Part 1: Why is the Bhagavad Gita looked upon as one of the salient scriptures to help regain this connection from within?

The Gita directs the seeker to discover his or her own personal path to chart the connection and hence reach the ultimate destiny.

The Bhagavad Gita is the ‘Song of the Lord’. Thus the Gita records a scintillating sound that manifests in the form of a conversation between Arjuna, the warrior and his charioteer, Lord Krishna. This mind-illuminating dialogue takes place in the middle of the Kurukshetra war which resembles the battlefield of life. The dialogue is between a confused mind and a contemplative mind. Arjuna, the warrior, questions the futility of killing his opponents who happen to be his own relatives, teachers and friends. He wonders what good victory is if half of his opponents are dead by the end of the war. And it is this question about the futility of action where the path to self-discovery begins. Lord Krishna, his friend and philosopher, in the role of Charioteer, intervenes and offers him wisdom that steers him towards constructive action.

A portrayal of the iconic conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield.

Similarly, the whole conversation displays our own mental doubts, predicaments, anxiety and confusion that arise from the silent exchange between our conflicting thoughts and our ever compromising heart. The sounds that ensue from Lord Krishna is no ordinary counsellor’s tactful play of comforting words to uplift someone in distress but rather a sermon that can cleanse our soul from self-delusion.

Questions on our Mind 

Let us look at Arjuna more deeply and thereby at ourselves. Arjuna is caught in the dilemma of performing his duty and facing the consequences of his action. Thus he cannot act. He is under the delusion that whatever action goes against his conscience is not becoming of a man of wisdom. Just like Arjuna, we too are placed at crossroads, confused about which direction to take. We are forced to think and to wonder whether to quit or to continue, leave or stay, to do or not to do, act or just wait till things tide over. We are constantly questioning ourselves even over the simplest of acts. Kurushetra means ‘field of action’; hence our mind is steeped in the war- field of conflicting thoughts which paralyses our judgement to act.

The foremost questions in our mind are:

What is that one quality which can allow us to amplify this clarion call from within? How, like Arjuna, can we think above ourselves and make a connection with the Highest Truth?

Arjuna made a connection with the Teacher of Truth not through a religious means, scriptural thought or some philosophical ideas ingrained in his mind. He was the ‘man of the moment’. He faced his fears and confronted his doubts. He told the Lord

That was the point of no return! Immediately he saw this ‘otherness’ in front of him and he was disabled by the sudden shift of emotions in his mind. Fear struck. Suddenly he saw himself as he was and not as the man he thought he was. Instantly, he fell into complete vishada or ‘grief’; Helpless, he confessed his perplexity to his Krishna.

Thus, through willing self-immolation, Arjuna was able to make the connection with the Lord of the Universe. Arjuna threw away the identity of all his previous roles, keeping only that of a student and disciple. He did not become intellectually defensive nor try to put a mask over himself. Instead, he brutally acknowledged his deepest fears.

As a Seeker we cannot cloak ourselves with an imposed system of belief or religious code of conduct, just so to display serene cosmetic armour to make ourselves look and feel spiritual. To make a connection with the Highest Frequency within ourselves, we must first learn to be brutally honest and sincerely truthful, bearing all - our emotions, mental expressions, weaknesses, and fears. However, beware that in the process of confession, you do not indulge in the matter, so much so you self-pity yourself; then your mind gets hazy and stuffed with judgements.

The Surrender

Arjuna initially did the same but he allowed a ‘silent witnessing moment’ within him and this indirectly permitted the Power of Grace to enter his heart to help him. Likewise in such a silent moment we too need to surrender. The secret to connecting to the Universal Truth will only dawn upon a person’s mind if the soul recognizes the symbiotic relationship with Creation and yields to the Natural Laws of this Universe.

We must develop the light-heartedness to function beyond our imposed personality, self-established ideology, imagined thoughts of situational-consequences, and preconceived notions in and through all our actions.

Our mind must develop a malleable and adaptive attitude to accept even that which goes against our will and our expectations.

This is the quality of the character which helps one gain release from the state of despair.

Listening towards self-discovery

Another quality that helped Arjuna tap the Truth from within himself is his power of sustenance to listen. Shravana or ‘listening’ is the most important act to harness the intellectual power within towards guiding the mind to self-discovery. We all are listeners but we lack the power to accept the Truth as it is. We always want to hear that which is befitting our own principles, social upbringing or personal beliefs.

In order to open the power of self-connection with the Absolute Truth we must learn to listen without constantly entertaining a verdict about everything.

Listening is for self-reflection not for mere self-satisfaction.

You may not like what you are listening to but do not fail to reflect upon what is being implied. This is why Arjuna gained the power to rise above himself and think above his preconceived mind. He cultivated a listening attitude establishing a proper line of thought that allowed him to remove the cloud of confusion through the power of reflection.

Self Reflection

The journey to self-discovery is at the brim of our own self-reflection. We must willingly remove the filter of attachments and self-conceit to unite with that Pure State within our own heart. All are free to make their own choices and choose their means of self-discovery in this life. The question now is:

Have you made your choice and where do you go from here in search of that Light?

 All are free to make their own choices and can choose their own means of self- discovery.

The ultimate question is how to establish the right means to discover this Universal Truth from within?