The journey of life

When we started this journey, we talked about a 90 degree turn & as we come towards the end, this scripture still continues to surprise us by saying that it is only half the journey. In the 15 th chapter Krishna starts with a very interesting analogy to explain the revelations he has given in the previous chapter. Why is it that our life is driven by the motive of Rajas (Greed, anxiety, ambition) & Tamas (Sensual pleasures, ignorance) while happiness is so clearly linked to Sattva ? Krishna tries to give a simple problem statement and a simpler answer. First the problem statement: See the picture below and imagine you start the journey at the foot of this mountain, and you believe that the aim of your life to climb and reach the summit. If you are able to achieve it, you will be at top of the world and you will win. This is exactly what you are trying to do in real life as well and this is the source of your problem. You might ask, what is the problem? Well, the problem is...

After the 13 th chapter shakes the fundamental core of who we are and shows how our perspective of life is completely warped, Krishna knows it is bound to raise questions for a seeker. The quest for eternal happiness will seem even more elusive once one internalizes the concept of Kshetra (field) of life. So, he addresses the  question in the 14 th chapter: How to play in this newly discovered field ? Krishna says that you will need to understand the defining rules and only then you can play successfully and blissfully. Hence, he starts the first verse by saying that understanding this supreme knowledge ( Gyan uttamam ) is an absolute must. There are 3 aspects which make this knowledge so powerful: a)        This entire world, samsara, is very similar to a Virtual Reality game ( Yog Maya ) b)       There is an underlying code which drives the entire VR game and he explains it in this chapter c)    ...

Think about your favourite sport which you love playing or watching, for me its Tennis. Now assume for years, a player has been trying to get better and better at this sport. After years of playing & toiling, he gets a shock: He has been playing on the wrong field all his life. He was playing tennis on a cricket pitch! Seems ridiculous? Well, chapter 13 tells you that you are doing exactly the same. You are playing the game of life intensely & with great vigour but unfortunately you have not realized that you are on the wrong field. Let us get into why. The normal view of how the game of life is played is as follows: I am the player, the world outside is the field in which I play the game with all my supporters and detractors and the aim of the game is go out in this field and win the game by playing well. Right in the 2 nd verse of this chapter Krishna shreds this myth by saying the world outside is NOT your field. Your field ( Kshetra ) of life is your body. He doesn’t onl...