Gita for Joyful Living

This picture is worth 1,60,000 words.

Entertaining girls are many. Enchanting Krishna is ONE.

Experiencing people are many. Enlivening consciousness is ONE.

Life is Joyful when we know ‘I AM THAT ONE’.

Course material prepared by Raja Subramaniyan forYAT School of Management

11/15, Ashirwadh Apt.Lock Street, KotturpuramChennai – 600 085

joyfulliving@gmail.com

July 2008

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ContentsPart I – YOU

Page No.Unit 01: Introduction Lesson 1: Why should we learn Gita? 2 Lesson 2: Superiority of human race 4Lesson 3: An over view of four Vedas 6

Unit 02: The disease Lesson 1: The battlefield of life 10Lesson 2: Nature of Attachment 13Lesson 3: Effect of Attachment I - Sorrow 16Lesson 4: Effect of Attachment II - Delusion 19Lesson 5: Diagnosis of the disease 24

Unit 03: Preparation for the treatment Lesson 1: An overview of the universal problem 27Lesson 2: Prerequisites to receive the ultimate solution 31Lesson 3: Unconditional surrender to the teacher 35

Unit 04: The medicine – Self-Knowledge Lesson 1: Smile of Lord Krishna 40Lesson 2: Introduction to Self-knowledge 43Lesson 3: The meaning of the word ‘Atman’ 46Lesson 4: Nature of reality 49Lesson 5: Beyond time and space 51Lesson 6: Beyond sensory perception 52Lesson 7: Understanding Atman 54Lesson 8: Role of intelligence 57Lesson 9: Application of intelligence 60Lesson 10: Complying to our Prescribed Duty 63

Unit 05: The treatment – Karma Yoga Lesson 1: Karma Yoga is the stepping stone 66Lesson 2: Advantages of Karma Yoga 69Lesson 3: Superiority of the Karma Yogi 71Lesson 4: Why do people do mere Karma? 73Lesson 5: Five steps to attain focused mind 75Lesson 6: Definition of Karma 80Lesson 7: Definition of Karma Yoga 88Lesson 8: Inferiority of Karma 93

Unit 06: Complete recovery – Joyful Living Lesson 1: Overview of the path and destination 97Lesson 2: The Destination – Joyful Living 100

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Page No.Unit 07: Introduction to Karma Yoga Lesson 1: Good student 111Lesson 2: Four Lifestyles 112Lesson 3: Milestones and Actions 113Lesson 4: Action and Inaction 116Lesson 5: Thought and Action 118Lesson 6: Prescribed Duty / Chosen Profession 120

Unit 08: Analysis of Karma Yoga Lesson 1: The prescription – Proper Action 125Lesson 2: Inaction after Action 133Lesson 3: Nature of Action – Part I 134Lesson 4: Description of Karma Yoga 139Lesson 5: Attitude and Action 140Lesson 6: Nature of Action – Part II 143Lesson 7: Sense Objects and Action 147Lesson 8: Prescribed and Non-Prescribed duties 149

Unit 09: Obstacles to Karma Yoga Lesson 1: Obstacle, the invisible force 151Lesson 2: Location of the obstacle 153Lesson 3: Removal of obstacles to Karma Yoga 154

Unit 10: Origin of this knowledge Lesson 1: Authenticity of this knowledge 157Lesson 2: Ascending and Descending Avatars 162Lesson 3: Dharma Vs Adharma 165

Unit 11: The path and the destination Lesson 1: Final Goal – Merging with God 168Lesson 2: Start to finish – Animal to God 170Lesson 3: Driving force – Desire to become God 173Lesson 4: Meaning of ‘Merging with God’ 178Lesson 5: Transcending action and inaction 180

Unit 12: Completing the journey Lesson 1: First part of the path – Action 184Lesson 2: Second part of the path – Knowledge 186Lesson 3: Benefits of reaching the destination 189Lesson 4: Summary of the journey 191

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Page No.Unit 13: Oneness of Renouncement &Karma YogaLesson 1: Eternal questions 194Lesson 2: Renouncing the action 196Lesson 3: Oneness of Action and Inaction 200Lesson 4: Renouncement through action 204Lesson 5: Conviction on the source of happiness 210Lesson 6: Gaining conviction through meditation 213

Unit 14: Role of meditation in Joyful Living Lesson 1: Nature of Meditation 216Lesson 2: Practice of Meditation 240

Part II – ‘THAT’

Unit 15: Bhakthi YogaLesson 1: An alternative approach 246Lesson 2: Nature of God 250Lesson 3: Benefit of knowing God 254Lesson 4: Illusion is the cause of suffering 257Lesson 5: Surrender is the means to liberation 260Lesson 6: Nature of surrender 261Lesson 7: Nature of Bhakthi 262Lesson 8: Progress to the highest level of Bhakthi 266Lesson 9: Perceiving God 268Lesson 10: Overcoming Delusion 270Lesson 11: Attaining the supreme 271Lesson 12: On death of the physical body 273

Unit 16: Knowledge of the God Lesson 1: Nature of Knowledge about God 283Lesson 2: Nature of God 288Lesson 3: Creator and Creation 290Lesson 4: God’s pursuit 294Lesson 5: God’s Non-binding action 296Lesson 6: Insulting God 299Lesson 7: Praising God 301Lesson 8: God as the giver of happiness 304Lesson 9: God as the provider of livelihood 306Lesson 10: God as provider of fortunes 308Lesson 11: Method of praying to God 309Lesson 12: Benefit of knowing God 312Lesson 13: Guidance from God 315Lesson 14: Glory of God 318Lesson 15: Request for Universal Form 326Lesson 16: Universal form 328

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Page No.Unit 17: Liberation through Bhakthi YogaLesson 1: Five Stages in Bhakthi Yoga 337Lesson 2: Through Knowledge (Stage 5) 339Lesson 3: Through Devotion (Stage 4) 341Lesson 4: Through Upasana (Stage 3) 343Lesson 5: Through Action (Stage 2) 345Lesson 6: Through Enjoyment (Stage 1) 347Lesson 7: On completing Bhakthi Yoga 349

Part III – YOU ARE THAT

Unit 18: Jnana Yoga Lesson 1: Who am I? 360Lesson 2: What is creation? 364Lesson 3: What are the values? 366Lesson 4: Who is Brahman? 368Lesson 5: When did the universe begin? 244Lesson 6: What is Bondage and liberation? 375Lesson 7: Who is the observer? 378Lesson 8: What is the path and the destination? 381Lesson 9: Three Perceptions 388Lesson 10: The Observed – AEM 392Lesson 11: Factors that bind us 395Lesson 12: Using the Illusion 398Lesson 13: Description of a Wise Person 403

Unit 19: Enlightenment through Jnana YogaLesson 1: Essence of Vedanta 408Lesson 2: Escaping from Eternal Cycle 412Lesson 3: Self-revealing Brahman 416Lesson 4: Illusory appearance of the world 420Lesson 5: Three levels of reality 422Lesson 6: Cleansing ourselves 424Lesson 7: Source of knowledge 432Lesson 8: Quality of life 437

Unit 20: Summary of Gita Lesson 1: An overview 443Lesson 2: Physical renunciation 445Lesson 3: Mental renunciation 450Lesson 4: Analysis of the three elements 455Lesson 5: Essence of Karma Yoga 459Lesson 6: Essence of Jnana Yoga 461Lesson 7: Essence of Bhakthi Yoga 463Lesson 8: Completion of the teaching 464

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Teachings in GitaPage No.

Highest level of teaching meant for the top 5% of the students

1. Wise people do not suffer. 402. Attachment is the cause of suffering. 413. You are eternal (You exist all the time). 434. You are the Atman. 455. You are the changeless consciousness. 476. You are the only reality. The universe is an illusion. 507. Consciousness is only one, which is present at all places. 518. You are not destructible. 519. You are immeasurable and beyond perception. 52

10. You do not do anything nor do you cause anything to be done. 5411. You are neither the doer nor the enjoyer. 5512. Atman cannot be understood by all. 61

Medium level of teaching meant for the top 50% of the students

13. Karma Yoga is the steppingstone to gain Self-knowledge. 6314. Karma binds and Karma Yoga liberates. 6815. Work for correcting the mind not for correcting the world. 7016. Joyful Living should be the only goal for all human beings. 7217. Material pursuit should lead to spiritual pursuit. 7418. Spiritual pursuit ALONE can lead us to Joyful Living. 7719. Vedas are irrelevant for those who know how to live joyfully. 7820. Twelve Laws of Karma govern action and results. 8321. Six Principles convert Karma into Karma Yoga. 9022. You do not have any choice in the results of your action. 9223. Thought leads to action and Action leads to thoughts. 9324. Convert Karma as Karma Yoga to gain Self-Knowledge. 9425. Self-Knowledge results in Joyful Living. 9926. Faith should replace belief to facilitate knowledge. 11127. Understand the role of four lifestyles. 11228. Action, not inaction, leads us to Joyful Living. 11529. All human beings are helplessly bound to action. 11630. No external force is acting on human beings. 11631. All our thoughts are born out of our actions. 11832. Mind control is better than avoiding the sense objects. 11933. Everyone should be engaged in a Chosen Profession. 12034. Three elements determine the personality of the individual. 12235. Four groups of Chosen Professions are recommended. 12236. Chosen Profession should be in line with the personality. 12337. Avoid illegitimate desires and moderate legitimate desires. 12638. Let the actions be born from intelligence and not from mind. 126

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39. We need to do our duties all the time to keep the world going. 13140. There are no duties for the one who has gained self-knowledge. 13341. Matter dominant people should be guided into more action. 13442. Energy Dominant people should be advised to follow Dharma. 13543. Aura Dominant people should move from action to learning. 13544. It is not possible to change anyone. 143

Lowest level of teaching meant for all the students

45. Enjoy sense objects without being attached to them. 14746. Poor performance of prescribed duties is better than

good performance of non-prescribed duties. 14947. Desire is the invisible force that drives you in wrong action. 15148. Likes and dislikes cause desire. 15349. Desire is the obstacle to Karma Yoga. 15550. Karma Yoga prepares the mind to receive self-knowledge. 15551. This ultimate knowledge is revealed by God at the time of creation. 16152. We carry our impressions, preferences and knowledge across all births.53. We should live according to Dharma prescribed in Vedas. 166

Summary of teaching

54. Knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. 16955. Without exception, all human beings are trying to know Brahman. 17256. Many do not know that their goal is Joyful Living. 17357. Many do not know what will give them fulfillment. 17458. Many wrongly link their goal in life with happiness. 17559. Majority of the educated people do not know the right path. 17560. It is easier to work in the external world than to work on the mind. 17561. Many do not know their capability to reach the destination. 17662. Only Aura dominant people can merge with God. 17763. Dropping the ego is merging with God. 17964. You can do any action if you know that you do not act. 18065. Willful abstention from sense objects give strength to sense organs.18466. Scientific inquiry of Vedas will reveal the ultimate knowledge. 18767. Knowledge removes our desires, attachment and delusions. 18968. Knowledge erases all our past impressions. 18969. Knowledge converts all our actions into inaction. 19070. Faith and scientific investigation leads to Joyful Living. 19171. Knowledge about the universe leads to Joyful Living. 19572. Lifestyle facilitates and does not determine the result. 19673. Professional Lifestyle facilitates mental maturity and

Spiritual Lifestyle facilitates self-knowledge. 19774. Most people are bound to action and cannot renounce them. 204

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75. On gaining self-knowledge, all actions are renounced. 20876. There is no happiness in the objects of the world. 21077. Meditation is a tool to refine the mind to see the truth. 21478. Roles played by people are relative and not absolute. 23479. Growth depends on the attitude and not on the type of activities. 23680. Happiness increases with Physical, Emotional and Intellectual levels.81. Intellectual comprehension of God gives the highest grade of happiness.82. Only very few people in the world can know God. 24883. God is both the intelligent and material cause of the universe. 25184. The higher nature of God is Brahman (Intelligent Cause) and the lower

nature is Illusion (Material Cause). 25385. There is nothing but God. 25486. The benefit of knowing God is Joyful Living. 25587. Everything that happens in our life is due to the grace of God. 25788. The illusory universe is more attractive than the reality, Brahman. 25789. God controls the entire creation through his power of Illusion. 25990. Surrendering to the master of illusion, God is the only way to gain

liberation from the illusion. 26091. Faith in God helps us to progress faster. 26292. Seeking God while in trouble is good. 26393. Seeking God for material prosperity is better. 26494. Seeking God for knowing God is the best. 26495. Knower of God is the dearest person to God. 26596. Prayers with faith to the personal god are answered by God. 26797. Faith in God helps the intelligent people to know God. 26998. Joyful Living is possible only if we know God. 27099. Formless Brahman appears to be the universe, which is God. 288

100. God manifests, sustains and resolve the creation cyclically. 294101. God ensures that every being lives in an environment that is dictated by its

past actions. 294102. God ensures that each child grows into an adult without any influence

from its parents or by its environment. 294103. God remains impartial both to a devotee and to an atheist. 297104. Devotion to God is graded based on knowledge of God. 302105. God is not only the means but also the destination for all. 305106. God answers our prayers according to our preferences and impressions.107. God provides the material support if the destination is God. 307108. Offerings to God should be made with the right attitude. 311109. Offerings to God will facilitate surrender of the Ego. 312110. The best devotee is one who has surrendering the ego to God. 313111. God forgives all our past mistakes if we surrender to Him completely. 112. We should do all our actions with God consciousness. 316113. God has given the knowledge to us through Vedas. 319114. The purpose of miracles is to demonstrate the glory of God. 328115. We should surrender our freewill to God and live according to His will.116. We are inseparable part of the universe. 330

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117. We can reach God through entertainment. 347118. The Pious Person enjoys life with twenty qualities. 358119. The observer is the observed because there is only one reality. 361120. God unites the individual observer with the vast universe inseparably. 121. Brahman is eternal and causeless. 368122. Brahman is not limited by time, space or object. 368123. Brahman alone exists. It is the only reality. 368124. This Atman is Brahman. 369125. Brahman is conscious, eternal and joyful. 373126. Bhakthi Yoga comprising of Karma Yoga, Upasana Yoga and Jnana Yoga

is the only path to know Brahman. 381127. Karma yoga is to dedicate all the physical action to God and accept the

results as a gift from God. 381128. Upasana Yoga is pure mental action to refine our mind by aligning the five

layers of our personality. 382129. Jnana Yoga is to gain knowledge, ‘I am Brahman’ through Inquiry,

Introspection and Inner Transformation. 384130. Brahman is the seed-giving father of the creation. 390131. Illusion, comprising of Aura, Energy and Matter, is the mother of the

creation. 390132. We are good or bad depending on the composition of AEM. 393133. Aura, Energy and Matter (AEM) together binds us. 395134. We need to use AEM to gain freedom. 399135. Only fully ripened ego can be surrendered to God 401136. Brahman is the only truth. World is an illusion. 408137. World does not have the power to hurt us or make us happy. 414138. We should understand the central message of Vedanta. 417139. We should validate Vedanta through scientific investigation. 417140. We should meditate on the knowledge, “I am Brahman”. 420141. Good qualities that give happiness to self and others are to be cultivated.142. Bad qualities that hurt self and others are to be reduced or eliminated.143. Desire is the root cause of all evil qualities. 428144. Dharma in all our actions will release us from the clutches of desire.428145. Quality of life depends on the dominance of Aura in our mind. 437146. Eat Aura dominant food in moderation at regular intervals. 437147. Work is worship. Try to achieve perfection in the chosen profession 438148. Practice austerity with respect to deeds, words and thoughts. 438149. Giving charity and helping others increases Aura in us. 439150. Aura dominant person will attain Brahman and live joyfully. 439