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Q: How does one go about acquiring right spiritual knowledge and manage the knowledge so obtained?



A: Among all the objects that one can find in the universe, knowledge is the most important and useful treasure that helps one to cross the ocean of life and reach the ultimate goal of salvation.

• It is important to seek the right teacher and gain the teacher’s confidence in order to ensure error free learning

• Learning is a lifelong activity

• Mere acquisition of spiritual knowledge in and of itself is of no use, unless one puts the knowledge to proper use and leads a life with conviction based on the teachings learned

• The seeker also has an obligation to help spread the knowledge learned so that others in society can benefit from the same 

 

Renunciation v/s Sacrifice

 

Q: What is the difference between ‘Renunciation’ (Sanyasa) and ‘Sacrifice’ (tyaga)? Which is superior? They appear similar.

A: Sanyasa or Renunciation is renouncing any activity that may result in temporary pleasures. For example, practicing fasting as a way to control excessive intake of food is a type of renunciation. Another example is controlling anger. Sacrifice or ‘tyaga’ refers to a situation where one does not per se renounce activities but performs those activities without expressly expecting any specific outcome (except the Grace of God). While both these are recommended approaches for a seeker, the latter is superior as one has to perform naturally chosen activities, but do so without expectation on outcome. An even better approach is a combination of the two, where a seeker performs naturally chosen activities, without expectation of outcome and at the same practices self control by means of renunciation.

The former is normally practiced by ascetics who have given up worldly life and the latter is the recommended path for most other people. In general, a seeker needs to incorporate both these aspects in all activities.

 

Q: Are there degrees of renunciation?

A: Renunciation is a generic word. There are 3 levels of renunciation, namely, superior, ordinary and inferior renunciation.

Superior Renunciation is when someone performs naturally chosen duties without expecting any material outcome. This is obviously the best kind and leads one to salvation.

Ordinary Renunciation is when someone avoids performing naturally chosen duties if they are unpleasant, harmful to others etc. (ex: a soldier not wanting to fight even a just war for fear of hurting the enemy). This type of renunciation does not help someone looking for salvation. Inferior Renunciation is when someone refuses to perform naturally chosen duties for reasons such as laziness, ignorance etc. This leads to darkness and misery.

 

Takeaways

 

ü Everyone born in this world has a purpose and a naturally chosen vocation

ü No one should abdicate their responsibilities but should discharge them with diligence even if they are unpleasant

ü Faithful discharge of responsibilities without expecting any outcome while focusing on the Lord will put one on a path towards eternal bliss

ü Like the Lord, liberated souls continue to be active even though they have no specific task because it is their nature to do so. They act to set an example to other souls.

Mind Matters

In this chapter, questions covered are centered on various issues associated with the human mind. As everyone knows, the mind is the most complex sense organ and it often works in mysterious ways. It is said that The Gita is as much a psychological manual as it is a spiritual guide. It provides a comprehensive explanation for complex human behavior and more importantly equips one with the understanding of workings of the mind which eventually helps in developing counter strategies to manage mind matters. Gita clearly explains how the mind moulds our behavior and spells out specific ways to modulate the workings of the mind. The complex relationship between the mind, the intellect and the external sense organs are beautifully explained. Finally, the aspects of ‘memory’ an essential temporal component of the mind are explained.

 


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