Gita Acharan

T ruth, Reality and God are one. Realised ones described the same with various names and phrases using the language of their times. Some such phrases used by Jesus and the Bible which find an echo in the Gita will highlight this aspect. Equanimity or samatva is one of the foundations of the Gita and Krishna tells us to treat various things; people (friends, relatives and enemies) and feelings (praise and criticism) as the same. Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. It’s treating subordinates the way we want our bosses to treat us; treating neighbours the way we want them to treat us. This simple yardstick can take us to the pinnacle of equanimity. Similarly, it is quoted in the Bible (Matthew 25:29), “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away”. This looks difficult to comprehend as we admire taking from the rich and giving to the poor. If abunda...

I t is said that every morning we are born again which is a rebirth from a ‘time’ point of view. In this regard, Krishna says that Brahma (Creator) too has a day and night but of a different time scale (8.17). At the dawn of the day, all manifested (creation) appear and dissolve back at the dusk of the night of Brahma (8.18). This is invariably a cyclic process (8.19). Anything under the influence of time is cyclic. Krishna says that there exists higher than the unmanifested, yet another unmanifested, eternal, the absolute, which remains untouched by the cycle of cosmic dissolution (8.20). A seed is the best example to understand this verse. Inside a seed an unmanifested tree is hidden and the cycle of seed-tree-seed continues. But there is a creative force beyond both which makes this cycle possible, and Krishna is hinting at this creative force that is beyond time. Understanding something beyond time is a difficult task for our mind. Scientifically, the theory of re...

K rishna said that my noble devotees, having obtained Me, are no longer subject to punar-janma (rebirth) (8.16) which otherwise is the abode of grief (8.15). Understanding punar-janma or rebirth is important in this context. In line with its literal meaning, rebirth is commonly understood as the attainment of a new life after death; however, it can also be interpreted as the birth of a new situation around us. Situations keep evolving around us on a regular basis which are perceived by the senses with their cognitive biases. When a situation ends, the ripples generated by it in us would give birth to many more situations because of our responses or behaviour. For example, a bad day at work can carry over and spoil the evening with family. Krishna called this cyclic process an ‘abode of grief’. But for those who attained Paramatma , these sense inputs disappear like rivers in an ocean. Hence there is no scope for creating new situations. We have no control over exter...

T he Bhagavad Gita was a live conversation where Krishna was observing Arjuna in totality. Krishna must have observed an expression of doubt or disbelief on Arjuna’s face when Krishna mentioned ‘to remember Him all the times and fight’ (8.7) as Arjuna was resisting the ‘work at hand’ (Kurukshetra battle). This tendency of resistance to the ‘work in hand’ is still prevalent in us. Krishna immediately describes Himself as the omnipresent, eternal, the great ruler, subtler than the finest atom, supporter of all, of inconceivable form, shines like the Sun, beyond darkness (8.9). When existence has to describe itself, even words fall short. Krishna gives two paths to remember Him - one is the path of awareness, and another is the path of devotion. Regarding the path of awareness He says, “He attains the Supreme Effulgent Lord whose mind, stabilized by yoga , is immovably fixed on the thought of Him” (8.8). The mind evolved to divide the sense inputs brought by senses and t...

I n the context of knowing Him at the time of death, Krishna says, “Therefore, remember Me all times ( Sarveshu-kaleshu-maam-anusmara ) and fight. With mind and intellect absorbed in Me you shall without doubt come unto Me” (8.7). We ‘remember God’ by worshipping Him for some time during the day or by occasionally going to a place of worship or otherwise. Names of Gods and rituals performed might vary with different belief systems. Remembering God is usually for removing our difficulties or to attain possessions, power or fame. But here Krishna says ‘remember Me all the times’, which seems impossible, as we are not aware of how to pray continuously throughout the day. The clue to this riddle comes from the foundation of bhakti yoga which says, ‘to see all beings in the self; self in all beings; and see Him everywhere’ (6.29 & 6.30). When this existential truth is realised, one beholds Paramatma everywhere which is nothing but ‘remembering Him at all times’. Whatev...

A rjuna wanted to know how, at the time of death, you (Krishna) are to be known by the self-disciplined (8.2) and Krishna replies, “He enters My Being who thinks of Me alone at the hour of the body being abandoned. This truth is beyond doubt” (8.5). This is a definitive assurance that one attains Him even if one remembers Him at the time of death. But this verse gives impression that throughout life one can perpetrate evil, be a misguided fool who follows the path of demons, be a hypocrite or deluded, can chase pleasures and desires; and it would be sufficient to remember Paramatma at the end. Krishna immediately dispels this notion and says, “Of whatever being one thinks at the end while leaving the body, to that alone one goes, (because) of long persistence in it (during lifetime)” (8.6). Firstly, neither do we know about the time of death, nor can anyone give a guarantee. The time of death is so uncertain that any plan to remember Paramatma based on it is likely to...

L ife is an interplay of energy and matter. It all began with energy and matter formed subsequently at different stages. The combination of molecules of matter gives rise to different types of compounds with varying properties resulting in immense diversity. One such combination is the physical bodies of life forms, which sustain themselves on energy derived from food. Some life forms like plants, know how to make food from sunlight and other living beings survive on the food made by them. In a nutshell, life is a game of energy and matter. This context would help us to understand some words used by Krishna like Brahma, Karma , Adhyatma , Adhibhutam , Adhidaivam and Adhiyajnah (7.29 and 7.30). Arjuna wanted to know about them (8.1 and 8.2) and Krishna replies, “ Adhibhutam is perishable nature; Adhidaivam is the purush (residing in Pura i.e. city) and I am the Adhiyajnah here in the body” (8.4). Adhibhutam is the matter or ‘form’ which gets perished in time; Adh...