Hari Om!
In class, we
reviewed verses from the beginning of chapter 2 and then discussed Karma Yoga.
Chapter II vs. 2
Lord Krishna is obviously upset with Arjuna saying his thoughts
and actions are un-Aryan like and disgraceful. He is in essence, verbally
slapping Arjuna across the face in an effort to awaken him and encourage him to
see reason. Lord Krishna uses this statement to set the stage and begin to
answer the many doubts that Arjuna brought up earlier.
Chapter II vs. 7
In this verse, it is important to note that Arjuna completely
surrenders himself to Lord Krishna.
Chapter II vs. 13
In this verse, the concept of reincarnation is established. Lord
Krishna establishes that we are not the body.
How do we know that we
are not the body?
We can do the deep sleep test - after having a deep sleep where
neither are mind or intellect are active, we know that we are well rested. The
part of us that experiences this, is what we truly are.
So if “we” aren't the
body, and “we” don’t ever die, what are we?
We are the conditioned consciousness.
So then if we are all
part of this consciousness, why do we act/behave/think differently from each
other?
We all think and act differently because we are all conditioned
differently. We are conditioned based on
1. Nature
2. Nurture
Jointly, this conditioning, the combination of nature and nurture
form what we call “vasanas.”
So if we are really part
of the eternal consciousness, nobody is dying, and nobody is actually killing.
For this reason, Arjuna’s doubt that he should not kill his family members is
proved irrelevant.
Chapter II vs. 23
Lord Krishna describes properties of conditioned consciousness -
it cannot be hurt, broken, dried out, or worn out. Once again, only the body
can deteriorate or die - not the conditioned consciousness.
Chapter II vs. 25
Lord Krishna adds that this conditioned consciousness cannot be
bound to a physical structure or changed and therefore not killed. Therefore,
one should not grieve for the death of a body.
Chapter II vs. 31
Lord Krishna, in this verse addresses one of the other questions
that Arjuna brought up earlier. Arjuna asked, earlier, if it would not be a sin
to fight this war and kill his teachers and members of his family. To this point
Krishna says, it is Arjuna’s duty, as a Kshatriya to fight this righteous war
for the sake of preserving justice.
Note: Kshatriya’s duty -
to protect the people and preserve justice by fighting righteous wars when
necessary
Duty can be translated
to both Dharma and Karma → the terms are
interconnected.
Chapter II vs. 33
Lord Krishna further reinforces his point saying Arjuna will not
incur sin by fighting the war. Rather, he will incur sin if he decides not to
follow his duty.
Chapter II vs. 37
Lord Krishna says, should Arjuna decide to fight the war, there
are two possible outcomes over which Arjuna has no control.
1) Arjuna loses (most probably is killed) and obtains heaven for
performing his duty.
2) Arjuna wins and enjoys the pleasures on Earth.
Chapter II vs. 47
Here the idea of Karma-Yoga is introduced. Lord Krishna tells
Arjuna that he only has the right to choose his action and every action will
have an outcome. However, he has no control over what the outcome will be.
Therefore, we as individuals should not have an attachment to the result/fruits
of an action.
*The lack of attachment to the outcome of an action should not be mistaken for inaction or lack of effort.
There are 2 components
to Karma Yoga:
1. How to Perform the
Action - Ishwara Arpana Buddhi
When we do work, we want
to be most efficient. Usually when we work, we are less concentrated on work
but rather on worries about the future or regrets of the past. For example,
when we are studying for a test, we either worry about the grade we might get
on the upcoming test or we are regretting the grades that we got on tests in
the past. Instead of spending time and energy on that, if we focused on every
word we were studying, our work would be that much more efficient. We therefore
need to learn how to live in moment. Knowing that this is the best way to work,
how can we discipline ourselves to always work with the mentality of being in
the instant?
When we do work for
other people, for example when we do community service at a hospital or for
people with special needs, we feel good about the actions we do. We also put in
our best efforts when we are working to serve those we feel are less fortunate.
When we are working for ourselves, or our selfish motives however, we do not
always have this sense of work ethic. Therefore, to bring about the best
possible type of work, we should establish in ourselves, a mentality that we
are doing everything for God - as if all of our work is an offering for God. If
we do this, we will automatically bring about the best effort.
When we are in the
temple offering fruit to Bhagwan, we will never put out a rotten one. Rather,
we will offer the ripest looking fruit we have. Similarly, when we do work with
the mentality that it is simply an offering for Bhagwan, we will not take
shortcuts or put in a half-hearted effort.
For this reason, this
process is called Karma Yoga. Remember Yoga is the act of joining with
something greater. In this case we are joining our actions (Karma) with
something Bhagwan.
*Ishwara - God, Arpana -
offering, Buddhi - way of thinking
2. How to React to the
Outcomes of an Action - Prasada Buddhi
Imagine that after
putting in the best possible effort you could have, you get a C- on your last
test. Now you have no way of fixing your grade and you have another test
tomorrow. Most likely, you will be so distraught over the grade that the exam
tomorrow will go poorly as well. This obviously hurts efficiency and therefore
a better method/thought-process behind accepting the outcome of actions would
help.
If we go back to the
first part of Karma-Yoga, we have established that the actions we do should all
be dedicated to God. If we dedicate all the actions we do to Bhagwan, then the
outcomes we are faced with should also be considered Prasad from Bhagwan.
In the line to get
Prasad at the temple, whether we get our favorite fruit or our least favorite
one, we will accept it with gratitude and humility. If we get our favorite
fruit, we will not boast about it and if we get our least favorite fruit, we
will not complain or feel dejected by it. If we extend this thinking, we should
accept the outcomes of every action in the same way. If we get a good grade on
a test, we should not overreact and if we get a poor grade, we should not be
upset and dejected. Whatever be the fruit our action, we should accept it like
it is Prasad from Bhagwan.
Chapter II vs. 53
See you all next week!
Hari Om!
