Gita Acharan

We all make several decisions for ourselves, our family and society based on a variety of factors. Krishna exhorts us to take this decision making to the next level when he says (2.50) ‘ Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam ’ (every action/deed is harmonious in yoga -of equanimity). It’s about dropping kartapan (doership) and ahankaar to experience the harmony that flows out, like the beauty and fragrance of a flower. As the karta , all our decisions are directed towards attaining pleasure and avoiding pain for ourselves and our families. The next level of the journey is making balanced decisions, especially when we are responsible for organizations and society, however, the karta still exists.  Here, Krishna is speaking about the ultimate level where kartapan itself is dropped and whatever flows out of such a person is harmonious. The all-pervading Chaitanaya becomes the karta for them. This stage is an important part of the journey for all decision makers, motivating the In...

Our life revolves around labelling our deeds (actions/decisions) as well as those of others as good or bad. Krishna says (2.50) that endowed with intellect, one sheds both good and bad deeds, which implies that labelling goes once we attain Yoga (equanimity/middle).  Our mind is full of filters/lenses which are imprinted in us through conditioning by our parents, family and friends during our formative years as well as by the law of the land. We keep viewing things/deeds through these filters and label them as good or bad. In Yoga , these filters themselves are broken down making labelling disappear, which is like destroying the roots instead of the shoots and accepting things as they are without trying to add our own colour. In the practical world, this labelling makes us myopic and less open, thereby denying us crucial information needed for taking decisions. In management terms, any deed done, decision taken with insufficient or misinterpreted data is bound to fail....

Krishna observes that Arjun is overwhelmed by the feeling of Aham-Karta (I am doer) - Ahankaar and it is responsible for his despondency. Krishna advises Arjun (2.41) to use coherent intellect (buddhi) to break Ahankaar and reach self (2.49).  Ego is a small part of Ahankaar . It is called arrogance when one goes through pleasure polarity of success/win/profit and depression, unhappiness, anger when one goes through pain polarity of failure/defeat/loss. It is jealousy when others are going through pleasure polarity and sympathy when it is for pain polarity.  It is there when we are collecting physical possessions and also exists when we shed them. It drives doing ( sansar - world) and non-doing/leaving ( sanyaas - Renunciation). It is the cause of destruction as well as creation. It is in knowledge as well as in ignorance.  In praise, Ahankaar gets boosted and in criticism, it suffers. Both states make us amenable to manipulation by others. In short, Ahan...

Yoga means union of the outer self with the inner self. It can be attained through many paths such as Karma (action), Bhakti, Sankhya (awareness), Buddhi (intellect) and so on. Depending on one’s nature, one attains yoga through means suited to them. Krishna tells Arjun (2.49) to seek refuge in buddhi as motivated karma is far inferior to buddhi yoga and miserable are they whose motive is to obtain the fruits of action. Earlier, Krishna said (2.41) that in karma yoga , the buddhi is coherent and the intellect of those who are irresolute is bahu-shakha (many-branched). Once Buddhi attains coherence (like a magnifying glass focuses light) it's capable of any intellectual journey. Any journey, including the journey towards self, involves direction and movement. Krishna’s reference to buddhi yoga here is about the direction of the journey towards the inner self. Usually, we use coherent intellect to fulfil desires in the outer (physical) world, but we should use...