148. Wise use of Energy

Once upon a time, two sworn enemies prayed to God. God decided to bless them both and appeared before each of them separately. The first wished to know what the second would ask for. When God appeared before the second, he requested that God bless the first one first, since God had appeared there earlier.

God then appeared before the first. Knowing the second’s intention, the first asked God to grant him double of whatever the second would receive. Blinded by enmity, the second then prayed that he should lose one eye so that the first would lose both; lose one leg so that the other would lose both legs. This spiral of mutual loss continued.

This story illustrates a lose–lose game that unfolds when one invests energy in hatred. That is why Krishna advises us to renounce hatred, but not action (karma) (5.3) by inculcating the divine quality of forgiveness (16.3). Another learning from this story is that we should wisely invest our time and energy as these are limited at our level.

In this regard, Krishna says that there are two eternal paths which are, the bright path of no return and the dark path of returning (8.23 & 8.26). The bright path is the path of channelling most of our energy towards the internal journey to reach Brahma (8.24). The dark path is channelling our energy outside (playing lose-lose games) and one returns back (8.25). Krishna uses various names and attributes for these paths. While the dark path is like a pendulum swinging between the polarities of birth and death, the bright path is to reach the pivot of the pendulum which transcends polarities and is nothing but reaching Brahma - the Supreme.

Krishna says that once these paths are understood, none gets deluded (8.27). This is the balanced use of time. He further says, “He who knows the truth about the two paths gains merit far beyond any virtuous fruits (punya-phalam) assigned to Vedas, or in sacrifices, or in penances. That yogi reaches His Supreme Origin” (8.28).