38. Repetition is the Key to Mastery

 


We learn a lot during our lives, gain knowledge and experience. But at crucial moments, we tend to act on instinct rather than from awareness, as our awareness is not deep enough. Krishna is fully aware of this and repeatedly explains the reality or truth from different angles in the Gita, so that the awareness sinks deeper and crosses the required threshold.

The Gita makes us realise that we have an eternal inner self and an outer self which is manifested. We tend to identify with the outer self, consisting of the physical body, our emotions, thoughts and the world around us. Krishna tells us to realise the truth and identify with our inner self that pervades all beings, is eternal and immutable.

A flowing river is the best example to understand the intricacies involved. It has two banks, and both merge into the riverbed. While both banks are needed for the smooth flow, their merger as a riverbed is also equally important. If these banks don’t meet at the riverbed, then it would be an infinitely deep valley and a river can’t exist. Likewise, we have the manifested world which is invariably polar (riverbanks) and these polarities unite at the unmanifested (riverbed).

The instruments of awareness include: transcending polarities (dwandwa-atheeth), transcending gunas (guna-atheeth), equanimity (samatva), being witness (sakshi), and independence of karma (action) and karma-phal (fruits of action), and the realization of nimitta-maatra.

It’s better to read the Bhagavad Gita several times rather than read hundreds of books. Each reading of the Gita brings out a different flavour and improved realisation in us. This brings improved awareness about self and makes us joyful.


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