Bhagwad Gita in Everyday Life

Introduction

            In one of the lectures on Practical Vedanta Swami Vivekananda reiterates that Vedanta as religion must be intensely practical. Vedanta philosophy was not merely the outcome of meditations in the forests only, but the very best parts of it were thought out and expressed by brains which were busiest in the everyday affairs of life. The same is the case with the Bhagwad Gita which is the best commentary on Vedanta. The scene is laid on the battle field where Shri Krishna teaches this philosophy to Arjuna “My wants,” says Swamiji, “demands, are nothing as compared with the demands of Arjuna on the battle field of Kurukshetra commanding a huge Army and yet he could find in the midst of the din and turmoil of battle, to talk the highest philosophy and to carry it into his life also. Surely, we ought to be able to do so as much in this life of ours- comparatively free, easy and comfortable. Most of us here have more time than we think we have if we really want to use it for good. With the amount of freedom we have we can attend to two hundred ideas in this life, if we will. …”   

Swami Ranganathananda Ji once met General J.N. Chaudhary, the Military Governor of the then Hyderabad state. He noticed on his table a copy of Gita and asked the General whether he read the Gita? In a very tired way, the General replied “Of course, when I feel tired and want to find some peace of mind, I read a few lines from the Gita.”  In reply what Swami Ranganathanandaji said is very significant. He said “That is not its purpose. It is not a book meant merely to given peace of mind. It is meant to give you strength to serve the people to make you a responsible citizen. It contains a comprehensive philosophy of life and work…. Men and women of action, of responsibility, have the need for philosophy of life and action. The Gita provides that philosophy of life calling it by the simple word Yoga.”

II

Arjuna’s Situation

 Although, one on the surface, the subject,  Bhagvad Gita in Everyday Life, appears to be a simple one, it is not so, for two simple reasons. Firstly, everyone can have his own reading and interpretation of the Bhagvad Gita. It is a treasure house of wisdom and values and one can have one’s own choice and the speaker’s interpretation or choice may not suit everyone. Secondly, even the same person may derive different message from the Gita at different periods of one’s spiritual and mental state and situation. And yet, there are some universal messages which can be obtained from the Gita.

            We get the first message from the Gita in its very  first chapter. The word Arjuna means one who is simple and straight forward. Arjuna represents all of us, every individual soul. If we become simple and straight forward the Lord will take in his hands our reins and guide us. He who makes the Lord the Director, and the Controller of his life, succeeds. So, the first lesson we learn is that we must always keep the holy company of the Lord by becoming simple and guileless.

            The horses of Arjuna’s chariot are white. According to the Kathopanishad, the horses stand for the senses. Our senses must be strong but white i.e. pure, sattvika and well controlled. The reins are tightly held in Sri Krishna’s hands. Reins stand for the mind. It must be well controlled and must in turn control the senses.

            This first chapter has another profound message for us. Arjuna, although a well trained warrior, got depressed and confused when he faced the two armies consisting of his relatives and friends. Arjuna, represents all of us. The difficulties and doubts he passes through, and the questions he asks Sri Krishna are the common problems of all of us. First of all, he is overpowered by attachment, fear and grief. These things happen to us everyday. We pass through confusion or conflict of values. On one side is our duty towards the society and on the other side, our selfish interest. At such moments, we yield to weakness and get confused. Everyday we feel anxiety and depression. Something adverse happens, some problems and difficulties arise every day and we often get confused about what should be done and what not. : Dharma Sammuda Chetha.

What did Arjuna do in such a situation to get over fear, depression and confusion? He surrendered to the Lord and sought his advice: “I am Thy disciple, I surrender to you, please teach me.”

 Shishyastatehum Shadhimaan Twaam Prappanam.

 And what do we do? We don’t seek God, We approach worldly wise people and become more confused.

You may ask, “But Lord is not with us.”  That is not true. Lord is always with us. Driving us as a charioteer. He had himself proclaimed in the Gita

The Lord resides in the heart of all creatures and drives them like machines from within. Oh Arjuna take refuge in Him with all your heart…

“ Ishwaraha sarvabhutanam rhiddeshe Arjuna tishthati.….. . ”

            Thus, Shri Krishna is teaching all of us to surrender to Him whole heartedly. This practice of surrender is something which can and should be done by all everyday. So the first lesson we get from the Gita is that the God is always with us and that we must turn to God during all our depressions, anxieties and frustrations which occur every day. We can earnestly seek His help and guidance. In this way, these incidents will prove blessings in disguise and become stepping stones to success.

III

Message of Manliness

            Before I go into the details of the message of Gita, let me clearly mention that the Gita essentially attempts to alter our mindset, our basic attitude towards life and its problems. It does not have any readymade solution for our petty day to day problems. And so if one expects that the Gita would make one’s daily living easy, he’ll be mistaken. Gita plans to rot a fundamental change in our approach towards life. This is evident in the very first lesson Sri Krishna gives to Arjuna. He says,

Klaibyam masmgamah partha naitadtwadupapadyate …..

            Don’t  yield to unmanliness. Don’t do something which does not befit your status as a man of noble descent, Arya. Give up weakmindedness and stand up. According to Swami Vivekananda, this the central message of the Gita for the modern age.

            That one must manly stand on one’s own feet has been further emphasized by Sri Krishna at various places in the Gita. He says,

Uddharet atmanatmanam na atmanam avasadayet.…..

            One must raise oneself by his own efforts and must not degrade oneself. You are responsible for your rise and fall. Today everyone wants to surpass others and succeed even if by doing harm to others. But this is not necessary. One must make friendship with one’s own self. This can happen only when we know our real self and have self control.

Bandhur atmatmanastasya yenamaiva atmana jitaha,…………

            That is, One’s conduct must be exemplary, because people follow what noble people tend to do. Yadyadacharati  shrestah tatadevtaro janah…..

Arjuna’s Questions

There are two more problems which we face in our everyday life, which Arjuna highlights in the form of questions. We know what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil, and yet, we commit the mistake and indulge in evil, forced as it were, against our will. Why is it so? And how to avoid it?

Atha Kena prayuktoyam papam charati shrestah.

Krishna says it is due to Kama or lust or desire and its off shoot Krodha or anger. They arise due to Rajoguna or the element which makes us restless and active. This Kama Krodha combination is extremely virulent and clouds our understanding.

Kama esha krodha esha rajogunah samudbhavh.

It has three locus or seats: senses, mind and intellect.

Indriyani Mano Buddhi asyadhisthanamuchyate

Hence, Sri Krishna commands Arjuna to destroy this enemy first by controlling the senses.

Tasmat twam indriani ado viniyamya bharatarshabhah

Papmanam prajahi enam gyan vigyan nashanam.

This is a very, very important message for all of us, for our everyday life. Greater the control we have over the senses, our organs of knowledge as well as action, Karmendriya and Gyanendriya, safer and wiser shall we be. Not only one should diligently try to avoid the pitfalls of sensual thought and imagination, true happiness lies in their conquest: as Sri Krishana emphatically states:

 “ He is a Yogi and a happy person who even before giving up the physical body is able to forebear the force of lust and anger while living”

Shaknotiehaiva yah sodhum prak sharer vimokshanat

True happiness lies within:

Yo-antah-sukho-antararamah yo antarjyotirevacha

Hence, wise person, Budhah, must not indulge in sense enjoyment which are the cause of suffering: Dukha-yonayah and impermanent, adyanta-vantah

Mind is another locus for Kama and Krodha. Before manifesting at the level of the senses, Kama Krodha arise in the mind in the form of thought, imagination and emotion. It follows, therefore, that to avoid being a prey to Kama Krodha, we must also take care of our mind, our thoughts and emotions, our desires and imaginations.

Finally, intellect too is a seat of Kama Krodha. What does this mean? When through reason we justify our desires and indignation, when we rationalize and convince ourselves that they are not bad but good, then we allot them a permanent seat in our intellect or Buddhi. When this is done, these enemies become invincible. What a profound warning Sri Krishna gives here! Now a days, every where through T.V and mass media, attempt is being made to establish Kama or lust and enjoyment as good, useful and beneficial. Hence, one must be extremely careful, never to justify these two as good or righteous.

 Elsewhere Sri Krishna adds one more to the list of enemies: Lobha or greed.

Kamah krodhah tatha lobhah tasmad etad trayam tyajet.

These three have been named as the three gateways to hell.

Trivdham narakasyedam dvaram nashanam atmanah

Today various means have been devised to increase our greed and we must be extra careful

The second question which Arjuna asks also reflects our day to day situation. One’s mind is restless and it is extremely difficult to control it, like controlling fast blowing wind. And we know, concentrated and controlled mind is most important for any successful endeavour. In reply to Arjuna doubt, whether it is at all possible to control the restless mind, Sri Krishna tells him that the mind can be controlled by practice and by a spirit of detachment: Abhayas and Vairagya. The practice of control of mind must be done everyday without break for a very long time, with great devotion, dedication and tenacity.

Sa to dirgha kala nairantarya satkarasevito dhridadha bhumi(Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras)

As for Vairagya, one must not be scared of it. As a matter of fact, it is one of the greatest blessings which one can have in life. It is the spirit of detachment, which gives one a sense of freedom from psychological dependence and emotional bondage.

Raga, or attachment is intimately related to imagination and thought. Sri Krishna most vividly describes the steps though which we develop attachment- the opposite of Vairagya and come to ruin:

 “When a man broods on the object of senses, attachment to them is generated. From attachment is born desire and from desire, anger. Bewilderment follows anger, and from bewilderment comes loss of memory. Loss of memory results in destruction of intelligence and from there, the end.”

Dhayato vishayan punsah sangasteshoopajayate etc.

How careful must one be in one’s everyday life? 

The opposite of raga is Dwesha or hatred and both are bondages and cause lot of mental disturbance on our day to day life. Hence Sri Krishna repeatedly asks us to give them up.

Ragadwesha viyuktaistu vishayan indriyaisharan

On being free from these, we shall get a happy state of mind: Prasada which leads to destruction of all suffering.

Prasede sarva dukkhanam hanirasyopajayate.

Thus Sri Krishna teaches various techniques for developing detachment or vairagya, the most important being vichara or discrimination—discrimination between the unreal and the real, between the selk and the non self. The very discourse of Sri Krishna begins in the second chapter with this discrimination.

            Arjuna asks one more pertinent question which has become a major doubt in our day today life, in modern times. It has become extremely difficult to follow the righteous path, and to practice Yoga and control of mind. We are more likely to falter and fail, rather than succeed in noble enterprises. In such a case we doubt that we shall not achieve anything, neither material prosperity, nor spiritual wisdom. Both will be lost. Ubhaya vibrashtah.

 Sri Krishna in reply gives a very, very pertinent assurance. Hold on the righteous path whatever happens. You will never be a loser. A follower of the noble path, Kalyankrit is never destroyed.

Na hi kaliankrit kaschit durgatim tata gacchati

He might apparently appear to be a loser, but in the long run either here or hereafter in later births, he is rewarded. This is a very important message for the modern times and for all of us, who find it extremely difficult to hold on to the righteous path in our everyday life.

IV

Constant Remembrance of God

The Gita teaches that one must act and yet must not be obsessive about the fruits of its action and retain equanimity of mind. But how should this be done? How must one train the mind? Gita says, constantly remember God and fight. Sri Krishna promises that He fulfils all the needs of any one who worships him by constant remembrance and who is wholly united with him in thought.

Ananyaya chintayanto mam ye jana

 If the mind and intellect are set on Him, the person, even though engaged  physically  in worldly activity, he shall attain Him without doubt. Krishna says

                                    tasmat sarveshu kaaleshu maamanusmara yudhya cha

                                    mayyarpita manobuddhir maamevaishyasyasamshayah

            In this Kurukshetra of existence, therefore, the message of the Gita is that there is no point in shirking or abstaining from work. However, even as a person is at work, he or she must never forget God. When the fickleness of mind is controlled through this mental pre-occupation with God, the action of a person would not be clouded by an overt concern for the fruit, which the Gita intermittently goes on emphasizing.

            The Gita also emphasizes that whatever action you undertake to perform- whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever you give away, whatever austerities you practice--let all of them be given to God as an offering:

                                    Yat karoshi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshi dadaasi yat

                                    Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurushva madarpanam

            In the beautiful postscript to his translation of the above verse, S. Radhakrishnan says,

            “Self giving results in the consecration of all acts to God. The tide of the common tasks of daily life must flow through the worship of God. Love of God is not an escape from the harshness of life but a dedication for service. Karma Marga or the way of works which starts with the duty of performance of prescribed rites concludes with the position that all tasks are sanctified when done with dis-interestedness and dedication.”

            And then he goes on with a rendition, as follows, of a Sanskrit verse which we usually hear in the Hindu homes in their traditional prayer:

            “Myself is Thyself, my understanding is Girija (Shiva’s wife), my life functions are my comrades, the body is my home, my worship is the varied enjoyment of the sense objects, my sleep is the condition of concentration. My steps are movement round the temple and all utterances are prayers. Whatever act is done by me, every one of them O Lord!  is a worship of Thee.”

V

 Begin the Day with Meditation

In order to strengthen this practice of working externally and remembering God in his heart, Gita suggests that from one’s daily chore, one should daily try to meditate. Let us begin our day with meditation. Let us get up early in the morning and sit in a clean place on a firm seat neither too high nor too low covered with Kusha grass, a dear skin and a cloth, one over the other. Having seated himself thus, making his mind single pointed, controlling his thought and senses, he should practice Yoga for the purification of the self. He should hold his body, head and neck, erect and still looking with a fixed gaze at the tip of his nose without letting his eyes wonder. Serene and fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, let him sit controlling his mind and thoughts turned to me.

Here the Lord gives  some hints about healthy living also. One must avoid extremes of activity or inactivity, of sleeplessness and excessive sleep, over eating and fasting. One must practice moderation in eating, and activity as well as in sleep and wakefulness. The man who is temperate in food and recreation, restrained in actions, regular in sleeping and waking up, attains to Yoga. This discipline kills all sorrow.

But on whom should we meditate? Shri Krishna says we must meditate on the Atman. But this is too abstract for the beginner. Is there no other alternative? Yes, there are many. One can mediate on a divine form and in the Gita many forms have been described starting from the Divine form with two arms, four arms and even the universal form with thousand arms. One may meditate according to one’s aptitude. Apart from these, the Bhagvad Gita provides a unique picture for meditation that of Shri Krishna sitting in the Chariot and guiding Arjuna: Parthasarathi Shri Krishna. Before leaving our residence for our work place, let us deeply mediate upon this calm serene image of Shri Krishna which Swami Vivekananda has beautifully described thus, “ Shri Krishna ought to be painted as he really was, the Gita personified, and the central idea of the Gita should radiate from his whole form…. Intense action in the whole body and withal a face expressing profound calmness and serenity of the blue sky! This is the central ideal of the Gita to be calm and stead fast in all circumstances with once body, mind and soul centered at his hallowed feet. This picture of the Chariot is in fact, an excellent object for meditation – A Dhyana Chitra.

It is also a very good habit to read one chapter of Gita everyday soon after our meditation deeply mediating upon the meaning of every shloka. Some people read one chapter say, the 12^th Chapter or the last 18 verses of Second Chapter comprising the Sthitapragia Darshana, daily. These two portions describe a series of values, and daily repetition produces deep impression on the mind in long run. Swami Vivekananda has said, “ Fill the mind with one idea….. ”

            There is another technique of reading the Gita : Begin with reading from beginning to end. After a period of time, you will have a clear idea of the whole book. Then you can just concentrate on one chapter, reading it every day, day by day throughout the year. Finally you might come to a stage when you might feel that just one or two shlokas from one chapter have enough guidelines for your whole life. It might convey to you few values which may take a whole life time to practice.

Equanimity and Forebearance

            When we come out of our house after this spiritual breakfast as taught by the Bhagvad Gita, we are confronted with a world which is a mixture of good and evil, of situations pleasant and unpleasant and of success and failure. The Gita has a powerful and clear message of how to face this situation? The Gita says face it with manliness and with equanimity. When Arjuna got depressed, Shri Krishna scolded him and asked him to given up unmanliness. The same is the message for all of us. It is also equally important that we must not disturb our peace of mind in success or failure, in loss or gain, in happiness or misery. (Sukhe dukha –same kritva )      

            We really don’t mind happiness or pleasant situations. In fact we seek them. And have to face many unpleasant, irritating situations in our day to day life. However much we avoid them we cannot escape from them. And the Gita has a precise answer for them. Sri Krishna says: Sensations arising from the contact of senses with their objects are painful or pleasant, hot or cold. They come and go. They are not permanent, they are transitory. Forebear them.

Matrasparshas to kaunteya shitoshna sukhadukhada

Agamapayino anitya tan titikshva bharata

 What a simple practical solution.

Gita is not a scripture which promises absence of suffering, nor is meant to destroy all suffering. No scripture ever does or will ever do. All of them including Gita teach us how to face suffering. Suffering will always be there, you must learn to bear it.

VI

Divine and Demoniac Qualities

            In chapter 16, a graphic description has been given of persons possessed with divine attributes followed by those with  demoniac attitude. Some learned commentators of the Gita are of the opinion that before reading other chapters, one must read this chapter, so that we  may know our good and evil tendencies. Before embarking upon the spiritual journey, one must first purify oneself. Swami Yatiswaranandaji used to say that be a gentleman first and then become spiritual. We often have a very inflated opinion of ourselves and consider ourselves very learned and saintly, whereas we might be simply egoistic fools.

 Carefully studied, these verses also tell us the traits of those deeply attached to the fruits of their work, full of pride, vain glory and egotistic tendencies. `I’, `me’ and `mine’ are the operative words in all their actions. Such people can attain neither Samatava nor equanimity nor efficiency in action, because of inherent obsessive ness which clouds their judgment and discretion. They cannot therefore, become Yogis, for the simple reason that they cannot surrender the fruit of their action to the Will of the Supreme, nor can they overcome the fleeting waves of their mind. Even if for a while, they seem to be achieving success through means fair or foul, without any concern for the common welfare, they eventually land themselves in trouble. Gita therefore, insists that while we must do the work commensurate with our Svabhaava -nature, we should not hanker after the result or success and failure.

The Gita lays great stress on character and at least at three places the character of an ideal person – an ideal Bhakta – the sthitapragya and the gunatita have been described. Of course at other places, noble values are also described like the gyana sadhana in the 13^th chapter and devi sampad in the 16^th chapter. The components of ethics, for example, truth, non injury, non stealing, physical and internal purity, self control, abstention from hypocrisy, humility, uprightness, forgiveness etc. have been delineated and emphasized upon. These are meant to be practiced in our daily life. It has also been said that these must be practiced without arrogance and conceit or a sense of self importance.

Sri Shankracharya in his commentary on the Gita says that the marks of an ideal person, a sthitapragya are the sadhana or practices for others. So, all these are to be practiced in our day to day life. Swami Vivekananda says, it is character that cleaves through the adamantine walls of difficulties. This one lesson that one must build ones character on the lines laid down by the Bhagwad Gita is in itself enough for our every day life apart from the answers it provides for the problems of our worldly existence. It is worth quoting here few passages from the 12^th chapter, paraphrased by Swami Vivekananda as follows:

            "He who hates none, who is the friend of all, who is merciful to all, who has nothing of his own, who is free from egoism, who is even - minded in pain and pleasure, who is forbearing, who is always satisfied, who works always in Yoga, whose self has become controlled, whose will is firm, whose mind and intellect are given up unto Me, such a one is My beloved Bhakta. From whom comes no disturbance, who cannot be disturbed by others, who is free from joy, anger, fear, and anxiety, such a one is My beloved. He who does not depend on anything, who is pure and active, who does not care whether good comes or evil, and never becomes miserable, who has given up all efforts for himself; who is the same in praise or in blame, with a silent, thoughtful mind, blessed with what little comes in his way, homeless, for the whole world is his home, and who is steady in his ideas, such a one is My beloved Bhakta."

            The concept of the three gunas – satva, rajas and tamas and the details of their manifestations at various levels has great practical value. In 14^th,  17^th and 18^th Chapter, various types of activities have been classified in the three modes, Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika. So are the varieties of food as well as gifts. According to this classifications, one can identify his or her own category and, if required, move up the ladder for improvement.One can, by keeping a careful watch on oneself, find out the preponderance of one or more of the three gunas. Then one can conquer tamas by rajas and rajas by satva.