Swami Kriyananda on Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita
Autobiography of a Yogi is a book with a profound impact over the decades since it was written by the great master Yogananda. Among many who have been touched by the words, physical presence or energy of this teacher is Swami Kriyananda, who was only in his early twenties when he met Yogananda and from that moment, he become an ardent student. Swami Kriyananda is not without controversy, including a public schism with the Self-Realization Fellowship and other lawsuits. Yet at the same time, the Ananda communities he founded in 1967 based on Yogananda’s urging for people to create intentional living are thriving householder ashrams. LA YOGA spoke to Swami Kriyananda in 2009 about the teachings in the Bhagavad Gita, since he has filmed commentary on the Gita for YouTube and for Indian television.
Felicia Marie Tomasko: What do you think is the most important message that the Gita has to share with us today?
Swami Kriyananda: The Gita is, in my opinion, the greatest scripture in the world – not because it is truer than any other, but because it is so complete, concise and profound in its teachings. Truth is one: men perceive it in different frames according to their individual ability and conditioning. The Bhagavad Gita is eminently practical, avoiding the vague abstractions that have always been popular with theologians. Even at that, however, it has been understood differently by different “authorities,” depending perhaps primarily on whether their bias is toward the intellect, or toward activity, or toward physical and mental well-being or toward devotion. In fact, the Gita emphasizes all these paths, although it gives supreme importance, at the end, to all-surrendering devotion to the divine – from which was manifested the entire universe, and into which all things must eventually merge back. But it also emphasizes as very important the benefit of approaching God by scientific means, which can open our consciousness to the inflow of divine grace.
Nishkam karma – action without desire for the fruits of action – is the supreme and ever-practical teaching of the Bhagavad Gita. The way out of karmic bondage is to act (to perform one’s karmic duty), but with the purpose of gradually untying the knots of karma (past action and its results) by not doing anything for egoic gain. The ego is the source of all our suffering. The Gita’s teaching shows us how to release our hold on the ego.
FMT: What does the Gita teach us about dealing with the sense of despair that can often overcome us?
SK: The Gita teaches that in our souls – which, it says, is our supreme Self – we cannot be affected.
Weapons cannot cut the soul; fire cannot burn it; water cannot drown it; wind cannot wither it away. – Gita. 2:23
I think that the supreme challenge man faces is not pain, violence, or disappointment, but his fear of these things. Hence, I have found it a very great aid in facing life’s challenges to imagine the very worst thing that I might have to face, and then condition myself to accept it. Death itself – even violent death – is not painful in itself; it is a release. We suffer mentally only, not physically, owing to our attachments and unfulfilled desires.
FMT: Is there a particular passage or quote that you find yourself coming back to for inspiration, or giving to others?
SK: There are, of course, many. The whole book has inspired me again and again. But the one sentence I return to constantly is Krishna’s statement: “Get away from My ocean of suffering and misery!” My own greatest incentive, as a young man, for seeking God as the solution to all human problems was the ever-increasingly anguishing question: “Why is there so much suffering in the world, and what can I do, personally, to help alleviate it?”
FMT: What answers to this question did you find in the Gita?
SK: It increases my own sense of urgency to find God as the only answer to everything. As Jesus Christ said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added.” In other words, all other desires will find their supreme fulfillment.
FMT: How can we cultivate action and practice not only on the path toward enlightenment, but also to support health and well-being?
SK: Since the time of Einstein, many writers have proclaimed that there are no absolutes, and that moral values are relative and purely subjective. (I suppose this means, “If I steal from you, you lose, but I gain: Everything, you see, is relative!”) In fact, however, Einstein related all movement to what he called the absolute speed of light. In moral values the same is true: Everything must be seen in relation to the one eternal absolute: Satchidananda, as Swami Shankaracharya called it: ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new (my Guru’s addition) bliss. Right, moral action varies, yes, but it must always be seen in relation to the true goal of life, and the question: will it promote one’s own, and others’, lasting bliss? This same principle applies to any question regarding health and well-being. One should ask always: Will this practice promote my long-term happiness? Answering this question will lead toward what Krishna recommends also in the Gita: moderation in everything.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.