Introduction to Bhagavad Gita – Session3
[Link]
Topics
• Who Is God?
• Why Different Gods,
• Different Scriptures?
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Who is GOD?
The message on who is GOD was presented to the
audience based on the time , place and circumstances.
We will try and understand this by way of examples and
analogy
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Example/Analogy
Elementary School Maths 5 - 3 = 2 , 3 *2 = 6
3 - 5 = -2
High School Maths Elementary Calculus,
Trigonometry etc.
College Maths, Set Theory Tensor Analysis
Analysis, Vector Algebra,
Ph.D. Maths Mathematical Statistics
All are Mathematics; Still the level of knowledge is different.
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Islam & Christianity – Taught According to
Time-Place & Circumstance
Do not have sex with your mother and sister - 16th
Surah of The Holy Koran
“Thou Shall Not Kill” – Ten Commandments - Bible
Bhagavad Gita spoken to Arjuna – Best human being when
Indian Vedic Civilisation was at it’s best
Srimad Bhagavatam spoken to Ascetics Sages, dedicated
to performing sacrifices for the welfare of humanity
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Different Religions, Same Message
Essence of all the major religious scriptures:-
1. God is one and love of god
2. Obedience to the laws of god
3. Service to god
4. Return to the kingdom of god
more………
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Essence of all the major scriptures….
5. Sin no more
6. Glory of the holy names
7. Sacrifice and renunciation of
material pleasure
8. Approach a spiritual master
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Examples
Meat Eating Allowed for Muslims except Pig
and Dog
For Christians it is allowed everyday except
Friday
In Sanatana Dharma, meat eating is prohibited
(One of the pillars of sinful life)
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Example
Sex Life
Islam permits to marry 4 wives at a time
In Bible St. Paul says it is better to marry than to burn
with passion
Srimad Bhagavatam says we must give up sex life
completely except for procreation of God conscious
children
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Message of God Presented
According to the Level of Audience
Undiluted pure message for the spiritually advanced
beings
Suitably modified message for the morally and
spiritually degraded.
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How does one explain these differences?
Although all empowered messengers of God have
the same message, they restrict their teachings to
what their audience can digest.
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Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita
‘jnanam te ‘ham sa-vijnanam
idam vaksyamy asesatah
Yaj jnatva neha bhuyo ‘nyaj
jnatavyam avasisyate’
“I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both phenomenal
and numinous, by knowing which there shall remain nothing further
to be known.” [BG 7.2]
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All religions - Same message
1. ‘Love Thy God with all thy soul and all thy might’ (Bible)
2. Islam means ‘complete surrender’
3. ‘sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja’ (Bhagavad Gita)
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Me’
4. Glorification of Holy Name – 99 names of Allah, 1000 names of Visnu , ‘Hallowed by Thy
Name’ (Bible)
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Different Religions
Authorised religions like Christianity, Islam
are like pocket dictionaries (where there is
partial revelation of Truth according to the
level of audience)
Scriptures of Sanatana dharma is like
Chambers/Websters Dictionary (Where
there is complete knowledge)
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More differences….
Words like come, go…..are in all dictionaries.
Similarly subjects on mode of goodness like ‘do not
steal’, ‘Love everyone’, ‘forgive your enemy’, ‘always
do good to others’ are in all religious scriptures
Words like ‘cataclysm’, ‘corroborate’ etc., found only in
bigger dictionaries.
Similarly…
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More differences….
subjects on mode of PURE goodness, like ‘surrendering
to the will of God out of unmotivated uninterrupted
love’, ‘thinking and serving God 24 hours a day’,
‘renouncing all worldly pleasures and having a desire to
serve God birth after birth even without desire for
liberation’ found only in most advanced scriptures of
Sanatana Dharma
(for eg in SB)
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Sanatana dharma
Hinduism
Islam – 1300 years
Bible – 2000 years
Buddhism – 2500 years
Bhagavad Gita – re-spoken to Arjuna 5000 years ago
Sanatana dharma coming down from time
immemorial
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Sanatana dharma – assortment of religions
The Matsya purana says that there are 18
puranas.
6 puranas written for:
– People in mode of goodness
– People in mode of Passion
– People in mode of Ignorance
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Mode of Goodness
Mode of goodness puranas
recommend the worship of
Lord Hari – Lord Krishna
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Mode of Passion puranas recommend and
glorify worship of Brahma and other Demigods
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Puranas for mode of ignorance people recommend
worship of Lord Siva and Durga
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My dear goat, in this life I sacrifice you to Goddess Kali,
In the next life you may do the same to me(!)
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Scriptures for Kali yuga?
Kali Santarana Upanishad
Bhagavad Gita
Srimad Bhagavatam
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Kali Santarana Upanishad
One of the 108 Upanishads
The Upanishad to cross over the ocean of Kali yuga
The Hare Krishna maha mantra, mentioned in this
Upanishad to attain SELF-REALISATION
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Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is spoken by Lord
Krsna at the conclusion of Dvapara
Yuga not only for Arjuna but also the
people of the ensuing Kali Yuga
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Srimad Bhagavatam
Spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami (and
repeated by Suta Gosvami)
essentially for the people of Kali
Yuga to find relief from the miseries
of this age and attain love of God
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God: Called by Different Names
ALMIGHTY: There is no one mightier than God
OMNIPOTENT: God is all potent
JEHOVAH: ‘The Almighty
ALLAH: The Greatest
KRISHNA: The All-Attractive
RAMA: The Supreme Enjoyer
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Definition of God
‘janmady asya yatah’ - ‘From whom
everything emanates’[S.B.1.1.1]
Parasara Muni, the father of Vyasa
Dev defines God / ‘Bhagavan’
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The Supreme Personality of Godhead has:
1. all Riches
2. all Strength
3. all Fame
4. all Beauty
5. all Knowledge
6. all Renunciation
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Anyone possessing all the opulence in full is
naturally ‘ALL ATTRACTIVE’
Krsna means ‘all attractive’ in Sanskrit
ALL RICH ALL
STRONG
ALL ALL
FAMOUS BEAUTIFUL
ALL ALL
KNOWLEDGE RENUNCIATION
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WHO IS GOD?
IN BIBLE: JESUS - SON OF GOD
IN KORAN: MOHAMMED - MESSENGER
OF GOD
IN BHAGAVAD GITA: KRISHNA -THE
SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD
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IS GOD PERSONAL OR IMPERSONAL?
LIGHT /
BRAHMA
JYOTI
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Brahmajyoti is the
effulgence from the body
of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
Jnanis realize this
Brahman aspect of God.
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Those who realize the BRAHMAN
feature of the Absolute Truth is
compared to students interested
in studying the SUNSHINE or
energy of the sun
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BRAHMA SAMHITA
Isvarah parama Krishna
Saccid ananda vigraha
Anadir adir govindah
Sarva karana karanam
“Krishna (God) is the supreme controller.
He has a form of eternity, knowledge
and bliss. He is the prime cause of all
causes.”
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Srila Prabhupada used the words
‘SUPREME PERSONALITY OF
GODHEAD’ meaning there is
form and personality instead
of saying just ‘GOD’.
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Evidences for Krishna’s Supremacy
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Krishna says in B.G. 10.8.
that He is the source of
all spiritual and
material worlds and
that everything
emanates from Him.
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-KRISHNA-
SOURCE OF ALL QUALITIES
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“Intelligence Fearlessness
Knowledge Nonviolence
Equanimity
Freedom Satisfaction
from doubt and Austerity
delusion Charity
Fame
… Infamy
Forgiveness …
Truthfulness are created by Me
alone”
Self-control B.G. 10.4-5
Calmness
Pleasure
Pain
Birth
Death
40
Fear
[Link]
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Krishna: Father of all beings
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Krishna, father
of all living
entities.
“aham bija
pradah pita”
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sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
TRANSLATION
It should be understood that all species of life, O
son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this
material nature, and that I am the seed-giving
father
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Krishna: Fountainhead of all Avatars
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There is mention of every AVATAR of God in
the scriptures before He appears.
Lord Krishna is mentioned in RIGVEDA.
Krishna is mentioned in
CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD
as DEVAKI NANDAN KRISHNA.
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BUDDHA is mentioned in
Srimad Bhagavatam before He appeared.
The Caitanya Upanishad portion of the Atharva
Veda foretells the appearance
of Lord Shri Caitanya.
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Krishna: Source of all Demigods
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KRISHNA & VISHNU
S.B.1.3.28.
‘ETE CAMSA KALA PUMSAH…’ SLOKA
IS VERY IMPORTANT TO LEARN BY-
HEART TO KNOW THAT KRSNA IS THE
SOURCE OF EVERYONE.
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“O Arjuna, there is no
Truth superior to Me.
Everything rests upon
Me, as pearls are strung
on a thread.”
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Krishna: The Supreme Knower
PAST SAMATITANI
PRESENT VARTAMANANI
FUTURE BHAVISHYANI
BG. 7.26
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“Sarvam etad rtam manye”
“I accept
everything
You say to
be true”
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Speciality of Krishna’s
Appearance and Activities
BG.4.9
Janma Karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
Krishna knows past, present and future
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Krishna and His body are Not Different
Krishna appears in the world in His original eternal
form, with two hands, holding a flute. He appears
exactly in His eternal body, uncontaminated and
untouched by this material world.
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Avatara
The word ‘Avatara’
means ‘one who
descends from the
Spiritual Sky’
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Purusa Avatars
Krishna first incarnates as the 3 Purusa
incarnations:
1. Maha Visnu or Karanodakasayi Visnu
2. Garbodhakasayi Visnu, and
3. Ksirodhakasayi Visnu
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Vishnu Tattva
Krishna, Vishnu, Kurmavatar, Matsyavatar etc.,
Krishna and all Vishnu expansions are like
many candles equally luminous;
But Krishna is the original candle
‘krsnastu bhagavan svayam’ (S.B. 1.3.28)
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Shambhu Tattva
Lord Siva, a specific expansion of Krsna
to control tamo guna
Just as milk is transformed into curd,
similarly Siva is an expansion of Krsna
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Siva Tatva
No jiva can become Siva
Siva is the greatest devotee of Krsna
‘vaishnavanam yatha shambhu’ (S.B)
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Jiva Tattva
Brahma, Indra, Vayu etc., and all
living entities
‘All gods are equal’ is a wrong
philosophy; there is only one God
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Jiva Tatva Contd…
Brahma, Indra are posts as much
as Prime minister of Australia is a
post.
They are empowered
administrators of the universe;
They have been appointed and
empowered by Krsna.
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Demigods are empowered to offer material benedictions
Less intelligent persons approach
demigods for material facilities
An intelligent person surrenders to
Krsna, the source of all demigods
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How does a devotee deal with the demigods?
He understands that the demigods are
empowered servants of Krsna who are
given a particular service to do
He is not offensive towards demigods
A devotee sees the demigods as part and
parcel of Krsna and offers them respect.
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Krishna Demigods
1. Supremely conscious 1. Individually conscious
2. Always God 2. Posted temporarily
3. Can give liberation 3. Cannot give liberation
4. Supremely Independent to their worshippers
5. Possesses spiritual 4. Dependent on Krsna
body 5. Possess material body
6. Beyond the influence of 6. Under 3 modes
3 modes
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