The Bhagavad Gita: Chapters 1-13

by Ravi Shankar

Regretting the past is the first sign of ignorance. Anxiety about the future is the second sign of ignorance. And being miserable is the sign of total ignorance.

If you look back and see, most of the time we have spent regretting; it appears to be utterly foolish, a waste.

What is life? You are in this body; the body is just like a garment, a cloth that you put on. The soul has no birth, no death. Even if you think the soul is born, then it will die and whenever there is death, there is rebirth. It’s a cycle, because nothing under the sun is extinguished. The spirit can never be destroyed.

Know the science of life. Wisdom brings you independence.

Tradition is important. Whether you accept it or not, tradition continues in every field.

The books are the tradition.

This is the age of interdependence. We all depend on each other. We have a false notion that when you have a bundle of currency in your pocket then you are independent. It is money that gives you the illusion that you are independent.

When you say God is omnipresent, you seem to exempt yourself! This is our problem today in the world.

Don’t meditate with your head bent or lying down. Keep your spine erect, your head, neck and body aligned. Then, during meditation, if your head bends down or tilts backwards, that is okay; in fact, it is good. But in the beginning itself, if you lie down or you put your head back, or rest it, you’ll not be meditating instead you’ll fall asleep and be snoring in a while. For meditation, samam kaya-siro-grivam, both sides of your body are balanced. Your body - left and right, head, neck and limbs should be aligned, dharayann acalam sthirah, hold them steady and relax.

Why should you not hate somebody? Because you gradually become like the person you hate. It is not for the other person’s sake but for your own sake that you shouldn’t hate someone. When you hate somebody you are filled with their thoughts in your mind, in your consciousness.

Being born as human beings, we have to unite ourselves with our inner Self; we have to unite our body, mind and spirit. This is the duty of every individual.

This world is an illusion, but don’t blame it. A lot of people blame this world saying, “This is rubbish, this is no good.” Lord Krishna says, “Even this illusion is a part of Me. It is My own game.” This is the director who is speaking. A director will say the villain and the hero are my creation. If you appreciate the hero then you should appreciate the villain as well.

The Master very skillfully connects you back with the Being, easing your doing, and bringing you back to just knowing.

If you are looking at the shadow, you cannot see the light. When you are trying to fight with the shadow then there is no end to the fight. You can never win by fighting a shadow. All that you need to do is turn around and look at the light. Now, you see the shadow and think, “There is a shadow and I want to fight with it and get rid of it.” That is when He says, “Oh no, no, you are seeing the shadow because I am here and the shadow is only because of Me. Turn around and look at Me and the shadow will disappear.” It is the most skillful way of communicating the non-dual reality in a dual or diverse world.

The population of this planet together is one organism. The whole planet is one organism - everybody is connected, and everything is connected. It is one consciousness manifesting in so many ways and forms.

These days, by 50 years of age, people already feel tired and exhausted and they want to retire or take a sabbatical. They want to go into a comfort zone. Do you know who wants to be in their comfort zone? Those who have no energy. If you lack energy, you just want to be comfortable. You don’t want to do anything big or take any risk, nor take any challenges - nothing! No adventure! Lack of adventure is a sign of old age. Adventure is not just bungee jumping or water sports. It is the spirit of “Yes, let us do it” That spirit, that enthusiasm is a sign of youthfulness. Wherever enthusiasm is lacking, old age has crept in for sure.

We believe in what we hear. So, most of our delusions are from what we have heard. Whether good or bad, what we hear makes a very strong impact on our mind.

A normal eye requires verification. The eye of wisdom is beyond verification.

You are the Universe. The world is Divinity. The Divinity and the world are not two separate things now. It is one. There is no beginning, no end, and there is no middle either.

We ask who created this Universe. This Universe was never created. That’s what he is saying, "When there is no end and no beginning, how can there be the creation of it?"

"You are the protector of dharma, the natural law."

People say, "Our religion is in danger. Islam is in danger. Hinduism is in danger. Christianity is in danger." What do you mean? From time immemorial, nature has preserved the wisdom, preserved the knowledge, preserved the dharma, and it will continue to do so. There is no need to be anxious about it. I am telling you this to put down your anxiety. I am not saying this to make you inactive.

’Why am I here? What’s happening? What is all this about? Why go through all this and die?’ These questions arise in an intelligent person.

Lord Krishna says, "Kalo ‘smi loka-ksaya-krt pravrddho. I am the time in which everything dissolves, from which everything comes.

The suspense is over. The truth is out -- Who am I? I am the grand time. I am the NOW.

God laughs on two occasions. One is when a doctor tells a patient, "I am here. Don’t worry. I will take care of you." Another occasion when a lawyer says, "I will win the case for you."

Lord Krishna says, "I have already killed all these people. Time has already destroyed everybody. You just wake up and do your duty and gain the credit that you should gain by doing that job."

God is not dead. God is not born again. God is every moment.

You are the place where the world can rest, in the consciousness, is where your mind can rest. Worried, agitated mind needs a place to rest. Mind, being the mind, is always anchoring for relief and rest. And the relief and rest is available only in consciousness.

This concept of god who is very angry at you and challenges you, asking you to reach out to him is ignorance.

In the Jain tradition, there is what is called Kshamavani (Forgiveness Day). Once every year, on this sacred day, every member of the Jain community approaches everyone, irrespective of religion, caste and creed and begs for forgiveness for all their faults or mistakes, committed either knowingly or unknowingly.

The Bhagavad Gita, is like going up a flight of stairs, one step leading to another, in the most logical, sequential manner.

The word, Chaturbhuj, has two meanings. It means one who has four arms and one who is very clever. Chaturbhuj means one who has clever hands, clever shoulders, a clever personality.

Love is what your connectivity to the presence is. Your oneness with the infinity. It is not a state of mind. It is just the purity and clarity in your being. That is devotion.

Don’t crave people’s company, that can make you miserable. A wise person does not crave company. If people are there you are happy, if nobody is there you are unhappy. Oh! I am alone so I am unhappy.

The consciousness has the ability to experience everything without the senses. That consciousness is inside you and all around you.

So if you know that there is one God, one divinity, one energy in all the forms that are existing on this planet, why would you go and harm yourself or someone else? It becomes impossible to harm anybody.