Many people think of me as an atheist.
I'm not.
Itihas : literally as past and symbolically as stories which will always be true. 'Iti' means 'as things are'- accepting the reality of sex and violence, desires and conflicts in relationships, household and life. Those who affirmed 'iti' were astikas and who denied 'iti' were nastikas. Later these terms denoted the question of faith in God.
-My Gita; Devdutt Pattanaik
So, to those people, my answer is I'm more of a realist - in search of my answer to the acceptance of 'iti'.
I don't know what I have understood from Gita, because every time it is different for me. If you have any questions (About your personal life, your management classes, or even if it's just some curiosity), you have your answers in Gita. Don't let my words follow you towards the filmy dialogue or any other most spoken/written sentence; it is true.
मोक्ष (salvation), योगी (Yogi), मुनि (saint), स्थिर मन (stable mind), पुनर्जन्म (Reincarnation) : Just take these words simply. Everything in Gita is not about 'how you can be God's favourite?' or 'what is after death?', but it's all about how to live.
There are many books with translations in your native language, but what you mean by those words is different. Krishna has given the simple method to live, but with technology and everything around us, we have made our lives complicated.
You must have seen that Indian advertisement in which there's a line most important: For our generation, not knowing is cool. What do you mean? Why are so many people of our generation calling themselves as 'lost'?! 'Not knowing' is okay, you have to search and not to be depressed, but it's not cool. And obviously 'knowing' is cool because you will not waste any extra time from the important days of your life!
1. A few people of our generation (including me sometimes), do nothing. And the biggest excuse of them is: 'I am figuring out my life.'
2. Many of the saints were (and are) not even meant to be saints. They are on that 'business' just because they want to do nothing.
Krishna said, कर्मत्याग (leaving your work and not doing a thing) should be there, But only if you have a stable mind for your God. (Just impossible!!) Otherwise those people, who are engaged with their works and believe that everything is possible because of God, are the ones who has the same fruits as a true saint. (Of course, these days the saints are businessman and are not dedicated to God. Both types of people, I've mentioned, are shamelessly doing nothing for good.)
So, what is in the Gita for us?
नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः।
You should be doing your deeds with controlling your Indriya, because it is better to do than not to.
Your work and life are important, but don't let them make you weak. The Indriya (senses/emotions) are for us, we're not for them (I've mentioned this, before a few months). And of course, it is better to do your work than not to. ('Work' as in 'deed', not 'your job' that gives you payment and all!)
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
Who has controlled his Indriya, has a static mind. (See, you don't have to become a saint!)
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्।।
Genius is who leaves all the tension behind sin and saintly, and becomes free. To achieve that, you have to become a Yogi and the perfection in your deeds is the only Yoga.
Tension! Stress! This is what's killing us! We're afraid of what people will think! We're afraid of what will happen if we do or don't join the particular job! We're afraid of our future! Why aren't we afraid of God? Why aren't we afraid of wasting our precious time doing our bad/no deeds? A big question, why aren't we fearless?
Peace is not about feeling nothing, but about the emotions not getting hard on ourselves. Peace comes with happiness. Your own happiness; when you're not dependent on anything, and happy with yourself (निजानंद).
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
You have to be engaged in your deeds. The fruit (result) is not in your hand; so, you must not get worried about that.
Our stress, our fears, our emotions are dependent on this; on the result of our deed. Then why should we even think of the results?
Don't we know that every time thinking about passing or failing an exam, we stress ourselves and can't study then? Don't we know that the fear of not getting a deal makes us less confident for our only performance? Even the worst results are not gonna end our life, then why don't we prefer to think of a second chance after getting the result and not before? Our thoughts for the outcomes are making us weak, not the deeds.
विहाय कामन्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः।
निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति।।
Leaving all the fascination, ego, and desires, one can get peace.
Krishna said a stable mind has the same feeling at the time of happiness and sadness. Simply means, happiness. What a beautiful world will it be when 'you'll feel happiness for your second chance after failure', 'you'll work hard for your deal and the presentation without wasting time behind thinking about another job options', 'you will be happy with or without your family and friends'?
The emotions and desires are making us weak. I'm not saying not to make any goals; I'm saying not to think of the consequences after your work's completion.
Whatever situations are there or whatever you are doing, if you think that it is for God, it will make you live or do it better and with ease. Do/n't believe it as an excuse, but it will feel better to do that way.
Acceptance of the fate and of the results will only be there when you would not have thought about it. Not thinking, but accepting, will help you to control your ego on your success and to live with ease on your failure.
It can be a lot simple, if you go in search of the meaning behind 'Iti'.
P.S. This is one of the answers to a friend who believed that Gita is only about Hinduism.
Filmy time:
Krishna to Arjuna: "The first rule of fight club (Kurukshetra) is you should fight."
{Should and not must because at the end, it's Arjuna's fight and not His.}
"यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु" (Do what you wish).
I would like to say the same.
