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.
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