Thursday, February 21, 2019

More on 12 yagnas - chapter 4 Bhagvad Gita


Bhagvad Gita 
Chapter 4 - Verse 25 to 34 (Gnana Sadanai)
This is presented by Sri Krishna in the form of 12 Yagna. Krishna indicates that all sadanas must be practiced reverentially with bhakti.

1.    Deva yagna – Varieties of poojas that we do.
2.    Vishayaboga yagna – whenever taking food we should take it with reverence (offering to the lord).
3.    Indriyanigra yagna – we should not become a slave of sense organs.
4.    Mano yagna – We should not be a slave of our mind (remove bad thought).
5.    Dharvya yagna – sharing our possession with others (prayer, time, food).
6.    Tapo yagna – Practicing some type of austerity. I forgo some type of comfort voluntarily. Upavasa yoga; not taking salt for a day or length of time.
7.    Yoga yagna – Practicing yoga, Asana, Pranayama.
8.    Swadhyaga yagna – Parayanam of scriptures. (sahasranama, Vedas)
9.    Gnana yagna – Study of supportive sciences. For Vedanta study, what other knowledge is required. Allied sciences, language and how to do pooja.
10. Pranayama yagna – Practice of pranayamam. Breathing in and breathing out slowly.
11.  Agaraniyama yagna – Taking food at a particular time and not at any time.
12. Atma Gnana yagna – The study of vedantic scriptures. Spiritual education program. Study of Bhagavad Gita then Upanishads followed by Brahma sutra. 

Verse 35 to 37 (Four types of Palan)

Moksha is described in four different forms. 1) Freedom from conflicts in life. Conflict is because we want to take a decision, which will be definitely successful. Gnana gives strength to take bold decisions and facing result with equanimity. Conflict is because of lack of courage. 

2) Second form is freedom from all papam. Sarva papa nivirthigi. 

3) Third form is bedha nivirthigi; Jevatma Paramathma difference is removed. Karma yoga is dasogam bhavana. Gnana yoga is converting to sogam bhavana. Bhakta Bhagavan distance is removed. 

4) Fourth, is sarva karma nivirthi; removes all Punyam and papam. 

These are the four fold benefits of Moksha because of Gnanam.

Two examples:
1) Samsara suffering is compared to a vast ocean. We are struggling in the middle of the ocean. To cross the ocean Gnana serves as the powerful boat or raft.
2) Gnanam is the most powerful fire, which can destroy all our karmas accumulated in our past karmas. Thus, Gnanam is fire. 

Qualifications -
Verse 38 to 42 (Yogyadha or qualification)

There are two main qualifications required in order to accomplish a goal. 
1) First is commitment. It should not be a halfhearted approach. It should be a participatory one like listening to Gita with sincerity. Pray to god let me become a serious listener. 

2) Second qualification is Shreddha. Faith in the validity and efficacy of this teaching empowered the lives of many people.

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