Class Summary for Nov 7, 2023 - Chapter-2 Slokas 26 - 33

 Summarized by: Aishwarya Ramani

Started with reflection of previous chapter.

Explanation of Subtlety:

Sword, cannot cut water or fire, cannot shoot a bullet through , or shoot a bullet to water

 

Aatman is the subtlest, cannot be destroyed.

 

Shlokas 26-29:

These Shlokas deal with relative reality

 

Only death is certain.

Yakshaprashna:

In a conversation between Yama and Yudhishtra: the latter was asked, what is the most surprising thing in this world:

• Yudhistra answers that only death is certain, everyone sees death around them but doesn’t accept that it could happen to them too

 

Each individual is comprised of gross, subtle and the causal body

Aatman manifests as the gross form and unmanifests when it gives up the body

 

Example of a virtual avatar in a video game was discussed, I.e. taking up avataar in a video game, avatar is unmanifest after the game is done

 

Aatman needs tp be realized

 

A story of a rich man and the thief was discussed:

A rich man and thief are travelling by sleeper train in India. The thief tries to steal the rich man's bag full of coins, but cannot find the bag. He gives up and confesses to the rich man that he was trying to steal the bag of gold but could not find it. The rich man tells him a secret, the bag of gold was hidden when the thief would never look, under the thief's pillow.

 

Another example of a village fool searching for a ring under the street lamp. A passerby asks what the man is trying to do. When he tells the passerby that he is looking for a ring, he was asked where he lost the ring. The man replied that he lost the ring at home, but was looking for it under a street lamp because it is bright here but dark in his home.

 

Similarly we search for aatman in our material world. Real happiness is elsewhere.

 

According to the Kathopanishad, it is rare to find someone who has the knowledge of the realization of the aatma, even rarer to share that experience with others, even more rare for others to get it and to continue their journey and not give up

 

Aatma is eternal happiness

We are unable to understand, that is our nature, but we are constantly looking outward

 

Discussed top 3 fears:

Fear of Death

Fear of Unknown

Fear of Sadness

 

What is the main thing that we need to get/pursue, follow through to get rid of fears?

• Understanding Aatma?
• Awareness of our reality
• Removal of ignorance 

Regular sravanam, mananam, nidhidhyasana is needed

 

Swamiji often jokes about professional satsang goers!

Emphasis on sadhana, merely attending a satsang wont help. Mananam, reflection is important

 

Tip:

As soon as you wake up, take a few seconds to recall the true YOU, and remind yourself that everything else is un-real/impermanent

 

Shlokas 30 to 33

Swadharma is of two types:

Para (Spritual) Dharma and Apara (Materialistic, based on ashrama, varna etc.) Dharma

Many times our likes/Dislikes stop us from doing Swadharma, vasana overrides Swadharma

Fighting for a nobel cause is considered Punya/Merit for Kshatriyas. Not doing one's duty is considered to be Paapa

 

When you escape your duty, for your personal, selfish reasons, problems come into society

Everyone does his duty perfectly, then the entire integrated society moves as one

 

We all face this situation multiple times, don’t know what is swadharma, don’t know what to do in a situation

Think of Preyas and shreyas- sleep on it, don’t do anything impulsively

Maybe next day morning you get clarity.