Bhagavad-Gita and Bal Vikas
Bal Vikas [a values-based program for children, now known as Sathya Sai Education (SSE) teachers must realize the sanctity of the Bhagavad-Gita [The Song of God—an epic], and its teachings. The aim of the Gita is not so much to teach a theory, but to call attention to the practice of dharma [righteousness] in daily life.
The children who attend Bal Vikas classes are of three age groups [namely, six to nine years, nine to 12 years, and 12 to 15 years]. The children of the first group should be encouraged to memorize Sanskrit verses that are easy to recite and remember. This is the approach taken at the Sai school in Prasanthi Nilayam [Abode of peace—Sai Baba’s ashram in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh State, South India.]. To the children of the second group, the “story” of the Gita can be related. To those in the third group, teachers should attempt to explain the philosophical significance of the Gita.
Knowledge of the external world can be gained through sense perception and reason, but Gita jnana [knowledge of Gita] is fundamentally different. It has to be experienced and assimilated. Those who profess to teach the message of the Gita must not only be acquainted with the commentaries, but more importantly implement, in thought, word, and deed the sacred teachings of the Gita. Purification of character and cultivation of selfless love are essential.
Yoga is the method by which one’s connection with the Universal is experienced. Yoga is restraint; bhoga is enjoyment. Divinity is fact; diversity is fiction. Lord Krishna says, “All forms are Mine; I am in all.” He explains in a simple way, the Universal aspect of Sanathana Dharma [eternal path]. “You may worship any form or chant any name of Divinity, your devotion reaches Me.” The different forms and names of God serve to satisfy different tastes and temperaments.
Today, through science, we have discovered the means of controlling external temperature, but the fever of desire raging within us can be controlled by means of Gita jnana [knowledge of Gita] only. The ever-expanding nature of worldly desires can be compared to that of the Banyan tree of which Lord Krishna speaks in Chapter 15 of the Gita. From a single seed, the Banyan tree grows into a quasi forest. The roots of the tree grow down from its branches and develop into trunks that support the branches. In this manner, the Banyan tree spreads in all directions. The onlooker is amazed; he is unable to trace the beginning and the end. The expansion of worldly desires or attachments is compared with the vast expansion of the Banyan tree. It is very difficult to destroy the Banyan tree. Likewise, it is very difficult to destroy attachment to the world of name and form. Our actions are prompted by desire, as a consequence of which we are caught in the cycle of birth and death.
By way of the following example, Sathya Sai Baba shows us how we can free ourselves from the cycle of birth and death. You fall ill as a result of poor eating habits and a faulty lifestyle, and are admitted to the hospital. After a brief stay there, you recover from your illness. The doctor advises you to change your diet and habits to avoid a relapse. If you are a sensible person, you will avoid the foods and relinquish the habits that brought on the illness and follow the doctor’s advice. Likewise, having experienced suffering as a result of attachment to the world and its objects, which are subject to change and cannot give lasting happiness, the sensible person will eschew attachment.
In this connection, we must pay heed to the principal teaching of the Gita, that is—Detachment IN action; and not OF action—act without the sense of doership and attachment to the fruits of one’s actions and not to refrain from action.
Action is unavoidable as long as we live in the material world. Our actions, however, must be selfless and performed without an eye on the results. Actions of this kind will not bind us. Those that spring from egoistic desires, born of false identification with the mind and the body, lead to suffering and bondage.
The mind is nothing but a bundle of desires and thoughts. Sublimate those desires and thoughts, and loosen your attachment to the world that is unreal. The mind will then disappear, revealing the splendor of pure awareness—sat chit ananda [truth, awareness and bliss].
In Chapter 16 of the Gita, Lord Krishna describes God-like and demonic natures. Divine qualities, He says, lead to liberation and demonic qualities lead to bondage. Demonic persons gravitate toward materialism, which is predicated on the belief that life is short, and must therefore be enjoyed to the fullest—Eat, drink, and be merry. By believing in this philosophy, the mind and the intelligence are subservient to the senses and are used for the gratification of the senses, not for their control and eventual release from bondage.
Nature is a composite of three qualities, namely, satwic (pure), rajasic (active), and tamasic (dull). Individuals with tamasic and rajasic tendencies are tempted to seek power and exercise sovereignty over others. It is only through the cultivation of purity that the mind can be stilled, and the splendor of the atma revealed.
Bhagavan gives the following examples to illustrate this fact:
1) for the reflection of the moon to be seen in a pond, the water in the pond has to be still, clear, and pure (satwic). If, on the other hand, it is stormy and rough (rajasic) muddy, or dirty (tamasic), then the reflection of the moon cannot be seen.
2) Three thieves uphold a man passing through a forest. The tamasic thief binds him to a tree; the rajasic thief unbinds him. The fear-stricken fellow runs hither and thither, not knowing the way out of the forest. The satwic thief appears at this time and leads him from the forest toward his home. When the home is in sight, the satwic thief leaves the man, allowing him to go back to his abode. When your mind is governed by satwa, your actions and desires will spontaneously turn God-ward.
~Ratan Lal
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, Sept. 1971
