THE ESSENTIAL BHAGAVAD GITA

There is a story from the Mahabharata that when Arjuna had returned to Hastinapur, he one day requested Krishna to repeat the Gita. The Lord then admits that he will not be able to do it with the same effect as he could in the battlefield because he was then in the full state of yoga. This is the essence of Gita — your best comes when you are fully involved and do not get distracted by other thoughts. Life is like the battle of Kurukshetra and complete dedication to the cause can bring the best in you. The Gita is a philosophical narration that enlightens the wandering mind of the reader with a yogi’s wisdom. Yogi is a person who is above desires, attachments, fear, pride, and doubts. This is why Lord Krishna is also called Yogeshwar. He symbolises both the softness of love and the toughness of strength. The theme of the Gita is unrelentingly logical and uncompromisingly scientific. It was due to this unique quality that the Gita could deliver the all-important lesson of life to Arjuna: Duty for duty’s sake. No lust for rewards, no fear of losses, just pure and committed effort to uphold the path of dharma. Arjuna’s intellectual hesitations and mental doubts were initially making him suffer in disbelief on himself giving him a conflict of choice, a dilemma difficult to resolve. But gradually as the Gita unfolds, Arjuna’s confidence soars and his belief system gets strengthened. The Gita, in a way, is the sum and substance of the Upanishadic teachings as symbolised by the declarations called the three Mahavakyas: That thou art, Iyam atma brahman and aham brahmasmi.  The main focus of the Gita is on the existence of the imperishable brahman. Spread over 18 chapters, the central lesson of the Gita is the importance of commitment to duty without craving for the fruits. Duty or karma is the purpose of life and devotion to that duty is the quality of a yogi. To be a yogi is not to denounce the world and walk away from the vicissitudes of life. Rather it is to retain the purity of purpose despite being in the thick of things. Denouncement is often misunderstood as withdrawal. It is not. It is to stand up and fight your battle for the cause of duty. To understand the concept of duty, there is a need to comprehend the idea of knowledge. The elements of knowledge include moral qualities and ascetic practices which are the basis of spiritual awakening. The spiritual awakening leads to complete control over mind and absence of attachment for objects of the senses, which in the real meaning of detachment or vairagya. It is a state of evenness of the mind that is thus relieved of the preoccupation with attachment and affections. Once this state of evenness of mind is achieved, a condition of tranquillity will prevail, giving the ability to take the right decisions. Our decisions go wrong because of the vacillations of the mind. The objective of the Gita is to help the individual reach the state of stable mind. The Gita teaches perseverance in the face of impending threats. It calls upon us to dedicate our mind, body, and soul to pure duty and rewrite destiny. It provides strength in times of distress, spark in times of darkness, and helps snatch success from the jaws of failure. The essence of the Gita is to meet the challenges of life with determination.