The most difficult of our day/our life is not understanding. We therefore pray that may we understand ourselves, those around us and finally that which is far away. For self development to be real, requires a system. The system that we are going to flow through, starting with our vision statement, is ‘Sanatana Dharma’. The vision statement of Sanatana Dharma is to ‘Be Joy’. For the people around us, the vision of Sanatana Dharma is to be joyous. For us to be joy and be a cause of joy for those around us.

We will bring the vision statement to a mission statement. A community is needed for one to be joy and joyous and our community is structured on accessibility, actionability and accountability. Accessibility because there is no barrier to entry into the course, actionability because we are to practice what we are theorizing about. Accountability because whatever we sign up for, we will show up and follow through.

We then come to action statement specific to this course. This course is on Jnana. Jnana can be described as Insight. The way Jnana will be acted upon in this system will be principle and personal. In this course, truths will be shared, truths everyone of us can relate to in our own lives.

The difference between objective science and subjective science is that when it comes to objective science, we can know it but not follow it. In a subjective science, if you follow only then you know. If I don’t follow speaking with integrity, then I don’t know Dharma then. I don’t have the responsibility of the words coming out of my mouth. That is why subjective sciences are more difficult for us. How can we then gain support so that we follow the subjective science? This support comes in the form of the trust triangle. In our course, the first part of the trust triangle is a guide, Swami Tejomayananda ji. A guide then passes us on to a map. The map in this course is Manah Shodhanam. Manah=mind, shodhana=purity.

In Srimad Bhagavad Gita’s chapter 15, Sri Krishna describes Prince Arjuna as “Anagha”, the one who is pure. Our responsibility is purity. In the next line, he is described as “Bharata”, one who is filled with Light. A guide and map will help us to realize that our nature is Light/joy. Our job as a seeker is to have a pure mind and if we do this, our guide and map will do ten times the work for us.

A guide is limited to how long her body will live. But a map does not have those limitations. There is the life and teachings of those who are great, that we can learn from. Subjective science is still difficult regardless of how long we have been studying. This is because we are intellectual, so we need support to be able to follow. This comes from the trust triangle making us strong. The third arm of the trust triangle is divinity. Our mind depends on thoughts and our thoughts depend on Vasanas/ego. Vasanas depend on Consciousness/Awareness. A guide makes us independent by giving us a map and a map makes us independent by giving us ourselves.

Verse 1:

paramātmā adwayānandah, sarva-bhoota-sthitah api ha;

ajnānena āvritah adrishtah, tathā eva cha mano-malaih

parama= highest or deepest

ātma= center

adwaya= there is no other center

There is a singular center and farthest and closest. Meaning is our center is the same for all.

ānandah= joy.

The one who feels this same divinity in all, feels the most natural/joy

Sarva=all

Bhoota= beings

Sthitah= established

Api ha= indeed

This singular center is the center of every being (human, animal, plant, stone).

A person is judgmental because they are easily affected. When we are easily affected, we try to change things by judging them and trying to change everything but not me. We are so easily affected because of our likes. We are dependent on our likes, and when we don’t get what we like, we get affected by them and so we judge. In this book, through Sw. Tejomayananda ji, there is a great focus on how to purify the mind from its likes and dislikes. One sign that we are following through with this is that we are less affected and less judgmental.