The Lord’s ways seem unusual to us, because, what He does is out of the ordinary. Who would advise a man who is on the battlefield, and that too in 18 chapters of verses? But that is what Lord Krishna does, when He teaches Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita. Although what He tells Arjuna seems simple enough — do your duty and be free of attachments — there is a deeper meaning to each of the verses. The philosophical implications of each verse are to be understood with the help of commentaries, and with the help of learned people, said M.K. Srinivasan, in a discourse.
If someone else were to have advised Arjuna on the battlefield, would he have been inclined to listen? It is only because it was the Lord who advised Him, that he paid attention. The Lord also picked Arjuna as the recipient of His advice, because Arjuna was upright, honest and righteous and therefore a fit candidate for receiving advice. The Lord tells Arjuna that he is motivated to act, by his qualities. The Lord asks him to submit his qualities and his actions to Him. When one performs actions, but remains unattached to the fruits of the actions, then that frame of mind is known as sattvika tyaga.
The body does something, because it is instructed by the atma to do so. The body cannot function on its own. Likewise, the jivatma is the body of the Paramatma, and so it cannot function independently either. It functions as it is instructed by the Paramatma. The indriyas, manas, they all make us perform actions, but they are like the members of the board of directors of a firm. The one in control is the Managing Director. The Lord is akin to this Managing Director. He manages and directs our lives.
ADVERTISEMENT