I've told this earlier one of Swami Vivekananda's disciples asked him can you tell me about Maya so I reck'n'd was very pleased with him and said ask me for a boon and he said explain Maya to me so I'm Vaikunta said ask something else then the disciple persisted it's in the complete works of scientific and he persisted and he said if with a guru like you I don't get an answer to this question I'll never get an answer to this question and very kinda started speaking and he talked at length for some time and the disciple just records how he sat in stunned silence and he said literally the room around me began to whirl and disappear into a light where they work and also disappeared my body had also disappeared but only the voice went on the account his voice and at one point I shouted out but Swami all your work even the Ramakrishna mission these monasteries you're building all of this is also Maya this is also illusion it's also Maya it's not real either and Vivekananda said Oh at that point he said the thought another thought came to me the Bengali had used the Bengali diminutive in Indian languages their different ways you address people like you and now and so in Bengali you should have said apni to Vivekananda because we reckoned it was guru that's how you address a revered person as senior maybe somebody older than you in age or seniority or in some way equals you say to me and of course there's another one to e which is two maybe children or somebody who's very dear to you so he had said to me the one which you use for equals to Vivekananda and he did the moment the thought came to him the whole thing vanished and he found we were kind of sitting there and looking down at him and smiling and saying he had said all this is illusion it's all Maya what even what you are doing all this balloon mutt and everything you're building where we kind of said yes and if you can realize this and meditate and be absorbed in Brahman go ahead and do it or if you cannot then come and help in this work Hinduism Vedanta is a very graded path is a very grated path you can start with moral life with a little bit of religion and observances and ethics and temples all the way up the same path takes you all the way up to Who am I ramana maharshi's sitting in the cave and telling find out who you are and that solves every problem in between is meditation is devotion yoga Tantra so many things are there entire spectrum is there and it's all good and useful but for whom and where so the enlightened person may not need that work but still it's good for the others and how do you do that work do that work just like everybody else does it don't be strange don't be like I've come to the office but don't think I'm like you I am actually though you don't see it I am pure consciousness only acting in this through this body and mind for your welfare you're going to get called to human resources very fast very soon shri krishna says as they do it as you've been doing it keep on doing that the wisest and most enlightened people go to partisans Manduca karika after the enlightened behave like a fool he says just be like everybody else don't everybody is Brahman which you are so why do you have to glorify this one particular body and mind and say here is this enlightened person no just as they are but internally you're completely different you are centered in your Divine self you know I am Rama has me you know that and you act in the world Josh I ate servic Armani encouraged them in every action moral action is a collection that is what Vaikunta said give them an upward lift give them an upward lift if you can wherever you are believe in the potential the spiritual potential of all beings that everybody can be better physically morally mentally this entire wellness movement across the Western world and now spreading across the world really good if you look at the vedantic perspective it's for the good of many you might say that's not particularly spiritually high it's just a fit body and good wherever they are from that a little higher and inject a little few higher ideas that is something beyond assaults something higher than this I have seen I was at a yoga ashram until yesterday in the Bahamas and hundreds of young people from all over the world their main attraction is not a veil on to talk I was giving Vedanta talks and they have not come therefore Brahman or that manner they have come they come therefore the downward dog and B this is the asanas and the pranayamas but good I like the way it is the whole thing has been arranged that yes you come for the yoga course do the yoga course but sit for the evening Aarti the singing the budgets sit for the morning and evening meditation and listen to the Vedanta talks we used to say when we became monks earlier when we when we were monks when we just started in this life Vedanta classes were difficult for us and all the Swami's would sit around but they would insist that the newcomers would just sit look at the text read that takes it and listen they would call it purification of the years in Bengali Cardinal should be all right so this actually completes topic om Shanti Shanti Shanti hurry he own that sat Sri Ramakrishna