Introduction
The Bhagavad Gita (aka Gita) is a 5000 year old 700 verse Hindu scripture that consists of the dialogue between Pandava Prince Arjun and Lord Krishna. Arjun who was about to participate in the largest war of his life, and perhaps the largest war the nation had seen at the time on the battlefield of Kurukshetra had to fight against his relatives who were on the side of evil (adharma). The events leading up to the war, during and after are chronicled by Sage Ved Vyas in the Mahabharata (literally translates to Great India (Bharata being another word for India). It was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra that Lord Krishna, who was Arjun's charioteer, showed Arjun his divine form and gave him the courage necessary to fight the war for dharma (roughly translates to truth and preservation of cultural values).
Why does the Gita matter?
Today many of us are fighting battles just like Arjun. We are fighting battles with temptations, anger, and a multitude of other issues. And to make matters worse, illusion and manipulation is all around us. The media, often through manipulation is creating the illusion that we need to focus on certain problems over others, and is spreading negativity often leading to people committing actions that do not preserve the values of our society. In today's modern and complicated world, the Gita can be used to inspire courage in each and every one of us, and ultimately help us focus on the things that matter in our lives.
Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani
: Chapter 2, Verse 47 of the Gita
Translation: You have the right to perform your actions,but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions. Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, and therefore you won’t be attached to not doing your duty.
Today many of us are attached to the fruit of our actions. Often driven by greed, we forget that there are other paths to happiness besides money. We lose the courage to stand up to our inner demons as we fall deeper into fixed mindsets. I often hear, "The reason I started blogging was because I wanted to make some big money," the people that say this are usually disappointed when they see their posts make pennies and end up giving up writing and blogging completely. Whereas those people who write simply because they love writing are consistent and usually end up becoming successful one way or another. Minor setbacks do not come in the way of their passion. Just like this verse there are many powerful verses in the Gita that can inspire the common man to maximize his potential, and help change the world for the better.
