Gita Gyan Part 5

Free Will and conscious

Doing is our job.God has given us the free will to decide and to act and we face the consequences of those decisions and actions accordingly.

Mahabharat and especially battle of kurukshetr is the perfect example of this. Krishna went to Hastinapur and spoke to Duryodhan, learn to share, there is enough in this world for you and Pandavas to enjoy happily. If you don't want to share equally atleast give five villages to Pandavas. After all what you took from them is not yours - they built it with their hardwork which you took away by cheating.

Duryodhan ignored Krishna's advice. Krishna also gave him an option to choose to listen to his advice or take his army. Duryodhan again ignored him and took the army.

Pandavas chose to listen and act on Krishna advice.

But it was Pandavas who acted, who fought who did everything not Krishna..He only adviced.

Everybody has to act for himself. God is not going to act on anyone's behalf whether the person is the good guy or the bad guy.

Yudhishthir did not listen to his conscience and gambled everything, his brothers did not listen to their conscience and stop him either. They suffered the consequences for it and learned from it. Krishna did not come and make the dice favourable for Yudhishthir.

Good guy only ever wins when he listens to his conscience before he acts and if he doesn't he will lose inspite of the fact that he is a good guy.

Animal Sacrifice

Our scriptures always use the words preferable and avoidable while telling us about the various deeds of our lives.

So vegetarianism is preferable and meat eating is avoidable.

Now coming to sacrifice. Sacrifice means to give up something that you value or cherish. While worshipping Gods a sacrifice symbolizes of our devotion to them by our willingness to happy give up those things that we cherish.

A devotee therefore sacrifices those things that he seems valuable, a meat eater would sacrifice meat, but a vegetarian will not

Scriptures are very clear that you have to sacrifice what you think is valuable. It's never a compulsion that it has to be done.

Jenau

Upaveetam, Poonal, Janey or sacred thread is not restricted for. Brahmins only.

This sacred thread symbolises a vow taken by the bearer that he will abide by the principles and rules specified in the Vedas and fullfill all his duties specified in the scriptures for that time period in his life or what is called as Ashrama Dharma

The thread is worn for the first time during Upanayana Sanskar where A thread with 3 strands are worn to symbolise the vow of Brahmacharya. This vow is that the person will remain celibate and dedicate his time to acquiring spiritual knowledge and profession skills and devote himself to the service of his Guru, he will not acquire or enjoy material pleasures and subsist on alms/stipend. A person is initiated into pursuit of knowledge by recitation of Gayatri Mantra.

After taking the vow and wearing the thread the person becomes twice born or Dwija. A Dwija may be a Brahman or a Brahmachari.

The word Brahmacharya is syncretic of Brahman and Acharan (Acharan means behavior) so during this period a person promises /vows to behave like a Brahman whatever his caste maybe.

Brahman's behavior is pursue knowledge, avoid material pleasures and subsist on basic necessities recieved as alms or stipend.

At the time of marriage a person gives up the vow of Brahmacharya and takes the vow of Grihasta. At this point a second thread with three strands is added to signify the additional vows taken. that the person who has acquired the spiritual Knowledge and professional skills will now use them to fulfill his duties towards his parents, his wife and children and society. He/she will acquire wealth and prosperity through his hardwork and honest means and abide by rules and law laid down by the society.

In ancient times both men and women would wear the upaveetam after taking the vow with due ceremony. No sacred ceremony could ever be performed by anyone who was not wearing it.

Now only Brahmin males follow this tradition, infact situation has become so sad that it has just become an occasion for family gathering and show off ceremony. Some people even go to an extent where they just do a formal ritual for namesake before marriage, as a priest cannot marry you in traditional ritual without the thread. But with a civil or registered marriage even this is not needed.

Such an inspirational and beautiful custom has been sadly lost to modernity.

Destiny / Future / Results

In Hinduism a person's knowledge or devotion towards our Gods does not direct his/her destiny, rather his deeds decide his destiny.

Mantras and strotas are used when we meditate on God to connect with our inner conscience which is part of the God. The atma that is the ansh of Parmatma. We try to forge this connection with the help of Mantras and strotas to help it communicate with us better and advice us on what is a good deed and what is a bad deed.

The prayers are not for him to listen to us but for us to remember to listen to him and to our conscience before we do our karma to ensure it is right

Knowledge and wisdom

Knowledge is knowing Fire burns, Wisdom is not to put your hand in it.

Ravana was scholar he had knowledge of many things but he did not have the wisdom to use the knowledge for his betterment.

Detachment

Detachment does not mean giving up everything to be a sanyasi. Detachment means avoiding selfishness, nepotism and greed

Detachment means sacrificing your desires for the sake of well being of your family. Sacrificing your family's desires for the sake of well being of society and sacrificing a society's desires for the sake of well being of environment.

(Aforesaid has been compiled from write up by Preeti from Tamil Nadu)