Bhagavad Gita (BG) Class Minutes 16JUL2010 Thoughts: Why were Bhishma and Drona on the wrong side?

e? o Bhishma Parva: Dharma went to Bhishma, Drona and Salya and he persuaded them to come on their side or stay neutral. But Bhishma replies: the reality of life is that people are obligated to material wealth and not the other way round. I am bound by all that I have received. o Contrast this role with that of Vibheeshana in Ramayana: Ravana and Rama were both great. But the mismatch is in their goodness. Vibheeshana did not say he was obligated he did not perish. Bhishma felt obligated and perished. o It is Bhishmas position for whatever reason. In a company you work according to the companys policies thats the obligation part. If you do not agree with the policies what do you do? Thats a serious issue to think about.

If somebody builds the inner character (for which spirituality is a great help) here are some evidences for such strength of character: o o o Being both strong and gentle its quite possible that these two co-exist contrary to popular perception Great broad-mindedness Intensity of faith and conviction Not on a narrow idea But faith and conviction can actually broaden your perspective Intense fearlessness Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Yagnavalkya says to Janaka now you have achieved fearlessness Vivekananda: Spiritually awakened person will have no fear Chapter 12 of BG: True devotee has these twin attitudes: Others are not afraid of him Hes not afraid of anyone One example: Dr.Venkataswamy of Aravind Eye Hospital. Everyone in the system said so. Intense compassion

Chapter 2:

This chapter puts in a nutshell whats to be explained further in the rest of BG. Slide: In a nutshell: o Slokas 1- 10: Still Arjunas mind is going down o Sloka 11: The notion of time: Contrast this with the quarter to quarter focus of companies o Sloka 14-15: Notion of equanimity This is the first place in BG will keep recurring due to its importance Gita is not just a collection of axioms or advices it gives several details on how to achieve the prescribed ideals too. Chapter 3 of BG begins with Arjuna telling Krishna that he is confusing him too much o It is a myth that one should not question o Upanishads are full of questions and conversations o Example: Vaasishta Saaram conversation between Rama and Vasishta. o Diverse opinions lead to superior knowledge. Slide : Slokas 2.1 to 2.3: o Krishna says to Arjuna: This is not your nature This is a very strong rebuttal If you tell this to kids, they would think on this much longer than adults! If one reads all the major ten Upanishads, his/her character will grow by a great magnitude. If one looks at Ayur-Richa sukta in RigVeda which starts with Bhadram Karnebi: one could see the grand ideas that Vedas were espousing. Slide: Slokas: 2.6-2.7: o Jihad or extremism: Does not come under the umbrella of Dharma Because it is not sustainable It does not pass the test of sustainability Ideals not strong enough they dissipate quickly Slide: Slokas: 2.8-2.10: o When faced with a crisis what are the things that ensue, if weak by character: Power of discrimination between that which is permanent and that which is temporary - is lost Emotions and fear will overwhelm and overtake Objective mind fails; Subjective mind takes over High tendency to abandon role; Role clarity is lost Getting into the whole idea of Why war?, Why not status quo? Why is Arjuna going back to this question when enough time and energy has been spent, though unsuccessfully, to buy peace! Slide: Challenges of high performance: o Understand that greatness is of no value without goodness o Longevity cannot be generated by greatness alone

Next class, we start with the actual preachings of Krishna.