‘Prophet’

 

Bhagavad Gita and the Yogas

The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to simply as the Gita, is a sacred Hindu scripture that holds profound philosophical and spiritual significance. Comprising 700 verses, it is a part of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, and is presented as a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and the god Krishna, who serves as his charioteer.

Set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the Gita unfolds as Arjuna grapples with moral dilemmas and existential questions about duty, righteousness, and the nature of life and death. Faced with the prospect of fighting his own kin and revered elders in the Great War, Arjuna is overcome with doubt and despair.

In response, Krishna imparts timeless wisdom and guidance, offering profound insights into the nature of reality, the self, and the path to spiritual liberation. Through a discourse on various yoga paths, including Karma Yoga (the yoga of selfless action), Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion), and Jnana Yoga (the yoga of knowledge), Krishna teaches Arjuna the importance of fulfilling one's duty with detachment and surrendering the fruits of one's actions to the divine.

 

1.   Karma Yoga: Karma marga is for those who seek salvation through day-to-day tasks while living an ordinary life working and raising a family.

The Bhagavad Gita offers several approaches to liberation from suffering, self-realization and connection with the Divine, of which Karma yoga is arguably the most practical. The text highlights the importance of selfless action, in which service is offered from the heart, with full attention and awareness.

Marga is a Sanskrit word meaning “path,” “route” or “passage.” Karma is often translated as “action” or “work,” but the concept doesn't translate easily into English. The concept applies to action on several levels that results in positive or negative consequences for this life or the next life. The Hindu following karma marga can expect a freedom from suffering in the next life or even liberation – that is, an end to the cycle of reincarnation.

The Gita categorizes actions into three types:

       i.            Vikarma: These are prohibited or wrong actions that violate divine or scriptural principles, like breaking laws or acting cruelly. 

2. Karma: This refers to actions performed with desire for personal pleasure, power, or rewards, binding the individual to the cycle of cause and effect. 
3. Akarma: The highest form of karma, Akarma is performed selflessly and fearlessly as one's natural duty, free from the desire for results. Actions performed in this way do not create new karmic reactions and can even destroy existing ones, leading to spiritual liberation. 

 

2.   Bhakti Yoga: Bhakti yoga is one of the most common paths of spiritual development, particularly in India where the practice originated. The concept was first described in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, ancient Hindu texts which focus on liberation from suffering.

Bhakti yoga involves surrendering to the Divine or uniting with the universal consciousness, through practices such as chanting, singing, dancing and selfless service within the community.

The intention when practicing Bhakti yoga is to devote one's self to the Divine in everything, thereby realizing the union of atman (the individual self) with Brahman (universal consciousness).

There are nine forms of Bhakti:

       i.            Shravanam: Hearing about the Lord's glories, pastimes, and teachings. 

     ii.            Kirtanam: Glorifying God by singing His holy names and stories. 

  iii.            Smaranam: Constantly remembering and meditating on the Lord's presence and qualities. 

   iv.            Padasevanam: Serving the Lord's lotus feet, representing intense attachment and service to Him. 

     v.            Archana: Engaging in the ritual worship of the deity in a temple or sacred space. 

   vi.            Vandanam: Prostrating before the Lord with humility and respect. 

vii.            Dasya: Cultivating the mood of a servant, considering oneself an eternal servant of the Lord. 

viii.            Sakhya: Developing a friendship with God, treating Him as a dear friend. 

   ix.            Atmanivedanam: Complete and unconditional surrender of one's self, including body, mind, and possessions, to the Lord. 

 

 

3.   Jnana Yoga: Sanskrit for "knowledge" or "wisdom," Jnana is the intellectual path of scriptures and self-study, considered to be one of the most direct and yet challenging means of spiritual development.

Although Jnana yoga involves the progressive study of the scriptures, it is not solely theoretical, encompassing the practical, experiential knowledge which stems from meditation training.

Jnana yoga is essentially a deep inquiry to the nature of the Self. The intention when practicing Jnana yoga is to use the mind to understand and uncover the truth behind the mind. Simply accepting dogmatic teaching is not enough according to Jnana yoga, and as such, practitioners must seek an experiential knowledge of the Divine, universal consciousness or absolute Truth. In this sense, Jnana yoga moves beyond intellect and requires the mind to be both rational and open.

There are four prescribed steps in Jnana Yoga known as Sadhana Chatushtaya (the Four Pillars of Knowledge). These practices build upon one another in order to cultivate the spiritual insight required for this path:

1.     Viveka (discernment, discrimination) – a deliberate, intellectual effort to distinguish between the real and the unreal.

2.     Vairagya (dispassion, detachment) – cultivating non-attachment toward worldly possessions and the ego-mind.

3.     Shatsampat (six virtues) – six mental practices to stabilize the mind and emotions.

4.     Mumukshutva (longing, yearning) – an intense and passionate desire for achieving liberation from suffering.

After successfully practicing these four pillars, a practitioner is considered ready to begin the three core practices of Jnana Yoga, according to Upanishadic teachings:

1.     Sravana – hearing or experiencing Vedantic philosophy through a guru or spiritual teacher, thereby achieving a deep understanding of the concepts of atman and Brahman and the philosophy of non-dualism.

2.     Manana – thinking and reflecting on the teachings of non-duality in an attempt to understand their subtleties.

3.     Nididhyasana – constant and profound meditation Brahman and the inner self in order to experience absolute Truth