3rd chapter: verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on January 24, 2020.
-Verses 12 & 13 have a contemporary significance. They discuss the importance of living in perfect harmony with nature, and how that helps us to live in perfect inner harmony.
-Yajna has two meanings: (1) Vedic rituals for harmony and peace of the world, material prosperity, well-being of relatives, etc. (2) Any noble activity done with a sense of sanctity and sacredness, for the good of others. Gita discusses Yagna in its broader sense of noble activity.
-12th verse: Those who eat and cook for themselves, produce food and wealth only for comfort and luxury, without sharing with others – they don’t eat food, they eat sin. On the other hand, those who get things from nature, but give part of it back to nature, they will be liberated from their sins. Giving back means practicing contentment, practicing absence of greed and having a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-If we only take from cosmos/nature without giving back, we exploit and disturb the existing balance of life. Nature then responds with problems such as climate change, famine and environment pollution. When the balance of nature is disturbed, our lifestyle also gets disturbed at an internal level.
-Satyam means truth. A person will not deviate from the path of harmony if he practices truthfulness and feels contented.
-Ritm is the central principle of inherent harmony that exists in nature.
-Dharma refers to the ethical and moral principles through which one practices Satyam. For example, it is immoral to pollute the earth and therefore against Dharma.
-12th verse refers to two types of people. First type “live to eat” – they are driven by extreme greed and exploit nature. Second type “eat to live” – they are driven by a higher philosophy and consume food only to keep physical life intact.
-Verses 14 & 15: From food, living beings come forth. Food comes from grains and grains come from rain. Rains are a result of Yajna. Yajna comes from Karma, which are prescribed in the Vedas. Vedas are imperishable and describe the highest philosophical truth. We are part of a cosmic cycle. When we take action as a sacrifice, as part of the cycle, we renounce our selfish desires. Therefore, all higher ideas are centered on principles of renunciation and unselfishness.
-Physical bodies, mind and speech are affected by the food we eat.
-Law of Karma and the doctrine of re-incarnation: whatever we do affects our own life and life outside of us. Everything is inter-related and nothing is without a cause. Law of karma is more powerful and more lasting than any scientific law, which can be modified as nature unfolds its secrets.
-All actions leave an invisible residual effect, as well as a tangible visible result. The invisible residual effects form tendencies in our character, which stay with us. We get from nature according to how we deal with nature.
-All rituals in Karma-kanda of Vedas, are based on giving back to nature a fraction of what nature gives you. One important principle in fire ceremony (homa) is to offer to fire something that we use in everyday life – such as milk, butter and cooked food. One should use mother earth and all that it provides with a sense of sanctity and sacredness.
-Vedic mantras emphasize harmony and balance of nature. Let the earth, clouds, skies, plants, trees and the entire cosmos remain pure, undisturbed, and in perpetual peace and harmony.
-16th verse: He who follows this cosmic wheel of Ritm, principle of inter-relatedness and lives in harmony with nature – he lives in contentment. Others, who disturb cosmic life live in sin. Sin means something that we do to harm others and which, ultimately, harms us.
-Cosmic wheel has two meanings: (1) Wheel of harmony. Live life in a way that gives peace to others and that is in harmony with nature. (2) Continuous cycle of life and death prompted by karma. Allow nature to live in prosperity; nature then allows you to do so.
-Yajna can be practiced in every action and every moment. Gita presents Swadharma as a way to practice Yajna bring cosmic harmony in everyday life and action. Swadharma is our natural way of work and that we feel perfect harmony with. When we do our Swadharma, we derive inner contentment. When we do work as Swadharma, we won’t exploit nature and won’t disturb the inherent harmony that exists.
-Chakra is discussed in various traditions such as Buddhism, Vedanta and Tantric tradition. It refers to the cycle of being born, doing actions, dying and being born again. Death is a comma or a semi-colon, not a full stop. Vedanta states that you come out of this cycle when you recognize your own spiritual reality. Buddhism says that when you attain Nirvana, you transcend this state of endless cycles.