Srimad Bhagavad-Gita : Chapter-18, Slokam - 65.

 =========================================================================

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) is at Adi Sankara Nilayam. : · Kochi  · 

On 24th December, class 10th and 12th students of Chinmaya Vidyalaya Tattamangalam visited Chinmaya International Foundation for a restful night and a refreshing morning talk prior to their outdoor excursion. 

Brni. Devaki Chaitanya engaged the students in an inspiring talk on ‘Thoughtful actions – the secret to Success’, emphasising that it is neither thoughtless action nor action-less thought that will edge them ahead to success. The inspired students then had a campus tour and visited the ancient Illom, the sacred maternal birth home of Sri Adi Sankaracharya, the great philosopher, saint and exponent of #advaitavedanta.

Wishing the students the very best! =========================================================================

Monday, December 26, 2022. 07:30. 

Chapter-18.  Moksha-sannyasa-yogam.

=========================================================================

Very important slokam

Read carefully and  understand  well.

=========================================================================

Slokam-65. 

"manmana  bhava  madbhaktah  madyaji mam  namaskuru

mamevaishyasi satyam  te  pratijane  priyosi me."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Translation :

"Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detailed Translation :

man-mana    bhava   mad-bhaktah   ( bhava )   =  thinking  of  Me,  My  devotees;  

mat-yaji   ( bhava )  mam   namaskuru   =   surrender  unto  Me  with  devotion,  for  mercy; 

mam   eva    eshyasi    =   you  will   come  to  My  Abode;

te    satyam     pratijane    =   I  promise  to  you; 

( tvam )   me    priyah  asi   =   you  are  dear  (  friend )   of  Me.   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Bhashyam (Vykyanam) :

The Supreme Lord Krishna reveals the secret with the instruction to fix the mind upon Him. 

Concentrate upon Him with one-pointed focused in bhakti or exclusive loving devotion. 

This instruction is to be practically applied by dedicating all actions prescribed by the ordinances and injunctions of the Vedic scriptures unto Him. 

Whatever prescribed Vedic activity offered to the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His avatars or incarnations and expansions as revealed in the Vedic scriptures is considered devotion which will lead to direct communion with Him eternally. 

It should not be erroneously misconstrued that one can offer actions that are prohibited in the Vedic scriptures as that would be inconceivable and offensive. 

It is seen that followers of Kali Ma offer meat to her in sacrifice; but if some ignorant fool offered meat to Lord Krishna they would be condemned to suffer in hellish condition for such a great offense as it is prohibited to offer Him at any time under any circumstances foods that are not in sattva guna the mode of goodness and flesh from any source is always in tama guna the mode of ignorance.

Worshipping the Supreme Lord exclusively by prescribed Vedic activities in the form of offering material possessions, or in the form of executing tapah or austerities or as simple as performing the blessed and purifying Ekadasi vrata which is fasting twice a month from all grains on the 11th day of the waxing and waning moons and which grants unalloyed devotion to Lord Krishna.

For offering worship with material things such as pure cow ghee, gold, silver, marble, etc. is possible only if one is wealthy; but even if one is poor Lord Krishna will happily accept a fruit, a flower or just pure water from His devotees according to their capacity. 

Offerings in the form of austerities forbearing hunger and thirst, cold and heat, etc. in the natural course of following one's own prescribed Vedic duties. 

The offerings of yoga or facilitating communion with the Supreme Lord are the repitition of sacred mantras, exercises controlling the breath, the mind and the senses along with asanas or postures. 

The offerings of wisdom are reciting and chanting the verses of the Upanisads, the Puranas, Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, Vishnu-Saharanama the Thousand Names of Vishnu, etc.

The offering of learning is studying and learning and for those more qualified teaching the meaning and conclusion of the Vedic scriptures to others.

Now in order to avoid any complacency Lord Krishna instructs to bow down to Him with regularity fully with all the eight limbs of the body touching the ground for men. 

For women it should be only the knees, head and hands touching the ground as a woman's breast should never touch the floor. 

So dedicated a devotee will advance by means of such devotion. 

The performance of millions of ritualistic ceremonies cannot compare to the results Lord Krishna's devotees receive from bhakti. 

To receive the full result one should have concentrated devotion with undivided attention to Lord Krishna alone. 

Although the Supreme Lord is extremely difficult to propitiate even by Brahma, 

Shiva and the demigods who often consider themselves independent; but to His surrendered devotees He is so easy to please that even with only fresh water He is amply satisfied if it is offered with devotion.

After investigating and scrutinising the Vedic scripture intensely and reflecting and pondering over them repeatedly the consensus concluded by the wise and sagacious is that one should concentrate their mind and energies on meditating on the nama or name, rupa or form, guna or qualities and lila or divine pastimes of the Supreme Lord Krishna. 

Always remembering Him and never forgetting Him attain immortality. 

The sage Medhavi stated in Moksa Dharma :- 

I am that enlightened person, non-violent, true to the self, with senses controlled, free from passion and anger, equipoise and tranquil and in this way I shall overcome death like the immortals. Undoubtedly one should abandon anything internal or external which causes attachment in the mind and distracts it from meditating fully on the Supreme Lord and remain blissfully absorbed in this state until the final moment of death. 

The muktas or liberated souls who have achieved this state while still alive have declared that if one can control the mind in this way after some time it locks and one is free to establish themselves in the atma or immortal soul within the ethereal heart which gives liberation granting direct communion with the Supreme Lord.

The misguided and malicious atheists of mundane intelligence and degraded impulses, such deluded living entities are unable to behold the wide open gateway to moksha or liberation from material existence that is accessible to all humanity. 

All their endeavours and attempts to understand the inconceivable is for them in vain because they have eternally cursed themselves for denying the existence of the magnanimous and compassionate almighty Supreme Lord.

Manmana bhava is a divine command that means to always have Lord Krishna completely and blissfully in one's thoughts, to absorb oneself in Him. 

This is also established in the Vedic scriptures where we find in the Taittiriyaranyaka Upanisad III.XII beginning vedaham etam stating :- 

The Resplendent Supreme Lord more radiant then thousands of suns is realised by absorbing the mind in Him by meditation. 

Realising Him Him one attains moksa liberation from material existence. 

There exists no other path to immortality. 

This devotional absorption in Lord Krishna is of such magnitude and intensity that its meditation becomes a vision and the vision becomes an ever flowing current of devotion that is so vivid that the experience actually enters the realm of reality.

Mad-bhakta is to offer all one's loving emotions to Lord Krishna enthralled by love overflowing with enthusiasm, exuberance and excitement.

Mad-yagi is to worship Lord Krishna with love. 

To install Him in one's heart as their personal worshipful Deity.

Such worship is the performance of the entire services that a liege administers to His sovereign on a daily basis upon waking until sleeping. 

Yagi comes from yajana which is synonymous with pujana or worship and denotes aradhanam the most requisite loving worship. 

Therefore it is not a mere dry, formal observation of ceremonial ritual enacted out of duty. 

It is love flowing from the heart. It is a testament of devotion from the eternal svarupa or one's immortal spiritual form. 

Mad yagi should be interpreted as offering one's self to Lord Krishna as a brother, as a parent or as a beloved with a heart full of love.

Mam namaskuru is to enshrine Lord Krishna in the heart with the utmost, love, devotion and faith. 

Namas comes from namanam meaning obeisance. 

Such obeisance is not a mere habitual genuflection; but a sublime expression of sincere gratitude and humility that constitutes an emotion of love felt internally.

If a blessed devotee of Lord Krishna arrives at this exalted vista of bhakti or exclusive loving devotion then the Supreme Lord will not hesitate to have their eternal individual association with Him in the immortal spiritual worlds. 

This is the truth that He Himself promises. It should never be interpreted as being just a metaphor or mere flowery prose. Such a hypothesis would not be genuine and incorrect.

Wherever there is a heart that has so much love for Lord Krishna then there is as much love from Lord Krishna back to them. 

Lord Krishna's love is such that He finds it impossible to bear the separation from such surrendered and dedicated devotees and therefore without delay He personally brings them to Him directly in their eternal spiritual body even while their physical body is concluding its last life in material existence.

So it should be clearly and emphatically understood that the Supreme Lord Krishna's solemn promise to His surrendered devotees is the total truth and nothing other than truth for which He pledges to vouch safe for His devotees for all eternity.

Now the essence of all confidential knowledge contained in Srimad Bhagavad- Gita will be revealed by the Supreme Lord. 

Dedicate your mind to Lord Krishna. 

Be solely devoted to Lord Krishna. 

Give humble obeisance to Lord Krishna. 

Offer joyful propitiation to Lord Krishna. 

Living life in this way one will surely attain direct communion with Him by the spiritual wisdom bestowed by His Grace. 

One should not have any doubts about this for it is reality. 

Lord Krishna is extremely affectionate to His surrendered devotees. 

That is why He personally promises this eternal benediction which bequeaths both the purpose and the goal of material existence for the highest benefit of His devotees for all times.

Now Lord Krishna reveals the essence, the most confidential of all knowledge within Srimad Bhagavad Gita which will secure permanent release from samsara the perpetual cycle of birth and death, guarantee moksham or liberation from material existence and propel spiritual ascendancy unto eternal communion with the Supreme Lor

To be continued  ....

=========================================================================