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).
Study Questions:
1. On p. 129 of Essays on the Gita, Sri Aurobindo writes: "The real renunciation — for renunciation, sannyāsa, there must be — is not the fleeing from works, but the slaying of ego and desire." Can you think of a time in your life when you realized the truth of this insight? How might this insight help you in your day-to-day life? Please give specific examples.
2. On p. 131 of Essays on the Gita, Sri Aurobindo writes: "The impersonal Brahman is not the very last word, not the utterly highest secret of our being; for impersonal and personal, finite and infinite turn out to be only two opposite, yet concomitant aspects of a divine Being unlimited by these distinctions who is both these things at once." Can you think of any teachings of Sri Ramakrishna that are similar or identical to what Sri Aurobindo is saying here?
3. According to Sri Aurobindo, why does the Gītā's doctrine of the Puruṣottama hold the key to understanding its doctrine of works and sacrifice?
4. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?