Hari om everyone,
As always, we began the class with meditation and gitaa chanting (chapter 2)
The discussion of chapter 17 of the Gita began with a story of a strange kingdom that had a custom of changing kings every five years. The new king could do as he pleased during his reign but once his five years were up, he was left stranded in the middle of the jungle alone and without any resources for survival. All the kings till then had enjoyed their 5 years term to the fullest! On the last day, they would be full of sorrow as they were going to be left in the jungle and their chances of survival would be bleak!
Then came the new king and his cycle continued for the next 5 years. This king lived humbly unlike his predecessors and he ruled wisely so much so that the subjects of the kingdom grew sad when it came time for the king to go into the jungle. The king was calm at his fate and gladly walked into the jungle. Everyone was taken aback! This king did not lament like the rest of them. There was a splendid calmness in his face and he seemed unperturbed by his impending fate!! When they reached the forest, the people realized that he had spent his five years sending workmen to clear a part of the jungle and build him a palace and set up a new city there; he had also stocked it with everything needed for a comfortable life after his term in that kingdom was done!
This story teaches us that we should plan for our future, while we still can! This king not only enjoyed the powers, but he also executed them wisely, planning for the future. It benefited him as well as the people around him!
This brings us to the topics of chapter 17 - shraddhaa traya vibhaaga yoga
The lesson of that story synchronizes nicely with the message of this chapter – namely that any behavior can be classified as sattvic, rajasic or tamasic. The previous kings acted in a tamasic manner; they prioritized their own pleasure and benefit at the expense of the future and so suffered for it. A rajasic action is full of passion and ambition – this would be a king who leads great wars of conquests to expand his kingdom or builds great monuments. A sattvic course of action does not focus on material gain for the initiator but rather on the benefit provided to others.
These mindsets are not merely for kings, they influence our daily lives. Krishna talks about how they affect our ability to worship, our ability to dispense charity and our ability to perform sacrifices. It even affects something as simple as our food preference as well! Indeed, if we choose the wrong causes and dispense aid incorrectly (the tamasic way), even something benign as charity can become harmful!
Our previous chapters discussed the cultivation of positive traits would put us in a sattvic mindset and allow us to commit sattvic actions – this is an ongoing process. We cannot be like the previous kings who lived tamasic lives when in power and then try to switch to a sattvic mindset when they have to leave for the jungle. We must be like the last king and prepare ourselves so that we may reap the ultimate reward at the end. We will discuss how these mindsets affect our daily lives next week.
See you soon.
Regards,
Raghav and Rashmi.
