Theos-Talk Archives (July 2002 Message tt00185)

July 20 2002

Re: BHAGAVAD GITA

Dear Friends:


As we have been discussing Jesus' teachings (Christianity)
and the DHAMMAPADA of Buddha, this might also be considered,
as the oldest of the three -- 5,000 years ago as taught by
Krishna in India.

Best wishes,

Dallas

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THE BHAGAVAD GITA

Summary of the Main Themes in the Bhagavad Gita


Some key statements made by Krishna to Arjuna, help us in
considering the main themes in the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna gives theoretical and practical teachings based on
the single concept that the Spiritual Being, whether in the
Cosmos or in Man is the only permanence. The embodied self
has to desire to know its Higher Self. Since it apprehends
its existence, only a method of self-purification will lead
it to that wisdom. Krishna gives theoretical and practical
teachings.

Important statements are emphasized several times in the
text.

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Summary


1.	The Universal Supreme Spirit, indefinable, changeless and
undying pervades All manifestation and antecedes it.

2.	Manifestation is periodical, and every being going to
"sleep" at the end of any period of objectivity (Kalpa),
re-awakens at the same stage when manifestation restarts.
Nothing is annihilated.

3.	Spirit and Matter are co-eternal. [ Gita Notes, p.
132-3 ] Mind, or consciousness is the field of interaction
between Spirit and Matter and therefore is of many grades.
It is always independent as to its choices, but those are
based on its earlier decisions, and therefore it appears to
be bound by them (Karma).

4.	Consciousness relates to Spirit. In Cosmos it is Krishna
as the Universal SPIRIT. In man it is the HIGHER SELF, and
this being one, it pierces up and down the seven principles,
and upholds the memory. [ Gita Notes, p. 98-100 ]

5.	All beings are immortal in consciousness, in spirit. The
Universe and each World is a school of evolving
consciousnesses where individual units are developing a
knowledge of the Spirit which is present in every
"creature." Therefore brotherhood is a fact.

6.	Ignorance arises from imperfect knowledge--delusion, and
illusion--which is inability to see the One Spirit in every
being. The Life-Atom (Monad), the Monadic Essence, all
"forms" contain a "ray," a spark of the One spirit.

7.	Man is a trustee, and Agent, in his position of
independent and self-induced learning. His responsibility
is to the Higher Self within. He errs when he does not act
in accord with its instructions which are an expression of
Universal Law, Karma. The "Voice of Conscience," and of
Intuition are evidence that the interior Higher Self is
wise, and one with all else.

8.	In mankind, every "act" is preceded by free choice.
Every act produces its reaction from living Nature (Karma)
according to the motive of the choice. Motives are dual:
selfish (or isolated and disharmonious), and unselfish (or
universal in harmony). This is the cause of reincarnation.
Reincarnation is like a class in the School of Life. We are
the eternal pupils/pilgrims.

9.	"Good" and "Evil" are acts and effects which are in
either harmony or disharmony with the Law of the Universe.
Our task, as humans, is to learn this distinction, relying
on the universal Spirit which is interior to us as our
Higher Self. The breaking of the Law of brotherhood is
evil.

10.	Three "qualities" pervade Nature in manifestation:
Wisdom, Action, and Indifference.

Our plane of living is the plane of action. The
alternatives of Wisdom and ignorance (or indifference)
confront our freedom.

11.	Emancipation, liberation, Nirvana, are words indicating
a hope, or desire for freedom from sorrow and pain that is
innate to all. It can only be achieved as a state of
consciousness. It is learning and practicing detachment
from "hoped-for" results.

12.	Actions are to be performed as responsible duty. Wisdom
is the perception of necessary duties.

13.	The Goal of all evolution is to embody Spiritual Wisdom
in a purified form. Therefore the purification of the
motive in man's consciousness results in the subduing of
desire, and replacing impulse with Wisdom.

14.	Those who become Wise have the continuing duty and
responsibility of assisting all other "creatures" to attain
their state. They make themselves, through choice,
Krishna's agents in the World.

15.	Freedom of choice is a spiritual attribute. It makes us
realize as mind-men that we are responsible. It serves to
activate our search for Truth. It demands that we "know
ourselves."

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THE BHAGAVAD GITA


A Summary of Chapter Contents:


A survey of the main themes in the Gita can be seen to
develop in three divisions:

Each division is comprised of 6 chapters. These seem to
group themselves into three sets, corresponding to the three
natures interblended in each Man-Mind. As an instance:

I	II	III

Stage	Aspirant Devotee Adept

Human Division	Body Soul-Mind Spirit

Condition	Ignorance Learning Mastery

Quality	Harmony - Sacrifice - Compassion


The whole system is called Karma-Sanyasa-Yoga, or "union
with the Divine by the renunciation of interest in the
fruits of personal action."

___________________________


A	Karma Yoga - tilling the "field of living action." Life
in the body with the skandhas as Karma. United Action -
Harmony - Brotherhood The work of the "aspirant" plunged in
the "The Hall of Ignorance" [Voice, p. 6.] Duty , or
"Right Action."

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Chapters 1 to 6


Chapter 1 KARMA-YOGA - action:	The field of battle. War
and the nature of the contending forces. Our "past" now
haunts us. Despondency of the personality because of
ignorance and fear. It is named: Vishada, or that karma
which we created in the past and may be unwilling or
unprepared to face now.

Note: Chapters 2 to 6 are a dissertation using the six
systems of Indian Philosophy (shad-darshanas):

Sankhya Yoga, (Argument, Questioning, Lower Mind)
Karma Yoga, (Choice, Action, thought, desire)
Gnyan Karma Sanyasa Yoga, (Knowledge of Karma, and Law)
Sanyasa Yoga, (Asceticism and Self-Control of Personality)
Dhyana Yoga (Individual Discernment, Higher Mind), and
Buddhi Yoga.	(WISDOM, discrimination) and their synthesis,
the 7th:

Atma Jnan	(ALL-KNOWLEDGE -- ATMANAM)


Chapter 2	Arguments for righteousness as a practical ideal.
Spirit immortality, Its application: Reincarnation.

Chapter 3	Right livelihood. Harmonizing with the Divine.
Knowledge to be acquired.

Chapter 4	The One Universal Spirit enfolds all beings.
Discrimination as to right action. Wisdom, as fire,
(consumes impurity evil and ignorance) purifies our
understanding of motive. Right choice.

Chapter 5	Dispassion. Skill in performing acts. Nature
and control of the mind. Freeing the Mind from desire.
Unselfishness.

Chapter 6	Duty and discriminating between good and evil
actions. Self-discipline. Sacrifice by the Spirit a
universal law.

_________________

Chapters 7 to 12


B	BHAKTI YOGA -- Devotion	- (Chapters 7 to 12) The Soul
of man is Manas, the "Thinker." It is conjoined to
Kama-emotion.
Selfish to unselfish. The Eternal Pilgrim sees Time and
Space are infinite and it can resolve them intelligently.

Note: From Chapter 7 on we find the most sublime teachings.
They contain an introduction to, and an exposition of,
metaphysics, which lead to occult knowledge, culminating in
the practice of devotion to the Unmanifest, a portion of
which is innate in every being, including man, as his Higher
Self, the Krishna within.	(see SD I 86, 169)


Chapters 7 to 12

Chapter 7	Devotion to others - Self-sacrifice is the "Path"
of the Chela-devotee. It is practically impersonal, because
it shows the unity of ALL in the SUPREME SPIRIT. It
encourages true meditation. From it comes Spiritual
Discernment. This is our share in the universal Higher Mind
(Mahat). Ideals and aspirations.

Chapter 8	It demonstrates the presence of the ONE SPIRIT in
all beings and created forms. It deals with ideals and sees
them present everywhere. In Man they reside in the core of
his being. OM is the symbol of the ONE BREATH that is LIFE
in all. OM is the fundamental original vibratory LIFE. It
is: Constancy. Devotion. It urges us to Choose the True,
The Omnipresent SPIRIT, the Indestructible

Chapter 9	"The Hall of (probationary) Learning [Voice, p.
6.] The link between the probationary and the accepted
Chela is shown. Arjuna's attitude has changed He no longer
argues. Krishna alone speaks in this Chapter of Raja Yoga.
Universals are changeless. Arguments are about selfish
effects. Higher Manas gives the vision: a Kingly science, a
Kingly knowledge and the deep mystery of the art of true
living.

Chapter 10	In this Chapter Krishna speaks of the
Manvantaric Form (the ONE CONSCIOUSNESS) -- and indicates
that all beings, as Intelligences, have a permanent "form."
The Universe grows "I." Hence he advocates universal
Brotherhood and declares the Path is to be found in :
"Devotion to the interests of others." Righteous company is
with "wise" companions. Balancing the 3 planes of life and
3 innate qualities of Nature. The Eternal Lodge of Buddhic
Beings. Universal, divine perfections in the manifested and
the transcendent Reality.

Chapter 11	This Chapter provides Arjuna with the Wisdom
eye, which enables him to see the UNIVERSAL FORM
(Vishvarupa). It demonstrates the incarnation of the
Universal Self in every one of its many "parts." Unites
them all. It links the "Arupa-Loka" (formless) wit the
"Rupa-loka" (our world of limited forms and illusions).
Universal Form is the geometry of Universal consciousness in
action. It is an Atmic vision. A Kosmic vision.

Chapter 12	'Faith" in that which one has proved to ones'
self is a talisman. The memory of such a vision demands a
knowledge of Spiritual psychology. This kind of psychology
is given by Krishna to Arjuna step by step.
Knowledge of Truth is faith. Desire when transmuted is
wisdom, hence, action is to be made harmless and
constructive. Skandhas (monads, "Little lives") are in
training. Devotion in all works is to the Spirit.

_____________________

Chapters 13 to 18


C	GNYAN YOGA -- The Chapters 13 to 18 deal with Spiritual
Wisdom in practice. The Adept is harmless because Wisdom is
harmony with all in Nature. The Spiritual nature is
compassionate and Self-sacrificing.

It is "The Hall of Wisdom." [ Voice, p. 7.]

It speaks of the Sacrificial Actions of the Wise, by the
One Life, when Embodied (as in an Avatar).


Chapter 13	Contains the whole of Occultism. It
demonstrates the Brotherhood of all Consciousness.
It shows how to discriminate the "field," from the "Knower
of the Field." It eliminates Ahankara, a false illusion of
"I"
1. Purusha - Narayana - Krishna - Atman -- is the "owner of
the field."

2. Mula-prakriti - is Maha-Buddhi - all Skandhas (monads)
as past experience (memory) reside and frame the many
"forms." They are the "field."

3. These are perceived by Mahat - Higher Manas - the Real
Man-the Immortal Soul. These are the "Three in One," the
Eternal Self and the One root of all Creatures.

Chapter 14	Discrimination of the 3 Qualities. [Truth --
Action -- Inertia] Experience of the 4th Round is through
the 4th principle: Kama-desire. It exposes the reality of
the Trimurthi: 3 forms of the Universe.

Chapter 15	Knowledge of Maha-Purusha, the Superior Spirit
(Universal Self). Esoteric Wisdom.

Chapter 16	Knowledge of the pairs of Opposites enables Mind
to control Motive. The "Field of Desire" shows all choices
as dualities. Superior to all is Spiritual Dispassion.

Chapter 17	Shraddha (Faith) is triune. Equipoise depends
on Manas choosing rightly with Wisdom. Lower Manas has to
reach its perfection through self-reform. This must be done
voluntarily. It cannot be induced.
Dependence passes to independence and then to
inter-dependence.

Chapter 18	The Final Sacrifice of Wisdom. Eternal
Teachers - "Great Sacrifice" [SD I 207-210]
Brahm-Atma. Moksha-Sanyasa-Yoga. [UNIVERSAL SPIRIT --
Deliverance from all Karmic bonds]
Make your own final choice independently. [see "Voice:"
end of 3rd Fragment. pp. 76- 70]

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DTB