The Gita is an eternally blossoming lotus that unfolds a new petal each time we approach it for fragrance. As we progress inward, each petal reveals different colors when viewed from a different angle in life and motivates us on the path towards self realization. Such a scripture can liberate the whole of humanity from the clutches of ignorance. Sri Krishna patiently makes Arjuna realize through its 18 chapters on how to synchronize the individual human will with the Divine Will and finally leaves the choice to Arjuna’s wisdom (Yadhechasi Tatha Kuru- XVIII, 63- Do according to your will). The relationship of Man and Divine as the most intimate of friends, where nothing is hidden, is best exemplified in the colloquy between Arjuna and Sri Krishna in the Gita.
This reminds me of one such experience as a student in the Ashram during my teen years in Hriday Prasad’s (he was son of Narayana Prasad author of the book ‘Life in Sri Aurobindo Ashram’ and also a student from the first batch whom the Divine Mother used to teach) history class. Every Sunday morning in the Hall of Harmony in the Sri Aurobindo International school talks were conducted by Nirod Da, Amal Kiran Ji, Sri Sisir Kumar Mitra Ji and other scholars of Sri Aurobindo’s works. On the previous day, it was Sri Amal Kiran who spoke on the chapter (Part II ch XX) Swabhava and Swadharma from Essays on Gita. Next day while discussing the same in our class, our teacher gave us one hour to think and write about ourselves, what is one’s own swabhava and which part of our being mostly controls our daily actions and speech. He said there was no need to show it to anybody but that we express ourselves with sincerity. He said that we must make it a habit to do self-analysis periodically to view our inner progress. The task given was difficult like climbing the peak of Everest. Had he asked us to write an essay on any informative or creative topic, we would have shown all our language and writing skills but we realized that we rarely devote our time for introspection. Most of us either scribbled a few confused lines or left the page blank.
Later he suggested that we should start devoting a few minutes each day before going to bed reading Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s works even though we are not capable of understanding them with our logical mind. Then we should sit quietly and meditate for a while and note down in a personal diary the gist of that day’s activities and our reactions to them in a sincere attitude of self analysis and find out where we actually can position ourselves and this would help us in our inner progress and sadhana. He used the word ‘Sakshibuta’ from the Gita which means to look at our own actions as a witness and referred to the well known story of the two birds from the Upanishads ‘Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual Self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the same tree. The former tastes the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.” (Mundaka Upanishad 3:1:1). This simple and yet most lofty philosophical explanation sowed in us the seeds of spiritual quest and we tried to grasp, to some extent, the difference between the inner Self that should observe and the outer Self that is engaged in action.
In the following few weeks we, all the teenagers, of our history class, took Sri Bhagavad Gita with Sri Aurobindo’s translations and Essays on Gita in our hands and opened its sacred pages. Our first attempt at reading was an endless beginning that will be continued incessantly until our last breath. Each spark of this spiritual Light will dispel the darkness of ignorance seated in us as we progress on our spiritual path holding the hands of the Divine Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The teachers in Sri Aurobindo International centre were more like Rishis in the Gurukulas and teaching was a part of their Sadhana. Their words of wisdom reverberated throughout our latter lives when we had to pass through the practical ordeals of both positive and negative experiences. Each of their explanation that appeared very simple when we heard them as students latter revealed to us the most profound and hidden principles of life. What greater Divine grace can we pray for when such enlightened souls were our teachers!
The principle of Nishkama Karma as per the most commonly quoted and discussed sloka from Gita ‘Karmanya vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadaachana’ (II, 47) repeatedly puzzled us. In the Ashram school, we could freely approach our teachers to clarify our doubts. There was respect, love, freedom and above all a deep sincerity in the relationship between a teacher and a student. One such question asked by one of us was about how can there exist a work without a result. The explanation that we got for our doubts about Nishkama (desireless) Karma still rings in my ears as if it were told only yesterday. This ingrained truth certainly has helped us swim across the turbulent waters of unforeseen events and apparent failures latter in life.
“adhiShTAnam tathA kartA karaNam cha prthak vidam
vividhAh cha prithak chEShTah daivam cha iva atra panchamam " (XVIII, 14)
“The Gita then speaks of five causes or indispensable requisites for the accomplishment of works as laid down by the Sankhya. These five are, first, the frame of the body, life and mind which are the basis or standing-ground of the soul in Nature Adhisthana, next, the doer, karta, third, the various instrumentation of nature, karana, fourth, the many kind of effort make up the force of action, cestah, and last, Fate ,daivam , that is to say, the influence of the Power or powers other than the human factors, other than the visible mechanism of Nature that stand behind these and modify the work and dispose its fruits in the steps of act and consequence. These five elements make up among them all the efficient causes, karana, that determine the shaping and outcome of whatever work man undertakes with mind speech and body”— Sri Aurobindo , Essays on the Gita, page 497.
The five factors that contribute to the result of an action and Sri Aurobindo’s words were explained to us with practical day-to-day examples. Whether we want it or not, we are forced by Nature to get the results only as per the unseen Divine Will. Firstly, the body and mind should be perfectly disciplined as they are the seat where an action takes place. Secondly, the self involved in an action should take it in an attitude of egoless surrender. The third are the external circumstances and factors of Nature which are not in our control. Explaining with an example the ‘third, the various instruments of nature’ influencing our action he uttered: ‘suppose in cyclonic weather in Pondicherry when the electricity suddenly trips while you were seriously engaged in study?’ Man is constantly endeavoring to overcome the hurdles in his work caused by external factors. The fourth is our conscious effort and sincerity - that are next most important. He further continued: ‘the fourth is an ardent effort... A sincere dedicated student would light a lantern, close the windows and still continue with his studies’. Finally the fifth factor and the most controlling factor is the Divine Grace or Will. When we do our part with utmost sincerity and perfection by surrendering to the Divine Will our daily activities will be transformed into a conscious unconditional prayer. The stress of life will not touch us at all. We were advised that we should study for the love of studies and knowledge and our education must become a means to progress towards our aim in life of becoming a conscious instrument of Divine Mother.
“Success, failure are in His hands and He will regulate them according to His omniscient will and inscrutable purpose. Action, all action has indeed to be given up in the end, not physically by abstention, immobility, by inertia, but spiritually to the Master of our being by whose power alone can any action be accomplished. There has to be a renunciation of the false idea of ourselves as the doer; for it is indeed the universal Shakthi that works through our personality and our ego.” - Sri Aurobindo, Essays on the Gita, page 495.
Note : All the concepts expressed here are from recollections of the words and explanations given by our teachers in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre in the class of ‘ Essays on Gita’ and my peripheral grasping from the weekly enlightening talks held in the school premises by Nirod Da and Amal Kiran Ji.
- Sundari
This reminds me of one such experience as a student in the Ashram during my teen years in Hriday Prasad’s (he was son of Narayana Prasad author of the book ‘Life in Sri Aurobindo Ashram’ and also a student from the first batch whom the Divine Mother used to teach) history class. Every Sunday morning in the Hall of Harmony in the Sri Aurobindo International school talks were conducted by Nirod Da, Amal Kiran Ji, Sri Sisir Kumar Mitra Ji and other scholars of Sri Aurobindo’s works. On the previous day, it was Sri Amal Kiran who spoke on the chapter (Part II ch XX) Swabhava and Swadharma from Essays on Gita. Next day while discussing the same in our class, our teacher gave us one hour to think and write about ourselves, what is one’s own swabhava and which part of our being mostly controls our daily actions and speech. He said there was no need to show it to anybody but that we express ourselves with sincerity. He said that we must make it a habit to do self-analysis periodically to view our inner progress. The task given was difficult like climbing the peak of Everest. Had he asked us to write an essay on any informative or creative topic, we would have shown all our language and writing skills but we realized that we rarely devote our time for introspection. Most of us either scribbled a few confused lines or left the page blank.
Later he suggested that we should start devoting a few minutes each day before going to bed reading Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s works even though we are not capable of understanding them with our logical mind. Then we should sit quietly and meditate for a while and note down in a personal diary the gist of that day’s activities and our reactions to them in a sincere attitude of self analysis and find out where we actually can position ourselves and this would help us in our inner progress and sadhana. He used the word ‘Sakshibuta’ from the Gita which means to look at our own actions as a witness and referred to the well known story of the two birds from the Upanishads ‘Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual Self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the same tree. The former tastes the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.” (Mundaka Upanishad 3:1:1). This simple and yet most lofty philosophical explanation sowed in us the seeds of spiritual quest and we tried to grasp, to some extent, the difference between the inner Self that should observe and the outer Self that is engaged in action.
In the following few weeks we, all the teenagers, of our history class, took Sri Bhagavad Gita with Sri Aurobindo’s translations and Essays on Gita in our hands and opened its sacred pages. Our first attempt at reading was an endless beginning that will be continued incessantly until our last breath. Each spark of this spiritual Light will dispel the darkness of ignorance seated in us as we progress on our spiritual path holding the hands of the Divine Mother and Sri Aurobindo. The teachers in Sri Aurobindo International centre were more like Rishis in the Gurukulas and teaching was a part of their Sadhana. Their words of wisdom reverberated throughout our latter lives when we had to pass through the practical ordeals of both positive and negative experiences. Each of their explanation that appeared very simple when we heard them as students latter revealed to us the most profound and hidden principles of life. What greater Divine grace can we pray for when such enlightened souls were our teachers!
The principle of Nishkama Karma as per the most commonly quoted and discussed sloka from Gita ‘Karmanya vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadaachana’ (II, 47) repeatedly puzzled us. In the Ashram school, we could freely approach our teachers to clarify our doubts. There was respect, love, freedom and above all a deep sincerity in the relationship between a teacher and a student. One such question asked by one of us was about how can there exist a work without a result. The explanation that we got for our doubts about Nishkama (desireless) Karma still rings in my ears as if it were told only yesterday. This ingrained truth certainly has helped us swim across the turbulent waters of unforeseen events and apparent failures latter in life.
“adhiShTAnam tathA kartA karaNam cha prthak vidam
vividhAh cha prithak chEShTah daivam cha iva atra panchamam " (XVIII, 14)
“The Gita then speaks of five causes or indispensable requisites for the accomplishment of works as laid down by the Sankhya. These five are, first, the frame of the body, life and mind which are the basis or standing-ground of the soul in Nature Adhisthana, next, the doer, karta, third, the various instrumentation of nature, karana, fourth, the many kind of effort make up the force of action, cestah, and last, Fate ,daivam , that is to say, the influence of the Power or powers other than the human factors, other than the visible mechanism of Nature that stand behind these and modify the work and dispose its fruits in the steps of act and consequence. These five elements make up among them all the efficient causes, karana, that determine the shaping and outcome of whatever work man undertakes with mind speech and body”— Sri Aurobindo , Essays on the Gita, page 497.
The five factors that contribute to the result of an action and Sri Aurobindo’s words were explained to us with practical day-to-day examples. Whether we want it or not, we are forced by Nature to get the results only as per the unseen Divine Will. Firstly, the body and mind should be perfectly disciplined as they are the seat where an action takes place. Secondly, the self involved in an action should take it in an attitude of egoless surrender. The third are the external circumstances and factors of Nature which are not in our control. Explaining with an example the ‘third, the various instruments of nature’ influencing our action he uttered: ‘suppose in cyclonic weather in Pondicherry when the electricity suddenly trips while you were seriously engaged in study?’ Man is constantly endeavoring to overcome the hurdles in his work caused by external factors. The fourth is our conscious effort and sincerity - that are next most important. He further continued: ‘the fourth is an ardent effort... A sincere dedicated student would light a lantern, close the windows and still continue with his studies’. Finally the fifth factor and the most controlling factor is the Divine Grace or Will. When we do our part with utmost sincerity and perfection by surrendering to the Divine Will our daily activities will be transformed into a conscious unconditional prayer. The stress of life will not touch us at all. We were advised that we should study for the love of studies and knowledge and our education must become a means to progress towards our aim in life of becoming a conscious instrument of Divine Mother.
“Success, failure are in His hands and He will regulate them according to His omniscient will and inscrutable purpose. Action, all action has indeed to be given up in the end, not physically by abstention, immobility, by inertia, but spiritually to the Master of our being by whose power alone can any action be accomplished. There has to be a renunciation of the false idea of ourselves as the doer; for it is indeed the universal Shakthi that works through our personality and our ego.” - Sri Aurobindo, Essays on the Gita, page 495.
Note : All the concepts expressed here are from recollections of the words and explanations given by our teachers in the Sri Aurobindo International Centre in the class of ‘ Essays on Gita’ and my peripheral grasping from the weekly enlightening talks held in the school premises by Nirod Da and Amal Kiran Ji.
- Sundari
No comments:
Post a Comment