Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

-5th chapter: verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 31, 2020. -5th verse: “The spiritual destination reached by men of Jnanam (knowledge) can also be reached by practitioners of karma-yoga. Both paths take us to the same goal.” -A person who is lazy should first learn to be active. At the next stage, he can do his duties with a sense of surrender, offerin...

-5th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 24, 2020. -1st verse: In the 3rd chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Karma-Yoga to Arjuna. In the 4th chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Jnanam and the ideal of renunciation to Arjuna. This creates confusion in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna asks Lord Krishna: “You are recommending the renunciation of actio...

-5th chapter: verses 1, 2 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 10, 2020. -In the 3rd chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Karma-Yoga to Arjuna. He says: “Engage in selfless actions, without attachment to results. Perform every action as Yajna, as an offering to God and for the good of others.” -In the 4th chapter of Gita, Lord Krishna explains Jnanam and the ideal of renunciat...

-4th chapter: verses 40, 41, 42 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on July 3, 2020. -Shraddha refers to a sense of sanctity and sacredness, sincerity, integrity and honesty. When all these attitudes are combined, it is referred to as shraddha (श्रद्धा). -Patanjali refers to the following obstacles in the 30th verse of Yoga Sutras. Doubt is one of them. “Disease, mental laziness, doubt...

-4th chapter: verses 36, 37, 38, 39 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 19, 2020. -Jnanam is the spiritual awareness of our true nature, that we are Atman, that our true nature is not the body, mind or intellect, which go through changes, and are of a fleeting nature. 36th, 37th and 38th verse use three approaches to illustrate this Jnanam: (1) A boat (2) A fire (3) The ultimat...

-4th chapter: verses 34, 35, 36, 37 -18th chapter: verses 64, 67, 72, 73 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 19, 2020. -34th verse: “A seeker of spiritual wisdom should approach a wise teacher with humility, do service to him and ask him questions with all sincerity and shraddha. Then the teacher will instruct him with true spiritual knowledge.” -In terms of inquiry, there are...

-4th chapter: verses 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 12, 2020. -Yajna in Gita refers to any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others, without selfish motives, and as an offering to God. -Yajna as a Vedic ritual involves lighting a fire, chanting mantras, offering auspicious things in the fire as an act of...

-4th chapter: verses 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on June 5, 2020. -The subject of verse 24 is how to spiritualize our entire life - how every secular activity, every word, deed, thought, emotion can be spiritualized – how we can stop seeing the distinction between the secular and spiritual. -Verse 24 is uttered with a deep sense of reverence before people...

-4th chapter: verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 29, 2020. -A karma-yogi is free from kama (desires) and sankalpa (mental worry about results). He is also free from the sense of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship. He may have a high spiritual ideal as goal, he may work with total efficiency, but he works non-attached. His body and mind are always under control,...

-4th chapter: verses 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 22, 2020. -18th verse: “One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is a Yogi.” He is (1) Buddhiman – wise person, who understands Swadharma (2) Yuktaha – a Yogi (3) Krtsna-Karmakrt – does everything with a smile, unattached. -This verse provides a brief picture of Vedanta-Sadhana – how to p...

-4th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 2nd chapter: verses 48, 50 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 15, 2020. -Karma is any kind of activity – physical, thoughts or words we speak. Gita approaches karma with a broad meaning to help one progress spiritually, as opposed to interpretation of karma as Vedic rituals for secular prosperity. -Karma has both psychological and philoso...

-4th chapter: verses 11, 12, 13 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 8, 2020. -11th verse: “In whatever ways people worship Me, I fulfil their aspirations. Everyone follows My path, and approach Me from different angles”. -First statement on interfaith harmony comes from Rigveda Samhita: “Truth is one, sages call it by various names” -As one evolves spiritually, he passes through...

-4th chapter: verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 1, 2020. -6th verse: “Though I am unborn, and beyond all changes – yet, without being subject to the regulation of prakriti and the three gunas, keeping prakriti under control, I incarnate.” -“I” does not refer to Lord Krishna as a limited human being. Rather it refers to the eternal dimension of His persona...

-4th chapter: verses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 24, 2020. -Lord Krishna says that he first taught Yoga to Surya, who taught it to Manu, who then taught it to Ikshavaku. It has been handed down through the “Guru-shishya parampara”, an unbroken succession of teachers-disciples. -In course of time, this Yoga was lost - because those who were expected to...

2nd chapter: verses 62, 63. 3rd chapter: verses 41, 42, 43. 4th chapter: verses 1, 2 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 17, 2020. -You should discipline your senses – do this in the beginning itself rather than waiting for a strong blow. That way, you can get rid of the problem of desire, and not be enslaved by senses. -Desire means obsessive attachment to stimuli from senses...

3rd chapter: verses 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 10, 2020. -36th verse: Arjuna’s question – “Impelled by what force, do we do unpleasant things, even though we are unwilling?” -37th verse: Lord Krishna says – Kāma (Desire) and Krodha (Anger) are the two great enemies. They are also linked to the two problems of Rāga (attachment) and Dves...

3rd chapter: verses 22, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on April 3, 2020. -In the 30th verse, Lord Krishna provides a unique approach to life as a whole. With complete absorption in Brahman and a mind centered in Atman (Adhyātma-chetasā), take a spiritual attitude to life. Do this by surrendering all actions to the Lord. By doing so, one can perform all duties...

3rd chapter: verses 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 27, 2020. -We are living in difficult times with the health crisis from Coronavirus. Vedanta teaches that we have an inherent, inner power that helps us confront such a challenge, and transcend the fear of the unknown. -26th verse: One should not try to disturb the natural understanding of the avera...

3rd chapter: verses 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on February 14, 2020. -Karma-Yoga is the science of combining spiritual values in our secular worldly duties. It can be practiced in every moment, with every thought, every word and every action. -22nd verse: People follow the path of the enlightened ones. The enlightened person does not sit quiet – instead, he...

3rd chapter: verses 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25 -The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 31, 2020. -Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Life is not one chance – rather, based on impressions and unfulfilled desires of past life, one is born again. -Within the same famil...

3rd chapter: verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 24, 2020. -Verses 12 & 13 have a contemporary significance. They discuss the importance of living in perfect harmony with nature, and how that helps us to live in perfect inner harmony. -Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of re...

Chapter 3 Verses 10, 11, 12, 13. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 8, 2019. -Yajna means 14 Vedic rituals, in the narrow sense. -In a broader context, it means the art of harmonizing contemplation and action – selfless, sanctified action. -Ritam is the Vedic concept of the harmonizing thread of all creation. -Perfect health is the result of being established in this interr...

Chapter 3 Verses 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on November 1, 2019. -The mind will not keep quiet even for a split second (kṣaṇamapi). We do not have control over the mind, instead, we learn to redirect it toward creative channels. The mind then becomes our friend and guide. -When the mind becomes the object of our awareness, then it becomes calm and quiet. -If we t...

Chapter 3 Verses 2, 7, 8, 9. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 25, 2019. -Gita ends with the verse: “Wherever the ideals of action and contemplation are present, there will be victory, prosperity, success and stability of life”. -Third chapter of Gita starts with a question from Arjuna, as he was facing a conflict. He asks which path is better – path of action or path of co...

Chapter 3 Verses 1 – 7. The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on October 18, 2019. -Arjuna had an unpleasant duty. He didn't want the challenges. Mind gives false excuses. -Distinguishing three types of actions will go a long way towards 1)priyam: what we may obsessively enjoy, which may be bad for us. 2)pathyam: a discipline, which we may not like, which is good for us. 3)hitam: somethin...