Anchoring the heart to a Lofty Ideal-Bhagavad Gita Verses 3.31-3.33

Discussion in 'Chitvish on Hindu Culture & Vedanta' started by Chitvish, Nov 6, 2008.

  1. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    The simple technique given out to us by the Lord, now, is
    Surrender to a great ideal, and centering your heart at the ideal, act well.
    The dynamism flooding the bosom should not be allowed to get dissipated either in
    The regrets of the past
    Or in
    The anxieties of the future
    Or with
    The excitements of the present.

    We must learn to bring the entire dynamism to express itself in the field of endeavour and thus fight the battle of life.
    The philosophy and way of life appeal to us, as simple and completely satisfactory to the rational intellect in us that we wonder why only few of us live this perfect life!
    In order to drive home this philosophy, the Lord says

    Yae thae madamidam nithyamanuthishtanthi maanavaa:
    SraddhavanthO(a)nasooyanthO muchyanthae thae(a)pi karmabhi: 3.31

    Those men who constantly practise this teaching of Mine, full of faith and without cavilling, they too are freed from all bondages of action.

    The two important virtues to be cultivated during the period of sadhana are faith and freedom from ill-will.
    The degree of faith determines the measure of achievement.
    Ill-will is a hostile force which will destroy all the virtues the aspirant acquires.
    So, faith in God and good-will for mankind are the two weapons for the man of action to release himself from bondage.

    Next, the Lord declares the awful fate of those who have no faith in Him, and who carp and cavil at His teaching.

    Yae thvaethadabhya sooyanthO nanuthishtanthi mae matham
    Sarvajnana vimoodamsthanviddhi nashtanachaethasa: 3.32

    But those who carp at my teaching and do not practise it, deluded in all knowledge and devoid of discrimination, know them to be doomed to destruction.

    Fire hurts the one who mishandles it and it cooks food for another who utilises it properly. Those who do not know the laws of nature are the losers!
    Moral and spiritual laws are not different from the laws of nature. Those who avail themselves of these laws progress and prosper, while those others who defy and break them come to grief.

    Now, then why do not men follow this doctrine and perform their duties fully? Why should they follow others, or act on their own? In disobeying Krishna, why are they not afraid of transgressing the Lord's commands?

    The Lord says:

    Sadrsam chaeshtathae svasyaa: prakrthaer jnanavanapi
    Prakrthim yanthi bhoothani nigraha: kim karishyathi 3.33

    Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature; what can restraint do?

    Dispositions are divergent even among the enlightened.
    One is an introvert and another extrovert.
    A saint is given to devotion and a sage to discrimination. The yogi disciplines the mind while the man of action lovingly serves mankind.
    Attaining perfection is their thread of unity in the midst of mental variations.
    Restraint must spring from our own understanding that we are now indulging in a shameful waste of life's vitality and chances.

    Love,
    Chithra.


     
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  2. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    These verses reveal to us the technique of keeping ourselves afloat in a turbulent sea of conflicting interests. Just as a ship tossed about in a stormy sea steadies itself by dropping anchor, we are told here to hold on to a lofty ideal to steady our hearts. Two aspects are emphasised here. One is setting ourselves a lofty ideal and the other is ‘acting well’ which simply means not to swerve from the path of virtue laid down for our pursuit in our respective scriptures.

    What is a lofty ideal? It is like the dream that Martin Luther King had. It is like the struggle for freedom spearheaded by Gandhiji. It is a goal in life that is not in contravention of the Divine Laws. But it is not possible for every one to dedicate himself to such pursuits as will benefit the society and in the pursuit of the same to sacrifice all personal considerations. So the prescription of the Lord must be taken to mean setting up of an ideal that is in tune with the Divine Plan. It is not wrong to fix our mind on a goal that is purely personal as long as the means followed by us to reach that goal are ethical and well within the Spiritual norms. Means and ends must be complementary. If we have an honourable goal in life, it is unlikely that we may resort to illegal means to achieve it. It is only when the goal itself is shrouded in dishonesty that we start resorting to unlawful means to achieve it.

    We have seen in our own life time the disastrous effect that even the religious leaders have on their followers when their methods border on the ungodly. This is what William Law of Latter Day Saints movement called as ‘Turning to God without turning away from themselves; would be alive to God before they are dead to their own nature’ The clarion call of the Lord to ‘act well’ is simply a word of caution to those who remain mired in personal ambitions and considerations even in the pursuit of an apparently lofty ideal. Much of the social turmoil and bloodshed that we witness today are a direct result of leaders who profess to have lofty ideals but resort to highly questionable means to achieve them. They use the name of God to justify whatever they do in pursuit of power and wealth. All the ugly business of sacrifice, incantation and what Jesus calls ‘vain repetition of the Lord’s name’ is a product of this method of treating God as means to self-aggrandizement, rather than as an end to be reached through self-denial.

    What is meant by ‘Attaining perfection is their thread of unity in the midst of mental variations’? Eckhart’s words will help us to understand it:
    ‘Whoever has God in mind, simply and solely God, in all things, such a man carries God with him into all his works and into all places and God alone does all his works. He becomes one with God in every thought. Just as no multiplicity can dissipate God, so nothing can dissipate this man or make him multiple’

    May the lives of greats like Gora Khumbhar and Baktha Ramdas lead us into the paths of virtue!
     
  3. corallux

    corallux Bronze IL'ite

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    My Dear Gita Gurus,

    Human mind is the most powerful element in this universe.

    It can either make or break a person. Mind over matter goes a popular saying meaning, if you do not mind, it does not matter.

    Dear Chithraji,

    These days, we see priests doing poojas in houses as per the amount of "Dakshina" the householder gives them. The result, the entire purpose of the pooja/vrat is destroyed.

    "Vinash kale vipirit bhuddhi" say the elders. How true. The holy books are full of examples of how evil entered the minds of even pious kings like Ravan & prompted them to take the path of evil.Whereas, souls like Buddha cast aside their material comforts in search of the supreme truth.

    Regarding the example of fire,the same can be said of technology. Nuclear
    energy can cure diseases. BUt man has harnassed it for destruction.

    Dear Cheeniyaji,

    Baba in his book says that if we decide to do some good deeds, God himself goes out of his way to help us in our tasks. His further warns of how the boat of life is tossed & turned in the turbulant seas with the vices the name of the Guru alone will take us across safely.

    Sant Eknath drew flak from his community for picking up & comforting a
    Mahar child who was crying for his mother. The priests asked him to do
    'Prayaschit' by feeding grass to the idol of Nandi in Shivji's temple. The result, the idol not only accepted the offering but also jumped into
    Godavari on Eknath's request.

    Just goes to show how divinity comes to the rescue of the souls who
    follow his teachings.

    Regards,

    Corallux
     
  4. mkthpavi

    mkthpavi Senior IL'ite

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    Dear C&C,

    Although your post starts with the line "The simple technique given out to us by the Lord, now, is....", anchoring the mind to the lofty ideal without distractions of past/present/future is perhaps the most difficult thing a human can achieve !

    Almost all problems in our lives are because we brood over the past, over-glorify or over-simplify the present and over-expect for the future. Life is nothing but a set of choices and compromises (Chithra...from your Monday blog :))....Similarly, nobody REALLY knows whats in store for each of us in the future. All we have is the present, which again, many times, we either take for granted or waste by worrying about past or planning for future.

    In several of your earlier Gita posts, one point that stands out is about fixing the mind to the task at hand and equating duty to God Himself. We all have experienced, how, despite tensions and fights, when we are really busy with any activity, we actually forget the problems at least temporarily! Thus, how fantastic it would be, if we focussed our 'alai paayum' minds to our responsibilities and duties and believe in God all the time.

    Disappointments and failures are inevitable....but what is possible is that if we believe that God has a plan for each of us and is watching over us, we get the hope to carry on with a smile. Again, at the end of the day, only God and our Self can be with us at all times...nobody else.

    Thanks for your beautiful posts.
    With love
    Your IL disciple
    Pavithra
     
  5. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Lux,
    All creatures during their life-time think only ACCORDING TO THEIR VASANAS and act as powerfully as they think.
    Why do men not generally follow the simple art of success in life,
    as given by the Lord?
    The truth of this paradox is experienced by everyone of us in life.
    A doctor can be a drunkard, although he has full knowledge of the adverse effects of alcohol and may come to die of cirrhosis of the liver.
    A lawyer, who is an authority on law, may be provoked to commit a murder!!
    THAT WE KNOW IS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR US TO LIVE WHAT WE KNOW!
    Strange is the encjantment of this paradox!!
    Love,
    Chithra.












     
  6. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Pavi,
    You have beautifully put it all in a nutshell.
    Sri Ramakrishna says:
    Cat's claws & teeth are benovelent to the kitten and "malevolent" to the rat. Similarly, maya, the power of the Lord is beneficial to His devotees and harmful to the malefactors.
    The earthy men are bound to mundane things. Obstructing their worldly ways avails nothing. Inducing them to evolve in tune with their nature only aids their growth.
    Slow sublimation of their nature is the greatest service that can be rendered to them.
    Love,
    Chithra.


     
  7. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Corallux
    Gurubakthi has always been the cornerstone of Sanathana Dharma. There are several episodes in our religious archives highlighting this vital aspect. My favourite is the story of Sanandhyaya, the prime disciple of Adi Sankara. When Sankara once called out for Sanandhyaya who was across the river then washing his Guru's clothes, he just walked across the river forgetting that he might drown. But a lotus appeared wherever he put his foot on the river to reach him safely across. He therefore came to be known as Padmapada. We pay our obeisance to him in our daily prayer to our Guru parampara.
    Sri
     
  8. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Pavithra
    Maharshi Mahesh Yogi's Institute of Transcendental Meditation advocates anchoring the Mind to a specific word to bring it under control. They further stress that this word must be one such that will have no meaning or emotional attachment as they believe that otherwise the word will create further ripples in the mind.
    But the best is to focus on our lofty goal with total allegiance to God.
    Sri
     
  9. gayathriar

    gayathriar Bronze IL'ite

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    Dear C & Sri

    Completely surrendering to a great ideal and acting on that ideal centered at the heart is the only way that can explain the achievements of great people who started simple like Gandhiji or Medha Patkar. Similarity between a yogi and a man of action is lucid yet profound. Sri's recommendation that the lofty ideal need not be a social cause and can just be a personal goal makes Gita practical for all of us. What a wonderful way to set ones goal. It is quite inspiring...!

    However, I am a little confused with the meaning of the sloka - 'Sadrsam Chaeshtathae...' in this context. Is Lord Krishna saying that it is difficult to overcome one's nature. If so, can you please explain what determines the nature?
    If Chitivish lucidly introduces the concept, Sri beautifully elaborates it. by the time, I am read both your posts, most of my doubts I started with are clarified. Many thanks for your tireless efforts to make Gita simple and understandable to all of us.

    -Gayathri.
     
  10. Chitvish

    Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Gayathri,
    Let me explain to you with an example - 'Sadrsam Chaeshtathae.
    A morose man, tired from work, returns home. He is just waiting to pick on somebody, to let off steam! Burt cannot find anything or anyone.
    His wife brings him a cup of coffee. He just sips and shouts, cursing, there is no sugar.The wife answers from the kitchen " I have put sugar-it is in the cup". This makes him mre angry. At last she again calls out to say "the spoon is in the saucer". Though he still murmurs, he stirs, lifts the coffee-cup to his lips.There is no more complaint. He drinks & leaves! the wife smiles.The man of knowledge also acts in conformity wth his own nature, which is determined by the pattern of thoughts that arise in him.
    At any given instant of time, our thoughts design our behaviour!
    Instruction is objective and given, Education is a subjective phenomenon and is achieved.
    It is our duty to get educated. Dayananda swami says:
    In modern times we have instructional institutes, no educational schools!
    Therefore
    We have many instructors, hardly any teachers!
    Love,
    chithra.
     

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