HariH Om.Thank you Swamiji for 4 days of exposition on the Daivi and asuri tendencies that reside in each of our minds , as though in the battlefield of Kurukshetra., between Dharma and Adharma. As human beings, we have to gain the emotional maturity to claim the Daivi virtues which are our intrinsic nature and discard the asuri tendencies that can intrude in our hearts and minds and overpower our thoughts, intensions and actions. Who amongst us does not wish for total freedom from pain and sorrow, limitedness and helplessness? These are alien to our very nature and hence unacceptable. Your teaching showed us how actively cultivating the Daivi sampatis we can move closer to knowing and assimilating the knowledge which will grant us total freedom.
Abhayam , the first Daivi quality we much cultivate is to confront any fear and learn to focus on the present moment , . not stress or worry about the future over which we have no control. See the silver lining in every cloud, be grateful for the present and accept what comes our way with prasada buddhi . We must not squander the joy of being alive with the fear of death.
Satva Samshuddhi : We must cultivate harmony between our thoughts, words and actions. In other words we must be a genuine person with pure thoughts behind every intention.
Next comes Gyan yoga VyavasthitiH Our commitment to learning and assimilating this rare and precious knowledge. Must be constant and unwavering. With the conscious development of these divine qualities, , we can progress from being an impulsive person, to a deliberate person and finally to a spontaneous person in whom these divine qualities which are inherent in us are effortlessly manifest in full measure.
May we cultivate the quality of Daanam , by sharing wealth, be it money, time, talent or empathy in keeping with our capacity.
With Damah may we progress by exerting self control over our organs of perception and action.
With Yagna, may we worship Ishwara with prayer to invoke His grace in our spiritual journey.
May we learn through Svadhya the importance or self- study, chanting and recitation.
May TapaH teach us to be less of a consumer and more of a contributor.
May I strengthen the divine quality of Arjavam, where I remain steadfast and straightforward in my thought, words and deeds.
May I always remember that Ahimsa paramo dharma. May I not hurt any being at the physical, emotional and mental level.
May I cultivate the value of Satyam, always speaking the Truth in a kind manner.
Akrodha, : May I learn to diffuse the anger that may arise in me . May I learn to let go, forgive, move on and make accommodations for other’s actions. May my actions always flow from a place of love and kindness in my heart., through pratipaksha bhavana.
Tyaga: May the bondage of likes and dislikes release me through renunciation.
ShantiH: May I have the tranquility of mind where there are no demands or expectations.
Apaishunam: may I never expose someone’s defects and instead have a value for overlooking them and see their strengths instead of their shortcomings.
May Daya teach me to be sensitive to the pain of others, expressing as compassion and empathy.
Aloluptvam: May I no longer have a longing for something , falsely thinking it will be the source of my happiness.
May I cultivate with MArdavam, a gentleness in my thoughts, words and actions, To always remember that it is more important to be kind than to be right.
With the equality of Hrir, may I be naturally modest in my behavior even when no one is looking.
Achaapalam , May I not expend my energy with purposeless actions and speech.
May TejaH provide me the vigor that I need to not be influenced by others and understand the value of these values.
With Kshama: May my heart be large enough to accommodate the inner plight of the other , to respond with love even in the face of an injustice.
DhritiH : a can do attitude to continue our pursuit of Moksha in spite of any obstacles we might face.
Saucham: a purity of the body, the environment, with a pure and disciplined mind.
Adhrohah: a complete and total absence of ill will or hatred in my mind towards any thing.
Atimanita: May I never pretend to be something other than what I am to impress others and demand their respect
All these Daivi Sampat qualities when nurtured, and practiced reward us with gaining AntaH karana shudhhi.
Why do we need the antah karana shudhhi? So that when we are taught the tatparya of the scriptures, they come alive for us and we can assimilate them in full measure.
Next Bhagavan Shri Krishna describes the Asuri tendencies that can prevent us from gaining Moksha, the freedom that we all that we seek . The asuri tendencies are the opposite of the Daivi tendencies but we need to be aware of them and be alert so that we do not get swayed by them.
DambhaH :Pretending to be other than what we are due to a lack of self acceptance.
Darpa: a bully on the outside with no real substance on the inside.
AtimanaH – having a false and excessively high opinion of myself.
Krodha: anger leading to violence on words and deeds.
Parushyam: rudeness, intentionally humiliating another person
Agyanam: the inability to conduct viveka, to see what is right and what is wrong.
We all have both the daivi and asuri tendencies in different measure and our goal is to neutralize the asuri tendencies with alertness, effort and consciously choosing the opposite with pratipaksha bhavana. As human beings, only we have the ability to choose to be happy or unhappy., depending on what qualities we choose to nurture in our lives. We need to and can tap into the daivi treasure within us to uplift our own perception of ourselves, thus leading us to become the perfect person, with emotional maturity , where one is purnaH, where no grand event or disappointment can affect our sense of freedom., which we can invoke when we tap into this divine wealth we all have within us.
May you always be blessed with good health and vigor to keep teaching us in the coming years. Once again Swamiji, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing this knowledge with us, for making the time for us and for your gurukrupa in blessing us as we progress on this incredible journey.
HariH Om.
Zarina Kaji
