August 19th, 2022 was ”the occasion of the birth of Lord Krishna”, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. On the other front, it is even more significant as it is the occasion of the birth of Krishna who recited the Bhagavat Gita – a scripture that enlightens the path for achieving moksha or liberation from the life-death cycle; at its simplest, it shows a way of living a fulfilling and meaningful life.
The name Gita suggests a “geet” or a “song of life” and is based on four Vedas; envisioned, organized, composed, and written over 5,000 years ago! It has 701 verses (shlokas) that are spread over 18 chapters (Adhyay)
Over years I ignored Gita with my (mis) understanding of it as a religious scripture that is propagating the Hindu religion. Even though by birth I am a Hindu, I always had an open mind towards other religions, and hence, I avoided reading Gita. A few years ago, I heard Gita in a very different light and got inspired to study it. After studying it for over years, I thought of writing on the Gita and the wisdom it provides but was wondering whether I am qualified to write on this deep and scientific body of knowledge.
Then I came across -one of my favorite- books “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon which talks about the value, need, and power of sharing your thinking/work – and I decided to share my thinking with “my little world.”
There is another strong reason why I decided to pen my thoughts on Gita. Born in India, and now I live in the US and proudly call these two as my countries. Living in the west I also realized how today’s world is about marketing, and unfortunately the louder the marketing voice the more weight it carries. The west is best at borrowing and making it their own – to an extent that it makes the world believe that they invented everything: be it meditation, yoga, mathematics, calligraphy, art, dance, architecture, or for that matter the art of love-making. Unfortunately, in many instances, the Western world does not give credit where it belongs and focuses so much on creating and owning intellectual property that it forgets that the intellect is a blessing and not a property that someone owns. Nonetheless, I realized that in today’s internet and blockchain world if people, societies, and countries don’t claim what belongs to them, it eventually may never belong to them. Hence, I thought I should express my thinking and help in my fable ways to put credit where it belongs.
The wisdom of the Gita has been an inspiration to many great minds from across the globe. In my observation wisdom from Gita has also been the source of inspiration for many successful movies such as The Matrix, The Secret, Kung-Fu Panda, and many more even though many of those may or may not have acknowledged it.
Based on my study of Gita and my limited understanding here are some key lessons from Gita that are valuable for living a fulfilled life and none of these are religious or prescribe any religious following.
- You have a mortal body, mind, and intellect but you are neither a body, mind nor an intellect. You are an immortal soul (consciousness) that never dies. For example, we all live life and our lives end but “life consciousness” never ends, it is endless- and as such it never began, it simply “is”
- Each soul-consciousness by its very nature is driven to grow, expand, and merge into the larger infinite consciousness: the cosmic consciousness. Like the water driven by gravity to flow to other water streams to enlarge all the way to merge into the vast seas and further expands into an unlimited atmosphere. In the process, it has to give up its identity, the ego or the “I”
- As we have a life we are bound by karmas (body-mind-intellect bound actions) and each karma either bind us or liberates us from the endless future karmic cycles or life-death cycles.
- Understand that “you” are (based on prior karmas) born with your Prakriti (nature), pravruti (characteristics), three goonas (qualities) – Satvik, Rajasik, Tamsik, and two dimensions: Daivi and Aasuri (heavenly and demonic). With a developed understanding and objective and detached mind, one can change all these to become a righteous person.
- To achieve Moksha: the liberation from future karmic cycles or life-death cycles one has to become a “yogi or sanyasi”. Like a yogi, one must become an objective observer of our mind and sense-desires so that one can detach from and renounce those – not karmas, and engage in righteous karmas with determination, dedication, faith, and belief. The most important aspect is that – one has to engage in karma with a firm belief but without any expectations – that is the only way to achieving moksha or attaining liberation.
Based on my interest, study, and understanding of the Gita here are key lessons from each of the 18 Adhyay – chapters of the Gita:
- Life is a battle:
- Life is a struggle and constant battle of good vs. evil, moral vs. immoral, and right vs. wrong that one must fight by being on the right side.
- You are a soul that is immortal:
- You have a body and mind that are mortal, but you – the soul is not the body or mind and is immortal. So fight the battle of your life with full focus, and determination, and by taking control of your mind (senses)
- Karma-yoga (doing karma): You are meant to do karmas:
- Understand that your Atman (soul) has an intellect that should control your mind which should keep your sense-desires under control so that you can focus on your Nishkam-karma: karma with no expectations/desires of outcomes or results.
- Most often for most people, it is the other way round: Their sense-desires control their mind, which controls their intellect, and they are unable to understand right from wrong and engage themselves in actions with a focus on desired outcomes
- Gyan-Karma (understanding karma):
- Take control of your senses, mind, and intellect by recognizing and getting rid (offering to fire -burning) of your desires, anger, greed, lust, and delusions so that you can engage in your karma with an equanimous mind (saam bhav) and full dedication.
- Karma-Sanyas (you but not you):
- Do you what you must do with 100% dedication, focus, and commitment but know very well that it is not you doing it, it is “he-the divine” who is getting it done from you, by you and you are just a medium. Hence, do your karma and offer it to the divine: have no expectations and desires or the ego that “I am doing it”
- The battle is not about karma itself. The battle is about engaging in karma by controlling your desires, anger, greed, lust, delusions, and the expectations of the outcomes.
- Atma-Sanyam (self-control):
- Real life begins when you start without any expectations. The mind is always flickering (by its nature) and it must be controlled and calmed so that you can be focused and unaffected. Sanyam is a state of mind where you are not affected by any gains or losses where instead of your mind controlling you, you are in charge of your mind and emotions.
- Gyan-Vigyan (knowledge & science)
- Know that you are “universe (everything)” and “universe (everything)” is you.
- And way to realize it by dedicating your 100% efforts and focusing on karma with no attachments, by offering your karma and its outcomes to the universe. And by understanding that – what/who you are is based on your true nature (from your past karmas) and your interests (what attracts you) – one is by birth and the other by your doings but both can be changed
- Akshar-Brahma (Way to moksha/liberation)
- Gain focus by meditation, use your intellect, control your mind and desires, anger, greed, lust, and delusions, engaging in karmas by offering those to “the universe” so that you are not affected by its outcomes so that you remain in an equanimous state of mind so that you are fully focused on your karmas.
- This way of realizing and doing karmas liberate you – your soul, from the cycles of life and death so that you expand into the universe and realize your true self.
- Raj-Vidya (Prime knowledge)
- You must have faith in your karma (actions) and your dharma (right ways) so that you don’t get caught in the never-ending cycles of meaningless actions. If you have the faith and follow your right ways universe takes responsibility for your karmas
- Vibhuti-Yog (the essence)
- Why: Understand the essence that “Krishna is Ajanma (eternal: never born or will never die) and Sarvavyapi (all over and in everything) but everything is not Krishna. Krishna is in the universe and in you but the universe is not Krishna, you are not Krishna. You (your soul) seek to expand (the human desire to grow) into the whole into Krishna and that’s why the battle of life as a way to liberate and to become the universe, the Krishna.
- What: What we are truly seeking is inside us hence we must take inward actions first and focus on karma-kartavya (dutiful actions) by confronting your own intellect, mind, and sense-desires (those are yours as you create them) but most often they go against you (as you don’t control them, they control you) and hence the battle. The battle of you vs. you that you must win!
- How: What action leads to liberation? Action taken with faith, focus, energy, and enthusiasm, as a duty and responsibility, by taking control of your intellect, mind, and sense-desires without stopping till you become the best at what you do, not good, but rather the best at it!
- Vishwaroop Darshan (insight of the universe)
- Krishna is not a god, Krishna simply “is” … Krishna is “being”
- Krishna is Alokik: one who is not from this universe. As we are born in/to this universe we are bound by intellect and senses from this universe and hence it is hard to understand Krishna only with our intellect or senses as he is not from this universe.
- Krishna is Avyakta: one who cannot be expressed
- Krishna is Purna-Vyapt: one who occupies everything yet is beyond everything
- Bhakti Yog (Devotion way to Krishna)
- Be a Yogi: one who has stable intellect and control over mind and sense-desires
- Like a Yogi put all your intellect, mind, and senses into your dutiful karma (good karma = Sugun) is to focus on Krishna
- Recognize that practice is the key, but Gyan (knowing the purpose of the practice) is more important than the practice itself. Dhyan (meditation) on the Gyan is even more important. And most important of all is the Nish-karma: Karma without any expectation of outcomes with only the goal of being the best at it.
- Kshetra and Kshetragnya Vibhag Yog (Distinction between the Field and the Knowledgeable-Farmer)
- The field (Kshetra) the body sowed with (seeds) of human values and sprinkled with the fertilizer of association (Sangath) of like-minded people and the right training (Siksha) develops future self. Like the farmer (Kshetragnya) knowing that the field (body), seeds (intellect), and fertilizer (mind or thoughts) all are mortal but help in developing the future better self is the key.
- Be the wise farmer (Kshetragnya) and use the field (body), and fertilizer (intellect and mind) to achieve your moksha by planting and cultivating the right seeds (actions)
- Gunatray Vibhag Yog (Distinctions between three basic human characteristics)
- Become an active observer and understand that you are not the doer, it is the three human characteristics/qualities that do what you do. Three human characteristics or qualities: 1. Satvik (represents virtuous, good, yogic, and heavenly qualities), 2. Rajasik (represents attraction, attachment, longing, desires, and earthly qualities), and 3. Tamsik (represents darkness, ignorance, inertia, and hellish qualities)
- Understanding your nature through these three qualities and consciously and continuously adjusting those by increasing Satvik qualities over Rajasik and Tamsik is the only way to achieve moksha
- Purushottam Yog (Way to becoming the best version of yourself)
- Recognize that we are born with our own nature (Prakruti), and characteristics/qualities (Gunas) and we/our lives get entangled with our thoughtless actions (Karmas) and sense-desires (satisfaction of indriyas)
- The way to become the best version of ourselves is to become an objective (Udasin and Vairagya) observer (Drishta) of how we operate and a disciplined (Dridh) practitioner of right and relentless action with no desire for results (nishkam-karma) with firm belief and by constantly moderating your characteristics/qualities (Gunas)
- Recognize that by nature we all desire growth, the expansion, the moksha, the liberation of our souls (Atma) from the body consciousness: bound by limitations and mortality, to infinite consciousness – the Krishna-consciousness
- Daiva-Asur Sampadvibhav Yog (Differentiating Heavenly and Hellish Nature (Prakruti) and Tendencies (Pravruti))
- Recognize that we all are made up of both heavenly (Daivy, godly) and hellish (Asuri, demonic) natures and focus on developing and expanding your heavenly (Daivi) nature and tendencies (Pravruti) by meditation, practicing kindness and respect to others, being truthful, and renouncing and reducing your hellish (Asuri) tendencies such as; ego, anger, greed, lust, and sense-desires.
- Shradhhatray Vibhag Yog (Three aspects of Faith)
- Understand and follow the true human science (Shashtra) to develop your Sharadhha (Faith and Belief)
- Pay attention to what and how you do Manan-Bhajan-Bhojan: Pay attention to what you contemplate on, your affirmations and mental chanting, and the types of food you eat or get attracted to
- Do the right type of Yagya-Tap-Daan: Dedicated invocations-sacrifices, hard-continuous efforts, and charity
- Focus on Om-Tat-Sat. Starting with Om: the creator as Tat: the ultimate (Parmatma) for which the Yagya-Tap-Daan must be done to realize the ultimate Sat: Satya- Truth forever.
- Moksha Sanyas Yog (Moksha Renunciation)
- Become a yogi or sannyasi. Do not renounce Yagya, Tap, Daan. As long as you are living it is hard to renounce karmas. Do not do karmas thoughtlessly. Do thoughtful and Nishkam-karma by renouncing the karma desires our expectation of karma results.
- Do right-karma (with saatvik goonas) by dedicating sharir, maan, indriyas, buddhi, chitta, praan, and sadhan: engage in karma by dedicating your body-mind-desire-senses, intellect, focus, breath, and all other means.
- Do karma by being aware that “you” are not the one doing it. It is not the “I” rather it is universal consciousness that is doing it with you as the means. You are simply one component of the larger context and hence even though there will be results for the karma but those will not be yours and you will not be the cause for those. If you get attached to the results (even the expectation of moksha or liberation) you will get caught in the never-ending life-death cycles and would not achieve liberation or moksha.
Five important characters and symbols from the Gita and the Mahabharat:
- Krishna: the guru, guide, charioteer
- Arjun: the disciple, Dhrid-Dhyani Khsetriya (determined and focused warrior)
- Dhyan: focus on righteous karma (dharma-karma)
- Gaandiv Bow and Arrow: Strong mind with control on sense-desires
- Yuddha: the battle of nishkam-kartvya-karma (karma as the responsibility with no desires for outcomes)