Part 1 - Renunciation and the Gita

While getting started on this project, I went through numerous websites and popular books. A major and recurring theme and sometimes the only theme is that of renunciation. An explanation that I have read, Time and again in conjunction with this word is “giving up” or “detachment”, “not aspiring for anything” etc. Somehow, something always seemed to be missing. If the Gita is advocates renunciation as giving up of our rights, isn't the context of the origin of the Gita contradicting its very purpose?

Let us begin the journey in the Battlefield of Kurukshetra….

The setting of the Gita is a battlefield. All of us are aware of the story of Arjuna facing his cousins, teachers, elders an uncles and being overcome by emotions, all set to give up the battle. If the Gita prescribes renunciation in the way it is popularly believed, wouldn't it have been easier for Krishna to pat Arjuna on the back and say “You have found the road to eternal bliss. You are absolutely right. There is no point in a war. You should be detached and renounce the kingdom. Let us call off the battle and go home.”?

This would have been renunciation. But Krishna does not do this. He urges Arjuna to fight. He tells Arjuna go against his cousins, teachers, brothers, uncles and elders. He tells Arjuna to fight for what is right.

The Gita represents what Krishna told Arjuna to fight the battle of life. What were the truths and concepts that he shared with Arjuna? What prompted Arjuna to unleash the warrior within himself?

Let us take a brief look at what is meant by renunciation. “Bhagwat Gita Tatvavivechini” talks about 7 levels of renunciation.

Level 1

Renunciation of stealing, lying, gambling, violence, eating what is not good for the body and indecisiveness.

Level 2

Renouncing rituals which are done with a view to obtaining something. For example, offering prayers to get a job, observing fast to get married or have a kid or pass in the exams.

Level 3

Letting go of the need to be respected, praised, wealthy (so that others are envious). This basically talks about renouncing the need to earn social credits.

Level 4

Expecting and asking others to serve you. This stage involves renunciation or letting go of the need to have someone help you or service you. An example of this would be the person expecting his/her parents to help out even after he/she has started earning and has to now take care of his/her own needs. This stage also involves giving up of the expectations from the others. That the others should spend their time, energy and money on us. If we need to get something done we need to take the ownership and not expect others to do it for us. There would be occasions when others would help us, though physical labor or give us food or help us by doing something for us. If it means that by rejecting their help we are going to make them feel bad or insult them, it is ok to accept it. Again this is only to satisfy them, not to reciprocate or do anything else in return if it is not right.

Level 5

Renunciation of laziness towards our responsibilities and duties and what we are supposed to do. This includes prayers, taking care of our parent’s taking care of our health, eating well, doing our work., earning to take care of our family etc. irrespective of what the consequences are going to be, we need to do what is right.

Level 6

Renouncing the attachment to wealth, property, relationships, friends, vanity, prejudice, popularity etc. this does not mean that we ignore or insult or sideline these factors, but we start looking for something more than this. At this stage the person does not run after all these things mentioned, but starts looking and searching of the causal factors. At this stage my belief is that the person starts looking at the bigger picture and the interconnectedness of these various factors.

Level 7

At this stage one realizes the momentariness of things in life. We reach a stage where we are able to consider everything objectively. Since we have been on the renunciation path step by step, at this stage we would have understood the larger system and would have or rather should have the frame of mind to be detached. This is a point we understand the area under our control and that outside it. This prompts us to do things that we can and let go of stuff that we cannot influence.

When I take a look at the levels of renunciation, I realize that in our usual exuberance we tend to jump to level 7 rather than go through the process step by step. When we do this, then obviously renunciation does come across as giving up everything…. And something that is meant for people who are at the fag end of their lives… and not for people like us who are in the middle of the battles.

Part Zero

The ultimate quest of a human being is achieving his/her potential. Some call it being one with divinity, some call it achieving the state of supreme bliss and some call it the clarity of thought that gives you the ultimate peace.

I call it the guiltlessness and as a result of this the freedom and the frame of mind to make the right choices. To me, being one with the divine is the state of flow, where you are your best – a natural – where you respond to the situations flawlessly, without thinking very consciously about it. I am sure all of us have experienced this situation at least once in a life time. A time when you are in a meeting, or discussing a new idea, or talking to a friend or a partner. Time seems to rush past you, what you want top say or do next seems to be illuminated for you and you just go ahead. The ecstasy, the joy, the happiness, the feeling of oneness with your surroundings, happens a few times for some of us. What if we want this to be a constant in our lives? What do we need to do to attain this in our lives?

Does it mean that this ecstasy is a result of giving up worldly pleasures? Of giving up?

NO!!! This ecstasy is in understanding and creating the pleasures. This supreme joy need not be restricted to the ones who retire from the world. This can be ours – here and now. This can be our constant state – while making project plans, while dealing with irate customers, while preparing for presentations, while going for collections while we are in meetings – every minute, every hour, every day of our lives.

What do we need to do to get there? I have glimpsed a few answers in Ayn Rand. Closer home, I have glimpsed more detailed answers in the Bhagwat Gita. Though I can't claim to have read the entire text, the first few lines of the “Bhagwat Gita – Tatvavivechani” by Shri Jayadayal Goenka and printed by the Gorakhpur Press had me hooked. This blog is an attempt to share my thoughts on how this would affect us in our everyday life. I am starting my journey today with a few choice questions and answers I found in the book that establishes the context and gives an indication of the content of the Gita. At this stage, I would like to mention that this is an attempt to understand the Gita as the philosophy of life and not to propagate it as God’s words. Right now I am not concerned with Bhakti or Mukti, although many people say that they are important. This journey of mine is like a long trek in an area I have never visited before. There would be hills, rivers, mountains, some scenes I might have come across before, some that are totally new, some situations or views that I am thrilled with, some that are commonplace, some that are difficult to accept and digest. However, as it happens in any trek there would be some unforgettable moments that make the journey worth its while.