Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

-7th chapter: verses 16, 17, 18, 19 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 26, 2020. -16th verse: “People endowed with sattva-guna are of four types. (1) Those who take to spiritual life due to distress (2) those who are aspirants of knowledge (3) Those who want wealth (4) Those who are Jnani (wise). “ -17th verse: “Of all these four groups, the highest one is the Jnani. He co...

-7th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16. 16th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 19, 2020. -14th verse: “Those who take the help of Vidya-maya, they eventually transcend Maya.” -Brahman is the only Absolute Reality. Vedanta defines something as real if (1) it remains without change in the past, present and future (2) It is beyond time, space and causatio...

-7th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 12, 2020. -Absolute Reality is the only sat. Vedanta defines something as sat (real) if (1) it remains without change in the past, present and future (2) It is beyond time, space and causation and (3) it remains without change in waking, dream and deep sleep states. -One can look at the river in two ways. O...

-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 29, 2021. -7th chapter: verses 11, 12, 13, 14 -Lord Krishna first teaches Arjuna to evolve a sense of duty consciousness. Later he teaches him karma yoga – learning to do duty without selfish purpose. This is a matter of one’s evolution. One should first do duty with desires. As he evolves, he will learn to do the same duty without selfish...

-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 22, 2021. -7th chapter: verse 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 -3rd verse: “Among thousands of people, very few strive for a spiritual life. Among those who sincerely strive for spiritual life, very few realize the truth.” -Not many people can think beyond the immediate and empirical. Even when some incidents in life make them seek a higher mea...

-7th chapter: verse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda January 15, 2021. -Gita’s eighteen chapters are divided into three sections, each with six chapters. The first section deals with the knowledge of spiritual practice. The second section deals with the knowledge of Bhagavan. The third section deals with knowledge of Atman. -Advaitic scholars also treat the three se...

-6th chapter: verses 46, 47; 7th chapter: verse 1 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda January 8, 2021. -6th chapter, 46th verse: “This Yogi is superior to the Tapasvi (one who practices extreme asceticism), superior to the Jnani (one who is a mere scholar), and superior to the Karmi (one who follows rituals).” -Scriptures, asceticism and rituals have their place in spiritual evolution....

-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 18, 2020. -6th chapter: verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 -In the 37th, 38th and 39th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person? Has he totally failed and fallen from both worlds – having...

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 11, 2020. -6th chapter: verses 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 -In the 37th, 38th and 39th verse, Arjuna asks: “Suppose a person is endowed with shraddha and is making an earnest effort to control his mind. Yet, he fails to attain perfection. What happens to such a person? Has he totally failed and fallen from both worlds – having neither a...

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on December 4, 2020. -6th chapter: 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 -Spiritual life is our ideal. We have to restrain the thought currents in the mind by feeding it with positive ideas. However, the mind is called Vikshipta-manah, always wavering like a pendulum. -Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull)...

-6th chapter: verses 32, 33, 34, 35 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 27, 2020. -32nd, 33rd, 34th and 35th verses are interrelated. 32nd verse concludes the important idea of the spiritual unity of the entire creation. 33rd and 34th verses present Arjuna’s question on whether the equanimity of mind can be achieved. The 35th verse contains Lord Krishna’s response to Arjuna...

-6th chapter: verses 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 20, 2020. -28th verse: “Such a Yogi, free from all obstacles, experiences Atyantam Sukham – ultimate, infinite, spiritual bliss.” -Atyantam Sukham is not the temporary absence of unhappiness. It is happiness itself. It is the feeling of permanently being settled in a state of contentment, even in th...

-6th chapter: verses 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 13, 2020. -23rd verse: “The Yogi then reaches a state of severance from any feeling of incompleteness such as agony, pain and unhappiness. This is called duḥkha-sanyoga-viyogam” -Every experience of happiness at the empirical level is only the temporary absence of unhappiness. We reach a state of pe...

The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 6, 2020. -6th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21, 22 -19th verse: “A lamp placed in a sheltered place does not flicker. Similarly, the mind of a Yogi who has reached the Niruddha state through concentration, is steady and does not waver.” -Vyasa classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta...

-6th chapter: verses 16, 17, 18 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 30, 2020. -16th verse: “Success in Yoga is not possible for him, who eats too much or doesn’t eat at all, nor for him, who sleeps too much or is awake too much.” -Eating is used as a metaphor here for any kind of activity by the senses of action and perception, as they feed the mind. All such activities shou...

-6th chapter: verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 16, 2020. -10th verse: “A person who wants to be a Yogi should constantly practice concentration and develop a natural tendency to live in solitude.” -A beginner should not force himself to be in solitude – he should develop the desire naturally by practicing spiritual disciplines. Once he is evolved...

- 6th chapter: verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 9, 2020. - 6th verse: “The positive aspect of mind, that is linked to Buddhi and Atman – that mind is our friend. The uncontrolled mind, that is away from spiritual values, acts as if it is our own worst enemy.” - Mind is our friend when it instinctively guides us on the spiritual path and gives us warn...

-6th chapter: verses 3, 4, 5 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 2, 2020. -3rd verse: “For ārurukṣhoḥ - a spiritual seeker who is still evolving - duties become the path that will take him to a stage that transcends duties. For Yoga-ārūḍha - the sage who has attained the highest state of Yoga - inaction becomes natural; he withdraws himself from worldly pursuits and bondages...

- 6th chapter: verses 1, 2 and 3 The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 25, 2020. - In the first five chapters, Lord Krishna infuses in Arjuna a sense of duty and righteousness of action. He then explains Advaita philosophy, karma yoga, and how to perform duties with a sense of sanctity and scaredness, and without desire. - In the 5th chapter, Lord Krishna describes two types...

-5th chapter: verses 27, 28, 29. 6th chapter: verse 1 The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 18, 2020. -In the 4th chapter, Lord Krishna gives an exposition of Karma-Sannyasa, but advises Arjuna to practice Karma-Yoga. A spiritual seeker should begin practicing Karma-Yoga by reducing his attachment to work and its results. Karma-yoga helps him achieve inner purity and to reach...

-5th chapter: verses 23, 24, 25, 26 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 11, 2020. -23rd verse: “A person who can conquer the temptations of lust and anger, while doing his everyday duties, and before leaving this body – such a person is established in Yoga and is happy.” -24th verse: “That spiritual seeker, whose happiness is within, who is relaxed within, whose light is w...

-5th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on September 4, 2020. -19th verse: “The highest spiritual seeker has already transcended the relative and sensory temptations in this life itself. To him, spiritual sameness is a fact of everyday life and experience, as his mind is established in Brahman who is the ideal of sameness.” -20th verse: “He, who is B...

-5th chapter: verses 17, 18, 19, 20 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 28, 2020. -17th verse: “Those who have reached Moksha, whose intellect is absorbed in Brahman, whose identities have become one with the divine Reality, who are steadfast, and whose mental impurities are cleansed – they get free from the wheel of lifecycles.” -Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti...

-5th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 21, 2020. -14th verse: “The Lord does not get involved in what we do. Neither agency, nor action, nor the fruits of actions can be attributed to Him. Our own Swabhava is responsible for how we act.” -15th verse: “The all-pervading Reality does not accept the merit or demerit of anyone. Jnanam (knowled...

- 5th chapter: verses 10, 11, 12, 13 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 14, 2020. -10th verse: “Those who do their actions without attachment, offering their actions and results to God – they are not affected by anything. They are like a lotus leaf that lives in water, but never gets wet”. -The ability to detach oneself from the results of actions is one of the most importan...