bhagawadgita session 1

GN 6001Integral Karmayoga

Module A: Towards Fulfilment in Work & Life

देवदास

Session 1: 22 Jan. 2015

Introduction, Arjuna’s Dejection

siddhir bhavati karmajā

Lessons from the Bhagavad Gītā“Our chief national heritage, our hope for the future” (Sri Aurobindo)

Facilitator: Devdas Menon

Śānti Mantraoṃ saha nāvavatu

saha nāu bhunaktu

saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai

tejasvi-‐nāvadhītamastu mā vidviṣāvahai

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

“May we all (students and teachers) be protected and nourished; may we learn together ardently; may we all be illumined;

may we not have any ill-‐will amongst us! May peace come upon all beings!”

ऊँ सह नाववतु |

सह नौ भुनकु्त|

सह वीयर्ं करवावहै|

तेजिस्व नावधीतमस्तु मा िविद्वषावहै|

ऊँ शािन्तः शािन्तः शािन्तः||

What do we really want In LIFE ?

At WORK ?

FulfilmentDespair

Low Ene

rgy

Low Arousal

High Ene

rgy

High Arousal

Stress, Emotion and Physiology

High Performance

Poor Performance

Para-‐sympathetic ANS with balance

‘Positive’ Emotions

‘Negative’ Emotions

Exhilaration, Passion, Joy

Love, Care, Kindness

Appreciation: Harmony, Beauty

Frustration, Anger, Hostility

Fear, Worry, Anxiety, Guilt

Overwhelmed, Resentful, Judgmental

Hopelessness, Despair, Depression

Burnout, Fatigue, Withdrawal

Boredom, Apathy

Inner Peace, Equanimity

Acceptance, Forgiveness

Serenity, Reflection, Contentment

High Cortisol Low DHEA

High DHEA Low Cortisol

(Ref.: Institute of HeartMath)

over-‐Sympathetic ANS

Sympathetic bias

Sympathetic ANS with balance

Karma, कमर् ?Karma is derived from the Sanskrit root, kṛ, which means “to do”, “to make”, “to accomplish”, and also “to cause”, “to effect”. It has a vast and profound meaning.

Karma is the executed work or action, but also includes the intent underlying the action (executed or proposed).

Every action has a reaction. Hence, karma is believed to generate a kārmic force, which influences the future of the kartā (doer). Thus, we create our own destiny, individually and collectively!

Why perform karma at all? What is the basis (dharma) of ‘right’ action? How to realise perfection and fulfilment in our works? How to find union with the Divine through our day-‐to-‐day actions, thoughts and works? These are some key themes explored in the Gītā. (Why work at all?!)

Tṛṣṇā, तृष्णा Tṛṣṇā (Sanskrit) literally means thirst. It seeks relentlessly to be quenched, causing unease and restlessness. The Buddha is said to have defined three kinds of tṛṣṇā.

Kāma-‐tṛṣṇā is the desire for, and attachment to, sense-‐pleasures, wealth and power, and also to ideas and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs; but pleasure can turn into pain in various ways.

Bhava-‐tṛṣṇā is the craving to be or become something; to gain a secure foothold; to establish and solidify one’s self-‐image, the ego-‐self; to prevail and dominate; but, the ego cannot give us enduring fulfilment; it is never satiated, always oscillating between fear and hope!

Vibhava-‐tṛṣṇā is the craving (when things go badly ‘wrong’) to dissociate from pain, anxiety, disappointment, despair or conflict; to be nothing; to die; but depression or suicide can hardly be the solution to the root tṛṣṇā.

The practice of the yoga of the Gītā leads to the realisation of fulfilment and freedom from tṛṣṇā; at the summit, one becomes both jīvanmukta and siddha.

Yoga, योग ?Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root, yuj, which means “to yoke” or “to unite”. The ultimate goal of yoga is to find fulfilment (completeness, pūrṇatā) through union with the Divine (one’s true Self); this is also called liberation, mokṣa, from the limited and bound condition of the separate self; it is Self-‐realization.

In the Gītā, this word is also used to refer to any practice or discipline that aims to achieve that ultimate goal: Karma-‐yoga, Jñāna-‐yoga, Bhakti-‐yoga. They involve physical, psychological and spiritual sādhana, leading to the same goal, and can be integrated.

Yoga lays emphasis on the practice of nivṛtti, i.e., withdrawing our attention away from its habitual grasping movement outwards (pravṛtti), to an inner stillness within ourselves, and to stay connected (yukta), always in balance; thus, the karmayogi always functions with an inner wakefulness, even while engaging in outer action.

The Gītā in the Mahābhārata The Bhagavadgītā (Gītā, in short) is set as an episode in ‘Book 6’ of the great Indian epic poem, the Mahābhārata (comprising 18 books, and over 100,000 couplet verses – “the longest poem in the world”) and dates back to the first millennium BC. “What is found here, is found elsewhere; what is not here is nowhere”.

Traditionally, the authorship of this epic is attributed to sage Vyāsa, who also happens to be a major character in the epic. Mahābhārata may be translated as “the great tale of the Bhārata clan”.

At its simplest, the Mahābhārata is about the conflict between two sets of cousins, the heroic Pāṇḍavas (sons of the late Pāndu) and the villainous Kauravas (sons of the blind King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and elder brother of Pāndu). It describes the events that led to war, the famous 18-‐day Kurukṣetra war itself, and the long aftermath. At a deeper level, the main theme of the long epic is: What is dharma?

Dharma, धमर् ?Dharma is derived from the Sanskrit root, dhṛ, which means “to sustain”, “to support”, “to maintain (order)”. It straddles a complex set of meanings and interpretations.

Dharma is that basis or principle, which sustains and regulates the functioning of the cosmos. For harmony and order to prevail in the evolving universe, all beings need to conduct themselves in accordance with dharma; otherwise, if we act in violation of dharma (i.e., adharma), chaos can prevail.

Dharma therefore includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, but is chiefly concerned with “doing the right thing”.

But how do we decide what is our dharma? How do we choose, when confronted with conflicting obligations (dharma-‐sankat)? These are some key themes explored in the Gītā.

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच |

धमर्क्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः |

मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव िकम् अकुवर्त संजय ||१-‐१||

BG 1.01

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ |māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya ||

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said:

At the field of dharma, at Kurukṣetra, Where my sons and those of Pāndu’s Have assembled, eager to fight. Tell, Sañjaya, what did they do?

धमर्क्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रेमामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैवसमवेता युयुत्सवःिकम् अकुवर्त संजय

धृतराष्ट्र उवाच

Field of action, kuru-‐kṣetra (kārmic seeds sprout, fresh seeds are planted)

The Setting of the Gītā

BG 1.28कृपया परयािवष्टो िवषीदन्न् इदम् अब्रवीत् |

दृषे्ट्वमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपिस्थतम् ||१-‐२८||

kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo viṣīdann-‐idam abravīt | dṛṣṭvemaṃ svajanaṃ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṃ samupasthitam ||

Overwhelmed by pity, dejected, He (Arjuna) spoke thus: O Kṛṣṇa! I see but my own kith and kin, Assembled here, eager to battle!

कृपया परया अािवष्टः िवषीदन्इदम् अब्रवीत् कृष्ण दृष्ट्वा इमं स्वजनं

युयुत्सुं समुपिस्थतम्

BG 1.29सीदिन्त मम गात्रािण मुखं च पिरशुष्यित |

वेपथुश्च शरीरे मे रोमहषर्श्च जायते ||१-‐ २९||

sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhañ ca pariśuṣyati | vepathuś ca śarīre me romaharṣaś ca jāyate ||

My legs are giving way, My mouth is going dry, My body is trembling, My hairs are bristling!

सीदिन्त मम गात्रािणमुखं च पिरशुष्यितवेपथुश्च शरीरे मेरोमहषर्श्च जायते

BG 1.30गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात् त्वक् चैव पिरदह्यते |

न च शक्नोम्य् अवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ||१-‐३०||

gāṇḍīvaṃ sraṃsate hastāt tvak caiva paridahyate | na ca śaknomy avasthātuṃ bhramatīva ca me manaḥ ||

Gāṇḍīva* slips my grip, My skin is burning. I cannot stand firm, My mind is reeling!

*Arjuna’s special bow

गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात् त्वक् चैव पिरदह्यते

न च शक्नोम्य् अवस्थातुंभ्रमतीव च मे मनः

Sensational recoil: physical nervousness, horror, pity, disgust

BG 1.45अहो बत महत् पापं कतुर्ं व्यविसता वयम् |

यद् राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनम् उद्यताः ||१-‐४५||

aho bata mahat pāpaṃ kartuṃ vyavasitā vayam | yad rājyasukhalobhena hantuṃ svajanam udyatāḥ ||

Alas! Great is the evil crime We have resolved to commit, Intent on killing our own kinsmen To enjoy the pleasures of kingship!

अहो बत महत् पापंकतुर्ं व्यविसता वयम्

यद् राज्यसुखलोभेन हन्तुं स्वजनम् उद्यताः


Vital recoil: loss of attraction for worldy pursuits and pleasures, including the Kṣatriya aim of life for victory in battle, kingship, power and governance

श्रीभगवानुवाच |

कुतस् त्वा कश्मलम् इदं िवषमे समुपिस्थतम् |

अनायर्जुष्टम् अस्वग्यर्म् अकीितर्करम् अजर्ुन ||२-‐२||

BG 2.02

śrībhagavān uvāca | kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṃ viṣame samupasthitam |anāryajuṣṭam asvargyam akīrtikaram arjuna ||

The Blessed Lord said:

How come this weakness arises In you, at this critical moment? Arjuna, this is ignoble, disgraceful, Leading neither to heaven or glory!

कुतः कश्मलम् इदं समुपिस्थतम्त्वा िवषमे

अनायर्जुष्टम् अकीितर्करम् अजर्ुनअस्वग्यर्म्

श्रीभगवान उवाच

BG 2.03क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पाथर् नैतत् त्वय्युपपद्यते |

क्षुदं्र हृदयदौबर्ल्यं त्यक्त्वोित्तष्ठ परन्तप ||२-‐३||

klaibyaṃ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayyupapadyate |kṣudraṃ hṛdayadaurbalyaṃ tyaktvottiṣṭha paraṃtapa ||

Arjuna, yield not to such impotence, Unbecoming of a warrior like you! Give up this petty faint-‐heartedness, And stand up, O Scorcher of foes!

उित्तष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरािन्नबोधतArise (uyṣṭhata)! Awake (jāgrata)! Approach the great and learn (prāpya varānnibodhata)!

Key teaching : Arise, stand up (uttiṣṭha)!

क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पाथर्नैतत् त्विय उपपद्यते

क्षुदं्र हृदयदौबर्ल्यं त्यक्त्वाउित्तष्ठ परन्तप

BG 6.05

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet | ātmaiva hy-‐ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ ||

One should lift oneself up by one’s Self, And one should not degrade oneself, For the Self is one’s true friend, But the self can be one’s enemy!

उद्धरदे् अात्मनात्मानं नात्मानम् अवसादयेत् |

आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुर् आत्मैव िरपुरात्मनः ||६-‐ ५||

Key teaching : See the forces functioning within you: do they elevate or push down your consciousness? See the friend and enemy within you; then act responsibly! (ātmaiva hy-‐ātmano bandhur, ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ)

उद्धरदे् अात्मन् अात्मानंन अात्मानम् अवसादयेत् आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धःुआत्मैव िरपुरात्मनः

Despair

Lower Nature

Having &

Clinging

FulfilmentHigher Nature

Being &

Becoming

SuccessConscious evolution

EGO-‐SELF

TRUE SELF

गुरून् अहत्वा िह महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोकंु्त भैक्ष्यम् अपीह लोके |

हत्वाथर्कामांस्तु गुरूिनहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुिधरप्रिदग्धान् ||२-‐५||

BG 2.05

gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṃ bhaikṣyam apīha loke |

hatvārthakāmāṃstu gurunihaiva bhuñjjīya bhogān rudhirapradigdhān ||

Instead of killing our mighty gurus Better it is to live begging for alms In this world of desire and gain, For which we are killing our elders. Enjoyments we may gain, But stained by their blood.

गुरून् अहत्वा िह महानुभावान्

श्रेयो भोकंु्त भैक्ष्यम् अपीह लोके

हत्वा अथर्कामांस्तु गुरूिनहैव

भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुिधर प्रिदग्धान्


Vital recoil: loss of attraction for worldy pursuits and pleasures, including the Kṣatriya aim of life for victory in battle, kingship, power and governance

Emotional recoil of the social man: affection, reverence, desire for shared happiness, outrage over violation of duty to kith and kin

Moral recoil: sense of sin and hell, rejection of “blood-‐stained” enjoyments

Vibhava-‐tṛṣṇā

कापर्ण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छािम त्वां धमर्सम्मूढचेताः |

यच्छे्रयः स्यािन्निश्चतं ब्रूिह तन्मे िशष्यस्तेऽहं शािध मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ||२-‐७||

kārpaṇyadoṣopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛcchāmi tvāṃ dharmasaṃmūḍhacetāḥ |

yacchreyaḥ syān niścitaṃ brūhi tan me śiṣyaste’haṃ śādhi māṃ tvāṃ prapannam ||

BG 2.07

Sentimental weakness has afflicted My warrior nature and confused me, Tell me: what is my true dharma? To fight or not, which is better? I pray to you to guide me decisively. I take refuge in You as your disciple!

कापर्ण्यदोष उपहत स्वभावः

पृच्छािम त्वां धमर् सम्मूढ चेताः

यच्छे्रयः स्यािन्निश्चतं ब्रूिह तन्मे

िशष्यस्तेऽहं शािध मां त्वां प्रपन्नम्

BG 2.09संजय उवाच |

एवम उक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप |

न योत्स्य इित गोिवन्दम् उक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह ||२-‐९||

Sañjaya uvāca | evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṃ guḍākeśaḥ paraṃtapaḥ | na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣṇīṃ babhūva ha ||

Sañjaya said:

Having thus spoken to Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, the Scorcher of foes, Told him: “I shall not fight”, And then fell silent.

संजय उवाचएवम उक्त्वा हृषीकेशं गुडाकेशः परन्तप

न योत्स्य इित गोिवन्दम् उक्त्वा तूष्णीं बभूव ह

Arjuna attempts to justify his decision with: (1) the claim of his nervous and sensational being, which shrinks from the slaughter, with its sequel of blood-‐stained enjoyments, (2) the claim of his heart, which recoils from the sorrow and emptiness of life that will follow his act, (3) the claim of his customary moral notions, which are appalled by the necessity of slaying his gurus, Bhīṣma and Droṇa, and (4) the claim of his reason which sees no good but only evil results of the terrible and violent work assigned to him.

The whole upshot is an all-‐embracing inner bankruptcy, which Arjuna expresses when he says that his whole conscious being, not the thought alone, but heart and vital desires and all, are utterly bewildered, and can find nowhere the dharma, any valid law of action. For this, he has taken refuge as a disciple of Kṛṣṇa. He does not ask for the secret of life or of the world, the meaning and purpose of it all, but for a dharma. He awaits the answer to objections that seem to him unanswerable.

Sri Aurobindo, “Essays on the Gita”

Themes in the Gītā Dharma & Adharma

Life & Death, Being & Becoming, Consciousness & Energy

Spirit & Matter: Puruṣa & Prakṛti, Pravṛtti & Nivṛtti

Ego-‐entrapment & Liberation, Attachment & Detachment

Action & Inaction: Karma & Akarma, Skill in Action

Personality & Impersonality, Individual & Universal

Evolution & Involution, Svabhāva & Svadharma

Ignorance & Knowledge: Ajñāna & Jñāna

Yoking & Letting go: Yoga & Sannyāsa/Tyāga

Love & Bliss: Bhakti & Ānanda, Equality & Oneness…

Bhagavad Gītā: Contents1. Arjuna Viṣāda Yoga: Arjuna’s Dejection (47 verses)

2. Sāṅkhya Yoga: Philosophy & Discipline (72)

3. Karma Yoga: Action (43)

4. Jñāna Karma Sannyāsa Yoga: Knowledge (42)

5. Karma Sannyāsa Yoga: Renunciation (29)

6. Ātma Saṃyama Yoga: Self-‐control (47)

7. Jñāna Vijñāna Yoga: Higher Knowledge (30)

8. Akṣara Brahma Yoga: Immutable Spirit (28)

9. Rāja-‐vidyā Rāja-‐guhya Yoga: Royal Secret Knowledge (34)

10. Vibhūti Yoga: Divine Manifestations (42)

11. Viśvarūpa Darśana Yoga: Cosmic Vision (55)

12. Bhakti Yoga: Devotion (20)

13. Kṣetra Kṣetrajña Vibhāga Yoga: Nature & Spirit (35)

14. Guṇatraya Vibhāga Yoga: Three Guṇas (27)

15. Puruṣottama Yoga: Supreme Divine (20)

16. Daivāsura Saṃpad Vibhāga Yoga: Divine & Demonic Traits (24)

17. Śraddhātraya Vibhāga Yoga: Faith & Three Guṇas (28)

18. Mokṣa Sannyāsa Yoga: Renunciation & Liberation (78)

ॐ तत्सिदित श्रीमभ्दगवद्गीतासूपिनषत्सु ब्रह्मिवद्यायां

योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णाजुर्नसंवादेऽजुर्निवषादयोगो नाम

प्रथमो ध्यायः ||१||

oṃ tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde'rjunaviṣādayogo nāma

prathamo dhyāyaḥ ||1||

Oṃ! Thus, in the Holy Book, the Bhagavad Gītā (an Upaniṣad), in the Knowledge of the Supreme Spirit, in the Science of Practice of Yoga, in the dialogue between Lord

Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, is this first chapter titled, The Dejection of Arjuna.

Manual of Practice

Discipline of ACTION (Karma-‐yoga)

Conversations with GodDiscipline of DEVOTION (Bhakti-‐yoga)

Science of the AbsoluteDiscipline of WISDOM (Jñāna-‐yoga)

Integral Karmayoga

Brahma-‐vidya

Yoga-‐śāstra

Śrikṛṣṇa-‐Arjuna samvada

Bhagavad Gītā

भगवद् गीता

BG 4.40अज्ञश्च् अश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा िवनश्यित |

नायं लोकोऽिस्त न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः ||४-‐४०||

ajñaś-‐ca aśraddadhānaś-‐ca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati |nāyaṃ loko’sti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ ||

Key teaching: Importance of deep faith (śraddhā) for directly accessing higher spiritual truths; else, limited by one’s ignorant, undeveloped

instrumentation (physical, vital, mental), one gets lost (ajñaś-‐ca aśraddadhānaś-‐ca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati).

One who is ignorant and faithless, Always doubting, not trusting, is lost. No stability in this world or beyond, Nor lasting joy for the doubting soul.

अज्ञश्च् अश्रद्दधानश्चसंशयात्मा िवनश्यितन अयं लोकोऽिस्त न परोन सुखं संशयात्मनः

In the lower knowledge, doubt and scepticism have their temporary uses; in the higher, they are stumbling-‐blocks: for there the whole secret is not the balancing of truth and error, but a constantly progressing realisation of revealed truth.

In intellectual knowledge, there is always a mixture of falsehood or incompleteness, which has to be got rid of, by subjecting the truth itself to sceptical inquiry; but in the higher knowledge, falsehood cannot enter, and that which intellect contributes by attaching itself to this or that opinion, cannot be got rid of by mere questioning, but will fall away of itself by persistence in realisation through a deeper, higher and wider living in the Spirit.

And what is not yet realised must be prepared for by faith, not by sceptical questioning, because this truth is one which the intellect cannot give, and which is indeed often quite opposed to the ideas in which the reasoning and logical mind gets entangled. It is not a truth which has to be proved, but a self-‐existent truth which has to be lived inwardly, a greater reality into which we have to grow.

Adapted from Sri Aurobindo

BG 18.67इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन |

न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयित ||१८-‐ ६७||

idaṃ te nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana | na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṃ na ca māṃ yo’bhyasūyati ||

Do not ever teach this to anyone, Who lacks sincerity and austerity, Devotion and keenness to listen, Nor too anyone who derides Me.

इदं ते न वाच्यं कदाचन न अतपस्काय

न अभक्ताय न च अशुश्रूषवेन च मां योऽभ्यसूयित

Reference Books

Sri Aurobindo Ameeta Mehta

Winthrop Sargeant Purohit Swami

Barbara Stoler Miller

JAB van BuitenenJayadayal Goyandka

श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता

Telos Model

Integral Karma Yoga – Telos Portions

Attributes to develop to connect to Deeper Self:

1. I listen to an inner voice that guides me in any situation.

2. I have unshaken faith that the changes I deeply aspire for will come true.

3. I spontaneously resonate with what is true, good and beautiful.

4. My heart is filled with quiet gladness without any reason.

5. There is deep calm and peace within me.

6. I do not lose my inner poise.

7. I have an inspiring purpose, which makes my life and work deeply meaningful.


Attributes to develop to connect to Deeper and Higher Self:

8. I feel a deep trust in the essential goodness of everyone and everything around me.

9. I am filled with deep love and gratitude for everyone and everything around me, without any reason.

10.I have a deep sense of gratitude towards the life and work I have.

11.I have a deep sense of gratitude towards everyone in my life and work.

12.I experience moments of Silence.

13.In the silence of my mind, new wisdom or intuitions come fully formed.

14.I feel a sense of vastness that is untouched and present within and around me.


● Understanding the Purpose of Life – Evolution of the Inner and Outer.

● Finding our core nature – Wisdom, Strength, Harmony and Perfection and centering into it.

● Understanding and connecting to the core essence of the Indian Culture.

● Doing Sadhana – Aspiration, Rejection and Surrender.

● Developing concentration on the Inner Flame.

● Bringing spirituality into daily life and work.

siddhir bhavati karmajā (Bhagavad Gita, 4.12)

(through spirituality in work, success is achieved)

Welcome to Integral Karmayoga (GN 6001): Jan-‐May 2015

GN 6001: Spirituality in Work

Objective: To explore spirituality in work, based on selected teachings from Ancient Indian Wisdom

GN 6001: Spirituality in Work Course Contents:

A) Integral Karmayoga: Towards Fulfilment in Work & Life – based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and Sri Aurobindo; understanding the core essence and its applications to daily life in a modern secular context: karma, yoga, dharma, puruṣa and gunas of prakṛti, significance of work, svabhāva and svadharma, types of motivation and attitude towards work, niṣkama karma, spirit of self-‐consecration, renunciation in action, abolition of ego-‐sense, skill and delight in action, integration of karma, jñāna and bhakti in yoga.


B) Integral development: based on the TELOS model – a consciousness framework derived from the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo; understanding how evolution of the inner being can transform action in the outer world, understanding the Purpose of Life – evolution of the inner and outer, finding our core nature – Wisdom, Strength, Harmony and Perfection, understanding and connecting to the core essence of the Indian Culture, doing Sadhana – aspiration, rejection and surrender, developing concentration, understanding fate, individual will, collective will and higher will, understanding and connecting to deeper self.


C) Application of selected teachings from Ancient Indian Literature: an interpretation of popular characters and events and their relevance in the modern world: core values and ethics, types of personalities, self-‐identity, understanding the nature of desires and finding freedom from attachment to desires, and the path of devotion.

Reference Books

• Das, G. (2012), “The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma”, Penguin Books India, New Delhi.

• Mehra, A. (2000), “Karmayoga – Perfection in Work”, The Gnostic Centre, New Delhi.

• Sargeant, W. (2009), “The Bhagavad Gita”, State University of New York Press, Albany.

Reference Books

• Smith, J. D. (2009), “The Mahabharata”, Penguin Classics, New York.

• Sri Aurobindo (2010), “Essays on the Gita”, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publishing, Pondicherry.

• Sri Aurobindo (1920), “The Renaissance in India”, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department, Pondicherry.

Evaluation

• Assignments (4 × 10): 40 marks • Mid Sem exam: 20 marks • End Sem exam: 40 marks

100 marks

48

GN 6001: Integral Karmayoga – Jan – May 2015 Schedule

Session Number Date Session Details Hours

1 Thursday, January 22, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 32 Thursday, January 29, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 33 Thursday, February 05, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 34 Thursday, February 12, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 35 Thursday, February 19, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 36 Thursday, February 26, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 37 Thursday, March 05, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 3

8 Thursday, March 12, 2015 Mid Sem Exam, 2-‐3.30pm & AD (1.5h) 1.5

* Saturday, March 14, 2015 Ashram Trip 9 Thursday, March 19, 2015 DM (2h) & AD (1h) 310 Thursday, March 26, 2015 DM (2h) & VV (1h) 311 Wednesday, April 01, 2015 DM (2h) & VV (1h) 312 Thursday, April 09, 2015 VV (2h) & AD (1h) 313 Thursday, April 16, 2015 VV (2h) & AD (1h) 314 Thursday, April 23, 2015 VV (2h) & AD (1h) 3* Saturday, April 25, 2015 End Sem Exam, 9-‐11am

Thank you

bhagawadgita session 1

Documents