Bhagavad Gita is one of the most renowned spiritual wisdom in Hindu as well as Indian religious scriptures (Bhagavad Gita=God’s Knowledge). It is also known for one of the most influential books in human spiritual development. I personally, also very much motivated by the teachings and conversation between Lord Krishna and His dearest devotee Arjuna which is comprised of eighteen chapters of various lessons. Sometimes it is also said that, this conversation is between the mind and the soul; mind as Arjuna and soul as Krishna. This conversation was took place when Arjuna refused to fight against his uncle’s sons Duryodhana and his aligned group in the battle field of Kuruksetra. His mind was so depressed and confused that he was feeling better to live as common people although he was a prince warrior. By looking Arjuna’s such broken hearted Lord Krishna taught him from various grounds to performed his own duties without thinking for any other reasons; one should do his duties without any condition. There are deep lessons that can be learnt from their conversations which can give a path in our practical life. We all are like Arjuna that weaken our self because of over thinking towards the result of an action and fails to do right duties and right decisions in right time. Here, I picked-up some of the important texts which are useful lessons to become a successful one in life. With different motives different scholars have explained the wisdom of Bhagavad Gita in slightly different way. Here, I am going to discuss the simple and practically important lessons in short of the texts without entering deep spiritual meanings.
Looking distressed Arjuna, Lord Krishna said, “Considering your specific duty as a ksatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation”. Arjuna was a prince and a warrior too. Therefore, his foremost duty at the battle field was to fight against his enemy. The battle happening in Kuruksetra was not only the matter of kingdom but also the fight in between the justice and injustice, truth and untruth. And fighting against the warriors of Duryodhana was not only the matter of personal thing but also the matter of re-establishment of religion, justice and to give victory of the truth. Therefore, Lord Krishna told Arjuna to follow his duties for the welfare of the nation, for the security of justice and truth without any bewildered and engaged in the battle. In another sense Kuruksetra was a field of work rather than battle field that everyone do something good or bad; right or wrong in life. When we come out for work such situations arises in our daily life. Many times we faced problems and confused to figure out the right duty of our-self. In such situation a person should have the knowledge of the thing that, at that moment which is ones foremost duty and knowing that one should perform it without hesitation or laziness. On the other hand, our mind also a kind of battle field like Kuruksetra, where the mindset due to our physical senses and the soul fights. And the side who win in this battle, a person become the follower of it. Our mind is very unstable and it always tries to satisfy itself. Therefore, before doing or deciding anything one should justify the truth with peaceful state. To control and to have steadiness one should practice some procedures like yoga. Such steady state of mind creates useful notions at right moments and makes a follower of justice and truth.
Continuing, Lord Krishna again told Arjuna, “If however you do not perform your religious duty of fighting, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lost your reputation as a fighter”. While telling Arjuna to perform his prescribed duty as ksatriya (person who is responsible for administration), He also told the consequences of neglecting his duty. In practical it is a kind of mistake that many people do because of their incomplete knowledge of their chief duty for different situations and become a victim of regrets. At the end, people realised that he/she was wrong and now he/she is suffering as a result of his/her own work. Therefore, Lord Krishna told what the consequences would be if he run away from his ultimate duty because of his temporary love, affection and honour to his elders, brothers and gurus those who are not saying even a single word to provide justice for them and for the safety of religion; those who are the partial of injustice; to whom he considered as his own family. He will be lost everything with reputation, respect, kingdom etc. which is more painful than dead. If he dies in battle field, he will be known as hero; if he won, he will get his kingdom and able re-established justice, truth and religion; Lord Krishna tried to aware the soul of Arjuna which is a partial of super-soul. Like-wise we all should be sincere to make a decision with total awareness of the facts with pure mind; without any partiality to someone. Such work will be full of ultimate satisfaction and happiness. And neglecting such responsibilities will leads to suffering from various negative reactions and regrets because of failure in life.
To make His dearest devotee and friend Aruja clear understanding, Krishna said, “You have a right to perform your prescribed duty; you are not entitled to the fruits of your action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities and never be attached to not doing your duty”. By this Krishna tried to break the fruitve mindset of Arjuna as he is worried by thinking about the consequences of battle of Kuruksetra, where hundreds of thousands of warriors will be killing each other between brothers and family members; thousands of women will lose their husbands; children will lose their father. But Krishna told that doing one’s prescribed duty is accordingly their rights but the result of one’s work is not on his hand. He does not have rights either to prescribe the fruit of his work nor rights to deprive someone from their rights to achieved. The fruits of all acts are on the hand of God, the Supreme Being. If He does not want, you will not get anything. But doing his/her duties is as per the willingness of the God. Therefore, He asked Arjuna not to do his duty with the expectation of the fruit but do as a matter of his duty. In reality most of the people do their work for the hope of the consequences as they want. Because of such intensions of doing work if they failed to achieved they depressed and if they achieved, they become proud and ego comes into mind; they used to think I’m the winner; I’m the best of everyone. And such person failed to see everyone in equal treatment, which is not a sign of a successful person. Therefore, doing one’s duty as a matter of God’s advice without hope of the results is the best and right way of one’s perfection in life. So, Krishna forced His dearest devotee to perform his duty and said, “Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one’s physical body without work”. Here, Krishna is giving an essential example that performing one’s prescribed duty is an unavoidable matter as like our physical body. To maintain our physical health, we must eat fresh and healthy food on time; must drink water; we must do physical exercise to keep our body strong and fit. If someone avoid to doing so he/she will certainly fall into sick and become a failure person in life. Similarly, in social world also, prescribed duties and responsibilities are an unavoidable work. Avoiding their duties by the administrators, bureaucrats, social servants will surely bring the destructive environment in the society. Such things are happening in Mahabharata, when the king Dhrtarastra- father of Duryodhana, and other responsible personalities like Guru Drona, Guru Kripa and Grandfather Bhisma etc. were running away from their duties and failed to stop the injustice and violence lead by Duryodhana. These were the incidents which can be seen in today’s modern societies very frequently. Officers, administrators, ministers and the elders of the society, teachers have great responsibilities for the nation building and living as Human. Failure of such responsible and powerful personalities in their prescribed duties is much more harmful for the survival of peace & harmony and prosperity of a society than common men. Therefore, it is very essential for everyone to do their respective duties- parents, guardians, elders, teachers, administrators, servants, students etc. whatever their work is in full responsibility of absolute truth.
Krishna told, “One who is in knowledge of Absolute Truth, O mighty armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the difference between work in devotion and work for fruitive results”. Through this text Krishna concludes that, those who have the knowledge of absolute truth, he/she know the difference between devotional work and work for results. Here, devotional work is that work which is being done with no eagerness of achieving the result, in which the result of the work is being surrendered to the Supreme Being, the God; in which it is done as a matter of God’s given duty. On the other hand, work for fruitive results is filling with various eagerness, emotional feelings and unhappiness. Such works is being done only one’s personal satisfaction of body and mind. Doer of such work is always attached with the ego, proudness and respect from others. Such person lives in this world because of physical sense gratification and tries to achieve such satisfactions by any means. They are filled with impurities and think only for themselves.
“A self-realized man has no purpose to fulfil in the discharge of his prescribe duties, nor has he any reason not to perform such work. Nor has he any need to depend on any other living being. Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme” Krishna said. In the entire Bhagavad Gita, Krishna repeatedly told to get rid the work with fruitive results. One should do the work as the matter of duty whatever he/she have and no attachment to the result of the action which is known as work by devotion. Because, such submission of himself/herself to God and doing prescribed duties without attachment to the fruits of works can give self-reliance, consistent, persistence and steady determination which leads to the perfection of a person. Such person has pure mind and keeps growing for ever without influenced of joy and sorrow. Devotional works will certainly give the ultimate fruit; that leads to attain the Supreme Being which is the purpose of life. But not to do by the greed of the fruits for satisfaction of senses which make a person greedy and ego and degrades the personality and the soul of a person. These are the beautiful lessons of Gita that connects us from the soul to our society.
Although Bhagavad Gita is an ancient literature, modern days cannot avoid the lights obtain from it. Still it is the guide of many great personalities. M.K. Gandhi once said about the Bhagavad Gita, “When doubts hunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who mediate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day.” OM
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