The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita

 

“All paths Arjuna, lead to me”

The Bhagavad Gita is an inner dialogue between the ordinary human self (Arjuna) and the inner divine self (Krishna). As a non-religious person, I was useful for me to think of God as the innermost self to understand what the book was trying to say. In short, the purpose of life is to connect with this self. So, how can we do that?

Meditate

The untrained mind is restless and constantly wandering, finding ways to fulfil its desires. After one desire is fulfilled, it is replaced by another one. Many confuse the pursuit of desire as the pursuit of happiness and keep repeating the same cycle again and again. One must be careful as powerful compulsive desires can get the better of them, scattering their resolution the way a cloud is scattered by the wind.

Therefore, one needs to learn to train the mind through meditation. It is believed in the depths of meditation, when the mind is made still, the inner self reveals itself i.e., you unite with Lord Krishna. Close your eyes, keep an upright position, and focus your attention to the center of spiritual awareness. Try to still your racing thoughts, to tame your racing mind and make it one-pointed. One must meditate with determination and sustained enthusiasm to connect with God. It is superior to all other paths leading to Lord Krishna.

Rise above your emotional conditioning

The concept of gunas is introduced to help us understand the human experience. There are three gunas- sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva means goodness, purity, light, harmony, and balance- conventionally good traits. Rajas means passion, which can be good and bad. Tamas means inertia, sloth, darkness, ignorance, and insensitivity. Inside an individual, the three gunas are in constant flux, their mix colours our experience. Usually, one guna is more dominant, which determines how we feel at that moment.

One should not identify with their emotional highs and lows as it comes from the play of the gunas, a conditioning everyone is subject to. Moreover, the Gita warns us to stay away from greed, anger, and lust as their pursuit is the most destructive to the individual. Just how embryo rests deep within the womb, true wisdom is hidden by selfish desire that manifest as emotional ups and downs. The innermost self does not participate in this play, they are just a witness to it, so one can only connect with their true self by rising above their emotions. Such an individual is self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of desire to serve.

Perform selfless action

Renounce from the fruits of action, but not from action itself. Perform work without expecting any reward for it. By performing one’s duty, especially if it’s selfless acts of service, one connects to Lord Krishna that dwells inside of them. Your actions should be selfless- be kind to others just because it is right to do so, not to gain their friendship or affection. The only fruit of action to be expected is wisdom which is greater than any material offering as it helps one attain self-actualization. Wisdom teaches you when to act and when not to, what is right and wrong, what brings security and insecurity, what brings freedom and what brings bondage.

In conclusion, all the teachings in the Bhagavad Gita are to help one unite with their innermost self, where Lord Krishna resides. After that state is attained, he will save you from the constant cycle of rebirth. Until you attain that, you will keep reincarnating into this world. A person in such a state is free from senses, passions, likes, and dislikes, leading a simple, self-reliant life based on meditation, controlling speech, body, and mind.