Today - faculty.washington.edu BG… · 3 According to Belvalkar Is BG a composite text or a unified work? Theistic or Monistic? Contradictions? Free Will? Action v. knowledge v.

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Wk11 Wednesday, Dec 4

Today Belvalkar, Vireśvarānanda BG 13-18, Perrett, “Facts, Values and the BG.” Matilal, “Caste, Karmā and the Gītā.”

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Final Paper, Presentation

Mon 12/9, 2:30-5:20 (max)

Course Evaluations: Close SUN 11:59PM– Presently 7/32 22%

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Remember!

YS 2.16:heyaṃ duḥkham anāgatam.

“Suffering that has yet to occur MUST be avoided.”

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According to Belvalkar

Is BG a composite text or a unified work? Theistic or Monistic? Contradictions? Free Will? Action v. knowledge v. meditation v.

devotion?

Overall take on article? or ?

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Vireswarananda Reading

Vireswarananda on caste and karma? 4 paths “equally efficacious and capable of leading the

soul to freedom” ?

Accepts Sāṅkhya-Yoga? – Plurality of puruṣa-s?

Biases?– Conception of Kṛṣṇa?– Brahman v. Kṛṣṇa?– Karma-yoga = Devotion? (p. 189)

Synthesis argument? Agrees with Belvalkar?

Overall take on article? or ? 6

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BG – Brief Outline

Nature of ātman Arjuna’s despondency Kṛṣṇa’s response Karma-yoga Jñāna-yoga Brahman, meditation Ātman, meditation

Nature of supreme deity Theistic Sāṅkhya Meditation The Sublime Mystery God’s powers Theophany12. Bhakti-yoga

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BG Outline, cont’d

Relation between ātman & supreme deity13. The field & knower14. The three guṇa-s15. Puruṣa(-s?)16. The divine & demoniac within17. Three-fold faith18. Recap, conclusion

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Ch. 12: Bhakti Yoga 12.1: Q. Who knows Yoga best, those who do bhakti or

who worship the Imperishable Unmanifest? 2-5: A. Those who do bhakti, though the other

worshippers [of Imperishable] also reach me but it is harder.

8-12: Easier is better? – Meditation: manas on, buddhi in me, – Otherwise, abhyāsa-yoga = practice,– Otherwise, karma for my sake,– Otherwise, renounce fruit of all action → peace– Practice < knowledge < meditation < renouncing fruit

13-20: Attributes (dharma-s) of one who is dear to me, devoted to me

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Ch. 13: The Field & its Knower

13.1-2: Field (kṣetra) = body, Kṛṣṇa = its knower. 3: Knowledge = knowledge of field AND knower 4: Reference to Brahmasūtras 5-6: Field contains: the unmanifest, 5 great elements,

ego, buddhi, 11 senses, 5 sense-objects, desire + aversion, happiness + suffering, bodily form, consciousness, continuity = prakṛti.– 11 senses = 5 sense-organs, 5 action-organs, mind

7-11: Knowledge is … [list of attributes to cultivate]. 12: Knowledge → immortality, Brahman 12-17: Attributes of Brahman.

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Ch. 13: Vision of the “Seer” 13.19: Prakṛti & Puruṣa both beginning-less;

change, guṇa-s are from Prakṛti. 20: Prakṛti – cause of effects, Puruṣa – cause of

experience of joy & suffering. 21-3: Relation of Prakṛti, Puruṣa, guṇa-s, Īśvara. 24-5: Means to see ātman, by ātman, in ātman:

– dhyāna, Sāṅkhya-yoga, karma-yoga, hearing + worship– means to ‘cross over death’

26: Birth/creation = union of field, knower. 27-31: Vision of the “seer” [28 = Golden Rule].

– 32-3: Similes

34: Praise for knowledge!

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Ch. 14: The three guṇa-s 14.3-4: My womb = mahat Brahman, in it/all wombs I

plant the seed, from it are born all beings (bhūta). 5: Sattva, rajas, tamas born of prakṛti bind the

unchanging embodied [self]. 6-18: The guṇa-s & interactions described. 19-20: Knowing guṇa-s are the agent → immortality. 21: Q. Description of such a person? 22-6: A. Beyond desire/dislike, dualities, serves me with

bhakti-yoga, transcend the guṇa-s, is fit for becoming Brahman.

27: I am the foundation of immortal, immutable, eternal Brahman, of eternal dharma, of constant joy.

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Ch. 15: Puruṣa(-s?)

puruṣottama-yoga 15.1-3: Cf. KaU 6.1

– roots tangled in action, branches nourished by guṇa-s

– cut it with axe of detachment

4: Take refuge in Puruṣa from which Prakṛti originated.

6,12: Cf. KaU 5.15, Mu 2.2.10 7: A part of me becomes the

eternal jīva, pulling together the 5 senses & mind from Prakṛti.

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Ch. 15: 2 Puruṣa-s, 3 Puruṣa-s

15.8: Īśvara takes these [senses & mind] along, body to body, like the wind bears scents.

10-11: Yogīs with eyes of knowledge see Īśvara. 12-15: Immanence. 16: Two Puruṣa-s in the world: perishable [Prakṛti], in all

beings & imperishable [jīvātman], immovable. 17-18: Another, supreme Puruṣa, supreme ātman,

immutable Īśvara, enters and sustains the three worlds, = Kṛṣṇa.

19-20: The one who knows this, knows all, worships me, is enlightened (buddhimān), has done what is to be done.

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Ch. 16: The Divine & Demonic Within

16.1-3: Divine attributes, 4,6-18: Demonic attributes. 5: Divine attribs → mokṣa, demonic → bondage. 19-20: Consequences of demonic attributes. 21-2: Three gates of hell: desire, anger, greed →

destroy ātman. 23-4: Importance of śāstra-s, “tradition, laws of

injunction, teaching.”

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Ch. 17: Threefold Faith, śraddhā 17.1: Q. Guṇa of one who does yajña with faith? 3-4: A. sattva worship (→) gods, rajas → spirits &

demons, tamas → ghosts & corpses. 5-6: Criticism of extreme tapas, these “torment me.” 7-10: Three kinds of food. 11-13: Three types of sacrifice. 14-16: Bodily, verbal, mental tapas, austerity/penance.

– 17-19: Three types, by guṇa.

20-22: Three types of charity, dāna. 23-28: On Om tat sat, triple designation of Brahman.

– Chanted during sacrifice, penance, charity, by ritualists (24), knowledge-seekers (25), karma-yogī-s (26-7).

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Ch. 18: Summation

mokṣa-sannyāsa-yoga 18.1: Q. The distinction between sannyāsa, renunciation

& tyāga, abandonment? 2: A. Sannyāsa = giving up desire-prompted action,

tyāga = abandoning fruits of action. 3-6: Tyāga of all action or only that not sacrifice-

penance-charity? These actions to be performed, abandoning attachment and fruits.– 7-9: Graded by guṇa– 10-12: Comparison of those who do & don’t abandon.

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Ch. 18: Success in Action

18.14: 1) Material basis, 2) agent, 3) instrument(s), 4) motion/movement, 5) fate (daivam).– 15: All 5 present for right/wrong physical, verbal, mental actions.

16-17: Understanding oneself ≠ agent, not bound 18: 3-fold stimulus of action:

knowledge, object of knowledge, knower; 3-fold constituents of action: instrument, act, agent.

– 19-22: Three kinds of knowledge, by guṇa.– 23-5: Three kinds of action, by guṇa.– 26-8: Three kinds of agent, by guṇa.

29-35: Three kinds of intellect (buddhi) & resolve (dhṛti).

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Ch. 18: Castes & karma 18.36-9: Three kinds of happiness. 40: All beings, even gods subject to prakṛti’s guṇa-s. 41-4: Actions of the four castes according to their nature

& guṇa-s. Cf. 4.13– 45-6: Success obtained through delight in one’s own action, by

worshipping the source of all activity, which pervades all this.– 47: Better one’s own dharma, imperfectly done than the

perfectly done dharma of another. Cf. 3.35, 4.21– 48: One’s own karma should not be abandoned, even if flawed.

All actions are flawed!

49: Perfect actionlessness = unattached buddhi, mastered ātman, free from longings, through sannyāsa.

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Ch. 18: Highest state of knowledge

18.50-3: One is fit to become Brahman when: – buddhi purified, ātman restrained by resolve, – sense objects abandoned, likes/dislikes set aside,– cultivating solitude, eating lightly, speech-body-mind restrained,– practicing dhyāna-yoga & vairāgya (dispassion) constantly,– free from ego, force, pride, desire, anger, acquisition,– un-possessive, tranquil

54-6: No grief/desire, impartial towards all, supreme devotion → knowledge of me → enters me → eternal immutable status, through my grace.

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Ch. 18: Highest state, cont’d

57-58: Renounce by cetas all actions to me, keep me always in your citta, you will transcend all difficulty.

59-60: You will act forced by prakṛti, bound by your action intrinsic to your being.

61-2: Īśvara is in the heart of all beings, causing them to revolve through māyā, as though on a machine. Take refuge in him alone, you will attain highest, eternal peace through his grace.

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Ch. 18: Closing 18.63: “Consider it completely, then do as you wish.” 65: I promise: Set your mind on me, be my devotee,

sacrifice to me, do namas to me, and to me alone you will come. Cf. 9.34

66: carama (“final”) śloka: Abandoning all [other] dharma-s, take refuge in me alone, I will liberate you from all pāpa-s, do not grieve.

67: Qualifications for passing on this knowledge. 68-9: Praise for devotion 70-71: Study of this = jñāna-yajña to Kṛṣṇa, fruits thereof. 73: Arjuna: I will do your bidding, my delusion is

destroyed, doubts gone. 74-8: Sañjaya’s closing praise.

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Perrett

“Facts, Values and the BG” Argument? Successful? Read “Saints & the Supramoral”?

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Matilal

“Caste, Karma and the Gītā” Theodicy Caste – Merit-based = rational? Karma → caste? Story: python Nahuṣa & Yuddhiṣṭhira

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Anything Unfinished?

Duty? Karma? Free Will? Killing? God? Meditation?

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Another Reminder!

YS 2.16:heyaṃ duḥkham anāgatam.

“Suffering / sorrow / frustrationthat has yet to occur MUST be avoided.”

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