Bhagavad Gita for Modern Times: Secrets to Attaining Inner Peace and Harmony

65 min readApr 13, 2020

This is a summary of the book by Swami Sadshiva Tirtha.

Surfer balanced,
Wave does the work,
Surfer enjoys the ride.
Person balanced,
Life does the work,
Person enjoys the ride.
Swami Sadashiva Tirtha.

Ayurveda is a part of the vedic literature and examines the universal principles of recovering and maintaining health and balance in life to grow on one’s path to their spiritual goal.
Hinduism is not an evangelistic religion — it does not seek to convert others.
Yoga has several meanings, but ultimately it means to unite, harmonize or to make into one. Yoga asanas or positions help strengthen and flex the body and enhances mind body harmony. In turn, this reduces physical and emotional stress and prepares one for deeper spiritual progress in meditation. In asanas, the different energies in the body become harmonized or united — all funneling or dovetailing into one readily accessible channel for energy, clarity and positivity.
The deepest level of yoga means realizing one’s inner eternal soul unites with the universal soul (self-realization).
We are not limited, believing that we are limited is what causes suffering.
To be truly rich, you must give your love away and work for the welfare of others.
The truly wise mourn neither for the dead nor the living. Because, souls as energy transfer from one body to another.
Remember that, we experience physical sensations such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, through our senses. They are temporal, because they have a beginning and an ending. These experiences will eventually pass. If the mind is focused solely on ever changing sensory experiences, it will not be possible to quiet the mental chatter long enough to realize one’s eternal soul. That which is real is nonchanging (eternal); that which is unreal is nonpermanent. So the ever changing world can be said to be non-existent, because it is not permanent. Only the soul can be said to exist, because it is one thing that does not change.
Knowing the true permanent nature of the soul and the ever changing and impermanent nature of life, see no difference between pleasure and pain, and winning and losing. Focus on the eternal, focus on inevitability, focus on duty, and you cannot incur sin. Sin is a function of the ever changing world. It occurs when you focus on or get stuck in the relative world: this is sin. Acting beyond change, acting for eternity, takes you beyond sin. This is known as Self-Realization (Moksha).
Yoga — the action that merges the inner self with the universal self, the realization of this eternal nature of self. If you are sincere, even a small amount of time devoted to yoga delivers you from fear. For this wisdom will free you from the bondage of actions of cause and effect (karma). Focus on your goals or on the things that must be done without distraction.
Avoid people’s words (spoken or written) just because they sound nice — that is, if they are the words of a charismatic person or a sweet talker. Listen to the essence or substance of what is being communicated for true value.
The highest, most important knowledge is self-knowledge, because it is the only permanent knowledge. If a person does not seek this permanence, then of what value is intellectual knowledge. If this knowledge does not provide a lasting experience, what good is it?
In the Garden of Eden, God admonishes Adam and Eve to not eat the fruits of the tree of knowledge. God says, avoid trying to get/use/enjoy the fruits of intellect (and stick to the experience of God or God’s grace (eg. the garden, the spirit). Because, when you put intellectual knowledge over the innocence of living and enjoying God’s world, believing that you can know more than God, then suffering comes.
Working for rewards results in an inferior form of work than does working to help, a more utopian attitude. So even if we do good work but expect some reward in return, that work becomes inferior owing to our lesser intent. (Clearly it is better than not doing good works, but in this context, we are examining various types of good works only.). For example, if ABC company decides to work/donate help feed and clothe the children of poverty, that is good. But if they flaunt their results to look good in their community, then this becomes a something-for-something giving agenda that diminishes their actions.
One wonderful idea Krishna uses is, ‘do your best’ to do good. That is all a person needs to do. Success is in God’s hands — so just try your best, but do not try to make something happen. Otherwise, the ego gets in the way and proclaims itself; The Doer. The value of doing your best, or stated another way, act out of love, removes fear and guilt of failure from the picture. That is all God asks of us.
In the Upanishads, (another vedic text), it also says there are two paths to self-realization, the lower and higher paths. The first is doing good deeds for some reward (including heaven). The higher path is doing good deeds just for the sake of doing them. The deed itself makes the person feel grateful to be allowed to do the good; and that is reward enough for them. It is the higher path that more quickly brings one to self-realization. Focus on the journey not the destination.
According to the vedic view of creation, there are three fundamental principles that control everything: birth, life and death. Everything has a beginning, a middle and an end. The Vedas call these three fundamental principles the three gunas: sattwa or creation, rajas or maintaining, tamas or concluding/ending.
Imagine three brothers: Sat, Roger, and Tom Goona. They want to start a computer software company named Goo-Na. It was Sat’s idea, and he did all the groundwork to get the company up and go- ing. He got Good Ol’ Dad (G.O.D.), venture capitalists, to loan them the startup funds. But since Sat loses interest in the daily activities and likes to move on to create some more dot-com startup companies, Roger was the perfect choice to run the company. Roger doesn’t have much creative sense, so he was happy that Sat started the company; Roger’s God-gifts lie in management and organization skills. So he runs the day-to-day operation. Sat and Roger talked Tom into leaving his job at his salvage company and use his cleanup skills for their new company. Some of Tom’s responsibilities will be clearing out old computers, furniture, cell phones, cars, software, and so on, since the company must stay on the leading edge of technology and fashion (to impress the clients). Tom also has the personality to compassionately deal with people when they must be let go. He is also in charge of disbanding parts of companies that their company takes over. The people who work at Goo-Na have enjoyed their jobs, their salaries support their families, and everything runs smoothly. As the company becomes larger and more powerful, the brothers, human nature being what it is, begin to lose their idealistic focus. Roger becomes power hungry, ie, busy with hostile takeover attempts. Tom has become lazy and sloppy, not clearing out old inventory, not showing up for work, preferring to sit and watch plasma screen TV all day. And Sat, well, he spends all of his time either creating new companies or reading scripture and meditating. As a result, corporate ethics has slipped and customers are not get- ting quality products. Creative ideas to serve humanity have fallen by the wayside. Other companies are being harassed where they were previously community partners, and there are even some financial scandals afoot. There remains one employee, Archie, who joined the company, and who is still inspired by its idealistic mission statement; however, he is quite upset that the company is not allowing him to truly help society. No one listens to his creative ideas. When he tries to talk to any of the brothers, they ignore him. Archie is stuck, trapped by the three brothers. The only way to get out of this predicament is to go over the heads of the Goona brothers. For this, he has to go to the only place that has influence on the Goonas — the Good Ol’ Dad (G.O.D.) venture capitalists. G.O.D. holds the purse strings and decides whether to continue funding this company. Since Archie alerted G.O.D. about the loss of vision at Goo-Na, the G.O.D. company may be able to bring integrity, ethics, compassion back into this company by threatening to close them down (ie, stop funding them). As a result of Archie’s devotion to helping people, G.O.D. succeeded in putting Goo-Na back on track. This story gives a brief idea of how the gunas work. Sattwa creates life. Rajas keeps things going. Tamas concludes the life cycle. To avoid getting caught up in material life and really know the eternal, nonchanging Divine bliss, Arjuna is advised to go beyond the three gunas and to directly seek God.
It may be easier to understand the value of spiritual devotion versus material ideas, through another analogy. A person can have a pile of wood, a box of iron, various tools, some plot of earth. They can even assemble these materials into a living structure. But only when a person, couple or family lives there, does the structure begin to feel like a home, a place filled with love and something beyond a mere object.
There is a myth that the path to Self-Realization is one of renouncing action, but this is incorrect: it is renouncing the desire for the result of action. Not acting does not release the desire for rewards.
The Signs of a self-realized person: Arjuna then asks how to recognize a person who is Self-realized, and he approaches this from the physical point of view, ie, are there physical traits of a person who is Self-realized. Krishna instantly clarifies that this state does not manifest in a particular physical manner, since it is a spiritual state. He says the Self-Realized person is one who is self-satisfied. Regardless of outer circumstance, they are ok with it; good or bad weather, joyous or sorrowful events, pleasing or threatening situations; no one event impels this person to cause or prevent any situation. Krishna suggests that instead of judging or copying a person’s physical mannerisms, it is better emulate their higher values. A person’s mannerisms or habits, have little to do with spirit, ethics, or compassion. Steady vision comes from inner values. The way to achieve such steady vision is to learn to withdraw the senses from worldly involvement. When the body seeks something, the senses often overrule a person’s better judgment. For example, craving and eating candy is an example of the sense of taste overriding one’s knowledge that white sugar can lead to hyperactivity, high cholesterol levels, or poor digestion. Letting the senses distract us can lead one astray, that is, from the center of one’s own inner Soul- home. When one realizes they are so far from home, they can sincerely pray to return to themselves. They then see how much time was lost being sidetracked. Nonetheless, a lesson can be learned. The next time one is tested, they might have greater resolve to pre- vent becoming sidetracked.
The Two Methods for Sense Withdrawal: There are two general methods for sense withdrawal that works very well to help people gradually reduce the power of the senses and empower the soul to lure one to the True Eternal Soul. The first method is to follow a personal Ayurvedic dosha food plan and lifestyle. By returning the body, mind, behavior and spirit to a state of balance, one feels truly a sense of health and vitality that gives new meaning to the world health. As a person becomes truly healthy in this balanced manner, eating something that is not healthy for them, but the senses wants, makes them feel worse, and they naturally reject the food. For example, a caving for sweets causes the ingestion of white sugar, which has been linked to hyperactivity, and a reduction of energy and nutrition. The best route is to substitute the harmful substance with a good one that will simultaneously satisfy the desire for something sweet and nutritious. Here, switching to sweets that contain whole cane sugars like sugar cane or maple syrup that retain their inherent nutrients, allows for a more integrated, grounding, and healthy body and mind. If after a while the person decides to taste a sweet containing white sugar, the harmonious, balanced body will be attacked by the white sugar, shocking the mind and body and causing uncomfortable feeling as hyperactivity. When the soul, intuition, or stomach says, ‘hey, this is making me sick.’ The person will have awakened to the reality that what the senses thought they wanted, the body does not like. The mind and body now take over, stopping activities that harm it. The demands of the senses are illusions, and a balanced dosha can dispel the illusion. A person with a balanced dosha, has more control over their senses. Therefore, distinguish between what is temporary and what is permanent.

The second method to develop the ability to withdraw the senses is to follow one’s life purpose — doing what one loves to do. That is, doing what comes as second nature. The joy and meaningfulness of such actions unlocks out inner wealth to our awareness. We see that nothing gives us greater pleasure and meaning than to use our God-given talents, and using them to help others, that is, not for selfish reasons. In this state of inner satisfaction and perhaps inner joy, the senses are also satisfied and so do not cry out for attention.

Both these habits are natural ways a person grows into a state where the senses are satisfied. From these two approaches, a third method automatically arises: gratitude for the sacredness of life as part of a spiritual awakening. Now the Soul is ever more fed through spiritual life and nothing in the material world can attract our senses as much as the spiritual life.

23. Try to imagine what traits an ideal person would exhibit suggests possibly preconceived ideas that are not based in reality. Often people tell me their idea of a perfect person is one who never makes a mistake, or who is never angry (always happy). The notion of perfection often relates more to an idea of a mono-emotional or robotic person, that is, someone who is totally devoid of spontaneity, moods or emotional feeling or reaction; someone in whom there is no happiness or sadness. The opposite is true. A self satisfied person is one who is most fully emotional, but not for selfish reasons. For example, this person might show sadness — not for their own life — but for the troubles another is undergoing. Or this person might be joyful for the joys of another. With regard to anger, the Vedas distinguish between constructive anger and destructive anger. A realized person is likely to display constructive anger to save someone when they are putting their own life in jeopardy. Those who base their notions on a faulty premise might begin to compare themselves to an imaginary perfect person who is never angry or who never makes a mistake, who is always attentive, and who is always in a good mood (such false preconceptions may develop from a troubled childhood, imagining a more loving parent). This notion will cause inner conflict. After all, how can you ever feel good about yourself, with all your human flaws, when you will never come close to the assumed perfection of another?

So it is best to not judge yourself against others (real or imagined), and just be the best person you can be. All short comings melt away when experience loving grace of god. Two ways to accomplish this are Sadhana (meditation) and thinking less of your personal wants to help others with actual needs.

24. Only a self-satisfied person, one who is satisfied from within, can be at peace. Such persons are comfortable with who they are and so do not become overly upset when they cannot have a material good. They are able to make decisions based on what enhances their inner or emotional life and can distinguish these things from what is fleeting and what detracts from living a pleasant, peace filled life. These people are called wise. They live their lives on the oath of wisdom.

25. Intellectual and experiential knowledge are two wings of a bird; both are needed to fly straight.

26. To withdraw the senses and walk the Path of Wisdom try to incorporate these harmonious thoughts, words and actions into your daily life:

1. Follow your ayurvedic food plan.

2. Follow your ayurvedic lifestyle plan.

3. Follow your dharma (do what you love to do in life)

4. Pray each day to follow ahimsa (not hurt yourself or others in action, words, or thoughts)

5. Help people and give to the earth.

6. Find a win-win solution to each situation.

7. Have more questions than answers.

8. Lead by example.

9. Give more than you receive.

10. Make decisions that are good for the long term, especially if they are choices that will remain wise for the next seven generations.

11. Take walks, as many days as possible per week, and appreciate the nature around you.

12. Note the harmony when it is there and appreciate it; cultivate it when it isn’t there. Use Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui in your home and office to enhance the harmony.

13. Try yoga or Tai Chi.

14. Spend some time in nature (woods, water, desert, a park or your garden) each week.

15. Take time each week to play music or listen to music, or involve/expose to the arts (for example, poetry, dance, sculpting, painting)

16. Each day, leave some space in your life for God to fill.

17. Talk to God each day, even if for a few minutes. Share your feelings, questions, and ask for guidance to grow closer and feel the palpable love of God.

26. When a person feels balanced, and then eats unhealthy food, it causes them to become imbalanced. Only then will they feel repulsed by unhealthy food. Mastery of the senses occurs when you are no longer ensnared by foods and other sensory impressions. Although this is a difficult task, it has been found that by following one’s ayurvedic food plan (one that balances), feeling greater health from within one’s eternal soul, begins to take precedence over a temporary and possibly harmful sensory pleasure. This is why Lord Krishna says action is superior to inaction.

27. Anyone who has controlled the five sense organs, yet is thinking about sensory objects, is fooling themselves and being hypocritical. Anyone who has mental control over their senses, follow the path of action without attachment, they can control their sense organs (organs of action). Therefore, perform your allotted responsibilities because it is better than forsaking obligations. If all activity stopped, the body could not function. The entire world is bound by actions, except for actions that are offered to God. Therefore, do your duty while being free from attachment.

28. Lord Krishna examines the notion of how it is better to give than to receive. Giving has various levels: it might relate to giving time, material possessions, or love. On an intimate level, it would mean saying a prayer over your food (giving thanks to God for the food) and offering all things you own to God, before using them to help humanity. It can mean giving all your ownership of all things, feelings and thoughts to God as well. The idea of human ownership is said to be fictitious, since it is God who gives all things to people. Offering or giving requires relinquishing the ego’s notion of ownership of things. When a person has no particular desire to own something (or someone), their desires become spiritual desires, for example, the desire to help humanity. So without holding on to the objects or feelings, they are given freely in a positive, helpful spirit.

29. It is only when human’s ego (greed) gets in the way that it blocks the abundance from being seen and received; or when humans want what they don’t have — when they value what is rare over what is given in abundance — the opposite of supply and demand economy.

30. Lord Krishna says that it is to act with wisdom (inner reflection) and be involved with devotional work and helping others. This in itself will help a person feel closer to the Divine — the true definition of nirvana. But the western notion of success involves endings such as winning a game. When you win, the games ends, and there is nothing to do. In this context, then, achieving nirvana would be akin to having reached the end of the game, at which point you are put out to pasture. Nothing can be further from the truth. Nirvana is a life that is full, not empty, for it is at that point that one experiences living and acting in full harmony with the Divine.

31. Another misconception about nirvana or Self Realization is that one becomes a zombie, emotionless, without thought, feeling or life. Again, it is quite the opposite. One is fully awake, fully alive, and fully sensitive. It is ironic that the state of natural balance and awakened consciousness would be thought of as something artificial or unnatural.

32. It is best to be detached from selfish desires; just try to help people from Love (bhakti Yoga): Helop for no reason other than it feels good to help. Don’t help to get, God alone is the giver. Don’t help out of fear, pride, or fame, you won’t be freed.

33. It is better to follow one’s own life purpose path though flawed, than to follow another’s path. It is only by living your own life that you will become free.

34. Unfulfilled or obstructed desire causes anger. It is created from rajas guna(excess action). This craving is never satisfied, and causes self harming action. This desire envelopes wisdom like dust hides the mirror. The eternal soul is hidden by this desire. It is the constant enemy of the wise. Desire hides in the senses, mind and intellect, and afflicts wisdom. This is why we should subdue the senses. The way to become free from these bonds of desire are through meditation, prayer, following one’s life purpose, following one’s ayurvedic foods and lifestyle, and trying to not harm anyone or anything (in action, words, and thoughts). These senses are stronger than the body, the mind is stronger than the senses, the intellect is stronger than the mind, and the soul is strongest of all. So freeing oneself from desires can be achieved with willpower, perseverance, and with the help of gentle, natural habits of meditation, lifestyle, and monitoring one’s thoughts, words and deeds.

35. Krishna says that those who long for worldly success worship the gods, but that worldly success is more quickly attained by actions. There is a difference between God giving a devotee the basic necessities for their family to survive without undue stress, and a person praying for untold wealth. God is in relation to actions and gods. He says that God created all things and actions (qualities/gunas and karma), he is not the doer, he is unmoving, unchanging. Any action cannot pollute or move his eternal nature. Those who experiene this reality are not bound by their actions, that is, they don’t act out of personal desires such as fame, fortune or power. “Those who long for worldly success worship the demigods; success comes quickly through actions.”

36. The religious class (Brahmins) is said to represent the spiritual qualities of goodness, ethics, virtue, serenity and other sattwic attributes. The warrior class is said to represent goodness (sattwa), passion/desire, and dullness (rajas and tamas). The servant class is said to represent dullness, ignorance and inertia (tamas)

*37. Actions, Inaction and Detachment: actions do not affect the eternal, nonmoving, non-object, absolute form of Krishna, nor does He desire any re- wards of action such as wealth, fame, or power. Those who know this by experience also are not bound by action. Thus, wise persons act to help others without seeking a reward for their help.

Now there is a subtler form of attachment and action. There are those who begin by helping others, but later may start to crave the honor they receive from helping others rather than just helping others without their knowing you have helped. So true detachment from action — action without desiring a reward — is difficult to achieve.

The notions of action and inaction are difficult to understand even for wise people. Krishna distinguishes the difference between actions to become free from those which enslaves the mind, body, and Soul. He says there is Right action, Unlawful action, and Inaction.

38. Vision of the Wise: People who realize that even while acting (involving the movement of mind, body, senses), the Soul remains still — eternal. The sages recognize wisdom in a person who realizes this — for such wise people have had the fire of wisdom burn away the illusion that the Soul (the true person) is acting. These people have gone through their trials by fire.

By not caring for reward and helping others merely to help, one becomes content and self-sufficient (ie, never needing to depend on others to feel contentment or happiness) Acting to help, knowing the Soul is not doing anything; thus, taking credit or pride in the action is not possible.

A parent, for example, loves their child and tries to guide them to live their life while growing into adulthood. A wise parent would allow the child to find themselves by trial and error, and once the child knows what truly brings them a sense of fulfillment and life purpose, lovingly encourage them on their path.

Now, a parent who is not yet wise, a parent who themselves has not found fulfillment or purpose in life, may try to manipulate the child to live out the parent’s unfulfilled dreams. The parent may push the children for success so they will take care of the parent. Or a par- ent may be overly attached and co-dependent on the child to allow them to find themselves or learn through trial and error. All these are examples of caring for the results of one’s actions, and being unable to be detached from a situation.

Krishna says that a person can be freed from longing for something, since people are already everything (ie, the eternal omnipresent); one automatically has the ability of self-control. There is no notion of ownership or possession, because every object and person are a part of the eternal ‘is-ness.’ Things and people just are. Thus, money exists; it is neither yours nor mine, it is a part of the eternal whole. The Soul does not gain from fame or money, and it is not lessened without them.

39. Detachment, Gratitude and Contentment: Keys to Living in Harmony

There is an expression, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again. However, success should not be sought from the point of view of ego. Lord Krishna says, ‘success is in the trying’. To prevent ego from taking over, a person must be detached and open-minded to realize when their ego is out of control and driving them to ruin.

There is another saying: when one door closes, another opens. Accept it when a door has closed and look for new doors to be opened to you. This is a basic recipe for a contented, spiritual life. This teaching clarifies the myth some have about contentment and meditative life as an inactive life. The inaction is internal, when one’s Soul realizes it is the true non-acting self amidst daily life.

The person who is detached from getting and who is liberated from the notion of being the doer, and from receiving or earning fame and fortune, will work to help others and in this way melt away their past karma (actions).

40. How To gain Knowledge: A saint once said that a true seeker learns something from everyone and everything. To learn from others requires a person to be humble and sincere and always asking questions to get to the root-cause of situations. This can involve hearing all sides of a situation before coming to a decision; perhaps both sides have good points that need to be integrated into a more holistically helpful answer.

This method of learning equally applies whether learning in school, from a boss or mentor, or from a spiritual guide. Once the root cause of a situation is known; once the false preconceptions and myths are destroyed, one can move forward to affect positive change, without ever becoming confused again.

41: It is often asked, ‘what makes a good leader?’ Lately, some have begun to question the view of the ‘few knows best’ model (few ruling the many) because leaders have failed to offer real solutions in many areas of life, such as government, business, education, health, and environment. As people looked past the myth of authoritarian- ism, they found that many successful leaders are listeners; they are servants to their employees and customers; they are compassion- ate, honoring workers rights and environmental health. They follow what is called a ‘win-win’ philosophy. Instead of addressing the outer symptoms of life, they listen to learn the real root-causes of any situation.

If an old-school leader observes that a worker is slowing down, they might use fear or intimidation to ‘motivate’ that worker. This may work for a short time, but the underlying cause of the slowdown re- mains unaddressed, and unless the situation is resolved, the worker will likely find themselves slowing down again.

Conversely, a leader who seeks out the root of the worker’s slowed productivity might ask the worker if everything is alright at home, or if there are any issues at work causing the person to naturally slow down. Studies have found that simply showing more concern about a worker is enough to improve the productivity and job satisfaction. Now in the 21st century, most of societies’ systems are broken and have not been able to be fixed using the theories of the 20th century. It will require piercing the theoretical myths, seeing the real reason things are broken, and only then will new, successful solutions appear.

41. In all areas of life, proper educational methods (ie, direct experience) must be employed to arrive at the root of an issue. This re- quires continually asking with sincerity and humility.

42. Plant Seeds Of Love: Make life a mantra for God — a song of loving praise. Read scriptures, ethical philosophers, spend time in nature and with God’s creatures, practice compassion, understanding, and trust; devote all thoughts and actions to God and to the betterment of humans and nature. Share your divine love whenever and wherever you can. Trust others and you will find that most people are trustworthy. In these ways you are constantly planting seeds of love, compassion, and spirit. And we know that nature gives thousands of flowers from just one seed. So by planting God-seeds, you will find your life gar- den blossoming with God’s grace and love.

Giving away the flowers from this garden leaves space for more flowers to grow. And just like some flowers, when it is pruned, two growths appear where there was just one. So the more you give away your Divine love, the more it grows in your life. Once a person tastes the nectar of Divine love―even a drop―they will devote more and more of their actions and thoughts to sharing that nectar, that Divine love.

43. Avatars:

• God comes to earth in human form when virtue runs the risk of being destroyed by vice.

• Reincarnation is defined as the Soul moving from body to body until one body realizes they are the Soul. Death is just the ex- change of bodies, such as discarding old, worn clothes for new apparel.

• Each religion claims that their God is the only way. There are, in fact, many paths to the same, one goal — Divine realization.

God created the gunas that do the work of creation, mainte- nance, and destruction in all of life; As eternal and unbound- ed, God is beyond all activity and material limitations.

Dispelling the Myth of the Caste System:

• People perform best according to their innate God-given abili- ties, thus making specialization of labor important; one job is not superior to another; all are interdependent.

Righteousactionisactionthatisdoneforselflessreasons,andun- righteous actions are those actions that are done for selfish reasons. When a person is aware of their eternally still Soul, even while they are acting, they have succeeded in becoming detached.

Detachment, Gratitude, and Contentment:

The secrets to easy living: gratitude, contentment, and detach- ment are discovered when being content with whatever comes without undue effort.

Different Forms of Sacrifice (Selfless Service):

• Sacrifice can involve controlling one’s senses, offering money, charity work, austerities, spiritual practices, scriptural study, breath control, and the highest, letting go of personal desires.

How to Gain Knowledge:

• Through sincerity and humility a person gains true knowledge.

Dispelling the Myths of the Habits of the Poor:

• When given an opportunity — a hand-up, the poor prove to be as honest or more honest, reliable, and intelligent as others who have had more opportunities in their life.

Knowledge Through Alternatives:

Focusing on the root of problems instead of addressing the symptoms, allows you to realize alternative ways to correct situations in all areas of life.

44. How to Attain Peace Through Desireless Action:

Both renunciation of actions and doing prescribed actions lead to liberation. But of the two, it is difficult to refrain from action (eg. to sit and meditate 20 hours per day), so it is easier to act (i.e. actions devoted to God and God’s children in need).

45. How to Cultivate Selfless Actions and thoughts:

Parenting requires putting the needs of others first. Parents often go without sleep to tend to a newborn child. They work to earn for their children and for their children’s education, health, and happiness. Teaching also requires putting others first. Teachers, like parents, teach children to think of others first. They teach them to be ethical, virtuous, honest, compassionate people and citizens of the community and the world.
Working for or conducting business with socially responsible companies is yet another way to achieve these goals. Companies can exact a fair fee from others for their products and services; they can produce or use renewable energy products; they can also ensure the health and welfare of their workers and their families, including their retirement benefits, and make contributions to the community.
Silent sadhana (seated with eyes closed) is another important way to know the Self as eternal Divine love (sat chit ananda). Reading scriptures and having spiritual conversations (satsang) and singing songs to God (bhajans) are other important forms of sadhana that cultivate a whole, spiritual person. Seeing the sacred in all acts (eg, cooking, cleaning) are also forms of sadhana.
Know that the person who has neither longing nor desire for rewards of action is ever renouncing (sannyas); Those steady-minded people who carry out dutiful action without desire for rewards re- alize uninterrupted peace. The unsteady-minded, having a desire for rewards, becomes enslaved by their obsession.

47. The Steady Mind: Krishna discusses the even-minded state of a wise person. He cites as an example that, the wisest people see all of life with an equal eye―from the holiest and wisest person to the vilest creature. They see the Soul in each person. This point is often misinterpreted. Some may say, well, if all is the same (Soul), nothing matters, so I won’t do anything. I won’t care for my physical self or others. This interpretation is incorrect and is used to justify lazy, uncaring behavior. It is a great shame to waste one’s God-given gifts by becoming inactive, by not enjoying your gifts, by not trying to make this a better world. Remember, Krishna told Arjuna to act and lovingly help others.

If a person feels they are above having to act for another because he or she has achieved total realization of Oneness, ask them then to demonstrate that they have attained an exalted state beyond mere intellectual understanding. Ask them to walk through the wall to show that they and the wall are one. If they can not, they do not truly understand the Oneness through experience.

48. As the Vedic principle states, charity begins at home. So make sure you are following a healthy lifestyle and Ayurvedic food plan; see that your family is also following the same. Ensure that the basic needs of the family are covered in the present and for the future (eg, plan and save for your children’s college education). Then look to the extended family, and next look to the neighbors. Check to see if anyone needs help. In this way, help gradually expands outward beyond the immediate family. It is said that helping a large cause and ignoring local needs is a form of pride; ‘look at me, I help this well-known cause’

49. Contentment vs Emotionlessness: The wise are content with all that comes their way―neither desiring for good or happiness or money; nor do they recoil or grieve from hearing bad or unpleasant news. Since all happiness and sadness are temporal, the one who can experience the eternal Soul cannot be unbalanced by good or bad news. With the mind focused on eternal contentment that is God, and serving God’s children, temporal issues become less important.

There is a story about a Native American Indian tribe that illustrates this thought. The chief called all the young boys to teach them to be warriors, but one boy was not chosen because he was il. The people told the boy’s father that this was bad news indeed.

The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

The boy wandered out on his own one day and found a wild horse. He brought it back to the chief. The people told the boy’s father that this was good news indeed.

The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

After a few days the horse ran away. The people told the boy’s fa- ther that this was bad news indeed.

The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

The horse told the other wild horses how well he was treated by the people that they all came back to the tribe with the first horse. The chief was so pleased he gifted the boy with a horse.

The people told the boy’s father that this was good news indeed. The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

As the boy was riding the horse he fell off and broke his leg. The people told the boy’s father that this was bad news indeed. The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

The chief led a war party and many of the boys were killed. But because the father’s boy was home with a broken leg, his life was saved. The people told the boy’s father that this was good news indeed.

The father only said, ‘perhaps.’

So we can never know what is good or bad for us. What appears to be bad or challenging for us one day, might turn out to strengthen our integrity and develop our wisdom down the road. When life is too easy, one becomes spoiled and begins to feel entitled and un- grateful for the God-given gifts they have received.

In discussions on the state of contentment (a balanced life, being neither happy nor sad), a point is sometimes raised: if a person lives beyond happiness and sadness, would that not make them as emotionless as a robot? Well then, if one is not balanced, would they not become victims of their emotions? The reality is that being beyond emotions means that one’s Soul or consciousness is awake to its own eternal, nonchanging existence. So while happiness and sadness cycle through life, one is inside their eternal experience and is not knocked off course by emotional events. Just as during a rainstorm, if you are inside the house, you are less affected by the weather.

Moreover, those who are more aware of their eternal Soul have a greater ability to feel whatever emotion a life event brings, because they are not afraid of being swallowed up by these emotions. They can remain open and balanced and are able to make the wisest de- cisions even during hectic and emotional times. They will be less likely let situations overtake them. A clear-minded person chooses what is best for their life-purpose―that is, what is best for all people and nature―when they remain in harmony with that nature. A person who is enslaved by their emotions, in times of extremes, makes decisions based on personal, short-term needs. So it is not that a person is emotionless. Rather, they are able to feel the full range and depth of emotions without being overcome by them. In this way, they can continue to serve others in the best way possible — free from being overwrought by circumstances.

50. The Enlightened Person:

Lord Krishna notes that the Enlightened person, the one who sees all things as eternal Soul, helps all beings. Such a person can see the grace in others―their Godlike qualities―and serves all people equally. There is no judgment, no helping only ‘good’ people and ignoring ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ people. They do their best to serve all people who cross their paths. And in doing so, they attain full liberation.

Again, the reader is cautioned to not take this statement as an ab- solute. Each person has a range of influence: there are some people you can help and others you cannot. For example, in the Ayurvedic health system, it advises the practitioner to help those they can help, and honestly admit when they cannot help someone.

It is good for readers to reflect on their own lives to see how open their hearts are to their own loved ones, co-workers, and neighbors. In this way, you can see if you treat people equally without judgment or malice.

When loneliness, loss, grief, and emptiness do not break one’s spir- it; when anger and lust no longer control a person; when happiness, fame, and good fortune are not a cause for becoming drunk with happiness to the point of ignoring responsibilities; when even sad- ness can be welcomed with feelings of gratefulness; when everyone and everything is seen as the God-spirit―the sat chit ananda or eternal bliss of spirit or God or nature, only then can one be said to be fully liberated from material life.

Another way to describe this experience is that when a person feels there is nothing to gain or lose in life―that where one is now is fine to be, and that contentment or peace can be realized regardless of one’s circumstances, this is a form of liberation, that is, freedom from external negative or limited influence.

In reality, it is impossible to describe the state of sat chit ananda. As Lord Krishna says, it is not really outward appearances that deter- mine internal realization. Even the great Indian saint Ramakrishna, when he was informed a spiritual council determined that he was Self-Realized, said that he didn’t know what the term meant; that he was the same person now as he was before receiving the news: nothing had changed, so the ‘outer’ words meant nothing to him.

The understanding of Self-Realization is often confused by people’s projections of what they believe such enlightened behavior would be like; however, in reality, each enlightened person has a very unique personality and life experience. At the end of his life, the saint Paramahamsa Yogananda said that in his next life, he will be not be a leader, but instead be the person sitting in the back of the room that no one notices.

Nowadays, much more is made of the notion of Self-Realization than is merited. There is a saying:

Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.

After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.

The external person is the same. The enlightened person behaves normally, not calling attention to himself or herself. Bhaktas (people who feel great love and devotion toward God), do not even ask for moksha (Self-Realization), because it would mean sacrificing the feeling of loving God and knowing that God love’s them. Although the issue of moksha sells books and spiritual courses, apart from the commercial arena, it is a term that more often than not, keeps the intellect engaged in some personal illusion of what moksha is or would be like, while preventing the growth of experiencing the grace of devotion in the living present.

Trust no future, no matter how pleasant. Let the dead past bury its dead.

Act, act in the living present. Heart within and God overhead

So instead of divorcing Self-Realization from compassion, remember that the aim of moksha is to end suffering. How each person grows in peace and compassion will differ, because every path to God is unique.

It is impossible to describe the state of moksha, since it is beyond words. So what is written here is merely a feeble attempt to illumi- nate and should not be taken as an absolute. The only absolute is the eternal Soul.

As this wisdom, based in experience, grows stronger, peace becomes stronger, and the less the mind, emotions, senses, and desires battle for attention. This is called mental sannyas, or keeping a strong, detached, compassionate mind in the midst of an active life. Some major pointers to developing such an exalted state include:

1. Acknowledge abundance in your life

2. Follow a healthy lifestyle and Ayurvedic food plan

3. Discover and follow your life-purpose (dharma) and work to- ward short- and long-term visions.

4. Do good for others or at least do not cause harm

5. Do not run after fame and fortune

6. Read the scriptures and other uplifting compassionate writings

7. Credit all actions and results thereof to God or nature or spirit

8. Use intuition and common sense

51. Lord Krishna explains that a sannyasi or yogi (one who acts from within their core, directly experiencing the individual and universal Soul) is one who lives responsibly, without seeking rewards for his or her work. Achieving this level of realization requires a combination of knowledge and experience―one or the other alone is insufficient. Intellectual ideas are only theory until tested through experience, and experiencing something without intellectual confirmation can cause doubt about the experience.

For a sannyasi, doing good is its own reward. In modern day life, there are many examples of selfless action: not polluting the earth, air, or water; helping the less fortunate, while not seeking recognition or financial gain for your help.

A recent trend is finding some corporations rewriting their bylaws to reflect their commitment to selfless service. Their mission statement shows a triple accountability to people, the planet, and to profit.

52. When a person acts to help others without personal reward, there are often many rewards: peace, wealth and bliss. Some might ask, ‘if I choose to not look out for my personal needs, what if I wind up deceived, alone, and penniless? Only deceit yields deceit (as you sow, so shall you reap/karma). Moreover, if a person is sincerely helping God’s children, why would God punish that person for such work? Thus, to be unattached to anything, that is, to be unconcerned about the rewards that may come from doing good, describes a selfless, unselfish person―a yogi or a mental sannyasi. The way to raise oneself up in this manner is through the Soul (atman). The more a person is aware of their Soul, the more guidance they will find in life.

A person who acts selflessly does not care about fame or dishonor, wealth or poverty, pleasure or pain. They act in the name of the Soul (the Eternal) and let others say and judge as they will. That person knows who they are and why they act. Such a person sees God in all people―friend or enemy. This realization is achieved through persistent meditation and by focusing the mind’s heart on God. This is called satsang or being in the presence of holy people (including God). Gradually, this constant exposure transform’s one’s body, mind, emotions, intellect, senses and subtle body in tune with God.

53. Meditation: is best done in a clean place where you are not disturbed, such as a study or backyard. The idea of ‘controlling you mind’ is tricky because the word ‘control’ suggests force. Natural meditation means not straining to find peace as forcing thoughts out causes more stress.

Many people say, “I cannot stop thinking”. This is fine. A general suggestion is to just return to your form of meditation when you can. Meditating on God or whatever brings you some peace is beneficial. It is also difficult and unnatural to sit motionless and in perfect posture. For some this works; for others they need to feel comfort and the ability to shift when uncomfortable. Staring at the tip of one’s nose is just one example of a meditation style.

The person must raise themselves by their Self. They must not lower themselves. For they are their own friend or enemy to their Self. [5]

For the person who has conquered their mind, their mind is their best friend. But for those with uncontrolled minds, their mind is their worst enemy. [6]

They who have conquered their mind, understanding beyond dualities of cold/heat, hap- piness/unhappiness, honor/dishonor, are completely rooted in their eternal Soul (para- matma). [7]

Those who are satisfied with wisdom from direct experience of Soul, who have conquered the senses and is even-minded; for those who see a lump of clay, a stone, and gold as the same; that yogi is said to be a saint established in Self-Realization (yukta). [8]

More esteemed still is the sage who treats all people equally, be they friends, well-wishers, enemies, neutrals, mediators, envious, saintly, or unrighteous people. [9]

A yogi consistently remaining alone in a secluded place, controlling their mind, desireless, freed from ownership, should meditate on their inner Soul. [10]

In a sacred and clean spot, fixing a seat that is neither too high nor too low, with kusha grass, deerskin, and natural fabric. [11]

Seated there, fixed minded, subduing the mind and senses, they are to practice yoga (union of individual self and cosmic Self) for purifying their mind — virtuous and honest.

Hold the body, head, and neck erect, motionless, with fixed gaze on the tip of the nose, without looking around in any other direction. [13]

Full of inner peace, fearless, steadfast in the vow of celibacy, controlling the mind; the renunciant, sits absorbed in thoughts of Me, regarding Me as their supreme goal. [14]

Thus, ever engaged in meditation on the Self, the person aiming to unite inner Soul with cosmic Soul (yoga), with mind directed inward, attains eternal peace that exists in Me. [15]

O Arjuna, union of individual and cosmic Selves (yoga) does not occur for those who eat too much or too little, nor for those who sleep too much or too little.

54. The Middle Path: The actions of such a selflessly serving person are moderate. A great Soul is one who lives a modest, balanced life. This too, was Lord Buddha’s message: follow the middle path.

Krishna observes that the practice of this yoga path is not for those who work, eat, play, or sleep too much or too little (eg, fasting, all- night vigils). But the person who lives a balanced life, allows for the possibility that all misery can be destroyed.

This is a fantastic and crucially important point, because there have been so many myths surrounding being a yogi. The general misconception is that you have to fast or sit in meditation without eating or sleeping, or that you cannot have any fun in life, or that you have to practice severe tapas (austerities). But Lord Krishna clearly dispels this misleading and dangerous myth. Moderation is the mantra.

The person who lives in this yogic state is said to be like a lamp in a windless spot, that is, one that does not flicker. So too, the yogi’s mind does not waver. Once achieving this state the person does not fall back to the former life of personal desires (sannyasi also means to not return to the past lower life levels). Through a path of moderation, a person is no longer overwhelmed by life’s demands or overtaken by emotion because in moderation, things are not allowed to build up unduly. Such a person is more open to experiencing what comes to them in life — whatever it may be.

For those wishing to attain mental peace, it is advised to withdraw the mind from the senses and outer worldly affairs by thinking of the needs of others, and gradually by degrees, releasing themselves from the grip of desires. In this way, they will attain peace. The per- son who sees God in all things and all things within God is that yogi/ sannyasi. God never leaves them, and they never leave God. They have realized and attained eternal life with God, in God, even while alive (ie, their Soul realizes its eternal nature).

55. There are four types of virtuous people that worship God:

1. The distressed

2. Seekers of knowledge

3. Seekers of material prosperity

4. Wise servants or worshipers of God

The wise are the most devoted and focused of the four types of wor- shippers, for they have no other desire but God. It is rare to find such a noble Soul. God is dearest to them and they are dearest to God. People whose focus is distracted by various desires worship lesser gods through prayers, rites, and rituals in the hope of gaining plea- sure, power, fame, fortune, and so on. [Verse 1–20]

56. When a person is born, the three gunas create, maintain, and dis- solve this relative world that Krishna calls maya (illusion), because it is not permanent. It is the gunas that cause the mind to become deluded into forgetting the eternal God.

When a person begins to desire something that they already are, pairs of opposites are then born. For example, you see a car and are happy. If you want that car — and cannot get it — you become sad.

If you think that obtaining the car will bring lasting happiness, you then try to obtain the car.

But people of virtuous deeds, who take refuge in God, only aim for freedom from all relative bonds caused by the gunas. They strive instead for God-Realization or Brahman. When a person realizes that all is One, they can then know anything about the relative creation, because they finally see it as a part of themselves. So if you want anything, you must first know the creator of all things.

For the person who knows God in the physical, spiritual, and sacrificial realms of life, God is steadfast in their heart. They remember and know God even at the time of physical death. They know them- selves (the Soul) to be eternal. So for them, there is no death; they become imperishable.

57. When you point a finger in blame, you have three fingers point- ing back at you. This is a modern expression that relates to this ancient spiritual principle; what you see in others is merely a reflection of what is in your own self.

58. Krishna says wisdom and realization together can help a person be freed from illness (bondage, evil, or all impurities). He says that yoga is the king of sciences, king of secrets and the supreme purifier. Krishna reminds us of the method how attain Self-Realization: Fill your mind with God (energy) in devoted worship (regulating and transforming it into positive eternal). Steadfastly unite your heart with God alone who is the supreme goal, and you shall realize God.

59. Krishna addresses a common issue, the inability to concentrate on God during meditation. Those who cannot fix a steady mind on God through mental meditation can instead perform devotional deeds. This can include helping the needy, performing pleasing rituals, and chanting devotional songs (bhajans or singing God’s praise).

60. For those who fall through the cracks of the above categories, Krishna says there are some who cannot even practice devotional activities. For them, Krishna recommends devoting their work to God, by saying ‘whatever I do is for God.’ This is an acceptable form of meditation that brings a person to Self-Realization. And those who do not have even the presence of mind to devote their actions to God should take refuge in God, offering God the results of their actions. If you earn fame or fortune, say that God has done this and that it is God’s fame or fortune. So if a person does not think of God prior to action, let them, at the time of result, praise God and offer God all they have gained. [Verse 1–11]

61. Meditation: Meditation is a method to go beyond one’s reality — to gain greater wisdom of Self and a newer insight into more of who one is. This is more precious than knowledge because knowledge relates to a locked or bound time or place. To know a deeper reality, one must transcend the limits of their belief system and experiences and go beyond the ego-based reality to experience more of one’s eternal Soul.

Although meditation allows one to realize a greater self beyond their previously defined self, the actual act of letting go of ‘owner- ship’ and ‘authorship,’ and the giving all to God are actions resulting from surrender. Realization only gives the potential to surrender, that is, it removes the desires that prevent surrender.

Yet, surrendering material life requires real-world action. A person needs to see that they can apply this desireless state to their life. This ‘letting go’, is the last ‘action’ a person can do for themselves. Thereafter peace descends on the mind, because the friction is re- moved when the limits and desires are removed. [Verse 12]

Knowledge is superior to practice; meditation is better than knowledge; renouncing the rewards of action is superior to meditation — for from renunciation comes inner peace. [12]

62. Lord Krishna begins by saying that the body is the objective field of life (kshetram). A wise person who knows about the body is called the knower of the objective field (kshetrajnam). God is also called the conscious, knowing Soul (Kshetrajnaha) in all bodies (kshetras).

Having knowledge of both body and Soul comprises true knowl- edge, which is a form of awareness. Knowledge of the body is a form of wisdom or awareness. One’s wisdom awareness can know the true nature of the body from within the body/mind system. God too is the knower/awareness of Soul in all bodies since our Soul can awaken to its own existence and be aware of itself.

63. Field Body: The nature of the body comprises the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth). There also exists ego, intellect, the five senses of knowledge (taste, touch, sight, hearing, smelling), the five organs of action (tongue, hands, feet, genitals, and anus), and the mind. Within the body is also desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, and a com- bination of these, fortitude, and consciousness.

64. Wisdom/Knowledge: The wisdom field comprises the following positive qualities: humility; forgiveness; simplicity; service to a spiritual teacher; purity; steadfastness; self-control; not harming others in action, word, or thought; and not being ostentatious.

Renouncing the sense objects and having ego in balance, being aware of the relative (non-eternal) nature of birth, death, old age, disease, and pain; not being attached to the relative life of self, spouse, children, home, fame, fortune, but being attached only to the eternal Soul or God; being equal-minded in the beneficial and non-beneficial life that comes to you. Having one-pointed or unwavering devotion to God, preference for seclusion, distaste for large groups of people, and realizing the essence of Truth.

65. Krishna says there are many paths to such a full realization: a) Meditation (sadhana)

b) Intellectual wisdom (jnyan)

c) Action (karma)

d) Those who have little knowledge worship yet have been taught by spiritual guides, they too can attain Self-Realization.

In other places, Krishna also speaks of combinations of these paths as well as bhakti (devotion) imbibed in the paths.

66. Sattwa―with the qualities of being transparent, luminous, and free from negativity―binds the embodied Soul by attachment to the experiences of happiness and knowledge.

Rajas―with the qualities of passion, thirst for pleasure, and attachment itself―binds the embodied Soul through action.

Tamas―with the qualities of ignorance, lethargy, and delusion― binds the embodied Soul by illusion (covering wisdom), idleness (sloth), and sleep.

At various times, each guna will dominate one’s awareness. When the light of understanding radiates from the person, it is sattwa that predominates. When greed, hyper or excessive activity, enterprise, restlessness, or longing prevail, rajas prevails. And tamas out- weighs when behaviors of darkness, inertia, illusion, and delusion are expressed.

A person’s future life will depend on the predominating guna at the time of death. Dying with the guidance of sattwa causes the person to attain a stainless region in the afterlife, where the highest know- ers reside. If one dies during a predominately rajasic time, they will be reborn to a family and life of excess action. When death comes while a person is ruled by tamas, they will be born to dull-minded, people lacking the quality of reasoning.

Wisdom grows from sattwa; greed from rajas; delusion and ignorance develop from tamas.

68. There is a tree called Peepal or Ashwattha. This is said to be an up- side down tree because the branches are its roots and its roots grow upward where branches are normally found. These roots eventually curve downward growing back into the soil, becoming a new part of the tree trunk. In this way it is considered an eternal tree because it keeps growing itself anew.

Ashwattha means, unable to last until tomorrow (shwah), denoting impermanence as it is also known as the tree of the senses, creating relative, temporary objects that reside in an upside-down position (ie, the senses think they are real and eternal but in fact they are temporary — not lasting until tomorrow. The leaves of the branches are the Vedic hymns (dharma or the universal laws of the universe). The buds on the branches are the gunas’ sensory-objects. At the roots are the three gunas that feed the roots of the tree. The roots stretch down into the world, creating actions among humans. People water the roots of the tree with the actions of the three gunas.

The roots are eternal and the fruits on the branches are temporary, ever-changing. This suggests that a wise person sees all of life as ever-changing and temporal. To know the unchanging, eternal life, one must go to the root of life beyond the gunas.

This can be seen more clearly in yet another metaphor — an Ayurvedic metaphor. One reason Ayurveda is such an effective healing system is because it does not dwell solely on ever-changing symptoms: it addresses the root of a health disorder. So, going beyond the disease of ignorance of God, going beyond the emptiness or void of living without full connection to spirit, a person will find greater connection of feeling through meditation, service, intellect, and devotion―a combination of all of these elements―and advance beyond all that is created by the gunas. They will then see and feel the eternal loving connection with God.

Imagine people walking around the world, seeing fruit from this tree before them. As they partake of the fruit―without knowledge of the roots up above―they become bound to the results of eating the fruit. Each action (enjoying the objects) leads to repercussions (con- sequences) that keep the person locked into seeing only the fruits and not the roots or beyond. Only the wiser or enlightened people can see beyond sensory objects.

This Ashwattha tree analogy clearly evokes the story of the Garden of Eden, where the fruit of the tree of knowledge was forbidden to be eaten. From the Ashwattha analogy, we can say that the fruit of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, parallels knowledge of temporary sense objects. Upon eating such an apple, the mind becomes obscured to the eternal source of the apple―and this is what suffering means in Vedic terms―the banishment from living in the eternal of the full loving connection to God.

We can say that it was not God who banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, from that loving, full connection or hugging of God. Rather, it was Adam and Eve who, by giving importance to relative and ever-changing life (by seeking knowledge from the apple), made the choice. Their actions brought about change (cause and effect). They themselves caused the severing of emotional ties with God. People are after all ultimately responsible for creating their situations―for better or worse.

The everlasting nature of the tree is invisible to the human eye. The wise cut down this deep-rooted tree by the mighty sword of detachment to the gunas and all that the gunas develop, including the senses, objects, desires, and ego.

Krishna urges all people to pray to attain that safe haven where there is no return to relative changes that separate the Divine lovers — God and the person. He urges us to stay in the ever-hugging eternal, Di- vine embrace and participating in the ever-joyful dancing, singing, and praising of the name of God.

This sweet life (sat-chit-ananda or eternal bliss) can be lived by all who can see beyond the three gunas.

70. When a person’s individual Soul (jiva) leaves a body at death and they take on a new body (reincarnation), their mind, their five senses, and their intuition travel with the Soul, just as the wind carries a flower’s aroma across the land. As the Soul settles in the new body, it begins to use the five sense organs, intuition, and mind in that new body to experience the life. The gunas delude the untrained person from seeing their Soul, leav- ing them only to experience transitory objects and pleasures through the senses. Only the wise can see past the gunas; the undevoted or insincere cannot perceive God who is beyond the three gunas.

71. Divine and Demonic Traits:

Lord Krishna lists the Divine qualities as:

Fearlessness

Pure hearted

Scripture study

Charitable

Sense control

Sacrifice

Modest

Austerity Gentle

Non-harming Truthfulness Lacking anger Renunciation Peace

Not slander

Compassion

Not coveting Steadfast in spiritual union

Vigor Forgiveness Fortitude Purity

Not hateful Not prideful Not fickle Simplicity

Lord Krishna lists ‘demonic’ qualities as:

Ostentatious Arrogant Deluded Untruth Prideful Greedy

Unable to tell right from wrong

Conceited Angry Impure Vain Lustful Egotistic

Cruel Ignorant Poor conduct Hypocritical Miserly Insolent

Divine qualities lead to liberation, while demonic qualities cause further bondage. The word demonic may be difficult to comprehend and may be substituted with the words cruel or wicked.

One of the demonic qualities discussed by Krishna [Verse 7–8] is a lack of belief in God as creator. Yet it would be a mistake to translate this literally as meaning that all atheists or agnostics are demonic in nature. Rather, it is whether a person has a predominance of nurturing or harsh qualities that defines the behavior. There are many people who don’t believe in God because they see the hypocritical commercialization in the name of God, or see people, businesses, or governments using God’s name and then bilk people out of money, land, or rights. Others do not believe in a God who has human characteristics. Still others have their own reasons. Rather than ‘live a lie in a religion’, these people choose to live in what they feel is honest truth. Their motives are pure and good. They too can easily realize more of who they really are (God, Soul, or nature/energy).

Krishna says that people with demonic qualities are enemies of the world, bent on its destruction. They have insatiable desires [Verse 1–10]. They think sensual enjoyment is the highest feeling, exhibiting baseless hopefulness and hoarding wealth through unjust means. They feel a false sense of grandeur; they believe they are all-powerful and superior others. These people perform sacrifices in name only and not in a positive spirit. They hate God within themselves and all others. These people could be said to have cruel or demonic possession. Yet, there are many leaders, rulers, and dictators who fit this description and they sometimes feel they are doing God’s work. However, they often do not lead the lives they profess to believe in. There are countless examples of rulers proclaiming a strict spiritual life, abstaining from worldly things such as alcohol, television, techno gadgets, physical relations, and wealth, but who are heavily involved in one or more of these self-proclaimed vices. It is often difficult to walk the straight and narrow when one has power.

Lust, anger, and greed are the three Soul-destroying gates of hell. Thus, these three qualities are to be avoided as best as possible. A person who is free from these three dark gates, and who tries to develop their Divine qualities, will find their eternal loving God. So scriptures can help inspire a person to develop their Divine (ideal) behavior. With this understanding of ethical behavior, a person is to apply these principles in their daily life. [Verse 21–24]

In Chapter 2 (Verse 62–63), Krishna explained how much trouble anger can cause. Attachment to objects causes longing for the ob- ject, and unfulfilled desires causes anger. From anger comes delu- sion, which births the loss of memory, which in turn ruins discrimi- nation (the topic of this chapter). With the loss of discrimination a person perishes.

In Chapter 3 (Verse 37), Krishna said that desire is anger; it is born from rajas guna. It is a craving that can never be satisfied, thus causing a person the greatest danger for they can never find peace or Divine love. Anger is the foe in this world.

73. How To Become a Sincere Person: A sincere person, realizing the value and power of self-regulation will gladly turn their attention inward and not look to find fault in another person. There is a saying,

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones

and another

Doctor, heal thyself.

While a similar scriptural saying is

Judge not, lest ye shall be judged

All these maxims relate to the admonition of Lord Krishna that we must work on ourselves to become better people day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and second by second―always living in the present. It is a gift that allows us to never become bored, because there is always something we can do to improve ourselves, always some more Divine experience we can open ourselves up to, and always some greater Divine bliss we can feel, live, and be grateful for.

Positive transformation can come from something as simple as learning to play a music instrument, organic gardening, or learn- ing that you always wanted to learn but never found the time until now. Finding ways to express your inner joyful God-gifts relates to simple, mundane, natural pastimes. It also is developed through meditation, and service to others and the environment.

Disharmonious thoughts are like critters in a video game that pop their heads up out of holes in the ground. Prayer for harmonious thoughts to predominate is like a person stepping to avoid the holes, and choosing to stand in a place where they will be safe. So it is in one’s best interest to pray to be the best person possible. Pray ‘Thy will be done’ (not my will); pray to make this the best day possible, letting God determine what is ‘best’ for us at any given moment. Have no agenda, no outward goal other than to do the best you can with the day God unfolds for you.

When you feel trapped, cry out to God: help me, I am stuck, I am trapped, I am angry, please release me from this; let me come back to your beloved lap. Such sincere and innocent (non ego) behavior quickly reaches God’s ears.

Sometimes, however, an answer does not come. At those times, it is helpful to admit you are stuck experiencing your discordant trait and praying to know what you are to learn from the situation.

So we have seen Krishna clarifying the distinction between Divine and demonic personality traits. And we have discussed briefly how to keep working in the direction of developing the Divine traits and how to untie oneself from the demonic qualities through prayer.

74. Ego has two sides — over praising and denigrating. One says, ‘I’m better than the rest’, and the other says, ‘I’m worse than the rest. Both keep the ego in charge, preventing the acknowledgement and growth of one’s divine characteristics.

75. Krishna discusses the various dimensions of faith. There are three types of faith that are inherent in a person at birth: sattwa (goodness), rajas (passionate), and tamas (lethargy or dullness). A person’s faith is based on their inherent nature; one’s faith defines the person. The person and their faith are one. The pure worship the gods, the passionate worship the demons, and the dull worship ghosts. [Verse 1–3]

76. Foods:

Sattwic foods―life-force-increasing foods, foods that is as close as possible to the sun energy, bringing energy, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness; savory, soothing, and pleasing (within limits, Ayurveda says food must be tasty to be healthy, but flavors that overload the taste buds and senses becomes rajasic).

• Rajasic foods―bitter, sour, salty, overly hot, pungent, dry, burning; causing pain, grief, and disease

Tamasic foods―stale, putrid, cooked overnight, unclean, lacking flavor, zest, or taste [Verse 4–10]

77. Sacrifice, austerity and charitable gifts:

Sattwic sacrifice occurs when a person does good deeds without desiring any recognition or getting something in return for the good act. Helping others is its own reward. Sacrifice out of a sense of duty is sattwic, too, as in the service of a soldier.

Rajasic sacrifice occurs when a person expects something in re- turn for doing a good deed, or they make a showy act of their sacrifice.
Tamasic sacrifice occurs when deeds are done that do not really help the truly needy (an example of helping the needy is giving food to the hungry), or is not done in the spirit of faith and good will.

Austerity of the body involves worshiping positive spirituality (God), showing kindness, spending time around wise, pure, simple people, behaving with self-restraint, purity, and not injuring others.

Austerity of speech involves speech that causes no harm to others, speaking truthfully, saying what you mean, and meaning what you say.

Austerity of thought involves cheerfulness, kindliness, silence, self- control, pure-heartedness, Divine joy, and gratitude, and regularly studying scriptures.

• Sattwic austerity is practiced by those who practice three-fold austerity with devotion, resolve, and faith and without wishing for anything in return. Austerity arising out of a sense of duty is also sattwic.

• Rajasic austerity is practiced when these austerities are performed with the aim to become famous, wealthy, desiring to be worshiped or applauded, or when an austerity is done with an ostentatious and obvious display.

Tamasic austerity is practiced with the aim of deluding or confus- ing people and hurting oneself or others. [Verse 11–17]

A gift that is given without expecting something in return is a satt- wic gift. So helping another person, giving charitable gifts, and fa- vors should all be done with the feeling that the giving is the reward itself: ‘I am grateful to be allowed to be giving.’

When a person helps, or gives conditionally, i.e., I’ll help you if you help me — I’ll do you a favor if you do me a favor; I’ll buy from your company if you buy from mine; I’ll refer clients to you if you refer clients to me; I’ll donate to your campaign if you pass laws to help my company; or, if giving is done reluctantly, or done with the aim to control or manipulate the receiver, these are rajasic gifts.

Giving gifts at the wrong time or place, to those who don’t truly need help, giving with disrespect or contempt, are tamasic forms of giving. It is said that gift-giving carries much responsibility to determine where your money is truly going. You can give to a char- ity that spends too much of its money on administrative expenses or advertising, or find a charity that keeps expenses to a minimum and uses the majority of the donations for the intended needy. Even if a person gives with good intentions, if the receiver misuses the gift, this is said to be giving a gift to a wrong person. [Verse 18–22]

78. How to Realize The Ultimate Truth:

Krishna defines a sannyas as one who no longer desires to do things for self-reward such as fame, fortune, power, ego, or pride. On the most basic level, sannyas is the cessation of selfishness. Yet there are subtle levels, gray areas that may not seem selfish from a social standpoint, but are still forms of wanting something in the relative world. So sannyas is the state whereby a person’s mind chooses to act for the good of others, for no other reason than to relieve mankind’s suffering.

Tyaga is when a person no longer holds onto, cares for, or takes any special pleasure in the results of actions However, even when act- ing selflessly, by the law of nature, good karma will come back to the person. When the person is not influenced by even those good -karma returns, this is said to be tyaga (full relinquishment).

Action or Inaction:

Krishna notes there are differing views about the topic of action; some say all action is to be stopped, and others believe that action that is selfless, such as helping the truly needy through charitable acts, austerity, and sacrifice, is worthy of doing. Krishna weighs in on the subject by distinguishing between three types of relinquish- ment (tyaga).

He says, selfless acts of sacrifice, gifts, and austerity are to be per- formed, as they purify the person. But the value in these acts only comes to those who perform them without desire for reward. (This discussion is an extension of the topic as discussed in Chapter 17.)

Tamasic relinquishment: either not doing worthy actions or taking care of one’s responsibilities or doing them for selfish motives is Tamasic, that is, against spiritual development

2. Rajasic relinquishment: done to relinquish action out of fear (eg, running away from a responsibility)

3. Sattwic relinquishment: performance of worthy duties and responsibilities without care for anything in return, clinging neither to pleasant acts nor avoiding or disdaining unpleasant ones

So the true relinquisher is one who cares not for the consequences of their actions; they just ‘do the right thing’ and let the chips fall where they may. A modern day example of this is the ‘whistle-blow- er,’ one who cannot sit by idly while their company breaks the law and harms people or the environment. They act knowing they might be fired, demoted, or ostracized; yet, they do what they feel will prevent harm.

Another example of sattwic relinquishment is the behavior of loving parents. They sometimes have to discipline their children, even though the children may say, ‘I hate you’ or ‘I don’t love you.’ Their job is to protect their children, even if it means some temporary ban on the child’s happiness or restriction of their movements. So parents must be willing to accept whatever response the child gives to the discipline such as anger or withholding love. And if the child tries to bribe the parent with love, the parent, aware of the scheme, ignores the loving praise, and sticks to their guardian duties.

Thus, sannyas and tyaga have been clarified by Krishna. Whether living as a monk or on a family path, these principles are equally applicable to people in all walks of life. Acting selflessly and with- out caring about how the results will profit you personally is a truly spiritual action.

For those who do not relinquish action fully, the consequences or re- ward of the actions have tri-fold results: good, not good, and mixed. The consequences of their actions follow the person (Soul) into death (of the body). But for those who fully relinquish the results of action―that is, let go of the desire for reward or recognition―the result will be Divine. They will be on the higher or quicker path to Self-Realization. [Verse 1–12]

79. Krishna next outlines five factors taken from Vedic Sankhya phi- losophy that are needed for accomplishing action:

1. The field of action (where you perform the action) 2. The body

3. The senses

4. Bodily functions

5. The body’s ruling deities

No matter what a person does, says, or thinks, rightly or wrongly, whether helpful or unhelpful, these five factors are involved. To say that the Soul is the doer would be to express an incorrect or de- lusional view, because the Soul is eternal, unmoving, and wholly uninvolved in action.

Only those who act without ego or agenda (‘I am not the doer’) and without concern for receiving favorable or unfavorable results, and who acts without being bound by the action in either way will achieve Self-Realization.

There are some issues with this type of talk however. First, since all people have some combination of gunas, and the goal of life is to go beyond the gunas, one needs to be careful to not judge others according to their perceived predominant guna. This sets up a ‘holier-than-thou attitude in one’s mind that destroys the goodness of one’s good acts.

No human being has a life that is 100% pure. Having human characteristics means, even for the greatest saints, they too must be on guard to not get caught in subtle ego traps.

Secondly, merely having the intellectual awareness that one’s thoughts are rajasic or tamasic is not enough to transition to sattwic thinking. In fact, being locked into less than sattwic thoughts and actions, even though temporary, is an example of bondage.

A person can see themselves trapped, but not be able to release themselves from these thoughts. It is a subtle form of addiction and is related to the addiction to materialism, greed, pride, and power. Thus, just discussing or reading such lofty ideas as set out by Lord Krishna, is not enough to transform one’s life or to liberate the subtlest levels of the reader’s mind. It is a good start, however, but then the real work, the lifelong work begins.

So when reading such philosophy, it is best to remember that the words are there to guide you. But when the storm comes and the mind becomes locked by anger, greed, pride, lethargy, or other smaller-minded patterns, one can only pray with the greatest of sin- cerity and desperation for God to release them from this bondage.

As Krishna has said, God is the doer in life. So even when we are attempting to become free from rajasic and tamasic mental tendencies, it is actually the grace of God that allows for such release. When times become more despondent, it causes a person to more fully and sincerely (often out of sheer desperation) put all their energies and intentions into calling God for their release and asking for salvation from the current storm. Such storms keep the devotee humble in this ongoing life-process.

Therefore, being the ideal sattwic person is something to continually strive for, while looking inward instead of outward. (As previously mentioned, the goal is to move beyond sattwa to Eternal Soul; but in the context of mental attributes, sattwa is the most desirable attribute prior to eternal transcendence.) [Verse 13–17]

80. Next Krishna discusses the nature of action in depth. The are three causes of action:

1. Knowledge

2. Knowable object

3. Knower

And there are three bases of action:

1. The means to act (eg, senses, limbs)

2. The action itself

3. The doer

In addition to knowledge of and desire to act, there must be the ability to act and a person to achieve the action.

There are three kinds of knowledge, action, and doers, according to the three gunas:

1. Sattwic action: knowledge (seeing) that all beings are eternal and are a part of the One Soul. (In essence, there is no diversity, since we are all the same Soul.)

2. Rajasic action: seeing the separateness in all beings (and not the common Soul)

3. Tamasic action: seeing and clinging to one single thing as if it were everything and missing its true eternal essence

An example of rajasic distinctions is seeing the media portray how two groups are different from one another (eg, red states and blue states; creating dramatically sharp distinctions between sides to allegedly make a story more engaging), or governments who divide groups or religions to conquer both groups. On the human level, fighting with friends or relatives over property or things is rajasic.

Tamasic actions include doing anything in a wholly attached manner; never reasoning whether it is valid; unfounded in truth; clinging onto a person, idea, philosophy, herb, drug or anything material, instead of letting go and embracing the eternal spirit or Soul.

Sattwic actions: following one’s duties (responsibilities) without attachment, like/dislike, or desire for the rewards of the action. These people do not seek work; rather they take the work that comes to them in the form of responsibility.

This behavior has no sense of I: the person works as a Divine instrument.

Rajasic actions: acting on the desire that fame, fortune, power, or glory will come to you from your actions. This type of action depletes energy. Those who act rajasically constantly work, run, develop, create, fix, and so on. This behavior is greedy, passionate, violent, unclean, easily excited by joy or sorrow, success, or failure.

Tamasic actions: when work is done blindly, without forethought as to reasons, ability, consequences (who if anyone benefits or is harmed by the action). This behavior shows itself as undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, knavish, indecisive, lethargic, procrastinating, arrogant, or dishonest. [Verse 18–28]

Actions ordained, performed without desiring the rewards of the action, unat- tached, without craving or aversion, is purity (sattwic). [23]

Actions performed while desiring the rewards of the action, with egotism, or with much effort, is rajasic. [24]

Actions done under delusion, without considering one’s own ability, consequence, loss, and injury is tamasic. [25]

Free from attachment, without egotism, endowed with perseverance and enthusi- asm, unaffected in success or failure, is one who works with purity (sattwa). [26]

Those whose have passions and desires for reward, greed, malicious, impurity, who are easily moved by joy or sorrow, are overly active (rajasic) workers. [27]

Those who are unqualified, vulgar, arrogant, deceptive, overbearing, lazy, de- spondent, and procrastinating, are ignorant (tamasic) workers. [28]

People often say that the work they did got them off the track, ie, off their spiritual path. They often ask, should I do A or B; should I build my company or spend more time in meditation? But as we see from Krishna’s discussion, it is not what you do but how you do it, or more specifically, the spirit of the choice is the key.

A person can work long hours on a project, and it can be sattwic or rajasic. If the work feels like it is what they were born to do; if it feels like it is their responsibility; if by helping others the person feels humbled and grateful to be allowed to participate in this action, and when the unpleasant aspects of the work are done in the same spirit, then it is sattwic work.

However, if a person is working on a project to become rich, famous, or powerful; working to avoid their family or social life, then this is rajasic work. It is a very subtle point, but a little focus on the distinction makes a world of difference in how a person lives their life.

While discussing this point, a common question is raised, ‘I choose to work to support my family. Is that not sattwic action?’ This is a most important question. There are two parts to the answer. By working to support others, this is seen as selfless work, ie, you are not working for your own personal gain, but for others. Still, within this context, a person must choose a respectable job, and not merely do anything, even if it is unethical, all in the name of supporting a family.

Doing tamasic or rajasic work requires self-aggrandizement and in- volves ego, either because of a lack of self-worth or by seeking self-contentment. When a person realizes they have done some work that was rajasic or tamasic, often after things fall apart, they some- times realize the errors in their ways. The tendency is to swing to the other extreme―self-deprecation. One begins to sulk or dwell in guilt or self-pity. Instead of acting from the point of view of being a good person, the person dwells on how bad they have been. The key here is that the person is still stuck in ‘I.’ Often people wait for punishment or punish themselves or give up on life for some time. Then they swing back to self-aggrandizement and start the cycle all over again.

It is helpful to know that since both are ego-born (ie, rajasic and tamasic), if a person changes their intent and does something from a sattwic point of view (a selfless act), in that instant, things change for the better.

Often one’s greatest growth comes after hitting the bottom, when things are darkest. It is only then that a person becomes motivated to make a change. We see this in people who wait for the last minute to do their homework or study for tests. On a larger scale, we see this in government when nothing gets done until a tragic disaster occurs. Or in personal growth, such as when a person becomes ‘sick and tired’ of being sick and tired, they finally forgo all the mental chatter, fears, and doubts, and just move ahead in uncharted areas of their life.

So one value of rajasic and tamasic acts is even though they destroy one’s plans and result in embarrassment and humiliation, one must go on. In this way, these less than perfect behaviors sometimes act as a catalyst to the sattwic way of life. Eventually, a person may come to realize that they do not have to wait for a disaster to make positive changes and can begin to implement positive actions sooner. This shift from waiting until something goes wrong to correct it marks a change for the positive. By respecting oneself enough to say ‘I am worth living a Divine life,’ one chooses more harmonious options in the direction of the Divine.

81. There is no shame then in admitting mistakes (falling off the sattwic path). Be aware to not judge others according to how much sattwa you feel appears in their life. Also it would be useful not to focus only on one’s crown chakra (spiritual energy center) and ignore the baser chakras; the implication being that the person does not need to work on ‘lower evolved’ levels, or that if they work solely on the highest level, the foundations will automatically cleanse. This is a pretense or illusion; it is a form of rajasic or tamasic thought. As the goal of life is to go beyond all three gunas (even sattwa), it is best to not let the intellect dwell on or make judgments about gunas in your life or in other people’s lives.

Therefore, it is suggested here to think of the gunas in the following manner. Anything that brings a sense of wonder, a feeling of purity, a simpleness of thought, lightness, innocence, a sense of inner joy for no apparent reason, or a feeling of becoming more childlike, is something beneficial to try to develop in one’s life.

82. Anything that makes a person feel that they know something, try- ing to convince people of why they are right, gathering intellectual information, understanding the difference between things, feeling better than others, feeling too holy to do some sort of unpleasant work, judging, laughing at, blaming, making excuses, or speaking ill about others; all these are signs that a person is off their path of innocent, devotional, tender God-love. This is hardly an exhaustive list, but it is a start, and it covers the essential behaviors.

83. Three Insights:

Sattwic: understanding and knowing

• When to act and when to wait

• Right from wrong action

• Fear and fearlessness

• Bondage and liberation

Rajasic: having a distorted understanding and

• Not knowing when to act and when to wait

• Confusing right from wrong action

• Not understanding the difference between fear and fearlessness • Not understanding bondage and not seeking liberation

Tamasic: having no understanding and seeing wrong things as right

• Acting when waiting is more appropriate and vice versa

• Continually choosing wrong actions instead of right actions

• Living and making choices based on fear and not knowing fearlessness

Living in bondage and not seeking liberation

84. Three Roots

Sattwic: having the ability to control one’s thoughts (in sattwa or positivity), and thus speech and actions, roots a person in sattwa

Rajasic: clinging to duty, righteousness (and self-righteousness), desire, wealth, desiring rewards of actions, roots a person in rajas.

Tamasic: excess sleep, fear, grief, despondency, vanity, and self- conceit roots a person in tamas.

85. Three Pleasures:

Sattwic happiness: starts out as poison and ends as nectar and is born of the blissful knowledge of the Soul.

Rajasic happiness: arises from sensory contact and starts like nectar but ends as poison.

Tamasic happiness: begins and ends in self-delusion, owing to ex- cessive sleep, lethargy, and false perception.

There is a saying, ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Beware of one who offers you ‘easy money.’ There is no free ride. There is no free lunch. Anything worth having is worth earning. People run after big, easy, fast money; after fame and praise and often end up in a poisoned situation.

When the eyes see lustful things or the taste buds taste overly rich, sweet foods and beverages, though these start as pleasure, they end in poison, that is, in damage, disrepair, and illness.

However, when one’s own awareness realizes, if I make some modi- fications now, things will be better later, this is sattwa. For example, knowing your Ayurvedic dosha (constitution), and eating foods that balance that dosha such as fresh, organic, whole foods might not unduly excite the taste buds (though it will be tasty and wholesome). In time, however, digestion improves and the body has more energy and fewer health problems. And the mind is more at peace. This is a form of sattwic pleasure.

Another example is earning money: One can overcharge a person and get an initial larger sum of money. But if the customer has been hurt by paying so much money, they will look elsewhere for a fair deal; somewhere along the line the seller will suffer. On the other hand, if fair fees are set by the seller (and they earn what they need to survive) and the buyer pays what is reasonable for them to continue to survive, there is a natural interdependency, and life becomes more harmonious. Initial self-sacrifice yields sattwic pleasure.

If a student wants to do well in school, they must sacrifice parties for study; and in the end achieve their higher pleasure. If an athlete wishes to win at their sport, they must sacrifice hours, days, and years of their life to excel. If a person wishes to feel love, they must give their love away. In short, the more a person sacrifices or gives away worldly (material) things and knowledge and emotions, the more space they have to receive spiritual gifts in return.

All humans, creatures, and all heavenly beings are under the sway of the gunas. Only God, the unchanging source of the gunas, can free one from their influence. [Verse 29–40]

86. The Caste System Myth:

Although the caste system has become a hegemonic tool of the corrupt and power-hungry to lord over the masses, claim- ing that they are holier than others, the system was actually meant to be a horizontal system based in innate or God-given qualifications. For example, the largest, strongest people were best suited to be the soldiers; those with a love of prayer were the priests; those with an affinity for the earth were the farmers; and those with have a pen- chant for serving were the servants.

This system was meant to create a natural interdependency among the groups: each needs the other to make their lives whole. Each person was given innate qualities necessary for the duties they were given. This was more a matter of the natural expression of certain traits:

Brahmins (priests): serenity, self-restraint, discipline, purity, forgiveness (in heart to even those who seek to hurt), directness and decency, knowledge (book learning and direct personal experience), faith in God.

Kshatriyas (soldiers): valor, spiritedness, constancy, resourceful- ness, courage, compassion, a giving nature, leadership.

Vaishya (farmers/shopkeepers): ability to work the soil, protect the cows, and have a propensity for agriculture, animal husbandry, and conducting commerce.

Shudra (servants): natural ability and love of serving others and re- maining humble at God’s feet.

87. Qualities of a Self Realized Person:

Krishna has clearly laid out different paths to Self-Realization for different people (depending on their innate nature or gunas). He now explains the qualities of a Self-Realized person.

They are insightful, understanding, self-disciplined, masters of the senses (not a slave to them); have strong-healthy wills; live to serve others (selfless though not subservient); are not interested in person- al gains; and have no likes or dislikes (is without personal aversions or desires). They enjoy solitude, modest diet, and speech, living in a meditative state, and being dispassionate. Such a person is without pride, violence, arrogance, lust, wrath, possession (no sense of ‘I’ or ‘mine’), and is at peace with themselves.

They are serene, neither desiring nor grieving, wholly devoted to God, knowing God, taking refuge in God, surrendering all thoughts and feelings to God, seeing God as the highest goal, ever devoted to God, having God ever-fixed in their hearts and minds. [Verse 50–58]

This is basically a repetition of all that has been stated throughout the Bhagavad Gita. Living moderately, modestly, eating Ayurvedic/ sattwic diet, and serving others with mind and heart fixed on God.

Now Lord Krishna applies the qualities of a saint to Arjuna’s current situation. He says, Arjuna, by your saying, “I will not fight,” you tell me that your ego overrides your protector/warrior nature. Bound by your own karma (pre-determined actions to be lived out in this life) and gunas (nature), your duty compels you to fight. So rather than fight against your nature to protect others, devote all of your actions to God, be detached (having no desires or aversions), keep an even, peaceful mind, and act to prevent a genocide. A mo- tiveless life dedicated to God releases one from bondage. In other words, it melts the wall of ego between the person and God; it unites the two Divine lovers (God and you). Nothing in this life is higher. This is the essence of the teaching. [Verse 59–60]

Those who live by this teaching will know the intimacy of God’s love. But it is not just to be studied and practiced without under- standing (direct experience), feeling, or compassion. [Verse 71–72]

After hearing this discourse, Arjuna awakens to the truth, the delu- sion of his mind dispelled. The teller of the story now also notes that he, too, reciting this story continually grows in bliss, growing ever closer to God. [Verse 73–78]

Even if a person merely listens to this with full faith and without malice, they too become liberated and reach the sacred region of those of virtuous deeds. [71]
O Arjuna, have you heard this with rapt attention? O Dhananjaya, are your illu- sions and ignorance now dispelled? [72]
Arjuna said:
O Krishna, by your grace, my illusion is dispelled and realization is restored. I am stable and my doubts are cleared. I shall follow your advice. [73]
Sanjaya said:
Thus I have heard this wonderful, electrifying conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. [74]
By the grace of Vyasa I have heard this supreme secret wisdom of merging indi- vidual Soul with universal Soul directly from Lord Krishna. [75]
O King, I repeatedly recollect this wonderful and holy conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. I rejoice again and again. [76]

Bhagavad Gita for Modern Times: Secrets to Attaining Inner Peace and Harmony

This is a summary of the book by Swami Sadshiva Tirtha.

Written by Touhid Kamal