Bhagavad Gita Summary - Book 8 - Akshara Brahmayoga (The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman)

This chapter can be compared to what is called in Christian Mysticism The Practice of the Presence of God, as popularized by Brother Lawrence

Chapter 8 Akshara Brahmayoga The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman

1- The seven things to be realised by meditation. (1-5)
1- What is that Brahman? Brahman is the Imperishable (Akshara), the Supreme.

2- What about the Individual Self (Adhyatma)? The Ego is said to be the Individual Self (Adhyatma, He who dwells in the body).

3- What is action (Karma), O Purushottama? The offering which causes the origin of physical beings is called action (Karma). 

4. And what is declared to be the physical region (Adhibhuta)? The physical region (Adhymata) is the perishable existence,

5- And what is the divine region (Adhidaiva) said to be? and Purusha or the Soul is the divine region (Adhidaivata).

6- And how and who is Adhiyajna (the Entity concerned with Sacrifice) here in this body, O Aladhusudana, 

The Adhiyajna (Entity concerned with Sacrifice) is Myself, here in the body, O best of the embodied. 

7- and how at the time of death art Thou to be known by the self-controlled? And whoso, at the time of death, thinking of Me alone, leaves the body and goes forth, he reaches My being ; there is no doubt in this.   

The normal rule is that after death a person attains that state which is in his mind at the time of death. He cannot avoid it. Just as one dreams of things which are constantly in the mind while awake, whatever one longs for in life comes to the mind at the time of death and he attains that state. Therefore make a habit of always remembering Me. Consider that whatever you hear, think, see, speak is Me throughout, then I am always with you. I assure you that if you offer your mind and intellect to Me then you will attain only Me. If you any doubts about this then experience it by practising it.

Purify your conscious mind by this practice and lead it to the spiritual path. If the mind, which takes one here and there, gets engrossed in  Brahman then who cares or remembers whether the body exists or not? The mind merges with Consciousness which is solid bliss. (Dnyaneshwari; 8:69-85, transl. M.R. Yardi)  

It may be of interest to consider in this relation the declaration of the ancient sages that all Souls do not depart from the body in the same way. They hold that there are seven great plexi governing other minor ones, these represent channels through which influences are received or given. Each of these channels has its own direct relation to one of the seven divisions of the system, thus showing Man to have the possibility of conscious relation with all the divisions. From this it would follow that the predominating idea of any one life would necessitate departure through some particular channel leading to its own appropriate realm of freedom or bondage. Thus Man binds himself or frees himself by reason of his spiritual power—and his connection with every department and division of great Nature. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 151-52)

2- Constant meditation of the Divine is necessary. (6-7)

7. Therefore at all times do thou meditate on Me and fight : with mind and reason fixed on Me thou shalt doubtless come to Me alone. 

Whether one is dead or alive one is in reality Brahman only. Those who attained Brahman while still in the body do not bother about the body or when it is going to die. Why do they have to bother about whether the path is good or bad. Therefore Arjuna, be equipped with Yoga so that you attain Brahman. Then it does not matter when and where you shed your body, the unification with Brahman will be eternal. (Dnyaneshwari; 8:238-257, transl. M.R. Yardi)

3- The Divine Being to be meditated upon. (8-10) 

8. Meditating with the mind engaged in the Yoga of constant practice, not passing over to any thing else, one goes to the Supreme Purusha, the Resplendent, O son of Pritha. 

Practice consists in the repetition of one and the same idea, uninterrupted by any other thought, with reference to Me, the sole object of your thought. Such a practice is itself said to be Yoga. With the mind thus solely engaged in Yoga, not passing over to any other object, the Yogin who meditates according to the teaching of the scripture and of the teacher—of the sastra and acharya—reaches the Purusha, the Transcendental Being in the Solar Orb. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

4- Meditation of the Divine in the Pranava. (11-13)

12-13. Having closed all the gates, having confined mind in the heart, having fixed his life-breath in the head, engaged in firm Yoga, uttering Brahman, the one-syllabled 'Om,' thinking of Me, whoso departs, leaving the body, he reaches the Supreme Goal.

Having closed all the avenues of knowledge and having concentrated thought in the lotus of the heart, and with thought thus controlled, he ascends by the Nadi which passes upwards from the heart, and then fixing life-breath in the head, he utters the syllable ' Om ', the appellation of the Brahman, and meditates on me-' Leaving the body  shows the mode of departure. The departure takes place by the Self leaving the body, not by the Self being destroyed. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

5- No re-birth on attaining to the Divine Being. (14-16)

14. Whoso constantly thinks of Me and long, to him I am easily accessible, O son of Pritha, to the ever-devout Yogin. 

He who thinks of Me, the Supreme Lord, long — i. e., not for six months or a year, but uninterruptedly throughout life,—to that Yogin who is ever steadfast in thought, I am easily accessible. This being so, therefore, without thinking of another, one should ever dwell steadfast in Me.  Having attained to Me, the Isvara, having reached My being, they are not again subject to birth. Birth here is the seat of all pain arising from the body, etc., and is of an everchanging nature. Having reached the highest stage called moksha, they do not attain birth again. Those, on the other hand, who do not attain to Me, return again (to the earth).  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

5- The Day and the Night of Brahma. (17-19) 

17. They—those people who know day and night—know that the day of Brahma is a thousand yugas long and the night is a thousand yugas long.

The Unmanifested (Avyakta) is the sleeping condition of the Prajapati who is asleep. Out of That, all manifestations (vyaktis), all creatures, unmoving and moving (sthavara and jangama), are manifested at the coming on of day, i. e., when Brahma awakes. So, at the coming on of night, i. e., when Brahma goes to sleep, all the manifestations dissolve there only, in what is called Avyakta, the one already spoken of.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

6- The Highest Goal—how reached. (20-22) 

21. What is called the Unmanifested and the Imperishable, That, they say, is the highest goal; which having reached none return.

That is My highest place.  Purusha is so called because He rests in the body, or because He is full. Than Him none is higher. He is attained by exclusive devotion, i.e., by Jnana or knowledge of the Self. All the created beings abide within the Purusha; for, every effect rests within its cause ; and by that Purusha the whole world is pervaded.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

7- The Paths of Light and Darkness (23-27) 

26. These bright and dark Paths of the world are verily deemed eternal; by the one a man goes to return not, by the other he returns again.

The one is bright because it illumines knowledge; the other is because it is wanting in that light. The two paths are open to those only in the world who are engaged in action or devoted to knowledg ; they are not open to the whole world. They are eternal, because samsara is eternal. By the one: by the bright one.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

8- Excellence of Yoga. (28)  

28. Whatever fruit of merit is declared to accrue from the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts,—beyond all this goes the Yogin on knowing this ; and he attains to the Supreme Primeval Abode.

Leo Tolstoy on Universal Brother/Sisterhood (The Kingdom of God is Within You)

Tolstoy’s concept of Universal Brotherhood was inspired by his reading of Schopenhauer and especially the ideas of Christian love, charity and fraternity in The Sermont of the Mount from the New Testament, although in A Letter to a Hindu he explains that : ‘’This thought appeared in most various forms at different times and places, with varying completeness and clarity. It found expression in Brahmanism, Judaism, Mazdaism (the teachings of Zoroaster), in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and in the writings of the Greek and Roman sages, as well as in Christianity and Mohammedanism.’’

A seminal architect of non-violent peace activism, in 1908, Tolstoy wrote A Letter to a Hindu outlining his belief in non-violence as a means for India to gain independence from colonial rule. In 1909, Gandhi read a copy of the letter when he was becoming an activist in South Africa. He wrote to Tolstoy seeking proof that he was the author, which led to further correspondence. It is interesting to note that Blavatsky had brief contacts with both men.

See also :

Siblings: The Path to Universal Brotherhood in Tolstoy and Dostoevsky https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp01bv73c045f

Poetics of Brotherhood: Organic and Mechanistic Narrative in Late Tolstoi https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5612/slavicreview.70.4.0754

The man who believes in the inspiration of the Old Testament and the sacred character of David, who commanded on his deathbed the murder of an old man who had cursed him, and whom he could not kill himself because he was bound by an oath to him, and the similar atrocities of which the Old Testament is full, cannot believe in the holy love of Christ. The man who believes in the Church’s doctrine of the compatibility of warfare and capital punishment with Christianity cannot believe in the brotherhood of all men. (The Kingdom of God is Within, 1894, 33)

The Christian doctrine to love God and serve him, and only as a result of that love to love and serve one’s neighbor, seems to scientific men obscure, mystic, and arbitrary. And they would absolutely exclude the obligation of love and service of God, holding that the doctrine of love for men, for humanity alone, is far more clear, tangible, and reasonable.

Scientific men teach in theory that the only good and rational life is that which is devoted to the service of the whole of humanity. That is for them the importance of the Christian doctrine, and to that they reduce Christ’s teaching. They seek confirmation of their own doctrine in the Gospel, on the supposition that the two doctrines are really the same.

This idea is an absolutely mistaken one. The Christian doctrine has nothing in common with the doctrine of the Positivists, Communists, and all the apostles of the universal brotherhood of mankind, based on the general advantage of such a brotherhood. They differ from one another especially in Christianity’s having a firm and clear basis in the human soul, while love for humanity is only a theoretical deduction from analogy.

The doctrine of love for humanity alone is based on the social conception of life. The essence of the social conception of life consists in the transference of the aim of the individual life to the life of societies of individuals: family, clan, tribe, or state. This transference is accomplished easily and naturally in its earliest forms, in the transference of the aim of life from the individual to the family and the clan. The transference to the tribe or the nation is more difficult and requires special training. And the transference of the sentiment to the state is the furthest limit that the process can reach. (Kingdom 44-45)

Theoretically it follows, indeed, having extended the love and interest for the personality to the family, the tribe, and thence to the nation and the state, it would be perfectly logical for men to save themselves the strife and calamities that result from the division of mankind into nations and states by extending their love to the whole of humanity. This would be most logical, and theoretically nothing would appear more natural to its advocates, who do not observe that love is a sentiment that may or may not be felt, but that it is useless to advocate; and moreover, that love must have an object, and that humanity is not an object. It is nothing but a fiction. (Kingdom, 45)

The Christian doctrine shows man that the essence of his soul is love – that his happiness depends not on loving this or that object, but on loving the principle of the whole – God, whom he recognizes within himself as love, and therefore he loves all things and all men.

In this is the fundamental difference between the Christian doctrine and the doctrine of the Positivists, and all the theorizers about universal brotherhood on non-Christian principles. (Kingdom, 47)

We think today that the requirements of the Christian doctrine – of universal brotherhood, suppression of national distinctions, abolition of private property, and the strange injunction of nonresistance to evil by force – demand what is impossible. But it was just the same thousands of years ago, with every social or even family duty, such as the duty of parents to support their children, of the young to maintain the old, of fidelity in marriage. Still more strange, and even unreasonable, seemed the state duties of submitting to the appointed authority, and paying taxes, and fighting in defense of the country, and so on. All such requirements seem simple, comprehensible, and natural to us today, and we see nothing mysterious or alarming in them. But three or five thousand years ago they seemed to require what was impossible. (Kingdom. 49)

The man of the so-called educated classes lives in still more glaring inconsistency and suffering. Every educated man, if he believes in anything, believes in the brotherhood of all men, or at least he has a sentiment of humanity, or else of justice, or else he believes in science. And all the while he knows that his whole life is framed on principles in direct opposition to it all, to all the principles of Christianity, humanity, justice, and science.

He knows that all the habits in which he has been brought up, and that he could not give up without suffering, can only be satisfied through the exhausting, often fatal, toil of oppressed laborers, that is, through the most obvious and brutal violation of the principles of Christianity, humanity, and justice, and even of science (that is, economic science). He advocates the principles of fraternity, humanity, justice, and science, yet he lives so that he is dependent on the oppression of the working classes, which he denounces, and his whole life is based on the advantages gained by their oppression. Moreover he is directing every effort to maintaining this state of things so flatly opposed to all his beliefs.

We are all brothers – and yet every morning a brother or a sister must empty the bedroom slops for me. We are all brothers, but every morning I must have a cigar, a sweetmeat, an ice, and such things, which my brothers and sisters have been wasting their health in manufacturing, and I enjoy these things and demand them. We are all brothers, yet I live by working in a bank, or mercantile house, or shop at making all goods dearer for my brothers. We are all brothers, but I live on a salary paid me for prosecuting, judging, and condemning the thief or the prostitute whose existence the whole tenor of my life tends to bring about, and who I know ought not to be punished but reformed.

We are all brothers,but I live on the salary I gain by collecting taxes from needy laborers to be spent on the luxuries of the rich and idle. We are all brothers, but I take a stipend for preaching a false Christian religion, which I do not myself believe in, and which only serves to hinder men from understanding true Christianity. I take a stipend as priest or bishop for deceiving men in the matter of the greatest importance to them. We are all brothers, but I will not give the poor the benefit of my educational, medical, or literary labors except for money. We are all brothers, yet I take a salary for being ready to commit murder, for teaching men to murder, or making firearms, gunpowder, or fortifications. (Kingdom, 52)

All men of the modern world exist in a state of continual and flagrant antagonism between their conscience and their way of life. This antagonism is apparent in economic as well as political life. But most striking of all is the contradiction between the Christian law of the brotherhood of men existing in the conscience and the necessity under which all men are placed by compulsory military service of being prepared for hatred and murder – of being at the same time a Christian and a gladiator. (Kingdom, 57)

The attitude of the first section of thinkers, those who see a way out of war in international diplomatic measures, is well expressed in the report of the last Peace Congress in London, and the articles and letters upon war that appeared in No. 8 of the Revue des Revues, 1891. The congress after gathering together from various quarters the verbal and written opinion of learned men opened the proceedings by a religious service, and after listening to, addresses for five whole days, concluded them by a public dinner and speeches. They adopted the following resolutions:

“1. The congress affirms its belief that the brotherhood of man involves as a necessary consequence a brotherhood of nations. (Kingdom, 59)

To bring under the sway of Christianity savage nations who do not attack us and whom we have therefore no excuse for oppressing, we ought before all things to leave them in peace, and in case we need or wish to enter into closer relations with them, we ought only to influence them by Christian manners and Christian teaching, setting them the example of the Christian virtues of patience, meekness, endurance, purity, brotherhood, and love. Instead of that we begin by establishing among them new markets for our commerce, with the sole aim of our own profit; then we appropriate their lands, i.e., rob them; then we sell them spirits, tobacco, and opium, i.e., corrupt them; then we establish our morals among them, teach them the use of violence and new methods of destruction, i.e., we teach them nothing but the animal law of strife, below which man cannot sink, and we do all we can to conceal from them all that is Christian in us. After this we send some dozens of missionaries prating to them of the hypocritical absurdities of the Church, and then quote the failure of our efforts to turn the heathen to Christianity as an incontrovertible proof of the impossibility of applying the truths of Christianity in practical life. (Kingdom, 114)

So it was everywhere. But though this external form of life existed for centuries and still exists, very early—thousands of years before our time—amid this life based on coercion, one and the same thought constantly emerged among different nations, namely, that in every individual a spiritual element is manifested that gives life to all that exists, and that this spiritual element strives to unite with everything of a like nature to itself, and attains this aim through love. This thought appeared in most various forms at different times and places, with varying completeness and clarity. It found expression in Brahmanism, Judaism, Mazdaism (the teachings of Zoroaster), in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and in the writings of the Greek and Roman sages, as well as in Christianity and Mohammedanism. The mere fact that this thought has sprung up among different nations and at different times indicates that it is inherent in human nature and contains the truth. (Letter to a Hindu, 2, 1909)

Bhagavad Gita Summary - Book 7 - Jnana–Vijnana (The Yoga of Knowledge and Judgment

Sadly, this is the final chapter which William Q. Judge has written a commentary, which is a shame, because these commentaries are some of the most original and compelling of all of his writings, and this one is one of the best. Moreover, they have aged surprisingly well, especially the practical, western outlook. Chapters six to twelve are sometimes considered to be focused on devotion.

7- Jnana–Vijnana The Yoga of Knowledge and Judgment

1- Realisation of the Lord by meditation.  (1-3)

This chapter is devoted to the question of that spiritual discernment by means of which the Supreme Spirit can be discerned in all things, and the absence of which causes a delusion constantly recurring, the producer of sorrow. Krishna says that this sort of knowledge leaves nothing else to be known, but that to attain it the heart — that is, every part of the nature — must be fixed on the Spirit, meditation has to be constant, and the Spirit made the refuge or abiding-place. He then goes on to show that to have attained to such a height is to be a mahatma.

Among thousands of mortals a single one perhaps strives for perfection, and among those so striving perhaps a single one knows me as I am. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 3)

2- Evolution of the Universe out of Divine Prakriti. (4-7)  

Experiment and induction will confer a great deal of knowledge about the inferior nature of God and along that path the science of the modern West is treading, but before knowing the occult, hidden, intangible realms and forces —often called spiritual, but not so in fact — the inner astral senses and powers have to be developed and used. This development is not to be forced, as one would construct a machine for performing some operation, but will come in its own time as all our senses and powers have come. It is true that a good many are trying to force the process, but at last they will discover that human evolution is universal and not particular; one man cannot go very far beyond his race before the time. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 4)

4. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, thought (Manas) and reason (Buddhi), egoism (Ahamkara)—thus is My Prakriti divided eightfold.

Earth stands for the subtile rudimental element or Tanmatra, the Prithivi-tanmatra or the subtile rudimental element of earth ; and so water, fire, air and ether stand for the Tanmatras of water, etc. Thought (Manas) stands for its cause Ahamkara or egoism ; reason (Buddhi) for the Mahat principle, which is the cause of Ahamkara ; and Ahamkara for the Avyakta, the Unmanifested, conjoined with Avidya or nescience. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

5. This is the inferior (Prakriti) ; but as distinct from this know thou My superior Prakriti, the very life, O mighty-armed, by which this universe is upheld.

3- The Divine Principle penetrating the Universe. (8-12)

10. Know Me, O Partha, as the eternal seed of all beings ; I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the bravery of the brave.

The superior nature can be known because it is in fact the Knower who resides in every human being who has not degraded himself utterly. But this must be admitted before any approach to the light can be made. And but few are really willing, and many are unable, to admit the universal character of the Self. They sometimes think they do so by admitting the Self as present, as contiguous, as perhaps part tenant. This is not the admission, it leaves them still separate from the Self. All the phenomenal appearances, all the different names, and lives, and innumerable beings, are hung suspended, so to say, on the Self. Thus:

And all things hang on me as precious gems upon a string. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 8)

4- Maya : How to overcome it. (13-15)

14. Verily this Divine Illusion of Mine, made up of gunas, is hard to surmount. Whoever seek Me alone, they cross over this Illusion.

GOING BEYOND MAYA  To say that detachment and discrimination are not sufficient and even all round yoga practice also is rarely useful for crossing this River of Maya, is like saying that a sick person who neglects to observe diet will get cured. A person cannot cross this river of Maya by his own efforts. Only those who are single-mindedly devoted to Me can cross it. Actually they do not even have to cross it because they have rid themselves of the illusion of Maya even before they die. Those who are guided by a True Guru, who hold on to their experiences and have taken the route to Self-realisation, those who by shedding the ego, calming the mind, avoiding desires followed the path of knowledge for ease in attaining unity with the Brahman, leap towards liberation and attain it with the strength of detachment and with the conviction "I am that". But such devotees are very rare. (Dnyaneshwari; 7:68-107, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

5- Four classes of devotees. (16-19)

16. Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna,—the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise man, O lord of the Bharatas.

Avoiding the obstacles of desire and anger in the wilderness of sense pleasures he acquires good tendencies and in the company of saintly people he avoids bad behaviour and treads the straight path of righteous actions. How can one who, desireless of fruits of his actions, treads the path of devotion through hundreds of lifetimes bother about the goal of those actions? (Dnyaneshwari; 7:127-137, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

6- The ignorant worship inferior Gods. (20-26)

20. Those whose wisdom has been led away by this or that desire resort to other Gods, engaged in this or that rite, constrained by their own nature.

Although these words, like the rest of the colloquy, were spoken in India and to a Hindu, they are thoroughly applicable in the West. Every mode of thought and of living may be called a rite gone over by each one as his conscious or unconscious religion. A man adopts that which is conformable, or subordinate, to his own nature, and being full of desires he worships or follows other gods than the Supreme Self. In India the words would more particularly mean the worship, which is quite common, of idols among those who are not educated out of idolatry; but they would also mean what is said above. In the West these "other gods" are the various pleasures, objects, aims and modes of life and thought, be they religious or not, which the people adopt. They have not the many thousands of gods of the Hindu pantheon, each one for some particular purpose, but it comes to the same thing. 

The idol-worshiper bows to the god visible so that he may attain the object of his heart which that god is supposed to control.The Western man worships his object and strives after it with all his heart and mind and thus worships something else than the Supreme Imperishable One. The god of one is political advancement, of another — and generally of most — the possession of great wealth. One great god is that of social advancement, the most foolish, hollow and unsatisfactory of all; and with it in America is yoked the god of money, for without wealth there is no social preeminence possible except in those cases where official position confers a temporary glory. The mother often spends sleepless nights inventing means for pushing her daughter into social success; the father lies wakefully calculating new problems for the production of money. The inheritors of riches bask in the radiance coming from their own gold, while they strive for new ways to make, if possible, another upward step on that road, founded on ashes and ending at the grave, which is called social greatness. And out of all this striving many and various desires spring up so that their multiplicity and diversity completely hide and obstruct all spiritual development and discernment. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 20)

21. Whatever devotee seeks to worship with faith what form soever, that same faith of his I make unflinching.

But many who are not so carried away by these follies attend to some religion which they have adopted or been educated into. In very few cases, however, is the religion adopted: it is born with the child; it is found with the family and is regularly fastened on as a garment. If in this religion, or cult, there is faith, then the Supreme Self, impartial and charitable, makes the faith strong and constant so that thereby objects are attained. In whatever way the devotee chooses to worship with faith it is the Supreme which, though ignored, brings about the results of faith.

But that prayer or aspiration which is for spiritual light and wisdom is the highest of all, no matter to whom or what addressed. All religions teach that sort of prayer; all others are selfish and spiritually useless. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 21)

But those who worship or believe in the Self as all-in-all, not separate from any, supreme, the container, the whole, go to It, and, becoming It, know all because of its knowledge, and cease to be subject to change because It is changeless. This also is law, and not sentiment. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 23-36)

7- The root of ignorance. (27)

27. From the delusion of pairs caused by desire and aversion, O Bharata, all beings are subject to illusion at birth, O harasser of thy foes.

Desire was born out of ego and body. Due to its combination with hate the delusion that one is different from soul was born. This delusion was fostered by the ego. Shunning courage and self-control this delusion started growing due to hope. Under the influence of dissatisfaction it got tirelessly engrossed in sense-pleasures and started behaving perversely. It brought impediments in the path of devotion and paved the paths of evil deeds. Because of it people got confused, went astray in life and came under the heavy burden of sorrow. (Dnyaneshwari; 7:166-171, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

8- Divine worship leads to realisation. (28-30)     

28. Those mortals of pure deeds whose sin has come to an end, who are freed from the delusion of pairs, they worship Me with a firm resolve.

30. Those who realise Me in the Adhibhuta (physical region), in the Adhidaiva (the divine region) and in the Adhiyajwa ( region of Sacrifice ), realise Me even at the time of departure, steadfast in mind.

The chapter concludes by showing how the ignorant who believe in a Supreme Being with a form, fall into error and darkness at the time of their birth because of the hold which former life-recollections have upon the mind. This includes the power of the skandhas or aggregates of sensations and desires accumulated in prior lives. At birth these, being a natural part of us, rush to us and we to them, so that a new union is made for another lifetime. In the other life, not having viewed the Self as all and in all, and having worshipped many gods, the sensations of liking and disliking are so strong that the darkness of rebirth is irresistible. But the wise man died out of his former life with a full knowledge of the Self at the hour of death, and thus prevented the imprinting upon his nature of a set of sensations and desires that would otherwise, upon reincarnation, lead him into error.

This is the chapter on Unity, teaching that the Self is all, or if you like the word better, God: that God is all and not outside of nature, and that we must recognize this great unity of all things and beings in the Self. (William Q. Judge, Essays on the Gita, 7, 30)

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras - A Theosophical Bibliography

One of the great accomplishments of the Theosophical Society was to help popularize Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Gordon White observes: “In spite of its founders’ misadventures, the Theosophical Society may be credited with having projected yoga onto the magnetosphere of the late nineteenth- century Indian and Western consciousness” (The "Yoga Sutra of Patanjali": A Biography. Princeton University Press, 2014, p 105). Indeed, from 1885 to 1912, the Theosophical Society was virtually the lone publisher of English translations of the Yoga Sutras (with the exception of  Swami Vivekananda, Raja Yoga, 1896) releasing six versions, and have published at least a dozen translations over the years. Below are a selection, all still well worth investigating, with a few recent translations from other publishers, which are recommended.

A First translation of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in English containing the first two chapters by J.R Ballyntyne was published by the Benaras College in 1853. In 1872 Govind Deva Shastri completed the remaining two chapters. The complete book was published in 1883 by the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

1- 1885. A revised edition, of the J.R Ballantyne, Govind Shastri Deva translation, edited by Tookaram Tatya, The Yoga Philosophy with comments of Bhojaraja, was published by the Bombay Theosophical publication fund. Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was a monarch from the Paramara dynasty. 

https://blavatskyarchives.com/theosophypdfs/tatya_the_yoga_philosophy_of_patanjali.pdf#

2- 1889. William Quan Judge published The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali in New York, using the Ballantyne/Shastri Deva translation, with occasional comments by Judge, which although short, remain relevant for their unique practical understanding. 

https://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/patanjal/patanyog.htm#

3- 1890. Manilal N. Dvivedi. The Yoga-sūtras of Patanjali.Sanskrit Text and English Translation Together, with an Introduction and an Appendix, and Notes on Each Sutra Based upon Several Authentic Commentaries. Bombay Theosophical publication fund.The first original theosophical translation with  original commentary in a popular style. 

https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/dvivedi1890?sid=e0ac846ebef9dee4518981fa37fe8818&ui_lang=eng

4- 1910. Rama Prasad. Patanjali Yoga Sutras with commentary of Vyasa and gloss of Vachaspati Mishra.  Vachaspati Mishra was a ninth or tenth century Indian Hindu philosopher of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, who wrote bhasya (commentaries) on key texts of almost every 9th-century school of Hindu philosophy.  Also wrote "Self-Culture of the Yoga of Patanjali" in 15 parts, "The Theosophist", 1906-1907.

https://archive.org/details/PatanjalisYogaSutraswithTheCommentaryOfVyasaAndTheGlossOfVachaspatiMisraRamaPrasadTranslation

5- 1907. GanganathaJha (translator) The Yoga Darśana: The Sutras of Patañjali with the Bhāṣya of Vyāsa. With notes from Vācaspati Miśra's Tattvavaiśāradī, Vijnana Bhiksu's Yogavartika and Bhoja's Rajamartanda. Rajaram Tukaram Tatya: Bombay Theosophical Publication Fund.

Probably the first edition that is both popular and of scholarly quality. It establishes the importance of Vyasa's commentary and gives a straightforward modern commentary.   

https://archive.org/details/yogasutrasofpatanjalibhashyaofvyasaganganathajha1907_202003_737_f

6- 1912. Charles Johnston. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New York: Quarterly Book Department. A solid, practical translation from a good Sanskrit scholar.

https://universaltheosophy.com/cj/yoga-sutras-1909/

7- 1914. Daniel R. Stephen. Patañjali for Western Readers. London: Theosophical Publishing Company, The Yoga Aphorisms of Patañjali Paraphrased and Modernised from Various English Translations and Recensions.

8- 1948. Ernest Wood. Practical Yoga, Ancient and Modern. New York: E. P. Dutton, A New and Independent Translation of Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms, Interpreted in the Light of Ancient and Modern Psychological Knowledge and Practical Experience.

http://digital.march.es/cortazar/fedora/repository/cortazar:1735/PDF 

9- 1961. I.K. Taimni. "The Science Of Yoga". Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, IL. Translation and commentary from Advaita Vedanta perspective using modernized Theosophical terms. 

https://www.yogastudies.org/wp-content/uploads/Science_of_Yoga-Taimni.pdf#

10- 1963. Hariharananda Aranya. Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga (1882), trans. into English by P.N. Mukerji. State University of New York Press, Albany.  Swami Hariharananda Aranya (1869–1947) was a yogi, author, and founder of Kapil Math in Madhupur, India, which is the only monastery in the world that actively teaches and practices Samkhya philosophy.

11- 1989. Georg Feuerstein. The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjali: A New Translation and Commentary. Dr. Georg Feuerstein Ph.D (27 May 1947 – 25 August 2012) was a German Indologist specializing in the philosophy and praxis of Yoga. Feuerstein authored over 30 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism. He translated, among other traditional texts, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita. 

12-1990. Sankara on the Yoga Sutras: Vivarana Sub-commentary to Vyasabhasya on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Trevor Leggett. First printed in 1952, some think that this text is by the great Advaita Vedanta teacher, but most think otherwise. Nonetheless, it is an interesting commentary by an experienced Vedanta philosopher.

https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/SankaraYogaSutras.pdf 

 

For an esoteric perspective on the Yoga Sutras, see: 

https://universaltheosophy.com/jwf/patanjali/

Astrology: Jupiter sextile Uranus, February 17, 2022

Happy Accidents

With a full moon on the 16^th (with a  Venus-Mars conjunction in Capricorn), a Jupiter-Uranus exact sextile on the 17^th, Sun entering Pisces on the 18^th and the US having a Pluto return on the 22^nd it looks to be quite a shift in direction over the next few days.

In a previous post I wrote:’’Judging from the previous ones, the third and final Saturn-Uranus square (December 24, 2021) could bring some heavy difficulties, but it is also an opportunity to come to terms with the previous conflicts. It can be considered as a final reality check before this aspect gradually fades, embarking on a new, optimistic, constructive phase that the Jupiter-Saturn cycle brings.’’

The difficulties did arrive, with a highly contagious Omicron Covid wave beginning during the holiday season, and with mounting frustrations, a remarkable Canadian trucker vaccine mandate protest occurring by the end of January. This occurred as the Saturn-Uranus square was waning, moving past the five degree orb where I consider it to have strong effect. Therefore I do posit that it is a waning burst of frustration before a new phase begins. Moreover, with the flu pandemic of 1918, it seems the public tolerance and the government resources hit a limit after two years of combating the virus, so perhaps hitting a two-year threshold can explain the outburst, which is consistent with the volatile aspects of a square involving Uranus.

‘’This aspect has played out globally with public health mandates in response to COVID-19, especially vaccines and vaccine “passports.” Saturn sees vaccination and documentation as the evidence-backed, rational, pragmatic, and proven approach to dealing with a global pandemic. Uranus sees it as an authoritarian overreach that imposes on its freedoms.’’ (Astrology with Andy)

With these truck occupations, one notices an odd juxtaposition of friendly winter fair atmosphere with expressions of good will, on one hand, and aggressive, extreme right-wing ideologies on the other. Moreover, the rather grandiloquent, yet fuzzy statements by the protesters seems consistent with a Jupiter in Pisces influence. The creative use of technology seems to be aided by both Jupiter in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus. The exact Jupiter sextile Uranus may give the protesters a boost of enthusiasm and new ideas, although it might likely give a greater boost to the law-enforcement strategies, due to the inherently conservative, rigid stance of the protest under a waning Saturn-Uranus aspect that fuelled it. It's possible that this new aspect could also see a significant shift in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has been festering since the end of December. 

Jupiter in Pisces

May 13th, 2021 to July 28th, 2022

December 28, 2021 to May 10, 2022

October 28th, 2022, to December 20th, 2022

‘’Pisces is a Water sign. With a Water sign Jupiter, we have a stronger belief in a higher power. We are most able to attract luck and rich life experiences through our intuition, imagination, and compassion. Helping those in need boosts our own morale.’’

‘’In Pisces, we can be avoidant or indulgent, if overdone. We should watch for escapism, bending personal philosophies or morals to suit the situation, deception and self-deception, restlessness and vague discontent, and unwillingness to face problems or negative situations directly.’’

‘’It’s also a fantastic period in which to improve our understanding. We see beyond class, religion, and other labels, and we tend to connect with ideas, beliefs, and practices that have a universal nature.’’ (Astrology Café)

Jupiter sextile Uranus

‘’Jupiter sextile Uranus transit makes you eager for positive changes in your life. You should have good fortune, freedom, and opportunities to make your life more exciting and interesting. This is a good time to tackle difficult tasks that have caused frustration or limitations in the past. Creative intelligence and experimentation can lead to new ideas and breakthroughs.’’ (Astrology King)

‘’With Jupiter forming a sextile to Uranus, changes and innovations are exciting. We’re open to new energies, approaches, and attitudes. Fortunate events occur as a direct result of our willingness to entertain the unusual and to think outside of the box. This transit favors group activities, financial endeavors associated with groups or organizational efforts, online connections and ventures, educational pursuits, writing, publishing, speaking, and humanitarian efforts. Our outlook is positive and optimistic.’’ (Astrology Café)

Therefore despite, the chaotic phase we are going through, I still consider this new aspect to be a more specific beginning of a more optimistic, progressive phase related to the new Jupiter-Saturn cycle. The upcoming Apr 12 – Jupiter conjunct Neptune aspect will bring a strong spiritual influence, although the difficult conditions of the Saturn-Uranus square with Jupiter in Pisces will return briefly at the end of the year.

References 

https://astrologyking.com/jupiter-sextile-uranus/

https://astrologywithandy.com/2021/12/08/the-astrology-of-2022/#more-388 

https://cafeastrology.com/events/jupiter-sextile-uranus-2022/

How Canada underestimated the anti-vaccine community

The deadly third wave of the 1918 

Chogyam Trungpa on Spiritual Materialism 2/2

One aspect that can be underestimated when embarking on a spiritual path, is the baggage one has acquired being brought up in a modern western materialistic society. It can take a considerable amount of time to undo the conscious and unconscious habits developed in a mass-media consumer society of materialism, hedonism, individualism, impulsiveness and competitiveness. One result of this can be termed ‘spiritual materialism’ which Chogyam Trungpa eloquently explains. Trungpa himself sadly faced many challenges and pitfalls in presenting Buddhism to western societies with their penchant for capitalism, commercialism and sensationalism.

It is important to see that the main point of any spiritual practice is to step out of the bureaucracy of ego.  This means  stepping out of ego's constant desire for a higher, more spiritual,  more transcendental version of knowledge, religion, virtue, judgment, comfort or whatever it is that a particular ego is seeking.  One must step out of spiritual materialism.  If we do not step out of spiritual materialism, if we in fact practice it, then we may eventually find ourselves possessed of a huge collection of  spiritual paths.  We may feel these spiritual collections to be very precious. We have studied so much.  We may have studied Western philosophy or Oriental philosophy, practiced yoga or perhaps studied  under dozens of great masters. 

Proper shopping does not entail collecting a lot of  information or beauty, but it involves fully appreciating each individual object.  This is very important.  If you really appreciate an object of beauty, then you completely identify with it and forget yourself.  It is like seeing a very interesting, fascinating movie and forgetting that you are the audience.  At that moment there is no world; your whole being is that scene of that movie.  It is that kind of identification, complete involvement with one thing.  Did we actually taste it and chew it and swallow it properly, that one object of beauty, that one spiritual teaching?   Or did we merely regard it as a part of our vast and growing collection?

Whenever teachings come to a country from abroad, the  problem of spiritual materialism is intensified.  At the moment  America is, without any doubt, fertile ground ready for the  teachings.  And because America is so fertile, seeking spirituality,  it is possible for America to inspire charlatans.  Charlatans would  not choose to be charlatans unless they were inspired to do so.   Otherwise, they would be bank robbers or bandits, inasmuch as they  want to make money and become famous.  Because America is looking so  hard for spirituality, religion becomes any easy way to make money  and acquire fame.  So we see charlatans in the role of student,  chela, as well as in the role of guru.  I think America at this  particular time is a very interesting ground.

You should let the first impulse die down.  Your first  impulse toward spirituality might put you into some particular  spiritual scene; but if you work with that impulse, then the impulse  gradually dies down and at some stage becomes tedious, monotonous.   This is a useful message.  You see, it is essential to relate to  yourself, to your own experience, really.  If one does not relate to  oneself, then the spiritual path becomes dangerous, becomes purely  external entertainment, rather than an organic personal experience.

So we try to fit things into pigeonholes, try to fit the situation to our expectations, and we cannot surrender any part of our anticipation to all.  If we search for a guru or teacher, we  expect him to be saintly, peaceful, quiet, a simple and wise man.  When we find that he does not match our expectations, then we begin  to be disappointed, we begin to doubt.

We must surrender our hopes and expectations, as well as our  fears, and march directly into disappointment, work with  disappointment, go into it and make it our way of life, which is a  very hard thing to do.  Disappointment is a good sign of basic intelligence.  It cannot be compared to anything else: it is so  sharp, precise, obvious and direct.  If we can open, then we suddenly begin to see that our expectations are irrelevant compared with the reality of the situations we are facing.  This  automatically brings a feeling disappointment.

Traditionally, surrendering is symbolized by such practices  as prostration, which is the act of falling on the ground in a  gesture of surrender.  At the same time we open psychologically and  surrender completely by identifying ourselves with the lowest of the low, acknowledging our raw and rugged quality.  There is nothing that we fear to lose once we identify ourselves with the lowest of  the low.  By doing so, we prepare ourselves to be an empty vessel,  ready to receive the teachings.

The wrong way to take refuge involves seeking shelter -  worshipping mountains, sun gods, moon gods, deities of any kind  simply because they would seem to be greater than we.  This kind of  refuge taking is similar to the response of the little child who  says, "If you beat me, I'll tell my mommy," thinking that his mother is a great, archetypically powerful person.  If he is attacked, his  automatic recourse is to his mother, an invincible and all-knowing,  all-powerful personality.  The child believes his mother can protect  him, in fact that she is the only person who can save him. Taking  refuge in a mother or father-principle is truly self-defeating; the refuge-seeker has no real basic strength at all, no true  inspiration.  He is constantly busy assessing greater and smaller  powers.  If we are small, then someone greater can crush us.  We seek refuge because we cannot afford to be small and without  protection.  We tend to be apologetic: "I am such a small thing,  but I acknowledge your great quality.  I would like to worship and  join your greatness, so will you please protect me?"

(Trungpa, Chogyam; Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Introduction; Shambhala  Publications, Inc.; Boston, Massachusetts; 1973)

Part 1