The Gita's Call to Action

Eastern philosophy is not complete without an application component. We must put into practice the high knowledge we have imbibed; merely understanding these moral and spiritual principles is not enough. In the earlier chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, our heads and hearts are lifted skyward, and our feet are planted in practical application. Now the cosmic plantings become more rooted.

In this chapter Krishna presents numerous secrets for living a truly spiritual life. Among them are a practical model for being an illumined soul (karma yoga) and the vital Law of Sacrifice. We learn the importance of being indifferent to notions of pleasure and pain, stilling our thoughts through meditation, and cultivating yogi-like virtues such as humility, harmlessness, and so forth.

We learn also to develop spiritual vision and thus transform our whole spectacle of the universe. Krishna lays out the dire consequences of the lack of human unity, as well as the three major paths to higher spirituality. We come face-to-face with our ever-approaching death and learn that we can cause no greater harm than to disregard and not follow our own inner truth. We confront the profound choice we all have to make between living a Divine or a degenerate life. “Be instruments of the Divine,” Krishna implores.

The teachings follow:

“Begin by learning to overcome your thirst for pleasures. Seek to abandon all selfish desires, cravings, and torments of the heart. Grow to want nothing, nothing outside of the true self, the soul within!

Try to keep your mind ever intent on achieving the goal of life, which is union with Divinity. Become absorbed in the deep peace and serenity of the soul. Gradually grow to be unperturbed by sorrow and adversity, and learn to neither rejoice nor get depressed when faced with good or bad fortune.

Diligently strive to free yourself from the three traits that most tarnish the mind: greed, fear, and anger.

Put increased attention on taming your wayward senses and learning to deftly withdraw the senses from attractions of the world — just as the turtle pulls in its limbs to protect itself.

Become steadily more still and undisturbed despite the constant flow of desires and attachments into your life. This is how you move from agony to bliss and become illumined.”

“Let me explain karma yoga, a workable spiritual discipline for living a more effective, happier life in this saddening, ever-changing world. Karma yoga literally means union with Divinity through worldly action.

Strive to make selfless (egoless) action your path; then you can live a spiritual life while staying fully active in the world. When your everyday activities are not based on desire for a reward, it is easier for you to steady the mind and direct it toward the soul, the Atma.

Do your worldly work with your heart fixed on the Divine rather than on outcomes. Learn to be unattached to, or unaffected by, the results of your work, whether favorable or unfavorable.

Continued on page 2: All of life hinges on this Law of Sacrifice. »