Thoughts on The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 10: Verse 8 - Verse 14)

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Hello and welcome to the Bearded Mystic Podcast,and I'm your host, Rahul N.Singh.Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode.If you are really interested in supporting The Bearded Mystic Podcast, and you've found great benefit in listening or watching these episodes, then please do support this podcast on Patreon where you can get ad free and bonus episodes along with other benefits depending on the tier that you select.Your support means everything,and it really does help the podcast keep running efficiently and smoothly, and also widens the audience that this message can reach to.If you would like to know more about it, the details are in the show notes and video description below.

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00 AM Eastern Standard Time there is a free virtual meditation session along with discussion and Q&A.If you're interested in meditating with us as a community, then you can find out the details in the show notes and video description below.Please do like, comment, and subscribe if you're watching this on YouTube and if you're listening to this on your favorite podcast streaming app, then please do give this podcast a five star rating.It helps the podcast get up in the charts and allows the algorithm to bring this podcast to new listeners and also do review the podcast if you can and make sure you do follow or subscribe to keep getting future episodes.Today we will be continuing on with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and we will be looking at chapter 10,verses eight to verse 14.Let's get started with verse eight.I am the source of everything; from Me the entire creation flows.Knowing this, the wise adore me with all their hearts.So we are going to look at the verse as a whole here.Now we know that this Isvara,this Maha Loka Isvara from the previous verse, and we know this Shared Being on the level that we live in this world,this transactional level,the source of all of this existence is that Shared Being.On the ultimate level,we know that it's Nirguna Brahman or Formless Awareness.Everything has arisen from that source.So the one is the many and the many is the one.Everything perceivable and unperceivable finds its source in Brahman.So that's something we can understand.Even if we can perceive it or do not perceive it, it's still there and as he says from Me,the entire creation flows.So from Me, meaning from the Shared Being, this entire creation flows, this entire creation is manifested from this Infinite Being of Pure Consciousness.And knowing this the wise adore me with all their hearts.This is because the people of wisdom adore Brahman with all their heart including the whole of existence.They don't see the difference between the two.They see them as one and the same.So they know this, they know that this existence is the Shared Being and the Shared Being is Nirguna Brahman.So even if they adore the Shared Being, the Isvara, Saguna Brahman the isht-devta, that may be the form of our Guru.They will adore them with all their hearts.So even if one adores Sri Krishna with all their heart,that's absolutely fine and that's because they see the absolute beauty that is in all of existence.They see that beauty when they look at a leaf on a tree.They see that beauty, when they see that grain of sand on the beach, they see that beauty when they see a ray of the sunlight going through the window.That is literally how a true wise person sees the world, and that's exactly how we need to aspire to be.So we love it with all of our heart.We are consumed in this love,in this adoration towards this Shared Being, this existence.Verse nine.Their thoughts dwell in Me,their lives are surrendered unto Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.They're very beautiful verse.One that we are literally doing right now.Every thought dwells in this existence.Every thought.Think about it.A thought that you have is done through this body.This body is part of existence.It's not separate to existence.It is existence.It has come from this creative principle, or it's come from the earth, the five elements of the earth and that's what it's made of.Now, they dwell in me, says their thoughts dwell in me.We are constantly thinking about Brahman.We are constantly thinking about Isvara.We are constantly thinking about our isht-devta and that's the way we live.And such people, they've surrendered to Brahman.Now, how have they surrendered to Brahman?What have they done?They've surrendered their name and form.Now they become nameless and Formless as an identity.So they may still operate as a name.So obviously if you call them out, they will still respond to you.They still have a form.They still are alive and,and well, but they ultimately understand that truly they are nameless and they are Formless and all they know is that there is this Formless Awareness on the ultimate level, on this existential level there is this Shared Being of existence and it understands that it may be easier to surrender to that Shared Being, to Sri Krishna, to our Guru, it might be a little easier for us.Therefore, Sri Krishna gives us the opportunity to do that.Now think about it in the previous verse, we talked about how everything, the source of everything is this Brahman.It's easier to surrender when you know that the source of everything is not you as an individual person as a jiva.So automatically there is no space for ego.There's no space for you to be arrogant or to have pride or to be like, I'm better or any of that.Or I'm a better spiritual seeker.That's not really entertained anymore.And that's the whole point when we talk about surrendering, why we surrender is to eliminate our ego as an identity.And because we know on the ultimate level, there's only Nirguna Brahman,this Formless Awareness that is real surrender.Yes.The first part of surrender is to do to a form that can be the Shared Being, or that can be existence or the universe, or to Sri Krishna.But ultimately we have to go to Nirguna Brahman.What do wise people love to do?Once you've surrendered to this Formless, once you've surrendered to your Guru,once you've surrendered to the isht-devta, to existence,what does one love to do?What do we find that satisfies us?Yeah, one, we derive great satisfaction and bliss by enlightening one another.Enlightening one another about what?This Formless Awareness,this Nirguna Brahman,this Brahm Gyana.We talk about the qualities of this Formless.We talk about this vibhuti yoga, yeah the qualities of this existence and we look at the greatness of it, the beauty of it, the splendor of it, and we are enamored by it and we converse with each other about it.We cannot stop singing the praises of this isht-devta, or Shared Being or Nirguna Brahman.So one, we enlighten one another with this wisdom,and most of all, we just love conversing about it.This is what really gets us excited.This is what really makes us get up in the morning,is to discuss this Formless.The truth is literally what we deal with.The truth is what they trade.The truth is everything they think about, the truth is every thought, every image, that's all they're consumed by and that's why they get great satisfaction.Once you're satisfied with life, once you're content with life, what more do you want?And if you get bliss as well, that's unbreakable,this true happiness,what more do you want?This is why when we surrender to the Lord, then we automatically start being creative in our understanding of the Lord.We find different ways of expressing the beauty of this Lord.We find different ways of expressing what This truly is.And if you think about it, this topic of Brahman, of existence,of the Shared Being, of the isht-devta, of Isvara has been discussed for thousands of years, and yet there are still new expressions being formed.Think about every podcast about the Bhagavad Gita.Even the ones where I may doubt it's philosophical accuracy.Even with those, think about how many ways we express that one idea.Think about it, the one in the many.How do we express the many in that one?It's infinite and that's why it's extremely beautiful when we discuss these spiritual matters and like I always say,there's nothing more joyful than having a conversation about this Formless, about Nirguna Brahman, about the Guru, about Brahm Gyana.There's nothing better than this.Verse 10.To those who are constantly devoted and adore Me with purest love, I give the understanding by which they may come to Me.Very beautiful verse.And again, this whole chapter is about feeling surrender, feeling the element of something grander that we need to surrender to.Now, although it's one and the same as us, and I'm going to keep repeating this, it's one and the same as us, but in the beginning it's very essential to have this very minor, very minute, very subtle duality, and then we can remove that duality once we become established in this Brahman.It may be, for a lot of us,going to Nirguna, going to Nirakar is very challenging.It's not so easy.So having Saguna, having an attributed Isvara or having a Guru, having Sri Krishna or having Shiv ji or Vishnu or anything, any, any deva,devi to concentrate upon.All these just ground us and they make it easier for us then to move to the Formless.The biggest misconception that people have with Hinduism is that they think that people worship murtis, thinking , the murtis are real, but what they don't understand is that they're worshiping the Real in the murti, the changeless in the changing nature of the murti, the murti will change, it will lose its color.It will decay slowly and slowly throughout the years.But the changeless within the murti, does not change.What needs to be said is that,how you see Sri Krishna matters.You must see Sri Krishna in at least two levels, where you see him as someone to aspire to be, and therefore you adore and you surrender because they're a great role model.And then it's the true form of Sri Krishna, which is this Nirguna Brahman,this Formless Awareness.Ultimately Sri Krishna, the one that is the form, will take you to the Formless.It will take you to Nirguna, and therefore, once it takes you to Nirguna, you can then embrace all of existence as your own.Otherwise, what can happen is there's still a separation between existence and Nirguna Brahman.Okay?So if you see Sri Krishna as the avatar of the Dwapar Yug,and you remain fixed in the historical figure, you will read the Bhagavatam and you'll feel the joy from the tales of the man named Krishna.Ultimately, that's what you will feel, and it's a great way to get that constant devotion.It's a great way to adore Sri Krishna with that purest of love because there's nothing greater than learning from the greatest.And remember, when I say Sri Krishna is the greatest, I will say the same for Shiva Ji, for Devi Ji, for anyone.But remember he says, I give the understanding by which they may come to me.So ultimately what he's saying is yes, they may come to me as the form through the Bhagavatam, but then there is the Gita that is waiting for them, and that Gita will tell them of my true nature,which is Formless Awareness.Remember we go back to chapter two, which talks about the Real and the unreal.So you can see Sri Krishna as your Isvara, as your isht-devta, and you must remain fixed on this.When I say Gyana here, you can swap this name with anyone that you admire.I, I don't mind if you do that.I think it's essential you do that.So that can be your Guru,your role model, your mentor,anyone that's really helped you on your spiritual path.They are your Sri Krishna.Sri Krishna has not died because the knowledge that he gives is still here.He's still alive because of that knowledge.So remain fixed on that personality and chant His name and worship his murti,worship His picture, worship his name, worship the idea you have of him, the image you've created in your own mind, in your imagination or worship the photo, whatever.Chant His name.Yeah.Do it with the purest of love.Why I say chanting, chanting does create a strong sense of love, a strong sense of togetherness, and that's why I think it's really important that you must chant the name of your Guru or do the Guru-mantra or do something that will create that love and create that devotion.Then what you will realize is as you are chanting, as you're remembering, as you're constantly living in the awareness that there is only Sri Krishna, Sri Krishna is this whole existence or your Guru is the whole existence,then you'll see Sri Krishna as Brahman itself, and you'll be bestowed with Brahm Gyana.Guaranteed.You'll find such a Guru that will tell you what this Formless really is,what Isvara really is.What the murti really is.That's what happens.Now all of those types that I just mentioned, you know,whether one sees it as the avatar, as the Isvara, as Brahman, they view Sri Krishna or view any spiritual ideal with absolute love, adoration,and devotion, it's a must.Even if you see it as Brahman,you have natural love for it.Incredible amount of love,because when you do not fix a form on something, love then cannot be limited to that form.When love is then associated with formlessness,it automatically becomes limitless too.Now, yes, it can be infinite in terms of existence,but in terms of awareness,there's no beginning, no end.Yeah, very subtle point.I hope you get what I mean by this.It's, it's very, very subtle,but very, very important.So if you feel that you need to go back a couple of seconds, do that and try to grasp what I've said.And see Sri Krishna,eventually, as you get closer and closer to this understanding see it as Brahman.See your Guru as Brahman.See your Guru as Formless Awareness.And that is the way we discuss the Gita on this podcast.We ultimately go back to that state and that's how we need to continue to be in that awareness.Verse 11.Out of compassion for them, I,who am dwelling within their hearts, destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.We can look at the verse as a whole here.Out of compassion for them.It's always out of compassion that this Formless Awareness is revealed to us, is declared to us, is shown to us, is presented to us.It's because of compassion.When our Guru has compassion for us because they want us to excel in spirituality, that's what Sri Krishna is saying, when I out of compassion for them.Then, he says, who am dwelling within their own hearts.Sri Krishna is already within our own hearts.This Isvara is already in our own hearts.This existence is already within our own hearts.This Nirguna Brahman is already within our own hearts.We have to find it dwelling there.Once we understand it's dwelling here within our own hearts.This again, this spring of love and devotion naturally arises,we understand that this Formless Awareness is not just within us.It's all around us.Yeah.If it's within my heart,it's within every heart.It's the pulse of existence,and then it destroys the darkness born of ignorance.What's born from ignorance?What's the ignorance that we have?That we are this name and form, this body and mind,and we identify with every label that is associated with this body and mind.Because we associate with this body and mind,we are in darkness.We do not see the world for what it is.We do not see existence for what it is.We cannot even recognize Sri Krishna for who he is or our Guru for who they are.Neither do we do the same thing for Nirguna Brahman,for Formless Awareness on the ultimate level.What destroys that darkness that is born of ignorance?What destroys it?The shining lamp of knowledge, this Brahm Gyana.Only Brahm Gyana can get rid of this deep darkness of ignorance.Only Brahm Gyana, nothing else.Without Brahm Gyana, we will not have the pointing that's required to grasp the Real,to grasp the changeless,to grasp the Formless.Brahm Gyana is absolutely essential.Now, what happens is this shining lamp of knowledge,it burns away this darkness and then burns away the ignorance that we have.It takes it from the root and says, you are not this body and mind.You are not the individual jiva and because there's no individual jiva, there is no Isvara . There is only Nirguna Brahman.There's only Pure Consciousness.There's only Formless Awareness.So knowledge reveals that you are this Brahman.Now you stay as your true self and you drop all other identities.It's literally Tat Tvam Asi is what is being discussed here.You understand that you are That, simple as that, and that's what the shining lamp of knowledge does for us.Verse 12.Arjuna said, O' Krishna,you are Param Brahma - the ultimate manifestation of Brahman., Param Dhama - the supreme abode within Brahman.Pavitra - that Being whose association purifies everyone.Paramam Bhavan - the ultimate and Supreme Being.Purusha Shashvata Divya - The Ultimate divine Person.Adideva - the original deva.Aja - that Being who is never born, but merely appears.Vibhu - the Supreme Being who pervades everything.This is very important to understand.This is what Arjuna is now describing after having realized the words of Sri Krishna, taking in those words, and we must do the same.We must be feeling the same as Arjuna right now.If we are not, we need to keep revisiting until we are feeling the same thing.Let's break this verse up.Arjuna said O Krishna, You are Param Brahma - the ultimate manifestation of Brahman.So he's now telling us what he's experiencing.He sees that there is this Brahman, this vast infinite Formless Awareness and this existence that has been manifested here, that appears here, that appears here is this Brahman.This Isvara, this Sri Krishna is all Brahman.It's this ultimate manifestation of Brahman.Yeah.Remember, manifestations only appear, ultimately the source of it all is Brahman.Then he says Param Dhama - the supreme abode within Brahman.Arjuna refers to Sri Krishna again as the ultimate manifestation of Formless Awareness.And in this light we can say that any great being.So that can be our Guru that reveals and remains as Brahman is the ultimate manifestation.Whoever gives us Brahm Gyana and sticks with the knowledge and you see that their life, their way of being, just speaks of Brahman.Just speaks of Formless Awareness.That person is the ultimate manifestation.Yeah.Then you have Param Dhama - the supreme abode within Brahman.When we are looking for shelter, when we are in a mess, where do we go?Where do we find comfort?Where do we find solace?Where do we find peace?Is in the supreme abode within Brahman.Yeah.What is the supreme abode?This existence.What is this existence?Sri Krishna, our Guru or Isvara.This is the greatest home.Then when we are on the ultimate level, we will see that this Param Dhama is none other than being in awareness of Formless Awareness, there is nothing more supreme than that.That is our true home.That's where we will ultimately go back to.Then Arjuna says that Sri Krishna, You are Pavitra - that Being whose association purifies everyone.Paramam Bhavan - the ultimate and Supreme Being.So Sri Krishna, our Guru,Isvara or even Nirguna Brahman on the ultimate level.This Formless Awareness on the ultimate level, the more we associate with it, the higher we go in our spirituality, the more pure our mind becomes.Our thoughts start concentrating on this Formless.Our thoughts start taking us to the Formless more and more.We can be in the midst of activity and be in the awareness of the Formless.That's what happens when we associate with this Isvara, with our Guru, with this Formless Awareness,it purifies everyone.Anyone that goes.It doesn't matter what caste you are, what color you are,what nationality you are,what sexual orientation you are, what gender you are,any label you can think of.It doesn't matter what you are, it purifies everyone.It doesn't distinguish between even someone that does bad acts and someone who does good acts.Association will purify everyone.It's nature is to purify everyone.Automatically.Yeah.It's self cleansing and ultimately we get so pure that we then start reflecting this Formless Awareness.We start reflecting our Guru, we start reflecting this Isvara, Sri Krishna.That's what naturally happens.Then Paramam Bhavan - the ultimate and Supreme Being.Why is it the ultimate and Supreme Being?Because there's nothing higher than this.It's both the manifestation that appears and is beyond the appearance too.The screen of awareness.That's what it is.There's no second to it.There's no second Brahman.There's no third Brahman.There's only one Brahman.And even that one Brahman refuses to say it is one,because the moment it says one,it may entertain 2, 3, 4, 5.That's why there is neti-neti.It's to stay away from that huge downfall that can happen.That's what we must understand.It's the ultimate Being.There's nothing higher than this.So two ways to say there's nothing higher than the Guru or Sri Krishna, and there's nothing higher than this Nirguna Brahman.Once we understand what our Guru really is and what Sri Krishna really is.Then Purusha Shashvata Divya- the Ultimate Divine Person.Adideva - the original deva.Arjuna uses the word Purusha Shashvata Divya - the Ultimate Divine Person.That absolute divine personality.All great beings like Sri Krishna, like our Gurus,they take us to the absolute heights of spirituality.They keep making us ascend higher and higher.That is the Ultimate Divine person.Whoever shows us our highest potential, that is the Ultimate Divine Person.They are worthy of all worship.They are the ones that we need to worship.If we have a righteous Guru, then this will be our feeling too, that they are the Ultimate divine person.And you know what's beautiful about the Guru?They're a mirror.So as you see them as the Ultimate Divine Person that will be mirrored to you.And then what else do you see then?Nothing but this Formless.This is why it's the Ultimate Divine Person.And again, because it's the Ultimate Divine Person, we as the jiva, before we get too ahead of ourselves, we remain humble because we say that this is the Ultimate Divine Person,whether that's our Guru or Sri Krishna or existence itself.Then he says Adideva- the original deva.The original deva is basically the OG, the first ever.Now the first true ever is Nirguna Brahman,Formless Awareness..But in terms of existence, it will be that principle, that knowledge, the word, the shabd,that's the original deva.Or you can say it's Aum.That's the original deva.That's my way of interpreting it personally.But you can say that all devas arise from this One, and basically all the devas that are there are manifestations of this one ultimate deva, which is Brahman.And this Brahman is, can be on this level, in this understanding, in the highest understanding, to be as Sri Krishna, our Guru,anything that we see as the ultimate Divine Person.Then Aja - which is that Being who is never born but merely appears and Vibhu - the Supreme Being who pervades everything.So Aja that being who is never born but merely appears.This Being meaning this Shared Being, this Isvara, Sri Krishna has never been born.It just appears in existence.In fact, that's creation.It just is an appearance.It's not born actually.If one says it's born, then it's, we have to say it's real, but actually it's not.It doesn't exist upon further investigation.When we do neti-neti, when we use our discernment,when we utilize our viveka,we realize actually,It's just an appearance.It doesn't really, it's never really been born,therefore, it can't really die.For example, even though we say something is born out of imagination, really, imagination appears from nowhere and then disappears into nowhere.You don't create an imaginative thought.It disappears, and that's the way this is too.Then Vibhu - the Supreme Being who pervades everything.All of this existence,even though it's an appearance, is pervaded by Isvara or Nirguna Brahman.All of this existence is infused with this Formless.It's soaked and marinated in this Formless.That's what pervades everything.So even though the supreme being can be that Ultimate Divine Person, our Guru or Sri Krishna here or Isvara, but ultimately when we go higher and higher in spirituality,as we purify ourselves completely, we understand that actually it's this Nirguna that's pervading everything.Yeah.It's this Formless that is pervading everything.Then verse 13.All the greatest rishis among the devas and the humans, including Narada,Asita, Devala, and Vyasa,have explained who You are,and now You are personally explaining yourself to me.Arjuna is really saying that all these great rishis amongst these, the devas and the humans,they have all tried to explain and have explained who you are.And what's amazing here is what Arjuna is saying is that You,Sri Krishna this Ultimate Divine Person, You are guiding me.You are personally explaining yourself to me.Before the rishis did that job.But today You are doing it for me.Before the devas may have done it.Humans may have done it,but You as Isvara, as the isht-devta are explaining Your true self to Arjuna and to us.Yeah.This is for us too, so it doesn't matter whether we see it as our Guru or we see it as Sri Krishna or we see as Isvara, we must feel that they are explaining this amazing knowledge with us, that they are explaining this knowledge to us.So when we read this Gita,we must read it not just as Sri Krishna, but read it as your Guru who you worship,see it as them or anyone that you really admire.And if you admire Sri Krishna then say Sri Krishna, if it's Shiva ji then Shiva ji.They are not gonna be offended because they're one and the same.Only people get offended because they can't tell the difference that they are the one and the same.We must feel that they're explaining this knowledge to us.So they have explained who they are and they are personally explaining it all to us.Then verse 14.O Sri Krishna.I know that all the wisdom you are giving me contains the deepest truths on which the ritam of this world rests.O Bhagavan, neither the devas nor the asuras truly understand how You are manifest within all that exists.Before I begin looking at the whole verse here,ritam here means the truth.Arjuna is making sure we understand who he's referring to here.So here we can think of our Guru, we can think of Nirgun Brahman, this Formless Awareness.I know that all the wisdom you are giving me, Everything you've just declared to me,Sri Krishna, everything you've just declared to Me, my Guru, I understand that it's containing the deepest truths, the deepest.There's nothing deeper than this.There's nothing more exquisite than this.There's nothing more important than this.And the whole truth of this world rests on this.Now, what is this truth of the world?What is it?What is this ritam of the world?What is contained in these deepest truths that we've just heard?These different attributes, qualities.Then he says, O Bhagavan this beautiful beloved,the most charming, the most captivating one, neither the devas nor the asuras.Even the greatest beings, even the lowest of beings, do not truly understand how you are manifest within all that exists.Because they are still separated.They still feel separation.They are not in jivan-mukti.They cannot see how the Nirguna is in Saguna.They cannot understand how the world is manifested,how this is an appearance.They cannot see that everything is this One.All is One and One is All.They cannot see this.They cannot understand this, but we can.And that's why the wisdom that Sri Krishna is giving, the wisdom that our Guru gives,contains this deepest truth,the deepest truths that this is manifest within all that exists.And importantly that whenever you look at everything you see, only this One.That's the deepest truths on which the truth of this world rests.That this one manifests as the many.It appears as the many,but truly it's just One Pure Formless Awareness.And that is the end of today's episode.If you liked what you heard and liked what you watched,please do share this podcast with your friends and family who may enjoy this content.Do follow me on social media to keep getting updates.Join the Bearded Mystic Podcast WhatsApp community group to continue the podcast discussion,details are in the show notes and video description below.If you would like to support the Bearded Mystic Podcast as we discussed earlier, do check out the podcast Patreon page.Your support means everything, and it helps this podcast keep running.Details are in the show notes and video description below.Please do rate this podcast five stars and do give a review either on your favorite podcast,streaming app or on our website.Details are in the show notes and video description below.Please do like and comment on this video and subscribe to this YouTube channel.Do follow or subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast streaming app.Thank you very much for listening to this episode.Let's end with the Shanti mantra and the Soham mantra.Soham Soham.I am That.I am That.Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti Aum Peace Peace Peace Namaste