Gita Acharan

Krishna says (2.65) that the intellect of the content is steady and all their dukh (sorrows) are destroyed. This runs contrary to our understanding that we become content once our desires are fulfilled and we attain sukh and destroy dukh . But Krishna tells us to first be content and that the rest automatically follows.  For example, we conclude that we are not healthy if we have symptoms like fever, aches etc. The suppression of these symptoms won't make us healthy unless the underlying condition is treated. On the other hand, a nutritious diet, good sleep, fitness regime etc. provide us with good health.  Similarly, bhay (fear), krodh (anger) and dwesh (hatred), which are a part of dukh , are indications of lack of contentment and their suppression won't automatically make us content.  Many quick fixes have been preached and practiced to suppress these indications to put up acceptable behaviour. But this accumulated suppression comes back with greater v...

Vicious and virtuous cycles are a sequence of events where one event leads to another and results in either disaster or joy respectively. If expenses are more than income, leading to borrowing and debt trap, it's a vicious cycle. If expenses are less than income, resulting in savings and wealth creation, it's a virtuous cycle. Krishna refers to these cycles in verses 2.62 to 2.64. Krishna says (2.62-2.63) "A person musing on objects develops an attachment to them, from attachment arises desire, from (non-fulfilment of) desire  arises anger, from anger arises delusion, from delusion - confusion of memory, from confusion of memory - loss of intellect and from loss of intellect the individual perishes." This is the vicious cycle of downfall. On the other hand, Krishna says that (2.64) when one is free of raag (fondness), dwesh (hatred) and has his indriyas (senses) under control, one attains peace/tranquillity even while moving among sense objects. This is...

Krishna cautions Arjun (2.60) that turbulent indriyas (senses) are capable of forcibly carrying away the mind of even an aspiring wise person. This verse is about the automaticity of indriyas to stimulus.  The best example is of a smoker who's quite aware of the pitfalls of smoking, but finds it extremely difficult to quit it and laments that by the time he or she realises, the cigarette is already lit. Anyone who is involved in road rage or a crime vouches that it happened in the heat of the moment and not consciously. The same is the case with someone who speaks harsh words at the workplace or in the family and keeps regretting them as they weren't intended in the first place. These instances imply that indriyas take over us and bond us in karma bandhan (bondage).  During our formative years, free neurons in the brain form connections called hardwiring to take care of automatic activities like walking as it saves a lot of energy of the brain. The same is the ca...