Shri Krishna Speaks -- Gives a roadmap

Shri Krishna Speaks--Gives a roadmap

*|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||*🌷🙏*

*॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 14.18॥*

_ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।_

_जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः॥_

*भावार्थ :* 

सतोगुण में स्थित जीव स्वर्ग के उच्च लोकों को जाता हैं, रजोगुण में स्थित जीव मध्य में पृथ्वी-लोक में ही रह जाते हैं और तमोगुण में स्थित जीव पशु आदि नीच योनियों में नरक को जाते हैं। (१८)

*Meaning*:

Those established in sattva go upwards, those in rajas stay in the middle. Those under the influence of the lowest guna, established in tamas, go downwards.

*Explanation*:

Parents are always watchful of their children’s behaviour, because the values that are inculcated in childhood stay with us throughout our life. If parents notice that their child is lazy and remains idle all the time, they will first motivate him through selfish desires. They will teach him that if he studies hard and works hard, he will be able to buy fast cars, electronic gadgets, a big house and so on. Once he has risen from a tamasic state to a rajasic state, and has made enough money, his parents will encourage him to slowly start transitioning from rajasic action to selfless, sattvic actions like donating money to charity, volunteering and so on.

 

Shri Krishna gives us a similar roadmap for our evolution in this shloka. He says that once we have determined our degree of rajas and tamas, we should consciously perform the actions necessary to uplift our mental state. If we are primarily tamasic in nature, we should perform rajasic actions. If we are primarily sattvic in nature, we should perform sattvic actions. He also puts the responsibility of self improvement squarely on our shoulders. No other person can make this happen. The will to self improve must come from within.

 

Let us imagine for a moment that we are able to uplift ourselves to the level of sattva, where we are able to remain in a sattvic state for a majority of the day, as a consequence of performing sattvic, selfless actions. Is this our goal, or is this yet another milestone in our spiritual journey? The thirteenth chapter taught us that we have become the individual soul, the jeeva, the Purusha, by forgetting our true nature as the eternal essence. We have further become entangled in Prakriti by identifying with a mind and body that are under the influence of the gunas. Once we are able to stay in sattva, and minimize the effects of rajas and tamas, how do we then disentangle ourselves from Prakriti? Shri Krishna picks up this topic next.

*Continuously Chant The mantra you have faith in ||*🌹

Krishna-Speaks: Behaviour creates habit

*|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||*🌷🙏*

*॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 14.16॥*

_कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्‌ ।_

_रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्‌॥_

*भावार्थ :* 

सतोगुण में किये गये कर्म का फल सुख और ज्ञान युक्त निर्मल फल कहा गया है, रजोगुण में किये गये कर्म का फल दुःख कहा गया है और तमोगुण में किये गये कर्म का फल अज्ञान कहा गया है। (१६)

*Meaning*:

The result of good action is sattvik and pure, it is said, while the result of rajas is sorrow, and the result of tamas is ignorance.

*Explanation*:

When new year comes around, many people make new year resolutions to lose weight. Many take a gym membership, but most end up using it only for a few days. The ones that consciously develop a habit of going to the gym everyday are the most likely to lose weight. Even if they go to the gym for ten minutes every day, they will lose weight. This is because habits are self reinforcing. A behaviour creates a habit, which pushes us to repeat the behaviour, which strengthens the habit, and so on.

 

Similarly, we can shape our mental states by choosing our actions consciously. Shri Krishna says that sattvic or selfless actions generate a sattvic state, rajasic or selfish actions generate a rajasic state, and tamasic or ignorant actions generate a tamasic state. If we are predominantly rajasic by nature, we can improve our state by emphasizing the performance of sattvic actions. If we are predominantly tamasic by nature, we can change it by emphasizing the performance of rajasic actions.

 

The law of karma holds true in every situation, including this one. If we perform rajasic actions, we will attain temporary joy, which will eventually generate sorrow. It does not take a large amount of raaga dvesha, likes or dislikes, to make us act selfishly. And if we perform tamasic actions, we will continue to live our lives in inertness and ignorance. Only through sattvic actions will we create a state of purity and serenity in our mind.

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Krishna_Speaks Shrimadbhagavat Gita shlok explanation

*|| जय श्री कृष्ण ||*🌷🙏*

*॥ श्रीमद्‍भगवद्‍गीता ॥ 14.15॥*

_रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्‍गिषु जायते ।_

_तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते॥_

*भावार्थ :* 

जब कोई मनुष्य रजोगुण की बृद्धि होने पर मृत्यु को प्राप्त होता है तब वह सकाम कर्म करने वाले मनुष्यों में जन्म लेता है और उसी प्रकार तमोगुण की बृद्धि होने पर मृत्यु को प्राप्त मनुष्य पशु-पक्षियों आदि निम्न योनियों में जन्म लेता है। (१५)

*Meaning*:

One who has reached his end in rajas is born among those attached to action, and one who is dying in tamas is born in the wombs of the ignorant.

*Explanation*:

Previously, Shri Krishna explained the fate of one whose mental state is sattvic at the end of his life. Here, he says that one whose mental state is rajasic while dying is reborn in a family of action oriented individuals. Also, one whose mental state is tamasic while dying is reborn in the wombs of the ignorant and the inert. This includes plants, trees, creepers, birds, insects and other animals.

 

It is not just the mental state that determines one’s fate in the next life. Every action we perform leaves impressions in our mind, which also impacts our fate. One who has performed selfless actions throughout their life is born in a virtuous family. One who has performed selfish actions is born with a tendency to get attached to material objects. And one who has performed harmful actions is born with devilish tendencies. Such a person will not stop at anything to get their way, including physically harming others. In their current life and in their next life, it is totally up to each individual to cultivate their discrimination through selfless service, devotion and company of devotees so that they can counteract the effect of excessive rajas.

 

The Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of the illustrious king Bharata who was one of the most sattvic individuals of his time. Through extreme attachment to his pet deer, he became steeped in tamas, and was born as a deer in his next life. But due to the selfless actions performed in his life as a king, he developed a degree of renunciation not even found in humans. He was finally born as a highly sattvic human who ultimately achieved liberation. Shri Krishna repeatedly urges us to employ rajas to perform selfless service, and cultivate sattva through reducing selfish activities.

*Continuously Chant The mantra you have faith in ||*🌹

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