Gita Acharan

K rishna says, “I am Vajra in weapons; I am Kamdhenu among cows; I am Kaamdev (the god of love), the cause of procreation; of serpents, I am Vasuki (10.28). Amongst aquatics I am Varun ; amongst enforcers of law, I am Yamraj (10.29). I am Prahlada among demons; among measurers, I am time” (10.30). Earlier Krishna said I am death and now he says he is Kaamdev . As this requires some tough assimilation, we need to cross the known boundaries of our understanding. The hurdle is our tendency to divide things as good or bad. We take birth as good and death as bad. Every species wants to propagate its own kind. Krishna says that He is ‘that desire’ in each life form that is responsible for the evolution of life. Essentially, it is the energy flowing outward or towards someone. When this energy flows inward it becomes bhakti (devotion). Krishna says he is Yamaraj (Lord of death) among Law enforcers. While death is powerless at the level of atma (soul), it is powerful...

K rishna says, “Among the Adityas , I am Vishnu; I am the radiating Sun (10.21). Among the Vedas , I am Sama Veda ; I am Vasuva (Indra); among the senses, I am Mind ( mann ); in creatures, I am Chetana (consciousness) (10.22). Of the Rudras, I am Shankara ; I am Kubera (10.23). I am Brihaspati ; among expanses of water, I am the ocean” (10.24). Krishna said that He is the atma (soul) in the heart of all beings (10.20). Earlier, He gave a hierarchy that the atma is superior to buddhi (intellect); buddhi is superior to the mind; the mind is superior to the senses (3.42). But here He says He is the mind among senses and this needs understanding. It is said that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’. Together, the two ears provide a sense of the direction of sound ; two eyes together produce depth perception. One way of looking at the mind is as a simple sum of its senses like ears, eyes etc. Another way is to view it as a ‘whole of the senses’, where t...

I n response to Arjuna’s request to describe in detail mystic power and opulence, Krishna says, “I will now briefly describe My divine glories to you, for there is no end to their detail” (10.19). While acceding to Arjuna’s request, Krishna cautions him that there is no end to His divine glories. It is important to note that this vast existence, being infinite, cannot be fully described. Moreover, it is constantly evolving and changing with time. Referring to how the universe is balanced, Krishna earlier said that all the worlds are pervaded by Him in the unmanifested form (9.4) and the whole universe is strung on Him like gems on a string (7.7). Referring to living entities Krishna says, “I am atma (soul) in the heart of all creatures. I am their beginning, middle, and also the end” (10.20). Each one of us possesses His divinity ( atma ), though we find it difficult to identify it in ourselves as well as in others. Another indication is that this divinity (creativity) is responsib...

A rjuna says, “You are the supreme Spirit, the supreme Abode, the supreme Purifier, the eternal, the divine, the primal God, unborn and omnipresent (10.12). All the sages like Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa confirm this, and now you are also saying this (10.13). I accept all that you said as true, for O Lord, neither the gods nor the demons can understand your glorious personality” (10.14). Role models play an important role and all of us grow up admiring them. Parents are role models to children; teachers to students; achievers and successful people in the subsequent stages of life. While they are useful to derive inspiration in the initial stages, the pitfall is that they can become crutches in later stages. A baby should be able to drop off (transcend) the walker to have the pleasure of walking and running. It’s about realising that role models are like milestones and not the destination. Arjuna is also using role models like Narada and Vyasa to support his beliefs. It appears...