Thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 13: Verses 25 - 29)

In this episode of The Bearded Mystic Podcast, host Rahul N Singh continues his exploration of the Bhagavad Gita, focusing on Chapter 13, Verses 25-29. He delves into the philosophy of Dhyana in Ashtanga Yoga, the practice of self-inquiry, the paths of knowledge, meditation and Karma Yoga, and the concept of Sankhya or Jnana Yog. Rahul also discusses the understanding of Formless Awareness, the importance of practice, and the significance of a guru in spiritual development. He also reflects on the teachings about the union of matter with the knowers of the field, and the understanding of the Supreme Controller as the Imperishable Reality. Rahul emphasizes the importance of keeping the mind steady in truth, achieving the ultimate destination of liberation, and embodying the highest state of divine being.

Translation used: The Bhagavad Gita Comes Alive: A Radical Translation by Jeffrey Armstrong

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Transcript

Rahul N Singh: 0:02

Hello and welcome to The Bearded Mystic Podcast and I'm your host Rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. If you are really interested in supporting The Bearded Mystic Podcast, and you've found great benefit in listening or watching these episodes, then please do support this podcast on Patreon where you can get ad free and bonus episodes along with other benefits depending on the tier that you select. Your support means everything, and it really does help the podcast keep running efficiently and smoothly, and also widens the audience that this message can reach to. If you would like to know more about it, the details are in the show notes and video description below. On Saturdays at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time there is a free virtual meditation session along with discussion and Q&A. If you're interested in meditating with us as a community, then you can find out the details in the show notes and video description below. Please do like, comment, and subscribe if you're watching this on YouTube and if you're listening to this on your favorite podcast streaming app, then please do give this podcast a five star rating. It helps the podcast get up in the charts and allows the algorithm to bring this podcast to new listeners and also do review the podcast if you can and make sure you do follow or subscribe to keep getting future episodes. So today we will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and we will be looking at chapter 13, verses 25 to 29. Let's start with verse 25. Some yogis see the Atma and Paramatma through deep states of Dhyana in Ashtanga Yoga and meditation. Others use their Atma as the instrument to enable them to look directly at their own Atma and also to see Paramatma. Still, others practice the science of Sankhya or Jnana Yog to discern the Atma and Paramatma from the various categories of Prakriti. And finally, some serve Paramatma directly through karma yoga and in the process see their own atma. A very interesting verse by Sri Krishna and we're going to break this verse up so we can take a look into the deeper meanings in each line. So the first line is, some yogis see the atma and Paramatma through deep states of dhyan in ashtanga yoga meditation. So as we know, some Yogis will go through the path of meditation. Meditation seems to be very easy for them. They can flow with it. They find it a practice that they can really adhere to. And it's one where, you know, through certain body movements, one gets the body prepared and the mind prepared through breathing exercises, so that they can reach a state of samadhi, or reach a state of that undivided, indivisible consciousness. And they do that by sometimes concentrating on a word, on an image, on the breath, and all that is meant to do is make the mind steady. And by making the mind steady, it comes to a complete silence. And it's in that silence that they enter a deep state of Samadhi. So some people can see the Atma and Paramatma. That witness consciousness that is tied to the body and then the witness consciousness that pervades everywhere. They're able to witness that through Dhyan, very deep states of Dhyan. Then Sri Krishna says in the next line, Other use their Atma as the instrument to enable them to look directly at their own Atma and also to see Paramatma. So. I would also consider this to be the path of meditation, but it's, it can be considered to be something a lot deeper as well. What we do, we use our own mind and with its emotions and its thoughts, we start looking within our own self, we start analysing the mind. We do a self enquiry into where are my thoughts originating from, where are my feelings originating from, why are thoughts going from here to there? And you know, we do this careful analysis. Or, we go through the process of awareness, so we just become aware of the mind, we constantly observe the mind, and when we are observing the mind, we then find, as J. Krishnamurti says, the observer becomes the observed, that's when you start seeing Paramatma. That's when you start seeing that witness consciousness that pervades everything and everywhere. And that formless is the highest. Now, as Sri Krishna says, others use their Atma as instrument. Here the instrument is considered to be the mind. But, we can even take it a step further and say, even if one sees it as the individual consciousness, the Jeevatma, What happens then is that by using the mind to observe itself, we then find that there is an awareness, and then we link that awareness to the awareness, that consciousness, that seems to be pervading everywhere. It doesn't seem to be located in one thing alone. The practice here is simply that you become aware of formless awareness, or of being formless awareness. This can happen very easily. But just as easy as it is to grasp, as easy it is to allow it to slip away. So how can we stabilize ourself in this? Is to continuously do the practice. The problem is that once someone becomes aware of formless awareness, they normally let go of the practice. And because they let go of the practice, and because they think they've achieved something, they lose out on that stability that's required. That's why in majority of the non dual circles today is based on this concept of being aware, of being aware but to solidify and stabilize that awareness, we have to do certain practices, that's why people may do meditation, that's why people may do karma yoga, serving others, that's why some people may do bhakti, devotion, all those things are done so that we can become stabilised in being aware of being aware or being aware of formless awareness. And what happens is, as you utilise your mind, you observe your mind, then the observer becomes the observed. You then remove the duality because now you recognise that this observer is actually nothing but formless awareness itself. Therefore, that's the highest state that one can reach. And this is an easy one to do. Easy one to practice, easy one to even get to awakening. But to stabilize the awakening into enlightenment, that can be a challenge and that's why it's very essential to have a teacher when you're on this particular path. Then Sri Krishna says, still others practice the science of Sankhya or Jnana Yoga to discern the Atma and Paramatma from the various categories of prakriti. So this is the path of knowledge and one can utilize the path of neti neti even with the other one you can use neti neti but with this one you specifically will use neti neti so not this not this. So you negate everything until you get to pure consciousness and what you do is you negate anything that is prakriti and prakriti is defined as that which is unreal and it's unreal because it keeps changing, it keeps modifying, it decays, it dies, it's born. Whatever is subject to change is prakriti. You negate all of prakriti and then what you're left with is awareness alone. We keep negating until we get to that witness that cannot change. That Witness Consciousness, that Pure Awareness. That Pure Being that seems to still be there even when we negate even the negation itself. And that is considered to be the Purusha or as we refer it to as the Formless Awareness or Nirgun Brahman. The one thing I will say here is this Gyan Yog to discern the Atma and Paramatma from Prakriti. With this particular one, it's very important to 1. Seek a teacher. 2. Make sure you are studying the scriptures. 3. Make sure you're doing some sort of ritualistic practice, so what I mean by that is something ritualistic in the sense of maybe doing puja, doing meditation, something that you do for a little bit of time. All the paths that Sri Krishna talks about today, all of them can be done as a householder. You don't have to go off to the jungle, renounce life. You can literally do it while you're alive now. And then Sri Krishna says, and finally, some serve Paramatma directly through Karma Yoga and in the process see their own Atma. So some, through their own actions, they serve the highest in all. So they look at everyone as that highest self, that Brahman itself. They don't see anyone as an individual, name and form alone, they understand that people are much more than that and that's why they serve Paramatma directly by seeing It in all. Once you are able to see the highest in everyone and in everything, then you transcend the doership of actions. And these reactions from those actions are no longer associated to us. So you can do the greatest act, you will not get pride from doing good actions. And neither will you feel terribly bad if you do terrible actions. What you will do in both scenarios is look how to balance yourself and make yourself a better person. If it's good, you don't want to become egoic about it. And if you're bad and done some bad actions, you don't want to go drowning into the guilt of it. Accept your mistake, do something about it, improve your behavior. Simple as that. So by seeing the formless in all, they naturally become the formless itself. Essentially these three paths that Sri Krishna has referred to right now, can help people become one with formless awareness. Then verse 26. However, there are others who are not very skillful in learning Vedic knowledge. But even if they simply and sincerely hear from a Guru, and follow the instructions to focus upon and adore the Param Ishvara, they too can go beyond samsara, the cycle of repeated birth and death. Let's look at the first part of this verse. However, there are others who are not very skillful in learning Vedic knowledge. Now, not everyone can concentrate for long and not everyone can decipher what the Vedic knowledge really is and what it really means. It's open to a lot of interpretation. Now, some are also just not great with utilising their intellectual capabilities. Neither have people strengthened it, therefore, it's very difficult. And today, in in the sense of social media, how many of us can actually focus for a long time and actually really understand something and spend that time to really grasp that knowledge. And then the other aspect is some people may not find fulfillment in doing rituals. They may find that because they're not good at doing rituals, they may not be eligible to learn the Vedic knowledge, to learn the teachings of the Upanishads. Sri Krishna says, well, you know what, in the next line, he makes it very clear. But even if they simply and sincerely hear from a guru and follow their instructions to focus upon and adore the Param Ishvara, they too can go beyond samsara, the cycle of repeated birth and death. First of all, this is the path of devotion. That's what this means. If you simply and sincerely hear. Simply meaning, whatever the guru says, you must simply follow it. In the sense of, not blindly, You should seek to understand it. Now, what's funny is a guru, a genuine guru will always give you not a convoluted answer, but always a simple answer. And sometimes simplicity can be underwhelming and also be overwhelming. So sometimes we need complexity to explain the simplicity. Now, a guru will always give you honest and a sincere take on things. So you hear the message of the guru, you hear it. You nurture it and then you follow their guidance This is basically Shravana, Manana, Nidhidhyasana. Shravana meaning that you listen to the message, you listen to the teachings. Manana, then you fully have reverence for the teaching. You want to fully, you fully believe in the teachings, you contemplate upon the teachings. And Nidhidhyasana, you practice the teachings. You put it to practice, you put it to the test. That's what we must do. So, what happens there is, we listen to the Guru, He tells us, or She tells us, focus upon and adore the Param Ishvara. Now, who is the Param Ishvara? In this regard, if it said Ishvara, it would be Saguna Brahman. But he said Param Ishvara, so something beyond Ishvara in my opinion. So who is that? What is that? That's Nirgun Brahman, Formless Awareness. So once you are able to do that, that will be reaching the highest. That's the eventual goal. However, maybe we find that difficult. In this situation, what we can do is focus upon and adore the Shared Being or Sagun Brahman. That can be also considered as Param Ishvara, but what will happen is, once we understand that these attributes are originating from this Nirgun, then we let go of the ideas and concepts of the Param Ishvara or Ishvara or Sagun Brahman. We only see that one Nirgun. And we see that that is the cause and the manifest. Now, focusing upon it means doing certain practices, doing satsang, Sumiran, remembering this Lord. You know, these are the practices we do. We do constant meditation, mindfulness on this Formless. That's what we need to do. And, you know, look, for me, I only followed what my Guru told me. My Guru told me, be aware of this formless 24x7. And essentially, if you look into every episode of mine, you will see, not that I directly say this, but it's hinted upon. Because for me, that is what helped me the most, that teaching and Shravana, I heard it, Manana, I believe that something can happen because of it and Nidhidhyasana, I then put it to the test and by putting it to the test, it made me believe in it more and I wanted to hear more about it. The more you do nidhidhyasana, the more you want to do Shravana and Manana, but if you just do Shravana, but you don't do Manana, you will not go beyond listening. If you do Shravana and Manana, but not Nididhyasana, then what you will find is you will listen, you will believe, but you will not be fulfilled. So that's why Sri Krishna says Focus upon and adore. Adore meaning have loving devotion. Know whoever your ishtdevta is. Praise them. Sing their glories. Talk about how much they've helped you. Have a conversation with them. You know, we can go that esoteric if we really wish to. Here, I would say, is if you want to go beyond samsara, the cycle of repeated birth and death, then it has to be full immersion into Nirgun Brahman or Formless Awareness. We must constantly focus and remain in awareness as much as possible. This has to be the key. Now, once we are able to do that, we will transcend samsara, we will go beyond the process of birth and death, and we will no longer enter this planet again. We will find mukti, which is liberation, and essentially what liberation does, it frees you from anything that puts you into a cage. You're truly, that's a true religious person. So Sri Krishna is trying to make us truly religious. Not a true Hindu, not a true Christian, not a true Sikh, not a true Buddhist. He's making us a true spiritual, realized being, that's essentially what he's doing and if we follow this then basically we know that all the four yogas of jnana yoga, karma yoga, raja yoga and bhakti yoga all has been covered in the last two verses. Then Sri Krishna says in verse 27 Then know, Arjuna, that any being, stationary or moving, arises from the union of the field of matter with the knowers of that field. So Sri Krishna wants to highlight what Arjuna will learn, yeah, that any being, whether stationary, this can be a planet, a tree, a flower, it could be moving, any animal or human being or molecules or particles or atoms. Everything has arisen from this field of matter, the whole samsara is made from matter. All of it. This whole universe is made from matter, is made from that particles of existence and the knowers of the field is the Atma, the Purusha and right now we see that Prakriti and Purusha are united in oneness and it is this union that brings existence into fruition. So very simply this verse is saying that any being stationary or moving arises from the union of the field of matter with the knowers of that field. So when awareness mix in with matter, you have creation. You take away matter, then there's only awareness, there's no creation or manifestation, and if you just take matter and there's no awareness, then matter is dead in a sense. It's, it is not alive. It's alive because there's a knower of that field. You have the field of matter and then you have the knower of the field of matter. That knower, without that knower of the field, we cannot move forward, we cannot transcend in the truest sense. So Arjuna has to understand this very truth. And there's a reason why Sri Krishna says stationary or moving. Because, for example, someone can turn around and say Well, how can a mountain be liberated? How can a mountain be full of consciousness? How can we see that as Brahman? That's why Sri Krishna says stationary. Even though everything is moving, but because of our ignorance, we think it is stationary. So Sri Krishna's making sure we understand that everything is pouring from the divine. Everything is arising from the divine. That is the way of a true devotee of understanding this truth. So when there's the union of matter and the witness consciousness, then we see existence for what it is. Then verse 28. One who sees the Supreme Controller as the Imperishable Reality standing within all embodied beings, sees things as they truly are. This is a very interesting statement and we're going to look at the verse as a whole. If we were to see reality as it is, to really see how it is truly presented, that would be spirituality covered altogether. Then there would be no question about which religion is right, which spiritual guru is right, what is the truth. All would be realised straight away. So, once we see that this Paramatma, this Nirgun Brahman is the Imperishable Reality. And this Imperishable Reality is within every single embodied being. Then we can truly see things as they are, which is the embodied being itself. So we have to see that the shared being is this Nirgun Brahman itself. This one imperishable reality. And this is a non dual understanding that Ishvara is Brahman. And the jiva is Brahman. This is a non dual understanding and this is why on this podcast and why I particularly believe that non duality is the answer. Now, does it mean that I'm going to tell other people who believe in duality that I'm right and they're wrong? Not necessarily unless I'm provoked to or if I'm reacting to something. But, otherwise, on this podcast, I understand if you can't get to non duality, but eventually you will have to go there, eventually you have to reach there. And this formless awareness is always standing within every being, and some know it and some don't. See, once you see this reality in everything, once you see this Nirguna Brahman in everything, Then, where does your temple begin, where does your temple end? Where does your satsang begin, where does your satsang end? Where does your remembrance of the Lord start, where does it end? If every embodied being is this One Reality, and remember embodied does not mean just this human form, but also anything that has a body, even an atom has a body. So when you consider that every atom It's just nothing but this One, then everything becomes divine, everything becomes beautiful. Everything then is seen as being available to worship. That is what a true devotee will see. So once we see and we are steady in that understanding that Brahman is everywhere and in everything. Then watch how our life changes. Watch how our outlook in life changes. We become more positive, we become more kind, more sensitive. And in today's day and age, it's very easy to hide behind a screen, be a keyboard warrior, harm other people. than to actually be sensitive and to understand, it's very difficult, but Sri Krishna wants us to see things as they truly are. So you see that all these things are embodied, these are things that are going to change. So essentially you're not worshipping that which is changing, you're worshipping the changeless within them. This is. the understanding that I've got from the Bhagavad Gita and from the teachings that I've grown up listening to. And once you see this Formless in everything, then what part of life is spiritual and what part of life is material? That line becomes incredibly blurred. In fact, there's no line. It all merges into One. And that is what happens when we awaken. And then the final verse of today's episode, verse 29. Once the Atma is permanently established in seeing the Param Ishvara, the Supreme Ruler and Director of all that exists, as existing in the same way, everywhere and at all times, then the individual Atma does not degrade their consciousness by allowing their attention to wander. In this way, they achieve the ultimate destination and highest state of being. Let's break this verse up. Once the Atma is permanently established in seeing the Param Ishvara, Supreme Ruler and Director of all that exists, as existing in the same way everywhere and at all times, then that individual Atma does not degrade their consciousness by allowing their attention to wander. So once the mind is completely and permanently identified with the Param Ishvara, one sees that it is everywhere. One cannot avoid it. One sees it as the complete truth, and one sees that this Lord is everywhere. There's not one single space in existence where this Lord isn't. So in this way, you can understand that nobody can escape Formless Awareness. And as they have their attention fixed on Brahman, they do not allow their mind to identify Or, check in as something else. So, they will not fall under the delusion again that they are the body and mind. They will no longer get stuck in attachments. They will no longer get stuck in desires. Because they know that the ultimate truth is Brahman. And does Brahman have a desire? No. Brahman simply is. And that devotee will only see Brahman. That mind can only conceive of Brahman, nothing else. Yes. It's the same world that is existing, but the world is not seen with the same eyes. And that is why we lead a spiritual life. This Param Ishvara is Brahman itself, and it witnesses itself in everything. It is existing in the same way, everywhere, and at all times. It's eternally true. Since it is the supreme ruler and director of all that exists, then Karma is transcended, as the highest does not accumulate any karma, nor any fruits, nor any reactions, nor does parabdha karma, the karma that's come from previous lives, or even this life, really affect the outlook that the devotee will have, it will still remain immersed in that pure awareness. Hence they never degrade their consciousness by allowing their attention to wander. They will no longer say, oh am I back to my body and mind? You will find their mind absolutely steady in the truth, absolutely steady in understanding that there is only Brahman, and I am Brahman, Aham Brahmasmi. They will not be convinced of anything else. So, If we find that we are going back into body, mind, identity. If it's beginning to identify again as body and mind, then we are degrading our awareness. Because we're allowing our attention to wander. We have to find that in the midst of all activities of life, as we're reading, sleeping, dreaming, eating, drinking, everything. In all actions, we have to find that changeless self, that observes all these actions but does not get affected by any of those actions. Then the second part of the verse is, In this way, they achieve the ultimate destination and highest state of divine being. So in this process, they achieve the ultimate destination of Jivan Mukti. Of liberation whilst alive. And they live ultimately as a Jivan Mukta. They will not live as anything else. They are friends to all, foes to none. They love all and they hate none. All they know and see is Brahman and Brahman alone. That, in a nutshell, is the highest state of divine being. Desires may arise, but they don't afflict themselves onto the mind. They are very sensitive, very vulnerable. They understand other people, they're compassionate, they're peaceful. Everybody wants to be around them. And they know their ultimate destination. They know that, essentially, they have to go to Nirankar. Essentially, they know that they have to go to the formless. And, not that they have to go to the formless, that they are the Formless. And they rest in that knowledge, they explore that knowledge, and they enjoy that knowledge. And once you've achieved this state, nothing more is needed to be achieved. And that is the end of the episode. Thank you very much for listening. If you liked what you heard and liked what you watched, please do share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content. Do follow me on social media to keep getting updates. Join the Bearded Mystic Podcast WhatsApp community group to continue the podcast discussion, details are in the show notes and video description below. If you would like to support the Bearded Mystic Podcast as we discussed earlier, do check out the podcast Patreon page. Your support means everything, and it helps this podcast keep running. Details are in the show notes and video description below. Please do rate this podcast five stars and do give a review either on your favorite podcast, streaming app or on our website. Details are in the show notes and video description below. Please do like and comment on this video and subscribe to this YouTube channel. Do follow or subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast streaming app. Thank you very much for listening to this episode. Let's end with the Shanti mantra and the Soham mantra. Soham Soham. I am That. I am That. Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Aum Peace Peace Peace