Some points that came up in yesterday’s discussion:

• The karma kanda describes methods or sadhanas of achieving different goals or sadhyas (e.g. getting offspring, wealth, kingdom, etc.). The sadhyas can be of this world or laukika (e.g. getting offspring) or of other worlds or alaukika (e.g. attaining indraloka). The sadhanas are always alaukika, i.e. the methods (rituals) cannot be analyzed using the five senses (pancha–pramana / pratyaksha and anumaana pramaana – direct perception and inference) and proved to cause the desired goals.
• A person is happier when he does not have a desire, than when he has one and it is fulfilled.
• The purpose of serving people is not to help them; it is to help you get vairagya (by seeing their misery). You usually have to see some miseries in order to get vairagya; if you don’t see it in others, you will have to wait until you see it in yourself and then get vairagya.
• On problems in life:
  • The goal of life is not to have a comfortable life.
  • The goal is to learn lessons and become wise. As long as you are a thinking person, no one can stop your progress.
• On right and wrong
  • There is no right or wrong. Whatever you do, you will get the result. Accept this fact, watch the actions and results, and learn.
  • “Right” is that which gives long-term results that you like; “Wrong” is that which gives long-term results that you don’t like.
  • A thumb-rule: whatever is selfish is wrong; whatever is unselfish is right.
• Three kinds of vairagya (lack of desire)
  • Ignorance: this is lost as soon as you know about the object of desire
  • Suppression: this is temporary, and the mind ultimately rebels and starts desiring, usually with greater force
  • Knowledge: (knowing the real worth of the object) this is permanent; this is real vairagya.