Gita 17.17 The mode in which austerity is performed different from the mode with which austerity is performed

Transcript

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Thank you. Satvikam parichakshate So Krishna has talked about three kinds of austerities in terms of the faculties with which the austerities are done in the previous three verses 17.14, 15 and 16.
He has talked about the austerity of the body, austerity of the speech and austerity of the mind. Now he talks about Shraddhaya, Paraya, Taptam that these three austerities which have to be executed Tapas Tatra Vidhinare These three kinds, three types when they are executed by a human being Apala, Kankshi, Bhedi, Uptai without expectation of the fruit Satvikam parichakshate They are considered to be austerities in the mood of goodness. This is striking that Krishna is defining austerity here not just by the action that is done but by the intention with which it is done.
If you consider the three kinds of austerities mentioned in the previous verses say for example at the level of body Brahmacharya Mahimsaachyam maintaining sense control maintaining non-violent or at the level of the speech Ludhveka Karam Vakyam speaking sensitively in a way that doesn’t agitate others or Manah Prasad Saumyatum austerity of the mind of maintaining satisfaction we may consider that all these austerities are actually austerities which are in the mood of goodness sensitive speech, cultivation of satisfaction control of the senses however all these can be done with various motivations sometimes some demons also maintain extreme sense control so that they can eventually enjoy their senses and thus though their action is in goodness their intention is not in goodness at all their intention may be in passion Hiranyakashipu was performing austerity so that he could destroy Vishnu leave alone goodness his intention was in ignorance so we need to recognize that the essence of austerity is not the action but the intention so sometimes some people may speak very sweetly but they may be sycophants, they may be flatterers who speak sweetly just so that they have the opportunity to put others down they have the opportunity to minimize others and that happens and that austerity is definitely not in the mood of goodness so every means distress or fire means in Sanskrit or in the vernacular language in Hindi means the temperature so actually to counter the heat of distress stimulation in this world we need to voluntarily accept the distress that will raise our consciousness beyond the world that is the distress of it is not exactly distress, it is the difficulty we voluntarily accept that is called as austerity and when we will be able to do with this when we will be able to do the austerity without any expectation of fruit when it is when it is done with transcendence transcendental faith or sublime faith that there is a higher reality beyond the material and that is why the results cannot be calculated simply in terms of what we get at the material level many people recognize this at least with respect to things and people we may get a lot of objects in terms of possessions but if we are getting possessions we lose relations we alienate ourselves from our loved ones we find ourselves overwhelmed by fear and negativity and distress and other kinds of emotions then what is the use so if we are lonely and suspicious if we can’t trust anyone then we are not really in a happy state at all no matter how many are the trappings of happiness that we have indeed the trappings of happiness may well trap us away from happiness so just as our relationships are more important than our possessions similarly our relationship with the supreme with Krishna is more important than all our possessions he is our supreme possession and to the extent we can connect with him to that extent we can be joyful we can be satisfied we can be purified this faith that there is a reality beyond the material and that is why we cannot calculate the reality of the value of things simply by the results they give us at the material level this understanding is not so easy to get and somehow we can get it we are most fortunate because getting this understanding will enable us to break free from the shackles that would otherwise entangle us that would otherwise trap us so going back to this point that what defines austerity the mode of austerity the mode in which austerity is performed is its intention not the action so you could have the mode of austerity and the mode in which austerity is performed the mode of austerity refers to whether the austerity is done with the body, the mind or the speech but the mode in which the austerity is performed refers to the consciousness with which it is performed the intention with which it is performed the motivation with which it is performed so Krishna usually uses the word phala to refer to fruit at the material level if we consider fruit at the spiritual level fruit in terms of say becoming purified of contaminations that is a transcendental fruit and we are fortunate to get that fruit if we can get it and having that fruit means that we are growing towards Krishna that we are moving closer and closer to the Lord who is our supreme reality so Krishna also says in the 5th chapter in the 11th verse So that when we give up attachment and then we work for purification so seeking purification is not working with attachment it is actually working to gain detachment and here Krishna says when we work when we do all these austerities without experiencing any material gratification but for the sake of spiritualization of our consciousness then that is austerity