Class Summary for Jan 14, 2025 - Chapter-4 Slokas 37-42 continued & Conclusion

 Summarized by Sudha Radhakrishnan

  • Opening Prayers, Breathing Exercise & Meditation
  • Detailed recap of previous class, Ch - 4, Verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42


We started the class discussion by reiterating Shri Ramana Maharishi’s quote, ‘When the doer is dead, the results of the action will not affect you’.  

Who is the doer?

The doer is someone who is always anxious about the results of his actions.


How do we remove the anxiety?

By thanking God for giving us the opportunity to do so in every step and performing all actions without any attachments.  In this process we remove ‘i’ in all our experiences, thereby increasing ‘I’ and promoting self growth.


Discussion of Karmas:

Prarabdha Karma: A bundle of karmas that we are born with and needs to be exhausted.

Aagami Karma: A set of karmas that we accrue during our present lifetime.  

Sanchita Karma: Mountain of karmas from our past lives.  


Discussion of Jodiji’s question: How can knowledge burn the Sanchita karma? 

True knowledge has multiple facets:

Realization that you are nothing but the Brahman.

Surrendering to God, that He will help clear up!

Doing everything through Him, for Him! 

The moment we recognize that we are not the doer anymore, Sanchita karma mountain vanishes.  One needs to exhaust the Prarabdha Karma during their lifetime even after their realization.   Aagami Karma does not accumulate after realization.  It burns upon realization. 


We saw 2 Gurudev’s videos that explain verses 38 and 39 from Chapter 4: 

In Verse 38, Gurudev explains that the techniques to purify (quieten) one’s own mind cannot be imparted by anyone, not even by our own Guru.  Each one of us has to put in the effort to gain that.  An example of a musician passing on his skills to his child was given in this context.  Wisdom cannot be transferred - only experienced by their own sadhana.  Information and knowledge can be passed along to the child but the talent needs to be brought about by his or her own efforts!

   

In Verse 39, Gurudev talks about Shraddha (Faith) and Belief.

Shraddha is faith.  Everyone has belief but not faith.  Belief is an emotion that tends to break in circumstances.  However, belief when reinforced with understanding of scriptures becomes faith


Subjective Analysis: Learn to act as the SEEer (witness) like you are acting in a PLAY.


The class and fourth chapter discussion ended with a few slides depicting the 12 types of Yagnas in a tabular form. 



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