81 - Freedom from Rebirth | Swami Tattwamayananda

Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

-8th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 7, 2021.
-14th verse: “I am easily attainable by that Yogi, who remembers me constantly with an undistracted mind.”
-When our mind is focused on a spiritual ideal without any wavering, then that spiritual ideal becomes a physical reality to us. Sri Ramakrishna said to his disciples: “God can be seen the way I am seeing you. You too can see.” For this, the mind has to be raised to a level where constant remembrance is natural and effortless.
-Yoga Sutra classifies the human mind into five categories: (1) Kshipta (scattered) (2) Mudha (dull) (3) Vikshipta (partially focused) (4) Ekagra (one-pointed) (5) Niruddha (fully focused). The mind of a normal person is in Vikshipta state. To reach the fully focused state, Yoga has to be practiced for a long time without breaks, and with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-The story of Jada Bharata explains why continuous spiritual practice is important. King Bharata retired to a hermitage for spiritual practices but developed strong attachment towards a baby deer and forgot his spiritual practices. He was born as a deer in his next life, but under the effect of his samskaras, he stayed near a hermitage. In his next life, he was born as a great saint - Jada Bharata - always established in his identity with Atman. He did not lose his spiritual wealth, but his realization was delayed.
-Constant remembrance of God is an advanced stage. We should start from where we stand. We should start with simple spiritual practices in the morning and evening, and feed the mind with positive, spiritual food.
-15th verse: “Those who attain Me will not be subject to rebirth. They will come out of this abode of non-eternal, which is a house of pain.”
-In the 34th verse of the 6th chapter, Arjuna complains that the mind is restless, turbulent and not yielding. It is difficult to control the mind. Lord Krishna addresses that problem in these verses. In the 14th verse, he asks Arjuna to focus on a higher ideal all the time. In the 15th verse, he addresses life as a whole and provides a way to attain eternal and absolute peace.
-Vedanta says that we are one with the all-pervading, transcendental reality. The only way to come out of the wheel of birth, death and rebirth is to realize this highest truth.
-We evolve spiritually when we go beyond the physical embodiment and feel discontent with the non-eternal. Buddha had everything as a prince. Yet, he felt a divine discontent due to the changing nature of the world. He took a firm vow to realize this highest truth and made great contributions to human civilization.
-16th verse: “All the levels of existence, including the abode of Brahma, are subject to return. But if one attains Me, he is free from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.”
-According to Hindu mythology, Brahma-loka (abode of Brahma) is a higher level of existence. One full day and night of Brahma is equal to 2000 yugas. There are four yugas – Satya, Dvapara, Treta and Kali yuga. We are currently in kali yuga, having completed 4000 years and 429,000 more years to go.
-Lord Krishna is implying that even Brahma is not free and belongs to the realm of the relative. His central message is that everything in this life – job, wealth, joy, sorrow – belongs to a lower order of reality, the realm of the relative. If we understand just this, we develop spiritual common sense, and can be level-headed in everyday life. The way out of the relative is to realize our identity with the all-pervading, transcendental reality.