Gita Acharan

K rishna says, “Those who die with a predominance of  satva guna attain to the taintless worlds of the knowers of the Supreme (14.14). One who meets death in rajas is then born amongst those attached to action. Dying in tamas guna , one is born in the wombs of the deluded” (14.15). Krishna earlier explained about life-death-life where He said that one would reach Him when one remembers Him at the time of death but cautioned that what one practices during one’s lifetime determines what happens at their death (8.5 and 8.6). This indicates that the transition from life to death to life is a smooth one without any last-minute surprises. If someone has a satva guna dominant life, then the transition would be through satva only. The same is the case with rajas and tamas gunas . A point to be noted is that guna-atheeth who transcend gunas don’t have rebirth. Krishna describes various karma-phal (fruits of action) these three gunas bestow and says, “The fruit of satvik ...

K rishna says, “Three gunas of satva , rajas and tamas bind Imperishable Dweller (14.5). Of these, the stainless satva binds through attachment to happiness and knowledge (14.6). Know rajas to be raagaatmak (nature of passion) giving birth to desires and it binds the embodied soul through attachment to action (14.7). Know that tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds through heedlessness, laziness and sleep” (14.8). Essentially, the three gunas (characteristics born of prakriti ) are responsible for binding the atma which is the beej (seed) of Paramatma to the physical body. Krishna further says, “ Satva attaches to happiness, rajas to action while tamas indeed, having veiled knowledge, attaches to heedlessness (14.9). Sometimes satva is predominant, overpowering rajas and tamas ; sometimes rajas over satva and tamas ; and sometimes tamas over satva and rajas ” (14.10). This implies that we are under the spell of the combina...

T he fourteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is titled ‘ Guna Traya Vibhag Yoga ’ - Union through transcending the gunas . This flows from the earlier description of prakriti . In this chapter, Krishna explains in depth about the gunas (characters born of prakriti ) and how to transcend them by attaining wisdom. Krishna says, “Again I shall speak about that highest wisdom which transcends all knowledge. With this wisdom, all sages at the end of life have attained the final perfection (14.1). Embracing this wisdom, established in My Being, sages are not reborn even at the start of a new cycle of creation, nor are they troubled at the time of pralay (universal dissolution)” (14.2). Firstly, Krishna says I will explain again, indicating the repetition of what he had revealed earlier. It is often said that repetition is the key to mastery. For example, though the contents of a book are the same, subsequent readings enhance our understanding. This happens because of our im...

K rishna says, “Just as one Sun illuminates the entire solar system, the individual soul illuminates the entire body” (13.34). The soul is needed to bring life to the body which is like electricity bringing life to appliances. The thirteenth chapter of the Gita is titled ‘ Kshetra (field) Kshetrajna (knower of field) Vibhag Yoga ’ where Krishna clarifies that the physical body is called kshetra whose attributes include ahankaar (I am doer), intellect ( buddhi ), mind, ten senses, five objects of the senses, desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, material body and consciousness ( chetana ). The knower of kshetra is called kshetrajna . Krishna mentions about twenty aspects of knowledge, and he keeps humility at the beginning indicating that it is a virtue rather than a weakness. Other aspects of knowledge include forgiveness, self-control, dispassion ( vairagya ) towards sense-objects, absence of ahankaar , non-attachment and eternal equanimity towards desirable and undesir...

K rishna says, “When someone perceives the variety of living beings as rooted in One that has expanded Itself into the many, they then merge with Brahma ” (13.31). As per contemporary scientific understanding, the universe started about 13.8 billion years ago from a single point (singularity) and is expanding even today. This process of expansion created many stars and planets. It also brought a variety of living beings into existence. This verse conveys the same using the language of its time. This knowledge can be easily obtained through books. But this verse indicates the ability to see ‘One origin’ in the present moment when we encounter different people and different situations created by them resulting in the triggering of many emotions within us. When we perceive ‘One origin’, we get freed from ‘mine and yours’ syndrome. In that sense, this verse also can be taken as a definition of moksha which is the ultimate freedom here and now. Krishna further says, “The Pa...