Arise Arjuna Foundation - The Gita

30/04/2023

24/04/2023

For those who may not know the story behind the Ramayana, to be very brief about it ( because it is the longest Epic in the world ) the main Heroes of the Epic are Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. ( see Swami Parthasarthy and Shri Gautam Jain for further details ) Rama was a Prince in Ayodhya, and he lived in pomp and circumstance in the palace with Sita and Lakshman. His step-mother demanded, for a number of reasons , that Rama be banished from the Kingdom for a period of 14 years to the forest. Rama, Sita and Lakshman lived in a hut in the forest and were quite happy there. Sita was very comfortable and happy even in the small thatched hut . The Demon King of Sri Lanka, the 10-headed King Ravana, was obsessed with the beautiful Sita, and he plotted to kidnap her and bring her to his palace. Being a demon king and having special magical powers, he could transform himself, and he took the form of a beautiful, fleet-footed golden deer. One day, Sita saw the fleeting, golden deer. She became obsessed with wanting the deer. She begged Rama to get it for her. He tried in vain to convince her that it was futile and useless, and she would get nothing but trouble by even wishing for it. But Sita was unrelenting. Rama then left his brother in charge of Sita's protection, and left to capture the deer. Ravana quickly disguised himself again as a monk and came begging for food, and asked Sita to step over a 'line in the sand' that Lakshman had drawn with strict instructions to his sister-in-law not to cross the line. The 'monk' said he would not eat unless Sita stepped over the line. Fearing his wrath, she did so, and Ravana immediately took on his own form, captured her and flew with her to Sri Lanka. But once in Lanka, Sita realised her folly and Rama's and Lakshmana's warnings and she realised her folly and her mistakes. She did not succumb to Ravana's seductions, no matter how many temptations he showered her with. She kept refusing his advances. She stayed in a garden known as AshokaVana ( Shoka = sorrow; A-Shoka = no sorrow; Vana= forest)

Rama has no army at all leave alone one to match the great army of the wealthiest country Sri Lanka. rama approaches Valli - the King of the monkeys - who refuses Rama any help. Rama kills Valli from behind a tree by shooting him in the back with an arrow. The new monkey King Sugriva offers rama the aid of his army. One of the monkeys is known as Hanuman, who is passionately devoted to Rama, is strong enough to pick up mountains, and can fly. Hanuman flies to Sri Lanka with Rama's ring as proof that he represents Rama. Upon seeing the ring Sita is convinced that she will be saved, and is ecstatic. After Hanuman is convinced that Sita is safe, comfortable and is in a better state of mind, he then flies all around Lanka with a torch on his tail and torches the entire city so that it burns down.

There is much, much more to the Ramayana - a timeless tale of heroes, villains, courage, and steadfastness, but for now lets just analyse what we have read so far.

Sita represents each one of us who are mere mortal humans, with a penchance for the objects of the world, a weakness for the temptations thrown in front of us. Rama represents the Soul or the Atman within each of us. As long as we have our mind focused on higher values, in other words the Self or Atman, we are happy no matter whether we are in a palace or in a hut in the forest. So Sita was happy as long as her mind was firmly on Rama regardless of where she was. However, when her Mind slipped and darted to the fleeting golden deer, her troubles began . The deer represents the fleeting golden pleasures of the world, which are hard to catch and when caught are only fleeting in their ability to give us joy, but just desiring them causes us angst. When we give in to our desires to pursue the deer in our lives, the 10-headed demons appear to kidnap us and hold us hostage. The 10 heads represent the 5 sense organs of or body, and the 5 organs of action - all 10 demanding constant satisfaction and pleasure.

But even in the palace of pleasure in the Sin-City of Lanka, if we ( Sita) resist temptation, we will have no sorrow ( A-Shoka) even though you are far from being Self-Realised ( having found the Atman). All efforts to become one with the Self will ultimately pay off even though one may think that the goal is far and unachievable. Every so often in the pursuit of spiritual growth one loses heart and patience. But if you are sincere, a sign will appear to you that you are on the right path which will cause your heart to sing with joy ( Hanuman's showing Sita the ring was her proof that she was now close to being reunited with her Atman - her Rama)

Hanuman burning Lanka represents the fact that when something beautiful is burned, it becomes charred and loses its appeal and beauty. Even sense-objects. Lanka represents materiality and sensuality since it was the richest coutry in the world at that time. So burning Lanka represents 'charring' the beauty and the pull of materiality and sensuality on you, the common man. As one grows spiritually, one can and will still enjoy the pleasures of the world but will not be obsessed by them. The constant obsessions of indulging in pleasures will not haunt you...going on a vacation, going to a restaurant, buying something etc.

For an explanation of Vali, the King of the monkeys, and the monkey army ( Vanar Sena) see the post in this Blog " Ramayana - the Mind is symbolised as a monkey"

24/04/2023

The Mind as Represented in the Scriptures as a Monkey:

In the Ramayana, when Rama is searching for Sita, he seeks the support of the Monkey Army led by the King of the monkeys Vali. In the Ramayana, Rama kills Vali and installs Sugriva as the new King, and subsequently gets the support of the Monkey Army, with whose help he then is able to get Sita back from Lanka and the demon Ravana. All of this is symbolic and put in the form of a story for the common man. The Scriptures intended for more learned persons to use the stories of the various Epics in the scriptures to teach and instruct the common man to live life in the proper way.

In this case, the Mind is represented as a monkey. Monkeys, like the mind, are ASTHIRA ( unsteady) and also CHANCHALA ( restless) Within Chanchala or Restless, we are told that the mind has two types of Restlessness, just like a monkey. The first type of restlessness is represented by the monkey jumping from one place to another constantly. The mind jumps from one desire to another constantly. As you are concentrating on a particular task , the mind is already transporting itself to another wish, fantasy or desire. The second type of Restlessness is that within a Thought, the Mind moves back and forth instead of staying firmly fixated on one point. This is represented by the monkey who cannot sit still in one place, if he is not jumping from one part of his cage to the other, he is constantly fidgeting…moving incessantly .

The monkey army that was sought out by Rama represents the Mind. When Rama controls his own Mind, he is able to use his mind to get back Sita which represents us as Individuals. The evil king Vali represents the King of our mind, the EGO - the "I", Ahankar ... our mind’s fixation on Materiality and Sensuality. As long as ‘Vali’ rules us mentally, we cannot channel our thoughts. When we kill Vali, get rid of our obsession with materiality and sensuality, only then can we control the powerful army that is our mind.

21/04/2023

Please give your comments after reading this blog.

Ch. I - Introduction If you are holding this book in your hands, you—like me—want to know more about the Gita. Yes, even...

21/04/2023

Arise Arjuna Foundation. Mission Statement.


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The Arise Arjuna Foundation was formed to disseminate the knowledge of the Vedas and other ancient texts to modern day Arjunas (everyone in today’s modern day world), in the belief that the methodical application of this knowledge will improve the quality of individual lives and improve society. Just as the application of the cumulative knowledge of science and technology has improved material aspects of life, vedic knowledge gained by the scientific methods of observation and experimentation improves the quality of spiritual life and the experience and purpose of living in general.
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This collected wisdom has been available and practiced by a small fraction of the population. It can become widely available in modern context to the benefit of many. People can practice this new-found knowledge while continuing to maintain their own religious beliefs, attending their own houses of worship, etc. Arise Arjuna Foundation does NOT try to change anybody’s religious beliefs or following, only to gain a better understanding of the way we function in society and life, without religious implications.
Our lives are filled with what we should do, have or be, but there is a relatively little attention to why and how we live. The fundamental questions of life are unchanged throughout the ages. Basic processes of discovery were developed and handed down to us. The Arise Arjuna Foundation is committed to fostering widespread application of this knowledge.
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The Arise Arjuna Blog has various areas which might be of interest. One section consists of the teachings of ancient seers passed on to us through Vedanta, the Gita, Upanishads and other sacred writings. The contributors to this Blog will be using common daily language to make the teachings available to the maximum number of people. Another section consists of the spread of the Vedic civilization from ancient India to the rest of the world.
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This Foundation is a Non-profit Organization. We do not seek any funds. The staff writers prefer to remain nameless and are only the messengers as they transmit, to the best of their ability, the gift left to humanity by our ancient Sages and Seers of the Truth: the sacred knowledge of how to conduct one's life and how to live as a human being.

21/10/2022

Find the full episode in the link below
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Youtube link to the full episode:
https://youtu.be/t9Ny7vcJpDY

What are the Organs of Action? How many are they? When and how do they develop?
How is one's mind the villian of his/her story?

Study of the Bhagvad Gita - a life changing scripture.

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21/10/2022

The very Basics you need to know of What We Are . Do we have a 'manual' to lead ones life as a human being? When do we really become a human being? When does intellect fully develop?
What are we composed of? Study of the Bhagvad Gita - a life changing scripture.

Find the full episode in the link below
https://fb.watch/gh3nhb9yVM/

Also find us on Audio only podcasts on Spotify,
Apple, Google podcast n many more

Please follow our page.

19/04/2022

The doctor has completed our journey through the Gita and Krishna's conversation with Arjuna, but this episode will top the list of episodes on all of our outlets so it will serve both as a conclusion to our study and an introduction to both those finding us for the first time, and those who want to start again as part of their ongoing search for Knowledge and spirituality. We offer this as a good place to end our study or a good place to start, or even a good place to start again with our gained understanding. Remember, no one ever crosses the same stream twice because it's never the same stream and you are never the same person.

01/04/2022

E215 - Those who study this Gita, these dialogs between Krishna and Arjuna worship Brahman with the sacrifice of ignorance. But once you learn this, your negativity goes away. At the end of the Gita, Krishna ask Arjuna "Do you understand what I have said? Has the ignorance within you been destroyed? Do not grieve."

30/03/2022

E214 - Give up your nature fully and I will liberate you from your sins. Do not grieve.

25/03/2022

E213 - This utmost of secrets was told by me to you. Consider it completely and carefully, then do as you wish.

22/03/2022

E212 - You are destined to do action because of your personality. You can not change your nature by willpower, instead, learn to use your nature for good. Conduct your life as a dedication to Brahman.

18/03/2022

E211 - When you surrender all of your actions, you will enter the eternal, omnipresent abode ... Do not let your mind keep slipping from your duties, including those for Brahman. Keep your mind on Brahman and it will help you overcome all obstacles

15/03/2022

E210 - Once he becomes Brahman, he no longer grieves. We continue talking about the qualities of self-realized people. With devotion a person knows Brahman, and after knowing Brahman he enters Brahman and becomes one with Brahman.

11/03/2022

E209 - A person of pure intellect has given up his likes and dislikes and given up love and hate.

07/03/2022

E208 - One should not give up their natural karma or duty, even though it may not be perfect. Arjuna says that all karmas are "covered with fault". Your Karma is born to you and as you keep doing your duty, you become freer of desires, because as you attach to higher ideals, your lower desires fall off and you move closer to peace of mind.

01/03/2022

E207 - We continue our discussion of the importance of doing your own duty, that which you are born to do, even if serving someone else's duty is more materially rewarding. Doing your own duty leaves you calm and peaceful, without agitation and sin (mental disturbance). We do this to calm our mind and minimize the disturbance of our minds so that we can meditate because meditation is what brings us closer to Brahman.

18/02/2022

E206 - One attains fulfillment by doing their own duty, By doing his own Karma, while worshipping Brahman, one can become enlightened. This episode talks about honoring the Brahman in you more and following your desires less.

15/02/2022

E205 - This episode discusses the qualities of the classes, the 8 qualities of a Brahman, the seven qualities of a warrior, as well as the qualities of the trader and the laborer.

11/02/2022

E204 - The doctor explains the true and original meaning of castes as they were defined in Hindu society. The Gita tells us that each of us are made up of two parts, the Atman and our Prakriti or nature. But where does our Prakriti comes from? The doctor also talks about the four castes, the spiritual and enlightened, the warrior, the trader or merchant, and the laborer, and how the proportion of your gunas determines each person's "class".

08/02/2022

E203 - Nectar in the beginning. Poison in the end ... When you are focused on your intellect, you end all sorrow. This episode talks about the three types of happiness we experience depending on which of our gunas drive our pursuit of them. Often the path to spirituality is gained by shifting towards a higher form of happiness.

04/02/2022

E202 - Resolve takes practice. This episode explores the relationships between our gunas and our ability to focus with fortitude and perseverance. Firm practice and a little discipline reward us with the ability to persevere in our pursuit of spirituality.

01/02/2022

E201 - Like everything else, your intellect is swayed by the balance of your gunas and that can shape your ability to focus on good decisions and strengthen your perseverance to stay on the proper path with your choices and actions. Should it be done? Should it be feared? Your intellect reigns in your senses, mind, and actions. You mind runs after your likes and dislikes. Crafting the strength of your satvick qualities keeps you in control of everything that would challenge your peace and spirituality.

31/01/2022

E200 - Krishna describes the quality of a doer by the mixture of their gunas. Which gunas are predominant in the doer at the time influence the decisions we make about our actions.

21/01/2022

E199 - Actions without attachment, without likes or dislikes, without reward, do not create more attachments and desires. Each of us has a different mixture of sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic qualities, and that combination helps to determine our actions.

17/01/2022

E198 - As long as you remain attached to your doership, you are not ready for self-realization. The doctor discusses the building blocks of action which include knowledge, the action, and the doer, as well as the characteristics of sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic actions.

11/01/2022

E197 - The Atman is separate from all the doing in the world ... While all actions take place in the presence of the Atman, it is not the doer.

07/01/2022

E196 - Moving on from renunciation of our ego in our actions, the Gita helps us to understand our actions and the five causes for them. In understanding why actions happen, we are better at renunciation and ridding our actions of doership and expectation of personal reward.

04/01/2022

E195 - The enlightened don't know ... Self-realized people neither hate negative actions nor are they attached to positive actions. This comes from better knowledge of the Self. The doctor also talks about the new James Webb telescope and how it will possibly "reveal" some knowledge the ancients knew thousands of years ago.

31/12/2021

E194 - Giving up our attachments, sacrificing our ego, and concentrating on conserving our thoughts, energies, and actions for movement towards our spiritualism brings us peace. The doctor talks of giving up our doership, the "I' ,"me", and "I did it", of our actions and thinking more of what needs to be done. We explore embracing the moment, being less hurried, and the three kinds of renouncement of selfish desire-prompted actions. These help us become successful, calm, and peaceful.