Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, how does one achieve and maintain inner strength? Gurudev Sri Sri - By waking up to this knowledge. It should not be that just once a year you come, listen to some knowledge and go away. Make it part of your daily routine, so that it is maintained. Also, humility is important. Sometimes, people get so numb to knowledge. They think, 'I know it all. One should not get into that arrogance, 'I know the knowledge, what is there to know. The constant revival of knowledge, of the same points that you know, and reliving it is important. It is not a very tough or difficult task, and even if you lose the knowledge for a moment, it just comes back. Knowing that it comes back, you don't really lose it, it is there.

Question - Gurudev, what is it about seva that makes people dynamic versus doing office work? Gurudev Sri Sri - See, we have to do something and we keep doing something. When we do something, we want something out of it for ourselves. Now if you do something for which you don't want anything in return, but you just want to be useful in life, that is called seva. An action for which you are not expecting a reward, but you are happy just by doing an action, which would bring benefit to others, that is seva. An action for which you do not want any benefit for yourself, but instead you want to be beneficial to others, that is seva.

Question - Gurudev, is there any specific lesson we can learn from the entire Ramayana? Gurudev Sri Sri - Yes, Ramayana has a lot of significance. The Ramayana is not just a story which happened long ago, it has a philosophical, spiritual significance and a deep truth in it. The words 'rays' and 'radiance' come from the Sanskrit root word 'ra' 'Ra' means light, 'Ma' means within me, in my heart. So, Rama means the light within me. That which is radiant in every particle of the being is Rama. Rama was born to Dasharath and Kousalya. Dasharath means 'Ten Chariots' The ten chariots symbolize the five sense organs and five organs of action. Kousalya means 'skill'. The skillful rider of the ten chariots can give birth to Ram. When the ten are used skillfully, radiance is born within. Rama was born in Ayodhya. Ayodhya means 'a place where no war can happen' When there is no conflict in our mind, then the radiance can dawn. The R...

Question - Gurudev, the breath is so powerful. How does it work in connecting us to the subtle dimension? Gurudev Sri Sri - My dear, in the subtle you are already connected. The breath only makes you realize that you are connected. Your mind is always outside and it does not come back to itself, so the breath is the first step in bringing the outgoing mind inward. It is the doorway or the pathway, and meditation keeps the mind in the inner chamber.

Question - Gurudev, nowadays there is an increase of anger and rage in the children towards their parents. What can be done towards this? Gurudev Sri Sri - Just keep them busy in music, knowledge and service. If they start doing this early on in their childhood and growing years, then the anger and such tendencies will be reduced.

Question - Gurudev, what can I do to increase my capacity to take your blessings? How can I make my cup bigger? Gurudev Sri Sri - In the Advanced Course you all have heard of the Shatt Sampatti (six wealths, or six fold virtues) • Sama (calmness or quietude of mind) • Dama (self control or restraint of the senses) • Uparati (satiety) • Titiksha (power of endurance) • Shradha (faith), and • Samadhana (equanimity or one-pointedness of the mind) This is what you must focus on increasing more in your life. By enhancing these virtues, your capacity to receive blessings will increase. Among the four pillars of knowledge, the third one that has these six wealths, that is what we must increase. Also we must do Seva (service) and Sadhana (spiritual practices).

Question - Gurudev, what should one do when one experiences sorrow and suffering? Gurudev Sri Sri - Have patience. When you have come here to the Ashram, drop all your sorrow and miseries here, and just walk ahead. There is no misery or suffering that cannot be gotten rid of. Have you ever seen a cloud that never moves and stays in one place permanently? It is impossible. In the same way, your misery and suffering are like clouds. Some clouds disappear in an instant, while some take a little longer to go away. But they do pass away and that is inevitable.

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 20   na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin   nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ  ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yaṁ purāṇo  na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre   This is not born, nor does it die, nor is it a thing that comes into being once and passing away will never come into being again. It is unborn, ancient, everlasting; it is not slain with the slaying of the body.   This part is so wonderful. Krishna says that the soul was never born: we can’t even say that we are born from God. All we can say is, “We come out of Him.” The soul is never born, nor does it die. Krishna is saying that the soul is not something which is passing by or has modifications with birth and death. Death doesn’t have any grip on the soul: even birth doesn’t have any grip on the soul. It is ever-free. Modifications are only for the body. Krishna says that all that is “passing away will never come into being again,” meaning that what one has gone through before, it won’t hap...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 19   ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ  yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam  ubhau tau na vijānīto  nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate    He who regards this (the soul) as a slayer, and he who thinks it is slain, both of them fail to perceive the truth. The soul does not slay, nor is it slain.    The Atma is in the killer, and the Atma is in the one being killed. But the Atma is not perishable. Those who think that the soul of the slayer or the soul of the slain are limited or perishable, are in deep confusion.   Krishna says that an ignorant man attributes the functions of the body to the soul. He says, “Look, you should not mix up the body and the soul. Your soul is the Great Observer, it observes things; it comes here and does its dharma, but it remains separate from the mind, the intellect, and the body. It is something apart from who you are. The one who thinks that the slayer is the soul is completely mistaken, and the one who thinks that t...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 18   antavanta ime dehā  nityasy-oktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ  anāśino’prameyasya  tasmāt yuddhyasva bhārata   Finite bodies have an end, but that which possesses and uses the body is infinite, illimitable, eternal, indestructible. Therefore, fight, O Bharata (Arjuna).   “Finite bodies have an end,” Krishna says, “All bodies, which have been created from matter, from the five elements, ‘have an end’.” Everything which is matter, will return to matter. Here the Lord is saying that the mind, the senses, and the physical body are all perishable. Whatever you see outside is perishable, has its limit and will have its end. But you are here to use these limitations to do your duty, to do your dharma. This infinite, the Atma, which is present inside of you is the Reality. He says, “Don’t be in ignorance. Know that you are eternal. Know that you are indestructible. So fight!”   Here Krishna is not only talking to Arjuna, He is talking to every...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 17   avināśi tu tad viddhi  yena sarvam idaṁ tatam  vināśam avyayasyāsya  na kaścit kartum arhati   Know that to be imperishable from which all this is extended. Who can slay the immortal spirit?   Whatever is perishable, like the body, the senses, the mind, all these objects of enjoyment, and pleasure – all these are under the control of Prakriti. And Prakriti is under the control of the Spirit, which means under the control of the Consciousness, the life principle.   “Know that to be imperishable from which all this is extended.” All matter, everything which is created, comes from the non-created: all emerges from only One Reality, God, the Immortal One, the Supreme Spirit. Everything comes from Him. Everything is just an extension of Him. The one who is realised in this immortality, attains the true Self. He sees that the same Narayana Krishna that is outside, is also inside. And not only in himself, but everywhere, in ...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 16   nāsato vidyate bhāvo  nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ  ubhayor api dṛṣṭo’ntas  tvanayos tattva darśibhiḥ   That which really is, cannot go out of existence, just as that which is non-existent cannot come into being. The end of this opposition of ‘is’ and ‘is not’ has been perceived by the seers of essential truths.   This means that everything which is limited, will be destroyed. And what is not limited, the Atma, cannot be destroyed; it is ever-existent. You will realise the eternity of the soul only when you rise above the duality of the real and the unreal. Why would non-existence exist? Non-existence is not real. By non-existence, Krishna is referring to the body and referring to all the people on the battlefield. He says, “These people are not real. They appear to exist, but they are not real. The only reality behind all this is the Self. Look beyond this duality. Perceive that which is beyond what your mind is showing you. The...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 15   yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete  purus‌aṁ puruṣarṣabha  sama duḥkha sukhaṁ dhīraṁ  so’mṛtatvāya kalpate   The man who these do not trouble or pain, O lion-hearted among men, the firm and wise who is equal in pleasure and suffering, makes himself apt for immortality.   Krishna addresses Arjuna as lion-hearted among men. He is reminding Arjuna, “You are like a lion! You are strong! You are not weak. You are powerful! Be firm and wise.”   “The man who these do not trouble”, yaṁ hi na vyathayantyete, means the one who is not troubled by pleasure and pain. The best and most excellent of men are beyond pleasure and pain. It is easy for them to rise above these opposite qualities, to rise above these dual experiences.   The realised soul doesn’t go into the drama of life. He sees pleasure and suffering equally. The one who makes himself ready becomes ripe. He becomes aware to receive the knowledge of the Self.   Krishna i...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 14   mātrā sparśās tu kaunteya  śītoṣṇa sukha-duḥkhadāḥ  āgamāpāyino’nityās  tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata   The interaction of senses and objects, O son of Kunti, give cold and heat,   pleasure and pain, transient things which come and go. Endure them, O Arjuna.   Mātrā sparśās means ‘the contact of the senses with material objects’. Whatever comes into contact with the senses, into contact with the mind – heat, sound, touch, colour, taste and smell – these are the products of the senses. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain, are always part of our experience. If one gives attention to the outside, to the sense organs, and the sense objects, one becomes bound by the opposites of duality, like cold and heat, pleasure and pain. Whoever is focused on living only in the external world, will attain only limited things. One will not be aware of the greatness, the eternity of the soul. This duality of experience, also brings joy, gri...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 13   dehino’smin yathā dehe  kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā  tathā dehāntara prāptir  dhīras tatra na muhyati   As the soul passes physically through childhood, youth and old age, so it   passes on to the changing of the body. The self-composed man does not   allow himself to be disturbed or blinded by this.   Krishna says, “It is unwise to suffer, thinking that by changing one’s body, everything is lost. Why are you grieving? Why are you sad about this? Childhood, youth, and old age don’t belong to the soul.” When are you growing up, what is growing? The body. Once you were a baby; maybe now you are in youth; later you will be in middle age; and later on, you will become old... some of you are already old now. But these changes are not for the soul. Your Atma is eternal! The Atma is still the same. For all which is created, change is only on the outside. The body changes. Nature, Prakriti changes. The soul itself n...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 12   na tvevāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ  na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ  na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ  sarve vayamataḥ param   There was never a time that I did not exist, nor you, Arjuna, nor these kings   of men; nor is it true that any of us shall ever cease to exist hereafter.   “There was never a time...” This is so beautiful. Here Bhagavan Krishna reveals to Arjuna the quality of the eternity of the soul. He says, “There was never a time when you nor I did not exist. We all existed even before our birth, before we manifested in these bodies. And we will carry on existing even after these bodies disappear. Even though the body dies, the soul is eternal, it will carry on living. So Arjuna, you should not grieve for these relatives or fear their destruction.” The soul is eternal: one has to come here; one does one’s duty, one’s dharma; and then the body dies. But the soul remains eternal. Before this lifetime here, you were somewhere else...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 11   śrī bhagavān uvāca  aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ  prajñāvādāṁśca bhāṣase  gatāsūn agatāsūṁśca  nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ   The Lord says: You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet you speak words of wisdom. The enlightened man does not mourn for either the living or for the dead.   Now is the beginning of the Gita. The real Gita starts now with the smile of the Lord. All that came before was just a preparation for this.  The Lord says, “You grieve for those who should not be grieved for, yet you speak words of wisdom.” You see, Bhagavan Krishna has been watching and observing Arjuna all the time. The Great Observer always observes life and sees life. He observes how life is going on. Your true Self, the Atma, is always observing life from within you. Krishna says, “You grieve, ‘yet you speak words of wisdom’. You know about life, you have the right feeling inside but when you speak, you say something stupid.” ...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 10   tam uvāca hṛṣikeśaḥ  prahasann iva bhārata  senayor ubhayor madhye  viṣīdantaṁ idaṁ vacaḥ   To him thus depressed and discouraged, Krishna, smiling, O king, speaks these words between the two armies.   Here, Sanjaya is expressing interest in seeing the Lord smile. The smile of the Lord is saying, “Hey, now you are ready!” It has been Arjuna himself who has requested Lord Krishna to bring the chariot between the two armies. Arjuna has first been in the spirit of challenging: but when he sees the two opposing armies, he falls into a depression. He becomes very disturbed and grief-stricken. It is this Arjuna who now asks the Lord to guide him and to remove from him the pain which is overwhelming his mind. So Krishna smiles.   When the Guru sees that the disciple is really ready, he has the same smile! The disciple can ten thousand times ask, ask, ask, ask, and the Guru will give whatever He has to give. But when the disc...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 9   sañjaya uvāca  evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṁ  guḍakeśaḥ paraṅtapa  na yotsya iti govindam  uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha   Sanjaya says: Gudakesha (Arjuna), terror of his foes, having thus spoken to Krishna, then says to Krishna, “Govinda, I will not fight!” and becomes silent.    Here Arjuna makes his decision, and says, “I’m not ready to fight! I’m happy with my normal, mundane life. I don’t want anything else. I don’t want to go deeply into spirituality. I don’t want to discover my true Self. I’m happy living life; waking up in the morning; having my breakfast; going to work; coming back from work; enjoying the TV and sleeping.” Again, next day the same routine. “Then I look forward to the weekend: I will go to the pub, I will drink; I will lose my mind; I won’t even know what happened. I will go completely into delusion; then I will come back home,” – if you come back home, or maybe you will sleep on the road; or wake up in ...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 8   na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād  yacchokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām  avāpya bhūmāv-asapatnam-ṛddham  rājyaṁ suraṇām api cādhipatyam   Even if I should attain rich and unrivalled kingdoms on Earth or even the sovereignty of the gods, it would not take from me this sorrow that dries up my senses.   Here Arjuna asks, “What am I doing in this battle where I will gain only earthly things? Even if I attain ‘sovereignty of the Gods’, lordship over the Gods, and become like Indra, that will not remove this grief, which is drying up my senses. Please Lord, help me! Remove this grief! Give me everlasting happiness and bliss. That’s what I’m longing for. I’m not longing for material gain and I’m not longing for Heaven. I long to hear You. I long to be out of Maya. I want to be free from this delusion.” Bhagavad Gita 

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 7   kārpaṇya doṣopahata svabhāvaḥ  pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma samūḍha cetāḥ  yacchreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me  śiṣyas te śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam   It is poorness of spirit that has smitten away from me, my (true heroic)   nature; my deluded mind is bewildered in its view of right and wrong. I ask   You which may be the better - tell me decisively. I take refuge in You as a   disciple. Enlighten me.   The first word here, kārpaṇya, means “poorness of spirit.” “It is poorness of spirit that has smitten away from me, my (true heroic) nature.” Arjuna knows that his noble nature, his powerful nature, has fled. “...my deluded mind is bewildered in its view of right and wrong.” He is seeing what is right and what is wrong from the point of view of the mind. His mind is showing him what is right and what is wrong – not his heart, not his consciousness.   “I ask you which may be the better – tell me de...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 6   na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo  yadvā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ  yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas  te’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭhrāḥ   Nor do I know which is better for us, that we should conquer them or they   conquer us. Before us stand the sons of Dhritarashtra, who if we slay, we   would lose all desire to live. Here again Arjuna is showing that he is in a state of confusion, because he is still very attached to the outside. You see, if somebody is not fully dedicated, they always go into a state of confusion. They are not making themselves ready. Arjuna is in this state and says, “I don’t yet know if we will be the winners or they will be the winners. Here are the sons of Dhritarashtra on the battlefield in front of us.” He is still trying to find ways to not fight them. He is indicating that he has the choice: either to fight or not to fight. If he doesn’t fight, it will be a great offence of a Kshat...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 5   gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān  śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke  hatvārtha kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva  bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān   It is better to live in this world even on alms than to slay these high-souled   gurus. Slaying these gurus, I would only taste blood-stained enjoyments in   this world.   Here Arjuna is referring to Kripacharya, and Dronacharya: “These people are worthy to be praised and worshipped. How will I slay them? How will I be free from that sin? Even though these noble characters have fallen low, I can’t dishonour them. Even though I am a Kshatriya, even though I am a warrior, I would rather live on alms than commit this great sin for enjoyment and pleasure.”   Here, we have to see that Arjuna had very high knowledge. For one who is realised, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ become one. However, Realisation also means that one has to let go of everything. Arjuna was wise, because...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 4   arjuna uvāca  kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye  droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana  iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi  pūjārhāv-arisūdana   Arjuna says: How, O Madhusudana, shall I strike Bhishma and Drona with   weapons in battle, they who are worthy of worship?   Kathaṁ means ‘I am surprised’. Arjuna says,“I am surprised! How can I kill these people? They are not demons! They are not really my enemies! On the contrary, they are the great elders who are worthy to be put on the altar and be worshipped. This is terrible! It would be a big sin if I attack them! We should have respect for our elders.” As I said in Chapter 1, the elders were well-respected at that time. When you talk to elders, you should speak to them respectfully. Using harsh or abusive words is a sin. That’s why Arjuna says, “These elders are worthy to be worshipped and we shouldn’t do anything disrespectful. We don’t even dare look in their eyes!”   Here again, Arjun...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 3   klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha  naitat-tvayyupapadyate  kṣudraṁ hṛdaya daurbalyaṁ   tyaktvottiṣṭha parantapa   Fall not from the virility of a fighter and a hero, O Paartha! It does not befit you.   Shake off this paltry faint-heartedness and arise, O scourge of your enemy!   Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as Paartha, which means son of Pritha (Kunti). He says, “You are the son of a brave lady. You are the son of Kunti, who is a true Kshatriya, a true warrior. Your mother is so strong! You are a hero! So don’t go into this state of cowardice; don’t let yourself be overtaken by weakness. You possess great valour and are skilled in fighting. Let go of this ‘faint-heartedness and arise!’ You strike fear into the hearts of your enemies; you strike terror into the hearts of great heroes. The moment they hear of you, they are scared! The moment they think of you, their hair stands on end! ‘Scourge of your enemy!’ The ...

Sankhya Yoga  Chapter 2, Verse 2   śrī bhagavān uvāca  kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ  viṣame samupasthitam  anāryājuṣṭam asvargyam  akīrtikaram arjuna   The Lord says: When did this dejection come to you, this stain and darkness   of the soul, in the hour of difficulty and peril, O Arjuna? This is not the way   cherished by the noble man: this mood came not from Heaven, nor can it   lead to Heaven, and on Earth it is the forfeiting of glory. Here Lord Krishna Himself starts speaking. He says that Arjuna’s heaviness of heart and low spirits are due to over sentimentality. He says, “You have made yourself weak. It is your willingness to become weak!”   Krishna continues, “I am taken aback! I am shocked to see that here, in the middle of the battlefield, you are in such a state! This state is very dangerous and difficult! We are in the middle of the battlefield and now you feel like this? If you would have felt like this befor...

Sankhya Yoga Chapter 2, Verse 1    sañjaya uvāca  taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭaṁ  aśā-pūrṇā-kulekṣaṇam  viṣīdantam idaṁ vākyam   uvāca madhusūdanaḥ   Sanjaya says: To him thus invaded by pity, his eyes full and distressed with   tears, his heart overcome by depression and discouragement, Krishna speaks these words.   In this state, Arjuna is completely distressed and overtaken by faint-heartedness.   Looking at his friends and relatives, he starts to cry. He is not just talking, he is crying terribly. He is overtaken by grief and fear that the family will be destroyed. That will bring great sin and negative karma to him, to his family, and to their descendants. It will be complete destruction. In this verse, it is very important to understand why Sanjaya doesn’t call the Lord, ‘Krishna’. Instead he refers to Lord Krishna as madhusūdanaḥ, which means the slayer of Madhu. Madhu was a very fierce demon who was killed by   K...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 47  sañjaya uvāca   evam uktvā’rjunaḥ saṅkhye  rathopastha upāviśat  visṛjya saśaraṁ cāpaṁ  śoka saṁvigna mānasaḥ   Sanjaya says: Having thus spoken on the battlefield, Arjuna sinks down on   the seat of the chariot, casting down the divine bow, his spirit overwhelmed   with sorrow.   Sanjaya sees Arjuna fall down into the seat of his chariot, overwhelmed with   sorrow, in a state of complete dejection. Arjuna puts down his bow and loses himself, miserably concentrating on all this negativity, and feeling pity for himself. When one   has self-pity, one looks for many excuses to not do one’s duty. This is true for Arjuna.   He has created all this fantasy inside his mind: the horrible picture of the destruction of the family, the horrible scene of the ancestors. The film, the drama, which is turning inside his brain, makes him feel terrible, completely depressed. Here...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 46   yadi mām apratīkāram  aśastraṁ śastra-pāṇayaḥ  dhārtarāṣṭrā ran‌e hanyus  tan-me kṣemataraṁ bhavet   It would be better for me that the sons of Dhritarashtra, armed as they are,   should slay me as I am, unarmed and unresisting.   Even before the war has started, Arjuna says, “I will give up my arms. I will not   fight. I will offer myself as a sacrifice to the opposition. I offer myself unarmed to them, unresisting. If they kill me, such a death will be a blessing for me. And we will not get the sin of slaying the family or killing the sons of Dhritarashtra. If they kill me first, there will be no war; the war will end now. This will save the lives of our friends   and family.” This is the supreme state of sacrifice, sacrificing oneself for the sake of others. That is what Christ also teaches , “A true friend will give his life for the sake of a friend.” Arjuna feels this out of compa...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 45   aho bata mahat pāpaṁ  kartuṁ vyavasitā vayam  yad rājya sukha lobhena  hantuṁ sva-janam udyatāḥ   Alas! We were engaged in committing a great sin, we who were endeavouring   to kill our own people through greed for the pleasures of kingship.   Arjuna says, “Alas!” Out of wonder and great sorrow, he expresses himself as if this sin has already happened: “We were engaged in committing a great sin.” This shows that Arjuna and the Pandavas have great knowledge and virtue and that they are very careful about doing anything which will bring bad karma to them. They are aware of the effect of karma. He says, “We will have to repay the karma. We will also have to suffer for that karma. And not only in one life, but for many lifetimes we’ll have to come again and again to repay this great sin which we will be committing. This karma will be very dreadful. We will not be free!”    “Greed for the pleasu...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 44   utsanna-kula-dharmāṇāṁ  manuṣyāṇāṁ janārdana  narake’niyataṁ vāso  bhavatīty-anuśuśruma  And men whose family morals are corrupted, live forever in Hell.   Thus have we heard.   Here Arjuna says that those who have lost their family tradition and live in vice, fall into Hell. These poor souls will suffer the torture of Hell for an indefinite length of time. So, be careful! If you do bad, your ancestors will also roast in Hell for a long period of time! This Hell is similar to Hell described in Christianity. But the difference is that in Christianity, you’ll stay in Hell forever. Whereas here, you are sent to Hell – for a holiday.    You have to understand that in the pitris tradition, we do Shraddha ceremony to the ancestors. The gratitude that we show to our ancestors is very important. By doing   good in this world, our ancestors also profit; in return everybody profits, because...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 43   doṣair etaiḥ kula-ghnānāṁ  varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ  utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ  kula-dharmāśca śāśvatāḥ   By these misdeeds of the destroyers of the family, leading to the confusion   of the castes, the eternal laws of the clan and moral law of the family will   be destroyed. In that moment, Arjuna is just seeing his own fear. Out of fear, out of sadness, out of guilt, he doesn’t want to take this responsibility upon himself. He has already created a certain drama inside of himself: that the Varna Dharma, which is taught in the Vedas will not be respected; the eternal law of the clan and the moral law of the family will not be respected; the duties of the castes and the elders will not be respected. The elders of the family were the ones who were strict about maintaining family customs and they were respected.  Arjuna says, “Bhishma is here in front of us. He is Dharmaraj. He is the one who has...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 42   saṅkaro narakāyaiva  kula-ghnānāṁ kulasya ca  patanti pitaro hyeṣāṁ  lupta-piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ   This confusion leads the family and the destroyers of the family to Hell; for   their ancestors fall, deprived of pinda (rice offering) and libations.  As I said earlier, the pitris were very important in the tradition at that time. Arjuna asks, “To whom shall we offer pinda? A pinda is a rice ball. In the Christian orthodox tradition, in the ritual for the departed ones, you always offer wheat, koliva, to the departed souls. In the Hindu tradition, it is similar, but the offering is made of rice. This is offered to the departed people along with water, tilatarpana. Before the Navaratri celebrations, we do the Shraddha ceremony to the ancestors. Arjuna asks, “But if there is a mixture of cultures, to whom shall we offer the Shraddha? Each culture comes from a certain family lineage. If this lineage is broken...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 41   adharmābhi-bhavāt kṛṣṇa  praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ  strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya  jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ   Owing to the predominance of lawlessness, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; women corrupted lead to the confusion of the   varnas (castes).   With the disappearance of family tradition, men and women will lose restraint in   their activities, and be tempted by vices.   There are different kinds of families. ‘Family’ means not only the individual family,   it also means the spiritual family. ‘Family’ means a gathering, where you spend most   of your time.   Arjuna says, “Through unrestrained activities, vices will arise and this will result   in sin. Sin will spread throughout all of society. The moral values will be thrown out:   the respect between men and women; the respect of children for their parents; the  ...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga  Chapter 1, Verse 40   ula-kṣaye praṇaśyanti  kula-dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ  dharme naṣṭe kulaṁ kṛtsnam  adharmo’bhibhavaty-uta   In the annihilation of the family, the eternal traditions of the family are   destroyed; in the collapse of traditions, lawlessness overcomes the   whole family.   There was a custom handed down from generation to generation which helped   to maintain a high standard of conduct in the family and prevented men and women   from going astray. Here is this verse, Arjuna says that it’s important to hold tight to that   custom, otherwise “lawlessness overcomes the whole family.”   You see, in ancient times, the elders of the family were treated with great respect.   Whenever people had any questions, they would always go to the elders of the family.   Since there was great respect, whatever the elders said was always accepted. Arjuna ...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 38-39   yady-apyete na paśyanti  lobhopahata cetasaḥ  kula-kṣaya-kṛtam‌ doṣaṁ  mitra-drohe ca pātakam   kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ  pāpād asmān nivartitum  kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ  prapaśyadbhir janārdana   Although these, with a consciousness clouded with greed, see no guilt in   the destruction of the family, no crime in hostility to friends, why should we   not have the wisdom to recoil from such a sin, O Janardana, we who see the evil in the destruction of the family?   Here again, Arjuna addresses Krishna as Janardana, the killer of evil people. Arjuna says, “We who see the evil in the destruction of the family.” Arjuna sees that such evil action by Duryodhan and his friends is most reprehensible, but that it is not unnatural for them, because their greed has fully destroyed their power of discrimination. They   can’t discriminate between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. They don’t ...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 37   tasmān nārhā vayaṁ hantuṁ  dhārtarāṣṭrān svabandhavān  svajanaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā  sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava   Sin will take hold of us in slaying them, though they are the aggressors. So it   is not fit that we kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our kinsmen; indeed how may we be happy, O Madhava, killing our own people?   Arjuna is looking into his own sad, mental state, and seeing the physical condition to which he has been reduced. He tells Krishna, “We should not go forward with this war. It would not be fitting to kill these people.” Again and again, he is trying to make himself believe that he can go sideways. But there is no point in going sideways.   Krishna says, “Look forward, don’t go sideways! If there is a big fire, go through the fire! I am with you, go!” Will Arjuna listen? Will he go sideways or will he go through the fire? With trust in the Lord, you go through the fire.   Arjuna sa...

Arjuna Vishada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 33-36   yeṣām arthe kāṅkṣitaṁ no  rājyaṁ bhogāḥ sukhāni ca  ta ime’ vasthitā yuddhe  prāṇāṁs tyaktvā dhanāni ca   ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrāṁs  tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ  mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ  śyālāḥ sambandhinas tathā   etān na hantum icchāmi  ghnato’pi madhusūdana  api trailokya rājyasya  hetoḥ kiṁ nu mahīkṛte   nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ  kiṁ prītiḥ syāj-janārdana  pāpam evāśrayed asmān  hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ What is a kingdom to us, O Govinda, what enjoyment, what is even life? Those for whose sake we desire a kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures, they stand here in battle, abandoning life and riches – teachers, fathers, sons, as well as grandsires, brothers, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and others of kin; these I would not consent to slay, though myself slain, O Madhusudana, even for the kingdom of the three worlds, how then for Earth? What pleasures can be our...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 32 na kānkṣe vijayam kṛṣṇa  na ca rājyaṁ sukhāni ca  kim no rājyena govinda  kim bhogair jīvitena vā Nor do I see any good in slaying my own people in battle; O Krishna, I desire not victory, nor kingdoms, nor pleasures. In his mind, in his mental agony, he was already torturing himself. He was already seeing the slaughter of all his family, friends and relatives. This picture, that they were already dead, had been imprinted into his mind. The image in the brain is the focus of the future. In his mind, this goal had already been fixed and that was where life would carry him. Later on, in Chapter 11, Krishna will show his Vishwa Swarupa, His true Cosmic Form, to Arjuna: in that Vishwa Swarupa, He will show that all the Kauravas are already dead. At that moment, Krishna will ask Arjuna, "Who killed them? Did you kill them? Or did I, the Lord that sustains everything, the Lord that sustains life and death? You tell Me!" At that moment, A...