The journey of life

In a way the last chapter of the Geeta is the end, but in many ways it’s a beginning. As Krishna ends his discourse, he tells Arjuna (and you) that he has shared the entirety of knowledge that is to be known. Now the choice is yours, do as you wish ( Yatha ichchhasi tatha kuru: 18.63 ).  So, you can continue life as you have always lived it, or you can turn the direction towards the path of eternal bliss. The way he summarizes the entire teachings in this chapter is stunning & virtually impossible to capture in a blog. It’s as if he is picking up the best flowers from each chapter and putting it into a beautiful bouquet for you to enjoy. He entwines the 3 yogas of Vedanta into a simple truth that can be simply condensed into one sentence: Your purpose is to find true happiness & this bliss is accessible to you right now, IF you know who you really are.   As a first principle, always remember your raison d’etre : reason for your existence. The purpose of your life ...

“Your faith decides the life you lead” ! Chapter 17 th starts with this bold proclamation which basically tells you that you are defined as an individual by your faith ( Yat sharadhah sah eva sah ). Now that is a big statement, so let us understand what “Faith” is, as it is probably the most misinterpreted word in history of religion.  Is it the same as belief? Is it defined as blind trust or hope? Not at all! Probably a short story I heard explained it the best: One day, an expert acrobat who used to walk the tightrope hundreds of feet above the ground decided to up the ante. He told the audience he will do it without a safety net. He asked the audience: “Do you believe I can do it?” The audience who had seen him do amazing acts shouted: “Yes!” He upped the ante even more: “Do you believe I can carry a child on my shoulder and do it?” The audience cheered even louder: “YES!” He asked: “All right since you believe in me so much, which of you will let your child come on my shoulder...

 Enough of the theory, lets ask a practical question: are you walking on the path to happiness? As he starts closing this amazing scripture, Krishna takes a very pragmatic approach in the last 3 chapters. Now that you know (hopefully!) about your true nature, the code of life and all the other concepts, he uses 16 th chapter to help you start using them. The application is a simple & practical synthesis of the teachings which you can start applying in every moment of your life from tomorrow morning. He starts with a simple analogy: As you go through life you can build two kinds of properties ( sampatti ), one of divine nature ( Daivi ) or the other of demonic nature ( Asuri ). Every act that you do is a choice between these two qualities and these choices will ultimately define who you become. In one of the most blunt and powerful message Krishna gives a very linear correlation  between your choices and your destiny as well. In the 23 rd verse, He says if you decide to...