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153. Breaking the Begging Bowl

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K rishna says that through Vedic rituals one fulfils the desire of entry to heaven and enjoys the subtle pleasures (9.20). After the expiry of their punya (good karma ), they come back and keep travelling in this cycle (9.21). The general interpretation is that the punya , attained through Vedic rituals, takes us to the heaven afterlife and we come back once they are exhausted. Another interpretation is possible if attaining contentment by fulfilling desires is taken as a means of entry to heaven. Out of ignorance, one depends on Vedic rituals to fulfil desires and attain contentment from ‘outside’ like people and material possessions. On this path, one returns to misery as one can never get eternal contentment through these ever-changing situations as contentment can only come from the unchanging self. Further, duality ( dwandwa ) is the law of nature where everything exists along with its polar opposite. If heaven is taken as a feeling of pleasure polarity, we will...