Achieving Serenity of the Mind and Experiencing Divinity

Studying the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and perceiving the Divinity in You

WHO IS KRISHNA? WHERE IS KRISHNA?

UNDERSTAND THE GOD CONCEPT AS PER ADVAITA VEDANTA, ATTAIN FEARLESSNESS AND BECOME UTTERLY SELF CONFIDENT.

(Note: This is a serious topic and it directly targets the fallacious god concept that most Sanatanis (Hindus) have and also the impression that others have about the Sanatana Dharma.

You may decide to either watch the entire video or read the transcript of the video. In the latter case, I would suggest that when you read the transcript of the video for the first time, you may do so by skipping the Shlokas from The Srimad Bhagavad Gita that appear in italics and come back to them once you have completed reading the post.) 

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The video is 23:29 minutes long and in case you do not have the time or the patience to watch it, please do exit the page. Thank you. 

Transcript of the video:

When you are agitated, stressed, tensed, afraid, angry or simply worried, and you go to a friend for advice, the first thing they would tell you to do would be to CALM DOWN.

Calming down means calming the mind. A calm mind does its job of thinking clearly.

A sane and conscious mind is necessary for a person, whoever they might be or however powerful and rich they might be, to know, realise and experience who or what they think they are. A person who has their mind under their control is powerful and cannot be defeated.

That is one of the main reason why organised religions which are used mainly to control the masses, are designed in such a way that through the fear of hell and the greed for heaven that they convince people with, they take complete control of their follower’s minds and make them their mental as well as physical slaves forever. Organised religions do not permit the asking of questions. If you are a member of a cult, you either do or die but never ask how and why.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita, on the other hand, encourages seekers to ask questions and it teaches them different ways to not just control their own mind but also to master it. Achieving Serenity of the Mind is the highest goal of true philosophy because that is when a person can clearly experience the Divine SELF in them. A calm mind ensures serenity of the Self and that makes life beautiful, enjoyable and blissful. A calm mind is not affected by destructive thoughts or emotions.

Divinity exists everywhere but an untamed mind blocks a person from realising their own Divinity.

Shlokas from The Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna says
SBG 18:53 A person who has given up egoism, false strength, arrogance, anger, desire and covetousness; is free from possessiveness and is always peaceful; is fit to attain Brahman or Super-Consciousness.
SBG 18:54 Becoming one with Brahman, serene in the Self, he neither grieves nor desires. He is the same to all beings and he attains supreme devotion unto Me.
SBG 18:55 It is only through love and devotion that a person can know Me truly. Knowing me thus, he enters into Me at once.
SBG 18:56 My devotees, though engaged in all kinds of works, take refuge in Me. They, therefore, receive My Protection and Grace and attain the Highest and Eternal Abode of Moksha.
SBG 18:57 Using the Yoga of your intellect, dedicate all your actions to Me, have Me as your highest goal, devote yourself intensely to Me and you will always be under My protection. Be fully conscious of Me, always.

Learn to master your mind. Make your mind work for you and not against you. Whatever be your problem it is only when your mind is calm that you will be able to find solutions.

SBG 6:06 The mind is the greatest friend of the one who has conquered it; but of the one who hasn’t, the mind is the greatest enemy.
SBG 6:07 The one who has conquered the mind has already reached Superconsciousness. Such a person has crossed all dualities such as cold and heat; pleasure and pain; honour and dishonour; and is always balanced, peaceful and steadfast in devotion.
SBG 6:33 Arjuna said: This Yoga of equanimity taught by You, O Krishna, I do not see its steady continuance, because of restlessness of the mind.
SBG 6:34 The mind is certainly restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding, O Krishna! I think it is extremely difficult to control it just as the wind is.
SBG 6:35 Krishna said: Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is difficult to control and restless but it can be restrained through practice and dispassion.

What is the first step to handle a serious problem?

Well, begin by coming to terms with the situation, at least temporarily. Coming to terms with a situation can straightaway calm your mind. When your mind is calm and has not been hijacked by emotions such as lust, fear, anger, hatred or jealousy, it can think intelligently, come out with sensible solutions, and allow you to know that what you are looking for is within you.

People who have studied The Srimad Bhagavad Gita and know what Advaita Vedanta or Nondualism is, are aware of the fact that their person is a combination of their physical body, their senses, their mind, their intellect, and their SELF which is nothing but embodied Divinity, along with their Gunas or nature that they carry from one Janma to another.

In fact, there is no compulsion for anyone to go to a temple or to a prayer hall in order to show their respect for Divinity, simply because Divinity exists right within them.

Scriptures of organised religions based on good and evil, are aimed at making their followers believe that there is ‘Someone up there’. Their philosophy is based on a personal god who is separate from nature. But The Srimad Bhagavad Gita teaches you that you are that same eternal and indestructible Divine SELF that exists everywhere. Organised religions separate their followers from god and in some cases, likening god with others can also attract the death penalty!

All organised religions teach people that their god above in the sky, is always watching you, notes down all your actions, listens to your prayers, will reward you for your good deeds and punish you for your bad actions, and if you don’t follow him, will torment you in hell forever.

Those who study Dharmic scriptures such as the Vedas, the Upanishads and certainly The Srimad Bhagavad Gita; learn the Advaita Vedanta and Universal Oneness. It is called RATIONAL PHILOSOPHY.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita teaches nondualism which means that you and god are not separate and that it is the SELF in every being that is God, Brahman or Krishna. When you pray or meditate, you do so by concentrating on the Supreme Grand System or Brahman of which we are all a part.

SBG 12:01 Arjuna said: Those devotees who are ever steadfast and worship You, and those also who worship the Imperishable and the formless Absolute—which of them are better versed in Yoga?
SBG 12:02 Shri Bhagavan Krishna said: Those who, fixing their minds on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, I regard them as the best of Yogis.
SBG 12:03 Those who worship the Imperishable; the Indefinable; the Unmanifested; the Omnipresent; the Unthinkable; the Eternal; the Formless and the Immovable;
SBG 12:04  and have their senses controlled, possess a balanced mind, and are engaged in the welfare of others; certainly come to Me.
SBG 12:05 Those whose minds are set on an unmanifested and impersonal Absolute Power, face difficulties in reaching the goal. This is because people always identify with the body and when there is no perceptible form, it is difficult to perceive.

Those who do not understand this Divine Truth or do not wish to understand it, are the ones who either blame a cruel god and also the magnificent planets for difficult situations in their lives. Such people live and die at the feet of godmen, god women, swamis, babas and end up spending a few hundred miserable Janmas before they begin to realise their idiocy.

SBG 10:20 I am the Self, O Gudakesha (Arjuna), situated within all living entities. I am the origin, the middle and also the end of all beings.
SBG 10:41 Whatever there is that is glorious, prosperous and powerful, you should know that to be a manifestation of a part of My Splendour.
SBG 13:02 You should know that the Kshetrajna or the embodied Self in all bodies or Kshetras is Me, O Arjuna. Knowing about the Kshetra and the Kshetrajnas is called knowledge.

The Musk deer

The musk deer is a beautiful animal that carries close to his navel, a musk scent gland that gives out a ravishing fragrance which is used by humans in manufacturing perfumes. The poor stag that is ignorant of his scent gland, is extremely fascinated by the fragrance and he starts searching for its source. He spends his whole life trying to find out where the fragrance is coming from and dies without ever realising the truth.

All he had to do was to bend a little bit and look within himself and he could have easily succeeded in knowing that he was the source of the enchanting redolence. Instead, he spent his whole frustrated life wandering in search of something that was within him. True spiritual wisdom is understanding that you are Divine and that the SELF in you is none other than Krishna Himself. If you look for Him outside of you, you might only end up like the musk deer. Delve into yourSELF and you will find Krishna. Remember that a clouded mind prevents a person from perceiving their own Divinity.

The mind which is not under control harbours negative emotions such as lust, anger, jealousy and fear; builds ego, the idea of being separate from the rest of nature, feelings of inferiority or of superiority; and gives people the sense of entitlement. When things do not go well with them, their untamed mind blocks their rational thinking and makes them believe that it is some force outside of them such as that from gods or from planets, that is harming them.

Divinity is omnipresent. It is the same everywhere. There is nothing that is less divine or more divine. When you realise that you are Divine, you will have nothing to fear or worry about.

Your understanding of your Divinity will strengthen your conviction of the fact that nothing unbearable shall ever happen to you.

Therefore, never forget that before you begin to create or achieve something or solve a problem, the most important tool you need is a calm mind.

Recognise the Divinity in you and start with a calm and composed mind. Everything else will automatically fall in place.

SBG 11:55 The one who is engaged in doing My work and considers Me The Supreme Goal; is free from contamination of the mind with previous activities and doubts; is free from attachment; has no enmity towards any creature, and is friendly with every living entity; certainly comes to me O Arjuna.

Whatever people do is with the ultimate goal of achieving a particular state of mind. Think about it. Why are wars fought? Why are various kinds of crime committed? Why do people lie or cheat? Why do people con others? Why do people trick you into relationships? It is all because those who commit those acts want something that would make them either happy or less sad. Why do they help others? It is simply because it makes them happy and happiness is a state of mind. It always boils down to pleasing one’s own mind. How ridiculous can it be to waste one’s whole life trying to please and satisfy their mind that is in fact supposed to be their slave and not master!

Various gurus and swamies started their own sects and subsects in order to rule over people. They distorted contents from Dharmic scriptures and for centuries, they have been misleading ignorant people. The 33 different aspects of nature represented by 33 Devas or त्रायस्त्रिंश – traayastrimsha, were changed to 33 ‘crore’ deities! 33 ‘crore’ means 330,000,000 (three hundred and thirty million) and assuming that you have a counting rate of 1 per second, it would take approximately 3820 days or little less than eleven years to count one to three hundred and thirty million! And they say we have 330 million gods! What a load of nonsense! Take for example the story of Krishna. Instead of preaching about qualities such as fearlessness, valour, truthfulness, principles and social responsibility, that Krishna taught, some gurus took off tangentially on the Krishna and Radha story and made Him some kind of a God of romance! They conveniently overlooked the following teachings that He gave Arjuna!

SBG 2:02 The Supreme Bhagavan said: O Arjuna, where, in this hour of crisis, did these qualities like weakness, which are unbecoming of honourable men, come from and take over you? Such qualities will prevent you from reaching higher levels in life and will also ruin your honour and get you a bad reputation.

SBG 2:03 Do not give in to cowardice, which is not manly and does not suit you. Shed this weak-heartedness and get up, O destroyer of enemies.

SBG 2:31 Considering your duty as a Kshatriya, you should not falter as there is no greater work for you than a battle which protects Dharma (righteousness).

SBG 2:32 O Paartha (Arjuna), glad are those Kshatriyas who get a chance to fight such a battle which has come on its own and will open the gates to heaven.

SBG 2:33 If you don’t fight this battle of Dharma (righteousness), you will be a sinner by failing in your duty and it will cause the loss of your standing as a warrior.

SBG 2:37 Either you will be killed in the battle and you will reach celestial abodes or, you will win this battle and enjoy the kingdom on earth. Therefore arise and fight with resolution. Shloka 2:37 of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita teaches that when a person has COME TO TERMS WITH THE INEVITABLE RISK OF DEATH THAT LURKS around them all the time, the result will be SHEER FEARLESSNESS

SBG 2:38 Fight the battle treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss as well as victory and defeat. By doing so, you will not sin.

Let us get things straight. As per Dharmic scriptures, there are neither 330 million gods nor even one single god sitting up in the sky! The entire system is personified as Brahman or Krishna and the various deities or devas are the different forms and manifestations of the Supreme Energy. The SELF or JIVATMA in people is the same Divine Energy that exists everywhere and the bodies that beings ‘live’ in are impermanent and perishable. Another important thing is that planets don’t and can’t control your lives! Get over it, please! If you want to change the pattern in your life, you will have to make changes in your thoughts, words an deeds. There is no other way.

Instead of complaining about things and forcing yourself to believe that planets are out to destroy you or ‘god is testing you’, please begin to think more rationally and free yourselves from the web of destructive thoughts from your own mind which can dump you into a quagmire of depression and anger caused by self-pity. Invest about three to four hours of your time reading the translation of  The Srimad Bhagavad Gita – which is the greatest Mind Management Manual ever, and you will realise what an ancient yet highly intellectual and most advanced philosophy it teaches apart from making you realise your own divinity. You will also realise how much of your precious time you wasted on analysing your natal chart which is merely a ‘Karma Diagnosis’ method that can do nothing more than revealing to you the Karmic pattern your life may tend to follow unless you stepped in and made course corrections.

Master your mind and keep it calm, always. The mind is where everything begins, exists and ends. Taming the mind is the only way you will be able to use it to the fullest and work towards achieving all your goals.

May Peace reign in your Heart, Mind and Soul.

OM Shantih Shantih Shantihi

Krishnam vandé Jagad Gurum