Confused & frustrated after reading Bhagavad Gita? Tips to correct!
A male devotee asked:
“Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji DandavatPranam ! My Humble and Respectful obeisance’s UntoYou. I Have Much More Fear to Read Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Due to My Mind is bewildered By Philosophy. Also some times I was frustrated by Philosophy. Please Give Me a Better Solution. At the same I cannot able Hear Bhagavad Gita As it is from Pure Devotee (Temple) Due to My Business. Please!!! Hare Krishna
REPLY:
All depends on whether we are really prepared to reform ourselves hearing whatever Krishna says! If we read Bhagavad Gita to make our material life spiritual thereby getting Krishna Himself, you will enjoy reading Bhagavad Gita.
You ask why Bhagavad Gita confuse and frustrate you. Your views are contrary to what I felt after reading Bhagavad Gita. For me, Bhagavad Gita helped me to do lead my personal and career lives properly.
Before reading Bhagavad Gita, the ups and downs in my career affected me much. I worried even for small downward recessions in life and felt happy when some good happened. These repeated oscillations disturbed me in facing this life.
When I took the Bhagavad Gita for the first time and read it fast, I finished reading in two days. I could not keep that book down. Each and every word of Krishna and the author Srila Prabhupada seemed as if it was told for me.
(THE WAY OF LIFE RECOMMENDED BY BHAGAVAD GITA! READ HERE!)
After that, I read it again and again. Every time, Krishna answered many of my questions through Bhagavad Gita.
Then came the changes in my approach. I stopped approaching anything emotionally. I started to see every happening in my life and every activity of others as the arrangement of Krishna just to educate me through experiences.
I tried sincerely putting my efforts after sufficient planning and at the same time, started to allow the happenings (outcome) to happen in their own course. I just remained as a spectator for my own life incidents. I started to feel as if having enormous strength when I realized that Krishna is seeing and guiding me from within my heart as Paramatma. Therefore, both the negatives and positives are now unable to make any impact in my mind.
Therefore, I PROMISE YOU THAT A PERSON WILL HANDLE ALL HIS DUTIES INCLUDING BUSINESS/ JOB/ STUDIES, WITH A BALANCED APPROACH, IF HE READS AND TRIES TO FOLLOW BHAGAVAD GITA IN LIFE.
(BHAGAVAD GITA Vs RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATHA! READ HERE!)
We are athma. By its original nature, ATHMA will ALWAYS BE BLISSFUL IF IT DOES NOT TAKE BODIES. Once it takes bodies in this material world, the athma is contaminated because the body is used both for material enjoyments and sufferings. Therefore, we (athma) are actually in a contaminated condition now in this material life.
Bhagavad Gita should be read and followed TO GET PURIFIED FROM THESE MATERIAL CONTAMINATION.
How this purification can occur? Only when we do not use this body for material pleasures and sufferings. Isn’t it?
But, this body will not remain idle without doing anything. Therefore, it should do something. If the body does something, we (athma) will get contaminated. What to do?
Here, we should note an important thing. If you work for your own pleasure, you are contaminated. At the same time, if you perform the same deuties for the pleasure of Krishna, you get purified from material contamination.
(Should not we read the first two chapters of Bhagavad Gita? READ HERE!)
Why these details?
Here comes Bhagavad Gita. Stage by stage, Bhagavad Gita teaches how to work without attachment to results, how to worship Lord using
(i) Our assigned Duties (Karma Yoga),
(ii) Knowledge (Gnana Yoga) and
(iii) Meditation (Dhyana Yoga)
(iv) Dedicating Ourselves (Bhakti Yoga).
Out of the above four paths, the third one, ie, Bhakti yoga, ie, dedicating Ourselves to Lord is the topmost stage.
You can evaluate yourself and select any one of the above four paths suitable for you. If your present family and business situation permits, you can straightaway go to Bhakti Yoga.
If you find Bhakti yoga difficult to follow at this stage, follow atleast Karma yoga first now that will later take you to Bhakti yoga when your situation improves.
(Should not we read the first two chapters of Bhagavad Gita? READ HERE!)
Or, if you are very much interested in knowing about the Lord Krishna, start following Gnana yoga, ie, worshiping Krishna through Knowledge. You can learn about Krishna. On a later stage, when your situation improves, you may come to the serious bhakti yoga.
The Serious dedication of a section of the devotees may confuse some other people who are unable to come to Bhakti Yoga straigtaway.
So, One should not get frustrated seeing some devotees remaining all the time in temples in full time service Their background and situation is like that. An senior man or lady who has finished all the family responsibilities can remain in the temple all the time. Seeing their full time service, you too need not desire to come to devotion as full time devotee skipping all your responsibilities. You can take full time services when your career and family background permits.
So, Evaluate what your and their situation and background are.
(Also Read HERE: Why do we read Gita, even if we can’t understand or remember? – STORY)
Therefore, we should not get frustrated just reading something or seeing others and we should not feel Bhagavad Gita confuse and frustrate us.
We should customize our own way of following devotional life.
Same approach applies to Bhagavad Gita also. Lord Krishna speaks about the above four paths to get connected to Krishna Himself.
If you can follow only Karma yoga now, follow that.
If you can follow only Gnana yoga now, follow that.
If you can follow only Dhyana yoga now, follow that.
If you can straightaway follow Bhakti Yoga, that is so good.
Atleast follow something instead of nothing! In due course of time, you will come to Bhakti yoga!
Here, you should remember one thing. Many people are thinking that following Bhakti yoga is difficult and hence like to end up with Karma yoga or Gnana yoga alone.
The fact is that out of the three, Only the bhakti yoga is easy to follow in this kaliyuga because Lord Krishna can be achieved just by (i) chanting his names , (ii) developing material detachments and (iii) performing our assigned duties just to please Krishna.
(This will also be useful. READ HERE: 18 TIPS ON HOW TO READ BHAGAVAD GITA?)
Bhagavad Gita can not confuse a person. Because, Krishna has not given even a single verse that is difficult to follow. Each and every sloka of Bhagavad Gita is possible to follow.
As mentioned above, Lord Krishna has mercifully given four choices (paths) considering the different natures of people. Krishna does not expect everyone should IMMEDIATELY come to Bhakti yoga and He knows that it is not possible because everyone is unique in nature. That is why, Lord has given choices to choose according to the position of the sathaka (practitioner) and his preferences.
Now, you are doing a business. You can do your business still better if you work without attachments to results. This will help you to face both the ups and downs in your business. And, you can read Bhagavad Gita during break time. You can chant as much as possible during break time.
(Why and How Ganapati wrote Mahabharatha and Bhagavad Gita? READ HERE!)
What are you going to lose by following these important things? Krishna never advised us to skip our duties and family and become sanyasis. You are aware that Krishna Himself was very much affectionate with His parents and others. He says in Bhagavad Gita that He Himself is working to maintain His creations.
Thus, each and every sloka in Bhagavad Gita encourages us to lead our life meaningfully and get elevated. Therefore, there is no point in getting confused.
When we clean our house after long time, more dusts will come out. Similarly, for the persons who have more material attachments (dusts), spiritual matters will kindle those attachments and make him free from the attachments (dusts).
Therefore, initially you may feel disturbed or confused. The dusts will settle after some period after repeated reading. Patiently read and follow Bhagavad Gita and you will see that you are relieved from these material contamination (dusts).
Confused & frustrated after reading Bhagavad Gita? Read these tips! You will find how to apply Bhagavad Gita in your day to day life without any confusion and frustration.
All the best.
(Also read THIS POST: What are the contents and uses of Bhagavad Gita)