Reflections on Ch 2 - Rajesh

Rajesh ——————————————— Arjuna’s mindset - Pity, despondency, agitated, dejection, eyes full of tears, lost all hope, no sense of purpose, depression, visible signs of depression - seed anti mama gaatrani, mukham cha parishushyati, vepathushcha sharire me, romaharshascha jayate - limbs fail, mouth parched, sweating, quivering, hairs standing on end… LESSON 1: EMOTIONAL MIND VERY STRONGLY covering his intellect - like a thick black cloud covering the sun. We can recognize signs of DEPRESSION within us too! His Intellect becomes convoluted. Tries to justify. Puts forth arguments that will justify his point of view - without any sufficient logical base - altering facts, creating opinions to suit one’s emotional turbidity. Sentiments cloud our understanding. Emotions rule us. Strong sense of ego - “I” expressed as “How can I kill my relatives?” SPLIT PERSONALITY SYNDROME. Perception /Action Sense Organs, Emotional Mind, Intellectual Mind are not aligned together. LESSON 2: WHEN WE ARE NOT MENTALLY INTEGRATED, our efforts dissipate like clouds in a bright sun. This is our life too. Most of us don’t seek right help to our mental wellbeing. Right help can come only from scriptures - not paid psychoanalysis help! He Finally gives up. Surrenders to a superior intellect - Trust in Krishna’s supremacy. LESSON 3: Surrender is hard. But when one surrenders, it becomes easy. Either surrender to a parent, trusted friend or relative, or plainly to your inner conscience. What is inner conscience? It is the sense of ‘Big I’ of who we truly are! Not the sense we have of the ‘small I’ that identifies itself with body, senses, mind or intellect. How do we know there is a “Big I” within me? When we ask the question - who am I and analyze with a simple framework - subject is different from objects, then we will truly know who we are! Heat & Cold, happiness & sadness, praise & criticism, success & failure are all experienced by me - so they are not me! I stand apart from them! They are all finite - in time, space or relationship. All these too will pass! LESSON 4: Even if we don’t trust anyone, trust that inner conscience. Recognize that it is there and ask - what would that inner conscience want me to do now in my depression state? Why should one trust the inner conscience? Is there any such thing? Why don’t I experience that? If that is happiness, eternal, consciousness - and it is my real nature - why don’t I feel it? Are there any preparations I need to do? Krishna says, karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga are the rungs of the ladder to know & become that sat-chit-ananda: the eternal existence, conscious & bliss nature. Preparing the body, senses is the pre-requisite for karma yoga. LESSON 5: Like in all knowledge acquisition, we need to prepare. Mind is the biggest obstacle as well as the most important instrument we have to acquire this knowledge about the Big I - our true. This is life worth living. Anchored to an unchanging goal post - meandering around, using life situations as learning &growing opportunities and overcoming the mental doubts, confusion and expanding our mind to include everything in the sense of I. Small I becoming the Big I in three steps through karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, jnana yoga. Hari Om Tat Sat!