Bhagavad Gita as one and all knows is the enlightening collection of the lessons given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the epic battle of Mahabharata. Mahabharata has been one of the greatest Indian epics read so far and has gained appreciating readers worldwide. The Gita undoubtedly becomes the essence of the entire story for it is due to this that the moral righteousness and knowledge comes forward. The dialogue between Pandava Prince Arjuna and his Charioteer and best friend Krishna has such magnificence that often it is held as more significant to Mahabharata. It was during the battle of Kurukshetra that the Lord came to the Prince’s rescue not only as his ally but also as his pathfinder. He helps Arjuna get rid of his doubts and dilemmas and thus make effective decisions such that everyone is justified by the end of the battle. The Bhagavad Gita thus becomes a source of propriety and condemnation of moral indignation. Here are 10 important life lessons we can learn from the same.
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Anger causes bad judgments
In the moment of anger, we tend to lose our sense of judgment. Our ability to distinguish between right and wrong diminishes and in worst cases even disappears if the anger is prolonged. Those who lose the power to differentiate between right and wrong are likely to make the biggest errors of their life, be it in speech or in action. The person would bring havoc in his life as well as cause dreadful effects in the life of others. It is always advisable to gain back peace and let go of anger for it is a devastator.
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Soul is eternal
The soul is invincible. It is just the body that gets defeated in the face of a sickness or any ailment. The body, being mortal, wears out and eventually fades away, but there is nothing like the demise of the soul. It simply waits to assume yet another body. The cycle is never ending. So we need not grieve the death of a loved one for it has to be understood that their physical form may have departed from us, but their soul is still alive and always will be. Similarly, there is no reason to fear death for everything that is mortal and human needs to leave one day for good.
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Be moderate towards everything
Following extremities would ultimately lead to a downfall. We should rather opt for a life that is balanced out in every aspect and one which allows no room for extremes. If we think about working hard in order to achieve success, it might be a fairly good journey. But the excessive push that we give ourselves would ultimately take its toll on our health as well as on our mental well-being. The essence of the argument is that do not let yourself be obsessed by one thought for long. Take a step back and neutralize those extremities of your life. Do not fret from experiencing all the emotions of life.
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Focus on your hardwork and not on its outcome
We ought to put our attention and concentration on our input into a task. It is all that should matter. If we keep on constantly worrying and fretting about the consequences, then there wouldn’t arise a question of being able to deliver our best. Keeping all the mental processes occupied with questions like, “Will I be successful ?”, or “Will the consequences be in my favor?” would drift us far away from our main purpose, the purpose to work hard. So if you need to worry about something, then worry only about how you can improvise your efforts. Leave the rest to Him.
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You are not the only sufferer
If we look around ourselves, then we are likely to find many like us. By saying that we would find many like us means that we are never lone sufferers. There would be many just like us suffering through some problem or the other. All of us have our share of baggage to deal with and take care of. The only difference is that some choose to suffer in silence while others fail to do that for they need desperate care and emotional protection.
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There is no escape from Karma
The deeds that we perform in this lifetime will be balanced out with sufferings or bliss in this or another lifetime. But, a balance would be maintained by the end. There is no escape from our Karma, the good or bad deeds that we perform in a lifetime. We will be dealt accordingly on the basis of the goodness or the evilness of our actions. Hence one must keep a check on his or her deeds and not add to it negatively.
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Take responsibility
Do not run away from your duties. Living in a materialistic world and being human it is obvious for all of us to be having some or the other duty, be it of any magnitude. Adhere to your duty and carry it out faithfully. There is a reason as to why you have been given the particular part to play in the larger scheme of things. You might not be aware behind the reason of it and thus remain oblivious. But He very well knows the reason behind having assigned you a particular duty or a part to play. Have faith in his decisions.
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Let go
Being materialistic is one of the greatest shortcomings of us humans. We need to learn the art of letting go. We cannot possibly hold on to everything and drag it with us to our graves. Trying to maintain a hold over the tangible aspects of life would be naïve on our part. The only thing we can hold on to would be our Self. It would be the one and only thing that we would never be required to let go of.
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Freedom from desire
We need to free our minds from the constant cycle of gains and desires. Being involved in the humanly need of gaining more and more would ultimately lead to a state of mind where there would be no peace but only a place completely distraught. There is no end to the desire of acquisition and it is this desire that needs to be done away with.
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Have control over mind
One who succeeds in mastering control over their mind will save himself from a lot of pain and sufferings. In doing so he will get closer to the real Truth and it will be then that everything else would appear smaller and lesser significant to him. The path to attain this goal will be meditation.
The lessons of Bhagavad Gita can be very well implemented in daily life and once it is, human life would remain never like before.