buddhyā: by the intelligence; viśuddhayā: fully purified; yuktaḥ: such engagement; dhṛtyā: determination; atmānaṁ: self; niyamya: regulated; ca: also; śabdādīn: the sense objects, such as sound, etc.; viṣayān: sense objects; tyaktvā: giving up; rāga: attachment; dveṣau: hatred; vyudasya: having laid aside; ca: also; viviktasevī: living in a secluded place; laghvāśī: eating a small quantity; yatavāk: control of speech; kāya: body; mānasaḥ: control of the mind; dhyānayogaparaḥ: always absorbed in trance; nityaṁ: twenty-four hours a day; vairāgyaṁ: detachment; samupāśritaḥ: taken shelter of; ahaṁkāraṁ: false ego; balaṁ: false strength; darpaṁ: false pride; kāmaṁ: lust; krodhaṁ: anger; parigraham: acceptance of material things; vimucya: being delivered; nirmamaḥ: without proprietorship; śāntaḥ: peaceful; brahmabhūyāya: to become self-realized; kalpate: is understood

18.51,52,53 Endowed with purified intellect; subduing the mind with firm resolve; turning away from the objects of senses; giving up likes and dislikes; living in solitude; eating lightly; controlling the mind, speech, and organs of action; ever absorbed

in meditation; taking refuge in detachment; and relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger, and proprietorship, one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of "I" and "mine", and fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being.

*brahmabhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati ।
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu madbhaktiṁ labhate parāṁ ॥ 18.54 ॥*

brahmabhūtaḥ: being one with the Absolute; prasannātmā: fully joyful; na: never; śocati: laments; na: never; kāṅkṣati: desires; samaḥ: equally disposed; sarveṣu: all; bhūteṣu: living entities; madbhaktiṁ: My devotion; labhate: gains; parāṁ: transcendental

18.54 Absorbed in the supreme Being, the serene one neither grieves nor desires. Becoming impartial to all beings, one obtains My highest devotional love.

*bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaścāsmi tattvataḥ ।
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram ॥ 18.55 ॥*

bhaktyā: by pure devotional service; mām: Me; abhijānāti: one can know; yāvān: as much as; yaścāsmi: as I am; tattvataḥ: in truth; tataḥ: thereafter; māṁ: Me; tattvataḥ: by truth; jñātvā: knowing; viśate: enters; tadanantaram: thereafter

18.55 By devotion one truly understands what and who I am in essence. Having known Me in essence, one immediately merges with Me.

*sarvakarmāṇy api sadā kurvāṇo madvyapāśrayaḥ ।
mat-prasādād avāpnoti śāśvataṁ padamavyayam ॥ 18.56 ॥*

sarva: all; karmāṇi: activities; api: although; sadā: always; kurvāṇaḥ: performing; mat: under My; vyapāśrayaḥ: protection; mat: My; prasādāt: mercy; avāpnoti: achieves; śāśvataṁ: eternal; padaṁ: abode; avyayam: imperishable

18.56 My devotee occupied in everyday life still reaches under My protection the imperishable ultimate abode through my mercy, through devotion to Me.

*cetasā sarvakarmāṇi mayi sannyasya matparaḥ ।
buddhiyogam upāśritya maccittaḥ satataṁ bhava ॥ 18.57 ॥*

cetasā: by intelligence; sarvakarmāṇi: all kinds of activities; mayi: unto Me; sannyasya: giving up; matparaḥ: My protection; buddhiyogaṁ: devotional activities; upāśritya: taking shelter of; maccittaḥ: consciousness; satataṁ: always; bhava: just become

18.57 While being engaged in activities just depend upon Me, and being fully conscious of Me, work always under My protection.

*maccittaḥ sarvadurgāṇi matprasādāt tariṣyasi ।
atha cet tvam ahaṁkārān na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi ॥ 18.58 ॥*

mat: My; cittaḥ: consciousness; sarva: all; durgāṇi: impediments; mat: My;

prasādāt: My mercy; tariṣyasi: you will overcome; atha: therefore; cet: if; tvaṁ: you; ahaṁkārāt: by false ego; na: not; śroṣyasi: do not hear; vinaṅkṣyasi: then lose yourself

18.58 When your mind becomes fixed on Me, you shall overcome all difficulties by My grace. But if you do not listen to Me due to ego, you shall perish.

*yad ahaṁkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase ।
mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati ॥ 18.59 ॥*

yat: therefore; ahaṁkāram: false ego; āśritya: taking shelter; na: not; yotsye: shall fight; iti: thus; manyase: think; mithyaiṣa: this is all false; vyavasāyaste: your determination; prakṛtiḥ: material nature; tvāṁ: you; niyokṣyati: will engage you

18.59 If due to ego you think: 'I shall not fight,' your resolve is useless, and your own nature will compel you.

*svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇa ।
kartuṁ necchasi yan mohāt kariṣyasyavaśo 'pi tat ॥ 18.60 ॥*

svabhāvajena: by one's own nature; kaunteya: O son of Kuntī; nibaddhaḥ: conditioned; svena: by one's own; karmaṇa: activities; kartuṁ: to do; na: not; icchasi: like; yat: that; mohāt: by illusion; kariṣyasi: you will act; avaśo: imperceptibly; api: even; tat: that

18.60 O Kaunteya, you are controlled by your own natural conditioning. Therefore, you shall do even against your will, what you do not wish to do out of delusion.

*īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ hṛddeśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati ।
bhrāmayan sarvabhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā ॥ 18.61 ॥*

īśvaraḥ: the Supreme Lord; sarvabhūtānāṁ: of all living entities; hṛddeśe: in the heart; arjuna: O Arjuna; tiṣṭhati: resides; bhrāmayan: causing to travel; sarvabhūtāni : all living entities; yantra: machine; ārūḍhāni: being so placed; māyayā: under the illusion

18.61 The Supreme Lord resides in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the activities of all living entities who are acting as machines under the illusion of the material world.

*tameva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarvabhāvena bhārata ।
tatprasādātparāṁ śāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śāśvatam ॥ 18.62 ॥*

taṁ: unto Him; eva: certainly; śaraṇaṁ: surrender; gaccha: go; sarvabhāvena: in all respects; bhārata: O son of Bhārata; tatprasādāt: by His grace; parāṁ: supreme; śāntiṁ: in peace; sthānaṁ: abode; prāpsyasi: you will get; śāśvatam: eternal

18.62 Surrender to Him completely with all your being. By His grace you will attain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

*iti te jñānamākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā ।
vimṛśyai tadaśeṣeṇa yathecchasi tathā kuru ॥ 18.63 ॥*

iti: thus; te: unto you; jñānaṁ: knowledge; ākhyātaṁ: described; guhyāt:

confidential; guhyataraṁ: still more confidential; mayā: by Me; vimṛśya: by deliberation; etat: that; aśeṣeṇa: fully; yathā: as you; icchasi: you like; tathā: that; kuru: perform

18.63 I have explained the knowledge that is the secret of secrets. After fully reflecting on this, do as you wish.

*sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ ।
iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍhamiti tato vakṣyāmi te hitam ॥ 18.64 ॥*

sarvaguhyatamaṁ: the most confidential of all; bhūyaḥ: again; śṛṇu: just hear; me: from Me; paramaṁ: the supreme; vacaḥ: instruction; iṣṭo 'si: you are very dear to Me; me: of Me; dṛḍhaṁ: very; iti: thus; tataḥ: therefore; vakṣyāmi: I am speaking; te: for your; hitam: benefit

18.64 Because you are My dear friend, I express this truth to you. This is the most confidential of all knowledge. Hear this from Me. It is for your benefit.

*manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṁ namaskuru ।
māmevaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo 'si me ॥ 18.65 ॥*

manmanāḥ: thinking of Me; bhava: just become; madbhaktaḥ: My devotee; madyājī: My worshiper; māṁ: unto Me; namaskuru: offer your obeisances; mām: unto Me; eva: certainly; eṣyasi: come; satyaṁ: truly; te: to you; pratijāne: I promise; priyaḥ: dear; asi: you are; me: Mine

18.65 Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will certainly attain to Me. This I promise you because you are My very dear friend.

*sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ।
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ ॥ 18.66 ॥*

sarvadharmān: all principles of right conduct; parityajya: abandoning; mām: unto Me; ekaṁ: only; śaraṇaṁ: surrender; vraja: go; ahaṁ: I; tvāṁ: you; sarva: all; pāpebhyaḥ: from sinful reactions; mokṣayiṣyāmi: deliver; mā: not; śucaḥ: worry

18.66 Abandon all principles and concepts of right conduct and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Have no worry.

*idaṁ te nā 'tapaskāya nā 'bhaktāya kadācana ।
na cā 'śuśrūṣave vācyaṁ na ca māṁ yo 'bhyasūyati ॥ 18.67 ॥*

idaṁ: this; te: you; na: never; atapaskāya: one who is not austere; na: never; abhaktāya: one who is not a devotee; kadācana: at any time; na: never; ca: also; aśuśrūṣave: one who is not engaged in devotional service; vācyaṁ: to be spoken; na: never; ca: also; māṁ: unto Me; yaḥ: anyone; abhyasūyati: envious

18.67 This knowledge should never be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerity, who is without devotion, who does not desire to listen, or who speaks ill of Me.

*ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati ।
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā māmevaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ ॥ 18.68 ॥*

yaḥ: anyone; idaṁ: this; paramaṁ: most; guhyaṁ: confidential; mat: Mine; bhakteṣu: amongst devotees of; abhidhāsyati: explains; bhaktiṁ: devotional service; mayi: unto Me; parāṁ: transcendental; kṛtvā: having done; mām: unto Me; eva: certainly; eṣyati: comes; asaṁśayaḥ: without doubt

18.68 One who communicates the supreme secret to the devotees performs the highest devotional service to Me, and at the end he will without doubt, come back to Me.

*na ca tasmānmanuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya kṛttamaḥ ।
bhavitā na ca me tasmād anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi ॥ 18.69 ॥*

na: never; ca: and; tasmāt: therefore; manuṣyeṣu: among mankind; kaścit: anyone; me: My; priyakṛttamaḥ: more dear; bhavitā: will become; na: nor; ca: and; me: My; tasmāt: than him; anyaḥ: other; priyataraḥ: dearer; bhuvi: in this world

18.69 No other person shall do a more pleasing service to Me, and no one on the earth shall be more dear to Me.

*adhyeṣyate ca ya imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṁvādamāvayoḥ ।
jñānayajñena tenāham iṣṭaḥ syāmiti me matiḥ ॥ 18.70 ॥*

adhyeṣyate: will study; ca: also; yaḥ: he; imaṁ: this; dharmyaṁ: sacred; saṁvādaṁ: conversation; āvayoḥ: of ours; jñāna: knowledge; yajñena: by sacrifice; tena: by him; ahaṁ: I; iṣṭaḥ: worshiped; syām: shall be; iti: thus; me: My; matiḥ: opinion

18.70 I declare that One who studies this sacred dialogue worships Me by sacrifice of his intelligence.

*śraddhāvānanasūyaś ca śṛṇuyādapi yo naraḥ ।
so 'pi muktaḥ śubhāṁl lokān prāpnuyāt puṇyakarmaṇām ॥ 18.71 ॥*

śraddhāvān: faithful; anasūyaś ca: and not envious; śṛṇuyāt: does hear; api: certainly; yaḥ: who; naraḥ: a man; saḥ: he; api: also; muktaḥ: being liberated; śubhān: auspicious; lokān: planets; prāpnuyāt: attains; puṇyakarmaṇām: of those with merit

18.71 One who listens with faith and without envy becomes free from sinful reactions and attains to the planets where those of merit dwell.

*kaccid etac chrutaṁ pārtha tvayaikāgreṇa cetasā ।
kaccid ajñāna-saṁmohaḥ pranaṣṭaste dhanañjaya ॥ 18.72 ॥*

kaccit: whether; etat: this; śrutaṁ: heard; pārtha: O son of Prithā; tvaya: by you; ekāgreṇa: with full attention; cetasā: by the mind; kaccit: whether; ajñāna: ignorant; saṁmohaḥ: illusion; pranaṣṭaḥ: dispelled; te: of you; dhanañjaya: O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna)

18.72 O Pārtha, did you listen to this with single-minded attention? Has your delusion born of ignorance been completely destroyed, Dhanañjaya?

*Arjuna uvāca*

*naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtirlabdhā tvat-prasādān mayā'cyuta ।
sthito 'smi gata-sandehaḥ kariṣye vacanaṁ tava ॥ 18.73 ॥*

Arjuna uvāca: Arjuna says; naṣṭaḥ: dispelled; mohaḥ: illusion; smṛtiḥ: memory; labdhā: regained; tvatprasādāt: by Your mercy; mayā: by me; acyuta: O infallible Kṛṣṇa; sthitaḥ: situated; asmi: I am; gata: removed; sandehaḥ: all doubts; kariṣye: I shall execute; vacanaṁ: order; tava: Your

18.73 Arjuna says: O dear Acyuta (infallible lord), my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your Grace, and I am now firm and free from doubt, and ready to act as per your instructions.

*sañjaya uvāca*

*ityahaṁ vāsudevasya pārthasya ca mahātmanaḥ ।
saṁvādam imam aśrauṣam adbhutaṁ roma-harṣaṇam ॥ 18.74 ॥*

Sañjaya uvāca: Sañjaya said; iti: thus; ahaṁ: I; vāsudevasya: of Kṛṣṇa; pārthasya: of Arjuna; ca: also; mahātmanaḥ: two great souls; saṁvādaṁ: discussion; imaṁ: this; aśrauṣaṁ: heard; adbhutaṁ: wonder; romaharṣaṇam: hair standing on end

18.74 Sañjaya said: Thus have I heard the conversation of two great souls, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. And so wonderful is that message that my hair stands on end.

*vyasā-prasādāc chrutavān etad guhyam ahaṁ param ।
yogaṁ yogeśvarāt kṛṣnāt sākṣāt kathayataḥ svayam ॥ 18.75 ॥*

vyasāprasādāt: by the mercy of Vyāsadeva; śrutavān: heard; etat: this; guhyaṁ: confidential; ahaṁ: I; param: the supreme; yogaṁ: mysticism; yogeśvarāt: from the master of all mysticism; kṛṣnāt: from Kṛṣṇa; sākṣāt: directly; kathayataḥ: speaking; svayam: personally

18.75 By the mercy of Vyāsa, I have heard these most confidential words directly from Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mysticism, who was speaking personally to Arjuna.

*rājan saṁsmṛtya-saṁsmṛtya saṁvādam imam adbhutam ।
keśavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ hṛṣyāmi ca muhur-muhuḥ ॥ 18.76 ॥*

rājan: O King; saṁsmṛtya: remembering; saṁsmṛtya: remembering; saṁvādaṁ: discussion; imaṁ: this; adbhutam: wonderful; keśava: Lord Kṛṣṇa; arjunayoḥ: and Arjuna; puṇyaṁ: pious; hṛṣyāmi: taking pleasure; ca: also; muhurmuhuḥ: always, repeatedly

18.76 O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Keśava (Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment.

*tacca saṁsmṛtya-saṁsmṛtya rūpam atyadbhutaṁ hareḥ ।
vismayo me mahān rājan hṛṣyāmi ca punaḥ-punaḥ ॥ 18.77 ॥*

tat: that; ca: also; saṁsmṛtya: remembering; saṁsmṛtya: remembering; rūpaṁ: form; ati: great; adbhutaṁ: wonderful; hareḥ: of Lord Kṛṣṇa; vismayaḥ: wonder; me: my; mahān: great; rājan: O King; hṛṣyāmi: enjoying; ca: also; punaḥ-punaḥ: repeatedly

18.77 O King, when I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am struck with even greater wonder, and I rejoice again and again.

*yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanurdharaḥ ।
tatra śrīrvijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītirmatirmama ॥ 18.78 ॥*

yatra: where; yogeśvaraḥ: the master of mysticism; kṛṣṇaḥ: Lord Kṛṣṇa; yatra: where; pārthaḥ: the son of Pritā; dhanurdharaḥ: the carrier of the bow and arrow; tatra: there; śrīḥ: opulence; vijayaḥ: victory; bhūtiḥ: exceptional power; dhruvā: certain; nītiḥ: morality; matirmama: is my opinion.

18.78 Wherever there is Yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa, the Master of all mystics, and wherever there is Pārtha, the supreme carrier of bow and arrow, there will certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.

*iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrī kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde mokṣasaṁnyāsa yogo nāma aṣṭādaśo 'dhyāyaḥ ॥*

In the *Upaniṣad* of *Śrimad Bhagavad Gītā*, the scripture of yoga dealing with *Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra,* the science of Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, in the form of *Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṁvād,* dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, this is the eighteenth chapter named, *Mokṣa Sannyāsa Yogaḥ***,** *'The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation.'*

### Scientific Research On Bhagavad Gita

Several institutions have conducted experiments using scientific and statistically supported techniques to verify the truth behind Bhagavad Gītā. Notable amongst them is the work carried out by Mahṛṣi Mahesha yogi, whose findings are published through Mahaṛṣi ved vijñāna viśva vidyāpīṭaṁ.

Studies conducted using meditation techniques related to truths expressed in the verses of *Bhagavad Gītā* have shown that the quality of life is significantly improved through meditation. These studies have found that meditators experience a greater sense of peace resulting in a reduced tendency towards conflict.

Meditators gain greater respect for and appreciation of others. Their own inner fulfillment increases resulting in improved self-respect and self-reliance, leading to Self Realization.

One's ability to focus along with brain function integration is enhanced. These have resulted in greater comprehension, creativity, faster response time in decision-making and superior psychomotor coordination.

Stress levels have been shown to decrease with enhanced sensory perception and overall health. The tendency towards depression has been clearly shown to decrease.

There is enough evidence to show that as a result of meditation, individuals gain a better ethical lifestyle that in turn improves their interaction with others in the community, resulting in less conflict and crime. Group meditation of 7000 people (square root of 1% of world population at the time of the study) was significantly correlated to a reduction in conflict worldwide.

Meditation leads to higher levels of consciousness. Through the research tools of Applied Kinesiology, Dr. David Hawkins (author of the book *Power vs. Force*) and others have shown that human consciousness has risen in the last few decades, crossing a critical milestone for the first time in human history. Dr. Hawkins' research also documents that Bhagavad Gītā is at the very highest level of Truth conveyed to humanity.

We acknowledge with gratitude the work done by the Mahṛṣi Mahesha yogi institutions and Dr. David Hawkins in establishing the truth of this great scripture.

### Key Characters In Bhagavad Gita

- Kṛṣṇa : God Incarnate, Nārāyaṇa; eighth incarnation of Śrī Viṣṇu; complete Incarnation, Pūrnāvatar; Superconscious Divine, Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa; related to both Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas, Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa; Arjuna's charioteer in the war; Master of the Universe, Jagadguru—revivor of the sacred, secret science of enlightenment through the Bhagavad Gītā to his disciple Arjuna; removes *bhū bhāra*, the weight of *adharma*, collective unconsciousness from the earth through the Mahābhārat war and re-establishes *dharma*.
- Arjuna : the most illustrious of the Pāṇḍava brothers; divine son of Indra, the God of Devatas; expert wielder of the bow; the warrior leader amongst all warriors; human incarnate, Nara (reflection of Nārāyaṇa)
- Veda Vyāsa : author of Mahābhārat, Brahma Sūtras; grandfather to the Pāṇḍavas; lord of Enlightened Masters; compiler of Vedas, the sacred texts of Truth.
- Pañcha Pāṇḍavas : The 5 Pāṇḍava brothers, Yudhiṣṭra, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, who are immaculate conceptions of Exitence, born from Nature and Divine energies; embodiment of *dharma;* cousins of Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa.
- Yudhiṣṭra : eldest of Pāṇḍavas, divine on of Yama Dharma, the God of time and righteusness; renowned for his unflinching adherence to truth and righteousness which earned him the title 'Dharmarāja—king of Dharma'
- Bhīma : The 2nd of the Pāṇḍava brothers; divine son of Vāyu, the wind God; blessed by energy of Hānuman; distinguished from his brothers by his great stature and unimaginable strength.
- Nakula, Sahadeva : twin sons of Mādri; divine sons of Aśvini Kumāras, the Divine physicians; expert swordsmen; high wisdom and war skills; experts in Astrology and Ayurveda.
- Draupadī : wife of all Pāṇḍavas; daughter of Drupad; emerged from the fire-sacrifice energy also named 'Yagñaseni'—born of fire' and 'Kṛṣṇa'; dear friend of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; perfectly faultless, chaste and virtous wife; embodied the energy of fighting injustice and *adharma*; incarnation of eight goddesses in one form.

Duryodhana : son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the Kaurava King

- Karṇa : son of Kuntī from the Sun god; eldest of the Pānḍavas, renowned for his sacrifice and generosity; Duryodhana's close friend
- Duśśāsana : brother of Duryodhana, is killed by Bhīma in the war; committed the infamous act of attempting to disrobe Draupadī (wife of Pāṇḍavas)
- Bhīṣma : great grandfather of the Kaurava & Pāṇḍava; great warrior
- Droṇa : a great archer and teacher of both Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas
- Pāṇḍu : father of Pāṇḍavas, husband of Kuntī
- Kuntī : wife of Pāṇḍu, mother of Pāṇḍavas (along with Karṇa); embodiment of patience and penance.
- Mādrī : 2nd wife of Pāṇḍu; mother of Sahadeva and Nakula; died after her husband left his body.
- Gāndhārī : mother of Kauravas; voluntarily blindfolded herself throughout her married life since her husband Dhṛtarāṣṭra was born blind.
- Śakuni : brother of Gāndhārī; prince of Gāndhāra kingdom. Duryodhana's maternal uncle; mastermind of inciting enmity between Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas.; attempted evil strategies to destroy Kuru dynasty, such as the dice game against Pāṇḍavas.

| Character      |                                 | Description                                                                                |
|---------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Drupad        | :                               | a great warrior and father of Draupadī                                                                                |
| Dṛṣṭadyumna  | :                               | son of king Drupada and brother of Draupadī                                                                                |
| Dṛṣṭaketu    | :                               | king of Chedis, an ally of the Pāṇḍavas.                                                                                |
| Śikhaṇḍi    | :                               | a mighty archer and a transsexual person; responsible for bringing down Grandsire Bhīsma Pitāmaha from war. Was Ambā, princess of Kāshi, in previous birth.         |
| Virāṭa        | :                               | Abhimanyu's father-in-law; king of a neighboring kingdom; ally and host of Pāṇḍavas during their secret stay.                                                     |
| Yuyudhāna      | :                               | Kṛṣṇa's charioteer and a great warrior                                                                                |
| Kāśirāja     | :                               | king of the neighboring kingdom of Kāśī                                                                                |
| Cekitāna      | :                               | an ally of the Pāṇḍavas, a great warrior                                                                                |
| Kuntībhoja   | : adoptive father of Kuntī, the mother of the first three Pāṇḍava princes |                                                                                |
| Purujit       | :                               | brother of Kuntibhoj                                                                                |
| Śaibya       | : a ruler friendly to the Pāṇḍavas, leader of the Śibi tribe                     |                                                                                |
| Uttamouja     | : a great warrior                                 |                                                                                |
| Sañjaya       | :                               | minister and narrator of events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra                                                                                |
| Vikarṇa       | :                               | third of the Kaurava brothers                                                                                |
| Aśvattāma     | :                               | Droṇa's son and Achilles heel; said to always speak the truth; ally of Duryodhana                                                                                |
| Kṛpācārya    | :                               | teacher of martial arts to both Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas.                                                                                |

- Śalya : king of neighboring kingdom and brother of Mādri, Nakula and Sahadeva's mother
- Somadatta : king of Bahikas
- Śāntanu : Arjuna's great grandfather
- Subhadrā : Lord Kṛṣṇa's sister; wife of Arjuna; mother of Abhimanyu.
- Abhimanyu : son of Arjuna and Subhadrā; nephew of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma; most brave and illustrious warrior in entire Kuru and Pāṇḍava lineage; inherited the great courage, skills and valour from his father Arjuna and Uncle Kṛṣṇa; engaged in war at the age of 16 and defeated many Mahārathis, great warriors by himself; willingly fought and left his body in warfield proving his loyalty and love to his family; Abhimanyu's son, Parikśit became the sole survivor and heir to Pāṇḍava empire and throne.
- Vicitravīrya : Śikhaṇḍi's step brother
- Yudhāmanyu : an ally of Pāṇḍavas, prince of Pāñcāla
- Yuyudhāna : another name for Sātyaki

### Samskrit Pronunciation Guide

Saṃskṛit is *Devabhāśa*, meaning the language of the Gods. It is the sacred and sophisticated language or *bhāśā*, the source of all languages and vocal expressions from time eternal. Spoken by the Gods, it is the first langauge of the world, which flourished in the land of Bhāratavarśa (Bharat).

Saṃskṛitaṃ is a perfect language of the perfect or enlightened ones, used by the learned sages and divine beings to express the inexpressible energy of the sacred Truths. The roots of vedic Saṃskṛit source directly to Lord Śiva, from His Cosmic sound creations (like *aiun rilrik* etc.), which were later concieved by Sage Pāṇani, who created the entire saṃskṛit grammar called Aṣtādhyāyī. No one in the world could create perfect grammar just from a few sounds, and this is pure evidence that Saṃskṛit is a Divine literal manifestation. The word **Saṃskṛtaṁ** means—'**that which is perfectly, well done or refined or elaborate speech.**'

It is a phonetic language, for it is phonetically precise and natural, where every sound truly represents what it means by a unique symbol. For example, the sound 'ga' expresses motion or the saṃskṛit root 'gam.' The uniqueness of Saṃskṛit is that it is unchanged in every age in every Veda or in other Saṃskṛit literatures as it is Divinely created grammar. It uses 2200 verbal roots (dhātu) that combine to create an entire vocabulary of millions of words with precise and elaborate verbalization in short syllables. Its sophistication lies in its sacred meanings hidden in saṃskṛit texts, formed with its well-defined combinations (sandhi) of sounds.

In the **Vedic tradition,** the power of sound is used. **Vedic chanting** is nothing but 'becoming It' by creating the right space just by declarations. Each sound is a *mantra,* which invokes that specific energy when chanted with the right phonetic sound; perfect for| expressing the power of words, *vāk śakti*. To retain the original Vedic tradition, as it is spoken, and to experience the energy of sacred sounds or *mantras*, the right pronunciation or chanting has utmost value in Saṃskṛit.

Bhagavad Gītā is the direct speech of the Divine— Bhagavān, Parabrahma Śrī Kṛṣṇa sung in His own sound, in the most-refined and kingly Saṃskṛit poetry. Just by chanting the Gītā, we can experience the pure space and energy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His teachings; the most confidential, sacred Truths. Ādī Śankaracārya, the great Enlightened Master sings in *Bhaja Govindaṁ*, 'Even a little chanting of the Bhagavad Gītā will liberate you from death.'

The *chanda* or the vedic meter for chanting the Gītā is '*anuśtubh chandaḥ'—*a meter of 32 syllables in a *shloka* (verse stanza) or 8 syllables in a 4 *pada (metrical foot)*; and the only other meter is '*trishubh chandaḥ*' of 4 padas of 11 syllables or 44 syllables in each *shloka* (e.g. most of chapter 11-Viśvarūpa Darśan Yoga). It is recommended to understand the *chanda* as the verse meter structure is directly related to the right listening and internalizing the meaning.

Saṃskṛit is now mostly written in Devanāgiri script, meaning 'the city of Gods', which is also the Hindi language script. Throughout this book, the diacritical marks have been rendered to indicate the right pronunciation of each Saṃskṛit sound in the English letter as per the accepted saṃskṛit transliteration system. In the Devanāgari script, there are fourty-nine characters—fourteen vowels and thirty-five consonants.

| Simple Vowels | अ a | आ ā | इ i | ई ī | उ u | ऊ ū |
|---------------|------|-------|-----|-------|-----|------|
| | ऋ ṛ | ॠ ṝ | ल ḷ | ॡ ḹ | | |
| Diphthongs | ए e | ऐ ai | ओ o | औ au | | |

**Numerals**

**0- 0 1-- 1 2- 2 3- 3 4 - 4 5- 5 6- 6 7- 7 8- 8 9- 9**

| | Hard | Hard Aspirate | Soft | Soft Aspirate | Soft Nasal | Soft Semi- | Hard Sibilants |
|----------|--------|------------------|------|------------------|---------------|---------------|-------------------|
| | | | | | | vowels | |
| Guttural | क ka | ख kha | ग ga | घ gha | ङ ṅa | ह ha | : ḥ |
| Palatal | च ca | छ cha | ज ja | झ jha | ञ ña | य ya | श śa |
| Lingual | ट ṭa | ठ ṭha | ड ḍa | ढ ḍha | ण ṇa | र ra | ष ṣa |
| Dental | त ta | थ tha | द da | ध dha | न na | ल la | स sa |
| Labial | प pa | फ pha | ब ba | भ bha | म ma | व va | : ṁ |

### **Consonant Pronuncations**

- **• Gutteral: ka, kha, ga, gha, ṅa**—pronounced from the throat.
- **• Palatal: ca, cha, ja, jha, ña**—pronounced with the middle of the tougue against the palate
- **• Lingual or Cerebral: ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa**—pronounced from the tip of the tougue against the roof of the mouth
- **• Dental: ta, tha, da, dha, na**—pronounced like the cerebrals but with the tongue against the teeth
- **• Labial: pa, pha, ba, bha, ma**—pronounced with the lips
- **• Semivowel**: **ya, ra, la, va**
- **• Anusvara: ṁ**—a resonant nasal sound (mm)
- **• Visarga: ḥ**—an outbreath h-sound like aḥ (aha), iḥ (ihi)
- **• Aspirate: h—**a short h-sound (h)

|   | English example | Saṃskṛit Example |   | English example | Saṃskṛit Example         |
|---|-----------------|--------------------|---|-----------------|-------------------------|
| आ | a             | fun                | ट | ṭa            | touch                   |
| आ | ā             | car                | ठ | ṭha           | ant-hill                |
| इ | i             | pin                | ड | ḍa            | duck                    |
| ई | ī             | feen               | ढ | ḍha           | godhook                 |
| उ | u             | put                | ण | ṇa            | thunder                 |
| ऊ | ū             | pool               | त | ta            | (close to) think        |
| ऋ | ṛ             | rig                | थ | tha           | (close to) pathetic     |
| ॠ | ṝ             | (long r)           | द | da            | (close to) father       |
| ल | ḷ             | 彩                 | ध | dha           | (close to) breathe hard |
| ए | e             | play               | न | na            | numb                    |
| ऐ | ai            | high               | प | pa            | purse                   |
| ओ | o             | over               | फ | pha           | sapphire                |
| औ | au            | COW                | ब | ba            | but                     |
| अं | aṃ            | मुसं               | भ | bha           | abhor                   |
| अः | aḥ            | मस्य               | म | ma            | mother                  |
| क | ka            | kind               | य | ya            | young                   |
| ख | kha           | blockhead          | र | ra            | run                     |
| ग | ga            | gate               | ल | la            | luck                    |
| घ | gha           | log-hut            | व | va            | virtue                  |
| ङ | ṅa            | sing               | श | śa            | shove                   |
| च | ca            | chunk              | ष | ṣa            | bushel                  |
| छ | cha           | match              | स | sa            | sir                     |
| ज | ja            | jug                | ह | ha            | house                   |
| झ | jha           | hedgehog           | ळ | ḷ             | (close to) world       |
| ञ | ña            | bunch              | क्ष | kṣa           | worksheet               |
| त्र | tra           | three              | ज्ञ | jña           | म                     |
| - | -             | unpronounced (a)   | - | -             | Unpronounced (a)        |

note: * no English equivalent

** nasalisation of the preceding word

*** aspiration of preceding vowel

## A

Abhaya: complete protection

Ābharaṇa: adornment

Abhin: an opium variant

Abhiṣeka: water rituals involving pouring of water on the deity Abhaya hasta: the hand of the deity showing protection and grace

Abhyāsa yoga: practise of yoga of holding the mind in a state of union with divinity

Āditya: the Sun

Advaita: non-duality; the space of experiencing oneness, infinity with Cosmos where each one is infinitely powerful and infinitely intelligent. Advaita truth integrates the Self and Creator into one non-dual entity, where everything is 'you' and 'you' are everything.


Ṛṣi: a sage who are seers of Truth

Rudrākṣa: beads of the Rudrākṣa tree, literally means 'Śiva's tears'

Rudrākṣamāla: necklace of holy rudrākṣa seeds

Rudra: another name for Lord Śiva

Rudras: elemental powers

# S

Śabarimala: a famous pilgrim centre in Kerala, Bharat

Śabda tattva: principle of sound

Sadāśiva Brahmendra: 18th century Tamil saint and music composer

Śadhana Sadan: Śankar Mahāraj's ashram at Hardwar, North Bharat

Sādhu: literally a 'good person'; refers to an ascetic; same as sannyāsī

Saguṇa: with form

Saguṇa brahman: the formless in form

Sahasranāma: 1000 names invoking a particular deity which devotees recite

Sahasrāra: lotus with thousand petals; the crown energy centre

Saivism: a sect that reveres Lord Śiva as the Supreme Being

Sakha bhāva: the relationship of friendship between the Master and the disciple

Śakti: energy; intelligent energy; Parāśakti refers to universal energy, divinity; considered feminine; masculine aspect of Śakti is Śiva

Sākyanāyanār: originally a Buddhist monk who became an ardent devotee of Śiva in the later part of his life

Sālokya mukti: residence in the same abode of the Lord

Sāma veda: one of the Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures

Samādhi: state of no-mind, no-thoughts; literally, becoming one's original state; liberated, enlightened state.

Śambāla: place where one is in peace and security; space of ultimate freedom

Śambhu: form of rudra, Lord Śiva

Saṁśaya: doubt

Saṁskāra: Root thought patterns; the embedded past memories of unfulfilled desires stored in unconsious space that drive one into powerlessnessa and incomplete decisions, adding to kārmic action

Saṁyama: complete concentration

Samāna: part of prāṇa responsible for digestion and assimilation of food

Sāmīpya mukti: enlightenment whereby one is very near to the Lord

Saṁsāra Sāgara: ocean of wordly life, which can be crosses by the grace of the Guru

Saṁsāra māya: illusion of life

Sāmudrika lakṣana Śāstra: technique of studying body features

Sanātana dharma: eternal path of righteous living (later called Hinduism). The most powerful, most sophisticated, intelligent presentation of the Ultimate Truth with the possibility to evolve by enlightened Masters. It is not a religion but the complete science of living, leaving and beyond

Sañcita karma: our complete bank of unfulfilled karmas

Sandhyā: twilight; sandhyā kāl refers to evening

Sañjaya: the narrator who tells blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra the progress of the war from day to day.

Saṅkalpa: vow or promise; also means conscious decision

Śakti: energy; also name of Devi as primal energy of Cosmos

Śankar Maharāj: Lord Śiva as a young sannyāsi who graced THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM during His spiritual wanderings as Parivṛajika

Śaṅkha: conch

Śānti: peace

Śaṅkarā: an enlightened Master and Incarnation of Lord Śiva from Kālady, Kerala. Exponent of Advaita Vedānta, celebrated as the great revivor of Sanatana Dharma who lived just 32 years in form

Sāṅkhya philosophy: one of the six schools of classical system of Hindu philosophy expounded by Kapila Muni. Sāṅkhya philosophy regards the Universe as consisting of two realities: puruṣa (self) and

### prakṛti (matter).

Sannyāsa: completing with worldly lif; living for enriching others; sannyāsī or sannyāsin, a monk, an ascetic initiated into the path of Sannyāsa.

Saptapadi: the seven steps taken by the couple after tying the wedding knot in Hindu marriages

Saptaṛṣīs: the 7 sages who control the world

Śāradā Devī: wife of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa

Sārasvatya: explain a difficult idea very simply

Sari: traditional attire of Hindu women

Śarīra: body

Śāstra: sacred texts

Sāṣtāṅga namskāra: full prostration salutation

Saraswatī: Goddess of wisdom

Sarvajña: the Knower of all

Sat-cit-ānanda: existence, knowledge, bliss

Satori: high state of consciousness

Śatrughna: brother of lord Rāma in the Hindu epic, Rāmāyaṇa

Satsang: spiritual gatherings; literally 'association (sanga) of the Truth (sat)'

Sātyaki: name of a great warrior

Satyavatī: Arjuna's great grandmother

Savikalpa samādhi: is one of the highest forms of minor state of samādhi meditation; in which the human consciousness is dissolved into infinity for a short period of time

Sāyujya mukti: becoming enlightened oneself; uniting into the Divine or Existence

Satva, satvic: the highest attribute or guṇa of spiritual calmness

Senāpati: the Commander-in-chief of army

Siddhi: extraordinary powers attained through spiritual practice

Śikhaṇḍi: daughter-son of King Drupada, a girl-turned-man, warrior on the Pāṇḍava side. He had been born in an earlier lifetime as a woman named Ambā, who was rejected by Bhīśma for marriage.

Siṁha: lion

Siṁha svapna: nightmare

Sītā: wife of Lord Rāma in Rāmāyaṇa; incarnation of Lakṣmī, Goddess of Fortune

Śiṣya: disciple

Śiva: rejuvenator in the trinity; devotees call Him, Mahādev, Bhole Bābā and Kālabhairava, Mahākāla. Śiva also means 'causeless auspiciousness—mangalatva'; 'The original substance of Existence is Śiva'—defines THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.

Skanda: Another name for Lord Subrahmaṇya or Murugā.

Smaraṇa: remembrance; constantly remembering the Divine

Smṛti: (lit: 'that which is remembered'); refers to later day Hindu works which are rules, regulations, laws and epics, such as Manu's works, Purāṇas etc.

Śraddhā: tattva of authenticity; trust, courageous faith, confidence

Śravaṇa: authentic listening. One of the three concepts in Hinduism (Vedānta)—Śravana, Manana, Nididhyāsana.

Sṛṣṭi: creation, which is created

Śruti: (lit: that which is heard) refers to the ancient scriptures of Vedas, Upaniṣads and Bhagavad Gītā; they are the revealed scriptures retained by the sages just by one listening.

Sloka: a saṃskṛit poem; a verse stanza which is made of a group of

*pada* and sllyables chanted in a meter rhythm style or *chanda*

Stotras: devotional verses, to be recited or sung

Śūdra: the class of people who contribute by physical work and by giving their time

Sūtra: (lit: 'thread') refers to epigrams, short verses which impart spiritual techniques

Śūnya: literally zero; however, Buddha uses this word to mean reality

Suryanamaskār: (lit: Sun salutation). A comprehensive and main sequence of Yogāsanas that enrich the body-mind and space with complete energy flow; nornally done in the morning absorbing the life-nourshing energy of Sun

Suṣuṁna: Please see 'iḍa'

Svādhiṣṭhāna: where Self is established; the groin or spleen energy centre

Svapna: dream

Svatantra: free

Soma: wine of the gods

Somadatta: a kinsman of the Kuru clan

Soundaryatva: that which attracts our mind

Śrimad Bhāgavataṁ: also called 'Śrimad Bhāgavataṁ Mahā Purāṇa'. See Bhāgavatam.

Sṛṣṭi dṛṣṭi: accept the world and life as it is

Sthira: stable

Sthūla śarīra: physical Body

Subramanya: a Lord, also is son of Śiva; also named Skanda, Murugā, Kārtikeya

Sudarśana homa: fire ritual done for success in an undertaking

Śūdras: workers

Sūfi: sect of divine mystics in Islam

Sughoṣa: Nakula's conch

Sukha: happiness

Śukrācārya: guru of asuras

Sūkṣma śarīra: subtle body

Suptacittam: state of being aware even in sleep

Sūrya: the son god

Suṣupti: deep sleep

Sūtradhāra: controller and director of the technique

Svānyakāra: the Life image—the image and expectation you carry about life.

Svapna: dream state

Svajanam: means 'my people, my relatives'. Saṃskṛit term used by Arjuna in Arjunaviṣāda Yoga (chapter 1) of Bhagavad Gītā to state his untold grief in killing 'his people'

Svadharmam: means 'my dharma.' Saṃskṛit term uttered by Śri Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gītā to teach him the true path of self-righteousness to be lived by an individual

Svapuṛnatva: literally means 'self-completion' in Saṃskṛit. The process of doing completion with the self or 'Svapuṛnatva Kriya' as taught by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM to experience fulfillment, completion with yourself, by dropping the past karmas, incompletions

Svayaṁvara: choosing of the husband by a woman by her own choice

Svāti nakśatra: the star Svati

Swāmiji: address of respect to one's Master

Swāmi Brahmānanda: disciple of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahamsa

Svarūpa: form

Svayam Prakaśa: self effulgent

# T

Tamas, tamasic: the guṇa or attribute of laziness, irresponsibility or inaction

Tantra: esoteric techniques used in spiritual evolution

Tapas: severe spiritual endeavour, penance done voluntarily for inner purification

Tapovan: a holy place in the Himalayas

Tapasvī: one who undertakes severe penance

Tārakāsura: a demon who was killed by Kārtikeya or Skanda, son of Lord Śiva.

Tarangini: great selfless devotee of Kṛṣṇa

Tattva: philosophy or realm

Tattva satya: the existential reality; the truth of the philosophy

Tat tvam asi: that art thou

Tataḥ kim: what next

Taittreya Upaniṣad: One of the main or Mukhya Upaniṣads associated with the Taittriya school of Yajur Veda; number 7 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upaniṣads; intrumental in spreading the Truth of Vedānta; its commentary by Ādī Śankarācārya forms a great Saṃskṛit literature.

Tejas: glow, grace

Tejavastva: sharp radiating energy and clarity

Thatāgata: Buddhahood, a pāli word

Tiruvannamalai: temple town in South Bharat, the birth-place of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM; home of most sacred Arunachala hill, which is the direct embodiment of Lord Śiva and is the spiritual nerve center of the Cosmos.

Tīrtha: water; tīrthaṁ is a holy river and a pilgrimage centre

Trikāla: all three time zones, past, present and future; trikālajñāni is one who can see all three at the same time; an enlightened being is beyond time and space

Tirupati: temple town in South Bharat where the presiding diety is Lord Veṅkateśwara

Tiruvaroor: a place in Tamil Nadu, Bharat where Lord Dakṣiṇāmūrti, an enlightened Master lived

Triguṇa rahita: beyond the three guṇas of rajas, tamas and satva

Triputi: the triad of knower, known and knowledge

Tṛṣṇa: craving or longing

Turīya: state of samādhi, no-mind

Turīya avastha: state that persists through all the 3 states of consciousness—waking, dream and deep sleep

Tyāga: renunciation

# U

Ucchaiśravas: the legendary snow white horse in the Hindu historical happenings

Udāna: part of prāṇa that helps the soul leave the body at the time of death

Uṇmai: 'Truth' in Tamil

Upāsanā: literally means 'sitting near,' denotes a prescribed method

for approaching a deity or God

Uśana: guru of asuras, Śukrācārya

Uttamauja: a Pāñcāla prince, son of subhadrā

Uttar kāśī: a town in North Bharat

Uttarāyaṇam: six months that the sun travels in the north

Uttara mimāmsi: those who interpret vedic scriptures according to vedānta

Upāyanam: the tattva (principle) of responsibility that awakens the power of feeling

Upaniṣads: scriptures that form the essence of the ancient texts of the Vedas, which show the direct path to God or Self-realization. Upaniṣad literally means 'sitting with the Master'. There were 1,180 Upaniṣads, related to 1,180 branches of Vedas. 200 of them are still available; 11 main Upaniṣads are commented on by Incarnation, Bhagavān Ādi Śaṅkara.

# V

Vaikuṇṭha: the abode of lord Viṣṇu

Vāimai: truth spoken through the mouth

Vairāgya: beyond attachment and detachment

Vaiśvānarāgni: fire that we worship

Vaiśyas: business community; the class of the society involved in business and merchandize

Vajra: thunderbolt

Vāli: monkey king in the Hindu epic Rāmāyaṇa who is killed by prince Rāma

Vālmīki: author of the famous epic, Rāmāyaṇa; revered as the Ādī Kavi, the first poet who invented śloka (epic meter). Once a thief, he attained liberation by Lord Rāma's name.

Vāraṇasi: famous pilgrimage centre and temple town of North Bharat; also called Kāśi, the city of Lord Śiva

Vāk śakti: (or vāk siddhi) the power of words; ability to utter the right words and make them occur as reality. Awakened by the tattva of integrity

Varṇa dharma: duty of one's caste; caste classification based on one's natural attributes an not on birth

Varada hasta: boon-giving hand

Varuṇa: god of the ocean

Vāsanā: mental set up

Vāstu Śāstra: an ancient vedic science related to the science of architecture

Vasu: means 'Dweller' or 'Dwelling'

Vasudeva: father of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Vāsudeva Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa, the mortal being, the son of Vāsudeva

Vāsuki: the serpent with which the Gods and the demons churned the milky ocean in the Hindu Purāṇa

Vāyu: lord of wind

Vedānta: (lit: the 'essence or end of the Vedas'); describes a group of philosophical traditions concerned with the Self-realization by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality (Brahman). Originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upaniṣads

Venkaṭeśvara: the presiding diety in Tirupati, a temple in South Bharat. Incarnation of Lord Śrī Viṣṇu

Vidyādāna: giving education to meet someone's mental growth

Vijaya: another name of Arjuna; the undefeatable victorious warrior

Vijñānabhairava tantra: classical sacred text cast as a discourse between the god Śiva and his consort Devi or Śakti, it briefly presents 112 meditation methods or centering techniques

Vijñānamaya kośa: knowledge layer

Vijitendriya: one who has won over his senses; another name of Arjuna

Vikarṇa: a Kaurava warrior

Vīṇa: a musical stringed instrument

Vipāsana meditation: Buddhist meditation technique

Virāṭa rupa: true universal form of Kṛṣṇa

Virāṭa: king of Matsya region

Vīrabhadra: form of Rudra; independent energy of Lord Śiva that destroys ego of Lord Brahma.

Viṣṇu sahasranāma: the vedic hymn that glorifies the 'thousand names of Viṣṇu'

Viṣṇu: supreme god in the Vaiśnavite tradition of Sanatana Dharma; He is the energy that pervades the Universe and sustains it; also called Nārāyaṇa

Viśāda: grief, dilemma, deep sorrow

Viśiṣṭādvaita: school of thought that says the individual self is a part of existence with its own attributes

Viśvāmitra: great sage

Viśvanāth: literally means 'Lord of the Universe'; name of Lord Śiva as the presiding God at the Kāśi Viśvanāth temple in Varanasi

Vivekānanda: primary disciple of Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahamsa and Founder of the Rāmakṛṣṇa Order. 19th century Eastern Enlightened Master considered a key figure in spreading awareness of Hinduism and Yoga in Europe and America.

Vivekachūḍamaṇi: (lit. the crest jewel of discrimination). A famous Saṃskṛit poem ascribed by Ādi Śaṇkaracārya in 8th century expounding on Advaita Vedanta philosophy with 580 verses

Vrajā homa: a fire ritual of purification

Vṛikodara: one with the stomach of the wolf; another name for Bhīma, one of the Pāṇdava brothers

Vyādha Gītā: (lit: 'song of a butcher') Consists of the teachings imparted by Vyādh (a butcher) to a monk

Vṛṣṇi: king of the yadu dynasty

Vṛtrāsura: evil being

Vyāna: the energy that pervades the whole body. Its major function is circulation

Vyakta: seen or manifest

# Y

Yādava: the clan to which Kṛṣṇa belongs

Yajur veda: one of the 4 vedas

Yakṣa: demigod who according to Hindu sacred history guards wealth.


Please listen! The best enriching philosophy on the planet Earth is Kapila's *Sāṅkhya*! Do you know why? Because He has no patterns.

Kapila is established in completion—the space of pure perception! No patterns are involved in the processing of information through the senses. The fire is seen as the fire. Not even an iota of the idea of heat or cold is superimposed on it! Superimposing any idea on life takes away the joy of life.

The great news for human beings is that *māyā* (illusion) can be transformed. Perception can be transformed. You can become enlightened! O humanity! I am here to give you the great news! Perception can reach completion! When you bring completion into the perception, a moment of perception can literally bring enlightenment!

Let me give you an example. Recently I visited the cremation grounds in Vārāṇasi with a group of disciples. When we were watching the dead bodies burning in front of us for some hours, some people were just sleeping, some were affected and were feeling nauseated, and some were not at all affected by the same scene of the body burning part by part in front of our eyes. What is the difference? It is just the processing of information with patterns. The possibility of perception!

That is the reason why the great Masters have always urged their disciples to wake up. *Jāgṛat* is the word used to awaken them. This is not the call to wake up from sleep but the call to wake up into completion! It is the call to emerge from the non-existent reality of processed facts or patterns into the truly existent Truth of self-experience.

Most of the time we exist in our past or future. We are constantly caught in the experiences of the past, under the excuse of learning from them. But in actuality, we are caught in guilt, regret or pleasure from remembering the past memories. The future is just as unreal as the past. Yet, we build castles, we plan, we dream, and we fantasize about the future without the capacity to execute any of it. We are not even sure we will take our next breath. How can we control events of the future when we cannot control our next breath? The futility of our constant movement between past and future and back again is the greatest wonder of all.

Now, I am giving you the best possibility of perception. Listen! Bring integrity in your thinking. Your eyes, your senses will not forget the reality even at that moment, and will not cognize heat or cold, pain or pleasure. Many times, due to lack of integrity our mind and body cognize their own facts, their own concepts.

The only truth, the only true reality, is the truth of this very moment.

As long as we are in this present moment, we have a pure perception without any patterns, only then we are truly complete and integrated. The present moment never ceases to exist. In fact, that is all that does exist. The present moment alone is *sat,* truth, everything else is *asat*, untruth.

One who realizes this truth and acts out of completion, says Kṛṣṇa, is enlightened. We are all made of body, mind and spirit. The body is tangible; we can feel its boundaries. When a part of the body is sick, we can feel the discomfort. As long as we feel the body working smoothly, we say we are in good health.

Our mind is subtle. We do not feel the mind in the same way as we feel the body. We do not feel its boundaries. Yet, we feel the effects of the mind: thoughts, desires, emotions etc. Modern scientific studies have shown that what we term as mind is spread all over the body. Mind and its intelligence are inbuilt into our cellular structure. Recent studies have shown that it is our root thought patterns not genetics, which in turn arise from our earliest experiences of powerlessness, which define the birth and development of our mind, and in turn influence the cellular structure. Earlier it was believed that genetic modifications to the cellular structure influenced the way we cognized.

**The process where we perceive or receive information through five senses, internalize it with our root thought patterns, and respond based on our patterns is Cognition.** Now it is proven that it is our root thought pattern that leads to our cognition and thereafter determines our genetics.

Even subtler is the spirit. In fact, many people question this entity called spirit. What it is, they ask. What is this thing called spirit or soul? We cannot see it and we cannot touch it. Becoming aware of this subtle spirit or soul is just what Self- realization is all about.

In these verses, Kṛṣṇa says first that the spirit pervades the body *avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam*. His definition of body is the body-mind system. Secondly, He states that the body and mind are destroyed at death—*antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śārīriṇaḥ*. Thirdly, He declares that the spirit does not die at death—*vināśam avyayasyāsya na kascit kartum arhati*. Fourthly, He explains that the spirit is beyond our mental comprehension—*anāśino 'prameyasya*.

When death happens, bodily functions stop and the senses, which are a function of the mind, stop working. The entire body-mind system is then left by itself and it degenerates. This part is clear to all of us who have seen death. What is unclear or unknown to us is that there is something within us that does not perish at death. Kṛṣṇa clarifies here that this is the Self, *Ātman*, the energy that never dies.

What is death? Is it the spirit leaving the body that causes death, or is it that death forces the spirit into leaving the body? The body-mind system is perishable, that it has a definite shelf life and comes with an expiry date. However, beyond this expiry date, there is something that lives on and that is the spirit. This spirit is energy; it is the energy of life.

Kṛṣṇa urges Arjuna to fight saying, 'Therefore, fight, O Bhārata, *tāsmad yudhyasva bharāta*', with the full understanding that what he thinks of as real is unreal, that what he thinks of as permanent, *Nitya* is impermanent, *Anitya* and what he thinks he is about to destroy can, in truth, never be destroyed.

Kṛṣṇa tells him to open his eyes and see with pure pattern less perception; that what he is about to do will only destroy that which is going to perish anyway. Even if he wants to, Arjuna cannot destroy the imperishable, *avināśi* spirit that lives on.

Arjuna's concern about the death of his kinsmen and elders arises out of his root pattern of fear and insecurity about his own death. He does not realize his true imperishable nature and therefore he is afraid of dying. By extension of this fear, he is afraid of others' deaths as well, especially at his own hands. Kṛṣṇa tells him that there is no such thing as death and that death is unreal, *anāśinaḥ*.

All our lives we see people around us dying. Death is the only certainty in this otherwise uncertain world. Everyone, whether a beggar or a prince, must die. When we wake up from a dream, we don't mourn our dream lives, as real as they felt at the time. Do we? No. In the same way, when we awaken into the highest state of consciousness, we have the same experience that this 'real' life was only a dream. There is nothing to mourn or fret over. The lineage of all enlightened masters has again and again supported Kṛṣṇa's declarations with their own direct experience. The body is just the shell that houses your spirit. Even when the body perishes, you do not. It is impossible because you are eternal, *Nitya*; you are bliss, *Ānanda*.

Kṛṣṇa is firmly stating this reality that there is no such thing as death, *nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ*. He says what dies or seems to perish is unreal, *nāsato vidyate bhāvo*; it had no permanent existence anyway. What does have existence, what is truly real, exists now, has always existed and will exist forever!

Look in! When you drill with integrity and authenticity, normal perception itself is nothing but perception of God! Because any perception will directly lead you to the space of the root of all actions, including perception! You will see that the ultimate perception, what Kṛṣṇa declares as your true nature of eternal existence and indestructible energy becomes your reality!

*Sāṅkhya* is reality. What exists as reality is perceived by you without the interference, perversions created by your powerless patterns. *Sāṅkhya* is the philosophy of reality—ultimate existentialism. Completion will lead you to experience that *Sāṅkhya*, the reality, existential reality—*Tattva Satya, Satya Tattva*!

### You Are Immortal

| Verse | Translation |
|---|---|
| 2.19 *Neither understands, he who takes the Self to be slayer nor he who thinks he is slain. He who knows the Truth understands that the Self does not slay, nor is It slain.* |  |
| 2.20 *The Self is neither born nor does It ever die. After having been, It never ceases not to be. It is Unborn, Eternal, Changeless and Ancient. It is not killed when the body is killed.* |  |
| 2.21 *O Pārtha, how can man slay or cause others to be slain, When he knows It to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, and unchangeable?* |  |
| 2.22 *Just as man casts off his worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, The Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters newer ones.* |  |
| 2.23 *Weapons do not cleave the Self, fire does not burn It, water does not moisten It. And wind does not dry It.* |  |
| 2.24 *The Self can neither be broken, nor burnt, nor dissolved, nor dried up. It is Eternal, All-pervading, Stable, Immovable and Ancient.* |  |
| 2.25 *The Self is said to be unmanifest, unthinkable and unchangeable and able. Knowing this to be such, you should not grieve.* |  |

Then Kṛṣṇa is slapped with shock by Arjuna—this is the right description I will give, Kṛṣṇa wakes up! The first thing that comes out from Kṛṣṇa is *sāṅkhya yogaḥ*. In *Sāṅkhya*, you are recognized as a soul. The idea taught to you about *you* is—you cannot be cut by weapons, you cannot be burnt by fire, you cannot be made wet by water, and you cannot be blown away by air. Nothing can do 'nothing' to you. Nothing can be done to you by anything.

Understand, the moment Bhagavān is opening His mouth, you are given an amazing introduction about you!

Kṛṣṇa is one of the greatest followers of Kapila, the celebrated Incarnation of Mahādev and Viṣṇu in *Śrimad Bhāgavatam*. Kapila is the first thinking man on the planet who experienced completion, the founding father of this great *Sāṇkhya* philosophy, the founder of Mahānirvaṇi Pīṭha. That is why even when Bhagavān addresses His own glory later, when He introduces Himself, He says, '*siddhānāṁ kapilo muniḥ* (10.26)—Among the great perfect beings, the complete beings, I am Kapila.' 'I am Kapila among the *siddhas*, the great incarnations!'

*Siddha* means a complete being. This means that in Śrī Kṛṣṇa's time, Kapila was the star of the spiritual world. That is why He remembers Kapila. That is why I say that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is also the Mahāmandaleśvar (spiritual head) of Mahānirvaṇi Pīṭha. Śrī Kṛṣṇa also studied *Sāṅkhya*; He is a follower of *Sāṅkhya* philosophy.

### There is No Death in Reality

Kṛṣṇa directly addresses some of Arjuna's earlier doubts in these verses. Arjuna has claimed that destroying his people, *svajanam* will bring him untold grief, not only in this world but in future births as well. Kṛṣṇa explains to Arjuna that all his fears are misplaced. There is no death in reality. What is seen as death is the destruction of the impermanent body. No one therefore can kill another person or be killed by another person. Both are illusions.

The spirit that occupies the body lives on forever. It occupies the body temporarily, but by itself the Self is eternal, indestructible, and has no births and deaths. It is the body, the sheath that covers it, that dies and is reborn. The spirit or the Self lives on forever.

What Kṛṣṇa says here is radically different from what any other scripture has said. Kṛṣṇa denies the concept of death here. He says there is no such thing as death. He is not saying: be good, and you will be taken care of when you die and if you are bad, you will suffer. He says there is no death, that's all.

Here Kṛṣṇa is talking to someone who has witnessed death. So, He has to explain to him that death does not exist. It is the individual's attachment to the body that creates the illusion that the individual also perishes with the body. Attachment to the body is the most intense of all attachments. We also get attached to material possessions as well as our relationships. The potential loss of these leads to fears similar to that of losing one's body. One who understands that all these attachments are temporary and are the cause of all our suffering, understands the truth. Understanding this truth removes all fears.

In some cultures, people are bred on the pattern that one's life ends at death. This pattern leads to desperate inadequate cognition, as if there is no further time to seek happiness. Once a person understands that death, like birth, is merely a passage, and sees the continuity of being, the fear of losing one's identity disappears along with fears of sin and hell.

This is why religions that accept the continuance of life after death, as Hinduism and Buddhism do; breed a culture of tolerance amongst their followers. There is no rush to live and extract the maximum juice out of one's life in a single birth. They propound that we all come from a common energy source and we go back to this source, and the cycle continues. Those who understand this spiritual truth teach completion, inclusion and compassion, and they have no desire to convert others to their beliefs.

It is easy to misinterpret these verses and propose that if there is no one really killing or being killed, then what stops us from mindless killing? Listen. That is not what Kṛṣṇa intends. One who truly understands that death is not the end of the path, but only a milestone in the journey, is not perturbed by death when it happens naturally or when it is caused for a purpose.

Here Kṛṣṇa reveals to him a more subtle level of truth that he hasn't yet grasped. Arjuna shies away from killing, not because of his conviction of *ahimsā*, non-violence, but because of his root thought pattern that he identifies with the people he has to destroy. His hesitation is from his delusory incompletions, ignorance, attachment and fantasy, not from the wisdom of non-violent compassion.

Kṛṣṇa's message to Arjuna is as it would be to someone who has to uphold *dharma* at all costs. However, it would not be a blind acceptance of orders, it would not be a powerless action driven by fear and greed. It would not be killing for gain and or killing out of fear that one would be killed. It would be an ultimate powerful action from the space of completion; born out of the knowledge that such destruction is needed for universal good and that such destruction would lead to creation.


### Completion with Violence

Violence and killing are not merely physical acts. They are psychological compulsions acted out of incompletion in the physical realm. The ruler of a country who orders warfare against others is the violent one, even if he hides behind his throne. Violence of the mind carries on as the *vāsanā* or desires; the essence of the spirit, that incarnates from birth to birth. That is the horror that does not end with death. The spirit is violated, degraded, and degenerated by this attitude of violence.

A violent man is always a coward, an inauthentic person who does not have the courage to face the truth. He does not have the sensitivity to treat others as he expects to be treated. He goes out-of-integrity, losing his power of words, isolating himself in a cocoon of lies, using the excuse of defending himself, and commits violence against others.

When we become aware and conscious that the person next to us is actually an expression of the energy of God, how can we possibly respond with violence? It has nothing to do with whether someone is family, part of our culture, religion or nation; or part of our history, habits or beliefs. The other person may oppose all that we believe in. Yet he is as much a part of this Universe as we are.

That is why Kṛṣṇa says, 'O Pārtha, how can that man slay or cause others to be slain, who knows him to be indestructible, eternal, unborn, unchangeable?'

> *ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam I ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate II 2.19*

How can we? How can violence develop in us when we recognize ourselves to be God, which automatically enables us to be aware that every other living being, animate and inanimate too is God's image?

If this message of Kṛṣṇa is truly understood, there can be no violence in this world, no self-hatred and no killing at all. You will not even kill an insect. You will not kill even in self-defense because once you are in completion, your space of completion is transmitted to the other being and that being will not even attack you.

Understand what Kṛṣṇa says and you will never have fear, either for yourself or for others. You are imperishable, you are complete; everyone around you is imperishable, complete. Shed your fear and violence and be complete. Let enriching others; let love for others fill your being.

Please listen from the space of listening!

One of the important secrets I want to share with you.

**Any root pattern you carry can be destroyed if you just have love for people. Decide to go on enriching everyone who is happening in your life.** When you enrich others, be very clear, you are constantly getting enriched. Decide life is for others. Life is for enriching. Enriching is life!

I tell you from my own experience, when I decided any wealth that comes around me is for others, the Cosmos showered me with wealth more than what I needed even for doing the work I am doing. In the same way, my knowledge is for others. I am not going to keep anything secret to me. Because I decided that whatever knowledge I have is for others, Cosmos is going on showering!

Listen to the definition of Enriching. Enriching is the power that unlocks the power of Living, *ātma śakti* in you.

**Enriching is you taking the responsibility with integrity and authenticity that you are continuously committed to enriching, which is expanding yourself and life in and around you.**

Listen! The purpose for which you are born is enriching yourself and others. When you operate out of this understanding, you are most alive, at your peak and living enlightenment!

When Ādī Śaṅkara decided to bless a poor lady, immediately the golden *amalaki* (gooseberry) showered. If it happens in your life, you will have a bag to collect everything and you will tell the lady, 'You gave one *amalaki*. You take one *amalaki*!' The old lady gave only one *amalaki* to Śankara. That is why Cosmos doesn't shower when you ask.

Just decide that life is for others! All the best things will be showered on you. You will get back to the space you were in when you were born the purest space of life, the imperishable space! This is the jumpstart technique for enlightenment. Decide from this moment, 'Life is for Others! Life is for Enriching!' All your insecurity, fear, anger, greed, all your root patterns will become rootless patterns. Kṛṣṇa is giving this jump-start technique of enlightenment to Arjuna so that he enriches himself and others and fights to destroy the very root of his root pattern of fear and violence .

### Do not Fear Death, You Are Imperishable

Kṛṣṇa continues with *Sāṅkhya*, the knowledge of completion:

Just as man casts off his worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters newer ones, *anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī* (2.22).Weapons do not cleave the Self, fire does not burn It, water does not moisten It, and wind does not dry It. The Self can neither be broken, nor burnt, nor dissolved, nor dried up. It is eternal, all pervading, stable, immovable and ancient.

> *nainaṁ chindanti saśtrāṇi nainaṁ dahāti pāvakaḥ I na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ II 2.23*

These verses are amongst the most quoted verses of *Bhagavad Gītā*. Here, in very few words, Kṛṣṇa expounds upon the entire truth of life and death, mind, body and spirit. He clarifies why we should accept death gladly, as a matter of fact and course, instead of grieving over it. He says this so simply that even an innocent child can understand this truth.

Do we grieve over a dirty shirt that we have cast away when we know we will have a new one? Do we say, 'Oh, I am so attached to this shirt. I cannot let it go. Let me keep wearing it. I shall be heartbroken if I have to take off this shirt?' If only we understand that a body needs to be changed when it grows old, in just the same way as the shirt does when it is dirty, there would be no grief, no attachment.

Kṛṣṇa goes on to explain further what that unchanging continuity is. What is the nature of that spirit? How is it that it is everlasting?

Kṛṣṇa says, 'O Arjuna, the Soul is not destroyed at all. No *astra*, no *brahmāstra*, no nuclear weapon can destroy the energy within the body. Fire cannot burn It, water cannot wet It, and air cannot dry It. It is not made of the elements and cannot be destroyed by the elements. It is the energy behind the elements that creates the elements. How can It then die?'

'It cannot be disintegrated in any manner, by breaking, dissolving, burning or drying, *acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam akledyo 'soṣya eva ca*. It is eternal. It transcends all the elemental powers. It pervades the Universe, *nityaḥ sarva gataḥ sthānuṛ* (2.24). It has been there always, *sanātanaḥ*. Therefore, It never can be destroyed.'

An understanding of the truth that Kṛṣṇa unveils here is the key to immortality. It is the key to liberation from the bondage of life and death. It is the doorway to enlightenment.

'Do not fear death, *nānuśocitum arhasi* (2.25).' Kṛṣṇa says, 'neither yours nor that of others. It is just a passage. It is the disappearance of this material body. However, you are beyond this material body. Even if the body perishes, you live on, so you do not have to worry or fear.'

What survives death is the sacred spirit in you that can never be destroyed. This spirit is not matter; it is pure energy. How can you destroy energy? Science states that energy can only appear in another form; it cannot be destroyed. As I said before, it is the energy behind the elements; it is that source which creates the elements. It is the energy that has always been and will be, never created, never destroyed. It is unchanging, eternal and all pervading. The experience of every enlightened being verifies the truth that Kṛṣṇa is uttering.

'When you are that spirit, that energy,' asks Kṛṣṇa, 'what is there to grieve about? When you are the Divine yourself, what can you fear? What more can you ask for?'

Listen. At the heart of all torture and killing is fear and greed. When we sincerely contemplate on these teachings, we complete with our fear and greed patterns, and we live peacefully in completion. From this space of completion, comes enriching. Enriching brings the space of Enlightenment in you. The whole cosmos will simply be pouring its energy into you, through you, because you are sharing it with the whole Cosmos!

It is when we are driven by our root patterns that we get fixed in obsessive beliefs and become intolerant of other beliefs, that we become afraid to lose our identity. That insecurity and fear of loss of identity is greater than the fear of death. So we respond violently. To avoid being killed, we kill.

Once we understand what Kṛṣṇa says, that death is like changing a worn-out garment, our fears will disappear. Why do we need that garment at all? We will feel freer, fully liberated when we do not have that garment. Going beyond the garment is going beyond the pattern of bodymind. It is going beyond the root of the root pattern, the cycle of life and death, *saṁsāra*. It is going to the ultimate liberation, in this life itself. It is the ultimate relaxation.

# Death Is But A Passage

- 2.26 *O Mahābāho (mighty-armed), even if you should think of the Soul as being constantly born and constantly dying, Even then, you should not lament.*
- 2.27 *Indeed, death is certain for the born and birth is certain for the dead. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable.*
- 2.28 *O Bhārata, all beings are unmanifest in their beginning, seemingly manifest in their middle, and unmanifest again in their end. So, what need then for grieving?*
- 2.29 *One sees It as a wonder, another speaks of It as a wonder, another hears of It as a wonder. Yet, having heard, none understands It at all!*
- 2.30 *O Bhārata, This that dwells in the body of everyone can never be slain; Therefore, do not grieve for any living being.*

When you understand what Kṛṣṇa is saying in these verses you get over any fear of death. In fact you will celebrate death. Sometime ago, when I was delivering a discourse in Bharat, news arrived that my father had died. I continued with the discourse. Later that night, many of our disciples traveled with me to Tiruvannamalai where the body lay. If you see the videos of this event, you will find that my mother never once cried. She is a very traditional person, brought up in a rural environment that sets great importance on social behavior. When one's husband dies one is naturally heartbroken; especially as in the case of my mother and father, who were very close to each other. His departure would have been a great loss to her. She understood the meaning of these verses of Kṛṣṇa without my ever having to explain them to her.

When I told her my father, her husband, is now in the energy form that is eternal, she trusted my words implicitly and joined me in celebrating his release. We are not talking about philosophers and saints here. We are talking about ordinary people whose lifestyle was all about fear of death and grief at death. They understood very easily what Kṛṣṇa is saying. They understood that the spirit lives on after the body perishes and death is indeed an event to celebrate and not to grieve. It is only the scholars who have a mere intellectual understanding of what *Gītā* says with no trust in Kṛṣṇa, and still suffer from the fear of death. Kṛṣṇa's words are not about logic; they are about trust in the Master.

Death is inevitable for the born, *jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur*; and birth is certain for the dead, *dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca*. Whether the spirit lives on after the body perishes and locates itself in another body may be a debatable point to some. Kṛṣṇa says that this is not a reason to lament death, *na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi* (2.27). In either case, death can be a passage that one can look forward to. We all know death is inevitable. Yet for many It is a wonder.

Kṛṣṇa says, 'One sees It as a wonder—*āścarya-vat paśyati*, another speaks of It as a wonder—*āścarya-vad vadati*, another hears of It as a wonder. Yet, having heard, none understands It at all—*śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit* (2.29)!

Listen. Bringing the dead back to life is not a wonder or miracle. The real wonder and mystery though, is the transformation of individuals instilling in them the truth of completion to live integrity, authenticity, responsibility and enriching, and causing these four powers of words, thinking, feeling and living as reality. This indeed is the miracle that only a true Master can perform.

I tell you, mystery school is nothing but the Master's inner space with his vast responsibility—whoever comes inside, in whatever form is processed, transformed and released! Integrity, authenticity, responsibility, enriching—these are the real wonders of transformation.

Many of us do believe that life is a wonder; truly so. Life is wondrous! We do not understand how life is created. We may have a biological explanation as to how a new life is created.

Even today there is no absolute proof as to how the Universe was created. All one has are theories such as Big Bang etc. What was there before the Big Bang? No one knows, how the first life form originated. Again, there are only theories. From time immemorial what happens after life, or more correctly, after death has been the human quest. The cycle of life and death is a mystery and a wonder. While Quantum Physics and Molecular Biology are making rapid advances in this area, yet there is no 'scientific' proof, as the logical mind would demand.

Those who are authentic enough to accept and be complete with the truth of the eternal nature of the spirit are the fortunate, the blessed. Those who fight and grieve are the wretched, the miserable, the incomplete. You cannot fight life or death. They are both beyond you, out of your control. You can marvel at them and be happy and joyous. Or you can keep questioning and doubting them, and be miserable. This is the choice and free will you have.

### Fear of Unfulfilled Desires

The illustrious King Yayāti lived for hundreds of years.

Bhāgavatam, the great Hindu epic, says that when Yama, the god of death, came to Yayāti at his appointed time of death, Yayāti begged to be allowed to live on. Due to his deep incompletions with life, he said he had not lived life enough and he needed more time. Yama relented and said that if one of his sons would give Yayāti the rest of his life, then he could live that long. Using the life span of his son, Yayāti lived many more years but with more and more incompletions.


Please listen. When you take responsibility to fulfill what others expect from you, the whole Cosmos expresses through you! You will have extraordinary powers, because it is directly *seva*, enriching others. Whenever you enrich others with a feeling of responsibility, without having any other motive, the Cosmos celebrates your Existence. It just celebrates your Existence!

What happens when the fear of loss of reputation and loss of identity disappears? Will your greed still last? Fear and greed are strong motivators because we are not sure about ourselves; we are caught in self-doubting pattern. We do not know who we are and we do not take responsibility for who we want to be. Here Kṛṣṇa is breaking that mould. Act without fear and greed, He says. Do not worry about consequences. Do not doubt yourself and your actions. This is against all societal and religious conditioning.

Kṛṣṇa, as the transcendental *Parabrahman*, is not concerned about the practical and societal consequences of Arjuna walking out of the battlefield. He is only concerned about what that would do to Arjuna's inner self. He wants Arjuna to reclaim his inner space, which is occupied by his self-doubt. If Arjuna had truly been steeped in *ahiṁsa*, non-violence, Kṛṣṇa would have never attempted to persuade Arjuna into violence. Arjuna however, was trying to avoid fighting, not because of any moral and conscientious objection, but out of his root thought pattern of emotional attachment to his kinsmen and others arising out of his own identification with them.

In these verses, Kṛṣṇa is trying to bring Arjuna out of his root pattern, his dilemma, which has obscured his normally clear vision. Kṛṣṇa is trying to get Arjuna to transcend his conditioned actions based on fear and greed relating to the killing of his kinsmen, his *svajanam*. He is getting him to act out of completion, out of his *svadharmam*, without worrying about the outcome.

# Experience Matters Not Knowledge

- 2.39 *Thus far, what has been taught to you concerns the wisdom of Sāṅkhya. Now, listen to the wisdom of yoga [buddiyoga]. Having known this, O Pārtha, you shall cast off the bonds of action.*
- 2.40 *There is no wasted effort or dangerous effect in this path of yoga. Even a little knowledge of this, even a little practice of this dharma, protects and releases one from very great fear.*
- 2.41 *O Joy of Kuru, on this path (of yoga), the intelligence is resolute with a single-pointed determination. The thoughts of the irresolute are many, branched and endless.*
- 2.42, 43 *Men of little knowledge, who are very much attached to eulogizing the flowery words of the Vedas, O Pārtha, argue that, 'there is nothing else'; these advocates of Vedas (vādīna) look upon and recommend various fruitful actions for elevation to heavenly planets, resulting in high birth, power, and so forth. Thus being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this to living.*
- 2.44 *Those whose minds are attached to sense pleasures and lordship, who are diverted by such teachings, for them, the determination for steady meditation and samādhi, fixed intelligence does not happen.*
- 2.45 *O Arjuna! Be you above the three guṇas (attributes) that the Vedas deal in: free yourself from the pairs-of-opposites and be always in satva (goodness), free from all thoughts of acquisition (yoga) or preservation (kṣema), and be established in the Self.*
- 2.46 *The Brāhmaṇa (sage), who has known the Self, has little use for the vedic scriptures, as these are like a pool of water in a place that is already in flood, overflowing with a great water reservoir.*

Kṛṣṇa begins His teachings of *karma yoga* to Arjuna in these verses. These verses should be read carefully by those who believe solely in scriptural authority, based on their superficial understanding of what has been said.

Kṛṣṇa unequivocally says here, 'Forget the *Vedas*.'

He says, 'All the knowledge contained in the *Vedas* is of as much use as water in a flood to one who has realized himself. The *Vedas* are limiting; they concern the three attributes, *satva*, *rajas* and *tamas*, the attributes of calmness, aggressive action and lazy inaction. The time has come now to move beyond these attributes; at least move from *rajas* into the state of *satva*, calmness.'

'Do not quote to Me what the scriptures say,' Kṛṣṇa says. He continues, 'Do not tell me about what you should do and should not do through rituals and practices that will please the deities and ancestors so that you will benefit materially in this life, and spiritually in some after-life. All this is for people with limited understanding of their own Self, who have not experienced the Truth, who still hanker for sensual pleasures and name and fame.'

'Move beyond them to the single-pointed determination of yoga that I shall teach you,' Kṛṣṇa says, 'and be established in a state where you are no longer concerned about creation, preservation and destruction. You will be beyond these and reach the state of *Parabrahman*.'

Only the Master of the Universe, can say such things and get away with it! Kṛṣṇa's authority as He speaks these words is compelling. He is casting away the divinely transmitted scriptures, the *Vedas*, to instill truth in the inner space of Arjuna. It is the truth as spoken by the Divine who Himself has all the knowledge contained in the *Vedas*.

The *Vedas*, the collection of knowledge as directly experienced by the great sages, the *Ṛṣis*, was conveyed for generations by word of mouth and was referred to as *Śruti* meaning, 'that which was heard internally, not as an external expression.' The moment an experience is expressed, it is no longer the truth of that experience.

All the great scriptures, *Vedas*, *Upaniṣads* and *Gītā*, exist at different levels of understanding, seven levels, to be precise, depending on the energy level that one dwells in. At the highest level one understands that all that there is, is INFINITE, each one infinitely powerful. There is no experiencer, experienced or experience as separate entities at the highest energy level; ALL is INFINITE.

Kṛṣṇa refers to that truth here in these verses, the truth of the highest energy. 'Do not be carried away by the apparent ritualistic approach of the *Vedas* as propounded by half learned scholars,' the Master says, 'go beyond; go beyond duality, *nirdvando*. All these seem to bring joy but are transient; that joy is the brief intermission between periods of sorrow. Go beyond the three attributes, *nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna* and seek the firm truth of the Infinite, the Union, that is Yoga,' He says to Arjuna.

'There is something beyond the superficial understanding,' Kṛṣṇa says, 'that will take you beyond the three human attributes of *satva* (calmness), *rajas* (active action) and *tamas* (passive inaction) and into liberation arising out of true understanding. At that stage you will be beyond creation, preservation and destruction, as these would have no meaning in the understanding of the permanence of the Ultimate energy—*nirdvando nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣema ātmavān* (2.45).'

Kṛṣṇa finally says, 'Once you understand and realize Brahman, all the knowledge of the *Vedas* that you quote so passionately, will be of as much relevance to you as a lake in the midst of an ocean.'

Kṛṣṇa is leading Arjuna step by step as if teaching a baby to walk. One by one the Master demolishes Arjuna's conflicting patterns, arguments and fears, dispelling his dilemma. These first baby steps address Arjuna's intellect, for that's all Arjuna has been using till now. Kṛṣṇa shows Arjuna how meaningless his intellectual knowledge is. It is all borrowed, with no experiential backing. He now leads him into experiential knowledge.

# Act Without Worry About Results

2.47 *You have a right only to work, but never to the fruits (outcome) of action. Never let the fruit of action be your motive; and never let your attachment be to inaction.*

- 2.48 *O Dhanañjaya! Do your actions dropping all attachment to the outcome, being centered and complete in Yoga. Be balanced in success and failure. Such evenness of mind is Yoga.*
The entire teaching of *Bhagavad Gītā* can be summarized in the above two verses. The sheer brilliance of the wisdom of the Universal Master is reflected in these verses. Whenever I get a chance I refer to these verses to explain how one should lead one's life.

Kṛṣṇa says many, many things in these few words. He says, 'You have the right and responsibility to work. You have no responsibility or right to the results of that work. Do not focus on the result and make it either a pattern of greed to chase or fear to stay away from. Do what you have to do with a centered mind, a complete inner space without worrying about whether you will succeed or fail.'

> *karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana I mā karmaphala hetur bhur mā te saṅgo'stv akarmaṇi II 2.47*

Nothing more can be said or ever needs to be said about why and how one should perform.

Many people wrongly communicate and misunderstand these verses. There are people who stay away from work that they fear may end in adverse negative results. As long as the results can be positive either to themselves or others, they will carry out and complete what they are assigned sincerely. But when they think that something bad may happen, that they may fail, they will stop doing whatever they are doing.

 One of the biggest problems human beings have is this—you love to be successful, but you deeply believe that you are a failure. This is one of the biggest paradoxes. This shows the lack of integrity in your thinking. Understand, some of your actions may be a failure, some of your decisions or dimensions may be a failure, but YOU are never failure, because you are still breathing!

There are others who feel that doing nothing and disengaging from all action or *akarma* is the best solution, since all actions result in reactions and they accumulate *karma*. Of course, almost all of us go on blindly doing whatever we are told to do when we see money or material rewards in front of us.

## **Do My Work with Integrity and Authenticity**

Kṛṣṇa says, 'Stop! Who do you think you are? You are here to do My work. You have no right to take the results that are Mine.'

His position is similar to that of a landowner who has sharecroppers working on the land. The sharecroppers have no right to anything but their sustenance wages. They need not worry about whether the land will yield well or not. All that they need to do is honor the work they have committed to and fulfill their own responsibilities to their peak capability in caring for the land. They just need to be in integrity and authenticity to their work. That's all! The landlord is the owner and ultimate beneficiary.

Listen. Awareness of what Kṛṣṇa says here is the solution to all our day-to-day problems. Do what you have to do as your right and responsibility, without worrying about the results. Do not act with hopes of a certain reward. Do not stop doing what you need to do because you are afraid of what may lie ahead.

Constantly bring integrity to your thinking, authenticity to your feeling, responsibility to your actions, enriching to your lifestyle! You will see, you will realize an extraordinary space in your life, what Kṛṣṇa calls as being balanced in success and failure and being complete in yoga, *siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate* (2.48).

With integrity, you will literally clean your inner space of the constant unwanted beliefs that you carry, like the strong belief that you will be a failure. This continuous belief holds you from taking responsibility for your actions, makes you worry about the results, and leads you towards failure! When you start thinking with integrity, you will diagnose those self-fulfilling negative prophecies that you constantly give to yourself.

When even a small thing happens, you immediately declare failure. We go on doing this. The first thing to do is to declare your integrity, not your failure. When you start thinking with integrity, you will diagnose your own self-fulfilling negative prophecies.

If you have a strong idea or self-doubt what you are doing is going to be a failure, the moment you think that it is a failure, it is a commitment and word you are giving to you. Do you understand? So if you give that word, you naturally have to fulfill it. Do you want to fulfill that word? No. Then tell yourself that I am not going to fulfill it. It means that whenever you have a thought, 'I am a failure,' you should know—this is a commitment I am making to me, and I have to honor it. You may say that it comes on its own. Then complete it! Consciously disown and complete with it.

Listen! Not fulfilling your everyday commitments will only make the weeds hide behind your unconscious patterns. Swami Vivekananda is very clear, yoga can happen in you, only along with responsible actions. *Karma yoga* does not happen without responsible actions.

Sometimes, you execute actions the whole day, but there is no feeling of responsibility for it! When you have *not* lost the inspiration to take responsibility, nothing is lost. I tell you, if you take responsibility, even death cannot come near you. Death waits for you to complete your responsibility. So for anybody who wants to live long, just practice authentic responsibility for your actions. Do not worry about the outcome of your work—*mā karmaphala hetur bhur* (2.47)!

Listen. When you take responsibility with authenticity, consciousness starts growing more intensely in the body! Shrinking does not happen. Consciousness growing in your body is enlightenment!

Many of you in corporate life are focused on results. You will do something only if we think that it will be effective. You get caught in the result even before you start. So how do you define what is effective? Ninety percent of the time effectiveness is interpreted as something that benefits our self-interest. Even if it benefits the organization, we do it because our performance will be recognized and we will be rewarded. We learn this lesson early in life. Our elders teach us this rule from infancy. 'Do this and we shall reward you; do that and we will punish you.' We are all brought up with the deep root pattern of what is good for us and what is bad for us, what will be successful or what will be a failure. Both success and failure, *siddhya-asiddhyoḥ* are based on anticipated rewards or punishments.

Sometimes, you take up failure as a self-sympathy creating mechanism. Or you think that you have to work for success, but failure is natural. No! Success is natural; you have to work for failure. Bring integrity; you will understand that success is the natural flow of your life just like Nature.

## **Integrity Teaches Responsibility In Action**