DHANISTA TO JOHN

[Guest guest]

John

 

<<I am reading Srila Prabhupada's translation of theGita, particularly the

chapters 7 to the end. >>

 

Wow. I met (saw close) Srila Prabhupada in France in the 70's. His Gita was my

second Gita i had read. Although i was never initiated by him, i learned a lot

from him. Because of all my friends wanting to read the Gita do not have much

time to read or want something clear, i always recommend Srila Prabhupada's

Bhagavad Gita. It has a lot of info on it and it is easy to follow.

 

However, it is rarely when i recommend my own guru's Gita because although

beautiful as well, it is very "ontological".

 

I have not read Maharishi's Gita and therefore i cannot give a view about it.

 

<<However, I identify with Maharishi's ideas relating to karma yoga.>>

 

Identification is necessary in everything, that is how we advance. Acceptance

and rejection. Elimination and acceptance. But we should always have respect

for our primary teachers, even thought we had left that level long ago.

 

I read my first Gita in 1970 and i always find something new in it. In those

days i was into Hata Yoga and the teacher told us to read the Gita although not

his own because he did not translate it.

 

<<Maharishi says that the karma yogi ismore effective than a recluse from the world.>>

 

I agree with that. Action is better than inaction although there are some people

that have opposite ideas.

 

I think that the gunas (from our material nature) are always changing and

mixing. Satva guna, or the mode of goodness, raya or passion and tamas or

ignorance.

 

With satva we are meditative, with rayas we are active and in tamas we are

either stagnant, suffering ore else. Visnu rules Satva, Brahma rules raya and

Shiva rules tamas.

 

Prabhupada say in one of his books that those 3 gunas are always mixing like the

3 primary colors which when mixed give other 9 shades and then 9 X 9 = 81 and so

to infinite.

 

I believe that our horoscope indicate those gunas as well and the tendencies

appear in the periods of the planets.

 

My guru said that renunciation is higher than exploitation and that dedication

is still higher than renunciation. It is better to advice renunciation to a

guy that is acting but exploiting the environment. However, better than to

renounce the acting of the senses, it is better to dedicate our body (rasi),

mind (moon), intellect (mercury) and false ego/ego (sun) to The Supreme.

 

<<As a meditator, I appreciate the Gita's passage stating "Nistraigunyo

bhavarjuna", or "Be without the gunas,Arjuna.">>

 

Beautiful passage, yes, we should try to be beyond those gunas. As long as we

allow the gunas to rule our life, our false ego will grow out of control. But

is very difficult to do that. Therefore, we need the help from those that are

higher than us, we need their help, and much better we need divine

intervention.

 

<<Maharishi has also emphasized the Gita's passage which says, "Yogastah kuru

karmani", which is translated as "Established in yoga, perform actions".>>

 

I agree, without yoga our actions will be in tamas and therefore the reaction is tamasic.

 

<<His ideas are profound and enlightening particularly for people who are active

in the world, or who are householders.>>

 

Tell me. I have read from the vedas some prescriptions for householders. They

say that householders (grihastras) by nature, have to work hard to maintain a

house (griha). But in the process they are likely to commit many sins. For

example, when speaking, we kill many small germs and the killing process is a

sin that creates a reaction, or a karma. Therefore the vedas recommend some

remedies to perform by grihastras to alleviate those karmas. Bhakti yoga

recommends the chanting of the holly names of the Lord. Hare nama. By chanting

the holly names of God we clean our false ego and eventually the mantras will

take us to see reality.

 

We also believe that by offering everything to the Lord, we avoid or eliminate

reactions. Therefore, we offer even our food to the Lord before we eat it.

 

<<Everyone has a different path for understanding theSelf. I hope that you find

yours to be the mostblissful.>>

 

I agree, according to our nature we walk that path. But from the absolute point

of view there is only one path. The search of the self. Like George Harrison

said "The only search should be about who i am, what is my mission and where i

am going".

 

The self or the pure ego (i) is represented by the sun in a horoscope. As long

as we do not clear our false identification that "i am this material body", we

will continue to reincarnate.

 

The Gita mentions that this body has 5 gross elements and 3 subtle ones. When

we die without being 100% pure, we take with us the subtle body represented by

the moon, mercury and the sun or the subtle body.

 

I also wish that you and everyone are successful in the search for the self,

does not matter the path, the objective is the same. And like the song say

"One day, we all will be together".

 

To finish this email i will give the translation of the last text of chapter 7 by 2 authors.

 

This is by Srila Prabhupada.

TEXT 30

sadhibhutadhidaivam mamsadhiyajnam ca ye viduhprayana-kale 'pi ca mamte vidur yukta-cetasah

WORD FOR WORD

sa-adhibhuta -- and the governing principle of the material manifestation;

adhidaivam -- governing all the demigods; mam -- Me; sa-adhiyajnam -- and

governing all sacrifices; ca -- also; ye -- those who; viduh -- know; prayana

-- of death; kale -- at the time; api -- even; ca -- and; mam -- Me; te --

they; viduh -- know; yukta-cetasah -- their minds engaged in Me. TRANSLATION

Those in full consciousness of Me, who know Me, the Supreme Lord, to be the

governing principle of the material manifestation, of the demigods, and of all

methods of sacrifice, can understand and know Me, the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, even at the time of death.

This is the same text but translated from the Gita in Bengali of Sridhar Maharaja.

And those who know Me , as the basis of the universal principles of phenomenon,

governance, and dispensation - such persons, their hearts absorbed in Me, can

know Me even at the time of death. Aflicted in the face of fearful death ,

they do not forget Me.

 

Regards

natabara

[Guest guest]

Natabara:

 

<<As a meditator, I appreciate the Gita's passage stating "Nistraigunyo

bhavarjuna", or "Be without the gunas,Arjuna.">>

 

Beautiful passage, yes, we should try to be beyond those gunas. As long as we

allow the gunas to rule our life, our false ego will grow out of control. But

is very difficult to do that. Therefore, we need the help from those that are

higher than us, we need their help, and much better we need divine

intervention.

 

In this context, being without the gunas (modes of living) means to be

established in the undisturbed (by the gunas), never-changing silence of the

Absolute (SELF).

This is known as Transcendence...to transcend means to go beyond the mind and

the senses...to be established in yoga.

 

Even for the recluse, it's not possible to be without action. Action is

Life...and whether that life is just sitting in a cave or engaged in worldly

affairs, action is inescapable...but actions performed whilst established in

yoga, whether one is a renuncient or a householder is what's referred to in the

verse below.

 

<<Maharishi has also emphasized the Gita's passage which says, "Yogastah kuru

karmani", which is translated as "Established in yoga, perform actions".>>

 

 

Best Wishes,Wendy

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wendy Vasicek: Vedic

Astrologerhttp://www.members.tripod.com/ganesh_astro/JyotishVidyawenvas (AT) dingoblue (DOT) net.au~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~