111. Befriending Self
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...