49 - Evolving Towards Higher Swabhava | Swami Tattwamayananda

-5th chapter: verses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on August 21, 2020.
-14th verse: “The Lord does not get involved in what we do. Neither agency, nor action, nor the fruits of actions can be attributed to Him. Our own Swabhava is responsible for how we act.”
-15th verse: “The all-pervading Reality does not accept the merit or demerit of anyone. Jnanam (knowledge) is enveloped by ignorance – that’s why people get deluded.”
-Swabhava is our inherent nature that determines our outlook to life and our actions. We are responsible for our actions and control our destiny. God is beyond any kind of agency of actions, and distributorship of results of actions. However, if our heart is pure and we pray with true earnestness, God’s grace can dawn on us.
-Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. Samskaras express through our determination to act in a certain manner, called Sankalpa. Sankalpa leads to further actions. This wheel continues, and it shapes our Swabhava.
-Samskaras are of two types: (1) Klesha, which are related to experiences from this life, and (2) Karmasaya, which are related to previous life experiences.
-Swabhava can be of lower or higher form. The lower form causes us to act based on our biological tendencies. The higher form causes us to act based on sublime tendencies such as unselfishness, broad mindedness, and spiritual wisdom.
-Spiritual practices such as Yamas, Niyamas, and Ashtanga Yoga can help to bring out the higher Swabhava that is inherent in all of us. Gita recommends the practice of Swadharma to bring out this higher Swabhava.
-Mind is compared to a lake with many layers, which has pure water below and mud/filth at the top. With spiritual practices, the mud/filth of the outer layer is removed, and our true higher Swabhava is brought to surface.
-16th verse: “Those whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of the Atman – their knowledge manifests like the Sun, removing the ignorance.”
-When we perform karma yoga and offer our actions to God, the actions/results do not go to God – rather they have a purifying effect on our own mind, they bring out our higher Swabhava, and they remove our ignorance. Just like when we suffer from cold and move towards sunlight, the cold does not go to sun – rather the sunlight removes the coldness.
-Karmas are of three types: (1) Prarabdha karma – accumulated karmas that have already started unfolding (2) Sanchita karma – Accumulated karmas that are not yet manifesting and (3) Agami karma – karmas that are yet to come. When we perform spiritual disciplines, we free ourselves from Agami karmas. Highly spiritually elevated persons also burn their sanchita karmas – only their prarabdha karmas continue.
-17th verse: “Those who have reached Moksha, whose intellect is absorbed in Brahman, whose identities have become one with the divine Reality, who are steadfast, and whose mental impurities are cleansed – they get free from the rotation of lifecycles.”
-18th verse: “Those great spiritual giants - described in the 17th verse – they are called Punditah. God has become a reality for them. They see the same reality in everything, and everything in that reality. They look upon with an equal eye on a Brahman with learning, a cow, and elephant, a dog and an ignorant person.”
-A Punditah develops unique, spiritual common sense. It gives him a sense of what is real and unreal, who should be trusted and who shouldn’t be, and so on. His characteristics are similar to that of a Stitha-prajna, who is always contented, established in equanimity of outlook, and has instinctive common sense.
-Spiritual common sense is natural to a Punditah. One should not try to falsely imitate a Punditah. When we perform spiritual practices, we help our own mind to attain higher level of spiritual purity, so one day we can have the same spiritual common sense that a Punditah has. We will gradually evolve, knowing every inch of our journey.