UNIVERSAL GURU LORD KRISHNA
कृष्णं वन्दे जगद्गुरुम्
Before the start of the Mahabharat battle, Arjuna wanted to be in the mid of battlefield to enable him to see the warriors of both the sides. As soon as he enters into the mid of battlefield, he feels guilty about his decision to fight against his own kinsmen and becomes despondent.
All guilt is an emotional warning sign. Sometimes guilt-prone people carry a strong sense of responsibility to others, and that responsibility makes other people see them as leaders. If guilt is suppressed, it may result in laziness, suspicion and frustration. The worst thing one can do when feeling guilty is to do nothing or abandon one’s duty as Arjuna said “My limbs fail and my mouth is parched, my body quivers and my hairs stand on end; Gandiva slips from my hand”(As per Bhagwad Gita, chapter 1)
सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ।
वेपथुश्च शरीरे में रोमहर्षश्च जायते ॥
गाण्डीवं स्रंसते हस्तात्वक्चैव परिदह्यते ।
न च शक्नोम्यवस्थातुं भ्रमतीव च मे मनः ॥
Krishna convinces him that his guilt feeling is inappropriate. Gita is the teachings of Krishna imparted to Arjuna when he lost his nerve on the battlefield at Kurukshetra , when he became despondent on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, unable to withstand the challenge of having to fight his own relatives, teachers and friends.
The Gita is the world’s foremost school of self-management and enables us to be successful and happy. A few points of learning from Gita are as follows:
- Be in present: Intelligent persons never worry about things happened in the past or likely to occur in future
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे ।
गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिताः ॥
- Be fearless: We all are everlasting soul. Nobody can make any harm to it. So there is nothing to be scared of
वेदाविनाशिनं नित्यं य एनमजमव्ययम् ।
कथं स पुरुषः पार्थ कं घातयति हन्ति कम् ॥
- Become Karmayogi (Be in action): A karma yogi takes pleasure in work itself, irrespective of its outcome. He enjoys living most of his time in the world of activity leading to his dream, rather than dwelling on the dream itself. He is focussed on `doing of work’ itself without the anxiety of a distant outcome at the end of the work. “You have right only to action, never to the fruits.” Don’t be attached to inaction nor be instrumental in making your action bear fruit as you have right only to act not in its results.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
- Act to contribute for the universe (society as a whole): The human being is indebted to each and every member of the universe such as elements, trees, animals, sages, parents, teachers, ancestors and scientists for what he is today. One who enjoys favours from the universe but does not return those favours, is a thief. Any selfless action or action imbued with the spirit of reaching out is what is meant by the word yajna. Krishna says it is this spirit of offering or yajna which harmoniously moves the cosmic wheel.
कर्म ब्रह्मोद्भवं विद्धि ब्रह्माक्षरसमुद्भवम् ।
तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म नित्यं यज्ञे प्रतिष्ठितम् ||
Everybody is assigned a certain role in life. May that role be performed to the best of one’s ability, not only for a personal gain but for the well-being of the macrocosm. All duties and actions that one has to perform may be looked upon as an opportunity to serve the universe.
- Adopt appropriate life style to get rid of problems:
युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा
- Develop yourself for growth: Always be busy in improving tour actions in order to grow. You yourself are your friend if you raise yourself to develop for the further growth, else you are your own enemy if you remain depressed.
उद्धरेदात्मनाऽत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
Thus the Gita offers many more valuable principles of life that you can use to achieve success and happiness in the world.
The Gita speaks of excellence in the world and beyond. It inspires you with a higher ideal. Move from mere physical delights to emotional motivation, intellectual stimulation and the highest the lure of the Infinite. The world does not need more brilliant or talented people. It needs ordinary people with extraordinary motivation. With a higher ideal you tap into your potential, become creative and energetic, and transform from an ordinary mortal to an extraordinary immortal.
Bhagwati Prasad Gupta 