Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: A Book of RulesRead

The rules of life and nature

What is the Gita? It is also a book of rules for every human being living in the world. You walk along a road, keeping to the right or left according to the rules. If you are travelling in a vehicle and see a red light ahead, you must stop, because failing to do so will mean bearing the penalty prescribed by the government’s rules.

This is only a small example. The whole of nature is a system created by God. It too operates according to the rules he has made, and that is why it remains alive. Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is a book of those rules made by the Lord, which Shri Krishna explained to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. At that time, Arjuna was about to break a rule established by the Supreme Being.

The question of duty in the face of attachment

Arjuna was born into a Kshatriya family. A Kshatriya’s task is to protect society and the state, to protect his family, and to protect himself. But when the time came to do all this, he began to withdraw. He could see before him his own relatives, who had repeatedly acted unjustly and caused suffering to him and his family. Yet, because of his attachment, Arjuna did not want to punish them. He began to retreat from his own duty. Shri Krishna then explained the first rule he had made: no human being should abandon the performance of their duty. It is through this that the world continues, the sun moves, the earth rotates, the planets move through the sky, the air blows, water flows, and air gives life to every creature in nature. If any one of these were to forget its rule and stop, the whole of nature could be thrown into disorder and destroyed.

Arjuna then kept asking Lord Krishna questions with curiosity, and God continued answering each question according to the rules. Thus Shrimad Bhagavad Gita came into being. By reading this book of rules, you learn about these very matters: What is action? Why does the body perish? Why does the soul not perish? How far should one be attached to another? How far should one remain indifferent to the fruits of one’s actions? Why should one not cause suffering to anyone? Why should one not long for a reward after performing an action? Where is God? Why should one not be proud? Why is a human being born? Why does a human being die? Should a person renounce or act? Which God should a person worship? Why is a person bad? Who is a good person? What is mine? What is not mine?

The rule of action and the path to liberation

These are the very rules that Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna. In the first chapter of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is effectively saying: I am breaking the rule you have made. Though I am a Kshatriya and see my family in danger, I will not fight. Here I lay down my bow and arrows. In the second chapter, Shri Krishna explains the first rule to Arjuna: whoever has been born must act. Whoever has been born must also die. The soul is imperishable; therefore, understanding bodily change and death, a person should fulfil their duty with discernment instead of becoming immersed in grief. This is a rule made by God, which he states in the second part.

Shri Krishna clearly says that maintaining equanimity in success and failure, gain and loss, and pleasure and pain, while relinquishing attachment to results, is the practice of a Karma Yogi of steady understanding. In Part Three, Madhava explains the rule that a person should not flee from their prescribed duty. Action performed without selfishness serves both personal development and the welfare of the world. By acting in the spirit of yajna, maintain the cycle of mutual cooperation between nature and society; enjoying things only for oneself is contrary to a human being’s dharma. In Part Four, he explains that knowledge comes through a tradition and should be put into practice in life, because action informed by knowledge, rather than inactivity, becomes the path to liberation. Every action can become a yajna through a spirit of dedication; restraint of the senses, austerity, charity and knowledge are also distinct and worthy paths of spiritual practice.

Household life and meditation

In Part Five, he explains that renunciation does not mean abandoning duty. A person can find inner peace even while living as a householder and acting without attachment. One should understand the body and the soul as distinct. The soul does not age; therefore, one should always preserve equanimity and discernment in loss and death. In Part Six, he explains that the mind is restrained through practice and detachment. A disciplined mind becomes a friend, while an uncontrolled mind increases suffering. In meditation, with the gaze and awareness held steady, the mind rests upon the soul. Even an unsuccessful effort by anyone is not wasted on the spiritual journey.

The presence of God

In Part Seven, Shri Krishna explains that God dwells in the visible things of the world and in nature. By knowing the origin of all existence, a person can recognise the presence of the Supreme Being in them. Devotion to God is not a transaction for gain; it should be practised with love and knowledge of reality. The devotee is noble because he sees God in everyone. In Part Eight, he explains that remembrance at the final moment is shaped by lifelong practice. Therefore, while performing actions, one should continually direct the mind towards the Supreme Being. Understanding Brahman, action and the course of life, one should practise with discernment and remember that meritorious actions do not stand above the supreme goal.

In Part Nine, he explains that God, while present in everyone, remains beyond the bondage of action. Therefore, seeing divinity in all beings, one should continually reduce ego and discrimination. One should lovingly offer God a leaf, a flower, fruit or water. Food, action and austerity also become sacred through a spirit of dedication. Birth, caste, tradition or ability do not constitute a barrier to devotion to God. Faith and purity of mind are the true qualifications; this is the rule.

Divine powers and the universal form

In Part Ten, Krishna explains that one should recognise God’s manifestations in the powers of nature and in noble qualities. Limited understanding cannot measure his infinity: this is a rule I have made. Remembering God in every circumstance, one should embrace excellence, courage and discernment. Knowledge of his manifestations will awaken humility and lessen ego. In Part Eleven, he says: seeing creation, preservation and destruction together in the universal form, accept the vastness of time. Even knowing that death must come, a person should still fulfil their prescribed duty; this is an important rule. Abandon ego and understand yourself as an instrument of the supreme order. Never claim complete ownership of either victory or destruction. It is for this reason that I am showing you my universal form.

In Part Twelve, he gives the rule that in devotion one should abandon hatred, ego and instability, and embrace compassion, forgiveness, contentment and equanimity. Such devotees are dear to God; this too is a rule. If the mind is not steady, practise. If practice seems difficult, perform dedicated action and patiently reduce attachment to its fruits. In Part Thirteen, Shri Krishna explains that the body is the field of action and the soul is its knower. Understanding the distinction between the two is the right direction for knowledge and freedom from bondage. Nature’s qualities cause the body and mind to act. Relinquish the ego of doership and always remain even-minded about results.

Recognising the qualities and worship

In Part Fourteen, he explains the next rule: recognise the influence of sattva, rajas and tamas upon every human being. These qualities bind action and the mind, so one should always relinquish identification with them. A person who rises above the qualities remains even-minded in pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour. That steadiness leads towards liberation. This is a rule I have made. In Part Fifteen, he explains the rule of Brahman. He again says that the world is a changing tree: cut attachment to it, but always understand that it is not right to abandon life’s duties and flee from the world. The Supreme Being is the foundation of living beings. Knowing Purushottama, who is beyond the perishable body and the imperishable soul, is the path to liberation.

In Part Sixteen, he explains that fearlessness, truthfulness, nonviolence, compassion and restraint are divine qualities; ego, harshness and deceit ultimately lead to downfall. Desire, anger and greed are gateways to self-destruction. Abandoning them, a person should always determine their conduct through discernment consistent with scripture. In Part Seventeen, he explains a rule of human nature: faith, food, yajna, austerity and charity are recognised by their qualities. Display and longing for reward make spiritual practice impure. Look at the quality and purpose of faith through the extent of worship; a sattvic disposition purifies the mind and brings balance to life.

Liberation while fulfilling duty

Finally, in Part Eighteen, he explains the rule of liberation. Shri Krishna recalls once again what he has already explained: abandoning action is not necessary. Relinquishing desire and attachment to results, one should continue performing duty, yajna, charity and austerity. Recognising the qualities of knowledge, the doer and action, one should let go of ego. Making decisions with discernment, always take refuge in the Supreme Being in the end; only then is liberation attained.