We all are ‘Arjun’

Reading about some good stuff is like just having a beautiful journey in the valley of Switzerland or maybe heaven. My Gita the book is written by one of my favorites Devdutt Pattnaik. I’ve been his fan since his show ‘Devlok with Devdutt Pattnaik’ was telecasting on the Epic channel. After getting some knowledge about his work and him, found this book. Spirituality is always close to my heart, I  don’t know why but it gives me the feeling of connecting to the universe. I always wanted to read ‘Bhagavat Gita’ and this feeling increased when shweta had read Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s ‘Gitai’ ( translation of Gita). In our discussion, she talked about Krishna and his actions, his political and social views, as a person how he was responsible for some doings and the path of living a peaceful and meaningful life which shows in Gita. When I got this book, reading started desperately. This is not the book review but something to share about life and here it is.

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra Arjun was distracted and confused and at that time Krishna had given the knowledge of Gita. This knowledge is as important and relevant as it was. Like Arjun we are bound with someone or something and that’s the starting of suffering and for dealing with that the Gita was told. We might have faced some problems in our life and didn’t find out the solution but that time the knowledge of Gita would have helped us if we had read it before. Many times after having knowledge or understanding we could be distracted, the solution won’t work, this situation happened with Arjun also on the battlefield when he had been unable to kill his grandfather Bhishma and teacher Dronacharya after getting the knowledge of Gita. But he had a charioteer who drove his chariot towards the knowledge and liberation that was Krishna. He stood by him all the time, instructed him to just act according to Karma. That was the core of pandva’s victory.  we all are facing some problems, it would be physical, psychological or emotional. No one has the happy and satisfied life and that’s the irony of human life.

We all are facing a change in our life, we face childhood, teenage, adolescent and old age in the one lifespan. Like that the society and culture also has its change, the society which we have seen ten years before is not exactly same, the change has been taking place all the time. The new concepts, ideas, views and thoughts generate each and every time. Many times people don’t except it and that’s the origin of suffering. In Gita Krishna describes that change is necessary, if we are born then it’s the truth that we are going to die one day. No one is immortal on this planet. We all are made up of five elements and we will dissolve in it one day, this is the Sankhy yoga. Sometimes the yearning affects on our mind and that’s the reason we are trying to hold things. Always wanted to be young, rich and the feeling of happiness would be continued but that wanting gives us sorrow. If we accept the concept of Sankhy yoga then it will be easy for us to deal with situation. Every distroy gives the opportunity to the new beginning and every beginning has the end point. This is the ultimate truth of the universe.

Understanding matters when it is in the use without use that doesn’t have any value. In Gita Karma yoga is describing about the importance of action. We all have a dream but the only thing matters that’s our step. Without taking any step we can’t reach towards our destination. This is my thought but as Krishna says in Gita that we just have to work but don’t think and have any expectation for the result or we can say ‘fruit’ in Gita’s wording. We have to plant a tree nourish it but don’t think about the fruit that’s the simple meaning of Karma yoga according to my understanding. In our mind we have lots of planning and dreams but the problem arises when we are afraid to take an action. Even our breathing is also an act, because in the procedure of inhale, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide and that CO2 is used by plants and the gas that unwanted them used by us to survive. Basically this is the law of nature, as Newton’s third law said that, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This is the true fact that our reaction affects our future either positively or negatively and that’s not in our control.

In Geeta the concept of Darshan is very popular to deal with any difficult or easy situation. That means we have to look at every situation as it is. Everyone has its own perception and he acts according to that perception which he got from previous experiences and our life is the result of that and that’s the another form of Karma yoga. Darshan helps us to look the world as it real form and that’s the first step towards the Karma. One of my friends told me that she was very upset because of her friend’s message, that was very rudely written and the only advice I had given that, that’s upto her to give the permission of another one to hurt her or take all responsibility to make herself feel happy. This is your Karma to deal with situation because your response is the upcoming result of that situation. In the battlefield when Arjun got confused then Krishna had given the knowledge of true Karma, he said that, the war is the only option to liberate the world again and without any willing you have to fight for establishing the Dharm again.

If we study the Hindu mythology then we will find out that every result is the outcome of previous action. In Mahabharata Krishna, the eighth Avtar of Vishnu was the charioteer of Arjuna  but the seventh Avtar Parshuram had taught the commanders of Kaurava’s army, that was Bhishma, Dronacharya and Karna who fought besides of Kaurava though they had aware the fact that they were in the wrong side which was Adharma. But for the establishment of dharma  Krishna was on the side of Pandava, that’s the cycle of Karma. Where our one action is responsible for the another one sometimes we noticed it and sometimes just blamed on someone or destiny. When we achieve the level of high maturity or understanding then we realise that in the past we have given so much attention to the unnecessary things or situations. If as a person we had had the experience previously then it would have been possible that situation might be different. That’s the assumption but it’s very important that Karma works each and every time. There is a famous dialogue from film three idiots, where Rancho, the protagonist uses to say that, success ke pichhe mat bhago excellence ka pichha karo, success jhak mar ke tumhare pichhe aayengi. Today’s world where we are wanting to achieve success, fame, money and because of social media now virtual popularity, but we couldn’t try to find out that the true meaning of the life which is satisfaction. Karma yoga allows us to act according to the right path for us the path of achieving excellence.

Bhakti yoga is the next step where we have to surrender ourselves to the almighty or god. In the Geeta, Krishna says that he is the responsible factor for all the happenings. But there is a difference between Religiousity and Spirituality, as a religious person it could be possible that we would be superstitious. But Spirituality allows us to find the true meaning of religion out. When I was in school my teacher had said once that, we are reading Geeta in the old age if we had a knowledge of it in the youth then it could have been possible that the rest of life might be on good track so Bhakti yoga is very important to bring a good quality in our lives. Today’s world we seem many people committed suicide because their mind can’t let them to live. Many psychologists also suggest to take a path of spirituality means to just read some good stuff and observe the surrounding for gaining more experience. It would help us to deal with situation.

In the Geeta, Gyan yoga is the concept where knowledge is the ultimate aim of the person. Buddha and Mahavira chose the path of hermit but Geeta is dealt with a householder. In Siddharth’s life after observing all suffering he chose to withdraw from all household things. That was the first step towards Buddha. The enlightenment came with lots of ups and downs, the experiences had helped him to find the meaning out. Sometimes letting go helps us to set the new concepts up, in Krishna’s life after he left Vrindavan, didn’t meet anyone again, hadn’t his foster parents Yashoda and Nand nor Radha. We all are having an attachment with someone or something, that’s the problem, the expectations bring sufferings and that’s why Darshan is important to see reality, work according to the dharma, the knowledge helps us to stick that and the experience helps to increase understandings. Which is responsible to bring the liberation in the life. We all are Arjun on the battlefield of life and need the knowledge of Geeta to uplift ourselves from all suffering to seek the true meaning.