We must learn to accept situations (Gita 2.13 & 2.14).

Krishna says that we must learn to accept situations. 2.13 & 2.14


That Atma does not undergo change is proved thus:

DaehinO(a)sminyathaa daehae, kaumaaram yauvanam jaraa
Thathaa daehaantharapraapthi:, dheerasthathra na muhyathi 2.13

Just as the Self which is in this body (goes through) boyhood, youth and old age, so also (it goes through) the attainment of another body also. A wise man does not worry over such a thing.

A discriminative person is well aware that body is a temporary stage.
As we grow from childhood to adulthood, relationships, environments and surroundings change. As we grow from youth to old age, our vigour decreases and our daring activities slip by ! Only “I” perpetuates through all stages. Only that has remained changeless all through the changes in life along the passage of life.

This “I” is the individual ego which remains the same even after death to express itself in another body in a different environment. There is perfect continuity for the same even after death. So the wise, who have a knowledge of atma and anatma do not grieve, knowing that atma is real and anatma, unreal.

In the next shloka, Krishna indicates how we must live. He talks about anithya anatma.

Maathraaspars(h)athu kaunthaeya, s(h)eethOshNasukha dukkhadaa
Aagamaa paayinO(a)nithyaa: thamsthithikshasva bhaaratha 2.14

Oh Arjuna ! Sense organs and objects which cause cold, heat, pleasure and pain are subject to arrival and departure. They are impermanent. Oh Arjuna ! Endure them..

In this Krishna indicates how we should live our lives. When the world around us is conducive, we are happy. Otherwise we feel sorrow. But these are only our mental reactions to the various situations.
Situations in life or the nature of people, are not going to change for our sake. We must learn to stand apart and be aloof in ourselves. We must witness the tumults of the mind in action with ‘uninterest”. This is what gives us poise and balance.

We cannot totally remove ourselves from the opposites or remove them from us. We must try our best to improve the situation also. But we can never expect that things will be always pleasant to us.

Physical pain is not something that is totally avoidable. Sorrow, on the other hand, is something you build onto the pain because of a particular way of thinking. This is where we have to change cognitively.

Krishna is more objective, than offering advice. That is because situations are constantly changing and to think that only good situations pass away, is improper thinking.

For a person who is objective, who has a certain appreciation for what the world and situations are all about, there is no reason for sorrow. There are just situations to face and act upon, whether inner or outer. There is nothing to be sad about.

Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Sri,
It gives me great pleasure that a Gita post could elicit such a quick reply !
More than
This too will change,
I prefer the line
This too shall pass.
Ofcourse, the period & sometimes, the pain when passing through, do disturb us a lot - but I think that is how we evolve as a person, gradually !
At my age, I have realised it, by experience !
Thanks for such a quick, FB, dear Bhargavi.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dearest Kamla,
I feel like old times - I know, you will understand !
I have started feeling at this age that having gone through bitter experiences like becoming a victim of back-biting, being abused by imaginative words from others, emotional torture, call it blackmail - have all taken their toll on me, but still I have learnt to bless them because they have helped me mature mentally - age no bar, till one drops !
But for repeatedly reading & trying to comprehend Gita, I may not have been able to do this. Though difficult to be objective, we realise as we grow old, there is no choice. Brooding or sulking only makes us unhappy company for those who live with us !
Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear AC,
Your feedback is so beautiful to read.
You know why you write
This thread I find a little bit lighter than the others especially last weeks;.
It is because the past 2-3 weeks' post have prepared you well.
When we realise that the only choice is accepting, clarity unfolds & understanding emerges.
Knowing that you are an ardent fan of Dr.Wayne Dyer, I fully agree with what you have written.
Thankyou ,Ac.
Love
To
Chitra
From
Chithra.

 

Dear Shanthi,
You have understood & interpreted pefectly - I feel proud &happy that all my effort is not in vain.
Just like we console ourselves that tough times will pass, we must have the equanimity to accept that happiness will also be not everlasting !
Thanks for your beautiful post.
Love,
Chithra.