Salient Features of Gita

First of all let us have a glimpse of what's on the platter. It has certain advantages. It tells us what to expect and one can decide whether he/she would be interested in investing(i dont use "spending") more time on this topic. It sharpens the interest and helps in holding it intact. This is akin to the "trailer" of the movie thats going to be screened :-)

"Sanyas" or inaction: Gita is against inaction

At the beginning of Gita, Arjuna in a lengthy and impassioned monologue presents to Krishna his “confusion,” which is really a plea to inaction, to avoidance of conflict, thinking that such a negative condition is peace, whereas peace is a positive state, not the mere absence of unrest and conflict. It is also reached only through unrest and conflict, however little we like the fact. After listening to all that Arjuna has to say, krishna urges him to act -

"klaibyam mâ sma gamah pârtha naitat tvayy upapadyate
khsudram hrdaya-daurbalyam tyaktvottistha parantapa"

"O son of Prithâ, do not yield to this degrading inaction. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy."

"tyakta + vuttistha" which means "leave it(inaction) and getup" shows the urgency with which one has to get rid of "inaction"

Gita says that if one has to "give up", they have to give up their desires first. They have to give up bad emotions(greed, lust, anger, jealousy...the list goes on)first. After one has reached the stage where their mind is totally pure, only then they can give up "action" and afford to be "inactive". As in stop doing any karma and take sanyas. "Action" or "karma" here means your worldly responsibilities of being a son/daughter, husband/wife and father/mother ..etc.

But in the world we see ppl doing otherwise. The first thing that someone gives up is "responsibilities" :-) and they take sanyas. The residue of the "worldly thoughts" is still with them. They keep struggling to keep it under check, which is impossible(we shall see why later) . Occassionally and predictably they stumble, giving bad name to genuine sanyasis and sanyasins and demotivating others!!!

It says that minds very nature is to be restless. In the modern parlance it is said that "An Idle mind is devils workshop" So do not try to take it to "thoughtless" (Idle) state from a state of turmoil. That way you are only inviting the Devil. It is not feasible. Calm it down first! Keep your mind occupied with good thoughts and keep doing good deeds till you remove the very last of the negetive emotions/thoughts.

So it is imperetive that you "act" (attend to your responsibilities)

Approach towards action


So if it is imperetive that one continues to act, how do one go about doing it?

"karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango 'stv akarmani"

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but not to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

Attend to all your worldly responsibilities. Have pure mind with good thoughts and do a good deed. Your duty is done! Do not be attached to your actions and hence the results! "

Vivekananda rightly says "A golden chain is as much a chain as iron one. So it is important that one does not get attached to good deeds either.Just be detached."

As you may have observed, we are disappointed only when something is expected and we dont get it. We do a good deed and expect a good outcome, which need not be the case always. There may be numerous external factors, out of your control which may change the output. You need not be depressed by the outcome. "ye kaise ho gaya! meine kya socha kar kiya, aur ye kya hogaya. I am always like this..so on and so forth"

Where there is no expectation, there is no disappointment and hence no sorrow!

Fatalism in Gita: Gita is against Fatalism


This gives room for the "opportunist" in us to abandon the "responsibility" of the result and become fatalistic. A student might say "I did my best in the exams. But i failed. I am having "bad time"! No one can change whats written!"

Nothing is "written", it is only "probability". The effort Vs result graph has another dimension called probability. Bad time means "less probability". Good time means "more probability"

So you are having "good time" when with less effort you get the required result. During "bad time" you need to increase your effort to get the same result.

It is the "effort" that is under your control. "Probability" is under "Nature/Gods" control. So when you know that the probability is less, instead of giving it as a lame excuse and blaming on "bad time", increase your efforts to achieve the same result!!!!

Act as if it is impossible to fail and you will never fail!!!

In Gita, God does not say, "I am everything. You are my helpless pawn with no free will what so ever." He says you are the Architect of your life. "YOU DECIDE" what YOU do! When Arjuna talks at length on why he doesnt want to go to war with his cousins, Krisha only gives him the facts. And in the end, the last chapter of Gita he says

"iti te jnanam akhyatam guhyad guhyataram maya
vimrsyaitad asesena yathecchasi tatha kuru"

Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.

Krishna presented the facts and asked Arjuna to do the thinking and decide what he wants to do(yat ichhasi, tat kuru). Arjuna cannot say to Krishna later "YOU" wanted me to fight, so i fought ;-)) Hence there is no giving up of the ownership/responsibility of your deeds.

(Remember, it is ownership of the results that you have to give up....not the deeds..quite tricky..huh?!? :-))

And it also proves that each of us have options at every cross road and what we are is determined by the choices we make and "WE ALONE" are "responsible" for what we are and where we end up !
Source: TheGeethaFanClub.rediffiland.com