For Seekers by Seekers

Repress, suppress or replace desires?  Pratipaksha bhavana as a tool.  Higher goal replaces lower goal. Takes time.  Desires can’t be willed away but time and pratipakshabhavana will help. This change behaviors - roast the seeds so the sprouting does not happen. This approach works sometime and does not work at times.  Conquest of senses - forcibly or naturally?  Two ends...

Slokas 2.59-61 Gita, 08082021 ------------------------------ How can an established person remain 24x7 as Stithapragya? What differs between Swami Vivekananda (and likes) and our experience when we talk of Stithapragya experience? Are we progressing at the right pace? Can we do something else to accelerate the pace?  - Meditation has been hinted at in these slokas. Do we also distance ourselv...

These three words have special meaning. In Gita Ch 17, Krishna explains.

Listen to three slokas and their meaning from Ch 17 of Gita

Give up only what we own - that part that we have appropriated for oneself. When will I be fully established - when all the desires are gone. krt krityata, jnatavyata, pratavyata - desireless. Krishna considers man as an actor; he is considering as an experiencer 55 to 58: read them in reverse as a four step process udveg - not achieving it from raag; attachment; act out of rajoguna; don't get it;...

The scheme of verses from Sloka 31 till 55 in terms of how Krishna explains the set up: explain sankhya yoga, go through practical way of living - karma yoga and benefits of equanimity mind. Arjuna wants to hear more about KY than rituals.  An aha moment that Sanskrit is a flexible language. Look for Anvaya Gita to learn Sanskrit as well through Gita.  The meaning of the word - samadhao:...

All our activities/ work happen at three levels - body, speech, mind. Listen to the specific practices that Gita suggests us to do for each of these!

In this episode, we discuss 'cut, wash and clean' - the 'mantra' given by a Guru to an aspiring seeker and what it means. Why is it to be followed in a 'guru ashrama' and why can't we follow this in our daily life and still call it Karma Yoga? We discuss the words, kripana and hetu and explore the context of these words. We dive deeper into practical significance of Karma Yoga: donating, more bene...

Chapter 17 slokas 7-10 divides people into three categories (mindset) - Sattvic, Rajasic, Tamasic and vividly describes what type of food each mindset prefers.

2.48.249. 2.50 Samatvam yoga uchyate - equanimous So, what is work? What is obligatory work? Does karma refer to any desire driven action? Is it only obligatory work that is referred as ‘work’ /karma or desire driven action or both? Is the ‘I feel guilty if I did not do something’ a good test for what our obligatory duty is? How do you deal with supporting an old parent and also child? We feel con...

Gita GD 47 Karmanyevadhikarasthe moved from faith to logic /science. Not having expectations -> so much more /profound; efforts are in our control, not results. Flow is part of KY Being in the present. Being in the present, not worrying about past or the future - is KY. Should we ignore our past experiences if we have to live in the present? What if someone brings up what we did in the past if the...

With the launch of our book, Wellbeing through food & discipline | The Chaturmasa Diaries, we organized a Q&A session. Please listen in to the authors sharing their experience of what Chaturmasa is, and the benefits. If you want to buy the book:  https://www.amazon.com/Wellbeing-Through-Food-Discipline-Chaturmasa/dp/1639403515

Understanding the concept of gunas - tapestry of this universe. Understanding gunateeta concept - beyond the three gunas - is there something? What is it? How to progress from tamasic to rajasic to sattvic and then beyond? Importance of food to develop sattvic mind. Karma kanda, karma yoga, jnana kanda - what is the difference? Just by jnana kanda, can we achieve life's purpose? Do we need karma k...

What is sin of omission - pratyavaya dosha? What’s the benefit or shortcomings of the material pursuits? Is karma yoga the practice we should follow for avoiding any sin of omission? If so, what result does it give us? Did Gandhiji want independence or he did not? So, was he karma yogi? Is karma yoga not having any wants? No expectations? Is ‘no expectations’ is truly ‘expecting no expectations’😀...

Equipoise, doing likes / dislikes or being balanced, should we buy a lottery ticket?

We continue our discussions on Swadharma, True Identity, Self Identity and practical tips on how to explore and expand our own sense of self. The real swadarma is the Aatman - and drop all other things that you are thinking as swadharma How do we connect Swadharma and Swaroop? If we don't do our Swadharma, we can ever be at peace. It is going to be restless/guilt. If you follow the path of Swadhar...

May 30 Sl 2.31-40 --- What is swadharma and how to find our own in the current context? - What we enjoy doing? - Samanya dharma (common) and vishesha dharma (special) Caste system - is not by birth; by natural proclivities (swabhava) What was Buddha's swadharma - as a prince or a mendicant?  SPji's instruction - do things that come naturally to you; that make you happy & also that makes o...

May 23 Sl 2.26-30 [Contd] Expectations met - relationship strengthens;  When not met - relationship weakens We slowly understand there is nothing called 'unconditional love'; there is always a quid-pro-quo expectations. When we include others in our sense of identity - then it bothers us. Mother's love - how inclusive it is with the kid - because mother does not think the kid is any different...

If you want to listen to a healthy debate (part 1) on reincarnation theory - why we should accept, why we can't accept and what is the view of about 20 people who have background in engineering, sciences and trying to make sense of the world with a 'framework' they can apply to solve the mysteries of the universe - this is the group discussion you must listen to. Few things you will enjoy listenin...

Ch 2.23 24 25 ---------- - Who actually wrote the Gita? - Why is it fair to suffer if I don't know what I have done to suffer now? - Discussions on karma - sukha, dukha....consequences - We continue on discussions on death. - Is death gory? Painful? For whom? - Last thought /desire while dying and its impact. - The melange of prarabda, sanchita and agami karma - how do they work? - Should I contin...

This group discussion centers on the concepts covered in sloka 2.20, 2.21 - There is something else between physical body and 'Soul/Atma' that never dies. - Demystifies death - Six stages of existence -  - Why don't we go back to an older birth? Why can't we remember previous births? - Is our karmas and balancing karmas a most convoluted balance sheet like a family owned business? - Past does...

Gita 4/25 Slokas 2.18, 19 --------------------- What travels after death? Soul (Atma) does not travel anywhere because no space, time, object constraints. Is body not important? There are actors, sportspersons who take extreme care of their bodies - how should we interpret it? What does unknowable mean? Why can't we understand Atma with the usual organs of perception? Atma is Aprameya:Unknowable t...

Gita GD 4/18/2021 2.16, 17 There are a few slokas which were tough for Ganesha when Vyasa was telling, so Ganesha had to think before writing. These are some of those tough slokas. Atma is 'sat' and rest is 'asat' - Om Tat Sat. Sat: Not limited by space, time, object limitations. Asat: Exact opposite of Sat (child of a barren women, flowers in sky...) Mithya: You can experience it but does not hav...

Gita GD Discussions 4/11/2021, Slokas 2.14, 2.15 Millions of experiences are collapsed to five inputs + mind. Perceiving these as good/bad/pleasant/unpleasant is based on mind. We need to develop titiksha. Titiksha - forebearance; strength. Titiksha also is a result of our prarabdh. Stories about non-retorting snake & mudslinging match with pigs shows the need to understand correctly and actin...

In this GD, Bhagavan SriKrishna gives the solution to the fundamental problem of humankind. The various topical problems we have (related to health, wealth, relationships, ups & downs we face) all have a root cause in ignorance. The ignorance is OUR FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM. When the fundamental problem is solved, topical problems automatically resolve! Srikrishna addresses the 'summary of the solu...