Summary of Mar 2nd and Mar 9th classes.

Hari OM,

Hope you all are doing well.

Chapter 4 is titled "Yoga of ending action in knowledge".  The essence of this knowledge is encapsulated in verse 24 when lord Krishna uses the metaphor of the fire sacrifice to talk about the omnipresence of Brahman or Consciousness. Not just presence but the the very life force in everything in creation is only as a result of consciousness. This is the key knowledge that Lord Krishna is talking about.  It is one thing to talk about this in Sunday class and intellectually appreciate it, it is quite another thing to be able to live a life that is based on the firm conviction of this principle.  As we have seen in the past Bhagvad Geeta is not just a book of philosophy, it is also a manual to life and gives us the techniques to live the philosophy.  Living the life with an attitude that is in line with verse 24 is the way to achieve God hood.

In verses 25 to 30 lord Krishna enumerates 12 things that we can do in our day to day lives in a way that we live with an attitude that is explained in verse 24. These include what we perceive through our sense organs, the capability to perceive or our senses themselves, our physiological functions, money, wealth, study of scriptures,  what we eat and breath itself. A wise man sees that it is consciousness alone that enlivens all these things and is constantly immersed in that thought and lives his life with the firm conviction of this knowledge.

Lord Krishna goes on to say that material and wealth  sacrifice is good but better than that is the sacrifice of knowledge. This emphasizes the need to over come ignorance.  No matter what charity we do if the attitude of charity is not right it is of no use. That attitude can only come through a deep realization of the omnipresence and omniscience of Consciousness or Brahman.

How can we develop susch an attitude ?.  Here lord Krishna focuses on the importance of the Guru or Master.  It is important that we realize that while focusing on the importance of the Guru, Lord Krishna encourages us to not only have an attitude of respect and service towards the Guru but to also question what is being taught.  The question part is very important, it is perhaps only in Hinduism that the student is encouraged to question, blind faith has no place in Hinduism.

Lord Krishna goes on to say that this Knowledge is available to all, irrespective of ones past if one truly understands, and lives ones life with an attitude that springs from this Knowledge one is liberated. The story of Valmiki is very appropriate at this point.  In spite of all the bad deeds of his past, once Valmiki realized the true meaning of life and the centrality of consciousness. he never looked back and was hailed as a Rishi.

Lord Krishna goes on to reemphasize that importance of this Knowledge and that fact that it is only through this that one can be truly liberated and have everlasting peace and happiness.

As we close this chapter, it is worthwhile to be acutely aware that what enables me to write this, what enables me to think, what enables you to read this and understand it, the mechanisms that we are communicating with (may be the digital age but that really does not matter) are all enlivened by the one and only, consciousness.

With this we will close chapter 4, which was titled "Yoga to ending Action in Knowledge" .

warm regards