Vrindavan Bhagavad Gita Study Group

Summarized by Rajesh Review of last class: Desires and ways to manage them better substitute & sublimate Sadhana - sample package 3 yogas Swamiji’s Videos - what is a sin 6 step ladder of fall Verses 40-43  The senses, mind and intellect are said to be breeding grounds of desire.  Through them, it clouds one’s knowledge and deludes the embodied soul /40/ Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, in the very beginning bring the senses under control and slay this enemy called desire, which is the embodiment of sin and destroys knowledge and realization /41/ The senses are superior to the gross body, and superior to the senses is the mind.  Beyond the mind is the intellect, and even beyond the intellect is the soul /42/ Thus knowing the should to be superior to the material intellect, O mighty armed Arjun, subdue the self (senses, mind, and intellect) by the self (strength of the soul), and kill this formidable enemy called lust. /43/   BMI chart: Body perceives the world ...

Summarized by Sudha Radhakrishnan: Opening Prayers, Breathing Exercise & Meditation Quick recap of previous class: Increase our saadhana time. Follow the NATO (Not attached to the outcome) principle. Keep calm and be in the zone always. Reiteration of a sample Saadhana package: Wake up prayers. Daily Prayers/Pooja Yoga. Pranayama. Meditation. Shravanam & Mananam. Volunteering by picking an activity with no tangible benefit to us. Night time introspection. Keeping a journal to capture the FIR (Frequency, Intensity & Recovery time) of our actions. To summarize, basically follow a package to suit each one’s needs.  In this class we spoke about the main theme of verses 36, 37, 38 and 39 in Chapter 3. Arjuna asks Lord Krishna, why do people still do bad deeds?  The Lord explains it’s because of the underlying desires. Desires lead us to ultimate failure.  It is the state of our mind when we are ignorant of the fact that we are all complete! Desires are maximum ...

  Summarized by Srinivas: Team reviewed Chapter 3, Verses 32, 33, 34, 35 briefly, on Karmayoga. To recap, Renounce distractions, attractions and attachments and have a ‘Delete’ button in the mind. Renounce and dispose of waste – renunciation here does not refer to letting go of all attachments and material possessions, in the classical sense. Act with a forgive and forget mindset, and don’t carry past baggage and endeavor to be in the present. Don’t dwell on the past. Get in the ‘flow’ or zone, as athletes do and let go of things at a lower level for the higher – substitute and sublimate There was spirited discussion on the topic of how to apply these principles in the corporate world, where you are serving a faceless, profit-making entity, which may not have values aligned to your quest to become a true Karmayogi. Managing layoffs (both executing and while being the ‘executee’), managing teams with detachment while being fair and dispassionate, getting discriminated in promotions ...