The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an interesting argument about the time for which the Bhagawad Gita was exchanged between Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna. Given that the entire conversation took place amidst a live battlefield, and given the fact that if all the 700-odd shlokas are recited, it will take a minimum time of around four to five hours, how did all the warriors patiently wait for that long? That too, the conversation took place right in the middle of both the armies and given this case, how come people were just mute spectators to what was happening? Moreover, nobody except Bhagawan and Arjuna were part of this conversation as well and the others did not even have a clue about what was happening between both of them. We saw two different perspectives for this and the main point to be driven home here is that, since Arjuna was a scholar himself, Bhagawan might not have taken so much time for transferring all the knowledge into Arjuna’s mind. Many of these aspects might have been conversed with just a wink of an eye and they might not even have been discussed through words. If such is the case, the entire Bhagawad Gita conversation would have got over within a few minutes! Another perspective to this is – Since Bhagawan is giving out a “Maha-Prasaadham” to the world in the form of the Bhagawad Gita, He might have even directly transferred it into Arjuna’s mind, instead of wasting time by explaining all of it in detail. Sanjaya is too scholarly and so is Sage Veda-Vyaasa, to document this direct knowledge transfer in the form of 700 shlokas that Bhagawan Krishna would have made. 

We might wonder how this can even be possible. My question here is “Why not”? In today’s scenario we’re talking of technology transfers, knowledge transfers, etc. aren’t we? Owing to the advent of technology, we’re able to send and receive messages, mails, voice mails, chats, etc. from one corner of the world to the other, aren’t we? Moreover, there is ample technological growth in neurosciences wherein focused studies are being conducted on how brain cells work and how it is possible to transfer data from external sources into the brain. Hence, if such things can be possible, why can’t Bhagawan do this to Arjuna? Given that Bhagawan is the supreme for the entire world, can’t He execute such things with utter ease? Hence, possibility is extremely high that Bhagawan Krishna might have done a complete “knowledge transfer” of the Bhagwad Gita to Arjuna within a fraction of a second! 

However, we might wonder that if such a knowledge transfer might have happened in a subtle way and within seconds, how did Sanjaya and Sage Veda Vyaasa manage to document everything in the form of 700 shlokas? We should understand one thing clearly here – With regards to Sage Vyaasa, he is considered to be an incarnation of Bhagawan Vishnu Himself. We’ve seen this in the Vishnu Sahasranama itself which quotes 

“Vyaasaaya Vishnu Roopaaya Vyaasa Roopaaya Vishnave!

Namo vai brahma nidhaye vaashishtaaya namo namaha!!”

Thus, since Sage Vyaasa is Bhagawan Himself, won’t He know what knowledge He has transferred already into Arjuna? It is only whatever He has told that He has documented. Thus, we should understand it in this way – Bhagawan Vishnu, when He incarnated as Bhagawan Krishna, performed this knowledge transfer to Arjuna, in the context of alleviating his fear and motivating him to fight the battle. However, much later, when Bhagawan felt that this knowledge should not just be limited to Arjuna only, He mooted the documentation process through His next incarnation of Sage Vyaasa so that the entire world can benefit out of it. If this knowledge transfer would not have happened, how will people like us today, even after 5000 years, be able to reap the benefit out of it? Hence, this is how we should understand this context. 

Now with regards to Sanjaya, as we might remember, Sage Vyaasa himself had given a pair of divine eyes with which he can see whatever is happening on the battlefield at Kurukshetra. Moreover, Sanjaya is not just an ordinary person. Even though he sees the live proceedings, he knows how to interpret and see through the deeper meanings of events. We’ve seen this unique intelligence of Sanjaya earlier as well on many occasions and hence, it is not something new for us that Sanjaya is extremely capable of reading through the innate knowledge transfer that Bhagawan Krishna might have done to Arjuna! 

So for today, let us understand this perspective as well, and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion forward! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a brief summary of what we’ve seen from the first till the third “Adhyaaya” of the Bhagawad Gita. The first one (“Arjuna Vishaadha Yoga”) spoke about how Arjuna started trembling with fear and put down his “Gaandeepa” upon seeing Bhishmachaarya and the others standing in front of him. The fear was not because of lack of confidence in fighting the war, but because Arjuna was of the opinion that by killing everyone, he would end up committing a great sin! The second one (“Saankhya Yoga”) is wherein Bhagawan explains the “Deha-Atma-Viveka-Gnyaanam”. Third in the line was the main “Karma Yoga” wherein Bhagawan explains how one can attain the “Atma-Saakshaakaaram” by performing our “Karma” (Actions) meticulously with a detached mind. In due course of yesterday’s episode, we had also witnessed a few clarifications with regards to how we perform our “Karma Yoga” without bothering about the results. Bhagawan clearly explains the difference between going behind short-term goals vs. long term goals. 

So here, Bhagawan explains that we need to leave behind three important characteristics if we’ve to be successful in whatever we do. First one is the “Kartruthva Buddhi”, which means, having a feeling that I’m the one who is accomplishing anything and everything in life. Second one is the “Mamatha Buddhi”, which means, having a feeling that whatever I do is part of “my” “Karma”. Third one is the feeling that I should go behind smaller milestones and get carried away by achieving them, by forgetting the long-term goal completely. Thus, in the third “Adhyaaya” Bhagawan drops a huge bombshell for Arjuna, who was trying to escape somehow from the battlefield, on the pretext of performing the “Gnyaana Yoga” to attain “Atma-Saakshaakaaram”. Bhagawan says that the “Karma Yoga” is the only way for him to attain his end goal, and “Gnyaana Yoga” does not find a place here for him at all! Now this is where Arjuna gets stuck completely, and Bhagawan Krishna clarifies further that even for great “Gnyaana Yogis” in this world, “Karma Yoga” is essential! If these great people have to survive in this world, they should also perform certain duties, and these duties will also come inside the ambit of “Karma Yoga” only. 

Now with this clarity, as we move into the fourth “Adhyaaya”, we might have a doubt, which is very important to be addressed. For the past 30-odd episodes, we’ve been witnessing a detailed description of the Bhagawad Gita as part of our Mahabharatham project, isn’t it? We’re going to take another 100-odd episodes to completely discuss the Bhagawad Gita, even if it is going to be in brief only. If we ourselves are taking a lot of time to discuss these 700 shlokas, how much time did Bhagawan and Arjuna take to discuss this first-hand? Even if this would have taken a day or two for them to complete, what were the others in the battlefield doing till then? Did they have a pen and a paper to take down notes like we do? 🙂 All of them are having their weapons in hand, ready to fight the war, and at this crucial time, Bhagawan and Arjuna are standing in the middle of the battlefield and talking all sorts of “Tatvaartha” and “Vedanta”! How is this even possible? If at all it was possible, what were the others including Duryodhana, Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, etc. in the camp doing and how did they react? What did Yudishtra do at this time? 

Now this is a very important question and there are several answers to it. First possible answer for this is that nobody was waiting for the entire 700-shloka Bhagawad Gita to get over. Maybe, Bhagawan Krishna would have taken just 15-20 minutes to finish the entire accord to Arjuna. We might wonder how this is possible! Even if we chant only the shloka part of the Bhagawad Gita, without any descriptions, it would take a minimum 2-3 hours, wouldn’t it? If that is the case, how can Bhagawan finish the entire accord within just 15 minutes? This is where the difference lies between “Pandithas” (Learned scholars) and normal people like us – “Pandithas” can grasp many things with just a wink of an eye! They need not have any detailed descriptions of anything. If we look at this angle, since Arjuna is a “Panditha” himself, Bhagawan Krishna might not have wasted time in explaining all these aspects in so much detail. He would have conveyed a majority of these items with just a wink of His eyes, and Arjuna would have understood it quite clearly! This is one way of looking at it. 

Secondly, if Bhagawan Krishna would have offered the entire Bhagawad Gita to Arjuna as His “Maha-Prasadham”, He can directly transfer all the contents of it into Arjuna’s brain within a few minutes without any effort, can’t He? Afterall, Bhagawan Krishna is the supreme Lord of this world and if He thinks that this should be imparted to Arjuna within 5-10 minutes, can’t He accomplish it? He is a “Satya Sankapla” and whatever Bhagawan thinks, is going to happen in this world! Even for us, in this technology world, we are able to transfer so much data from one corner of the world to the other within seconds, aren’t we? If this can be possible, why can’t Bhagawan transfer all this data in the Bhagawad Gita into Arjuna’s head with ease? 

Of course, all these are probable answers only and these are debatable in nature. We can keep talking about all these things for episodes together, but this is not the sole motive for us here. Our aim is to somehow grasp atleast some portion of the content in the Bhagawad Gita, if not fully, and employ this content for the betterment of our spiritual progress. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall take this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had concluded our discussion on the third “Adhyaaya” wherein Bhagawan Krishna details about the significance of “Karma Yoga”. In the last part of the discussion we had witnessed how our “Kaamam” (Desire) and “Krodham” (Anger) are the two biggest enemies in preventing us from implementing our “Karma Yoga” properly. If we’re able to take control over these two characteristics, our “Rajo Guna” will automatically come under control, which would allow our “Satva Guna” to prosper. Once the “Satva Guna” takes centre-stage, automatically our mind will come under control. Once our mind comes under control, our five senses will also slowly cease to run behind worldly pleasures. This will pave the way for a near-perfect implementation of our “Karma Yoga”, which is extremely essential for the upliftment of our “Atman”. 

So till now, we’ve seen all these points of discussion in detail, and now as we enter into the fourth “Adhyaaya”, Bhagawan changes the course of the narrative completely. Arjuna has a question in his mind – Whenever Bhagawan Krishna says “Surrender everything to me”, what does He exactly mean? Why should he surrender everything to Bhagawan Krishna and nobody else? Who is Bhagawan Krishna exactly? What is His significance? Arjuna wants to know all this in detail. Hence, Bhagawan commences the fourth “Adhyaaya” with a detailed description of who is He really and starting from this “Adhyaaya” onwards, Bhagawan is going to reveal His true identity. This is going to be a very important phase of the Bhagawad Gita and I request readers to follow carefully by taking adequate notes as we progress further. 

However, as we move into the fourth “Adhyaaya”, let us witness a quick summary of whatever we’ve seen till now, as this is the fundamental base that we’re building upon. Hence, till now, we’ve witnessed the “Arjuna-Vishaada Yoga” which is the first ‘Adhyaaya’, wherein Arjuna started trembling with fear. Next in the line was “Saankya Yoga”, wherein Bhagawan explains the “Deha-Atma-Viveka-Gnyaanam”. Third in the line was the main “Karma Yoga” wherein Bhagawan explains how one can attain the “Atma-Saakshaakaaram” by performing our “Karma” (Actions) meticulously with a detached mind. Now this can create a slight confusion in our minds – Is Bhagawan Krishna wanting us to perform our “Karma” without a spec of expectation on the result? Can this be possible? The answer is important here – Bhagawan Krishna never says that we should not have the ultimate goal in our mind while performing our actions. He only says that we should not get carried away by the mid-term and short-term shallow results (milestones) that might come our way during our pursuit. Readers should not get confused here – Bhagawan Krishna clearly doesn’t say that we should never expect anything while performing our “Karma”. Of course, we should always have the “Atma-Saakshaakaaram” in mind while performing our “Karma”, which is nothing but our end goal. This is what we say even in today’s management context as well – For instance, if we’ve to ask a company CEO as to what is his / her topmost priority – Profit or Customer Satifaction – What will this CEO say? Of course, profits are important as we move on with our day-to-day operations. However, at the end of the day, what is more important is how we’re able to satisfy our customers with our products / services that we offer to them. Now this is the end goal of any organization, isn’t it? Only if customers are satisfied with our offerings, we would be able to obtain repeated purchases from them, which will automatically grow our bottom line finances. However, short-term profits are also important and I’m not discounting it. But the focus of the organization should not just be on these short-term profits only. There are bigger milestones that the organization should achieve aren’t they? If we’ve to go one step further, we should ultimately understand that the end goal of any organization is to increase the shareholders’ wealth! This should be the ultimate focus here, isn’t it? This is exactly what Bhagawan Krishna also says in this context of performing our “Karma” without focusing on the result. The end result (Long-term) is important for us to keep in mind as we move on with our implementation of our duties. Thus, while we pursue this end-goal, we should make sure that we do not get carried away by certain short-term achievements and this is where detachment of our mind is extremely essential! 

Now with this knowledge, we’re moving into the fourth “Adhyaaya”, wherein Bhagawan is going to talk about how He incarnates every time in this world and what is the purpose behind it. So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall commence with our discussion on the fourth “Adhyaaya” of the Bhagawad Gita! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a sequence as to who controls whom, as per Bhagawan Krishna’s words. The span of control commences from the “Atman”, which, as we know by now, is the permanent entity in every living being. This “Atman” should have a complete control on our “Buddhi” (Intellect). This “Buddhi” is the one which has the capability to assimilate and process all kinds of thoughts. This “Buddhi” feeds these thoughts into the mind, which tries to take decisions as to what to do and what not to do. Thus, in all ways, the “Buddhi” controls the mind and further, the mind controls our five sense organs, including our eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Up to the fourth level (Buddhi to mind), the span of control is fairly easy, but when it comes to the mind and the sense organs, achieving control is extremely difficult. Bhagawan Krishna explains how the five senses keep running behind worldly pleasures and the mind falls prey to them as well! This is where all of us get derailed from pursuing our “Dharma” correctly. 

As we move forward thus, we need to have an important clarification with regards to the mind and “Atman”, which we will discuss in today’s episode. This is in continuation with what we’ve discussed till yesterday. When we say that the “Atman” controls the “Buddhi” and the “Buddhi” in turn controls the “Manas” (Mind), we should understand here that our “Atman” is the one who uses the “Manas” to think about Bhagawan in whatever action we do. Many of us wrongly understand that our “Manas” is the one which should think about Bhagawan and even in colloquial terms we say – “Oh! My mind is not able to focus on Bhagawan even for a single minute!”, isn’t it? This may be accepted as an argument in colloquial terms, but in reality, this is slightly different. Now, what Bhagawan Krishna explains here is very simple – Who controls the mind? It is “Buddhi”, and “Atman”, isn’t it? Since the ultimate controller of everything is the “Atman”, it is the “Atman” that has the final say in whatever we think and do, isn’t it? Thus, the colloquial argument that we saw now should be refined as follows – “My ‘Atman’ is unable to use my mind as an instrument to think about Bhagawan all the time!” 

This might be slightly complicated to understand at one go, and I request readers to go through this above paragraph multiple times to gain a better understanding. However, the crux of the argument is this – As the “Atman” is the main controller, it uses the mind to assimilate thoughts and think about Bhagawan. This is because, our “Manas” doesn’t have the intellectual capability to think on its own. It only assimilates thoughts and passes them to the Buddhi and Atman. Ultimately, the “Atman” is the one which is embedded with the intellect (Buddhi) and thus, has the capability to think and reason things out. In similar lines, the “Atman” is the one which uses the eyes to see Bhagawan’s portrait and visualize Him within. Similarly, the “Atman” is the one that uses the ears to listen to whatever good things are being said about Bhagawan. Thus, even the five sense organs are instruments of our “Atman” to do whatever it wants us to do. This is the clarity that all of us need to have. 

Thus, the logic becomes clearer now – The five sense organs form the first stage of the concentric circle. Second layer of control around these five senses is the mind. Third layer of control around the mind is the “Buddhi” and the final layer of control that spans all across the previous layers is the “Atman”. Thus, the “Atman” is the chief controller for all! Explaining all these aspects, Bhagawan Krishna concludes the third “Adhyaaya” thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please understand that the “Kaamam” (desire) is born in the first layer (five senses) only and if you’re able to control it in this layer itself, all other things are automatically taken care of. Hence, it all starts from controlling desires!” 

As Bhagawan Krishna explains all these aspects of “Karma Yoga” and “Gnyaana Yoga” to Arjuna in the first three “Adhyaayas” in detail, He suddenly thinks thus, “Oh! I should also explain to Arjuna as to how I incarnate and for what purpose I incarnate. I should release this great secret to Arjuna, so that the world will know of my significance! Till now I’ve been talking about “Karma” and “Gnyaana”. I’ve been talking about how to surrender to me while performing “Karma Yoga”. However, what if Arjuna asks a question as to why he should surrender to me and what is so significant about me that he should surrender to me?” As Bhagawan thinks thus, the entire narrative takes a different turn as the fourth “Adhyaaya” commences! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall commence a detailed description of the fourth “Adhyaaya” of the Bhagawad Gita, wherein Bhagawan Krishna is going to disclose a few important aspects about His divine incarnation! Stay tuned for an important and an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important application of Bhagawan Krishna’s words on how desires and anger lead to one’s downfall. We’ve witnessed how unfulfilled desires lead one to frustration, which can manifest into the “Rajo Guna” in many forms. In extreme situations, this can also lead to people committing suicides. We’ve witnessed how this unfolds in today’s society as well – For instance, students, who fail to clear the cut-off marks for a medical entrance examination and who have a dire passion for pursuing medical studies end up committing suicides in many cases. This is extremely unfortunate and through this episode, readers (including students) should realize that we should have a balanced approach towards life. Just because one goal doesn’t get fulfilled, this should never signify the end of our life in any way. We should have that grit to move on with our life, no matter how tough the situation might be. This is what we’ve to learn from the Bhagawad Gita. 

Moving on further thus, Bhagawan Krishna now explains how the entire cycle of “Kaamam” and “Krodham” manifests. It all starts with our five senses and Bhagawan explains how our five senses will keep running after worldly pleasures. Bhagawan says thus, 

“Indriyaani mano buddhihi asya adishtaanamucchyate!

Indriyaani paraan yaahuhu indriyebyah param manaha!!”

Bhagawan says thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please understand – Your senses will keep pulling you towards worldly desires. Wherever there is desire, there is anger, and wherever there is an anger, the root cause of that anger is desire. Your eyes will run after things that appear very beautiful to them. Your nose will run after something that smells very sweet and nice. Your ears will run after something that is very pleasing to hear. Your sense of touch will run after things that are extremely soft and nice to touch and feel. Similarly, your senses will keep running behind each and every worldly pleasure and this will manifest into desire. Here, desire means having more of that experience of touch / view / smell / hearing / taste. Greater the desire, stronger is the urge to experience more of these worldly things. At this point, your mind takes over from the senses. Your mind will act according to the interests of your senses and not in the interests of you! This is where you’ve to be very careful! Oh Arjuna! Please understand that your mind is your biggest enemy in this case – Even if you try and control your mind with a lot of spiritual practices, the moment your senses get exposed to something worldly, your mind will automatically run behind your senses, thereby, all your efforts to control your mind comes to a grinding halt!” 

Bhagawan Krishna continues thus, “Oh Arjuna! Hence, the mind is something which is a slave to your senses! Wherever the senses try to run, your mind will also closely follow them! This is the sad reality of life in this world, and not many people understand this fact! The moment your senses and mind start running towards worldly pleasures, “Kaamam” and “Krodham” will unleash their full potential on you, thereby completely derailing you from your spiritual pursuit. This is the trap that this world has laid for all beings. However, there is a solution to it – Your mind should be controlled strongly by your “Buddhi” (Intellect). This Buddhi is controlled by the “Atman” directly! Thus, the “Atman” should be the one which directs the “Buddhi” to think towards Bhagawan constantly and this “Buddhi” should in turn educate the mind and redirect its thoughts towards Bhagawan. In turn, this mind will automatically bring all the five senses under control and it will prevent them from running behind worldly pleasures. If this happens, “Kaamam” and “Krodham” can be kept away!” 

We can again construct a flowchart here from whatever Bhagawan has said till now. We can see the structure below as to who controls whom. The span of control is as follows: 

[Atman (Soul)] -> [Buddhi (Intellect)] -> [Mind] -> [Our five senses] -> [Control of “Kaamam” & “Krodham”]

Thus, to summarize, the sequence is very clear here – It all starts from “Atman”. The “Atman” controls the “Buddhi”, which in turn controls the mind and this controls the five sense organs from running behind worldly pleasures. If this span of control works efficiently, “Kaamam” and “Krodham” can be kept at bay! So for today, let us understand this span of control clearly and let us try and start implementing it in our daily lives as well. We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna’s clear message of how we make our implementation of His words successful and continuous. Bhagawan talks about two important factors that we should take care of in this process precisely – First is “Kaamam” (Desire) and “Krodham” (Anger), which in turn give rise to the “Rajo Guna” that spoils everything and puts us completely off track! Arjuna is trying to fall into this trap and Bhagawan is hand-holding him and trying to prevent him from falling into this trap. We’ve seen the case of how this is applicable in the case of Arjuna, but this is something which is extremely applicable in the case of all of us as well! We shall see a simple application of this philosophy in our modern-day context before we move on with the next shloka. 

Now we might be wondering how exactly this works. Imagine that we’re aspiring to become a doctor (medical practitioner) ever since childhood. I’m sure many of us might have had this passion since early days – Some of us might have succeeded whereas many of us might have failed in our pursuit. Let us take this example to understand Bhagawan Krishna’s point. Of course, all of us would have put in enormous effort to clear the board examinations and subsequently the medical entrance test(s) to secure a seat in a prestigious medical college. Putting an effort sincerely towards a goal is not wrong, but the problem here is that we get too obsessed with it! If we’re getting obsessed with the end goal, it transforms into a desire. We start imagining ourselves to be a medical practitioner in the future and with this imagination, we pursue our studies all throughout. However, when the results are out, and when we fail to clear the medical entrance test, what will be our mindset? Many of us get extremely dejected and start feeling that this is the end of our life completely, don’t we? This is what Bhagawan Krishna is warning us about! The moment we fail to secure the required cut-off mark in the entrance test, how many of us have the maturity to think of moving on with the next option in life? It is quite sad and unfortunate that many students even go to the extent of committing suicides, just because they’ve not cleared the cut-off mark in the medical entrance test! 

Now, this is where Bhagawan’s words are coming true – Aiming for a medical seat with a lot of passion is fine. But when this aim manifests itself into a desire, and if we’re unable to fulfil this desire, it manifests into the next level, which is frustration within ourselves! Moreover, if our close friends and relatives start treating this as a talking point and if they start making fun of us for not getting a medical seat, this frustration manifests into anger! With this anger, our “Rajo Guna” grows. If our “Rajo Guna” starts growing, our mind fails to think properly and make correct decisions! Once the mind ceases to make correct decisions, we end up making erroneous and momentous decisions, wherein committing a suicide is also part of it! Now if we start to understand where it started and where it came to an end, we will be able to appreciate Bhagawan Krishna’s golden words of wisdom! 

Hence the point is very clear, and for further easy understanding, I’m presenting the following flow diagram: 

Stage 1: Passion (If uncontrolled / unchecked) -> Desire (Kaamam) 

Stage 2: Desire (If fulfilled) -> More desires

Stage 3: Desire (If unfulfilled) -> Frustration -> Anger (“Krodham”) -> Reduced functioning of mind -> Erroneous decisions (Including suicides)

So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue further with this discussion! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Arjuna asking a very important question – Even though we appreciate Bhagawan’s words to the fullest and commence our implementation of the same, we’re not able to sustain in our efforts. Why is this happening? What is preventing us from continuing our implementation of Bhagawan’s words? For this, Bhagawan is going to give an important answer, which we’re about to witness today. Bhagawan explains in detail thus, 

“Kaama yeshaha krodha yeshaha rajo guna samudbhavaha! 

Mahaashanaha mahapaaptma viddhi yenam iha vairinam!!”

Bhagawan gives an important answer to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! The main reasons for not being able to implement my words are “Kaamam” and “Krodham”. “Kaamam” is desire, and “Krodham” is anger. These two characteristics dominate in a living being and this domination leads to something called “Rajo Guna”. This “Rajo Guna” is the one that prevents us from implementing any of Bhagawan’s words properly! Oh Arjuna! If you’ve to implement my words, you’ve to somehow get rid of your “Rajo Guna”. Let me tell you how this works. “Kaamam” (Desire) leads you to direct your senses towards the object / goal that you want to attain. If you’re able to attain whatever you wish to, do you think your desire will be satisfied? The answer is “No”! If you attain whatever you’ve desired for, you’ll start craving for more of it! Until your craving keeps getting satisfied, you will be happy. However, is it a guarantee that all your desires will be satisfied at all times? The obvious answer is a “No”! Hence, if at some point of time your desire doesn’t get fulfilled, it will turn into frustration and as a result, you will start making extra efforts to somehow attain it. If you encounter repeated failures in your pursuit, this will automatically transform into “Krodha” (Anger)! If you’re at the peak of anger, your ego will take over, and ultimately you will end up forgetting what I’ve advised you to do! Rather than implementing my words, you will end up doing exactly the opposite of what I’ve said!” 

Bhagawan Krishna continues further thus, “Oh Arjuna! So from my above narrative, it is clear that unless and until you have a check on your desires, you will be unable to control your anger / frustration! Without controlling your anger / frustration, you will not be able to implement anything that I’ve told you so far. Hence, this is a vicious cycle into which all of us get trapped into, and you’ve to find a way to somehow plug this loophole at the grassroot level itself without allowing the problem to complicate further! Hence, my advice to you is very simple – Perform your duty just because you’re destined to do it, and with Bhagawan’s divine “Anugraha”. Do not look at your duty in terms of fulfilling your desire of obtaining a positive result out of it! If you start doing so, your desire will start growing and you will start striving for achievement come what may! Of course, success is important, but it is not in your hands! Hence, you should be able to balance your duty in such a way that you will perform it sans desires. Once this is achieved, automatically your anger will reduce and you will be able to see things in a more balanced way. If you’re able to control your desire and anger successfully, you are already on the track of implementing whatever I’ve explained to you till now!”

Now, this is one of the most important philosophies that we’ve to understand from the entire Bhagawad Gita. So the concept goes like this: 

1. Controlling desires 
2. Controlling the craving feeling 
3. Controlling frustration 
4. Controlling anger

If all these are brought under control, other things will automatically start falling in place. So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall witness the practical implications of this in the next episode! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna explaining how important it is for a leader to walk the treacherous path and illustrate to people, rather than sitting on a high-throne and merely instructing people what to do. Bhagawan clearly explains to Arjuna that if he is going to run away from the battlefield today, this is going to set a very bad example for generations to come. People might start interpreting Arjuna’s “kindness” and “benevolence” to “cowardice” and “escapism” from performing his duty. Hence, it is very important for a leader to carefully tread the path of “Karma Yoga” by setting the right example for people to follow. As we’ve witnessed too, every move made by a leader is watched closely by people around, and hence, the leader should be extremely cautious and careful while taking decisions and implementing them. 

Moreover, Bhagawan also insists that while carefully taking decisions and performing our “Karma”, we should not forget to offer all of these to Him! This is very important and Bhagawan has been stressing upon this point right from the beginning of the second “Adhyaaya”. Bhagawan says thus, 

“Kaayenavaachaa manase indriyairvaa budhyaatmanaavaa prakriteshvabhaavaath!

Karomi yadh yadh sakalam parasmair narayanaayeti samarpayaami!!”

This is one shloka which is very famous and many of us might be knowing as well. The message behind this shloka is very clear – Do your duty and surrender every action that you perform to Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet! At this point, as Bhagawan says this once again (perhaps for the n’th time so far), Arjuna has a doubt constantly within himself. Now as Bhagawan finishes this accord, Arjuna is quick to ask this as a question. He asks thus, “Oh Krishna! Whatever you’re saying sounds very juicy and implementable! I’m also trying to implement your words. I’m starting it off very well. However, with due course of time, either I’m slowing down in my implementation, or, I’m completely swept away off track! Why is this happening? What is it that is preventing me from sustained and continuous implementation of whatever you’re saying now?” 

Now this is a very important and pertinent question which all of us would have in our minds as well. After reading every episode that we publish on a daily basis, all of us will have a thought – From today onwards, let us start implementing whatever Bhagawan says as part of His Bhagawad Gita. From now onwards, whatever actions we perform on a regular basis, will be strictly according to whatever Bhagawan says in the Gita. However, something will happen in the middle, and we would be completely carried away by that event! Eventually, we would even end up forgetting what Bhagawan has said! So why is this happening to us? Why are we getting completely carried away by the “Maya” (Illusion) in this world? Are the words / actions of people around us more powerful than the words of Bhagawan, so that we pay heed to them unnecessarily and get carried away completely? I’m sure all of us might be having this question in mind, and for today, let us keep pondering over the reasons for this happening. We shall wait till the next episode to witness Bhagawan Krishna’s important answer on this, which of course, is going to be a detailed one! Stay tuned for the next episode to commence this detailed discussion! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna extending the discussion on the “Karma Yoga” in a different angle here – He’s clarifying an important point with regards to modern-day leadership as well. On the pretext of performing our “Karma” (Actions), leaders should be very careful with what actions they are performing in the public domain. This is because great leaders will be watched keenly by thousands of people around him / her. If the leader is performing unwanted heroics or stunts, just to grab the attention of people, chances are very high that people might imitate his / her behavior in their real lives too. We see a lot of advertisements in today’s context which contain a lot of such stunts, but it would clearly be written beneath the advertisement that the performing artists are specially trained to do the stunts, and these actions should not be imitated by common people. Hence, in this way, while performing our “Karma”, Bhagawan Krishna sounds a caution to Arjuna that he needs to be very careful with every move that he makes because people are closely watching him! 

Emphasizing this point clearly, Bhagawan Krishna advises Arjuna thus, “Oh my dear Arjuna! If you’re running away from the battlefield today, what kind of an example are you setting for the future? What will people say tomorrow? They would say thus, ‘Oh! Why should I fight a war and protect my country? There is a great example of a great warrior by name Arjuna, who himself has run away from a battlefield by shunning his weapons! If he can shun the battle, why can’t I?’ Is this a narrative you want to hear from people in the future? Hence, you’ve to be very careful with whatever actions you’re performing!” 

The point is very clear here – As leaders, we should set an example for others to follow. This is the first stage. Second stage is that the same leaders should set the right example for others to follow. The above two stages have a slight but a distinct difference between them, don’t they? Setting an example is fine – But what kind of an example are we setting up for people? A leader should not be an epitome of “how not to lead”, isn’t it? Rather, a leader should “lead from the front”! This is exactly what Bhagawan Krishna is emphasizing here! Bhagawan Krishna continues further thus, “Oh Arjuna! Look at me! I’m someone who is completely unaffected by any kind of “Karma-Phalam” (Fruits of actions). Neither “Punya Karma” nor “Paapa Karma” can have any effect on me! However, I’m still performing all my duties because I’m born as a normal human being in this world just like you! I’m performing my duty meticulously as your charioteer. I’ve performed my duty towards brokering peace between you and Duryodhana by going as a messenger to Hastinapura. Similarly I’ve performed many other duties for which I’ve incarnated in this world. Also, I’m continuing to perform my duty as the king of Dwaraka. Hence, Oh Arjuna! Nobody including me can escape from the “Karma Yoga”!” 

Bhagawan Krishna continues further thus, “Oh Arjuna! You might ask me a question here – You are Bhagawan incarnate! Why should you take so much effort to do these kinds of worldly duties? Why can’t you refrain yourself completely from all these? Now let me give you the answer to this question – If I refrain from my duties and sit in a corner commanding others, what will the world say? Oh wow! Bhagawan Himself is not performing what He has to perform! If Bhagawan can escape from His duty, why can’t I? This is why I make sure that I perform my duties correctly, so that the world will look up to me and follow me as an example!” 

This is also exactly why Bhagawan  voluntarily took up so many difficulties and challenges during His incarnation as Bhagawan Rama in the previous Yuga! One might ask – Why did Bhagawan Rama suffer so much, even though He’s all-pervasive and all-capable? Why did Bhagawan Rama go to the forest for fourteen years? Why didn’t Bhagawan Rama kill Ravana at that moment itself when he abducted Mother Sita? There is a procedure for all this, isn’t it? Bhagawan Rama’s main purpose of incarnation was to illustrate to the world, the significance of performing one’s “Karma”. Our “Karma” is of different forms – For instance, our “Karma” towards our parents, our “Karma” towards our family (wife, children, etc.), our “Karma” towards other fellow beings, our “Karma” towards establishing “Dharma” and standing by it! Bhagawan Rama performed everything meticulously all through His divine incarnation, even though He was Bhagawan Himself, who is not bound by any of these “Karma”! This is how Bhagawan sets Himself as the role model for all of us to follow suit! So for today, let us understand this point clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed three important points being stressed upon by Bhagawan Krishna to Arjuna in the context of fighting the war against Duryodhana and Co. at Kurukshetra. Firstly, as a king (Leader), Arjuna should prove himself to be a role model for his people to follow. If he escapes from the battlefield without fighting, people will also take this as an example to shun their duties towards the country and also towards “Dharma”. This should never be allowed. Secondly, if the leader performs his duty meticulously, people will see this and follow the footsteps of the leader. Thirdly, if the leader shuns his duty towards his people, he will not only accumulate his sins more and more, but also the sins of his people upon him! With these three points, Bhagawan Krishna stresses the importance of performing one’s duty (“Karma”) meticulously without escaping from it. 

To continue upon this point further, when we say that the leader should be a role model for others, Bhagawan Krishna explains that this person should do only those things that are socially and morally responsible and respectable in the society. Just because a leader should become a role model, this person should not start performing unwanted heroics and stunts which might potentially mislead people into wrong directions! Bhagawan Krishna says thus, “Oh Arjuna! You should be very careful with each and every action that you perform, when people start seeing you as a role model. Every action that you perform, will be watched very closely by your people. Hence, you should be extremely cautious with every move that you take! You’re telling me that you are not interested in fighting the war because all the people on the other side are your near and dear ones. If you put down your “Gaandeepa” and run away from here, do you know how your country’s people will see this action? Different people will form different perceptions from this one action of yours! Some people might think that Arjuna is very compassionate and he is not interested in killing anyone! Whereas, many other people might think that Arjuna is a coward! A few others might even go to the extent of thinking and concluding that since Arjuna himself is not interested in fighting wars and protecting our country, we will also follow his footsteps and shun our duty towards our country! Oh Arjuna! Isn’t this a dangerous trend that you’re setting here? Hence, as a leader, every step that you take should come out of a lot of thinking and analyzing, and not merely out of emotions! This is because people are watching every move that you are making here! Hence you’ve to be very careful!” 

This is an extremely applicable point in today’s context as well. For instance, we might see some advertisements wherein certain celebrities might be doing some heroic stunts to promote a product or a brand. They might jump from the top of a cliff, trying to put up a brave fight against a lion or an elephant, etc. to show the significance of the brand that they are trying to promote! However, just because these people are performing such stunts on the advertisement, can we replicate those stunts in real life? Most of these stunts might be part of graphics, and perhaps, some of them might be duly trained to perform such stunts! However, are we trained to do so? The answer is “No”! Hence, we might see a line written on the bottom of these advertisements that people watching these visuals should not replicate these stunts that are displayed, isn’t it? Why is this so? The concept is exactly the same as what Bhagawan Krishna is explaining here – If people choose a leader as a role model, they will go to any extent of doing whatever their leader does in public life! This is why we see many children today replicating certain dialogues, actions, etc. performed by movie stars, isn’t it? Hence, people who have a public life should be extremely careful in the way they conduct themselves! 

Thus, the concept is very simple here as summarised below: 

1. Leaders should perform their duty meticulously and ensure that they set themselves as role models to the society around. 
2. Upon doing so, leaders should perform meaningful activities, and not undoable heroics, which might potentially mislead people in a large scale towards a wrong direction! 
3. Especially for people who are celebrities and for those who have a mass appeal amongst people – Please be very careful with what you speak and perform in public! This is because there are high chances that people might blindly follow whatever you say and do in the public domain! You should be the ones who would guide people in the right direction towards the path of “Dharma”! 

So for today, let us understand this important pointer that Bhagawan Krishna is stressing upon, and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂