Bhagwad Gita~ the song sung by God himself on the earth. It’s
very truly called the manual of life. I am God’s chosen one because He guided
me through the knowledge and I have enjoying reading the scripture. Now here I
go paraphrasing the 2nd chapter which forms the essence of the Holy
Book. I have written what I understood. There’s much more to it as when I read
it over and over again, I realize there’s a never-ending learning phase about
life. Krishna explains that we should do 3 things before we get the solution
for our seeming problems in interacting with the world. They are:
- Problem Identification
- Helplessness Identification
- Seeking help unconditionally from a capable source.
Seeking help is important because by living with the
problem, one could be deluded and may not have the right disposition to find
the solution. Since Arjuna is not fully prepared, Krishna prepares him to do
his duty.
Bhagwad Gita# Chapter2# Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya means Gyaan;
Yog means to Unite)
There are 72 verses in the second chapter. We can divide
them into 4 sections according to the teachings. Those 4 are:
- · Arjun Sarnagathi (1-10)
- · Gyan Yog (11-38)
- · Karm Yog (39-53)
- · Sthitpragya Lakshanani (54-72)
Arjun
Sarnagathi: Arjun goes to Krishna and asks him that how will he fight the army
standing in front of him because they are either his teachers, or his cousins;
Krishna answers beautifully and tells him to distinguish love from attachment.
Attachment binds you, love allows you to do your duty selflessly. The free will
given to us by the Almighty to do our karmas (actions) gets lost when we get
attached. Whenever I get attached to anything in this world~ be it a person or
an object~ I allow that person to determine my emotional status. And soon I
become an Emotional Slave. And then the quality of my life, actions and
judgement depends upon my emotional quotient.
Gyan
Yog: Like the way, we discard our old clothes and buy new ones, our soul also
finds a new body once our karmas are exhausted on the earth. So, I am not the
owner of this body; I am the user of it. So, we should choose our actions
wisely so that when we are reborn, we get a human body only. He emphasis on
doing your duties diligently, without asking for any favour in return either from
Him or from the ones for whom we are performing those actions. He asks us to
remain calm and composed in all our joys and sorrows. A very good line goes as,
‘Sukh mein phool kar gubbara mat bano; dukh mein sookh kar chhuaara mat bano’.
That time being a Kshatriya, Arjun’s duty was to fight and even by killing, he
wouldn’t incur sins because he’s born to do that. Krishna gives the example of
a soldier fighting for his country at the border. He asks him to fight without
considering happiness/distress; loss/gain or victory/defeat since everything is
destined and already has happened. He’s just the mere efficient cause or
instrument (nimit matra).
Karma
Yog: Krishna’s favourite! He says Evenness of mind is called Yog. He asks us to
remain normal when we have a little too much or very little. When we look for
happiness inside of us, we stop running after the worldly material desires. We
should be thankful to Him that we have hands which are able to do and give. Had
God wanted, we could have been on the receiving end. Our scriptures talk about
some exercises which we should do in our life for our spiritual growth. The 5
Maha Yagnas are:
a.
Dev Yagna: Doing our daily prayers (not asking
for favours, but thanking instead), going to places of worship helps us attain
serenity.
b.
Pithur Yagna: Actions done for my parents and
grand-parents when I get a chance because He gives this opportunity to very few
Chosen Ones. If you serve your parents with good intention and selflessly, you
are bound to rise as you cut off your primitive actions (Prarabdh) very quickly
and easily. Doing a ceremony in honour and for the benefit of your deceased
parent (Shradh) adds to your spiritual growth.
c.
Manushya Yagna: Any service that you do that
brings a smile on someone’s face really uplifts everything. It’s good to see a
person smiling; it’s even better to know that you’re the reason behind that
smile.
d.
Rishi Yagna: Worship to a rishi or reading our
Holy Scriptures adds a meaning to our life.
e.
Booth Yagna: Service to animals around you is
also a Maha Yagna.
We should be able to take charge of our actions. Convert all
your actions into worship- do work with a focussed mind, lots of passion and
the most of all~ do it cheerfully. Remember, our result will be according to
our Law of Karma. Perform the duty and abandon attachment to success or
failure. Always say to yourself~ I am putting my heart and soul into my actions
and I want to succeed but I am not afraid of taking any failures.
Sthitpragya
Lakshnani: Sthitpragya means having a calm and a balanced mind. A mind that
remains steady in all situations and is free from anger, fear and attachment.
Our sense organs should be in control of our mind. Like the way a tortoise
pulls all its organs inside when it sees any danger, likewise our mind and
intellect should be able to pull our sense organs when they get attracted to
any unwanted desire. Here, Krishna
states how desires cause the fall of a man. When there’s a strong urge or an
attachment towards any object, lust is created. If the lust gets fulfilled,
greedier a man becomes. If it’s not achieved, anger is generated. In both the
feelings~ anger or greed~ delusion is created which causes the bewilderment of
memory resulting in the loss of intelligence. And when intelligence goes away,
the downfall happens. We should use all our sense organs (karm and gyaan
indriyan) sensibly and not become a slave of them. Vedantic Meditation and
reading of scriptures is necessary for us. Never retire from your actions; just
retire from the fruits of your actions. If you wish to live, there are ways to
it~ Live with Honesty, Compassion, Purity and Austerity. Purity should be
towards everyone~ to God, in your love life, towards community and to Self.
He explains the difference between Intelligence and Intellect.
Intelligence is the knowledge gained from external sources like school, college
or any organisation. Intellect needs to be developed. A teacher guides you but
you have to learn yourself. The best way to develop intellect is to not take
things for granted. It’s not the world that distresses you but how you relate
to it. Remember~ Unreasonable expectations lead to misery. A good intellect
always helps you chose the right action. Let’s enjoy every minute of our life.
Living is not a science; it’s an art, a skill and a technique. Let’s learn,
practice and start living. Don’t fall prey to your emotions.
Reshape yourself with the power of your will.
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