Gita Acharan

The Bhagavad Gita is a coherent blending of two levels, and we need to be aware of this to understand the Gita. Sometimes Krishna comes as a friend or a guide to Arjuna explaining the daily issues faced by humans. Sometimes he comes as Paramatma (Supersoul) and in that state he says that I gave this imperishable yoga to Vivasvan (4.1), which was handed down in succession to raja-rishis (royal rishis ) and its sight was lost with time (4.2). Vivasvan is translated as Sun, which is a metaphor for light and Krishna indicates that he was before the light. It is accepted that this universe started with light and matter formed subsequently. Krishna refers to raja-rishis who are nothing but enlightened ones at various points in time. The sight of this knowledge was lost because over time it got relegated from an experiential level to ritualism; less of practice and more of preaching, taking the shape of religions and sects. Arjuna questions how Krishna taught this to the...

A desire filled Tulsidas was desperate to meet his newlywed wife. He crossed a river at night mistaking a corpse to be a wooden log; used a snake as a rope to climb up the wall to meet his wife, only to be rebuked by her that he would be better off with an equal passion for Lord Rama. He was transformed at that very moment, and he went on to author the revered ‘ Ram Charit Manas ’. Tulsi’s story helps us better comprehend Krishna’s advice to destroy desire by disciplining the senses (3.41). Desire has two aspects. The first is the energy of courage, determination and passion that is generated in us and the second is its direction. Outwardly directed, it is dissipated in seeking sensual pleasures and possessions. When Krishna asks us to destroy desires, he doesn’t want us to destroy this energy, but advises us to direct it inwards, like Tulsidas. This energy is essential for the spiritual journey, like a satellite needing energy from its rockets to reach orbit. Once one r...

K rishna says, “Just like fire is enveloped in smoke; a mirror by mal (dust); an embryo by the womb; wisdom is covered by desire which is an insatiable fire and is the constant enemy of the wise” (3.38-3.39). A point to be noted is that even after attaining wisdom we should be aware of the fact that desires are constant enemies. Earlier, Krishna had said that gunas can hypnotise ( sammohit ) us (3.29). Desire, born out of rajo guna does the same. He further elaborated that the senses, mind and intellect are said to be the seat of desires and through these, desires hypnotise our soul by eclipsing its wisdom (3.40). Krishna clarifies that in due course of time he who has perfected the yoga finds the wisdom in the self (4.38). Even if one is the most sinful of sinners, one shall safely cross the sea of sins by the raft of wisdom (4.36). The fire of wisdom reduces all actions to ashes (4.37). The essence is that while wisdom is like fire, desires envelop it like smoke. ...

A rjuna enquires, “How can a man perform evil even against his will as if he is compelled” (3.36). This is the most common question that arises when the first ray of awareness sets in. Krishna says, “Lust, anger and greed ( kaam , krodh and lobh ) are three gates of hell leading to the destruction of self. Therefore, one should abandon all three” (16.21). Kaam (lust) and krodh (anger) are born out of rajo guna and are great evils full of insatiable craving and we should beware of them, as they are the foulest enemies here on Earth (3.37). Krishna further says that rajo guna is raagatmak (nature of passion) giving birth to the desires and it binds the embodied soul through attachment to action. If we take the example of a car, the movement or speeding up is a quality born out of rajo guna and the accelerator is an instrument to achieve this. Similarly, slowing down or inertia is the nature of tamas and the brake is an instrument. The driver represents satva guna...

K rishna says that swa-dharma (own-nature or reality) is superior to well accomplished para-dharma (other’s nature or reality) even when the former is devoid of merit. It’s better to die in swa-dharma than to be fraught with fear in para-dharma (3.35). This intricate verse creates more doubts than clarity in our minds. This verse is purely contextual for Arjuna in the Kurukshetra war. Arjuna has warrior dharma till that moment and desires to be a saint in the next one. The chances for this change are bleak, and Krishna is indicating the same in this verse. While dharma or reality is One, we perceive it in different ways like how the proverbial blind men perceive the same elephant differently through their touch. If one perceives it as a tusk, then that becomes their reality or swa-dharma . In the contemporary context, it is called paradigm or frame of reference. The verse further indicates that one who perceives it as a tusk should keep pursuing his path rather t...

K rishna says that anyone who follows the teaching of the Gita with shraddha will be joyful and will be liberated from karma bandhan (bondage of action) (3.31). The word ‘ Shraddha ’ is formed by the combination of two words, ‘ Shrat ’ and ‘ Dha ’. ‘ Shrat ’ means truth, and ‘ Dha ’ means to hold or sustain. Thus, Shraddha means holding or abiding in Truth.   Shraddha is usually thought to mean belief or faith, but it is something beyond and the closest meaning is trust. In this state, we are free of doubt and all our questions dissipate. Humanity once believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth, until it was discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Thus, belief is dependent on external factors while shraddha is an internal quality. Secondly, belief exists alongside its polar opposite, disbelief, whereas shraddha transcends both. Thirdly, shraddha is not blind faith, in which one is unwilling to listen to the other side. Shraddha is the assimilati...