Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Bhagavad Gita - Understanding via Tweets

Devdutt Pattanaik, well-known author, mythologist and columnist, demystifies what he describes as "the rather complex Sanskrit Bhagavad Gita, composed 2000 years ago, and containing the essence of Vedic thought."
On the social networking site Twitter, Pattanaik gives a practical understanding of 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, one tweet for one chapter...could one ask for more?
-       Radhika Rajan via Speaking Tree

Chapter 1
Your world is a perception based by your prejudices, shaped by your fears, fuelled by your ignorance.

Chapter 2 
The world of those around you is also a perception created by prejudices, fears and ignorance.

Chapter 3 
Wisdom is the ability to appreciate your perceptions and other people’s perceptions with empathy.

Chapter 4 
I, Krishna, appreciate all subjective realities, without judgement, with affection, hence am God.

Chapter 5 
God is eternal, undying, within you; your self-absorption prevents you from realizing it.

Chapter 6
Your reality is limited. So are others’ realities. Break your limitation and make room for theirs, even if they can’t or don’t.

Chapter 7
You seek outcomes to match your expectations; so you seek control; when control slips away, you are angry, upset, unhappy, frightened.

Chapter 8
You avoid action because you cannot control outcome; you rationalize withdrawal with nobility, to mask your helplessness.

Chapter 9 
All outcomes are governed by karma: it is reaction to various inputs, not all yours, many beyond your control.

Chapter 10
Your mind interprets this world as good/right if it favours you, and bad/wrong if it does not favour you; nature favours none.

Chapter 11 
What gives you pleasure may cause others pain; when they retaliate, you declare them villains and see yourself as the victim.

Chapter 12 
Many prefer to let others shape their point of view (tamas guna). This is ignorance, born of inertia.

Chapter 13 
A few choose to see the world only from their own point of view (rajas guna). This is control, born of fear.

Chapter 14
You have the ability to see the world from others' points of view (sattva guna). This is wisdom, born of empathy.

Chapter 15 
When you do your tasks, focussing on the input and accepting the output, whatever it may be, you are a karma yogi.

Chapter 16 
When you do your tasks by placing faith in God, who will take care of you, no matter what, you are a bhakti yogi.

Chapter 17 
When you do your tasks by appreciating that there are many forces at work, not all under your control, you are a gyan yogi.

Chapter 18 
Do dharma: Don’t grab/dominate as animals do; outgrow your fears as humans can by observing others struggle with fears & control.


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