Abhinavagupta’s commentary on the Bhagwad Gita

He who sees equally, whether in pleasure or pain, his own self in everything, because he can be compared with his own self, he is deemed the highest yogin Arjuna. – Chapter 6.33

The Yogin experiences the pleasures or suffering of all beings as his own.

Who is a Yogin?

A yogin is someone who has achieved a state of self-realization and union with the divine, often through dedicated practice and self-discipline. A yogin is characterized with equanimity, control over the senses and detachment from worldly desires, viewing everything dispassionately.

Aim Hrim Klim

Happiness

There is trouble in the body, trouble in the tongue and troubles in the mind. Having renounced these troubles, I live happily in life’s supreme goal. – Astavakra Gita Chapter 13, Verse 2

However, by practicing penances, the body becomes free, the tongue becomes free by reciting the scriptures and the mind becomes free with meditation. Continue reading

Knowledge is Spiritual Wisdom

To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know, that is true knowledge. – Nicolaus Copernicus

The Bhagwad Gita emphasizes the importance of self-realization and the pursuit of knowledge as a means to attain spiritual enlightenment. It teaches that true wisdom lies in understanding the impermanence of the material world and recognizing the eternal nature of the soul. By seeking knowledge and introspecting on the nature of reality, we can transcend the cycle of birth and death and become spiritually liberated. Continue reading

Law of Opposites and Yoga Nidra

How are we affected by the law of opposites. Prince Ram in the Yog Vasistha said to Sage Vashisht that he did not long to live and he did not long to die. He remained neutral about life as well as about death. Duality exists around us and there is uncharted space which Krishna describes as being free from opposites.

The karma yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy. – Gita 5.3

Continue reading

Are we selfish of selfless?

According to ancient scriptures and yoga, the human body is nothing but energy. We are not identifying with essence of life but with something that is created from that essence, and which is material and gross. Our collective consciousness is based on the body and the senses. Continue reading

Ashtavakra Gita

You are not the body, which is composed of the five elements—Earth, water, fire, air and ether. Consider yourself liberated, when you know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these.

Know this and be happy. You are not in any of the four stages of life or caste. You are not perceived by the eyes or other senses. Unattached and without form, you are the witness of the whole universe. Know this and be happy.

You are the one observer of all, and in reality, always free. Your bondage is this: you see the other–not yourself–as the observer.

Continue reading

The Oracle of Rama

Ramagya – Prashna is a book written by Goswami Tulsidas that is considered a jyotish or astrology treatise. It was written by Tulsidas at the request of his friend Gangaram Jyotish. The book is written in the Awadh language and is a collection of free verse. It is presented in the form of do has a rhyming couplet, with each Doha preceded by a passage from the Ram Katha and followed by a discussion of a good and bad outcome.

I read the Oracle of Rama, and I got this reading. The verse was:

All men and women of the city were enchanted:
This is the root of beneficence.
The Gods sent down blossoms
From heaven as the sages chanted,
And celestial music filled the air.

The explanation is a great welcome is given, not only from the earthly but from heavenly realms, lauding a great success and bringing together the hearts of all the people. All the worlds are in harmony and good fortune is guaranteed. The meaning is that we must make people happy in order to be successful.

Firstly, one must serve and help others, before thinking about oneself. If one is working unconditionally then one can become happy.

The story of Rama reflects the spiritual view of life found in Yoga and Vedanta, the practice and philosophy of self-realization. Rama is an incarnation of joy, compassion and strength. He is the perfect mortal. The oracle enables one to overcome the bonds of karma.

Reference: The Oracle of Rama by David Frawley.

Aim Hrim Klim

 

949 – What is the easiest path to Divinity?

How do we describe divinity? Divinity refers to the quality or nature of God’s being. The concept of divinity is linked to how one perceives the universe and chaos. Divinity enables one to relate to a higher power. According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati when one must think about others then one can think about God. Continue reading

892 – Who has control of the tongue and the mind?

Goddess Baglamukhi is the eighth Dasa (ten) Mahavidya (Goddesses of Wisdom). Her name means one who has control of the tongue and of the mind. She provides control over one’s emotions and misbehavior (anger, jealousy, etc.). Continue reading

829 – What is the nature of spiritual initiation?

One wishes to attract the attention of an entity one can see but one does not know his name. One uses a word or a sound to attract his attention. He comes over and says that his name is so and so and was one seeking him. Similarly, God himself in the role of the Guru discloses himself to the pilgrim wandering in search of a guide. In the ultimate analysis the pilgrim is one with the name and with the Guru. How can it be otherwise? He alone can impart the gift of his name and none but he himself can sustain the knowledge of his name. As explained by Sri Anandamayi Ma. Continue reading

136 – Who is Ganesha

Ma Shakti created Ganesha. She did not desire a son, she created him to be her protector. After Shiva beheaded Ganesha in a fearsome rage, there was pandemonium in the universe. Parvati assumed the form of Kali and was prepared to destroy and devour all the worlds. The Gods and devas were terrified, and the Gods said that they will have to give him some of their attributes. Shiva called him Ganesha which means ruler, gana means a group of people and isha means master. Continue reading

Overcoming anger with the vedic method of Neti-Neti | Pot-clay discimination to realise the self

What is superimposition?
How do you discriminate between your true self and what you belief to be your self. Learn the vedic method of ‘Neti-Neti’. Don’t identify with your body. Why did Arjuna choose Krishna instead of getting a big army in the battle? Arjuna struggels when he sees who he is supposed to fight against. He gets unhappy, doesn’t want to fight. This is our situation: We are unhappy and are searching a fundamental method to get happy in life. Perception from senses is unreal. We need to restrain our senses, to see the reality. Pot-clay comparison. What changes, doesn’t exist. The ‘I’ doesn’t change, everthing that changes – emotions, personality, job – are names and forms. They appear to be real. But names and forms aren’t real. All we know is a product of a word and an appearance. They are passing. They don’t exist. You are unaffected by everything in this dream. All ideas are in your mind, just like in the dream. The only reality in the dream is the consciousness that we call ‘I’. Here is only consciousness, not mine, not you. Consciousness can’t be heard, touched. But it is self-illuminate. You know it exists. You’ll become more tolerant and less pulled by thoughts and objects. Listen to the sprinkling talk of Chandra Cohen for beginners. With humour and convincing arguments.

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