Vedanta Society of Southern California | Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Sri Ramakrishna (Class 29: EG, chap. 13) | Swami Medhananda @VedantaOrg | Uploaded September 2024 | Updated October 2024, 5 hours ago.
In this class (Class 29, on Sunday, September 1st at 9:30 am PST), we discuss chapter 13 of Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita, entitled "The Lord of the Sacrifice" (pp. 124–133).
Link to Swami Medhananda's comparative study of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Sri Ramakrishna's Vijnana Vedanta:
https://www.academia.edu/114859846/Harmonizing_the_Personal_God_with_Impersonal_Brahman_Sri_Ramakrishna_s_Vijñāna_Vedānta_in_Dialogue_with_Gauḍīya_Vaiṣṇavism_2024_
In our next class (Class 30, to be held on Sunday, September 15th at 9:30 am PST), we will discuss Chapter 14 of Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita, entitled "The Principle of Divine Works" (pp. 134–144), which is based on verses 3.20–43 and 4.5–4.14 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Please also answer the following Study Questions for Class 30:
1. On p. 135 of Essays on the Gita, Sri Aurobindo observes that the person who has realized the Purushottama sees the world not as a "prison-house" but as "an opulent kingdom, rājyam samṛddham." What does he mean by this? Can you think of any teachings of Sri Ramakrishna's that might help illuminate this idea?
2. On p. 136, Sri Aurobindo says that verses 3.20–26 should not be interpreted as merely "a philosophical and religious justification of social service...." What does he mean by "social service" here? What's wrong with this kind of social service?
3. Keeping in mind Sri Aurobindo's interpretation of verses 3.20–26, please explain how we can engage in social service on a truly spiritual basis. Please also give one or two concrete examples of spiritually-grounded social service.
4. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?
Please submit your responses to the Study Questions by Saturday, September 14th at 7 pm PST by clicking on this link:
https://forms.gle/MXeBaM6TR5zcgbNt8
To follow the class from the beginning and get access to all the course materials in a systematic manner, please visit this website:
swamimedhananda.com/bhagavad-gita-in-the-light-of-sri-ramakrishna
Main textbook: Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita:
vedanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/19EssaysOnTheGita.pdf
Supplementary texts:
* Sri Aurobindo, Bhagavad Gita and its Message, edited by Anilbaran Roy (amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Its-Message-Aurobindo/dp/0941524787/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IRWYV8HEWNHH&keywords=anil+baran+roy+aurobindo&qid=1691445964&sprefix=anilbaran+roy+aurobin%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1)
* Swami Tapasyananda’s Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā: The Scripture of Mankind (archive.org/details/bhagavad-gita-scripture-mankind-tapasyananda-1)
* Swami Chidbavananda’s The Bhagavad Gita (archive.org/details/TheBhagavadBySwamiChidbhavanand)
* Śaṅkara's commentary on the Gita (archive.org/details/bhagavad-gita-with-the-commentary-of-adi-shankaracharya-by-swami-gambhirananda-a)
* Rāmānuja’s commentary on the Gita (vedanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ramanuja-Gita-commentary-translation.pdf)
Gita app based on Sri Aurobindo’s commentary:
Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.org.bhagavadgita&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1
iPhone: apps.apple.com/in/app/bhagavad-gita-sri-aurobindo/id1143882659
In this class (Class 29, on Sunday, September 1st at 9:30 am PST), we discuss chapter 13 of Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita, entitled "The Lord of the Sacrifice" (pp. 124–133).
Link to Swami Medhananda's comparative study of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Sri Ramakrishna's Vijnana Vedanta:
https://www.academia.edu/114859846/Harmonizing_the_Personal_God_with_Impersonal_Brahman_Sri_Ramakrishna_s_Vijñāna_Vedānta_in_Dialogue_with_Gauḍīya_Vaiṣṇavism_2024_
In our next class (Class 30, to be held on Sunday, September 15th at 9:30 am PST), we will discuss Chapter 14 of Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita, entitled "The Principle of Divine Works" (pp. 134–144), which is based on verses 3.20–43 and 4.5–4.14 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Please also answer the following Study Questions for Class 30:
1. On p. 135 of Essays on the Gita, Sri Aurobindo observes that the person who has realized the Purushottama sees the world not as a "prison-house" but as "an opulent kingdom, rājyam samṛddham." What does he mean by this? Can you think of any teachings of Sri Ramakrishna's that might help illuminate this idea?
2. On p. 136, Sri Aurobindo says that verses 3.20–26 should not be interpreted as merely "a philosophical and religious justification of social service...." What does he mean by "social service" here? What's wrong with this kind of social service?
3. Keeping in mind Sri Aurobindo's interpretation of verses 3.20–26, please explain how we can engage in social service on a truly spiritual basis. Please also give one or two concrete examples of spiritually-grounded social service.
4. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?
Please submit your responses to the Study Questions by Saturday, September 14th at 7 pm PST by clicking on this link:
https://forms.gle/MXeBaM6TR5zcgbNt8
To follow the class from the beginning and get access to all the course materials in a systematic manner, please visit this website:
swamimedhananda.com/bhagavad-gita-in-the-light-of-sri-ramakrishna
Main textbook: Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita:
vedanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/19EssaysOnTheGita.pdf
Supplementary texts:
* Sri Aurobindo, Bhagavad Gita and its Message, edited by Anilbaran Roy (amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Its-Message-Aurobindo/dp/0941524787/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IRWYV8HEWNHH&keywords=anil+baran+roy+aurobindo&qid=1691445964&sprefix=anilbaran+roy+aurobin%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1)
* Swami Tapasyananda’s Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā: The Scripture of Mankind (archive.org/details/bhagavad-gita-scripture-mankind-tapasyananda-1)
* Swami Chidbavananda’s The Bhagavad Gita (archive.org/details/TheBhagavadBySwamiChidbhavanand)
* Śaṅkara's commentary on the Gita (archive.org/details/bhagavad-gita-with-the-commentary-of-adi-shankaracharya-by-swami-gambhirananda-a)
* Rāmānuja’s commentary on the Gita (vedanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ramanuja-Gita-commentary-translation.pdf)
Gita app based on Sri Aurobindo’s commentary:
Android: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.org.bhagavadgita&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1
iPhone: apps.apple.com/in/app/bhagavad-gita-sri-aurobindo/id1143882659
