2 types of men - divine and demoniac
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Wednesday, February 03, 2010Although there is no direct mention of this implication, it is understood when Rajas and Tamas increase, person goes far away from divine nature and becomes demoniac. Krishna says there are 2 types of men - divine and demoniac.
"There are ONLY 2 TYPES OF MEN in this world, Arjuna, the one possessing divine nature and the other possessing demoniac disposition. Of these, the type possessing a divine nature has been dealt with at length; now hear in detail from Me about the type possessing demoniac disposition. " (Chap 16 - verse 6)
"The divine gift has been recognized as conducive to liberation, and the demoniac gift as conducive to bondage." (Chap 16 - verse 5)
DIVINE MAN CHARACTERISTICS:
"Absolute fearlessness, perfect purity of mind, constant fixity in the Yoga of meditation for the sake of Self-realization, and even so charity in the form of Satvika form, control of the senses, worship of God and other deities as well as of one's elders including the performance of Agnihotra (oblations into sacred fire) and other sacred duties, study and teachings of the Vedas and other sacred books as well as the chanting of God's names and praises, suffering hardships for the discharge of one's sacred obligations and straightness of the mind as well as of body and senses." (Chap 16 - verse 1)
"Non-violence in thought, word and deed, truthfulness and geniality of speech, absence of anger even on provocation, disclaiming doership in respect of actions, quietude or composure of mind, abstaining from malicious gossip, compassion towards all creatures, absence of attachment to the objects of senses even during their contact with the senses, mildness, a sense of shame in transgressing against the scriptures or usage, and abstaining from frivolous pursuits; sublimity, forebearance, fortitude, external purity, bearing enmity to none, absence of self-esteem - these are the marks of the one who is born with divine gifts, Arjuna."
(Chap 16 - verse 2, 3)
"The divine gift takes one to liberation..." (Chap 16 - verse 5)
"O Arjuna, great souls who have embraced divine nature, knowing Me as the prime source of all lives and the imperishable and eternal, worship Me constantly with none else in mind." (Chap 9 - verse 13)
"Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving for My relaization, and bowing again and again to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, ever united with Me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion." (Chap 9 - verse 14)
DEMONIAC MAN CHARACTERISTICS:
"Hypocrisy, arrogance and false ego, and anger, sternness and ignorance too - these are the marks of him, who is born with demoniac properties. Grieve not, Arjuna, for you are born with the divine endowment."
(Chap 16 - verse 5)
"Men possessing a demoniac disposition know not what is right activity and what is right abstinence from activity, Hence they possess neither purity (external and internal) nor good conduct nor even truthfulness."
(Chap 16 - verse 7)
"Men possessing a demoniac disposition say this world is without any foundation, absolutely unreal and godless, brought forth by mutual union of the male and female and hence conceived only in lust; what else than this?"
(Chap 16 - verse 8)"Clinging to this false view these slow witted men of a vile disposition and terrible deed, these enemies of mankind, prove equal only to the destruction of the universe."
(Chap 16 - verse 9)"Cherishing insatiable desires and embracing false doctrines through ignorance, these men of impure conduct move in this world, full of hypocrisy, false ego and arrogance.
(Chap 16 - verse 10)"Held in bondage by hundreds of ties of expectation and wholly giving themselves up to lust and anger, they strive to amass by unfair means hoards of money and other objects for the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures."
(Chap 16 - verse 12)"They say to themselves, 'This much has been secured by me today and now I shall realize this ambition. So much wealth is already with me and yet again this shall be mine'."
(Chap 16 - verse 13)"That enemy has been slain by me and I shall kill those others too. I am the lord of all, enjoyer of all power, I am endowed with all supernatural powers, and am mighty and happy."
(Chap 16 - verse 14)"'I am wealthy and own a large family, who else is like unto me? I will sacrifice to gods, will give alms, I will make merry.' Thus blinded by ignorance, enveloped in the mesh of delusion and addicted to the enjoyment of sensuous pleasures, their mind bewildered by numerous thoughts, these men of a devilish disposition fall into the foulest hell."
(Chap 16 - verse 15, 16)"Intoxicated by wealth and honor, those self-conceited and haughty men worship God through nominal sacrifices for ostentation without following the sacred rituals."
(Chap 16 - verse 17)"Given over to egotism, brute force, arrogance, lust and anger etc and calumniating others, they hate Me (the inner controller of all) dwelling in their own bodies as well as those of others."
(Chap 16 - verse 18)"These haters, sinful, cruel, and vilest among men, I cast again and again into demoniacal wombs in this world."
(Chap 16 - verse 19)"Failing to reach Me, Arjuna, these stupid souls are born life after life in demoniac wombs and then verily sink down to a still lower plane."
(Chap 16 - verse 20)"Having cast aside the injunctions of the scripture, he who acts in an arbitrary way according to his own whims will neither attain perfection nor the supreme goal nor even happiness."
(Chap 16 - verse 23)"Men who practice dire penance of an arbitrary type not sanctioned by the scriptures, and who are full of hypocrisy and egotism and are obsessed with desire, attachment and pride of power; And those who emaciate the elements constituting their body as well as Me, the supreme Spirit, dwelling in their heart - know these senseless people to have a demoniac disposition."
(Chap 17 - verse 5, 6)GUNAS summarized VISUALLY and TEXTUALLY
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Remember, RAJAS which inpsires us to act either will mix with SATTVA which is visible when we tend to do good deeds. If it mixes with TAMAS is what appears when we tend to do sinful activities and cause destruction in society.
"Wisdom follows from Sattva, greed from Rajas, ignorance, inertia, stupor, laziness from Tamas"
(Chap 14 - verse 17)
"Those who abide in the quality of Sattva go upwards towards God,
Those who abide in the quality of Rajas stay in the middle,
Those who abide in the quality of Tamas sink down into darkness."
(Chap 14 - verse 18)"Overpowering RAJAS and TAMAS, Arjuna, SATTVA prevails;
Overpowering SATTVA and TAMAS, RAJAS prevails;
Overpowering SATTVA and RAJAS, TAMAS prevails."
(Chap 14 - verse 10)Here's video of Shri Ravishankar's - The Art of Living describing the 3 GUNAS. It's simple and interesting:
My personal comment:
I feel SATTVA => +
RAJAS => neutral
TAMAS => -
Usually we tend go from neutrality towards positiveness or negativeness. If we remain neutral we always remain the same, which is also detrimental, as per GITA.
(Image courtesy: http://svasti.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/gunas_diagram.jpg
I feel SATTVA => +
RAJAS => neutral
TAMAS => -
Usually we tend go from neutrality towards positiveness or negativeness. If we remain neutral we always remain the same, which is also detrimental, as per GITA.
(Image courtesy: http://svasti.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/gunas_diagram.jpg
Image taken from Link)
SATTVA Guna - characteristics and effects
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Wednesday, February 03, 2010 After discussing what GUNA is, it's time to discuss the first GUNA - SATTVA.
(The image below is taken from http://sattva-ananda.com/media/sattva-def.jpg)
"O Arjuna, of these - the Sattva, being immaculate, is illuminating, flawless and pure. It binds the soul through identification with joy and wisdom." (Chap 14 - verse 6)
"Sattva drives one to joy..." (Chap 14 - verse 9)
"When light and knowledge dawn in the body, as well as in the mind and senses, then one should know that Sattva is predominant. " (Chap 14 - verse 11)
"The reward of righteous act is SATTVIKA or faultless (in the shape of joy, wisdom)...."
(Chap 14- verse 16)
"The reward of righteous act is SATTVIKA or faultless (in the shape of joy, wisdom)...."
(Chap 14- verse 16)
Knowledge is a very generic term. Gita attempts to answer elaborately what knowledge is. So, What is Knowledge as per GITA?
"Absence of false ego, freedom from hypocrisy, non-violence, humility, tolerance, honesty, rendering service to a spiritual master, steadfastness, self - control by control of mind, body and senses, internal and external purity, dispassion towards objects of enjoyment of this world, aware of pains inherent in birth, death, old age and disease; absence of feeling of "mine" (everyone is mine) in respect to son, wife, home etc and stabilizing mind in favorable and unfavorable situations; unflinching devotion to Me through exclusive attachment, aspiring to live in a solitary place, finding no enjoyment in ordinary general class of people (who are always hankering over material desires), fixity in self-knowledge, seeing God as object of true knowledge; all this is knowledge and everything else is ignorance." (Chap 13- verses 7,8,9,10,11)
"Men of Sattvika disposition worship gods;...." (Chap 17 - verse 4)
What is SATTVIK knowledge?
"That why which man perceives one imperishable divine existence as undivided and equally present in all individual beings, know that knowledge to be Sattvika" (Chap 18 - verse 20)
What is SATTVIK sacrifice?
"The sacrifice which is offered, as ordained by scriptural injunctions, by men who expect no return and what believe that such sacrifices must be performed, Sattvika in character" (Chap 17 - verse 11)
Sattvika Guna and its analogy w.r.t FOOD:
"Foods which promote longevity, intelligence, vigor, health, happiness and cheerfulness, and which are sweet, bland, substantial and naturally agreeable, are dear to SATTVIKA type of men." (Chap 17 - verse 8)
SATTVIK ACTION:
"That action which is ordained by the scriptures and is not accompanies by the sense of doership, and has been done without any partiality or prejudice by one who seeks no return is called Sattvika" (Chap 18- verse 23)
"A gift which given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person, that gift has been pronounced as SATTVIKA." (Chap 17 - verse 20)
SATTVIK GIFT:
"A gift which given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person, that gift has been pronounced as SATTVIKA." (Chap 17 - verse 20)
Who is called a SATTVIKA?
"Any person who does action/associated duty free from attachment, without false ego, endowed with determination and enthusiasm and unswayed by success and failure is said to be a SATTVIKA." (Chap 18 - verse 26)
What is SATTVIK intellect?
"The intellect which correctly determines the paths of activity and renunciation, what ought to be done and what should not be, what is fear and what is fearlessness, what is bondage and what is liberation, that intellect is called SATTVIKA" (Chap 18 - verse 30)
What is SATTVIKA firmness?
"The unwavering firmness by which man controls through the Yoga of meditation the functions of the mind, the life and the senses - that firmness, Arjuna is Satvika" (Chap 18 - verse 33)
What is SATTVIKA Joy?
"That in which in the beginning may just be like poison but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be Sattvika happiness" (Chap 18 - verse 37)
What is SATTVIKA penance?
It is a combination of 3 things -
(1) BODILY PENANCE,
"Worship of Gods, the scholars, one's elders and wise men, purity, striaghtforwardness, continence and harmlessness - this is called body of penance" (Chap 17 - verse 14)
(2) AUSTERITY OF SPEECH
"Words which cause no annoyance to others and are truthful, agreeable and pleasing, beneficial and regularly reciting Vedic literature is austerity of speech" (Chap 17 - verse 15)
(3) AUSTERITY OF MIND.)
"And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control, and purification of one's existence are austerities of the mind" (Chap 17 - verse 16 )
"This 3 fold austerity, performed with supreme faith by Yogi's expecting no return is called SATTVIKA"
(Chap 17 - verse 17)
How does one reach and behave who has gone beyond 3 GUNAs?
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Tuesday, February 02, 2010The above question ARJUNA asks (Chap 14 -verse 21). Note if a person begins to behave like the way Krishna describes below, it is implied that one has risen above the 3 GUNAs.
Krishna answers them in Chap 14 - verses 22, 23, 24, 25.
"O Arjuna, he who does not hate illumination (SATTVA), attachment(RAJAS) and delusion(TAMAS) when they are present or long for them when they disappear;
who is unwavering and undisturbed through all these 3 Gunas, remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that modes alone are active;
who is situated in the slef and regards alike happiness and distress;
who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone, and gold with an equal eye;
who is equal towards the desirable and undesirable;
who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and dishonor;
who treats alike both friend and foe;
and who has renounced the feeling of 'doership(I am the doer)' is said to have risen above the 3 GUNAS."
Why should we go beyond the 3 GUNA's?
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Tuesday, February 02, 2010When no one can escape Gunas, Krishna insists we try and overcome them. But Why?
"When a person perceives no agent other than the 3 Gunas and realizes Me, the Supreme Spirit standing entirely beyond these GUNAs, he enters into My Being." (Chap 14 - verse 19)
"Having transcended the above mentioned 3 GUNAs, one can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and the SOUL attains supreme bliss. " (Chap 14 - verse 20)
Definitely, for anyone this is the biggest challenge.
After realizing the 3 types of GUNAS, an obvious question is Can anyone escape them? Krishna answers this -
"There is no being on earth or in the middle region or even among the gods or anywhere else, which is free from these 3 Gunas born out of Prakriti." (Chap 18 - verse 40)
So we are always under the influence of the GUNAS and we continue to perceive happiness, sadness, pleasure, pain.
TAMAS Guna - characteristics and effects
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Tuesday, February 02, 2010The description of Tamas Guna will go in the same order as Sattva and Rajas so that the difference is clearly visible.
"Arjuna,know the quality of Tamas, the deluder of all those who look upon the body as their own self, as born of ignorance; It binds the soul through madness, indolence and sleep (laziness)." (Chap 14- verse 8)
"Tamas clouds wisdom and incites one to error, madness, indolence and sleep (laziness).."
(Chap 14 - verse 9)
"Tamas is predominant when darkness, inertia, madness, illusion, disinclination to perform ones' obligatory duties, frivolity, stupor appear." (Chap 14 - verse 13)
"The fruit of Tamas activity is ignorance...." (Chap 14 - verse 16)
"Men of Tamasik Guna worship SPIRITS OF THE DEAD AND GHOSTS...." (Chap 17 - verse 4)
What is TAMASIK knowledge?
"That knowledge by which one attaches himself to one kind of work as if that is the whole thing, and which is irrational, trivial is declared as Tamasik." (Chap 18 - verse 22)
What is TAMASIK sacrifice?
"The sacrifice, which has no respect for scriptural injunctions, in which no food is offered and no sacrifical fees are paid, which is without sacred chants and devoid of faith, know it to be Tamasika, Arjuna." (Chap 17 - verse 13)
TAMAS Guna and its analogy w.r.t Food:
"Foods which are half-cooked or half-ripe, inspid, putrid, stale and polluted, which is impure too, is dear to Tamasik type of men." (Chap 17 - verse 10)
What is TAMASIK Action?
"That action which is undertaken through sheer ignorance, performed in illusion by disregarding spiritual injunctions without the concern of future bondage, violence, distress to others, is called Tamasik action." (Chap 18 - verse 25)
TAMASIK Gift:
"A gift which is made without good grace and in a disdainful spirit out of time and place and to undeserving persons, is said to be Tamasika." (Chap 17 - verse 22)
Who is called TAMASIKA?
"The doer who is lacking piety, self - control, uncultured, arrogant, deceitful, inclined to rob others of their livelihood, slothful, down-hearted and procrastinating, has been called TAMASIKA."
(Chap 18 - verse 28)What is TAMASIK intellect?
"The intellect which imagines even Adharma to be Dharma and sees all other things upside down - wrapped in ignorance - that intellect is TAMASIKA." (Chap 18 - verse 32)
What is TAMASIKA firmness?
"The Dhriti/firmness, however, by which the evil-minded person refuses to shake-off i.e clings to sleep, fear, anxiety, sorrow and vanity as well, - that Dhriti is called Tamasika, Arjuna."
(Chap 18 - verse 35)
What is TAMASIKA joy?
"The delight which is blind to self-relaization, which is delusion from beginning till end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion has been spoken of as Tamasika." (Chap 18 - verse 39)
What is TAMASIKA penance?
"The penance which is practised through perversity and is accompanies with self-mortification or is intended to harm others has been spoken of as Tamasika." (Chap 17 - verse 19)
RAJAS Guna - Characteristics and effects
0 comments Posted by RisingCitizen at Tuesday, February 02, 2010The description of Rajas Guna will go in the same order as Sattva so that the difference is clearly visible.
"Arjuna,know the quality of Rajas, which is of the nature of passion, as born of cupidity and attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to actions and their fruit." (Chap 14- verse 7)
"Rajas drives one to action.." (Chap 14 - verse 9)
"Rajas is predominant when intense attachment, fruitive activity (action done with a motive), intense endeavour, uncontrollable desire and hankering develop" (Chap 14 - verse 12)
"The fruit of Rajas activity is sorrow...." (Chap 14 - verse 16)
"Men of Rajasik Guna worship demigods and demons...." (Chap 17 - verse 4)
What is RAJASIK knowledge?
"That knowledge by which one sees that in every different body there is a different type of living entity you should understand to be Rajasik" (Chap 18 - verse 21)
What is RAJASIK sacrifice?
"The sacrifice, however, which is offered for the sake of mere show or even with an eye to its fruit, know it to be Rajasika, Arjuna." (Chap 17 - verse 12)
RAJAS Guna and its analogy w.r.t Food:
"Foods which are bitter, acid, salty, overhot, pungent, dry, burning, and which cause suffering, grief and sickness, are dear to RAJASIKA type of men." (Chap 17 - verse 9)
What is RAJASIK Action?
"That action however, which involves much strain and is performed by one seeking to gratify his senses, and enacted from a sense of false ego, is called Rajasik action." (Chap 18 - verse 24)
RAJASIK GIFT:
"A gift which is bestowed with a grudging spirit and with the object of getting a service in return or in the hope of obtaining a reward, is called RAJASIKA." (Chap 17 - verse 21)
Who is called RAJASIKA?
"The doer who is full of attachment, seeks the fruits of action and is greedy, and who is oppressive by nature and of impure conduct, and is affected by joy and sorrow, has been called RAJASIKA."
(Chap 18 - verse 27)What is RAJASIK intellect?
"The intellect by which man does not truly perceive what is Dharma and what is Adharma, what ought to be done and what should not be done - that intellect is RAJASIKA." (Chap 18 - verse 31)
What is RAJASIKA firmness?
"The Dhriti/firmness, however, by which the man seeking a reward for his actions clutches with extreme fondness virtues, earthly possessions and wordly enjoyments - that Dhriti is called Rajasika, Arjuna."
(Chap 18 - verse 34)
What is RAJASIKA joy?
"The delight which follows from the contact of the senses with their objects is eventually poison-like though appearing at first as nectar; hence it has been spoken of as Rajasika." (Chap 18 - verse 38)
What is RAJASIKA penance?
"The penance which is performed for the sake of renown, honor, and worship as well as for any other selfish gain either in sincerity or by way of ostentation, and yields an uncertain and momentary fruit, has been spoken of as Rajasika." (Chap 17 - verse 18)
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