Just Do It

 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 choose the Demonic qualities you will neither gain excellence (siddhi), nor happiness (sukham) and you can forget about the eternal bliss (param gati)! He is laying down a clear pathway in front of you to make your own destiny.

So, what are these properties or qualities? He starts by reeling off 25 of the divine ones which will lead you towards the path of happiness. Each one the qualities mentioned is a gem in itself and if followed with intensity and fervour can lead you to your destination. We will examine just 3 qualities which have a common theme, each of qualities help you on your path to excellence, success AND spiritual advancement.

Let us start with the first quality which is the first word Krishna says in this chapter: Abhayam, Fearlessness. Before talking about the spiritual impact of this quality, spend a moment on the impact of this quality on excellence and success. It is one of the most prominent quality of successful people in any field: Athletes, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, students, scientists…. Think of any successful icon and fearlessness will come to the fore. Krishna says this a quality that’s going to be essential in your journey to eternal happiness as well. More importantly, this journey will teach you how to be fearless. How? It helps you to become aware of the cause of fear and the impermanence of the cause. The cause of every fear lies in the realm of Body, Mind or Intellect and over the last few chapters Krishna has given us multiple techniques to manage this amazing BMI complex. The more we become detached with this BMI, the lesser the fear, leading you to amazing spiritual levels. As is said: “The day you become fearless, your life becomes limitless”.

The second quality is Fortitude (Dhriti). Loosely defined as willpower, again it has the same theme as the first one: helps you succeed in your everyday life as well as being a huge impetus to your spiritual journey. One of the biggest misconceptions about willpower is that it is an innate trait and cannot be built. Over years of scientific studies have proven this to be a big myth. Willpower is like a muscle; it can be built over a period of time and is one of the most critical drivers of one’s happiness and success.

The third quality which is very closely linked to Dhriti is Damah (Sense control). Krishna says one of the most critical qualities as we move on this path is control over our five senses (Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight & Sound). Adi Shankracharya in some of his texts as well as his commentary on Geeta has incessantly stressed on Damah as being an absolute must for progress towards any purpose. One of his most stark example is in Vivekchudamani where he talk about how even one of these sense attachments leads to death of various creatures (e.g. Moth to light, elephant to touch etc.). So, you can imagine the peril of a human being where all the 5 senses attract you all the time.

After the divine qualities, Krishna mentions 3 demonic qualities to avoid steadfastly as these will lead you to endless anxieties and literally make your life a living hell: Lust, Anger & Greed (Kama, Krodha, Lobha). While these are mentioned in practically every single scripture as doorways to Hell, Krishna adds one more interesting observation. If you look around, you will see majority of the world being totally driven by exactly these 3 demonic qualities and then they wonder that why does happiness elude them. He ends the chapter by laying down the fundamental law of nature as clearly as he can with a passionate plea: Please use this scripture as a “Do & Don’t manual” for your everyday actions and write your destiny of bliss.