Gita Acharan

K rishna says that one attains peace when one remains unmoved by desires, like an ocean that is unmoved by the waters entering it (2.70). He further says that nir-mama (sans -I) and nir-ahankaar (sans -I am doer) are the paths for peace (2.71) to reach the eternal state. None are deluded after attaining it (2.72).   Krishna gives the example of the ocean and rivers - the ocean being the eternal state ( moksha - ultimate freedom, joy and compassion) and rivers being the stimuli constantly received by the senses. Like an ocean, one remains stable and steady after attaining the eternal state, even when temptations and desires keep entering them. Secondly, when rivers meet the ocean, they lose their existence. Similarly, when desires enter a person in the eternal state, they lose their existence. Thirdly, if one thing that makes us miserable, it’s the reaction ( akarma ) generated in us by the stimulations of the external world and our inability to control it. Hence...

K rishna says, “That which is night to all beings is wakefulness for the self-mastered; that in which beings are awake is night to the divinely perceptive sage” (2.69). This verse brings out metaphorically, the idea of being physically awake but spiritually asleep and vice versa. It also offers literal interpretations. There are two ways of living. One, where we are dependent on indriyas (senses) for our pleasures. The other is where we are independent of indriyas and they remain under our control. For those in the first category, the second way of living would be an unknown world and darkness/night is the metaphor for this ignorance. Secondly, while we are using one sense instrument, our attention is elsewhere implying that it’s used mechanically but not with awareness. For example, while having food, our attention is very often not on eating. It might be on some screen, a newspaper or a phone conversation as we believe in the elusive idea of multitasking. That’s why...

K rishna says that the mind, which follows roving senses, carries away one’s intellect as the wind carries away the boat on the water (2.67). The wind is a metaphor for our desires which drives our mind as well as senses, thus making the intellect (boat) unstable. In the context of desires, life is divided into four stages namely Brahmacharya (bachelor), Grihasth (householder), Vanaprastha (facing forest) and Sannyas (renunciation) where divisions aren’t just based on age but also on the intensity of living. The first stage includes growing up, gathering theoretical knowledge, acquiring some basic skills and developing physical strength. In the second stage, it’s family, work, refining skills, gathering possessions and memories. This also includes exposure to various facets of life and gaining life experiences through pursuing passions and desires either with success or failure. Through this process, one attains a cocktail of knowledge, skill and life experiences whi...

K rishna says that the ‘ ayukta ’ (imbalanced) lacks both buddhi (intellect) and bhaav (emotions) and as a result, he will not get ‘shanti’ (peace) and there is no joy for the peaceless (2.66). Krishna lays emphasis on equanimity (2.38 and 2.48) and this verse highlights the same from a different angle. Till we learn to centre ourselves in the ‘middle’, we are likely to anchor ourselves at one of the ‘other’ centres like friends, enemy, work, spouse, children, money, pleasure, power, possessions etc. and this anchoring is the hallmark of the ayukta . If someone is centred on money, all his plans and actions revolve around maximizing wealth at the cost of all other things like relationships, health etc. One doesn’t hesitate to deceive, cheat or do anything to attain pleasure if one is pleasure centric. A spouse-oriented person evaluates the entire world as to how their spouse is treated. One can also be enemy centred, thinking about how to harm their enemies even if it ...

K rishna says that the intellect of the contented is steady and all their dukh (sorrows) are destroyed (2.65). Firstly, Sorrow is the result of an oscillating intellect, and when the intellect is steady, sorrow disappears. Secondly, this verse runs contrary to our belief that we become content once our desires are fulfilled, once we attain sukh and once dukh is destroyed. But Krishna says we just need to be content first and that the rest will automatically follow. For example, we conclude that we are not healthy if we have symptoms like fever, aches etc. The suppression of these symptoms won’t make us healthy unless the underlying condition is treated. On the other hand, a nutritious diet, good sleep, fitness regime etc. provide us with good health. Similarly, bhay (fear), krodh (anger) and dwesh (hatred) are indications of a lack of contentment and their suppression won’t automatically make us content. Numerous quick fixes are promoted and practiced to suppress...

V icious and virtuous cycles are a sequence of events where one event leads to another and results in either disaster or joy respectively. If expenses are more than income, leading to borrowing and a debt trap, it’s a vicious cycle. If expenses are less than income, resulting in savings and wealth creation, it’s a virtuous cycle. Krishna refers to these cycles in verses 2.62 to 2.64. Krishna says, “A person musing on objects develops an attachment to them, from attachment arises desire, from (non-fulfilment of) desire arises anger, from anger arises delusion, from delusion - confusion of memory, from confusion of memory - loss of intellect and from loss of intellect the individual perishes” (2.62-2.63). This is the vicious cycle of downfall. On the other hand, Krishna says that when one is free of raag (fondness), dwesh (hatred) and has his indriyas (senses) under control, one attains peace even while moving among sense-objects (2.64). This is nothing but a virtuous cy...

K rishna cautions Arjuna that indriyas (senses) are capable of forcibly carrying away the mind of even an aspiring wise person (2.60). This verse is about the automaticity of indriyas to stimuli. The best example is of a smoker who’s quite aware of the pitfalls of smoking but finds it extremely difficult to quit it. He laments that by the time he realises, the cigarette is already lit. Anyone who is involved in a road rage or a crime vouches that it happened in the heat of the moment but not consciously. The same is the case with someone who speaks harsh words at the workplace or in the family and keeps regretting them as they weren’t intended in the first place. These instances imply that indriyas take over us and bind us in karma bandhan (bondage of action). During our formative years, free neurons in the brain form neural connections called hardwiring. This takes care of automatic activities like walking as it saves a lot of energy for the brain. The same is the ca...