2018-September-15

Topics for today:

1. Opening prayers and Gita Dhyanam
2. Chapter 2 verses 69-70

 Highlights of today’s class:

Verse 2.69

ya nisha sarvabhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami | yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisa pasyato muneh ||

• After describing in several preceding verses, the qualities of a sthitaprajna, Krishna in this verse presents a simile to draw a comparison between the vision of a sthitaprajna and that of a samsari.
• Krishna says that there is a night-and-day difference between the two visions. The vision of sthitaprajna is a vision of oneness. The vision of a samsari is that of diversity or duality.
• In the vision of oneness a sthitaprajna sees the essential identity of oneself with the limitless whole. The notion of doership is negated and reduced to an “as though doership”.
• In the vision of duality or diversity, a samsari sees oneself as a doer and essentially distinct from all other doers. Therefore these two visions are fundamentally different.

Verse 2.70

apuryamanamacalapratistham samudramapah pravisanti yadvat | tadvatkama yam pravisanti sarve sa santimapnoti na kamakami ||

• In this verse Lord Krishna gives another simile for a wise person, sthitaprajna. Just as an ocean is brim by itself and does not get affected by the incoming or outgoing of water, so also, a wise person is full all by himself or herself and does not get affected by the desirable or undesirable objects entering his/her mind.
• A wise person is tranquil and not subject to emotional ups and downs.

om tat sat