In human life, the guru's place is pre-eminent. By keeping utmost faith in Guru alone, everything is obtained.
A devotee's entire strength is due to his guru. Devotion to the guru is superior to devotion to gods and goddesses.
The guru is the supreme being.
సాయి రూపాన్నే ధ్యానిద్దాము, సాయి పాదాలనే పూజిద్దాము !
సాయి మాటలే మన మంత్రాలు, సాయి కృపే మనకు మోక్షము!!


Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Bhagavad- Gita 1- Conflict and Mental state





In the battlefield Arjuna saw all his family members on both sides and told Lord Krishna as follows.

Krishna! My limbs are failing and my mouth is parched, my body is quivering and my hair stands on end. The bow (Gandiva) is slipping from my hand, my skin burns all over; I am also unable to stand and my mind is whirling around. I see adverse omens, O kesava; I do not see any good in killing my kinsmen in battle.

Na Kaankshe  vijayam Krishna na cha raajyam sukhaani cha!
Kim no raajyena govinda kim bogair- jeevitena vaa!!

O krishna! I desire no victory, no kingdom, no pleasures. What good is this kingdom, pleasures and I feel this life itself is not worth living.

Arjuna has a clear understanding of what Duryodhana did to his brothers, wife and his whole family. He also knows how bad is to leave the kingdom under Duryodhana and how much people will suffer. Lord Krishna himself tried to establish peace but this did not work. When Pandavas decided to go for war, Krishna told them to fight against unrighteousness but not for selfish reasons.

We have to face the conflict if we have selfish motives. If things do not go the way we plan, we have a problem. The intensity of conflict depends on the type of problem we have and how much it impacts us. Sometimes we might feel similar to Arjuna, thinking that everything in life is useless. He said that he did not want all bad karma by killing his family members and his teachers. We can find several reasons when we do not want to do certain things. We behave like a learned person and can offer all kinds of advice.

Kaarpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah pruchhaami tvam dharma sammudha cheetah!
Yacchreyayah syan nischitam bruhi tan me sisyasteham saadhi maam tvaam prapannam!!

Arjuna says: My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to duty. I ask Thee, tel me decisively what is good for me. I am Thy disciple. Please instruct me and I have taken refuge in you.

Arjuna expressed so much sorrow, conflict and his despair. He even felt that life is not worth living. Lord Krishna did not say a word until Arjuna surrendered. He is the greatest teacher of all. We all have a tendency to jump to conclusions and eager to advice. We do not make an effort to understand the other person. Sometimes we share our problems with other people but do we have the open mind to accept their advice? We will only accept if the advice is in line with our thinking.  But who is the loser here?

Life is filled with conflicts. During the school years, kids have so many distractions now a days and it is so difficult to focus on their studies in the mist of TV, computers, Tablets and I- Pads. They are also distracted so much by cell phones and texting. They know that they have to be serious in their studies but they are helpless. We decide to do a task but we take detours and get distracted. We become lazy and totally give up at times. Some of us want to adopt the spiritual path and walk towards God but worldly objects pull us in different directions. We get involved in unnecessary issues. Here we know the truth but there is conflict every day and in every action. Who should we ask for advice in these situations?


We need to resort to a great teacher or whoever can give proper advice. Then only we can find a solution to our problem. We cannot tolerate any pain if our loved ones are suffering. We need to understand our mental state and attitude in these difficult situations. Everything in this world has an expiry date. In a similar way all the problems in our life are temporary. The values in our lives will teach us the right way.  if we have faith in the great Gurus, they will remind us the values when we get distracted . 

We expect the world around us to be certain way but it does not work always. Sometimes we will get lucky. The world is always changing but our values should not change. Understanding these values, and learning how to apply them in our daily life is the main theme in Bhagavad-Gita. That’s what Lord Krishna taught Arjuna. We will also learn those principles and learn to walk that path.

Sri Sai Krishna Gurave Namah!
   

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