Gita Acharan

After declaring that one is responsible for lifting up or degrading oneself (6.5), Krishna gives a path to discharge this responsibility when he says, "For him who has conquered his self, the self is his bandu (friend/relative) but for him who has not conquered his self, the self verily hostile like the enemy" (6.6). The key is conquering self. The word ' atman ' meaning 'self' appears twelve times (6.5, 6.6) in an ambiguous construction allowing multiple interpretations. But, for a practitioner, the context set in the following verses would give clarity regarding the core aspect of conquering 'self'.  Krishna says, "For one who is self-controlled, the Paramatma (supersoul) is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. He is balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain (seetoshtna-sukhdukh) , as also in honour and dishonour (maana-avamaana) (6.6)." Essentially, it means transcending the everlasting polarities.  Arjun had ...

Krishna says, "Let man lift himself by himself, let him not lower himself; his self alone is his bandhu (friend/relative), his self alone is his enemy"(6.5). Like friendship, there are many dimensions to this existential verse.  Firstly, this fixes the responsibility on each individual to lift themselves up. The usual tendency is to blame someone else like family, friends, co-workers, circumstances, working conditions, country etc. or blame it on ourselves when karmas are performed which are either labelled as bad or haven't given the desired karma-phal (fruits of action). This leads to many deep rooted grudges and bitterness against others, sometimes lasting for a lifetime. On the other hand, whenever our memory reminds us of our regrets we punish ourselves repeatedly. Whatever may be the circumstances this verse tells us to lift ourselves up. Krishna earlier assured (3.34) that the teacher (Guru) manifests to help us when we develop the three qualities o...

Krishna says, "Know yoga to be that which scriptures call sanyasa (renunciation); nobody becomes a yogi without renouncing sankalp (motive/will)" (6.2). Earlier it was said that the pursuits of a sage are free from kaam (lust) and sankalp ( kaam sankalp vargitaye ) (4.19).  Krishna further says, "To the soul who is aspiring for perfection in Yoga, karma is said to be the means; to the sage who is already elevated in Yog, tranquility/quietude is said to be the means (6.3). When one is neither attached to sense objects nor to actions, such a person is said to be elevated in the science of Yoga, having renounced all desires for the fruits of actions (karma-phal) " (6.4). Our belief is that karmas are motivated to get the desired karma-phal or else why would anyone perform karmas . A point to be noted is that if we don't know or haven't had an experience with something, it doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist. Firstly, it...

Life presents many ups and downs and it's all about how we handle them. It is natural that when one is going through a rough phase, one gets frustrated and gets attracted towards renunciation of karmas as we are all under the illusionary belief that our karmas as well as those of others bring us happiness or misery. Arjun is also going through this dilemma and wants to renounce the karma of fighting the battle.   Krishna clarifies that he is a sanyasi (renunciant) and yogi who does his bounden duty without depending on the fruits of action (karma-phal) ; not the one without action (6.1).  More explanation about bounden duty is likely to bring more confusion because it's purely experiential. To learn how to swim, one has to dive into the water and similarly, one should face life to understand bounden duty; being joyful without the help of senses being the parameter to measure our progress like floating for swimming.  Similarly, a seed coat is expected to pro...

Krishna says, "For those who are free of desire and anger, mind controlled, and self realised, are completely liberated both in this world and in the beyond" (5.26). The question is how to be free from the malady of desire and madness of anger. Every cyclone has a calm eye or centre. Similarly, our cyclone of desire and anger too has a desireless and wrathless centre within us and it's about reaching that centre. This requires courage to drop 'I' which is the basic ingredient of desire.   One effective technique offered is to re-live and witness a situation from the past where we were gripped by desire or anger. Repeat the same with the improved awareness that, 'the self is the self in all beings and different people perceive One Reality in different ways.'  Indian traditions call life ' Leela ' i.e. just a play and there is nothing worth taking seriously. The second technique is to live for 7-10 days as if we are in a drama taking noth...

The pineal gland is a pea sized, pine cone shaped organ situated at the center of the brain, directly behind the middle of two eyebrows. Physiologically it produces neurotransmitters melatonin and serotonin that are responsible for the sleep cycles as well as moods, respectively. It is also known as the third eye as it contains photoreceptors like a normal eye.  All cultures have described it in various ways as the seat of the soul; responsible for spiritual enlightenment; a sixth sense which sees beyond what the five senses can see; a symbol of spiritual awakening; a connection between the physical and spiritual world. In the Indian context, the space between the eyebrows is called Agya Chakra and represents the pineal gland.  This background will help us understand Krishna's method to control senses and mind when he says, "Shutting out all thoughts of external enjoyment, with the gaze fixed on the space between the eye-brows, equalizing the flow of the incoming ...