Gita: A Mantra for Success
Gita: A Mantra for Success
Episode 8: The concept of Avatar, Knowledge and Meditation - Chapter 4,5,6
In this episode, we will discuss
- Lord Vishnu's ten avatars and its significance as described by a Sadhu in Varanasi. Do you know Krishna does not explain Avatar in the Bhagavad Gita?
- What is Gyana Yoga? What does realized knowledge mean? What happens when one finds his true self?
- How does Krishna's teachings of meditation or Dhyana Yoga aligns with the Patanjali Yoga Sutras? We have written an article that explains Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
Bonus: A Jedi Story that teaches what we can learn from the salt, chicken, and crane (bird) to be successful in life.
Krishna's quotes from the episode:
“A wise person sees action amid inaction and inaction during an action. Their consciousness is unified, and every act is done with complete awareness. Such people who are free from anxiety about results, their actions are burned by the fire of knowledge.”
“Always seek knowledge through submission, inquiry, and devotion. Approach those who have realized the purpose of life. Find a teacher who is willing to impart knowledge to you. Once you find the wisdom, you will never be deluded.”
Vee 00:12
Vee 00:04
Hello, everybody, welcome to our podcast Gita a mantra for success.
Vee 00:12
So this is our eighth episode. And so far we have covered three chapters that basically revolve around the concept of Karma Yoga. Today we'll combine chapters four, five, and six in the episode. These three, kind of, flow together. So it makes sense to you know, put them together. So Deepu, how do you want to start?
Dee 00:29
We will divide this episode into three sections. We will speak about the doctrine of avatar, then we can talk about how Krishna connects Karma Yoga to the idea of Gyana Yoga, which is the higher knowledge. Then we can briefly speak about Dhyana Yoga, which is the meditation technique.
Vee 00:49
Okay. So let's start with why Krishna speaks about Avatar?
Dee 00:53
Krishna did not intend to do so, which is very interesting. Krishna was speaking about Karma Yoga in the beginning of the fourth chapter when he casually says, “You know, I passed this secret of Karma Yoga to one guy named Vivasat.”
I think he's one of the Vedic Gods.
And he said that, “You know, I actually told the secret to Vivasat, who passed it to others and so on.”
So Arjuna asks “How is it possible? You were born much after Vivasat, who is a Vedic God. How could you have possibly passed this knowledge to him?”
This is when Krishna just very you know very casually he remarks that “Come on Arjuna I was born in every age.” And he says that line. You know, “whenever Dharma declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest on Earth. I'm born in every age to protect the good to destroy the evil and to re-establish Dharma.”
Vee 01:50
Right, right. Right. This is one of the famous dialogues, especially in Mahabharata Yada yada hee Dharmasya, Gyanarva Bhavati Bharata.
Dee 02:01
Exactly, exactly! That phrase has become so popular today that we think that is the core of the Bhagavad Gita. But if you read the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna just says so and he moves on to connect Karma Yoga to the idea of Gyana. He does not even explain what avatar means.
Vee 02:17
So he just mentions it and he moves on. Yeah, but let's explain the significance of Avatar today anyway. Do you want to tell the story of the Sadhu you met in Varanasi?
Dee 02:27
Oh, yes, I was in Varanasi. So I made this scientist turned Sadhu. And he said that ancient scholars used Vishnu’s Avatars as a metaphor to explain the evolution of mankind. So obviously, today, we think religion and science stand in opposition, right. But you know, actually, the relationship is not utterly antagonistic.
Vee 2:51
Sounds interesting, go on
Dee 2:53
So if you know Vishnu’s first incarnation as Matshya, or fish. It indicates the life in the aquatic form and koorma or the tortoise is the life in in the amphibian stage.
Right
Third incarnation varah boar, it stands for animal life on land.
Okay
And from there, there is a transition from animals to humans, which is very tactfully advanced by the concept of Narsimha who's a half man half lion.
Right! Of course
And from there Vishnu takes the appearance of Vaham, which is a dwarf man. I think they are trying to explain homo sapiens symbolized by this dwarf man.
And then Parsuram comes. Parsuram represents those tall but violent humans, you know, they walk around killing and fighting with each other. So now science also suggests that humans brains evolved the fastest. Right
With Rama, Krishna and Buddha, the ancient scholars seem to explain how humans minds got refined - first in the moral sense followed by philosophical, Krishna is all about philosophy. And then spiritual Buddha, which is Buddha.
Vee 04:05
Interesting. So what about the 10th avatar? Who is Kalki?
Dee 04:09
So apparently those ancient scholars created Kalki as someone who would come in the future and fight for injustice. But I think this is just a representative of humans. So anyone can be Kalki and the way he said you know, even you can be Kalki anybody is Kalki. So he gave some examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln. They are all Kalkis because, you know, they fought for injustice, hmm.
And there are thousands of unknown activists and journalists that are fighting for the rights of the poor and underprivileged even today. They are all Kalkis.
So if you go back to that phrase that Krishna said, “whenever there is injustice, whenever there is a decline in Dharma, I would come back again and again.” So it could be anybody
Vee 04:57
Very interesting concept. So people believe actually that there's going to be like an entry from God as Kalki, but there's really no drama, right?
Dee 05:08
There's no.. there's no dramatic entry of Lord Vishnu as Kalki. There's no drama
Vee 05:12
Krishna on his part never imposes the notion that he is the lone Savior. He basically says anyone can follow the path. So I think the problem is that we wait for this special avatar to come and do these miracles for us. In reality, as you mentioned, we can all rise to the occasion and fight for injustice. So this reminds me of a book that I was reading - what makes a hero.
Dee 05:37
Okay, okay. Okay.
Vee 05:38
In this book, the author basically says that legendary heroes are not very different from everyday volunteers. Interesting. He gives an example of something called the bystander effect. So let's say you're walking in a street and you see everybody standing and there was either an accident and people are watching it, but we do not, you know, want to intervene because it could be because of fear, indifference or you're like, it's not my problem. Right.
So but if we train our mind and we say, I don't care if any, no one is stepping in, but I will be the person to do it, then that selfless moments make you a hero or in this case, you become the Kalki.
So that basically means we don't have to wait for somebody to come down and, you know, fight for you on your behalf. You can do it yourself.
Dee 06:20
Yeah, of course. I mean, pretty much there is a Kalki in each one of us, right and we just need to discover it within us.
Vee 06:27
That sounds very interesting. Okay, anyway, so let's focus on Gyana Yoga here. The basic concept of Gyana over here is humans should focus on learning. And obviously he's talking about realized knowledge here, which is I would say more spiritual in nature. Krishna implies that you know, humans come to this earth. Each one is unique and has inherent talent. But we miss to see it because we are busy looking at other people and trying to emulate them and comparing ourselves you know, with others.
We think we are inferior because this person is doing something better and you know, but what he's saying is - they are going on their journey, and that is their Karma. And your journey is your Karma. And there is no comparison
Dee 07:09
No comparison.
Vee 07:10
So he's basically saying, while you're busy comparing yourself to others and thinking, hey, this person is superior, you will miss the chance to discover your own talent and your own strength.
Dee 07:19
Brilliant, I love it.
Vee 07:20
So here is a quote that I love - “A wise person sees action amid inaction, and inaction during an action. Their consciousness is unified, and every act is done with complete awareness. And such people who are free from anxiety about results, their actions are burned by the fire of knowledge.”
Dee 07:44
You have to explain this with a story.
Vee 07:46
True. Makes sense. Make sense. I know we mentioned something like this in the previous podcast. But let's start with a story which kind of is fun, and it's also easy to understand.
So we're going to go back to a story of a Jedi
Dee 07:57
Okay in Star Wars.
Vee 07:58
Yeah, exactly. Long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a young disciple who asks his Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi a question. It’s a difficult question – “What qualities do I need to succeed in life?” So Obi Wan thinks for a while and says, “Hmm. Why don't you go and visit my Master Yoda, he will give you a better answer. And let's see where it goes.”
So the young disciple decides to travel, and Master Yoda is in a different planet. So he actually flies to meet Master Yoda. And he meets Master Yoda and asks him the question. Yoda listens to him, and he says, “Great, I will answer you later.”
Days go by, since he's already there, he's basically just observing Yoda and everyday he learns something from him - a new skill, something or other about life or something. So, six months have passed, but he's still not got an answer from Yoda.
And one day there's a festival that is going to be held in the planet. And there are thousands of people who are going to be visiting the planet. So, the young disciple actually tells Yoda “I will, you know, take care of serving the feast to everyone.” So, Yoda says great.
On the day that comes, he's busy serving everybody making sure everybody has food. And after he serves like a big batch of group, he wants to sit down to eat. And Yoda tells him “Not now,” and the next group comes and the next group comes. So it's like 1-2-3-4. Every time he sits down, Yoda comes and tells him “not now more coming.”
Dee 09:27
So he's hungry?
Vee 09:28
Yes, he's hungry, but he listens to master. It's already midnight now. And he sits down to eat.. Now Yoda would actually come to him and say, “I have an answer to your question. You need to be like salt, like a chicken, like a crane, and like you to succeed in life,” okay?
And he just walks away without any explanation as Yoda usually is. Yes. So the young disciple is confused. So he goes back to his master Obi Wan.
Obi Wan asks “So what did Yoda tell you? Did he tell you anything?” He's like, Yeah, he told me he said I should be like the salt, a chicken, like a crane and myself and Obi Wan starts laughing.
Okay, so now, you know, the young disciple is confused then looking at his master laugh. Obi wan is like, “Fine, fine. It looks like you didn't understand. Let me explain.”
So he basically says let's start with salt. Okay, no matter how impressive a dish looks, it will not be satisfied if the salt is not in the right amount. Yeah, yeah, right. But people praise the dish saying, Wow, this was great. It smelt good. It looked good. It tasted good. But nobody mentions anything about the salt but if there was no salt, there's too much salt, they always criticize salt. When it is just right, nobody knows. Salt does all its work without any desire for praise because it knows it's worth. It stands tall everywhere. Be like the salt.
Chicken when it eats usually trash and it picks the right amount and gets the nutrients from the trash. So basically, he says it teaches us to seek constructive opportunities in every situation. Okay, so that comes with your ability to see good in others in every situation, including your own failure.
Dee 11:09
Very interesting. Okay,
Vee 11:10
That's the chicken.
Dee 11:12
So what about the crane?
Vee 11:13
The bird crane is all about patience. The crane stands in water with one leg up. And it stands there just watching what is inside and lets a lot of small fish pass by and it waits for the right fish. Right opportunity.
Dee 11:28
Really? Does it happen?
Vee 11:29
Yes, it does that and because the crane is standing so still, the fish as they pass by, it doesn't do anything. They don't even know that the crane is there. So when the real fish that it wants, the bigger fish it wants comes by, then it grabs it and then it has a feast.
Dee 11:47
So crane is not looking for instant gratification?
Vee 11:49
No, No. It basically takes a lot of patience and willingness to let small things pass by if you want to reach our goals, just like the crane. So the young disciple is happy and he's like, WOW This is great. But he says the last answer he said something like Be yourself. He is like Exactly. You were there with Yoda for six months. But you could have just sat and asked him every day the question and be dejected. But you did not do that. You did not sit idle. But you used that opportunity to observe him and gain knowledge and learn new skills. So every person should be open to learning at any time.
Pretty much summarizing these four things. Success comes with dedication and learning, in which case the young disciple himself. Focus or patience, which is the crane. Seeking opportunities like the chicken and most important I would think is not be swayed by your own failure or success, which is the salt.
Dee 12:44
Brilliant
Vee 12:45
Great – that was a big story. So let me add another quote – “Always seek knowledge through submission, inquiry, and devotion. Approach those who have realized the purpose of life. Find a teacher who is willing to impart knowledge to you. Once you find the wisdom, you will never be deluded.”
Dee 13:04
As they say, when you are ready, the teacher appears.
Vee 13:08
Yes. I have heard that from you many times
Dee 13:09
This is exactly what Krishna says. And you know, he emphasizes so much on how we should focus on gaining knowledge and only through knowledge we progress. Otherwise, we remain deluded and ignorant, right? So now I think this is the right time to take a moment to define what realized knowledge actually means.
So it's the knowledge of the self. So whenever Krishna or Buddha or any other philosophers like Rumi, or Plato, whenever they're talking about realized knowledge, they're really speaking about - try to know yourself. And so that is realized knowledge. In fact, a lot of these philosophers including Krishna himself, they say that whatever feeling that we get from our senses, they're all momentary right? You know, senses mean what we see, what we taste, smell, hear, and touch, right?
Any feeling that we get from these external senses are temporary, right? Any pleasure that comes with these senses also bring suffering. Very interesting. For example, if we experience something very beautiful, something amazing, amazing, and that goes away. And now we crave for that again. And that craving brings suffering or misery. For example, if I like chocolate, I love it, but I want more.
Vee 14:26
Now that's over, you kind of miss it?
Dee 14:28
I miss it, or overeat - will become very addictive. So, it's kind of you know, this is a very radical way of looking at that. So he says, instead of finding joy in this materialistic pleasures that are actually temporary, focus on enhancing your self knowledge, right? So learn how to remain in the present moment, which actually requires a technique of meditation, right? So that's when we reach the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna teaches us technique of meditations.
Vee 15:00
Okay, so you're a Yoga teacher. Why don't you explain the technique?
Dee 15:03
Yeah, happily. Yeah, I see a very close relationship between Krishna’s teaching in the sixth chapter and the type of Yoga that Patanjali is talking about in his Yoga Sutras. Okay, so Patanjali Yoga Sutras is also very popular today. Yoga that Krishna and or Patanjali teaches, it has nothing to do with Hatha Yoga, which is so popular today. Today, we focus more on asanas or bodily exercises. But Krishna and Patanjali when they're talking about Yoga, they're talking about meditation, right.
Patanjali defines Yoga as Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha, which means, Yoga is more about calming your mind. So that you know external senses stop bothering you, and you are ready for internal perception. And that is the only way for you to remain connected with your true self which makes sense.
Vee 15:58
Which makes sense
Dee 15:59
So here in the sixth chapter, Krishna provides ideal state of consciousness through which one could begin the practice of Yoga. Even Patanjali says the same thing “you need to be a decent human being before you get into meditation.” You know, you need to have a very disciplined lifestyle before you get into Dhyana Yoga or meditation. So pretty much Krishna as well as Patanjali, they are suggesting that meditation is a gradual process
Vee 16:27
Right. You cant start at day 1
Dee 16:28
You cannot start meditation in day one. You cannot just close your eyes and like okay, I'm meditating it's not going to work like that. You first have to be a Karma Yogi. Okay, you know, then focus on Gyana Yoga, because by this time when you are a Karma Yogi and you are gaining the knowledge you should have kind of decent control on your mind. So that is when you are actually ready for Dhyana Yoga or meditation.
Only when the mind is stable we can find our true self like we said before, but when this true self is found, apparently, then that person experiences intense joy, you know that … both Krishna and Patanjali explain that level of tranquility one finds.. that joy has no limitations. Apparently joy we experience in this world do come with an expiry, right? But that joy has no end. It is unlimited joy. I do not know how that joy looks like because I've never experienced it. But I also can understand that the more we are detached from materialistic pleasures, the more we experience the sense of inner peace.
Vee 17:39
You know, it makes sense.
Dee 17:40
So Krishna is saying the same. We need to start disciplining our mind. Right. We can put our mind where it wants to be. It is a training process. It is almost like people going to the gym and doing bodybuilding. We take care of our body and all those things. And it's exactly doing the same kind of exercise with the mind. Right. So instead of having this flabby, lazy mind, work on it and have a fit mind,
Vee 18:07
Yes, makes sense. I mean, you can, the mind is so powerful that you can actually you know, focus enough. You can do what you want. Maybe you can lose weight. You get healthier just by focusing on your mind.
Anyway, I think we should wrap up here. Okay, I'm going to summarize about what we spoke today. Today we spoke about avatar, heard the interpretation of the 10 avatars, and how we can all be Kalki at 10th Avatar.
Then we talked about the Jedi story and basically you know, learn that success comes with dedication and learning, focus or patience like the crane, seeking opportunities, which is the chicken, and more importantly not being swayed by our own success and failure. So be like the salt.
We also spoke about the purpose of Yoga, and also talked about Patanjali Yoga Sutra, which the blog is will be in the description.
Dee 18:58
So any... any mantra for today
Vee 19:00
Okay, there's a quote that I like, “I am responsible for every result in my life. And if I want different results, I will have to change my thoughts and actions.” I think once you change your mindset, everything on the outside starts changing with it. Yeah. So mindset, is everything. Train your mind.
Dee 19:20
Yes, yes. And I think happiness is a mindset. Yeah. And the more we learn to control our mind, the happier we are.
Vee 19:27
I think that's it because we talked about Karma Yoga, then we're talking about Gyana Yoga, which is knowledge and then comes training the mind which is meditations or Dhyana Yoga. This is where we end today. In our next episode, we will talk about Bhakti Yoga, which is very popular in Hinduism. So I think that's it for today. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you so much.