Class Summary for May 6, 2025 - Chapter-5 - Recap and Intro to Chapter-6

Summarized by: Pranavi Sreeramoju

The class began with opening prayers, alternate nostril breathing, and om
chanting.
The class had a discussion based on chapter 5, which was reviewed during
most recent classes. The conversation centered on whether karma sanyasa
yoga and karma yoga can be pursued together, or karma yoga needs to be
attained before karma sanyasa yoga can be attained. The consensus was that
karma yoga is preparatory and that it needs to be attained before we pursue
karma sanyasa yoga. None of us know where we stand unless we try because
we don’t know how much spirituality we had in our past life. The analogy of
cleaning pots was presented to the class for consideration. One has to put effort
until the pot is clean; After it is cleaned, you maintain the cleanliness of the pot
by not getting it dirty. 

Sravanam, mananam, and nithidyasanam help us maintain the cleanliness of the mind by not getting the mind dirty. Another way to attain karma sanyasa yoga is to internalize that Brahman is everything. This idea is a good path to fulfillment, but hard to sustain, especially under stress to body, mind or intellect. Volunteering will help us stay on a good path to cleanse our minds. As we say in our pledge, producing more than what we consume and giving more than what we take, helps us on the path to karma sanyasa yoga.

The class began a study of Chapter 6, with Jim Rohn’s quote “We are the average of five people we spend most time with,” the implication being that making the study of the Gita among top five people/ activities we spend most time on will improve the “average” for each of us. 

Three additional reading References were shared for Gita study: 3 books, of which two are written by Brian Weiss MD - Many Lives, Many Masters, and Same Soul, Many Bodies;
and Mahabharata by CS Rajagopalachari.

A sample sadhana package was presented:
-Wake-up prayer/ thought
-Sandhyavandhanam if applicable
-Prayer/puja at home altar
-Yogasana 10-30 minutes
-Pranayama 5-10 minutes
-Meditation 10-30 minutes - recommended early am
-Afternoon or evening walk - outdoors if possible
-Daily shravanym -spiritual book/ audio/video
-Volunteering activity - regular commitment
-Night/ bedtime introspection

Consistency and discipline will help us progress with sadhana. Vasanas are
pretty strong and can take over if you don’t practice.

Chapter 6 is on Dhyana yoga, one the transformation from yogi to gnani. The
class recapped one liners on each of the previous chapters. Chapter 1 was
about Arjuna’s grief - visadayoga. Chapter 2 was about Dharma and
sankhyayoga. Chapter 3 was about action and inaction - sankhyayoga
transitioning into karma yoga. Chapter 4 was about karma yoga. Chapter 5 was
about attainment of karma sanyasa yoga. Chapter 6 that we are beginning to
study is on meditation, prerequisites, and how it leads to realization. Before
beginning daily meditation, we need to prepare our lives for it. There are many
types of meditation, e.g., kundalijiyoga- which results in awakening of energy,
vedantic meditation - meditating on vedantic teachings and maha vakyas. The
final meditation is a state of complete silence in one’s mind during the
meditation practice.
We watched an introductory video by guru: “Teaching is an art of
communication-we go to the teacher begging for knowledge- it is a subtle
process- you have to practice, not just read.”
We listened to chanting of the first six verses in this chapter. The translation is:
1. The Supreme Lord said: Those who perform prescribed duties without desiring the results of their actions are actual sanyāsīs (renunciates) and yogis, not those who have merely ceased performing sacrifices such as Agnihotra yajna or abandoned bodily activities.   
2. What is known as sanyas is non-different from Yog, for none become yogis
without renouncing worldly desires.
3. To the soul who is aspiring for perfection in Yog, work without attachment is
said to be the means: to the sage who is already elevated in Yog, tranquility
in meditation is said to be the means.
4. When one is neither attached to sense objects nor to actions, that person is
said to be elevated in the science of Yog, having renounced all desires for
the fruits of actions.
5. Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself,
for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self.
6. For those who have conquered the mind, it is their friend. For those who
have failed to do so, the mind works as an enemy.
Link between the messages in these six verses was discussed and reinforced
with the pole vaulting analogy - the longer the pole used, the higher the jump,
but the ultimate success comes only with letting go of the pole (detachment).

The class ended with closing prayers.