Chapter 8 Akshara Brahma Yoga Flashcards
8-1,2 Arjuna has more questions - time of death for the realized one
Arjuna says:
My Supreme Lord, what is that Brahman? What is
the adhyātma? What is meant by karma? What is the
adhibhūta? And who is said to be the adhidaiva? (1)
Who is the adhiyajña and how does He exist in this body, O Kṛṣṇa? And how are You to be known at the time of death by the self-controlled? (2)
Mind of Arjuna wants to understand: questioning further about how reality works.
The food prayer means: The Lord is the One Who eats, consumes, He is also the food that is consumed.
Arjuna asks about inner deity and how do the self-controlled know You at the time of death? Japa? Pranayama? Meditation?
8-3 The cycle of creation and destruction
The 3 different aspects of God
Lord Kṛṣṇa says:
Brahman is the Supreme that does not change or decay.
One’s own inherent nature is said to be the adhyātma, and the creative force which gives rise to material beings is known as karma. (3)
Brahman - the absolute, formless divinity, embodiment of truth and bliss is the supreme God. The indestructable Self which is above material nature is the higher Nature itself.
When everything is absorbed by Him and the next kalpa arises, it’s Him who creates everything again. Through His Prakriti, everything is created.
God has no limit, no matter how many times He manifests Himself as human beings. Whenever these parts of Himself do the game of life, it’s called karma. He lowers His frequency into this reality through His lower nature, Apara Prakriti. Karma is created when one perceives oneself as being separate from the Lord.
3 different aspects of God: Supreme reality, Jivatma, lower material creation - people on the spiritual path who do sadhana are calm and stable and can perceive and feel the Atma. Beyond the Atma is the supreme indestructible Self - Aksara
8-4 Examples of God pervading all levels of creation
The adhibhūta is the material world which perishes, the
adhidaivata is the cosmic governing deity, and it is I
Myself who is the adhiyajña present in the body. (4)
Everything in lower nature of God, in material creation, is perishable and has a limit. The soul is ever-present - has power over everything in the material creation.
This supreme nature of Narayana: Narayana Tattva is the energy that gives demigods their power. He offers the sacrifice, receives the sacrifice, dispenses fruits of all actions.
8-5 How to die with a purpose - rare few who do this
And the one who leaves his body at the time of death and contemplates upon Me alone, without doubt reaches Me. (5)
Few die with an attitude of leaving the body to attain the Lord. Very rare to attain level of the human body who can then strive to attain the Lord. When one takes a spiritual path by continuously chanting the Divine Names, becomes easy to have constant remembrance of the Lord.
Without continuously chanting and remembering Him during your life, don’t think that at the last moment, you’ll be able to remember Him.
8-6 The importance of crystallizing the Divine image in the mind./ what happens if you focus on other things
Arjuna, whatever state one remembers when leaving the
body, that state one will certainly attain after death. For a
person’s condition is the inevitable result of what has been dwelt upon throughout one’s life. (6)
Actions performed leave impressions in the mind, which take the form of many kinds of tendencies - mind becomes clouded with ignorance. Due to these tendencies, the mind gets attached to certain beings. If thinking of this being or form at the end of life, to that form he attains.
Not easy to focus on Narayana at the time of death due to tendencies and surroundings that create desires, attachments, fear, and anger.
Difficult to get liberated if one isn’t continuously practicing surrendering to the Supreme aspect.
The mind gets crystallized into a particular habit and then it’s very difficult to let go - constantly absorbed in a particular thought.
If one’s mind is trained through Japa Kriya, pranayama and constant remembrance of the Divine, then automatically the Divine Image will be crystallized in one’s mind.
8-7 How to make the Bhakti path really easy
Therefore, ever mindful of Me at all times, fight. With
your mind and intellect dedicated to Me, you will be free
of doubt and shall surely come to Me. (7)
Chant, do your Japa Kriya, Fight! Let your reason and understanding be focused only on Me - let each breath you take be in remembrance of Me.
Krishna didn’t say: “Fight! Kill the Kauravas and rejoince about it!” Perform your duties like the gopis, doing it only for the sake of God - they do everything in constant remembrance of Him. - Bhakti path is very easy for the one who is surrendered - appears very difficult to the one not surrendered.
Mind has to be completely focused and focus has to be on Him. Your dharma is to fight but don’t rejoice in your fighting saying “Yippie! I have killed Karna!” No, let the mind only be focused on Me. Feel My love inside you and have faith.
8-8 Important to focus the mind - taking Maha Lakshmi as an example
O Arjuna! With the mind absorbed and constantly
engaged in yoga, without thinking of anything else, one
reaches the divine Supreme Being. (8)
The mind can become fully disciplined through continuous practice of a sadhana like Atma Kriya Yoga. With constant practice of Japa Kriya and pranayama - one realizes that each breath one takes is Him.
If the outside world is still bothering you/ making you feel miserable, keep practicing. Wherever you fix the mind, that will determine your destination. If it’s on the outside world, on misery, you’ll be miserable.
Maha Lakshmi is never looking at someone else, always pressing the feel of the Lord. Like this, one should always have one’s attention focused on Him. Once the Lord has revealed Himself within the core of the Self, one is fully absorbed and one attains him - the Supreme Purusha.
8-9,10 The motionless mind can do what a jumping mind cannot do
One should meditate on the all-knowing Supreme Person. The one who is the oldest and supreme Controller of all. His form is inconceivable, more subtle than an atom, and the maintainer of everything. He is brilliant like the Sun and beyond all darkness. (9)
At the time of death one should dwell in a state of
devotion and with the strength of yoga, one should
maintain an unwavering mind. Keeping the life force
between the eyebrows in the proper way, one reaches that divine Supreme Being. (10)
Through pranayama and Japa Kriya, the mind will become motionless and completely fixed on Supreme reality. When one perceives the Lord in the third eye and one has control over the vital air, inhaling and exhaling through pranayama, one realizes the supreme.
8-11 The power of dispassion, the fate of the ascetics who achieve this
I shall now explain that goal, which the knowers of the
Vedas call the Imperishable. Those ascetics who are free
from desire enter into it, and due to their aspiration for
perfection they take vows of celibacy. (11)
Brahman is indestructible - Ultimate reality that never undergoes any loss or diminution. Through their strong dispassion, the ascetics have full control over bodily passions and attain God-Realization.
By not running after lustful enjoyment, one purifies the senses and keeps the generative fluid/creative power inside. If creative power (present in the semen) flows downwards - one gets attached to the outside whereas if it flows upwards, it is under control and contributes to spiritual realization.
8-12,13 The mind’s destination when the senses are controlled - the relevance of the sound “OM”
Having closed all the entrances of the body, focusing the
mind within the heart, fixing the life force within the
head, one should be engaged in yoga practice with steady concentration. (12)
Chanting the sacred syllable oṁ which embodies the
Absolute, thinking of Me constantly one abandons the
body and leaves the world, thereby reaching the supreme goal. (13)
The senses under control, the mind moves to the heart, the life-force enters the consciousness, one id doing AKY, concentrating and having the vision of Lord Narayana in the third eye, he who goes forth abandoning the body attains the highest status.
By controlling the senses, close all the doors to outside reality. The mind drops to the heart when not running towards outer reality anymore but running within. Happens when calm and empty of thoughts.
When the mind focuses on the love within the heart, then through that love, the energy moves back up to the head - to the Ajna Chakra. Through that love, with that intense concentration, one becomes focused on the third eye - this state is called yoga-dharanam.
When bhaktas are fully absorbed in the Divine sound ‘OM’ - at that moment everything is still. Narayana reveals Himself in one’s consciousness, then one becomes a true bhakta in that state who realizes the absolute, the form and formless Brahman. Then all forms of duality or separation disappear.
8-14 Exclusive devotion to God
O Arjuna, I am easily attainable by that steadfast
practicing yogī who is constantly mindful of Me, not
thinking of anything else. (14)
Devotion to the Lord is solely for Him and no one else. Bhaktas don’t feel forced to serve the deities, look forward to doing it, get enjoyment out of it. An inner enjoyment, they rejoice inside their hearts. For them, it’s very easy to attain the Lord.
Because of the depth of longing, one has for God, He starts to reciprocate the same longing. Just need to love Him fully to attain that state of Grace.
8-15 The fate of someone who creates attachments
Having reached the highest perfection and attaining Me,
the great ones never again take rebirth in this world which is transient and full of misery. (15)
One who continuously chants the Divine Names, meditates and has much love in the heart reaches the highest state of devotion. The ones who haven’t attained the state of complete surrender go through all the pain and troubles of life again and again and again..
Don’t create attachments to perishable things - they will cause your own perdition.
8-16 Everyone who is susceptible to the cycle of birth and death and those who rise above it
Rebirth is inevitable right up to the world of Brahmā. But
after attaining Me, Arjuna, there is no rebirth. (16)
Every being which is created, even Brahma the creator, go through the cycle of birth and death. Human beings are Supreme because they can achieve the highest state and go beyond Brahma Himself.
Since the one who is surrendered goes beyond creation itself, Brahma doesn’t have any power over him.
8-17 The lengths of time for Brahma - day, life, Maha Vishnu. How a bhakta operates in life
Those who know the duration of a cosmic Day and
Night understand a Day of Brahmā lasts for a thousand
Mahā-yugas [1] and a Night of Brahmā lasts for another
thousand Mahā-yugas. (17)
One day of Brahma is 4.32 billion years, 100 years is the life of Brahma - equivalent to 311 trillion years - which is one breath of Maha Vishnu.
You don’t have to go through all this, just be a bhakta and enjoy His Love. One may attain the state of Brahma Loka for some time, but will only enjoy it until the time of Brahma ends.
A bhakta runs away from human glories - detached from this impermanent game of Brahma. They utilize their time on Earth to realize the Lord and not to doom or ruin themselves.
8-18 Brahma’s experience and the ignorance of man
At the beginning of a Day of Brahmā all beings come forth from the unmanifest, and when the Night comes, they are dissolved back into the unmanifested state. (18)
When Brahma is born again, doesn’t remember who He is. He’s confused. Then He gains knowledge of how to worship Maha Saraswati, Yogmaya - you remember your past lives before the outward identity and duality are present in your mind. During the day of Brahma, everything is created and everything is destroyed. It also represents the ignorance of man. At first he falls, then rises again.
