Gita Acharan

A fter declaring that one is responsible for lifting 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 bandhu (friend/relative) but for him who has not conquered his self, the self is verily hostile like the enemy” (6.6). The key is conquering self. The word ‘ atma ’ meaning ‘self’ appears twelve times (6.5, 6.6) allowing multiple interpretations. But, for a practitioner, the context set in the following verses provide clarity regarding the core aspect of conquering the ‘self’. Krishna says, “For one who is self-controlled, Paramatma (Supersoul) is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. He is balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain ( seetoshna-sukh-dukh ), as also in honour and dishonour ( maana-apamaana )” (6.7). Criticism and insult, whether conveyed through words or deeds, are among the most difficult experiences to handle. The key lies in developing inne...

K rishna says, “Let man lift himself by himself, let him not lower himself; his own self is his bandhu (friend/relative), his own self is his enemy” (6.5). There are many dimensions to this existential verse. Firstly, this fixes the responsibility on each of us to lift ourselves. The usual tendency is to blame someone else like family, friends, co-workers, circumstances, working conditions, country etc. or even blame 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 with guilt. Whatever the circumstances may be, this verse tells us to lift ourselves. Krishna earlier assured that the teacher ( guru ) manifests to help us when we develop the three qualities of prostration, questioning and servic...

K rishna says, “Know yoga to be that which scriptures call sannyas (renunciation); nobody becomes a yogi without renouncing sankalp (will or purpose or motive or resolve)” (6.2). Earlier it was said that the pursuits of a sage are free from kaam (lust) and sankalp ( kaam sankalp varjitah ) (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 yoga , tranquillity/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 established in yoga , having renounced all desires for the fruits of actions ( karma-phal )” (6.4). Our belief is that karmas are performed to obtain the desired karma-phal ; otherwise, why would anyone perform karmas ? A point to be noted is that the absence of our experience of something doesn’t imply its non-existence. Firstly, it’s about analysing the experiences from our pa...

L ife 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 illusion that our karmas as well as those of others bring us happiness or misery. Arjuna is also passing through this dilemma and wants to renounce the karma of fighting the battle.   Krishna clarifies that he is a sannyasi (renunciant) and yogi who does his bounden duty without depending on the fruits of action ( karma-phal ); not the one who abandons karma (6.1). Attempting to define bounden duty can create more confusion than clarity, as it is purely experiential. To learn swimming, one must dive into the water. Similarly, one should experience life with awareness to understand the bounden duty. Being joyful without the help of senses is the parameter to measure our progress like floating for swimming. Similarly, a seed coat is expec...

K rishna says, “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 at its centre. Similarly, our cyclone of desire and anger too has a desireless and peaceful core within us and it’s about reaching the same. This requires courage to drop ‘I’ which is the basic ingredient of desire.   One effective technique is to re-live and witness a situation from the past in which we were gripped by desire or anger. We should re-live 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 refer to life as ‘ Leela ’ - just a play where there is nothing worth taking seriously. The second technique is to live for a couple days as if we are in a drama taking nothing seriously and ...

T he pineal gland is a pea-sized, pinecone-shaped organ situated at the centre 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 referred to as the ‘third eye’ as it contains photoreceptors like normal physical eyes. Various cultures have described it in different ways such 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 f...