February 3rd 2026

Vivek ji reminisced about being in Chinmaya Vibhooti envisioning the Tuesday class content. Since 2014, Vivek ji said, he has been thinking about it and the conclusion they came up with , whatever is taught should not be theory based but should be a lived experience instead. To have a space and time where we actually don’t use a scripture, but rather there are insights shared on how to live a scripture.

Part of the reasoning for this was that we have too much access to our scriptures. This leads to Shastra Vasana. It is the propensity to study it but not live it. People with this Vasana are afraid to not study the scripture and not courageous to live the scripture.

Manah Shodhanam is a cue card, where we know the theory. The goal is to live this and not let it be theory. If people around you are noticing a change in you, then that means you are applying yourself.

Recap:

Verse 10: Sw. Tejomayananda, in this verse from Srimad Bhagavad Gita, says that these are the words of God. For those who don’t follow the words of God, is an overt sign of doership and those who follow God’s word, there the doership is dismantled.

For one who establishes that their only purpose is Self development/self purification, life becomes simple. For most of us, the efficient way of doing this is simplify our inner world. Sign of being singular/focused, you become less bored.

3rd quarter: What makes us unique is the sensitivity of our intellect. An intellect that asks, “Who am I”, “What is Life”? we are to use our sensitive intellect to inquire to such an extent that there is a natural disidentification from the very same intellect. When we inquire into the intellect so passionately, that it just falls away at this point the ego has no door to go through. The ego faces itself and its mystical death starts. What a lovely flow of freedom, to not have the sense of limitation.

4th quarter: such reflection is going to happen through the grace of the divine. We have to be physically fit so that we can be mentally fit. Greater is the tithiksha, more we can endure and not be opinionated. That means we are going inwards and feel the divine.

This Class:

Verse 11: 

rāga-dwesha ādayah kāmah, krodhah-lobhah ādayah api cha;

ahamkārah tathā swārthah, vividhāh manasah malāh.

Theme= Vices

4th quarter: There are numerous vices in the mind.

Vividha= numerous

Mala=impurities

Manasah= in the mind (whole inner world)

In quarter 1, vices of the mind are shared and in quarter 2, vices of the intellect are shared and it is shared in quarter 3 that the ego is the source of vices.

When we start inquiry, the first deduction we come to, is our successes. For the person who is inquiring in a systematic way, knows that those successes are inauthentic and shallow so they keep inquiring. This leads them from successes to vices. In the functional world, we describe ourselves in successes but in the sacred/fundamental world, we will feel the vices. But those who cannot stand their vices, they go back into the inauthenticity and shallowness. It is therefore important to be in a community.

1st quarter:

Raga=likes

Dvesha= dislikes

Abhinivesha= fear relating to the body

Those who have likes and dislikes (opinions) are operating for comfort of body.

2nd quarter:

Major expression of intellect comes in the form of Kāma or desires. Desires has two kids, anger and greed. These have three more kids, confusion, arrogance and jealousy.

A reference of this from Srimad Bhagavatam: One of the assassins that tried to take down Sri Krishna, was Trinavartha (tornado). This symbolizes for us as desire. Desire comes fast.

Another assassin was Pralamba (boys who kept growing taller). This symbolizes greed. Greed comes slowly. The challenge with this is that we don’t realize we are greedy.

3rd quarter:

Ahamkāra and swārthah are referred to in the Yoga sutras. When Rishi Patanjali describes this is why life sucks, he shares that life is like that because of Avidya (ahamkara or separation). Separation from God leads to sorrow and struggle. For the one who doesn’t inquire into this, Avidya expresses as “Asmita” (I-ness, Swartha=selfishness).

A seeker looks at his vices but are insulated by their guide and they also know that more authentic and deeper than their vices is their nature. All that is described in this verse, experiences, vices and ego, cannot touch Existence!