This ad will close in 15 seconds

From : kishoriray
Added: Nov 1, 2009
More from Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa, chief of Jiva Institute Vrindavan, District Mathura, UP. India Lectures on YOGA OF DEJECTION 10 LECTURES AND MORE RELATED VIDEOS you will find on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gnnpw0x0_hs More lectures on jiva culture website http://www.jiva.org/culture/philosopher-archive.asp excerpt The Yoga of Dejection by Dr Satya Narayana Dasa Arjunas Dejection We all have suffered from temporary phases of dejection at some point in our lives. Dejection overwhelms us when the unexpected transpires over the expected, when the bad overcomes the good, and when the evil visits us instead of the righteous. Being human, it is very normal for us to have expectations from people and things around us. Expectation amounts to longing, yearning, desire, craving, or lust. Likewise, failure to attain the expected begets dejection, sadness, sorrow, morosity, gloom, and depression. The ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita are potent forces of knowledge and philosophy that can guide us in wiping out the root cause of dejection in order to live a happy, sanctimonious and noble life. Bhagavad Gita, arguably the most concise and systematic book of religion, ethics, philosophy and metaphysics ever written, delves deeply into the vexing intricacies of sorrow and grief. In itself it is but a single part of the Mahabharata, an astonishing tapestry of ancient Vedic history and philosophy told through the lives of several generations of the great Kuru Dynasty. Let me offer you a few drops from the huge ocean of knowledge that is Bhagavad Gita before we move on to discuss the Yoga of Dejection element ingrained in it. Bhagavad Gita is a discourse between Shri Krishna and his warrior disciple Arjuna, shortly before Arjuna takes part in the great war of Mahabharata on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Because the Gita was not written as an independent book, the characters, settings and circumstances mentioned in it are similar to the preceding episodes of the Mahabharata. The first chapter of Bhagavad Gita is called the Yoga of Dejection. It depicts a picture of the blind King Dhritarashtra sitting on his throne and enquiring about the latest happenings at the battleground of Kurukshetra from his charioteer Sanjaya, who has the ability to see distant objects through his divine eyes. Seated inside the palace, the King comes to know that the battle is about to begin. Warriors from both sides stand facing each other. The Kauravas are led by King Dhritarashtras eldest son, Duryodhana and the Pandavas are led by the eldest son of Pandava, Yudhishthira. Pandavas other son, Arjuna, the greatest archer, too is poised to take the challenge and stands on his chariot driven by Lord Krishna. Arjuna sees all his kinsmen—sons, brothers-in-law, cousins, teachers (Bhishma, Dronacharya and others)—standing arrayed in battle and says to Lord Krishna, My limbs fail and my mouth is parched, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end; the Gandiva (his bow) too slips from my hand. I do not wish to kill them even for the sake of the kingship of the three worlds. It is a great sin to kill my teachers and relatives. If I kill them, I shall be called the slayer of the family and will go to hell. Arjuna is overwhelmed with grief and dejection. He throws away his bow and arrows and sinks down on the seat of his chariot. He shares his predicament with Lord Krishna. The rest of Bhagavad Gita is an elucidation of Krishnas response to Arjunas despondency. This is the backdrop on the basis of which we shall try to find an answer to our own dejection. The Yoga and the Cause of Despondency There are several reasons for calling Arjunas despondency yoga in the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita, which is appropriately entitled Visada Yoga, or the Yoga of Dejection. Krishna says that four types of people surrender to him: the distressed, those who desire wealth, the inquisitive, and those who know the Absolute Truth. Of the four types of pious people who approach the Lord, the largest group belongs to the category of the distressed. So, in this sense, the distress which serves to bring one closer to the Lord is also considered yoga. Here, Arjuna symbolises the distressed and the desperate man. The word yoga is defined as, a means. Arjunas despair acted as a means that led him to the ultimate solution of the problems of his life and, therefore, it is rightly termed as yoga. You can write to Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa drsnd@jivs.org
Category : People

Video Categories:

Also Try: