What I learned from Bhagavad Gita

Swamy Chinmayananda was a great communicator. He left a legacy of
great spiritual knowledge in his pragmatic interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita in
simple language. In this article I will try to express my understanding of what the
Bhagavad Gita has taught me.
Bhagavad Gita is like a mother. When I was in trouble as a child I used to
run to my mother to comfort me. Today I feel Bhagavad Gita is like my mother.
Whenever I need comfort and solace I go to Bhagavad Gita and read a translation of
a few stanzas here and there. Immediately all my troubles will become so small that
I forget about them. Such is the greatness of the Bhagavad Gita.
The main thing I have learned from the Bhagavad Gita is about self. What is
self? Where is self? How can I become aware of the self? These are very important
questions that need to be answered.
Self has many synonyms. Self is also known as pure consciousness, bliss absolute,
beauty absolute, knowledge infinite, and vision absolute. When you become aware
of the self while you are still in this embodiment, you are called JEEVANMUKTA
(LIBERATED WHILE YOU ARE STILL ALIVE). If self awareness comes
to you after you leave this embodiment, then that state is called MOKSHA, or
LIBERATION, or NIRVANA.
Self is there in every one of us. Without self we cannot exist. It is self that
gives us the dynamism and vitality. Self illumines every part of our body, mind,
and intellect. Self is there in every cell of our body, in every molecule, in every
proton, neutron, and electron. In other words self is all pervading.
Now we understood what is self and where is self? Next, let us try to
understand how to become aware of self. Now you may ask why we should
become aware of Self? Because that is our true nature. Without self we cannot
exist. We are born in the self, we exist in the self and when we are decayed and
destroyed we merge in the self. That self is our true nature. In other words, we are
the self. But unfortunately, because of our delusion, dream state, camouflaging,
veiling, and maya disease we are unable to become aware of our true nature as that
immutable self. That means we need to get rid of these states which are veiling us
from the self.
How do we get rid of delusion, dream state, camouflaging, veiling and maya
disease? The Bhagavad Gita has answers to these questions. To get rid of these
states and to become aware of our true nature as an all pervading, imperishable self
we need to follow the below mentioned rules.
First we need to live a satwic life of purity, self control, nobility, compassion,
charity, selfless love, total devotion to god, steadfastness, non violence,
truthfulness, fearlessness, non-covetousness, humility, forgiveness, and egolessness.
Second, we must control our mind so that it may not wander into gutters
and ditches for sense gratification. Then only we can have mental equanimity or
stillness of the mind.
Third, we must develop non attachment or detachment or renunciation
of power, pleasure, and wealth. Most of us do this temporarily at some
point out of dejection, despair, and frustration because we cannot succeed
in some particular endeavor. But that is not a true detachment. True
detachment must come in an intelligent, mature, and discriminative fashion.
Fourth, you must reflect, contemplate, and meditate with a steadfast mind and with
single pointed devotion. This is called EKABHAKTI. If you follow the above rules
which I consider to be GOD’s LAWS, then you develop desirelessness which will
lead to vasanalessness, and in your deepest meditation you will become aware of
your true nature as that immutable SELF.
When once you become aware of your true nature as that immutable,
omniscient, all pervading, self luminous, imperishable self, you are in heaven upon
the earth. You are KRISHNA of your life and times. You may not have wealth, but
you are contented. You may not have power, but you are all powerful. You are
unequaled in society because you look at every body equally. You see the same
self in every person, dancing and glowing. In other words, you develop oneness,
togetherness, and no otherness. When you have become aware of your true nature
as the infinite self, your maya disease, delusion, dream state, and camouflaging
have disappeared.
In this state you are not this body, mind, and intellect any more. You are that
immutable, omniscient, all pervasive, self luminous, imperishable self. You have
reached deathlessness, moksha, liberation, or nirvana. You were identifying with
the fear of death before because you were deluded and once delusion is gone, your
limitation is gone. Now you are limitless and immortal. As lord Krishna says in
chapter 2 stanza 27, “O Arjuna, never did I not exist, nor you, nor will any one of
us ever hereafter cease to be in existence”. In other words, you and I were there in
the beginningless, we are here now, and we will be there in the endless. We never
cease to exist. We are immortal and limitless.
So, let us arise, awake, and become aware of our true nature as that bliss
infinite, as that beauty absolute, as that vision infinite, as that knowledge absolute.
Let us arise from this jeevatma to paramatma, from false self (ego) to true self, from
limitation to limitlessness and Krishna consciousness.
K Eswara Dutt