Namaste as we continue on the Bhagavad Gita series.
In this lecture I'd like to speak a little bit about the four categories of people that walk the spiritual path.
The beauty of the spiritual path is that there are so many ways to approach the truth.
Some choose to view the divine with form,
Some choose to view the divine with formless,
And in some practices the divine is altogether omitted.
In this specific categorization of those that walk the spiritual path,
Krishna speaks about devotees.
Devotees is a name given to those that follow the path of devotion,
That follow the path of devotion towards a divine being.
There's a belief that there is something that exists beyond us that is eternal,
All-pervading,
Fixed,
Immovable,
And everlasting.
And by creating a relationship with the divine,
Of the lover and the beloved,
We start to shed our own negative qualities and realize our true divine nature.
And this concept of creating a relationship with the divine,
Whether it's with form or formless,
Is an integral part of the Bhagavad Gita.
And in chapter 7 verse 16 Krishna speaks about four types of devotees.
He reads or he says,
Four types of devotees worship me,
O Arjuna,
The distressed,
Those who desire wealth,
The seekers of knowledge,
And the jnani.
So here he is saying there are four types of devotees in this world and he categorizes them from where we should start and where we should ultimately end up.
And he says the first type are the distressed.
So here he's saying that all four of these types of people,
They believe in the divine,
But the strength of their belief and how they approach the divine differs.
And the first category are the distressed.
Krishna says that these are the people that approach the divine when they are suffering in this world.
They have been overcome by some type of sickness.
They are on the verge of death.
They are face to face with their mortality and they approach the divine due to this fear and ask that they are cured,
Ask that they become healthy.
So they approach the divine only when they are in a state of distress,
But if they are healthy,
They would not bother approaching the divine or walking the spiritual path.
So he said this is the first type.
The second type of devotees he speaks about are those who desire wealth.
So these are the devotees that approach the divine when they are seeking material gratification.
They want something from this world.
They want to make money.
They want to be in a relationship.
They want their children to get good grades.
So they approach the divine like a business person and try and make a deal with the divine.
And so we see this a lot,
Right?
We pay the pujaris money so they can do a puja or break a coconut or give us a necklace so therefore we can be successful in the world.
And Krishna says that even though they believe in the divine,
They're only there to do a deal with the divine.
They're not necessarily looking for something more.
And then he goes on to speak about the third type of devotee which are the seekers of knowledge.
So these are the ones that don't approach the divine because they want something material.
They approach the divine with this true awe and wonder of wanting to experience and realize the divine in their life.
So the example that's given is imagine you are in a cell and the warden comes through and has the ability to free you from the bondage of your cell.
And rather than asking for the key or asking to be let out,
You ask for a more comfortable pillow.
So in this way you're not focused on getting out of the jail.
You're just more focused on being comfortable in the jail.
And this is the mindset of the first two types of devotees is that they approach the divine so they can become healthy.
They can be cured from an ailment or they can have material gratification.
But the third type of devotee,
The seeker of knowledge,
Is the one that asks for the key.
The one that asked to be let out of bondage is genuinely curious about experiencing and internalizing the divine in their life.
And lastly,
The fourth type of devotee is the gyanee.
So the gyanee is the one that has attained this realization.
The gyanee is the one that has had this experience of the divine in their life.
They are considered the gurus,
The yogis,
Enlightened beings.
And Sri Krishna is telling us,
Look it's okay if you approach me because you want something.
It's okay if you approach me because you're sick.
At least there is a belief in the divine.
Right?
At least there is a belief that there's something more than to this world that can help you in the time of your distress.
But at the same time it is important as we progress on the spiritual path that we evolve in the way that we approach the divine.
We slowly go from the distressed to those who desire wealth,
To the seekers of knowledge,
And then finally to the gyanee or the enlightened being.
And that is the journey that all of us take.
And it can take a whole lifetime to make this evolution.
So as you're listening to this,
Reflect and see which type of devotee you are,
Which category that you fall into.
And try your best every day to try and evolve and try and reach that point where there is a genuine curiosity of trying to experience the divine rather than trying to gain material things.
Because if we do that we'll always be in the jail.
But if we start to evolve we'll slowly free ourselves from the bondage of our limited understanding of who we are.
Then we can truly be free.
Then we can truly experience ananda or bliss.
So with that I wish you a wonderful day and hope to connect again soon.
Much love.
