The Bhagvad Gita – Chapter 3 – Selfless Service

Here’s the third chapter of this great epic. Arjuna is embattled with questions, by now. He asks the Lord if Knowledge is better than Action, why is he asking him to engage in this war? And the Lord replies thus: You are a sinless one, dear Arjuna. As explained earlier, there are 2 paths you can trod: the path of jnana (for a knowledge seeker) or the path of karma (for the action oriented) There is a state beyond action also which requires real grit to achieve. However,note that there is no one in this world who can be free of action. The deluded think that they are the doer, but in truth, the gunas (sattva, rajasic or tamasic) are acting, at any point of time. Great is the man who can use his mind to control his senses and do his karma without attachment. Action is very important because we cannot sustain even our body without it.

All action binds us. The only action that does not bind us is sacrifice. The action performed in the name of God, without any attachment. The Gods satisfied with your action shall reward you aptly. Those who eat their food without thanking the Gods is a thief. Hence offer your food to the Gods. This food which has been blessed by the Gods is the leftover that we should eat. As you know food is  responsible for our thoughts. Food is nourished by the  rains, which again downs on us with a sacrifice. (the duties well done without expectation).

One who is free from duties and who is content in himself, derives happiness from the Self. He/She is truly happy who is content internally. There is no purpose that motivated a wise man. He/She does his/her duty as demanded, without any expectation of the fruits. Remember, we covered this in Chapter 2. There were great kings like Janaka who did their duty in this sporting manner and achieved results beyond their wildest imagination. Whatever such great men do, others follow. They set an example for others. Then the Lord says that there is nothing in all these 3 worlds that he doesn’t have, but he keeps working away like the Sun, spreading his light silently without any expectation. Imagine if God were to take a break, the whole world would be in Pandemonium. Hence he keeps working always and sets this example in front of others.

O great Arjuna, just like the ignorant are attached to their actions, the wise do it without expectations. The wise should not try to influence the souls which are ignorant, lest they may forget their duty in between. All people act according to their nature (gunas acting actually) and those who understand this concept, have a good understanding about themselves. Just like smoke covers fire, lust hides a human beings potential. Above the senses is the intellect. Hence as a parting gift the Lord asks Arjuna to control his senses through action with unalloyed devotion.

The secret behind this chapter is understanding the meaning of duty, the path of jnana and karma and doing things without attachment. Desires are fine, but selfish desires are not.

Hope that gave you a brief overview of this lesson.

More to come in a week’s time.

Stay tuned.

Guru30

Why this Kolvari Di (The truth behind passion)

A song in recent times that became popular is ‘Why this Kolveri Di?’. This is a phrase in Tamil language which roughly translates to ‘Why this murderous rage against me, dear lady. ?’ Kola means murder and veri means rage and Di as in addressing a lady. If you try to analyze why this song went viral, well you can reach various conclusions. My feeling is that it simply is a meaningless song with lots of meaning embedded in it. Allow me to explain.

Some people have this passion for a belief. This belief may be simply something like “All fit men are attractive”, hence I should also be fit. Well, this seems like a rational belief, but some people take up fitness with a vengeance. They workout very hard at the Gym and put in extra hours to achieve a fit body. And you know what? The results may be good (provided he / she doesn’t injure him/herself in the process) but the matter doesn’t end there.

Of course, staying fit and being attractive makes us feel good inside, but we don’t have to be desperate. Even obesity or slimness has its own beauty. Some people have preferences for say plump men or women. Others may think that being thin is dashing. As they say, different strokes for different folks. Nevertheless, the fact remains that a majority of people think that fit men and women are more attractive. It’s not a universal law. But it helps.

Now coming back to our Kolaveri, the matter of the fact is that some people are driven by a passion which surmounts to being murderous. This is typically arising from the pent-up anger inside (a rajasic tendency, if you know what I mean) which can border on the lines of insanity. A lot of great men and women had this inside them. What they have achieved is clearly in front of us in the form of history. The pendulum of the good and bad have swung both ways and we are experiencing their mania in these times also.

My take: Passion is good but not so much so that it becomes insanity. Also passion should be for the universal good. A deep passion for something like ‘This is wrong or this is right’ can prove counter-productive. We do not have to be opinionated, even though, that is what some people call as character. A cause in the right direction (although there is no such thing in the absolute sense) can prove to be beneficial for everyone. A bad motive (again this is relative) doubled with a deep passion can prove detrimental.

How do we choose which is the path to be trodden? Remember what Lord Krishna says ‘Everything in moderation’ No excesses. Passion – yes. Murderous passion – no. Passion drives us forward. At the same time, we may become color blind because we tend to believe so deeply in this fictitious concept that everything else seems to fade away in the kick. It’s very essential to see the real as it is. And with a passionate mind we won’t be able to. Passion also can bind us in the form of attachments. Hence dear friends, I leave it to you, to decide.

With all my love …

Guru30