Sunita Pant Bansal started writing poems and stories at the age

of eight and has not stopped since. She practised as a nutritionist

for a couple of years before deciding to follow her passion. In her
four decades of writing career, she founded a weekend newspaper
and three magazines, and edited five; she also wrote numerous
articles and produced a short film.
Sunita hails from the Kumaon hills of the Himalayas, a region
well-known for its crop of littérateur. She started exploring
mythology and its impact on our culture. Her forte is decoding
Hindu scriptures to show their relevance and application in
today’s times. She has authored hundreds of books for children
and young adults on folk literature and mythology. For adults, her
genres cover body, mind and soul, with her books being sold in
multiple languages globally.
 Published by
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2022
7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002

Copyright © Sunita Pant Bansal 2022

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the facts are as
reported by her which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not
in any way liable for the same.

ISBN: 978-93-5520-263-5

First impression 2022

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be
lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any
form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
To my Dadaji, who gave me my first Gita,
and to Sunil, my brother, who epitomizes
the Gita
 Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
Preface
The Bhagavad Gita in a Nutshell

1. Arjun’s Dilemma
2. Transcendental Knowledge
3. Path of Karma Yoga
4. Path of Gyana Yoga
5. Path of Renunciation
6. Path of Meditation
7. Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth
8. Attainment of Salvation
9. Secret of Supreme Knowledge
10. Manifestation of the Absolute
11. Vision of the Cosmic Form of Krishna
12. Path of Bhakti Yoga
13. Creation and the Creator
14. Three Qualities of Material Nature
15. Realization of the Ultimate Truth
16. Divine and the Demonic Natures
17. Threefold Faith
18. Final Revelation of the Ultimate Truth
Acknowledgments
 Preface

Bhagavad Gita is the universal truth, it is the song of the Spirit. It gives
us knowledge of the Self and answers two universal questions: ‘Who am
I?’ and ‘How can I lead a happy and peaceful life?’
On the first day of the great war of Mahabharata, Arjun, one of the
Pandavas, faced a major dilemma. He had to make a choice between
fighting the war and killing his teachers, friends and relatives or running
away from the battlefield for the sake of avoiding violence and
preserving peace. He wanted to do the latter.
The 700 verses through which Krishna, Arjun’s charioteer, relayed
practical wisdom to him is known as the Bhagavad Gita. At the end, a
confident and decisive Arjun went on to fight and ultimately win the war.
Arjun’s dilemma was, in reality, the universal dilemma. All of us face
dilemmas, big and small, in our everyday life while performing our
duties. For instance, there is always a tug-of-war between our workplace
and family responsibilities. At the core of every dilemma stands our
mind and intellect facing each other. The impulsive tendencies
(Kauravas) of our blind mind (Dhritarashtra) and the self-disciplined
thoughts (Pandavas) of our intellect (Pandu) fight a battle every day with
our body being the battlefield (Kurukshetra).
Krishna suggests through the Bhagavad Gita that we should indulge
in a daily honest introspection to see which force, good or evil, wins the
daily battle everyday.
I have grown up seeing my grandfather and father maintaining daily
diaries. During our moral education classes in school, we were asked to
remember God every night at bedtime and apologize for any mistakes
done during the day. Daily introspection has been a part of my life and
the genesis of this book.
Since it’s a daily battle we fight, I condensed the seven hundred
verses of the Gita to fit into the 365 days of a calendar. I have simplified
the verses and explained their essence, drawing from my life’s
experiences. The purpose is to read one verse a day, understand it and
mull over it—I promise it will help you understand the world better.
I have spread out the 17 chapters (Ch 2–18) of the Gita over 12
months or 365 days and given a brief synopsis of each chapter in
‘Bhagavad Gita in a Nutshell’ in the beginning of the book itself, as a
ready reckoner.
This book is an attempt to initiate the reader into the rhythm of the
song of the Spirit, demystifying life and its illusions.

Sunita Pant Bansal

 The Bhagavad Gita in a Nutshell

To obtain liberation from the cycle of rebirths is the main theme of the
Bhagavad Gita, for which it advocates three spiritual paths, namely
karma yoga, gyana yoga and bhakti yoga.
The first chapter is about ‘Arjun’s Dilemma’. It introduces the
circumstances and the characters involved. The scene is the battlefield of
Kurukshetra; the main characters are Krishna and Arjun. Arjun is
struggling with his inability to fight and kill his friends and relatives on
the battlefield; he is unable to understand or justify the dharma or logic
behind his actions.
Chapter 2 is about ‘Transcendental Knowledge.’ Becoming his student,
Arjun requests Krishna to teach him how to get rid of his sorrow and
confusion. This chapter is often seen as a summary of the entire
Bhagavad Gita itself as it describes the importance of the immortal
nature of the soul existing within all living beings.
Chapter 3 is the ‘Path of karma Yoga’. Krishna explains the duties of
humans as members of society, and the reasons and benefits related to
those duties. The theory of actions leading to bondage is explained.
Chapter 4 is the ‘Path of Gyana Yoga’. Krishna reveals how the supreme
knowledge is the culmination of the paths of karma and gyana yoga. He
also explains the nature and purpose of his descent (avatar) into the
material world, which is to establish order by transforming the wicked
whenever there is a rise of evil in the world.
Chapter 5 is the ‘Path of Renunciation.’ Krishna explains the concepts of
action with detachment and renunciation of fruits of actions, and that
both paths are a means to the same goal of salvation. A yogi or a
renunciate is defined as one who finds happiness with the Self, who
rejoices in the Self within and who is illuminated by the Self. Such a
yogi becomes one with the universal energy.
Chapter 6 is the ‘Path of Meditation.’ Krishna reveals the nature of the
mind and teaches yogic techniques and meditation. The mastery of the
mind is the key to liberation.
Chapter 7 is the ‘Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth.’ Krishna imparts
knowledge of the absolute reality and the way to understand it. He
describes the illusory material world, how it deludes the mind and the
difficulties encountered in clearing the latter.
Chapter 8 is about the ‘Attainment of Salvation.’ Krishna emphasizes on
the knowledge of yoga, the importance of the very last thought at the
time of death. The creation of the material and spiritual world as well as
the distinction between the two are explained well; the light and dark
paths of leaving this material existence, the destination to which they
lead to and the reward received through embarking on each path are also
described. The path of light (of spiritual practice of yoga and meditation)
and the path of darkness (of materialism and ignorance) are the two
eternal paths chosen by mankind. The former leads to liberation and the
latter leads to rebirth.
Chapter 9 reveals the ‘Secret of Supreme Knowledge.’ Krishna explains
how the entire material existence is created, maintained and annihilated
by his will and energy. Devotional service and surrendering to the Lord
is seen as a sure path to liberation.
Chapter 10 explains the ‘Manifestation of the Absolute.’ Krishna
presents himself as the cause of all causes, specifying his manifestations.
Chapter 11 shows the ‘Vision of the Cosmic Form of Krishna’ to Arjun.
Chapter 12 is the ‘Path of Bhakti Yoga.’ According to Krishna, the
steadfast devotee, who is ever content, has controlled his senses, has a
firm resolve and whose mind is engaged in devotional practices, is the
best of yogis.
Chapter 13 describes the ‘Creation and the Creator.’ Krishna reveals the
distinction between the physical body and the immortal soul, as that
between the perishable and the eternal. One who is able to understand
the difference between the cause of creation (creator) and the effect
(what is created) becomes liberated. One who understands the difference
between the creation (body) and the creator (universal energy) and
knows the technique of liberation (of individual soul) from the trap of the
material world with the knowledge of the Self, attains the Supreme.
Chapter 14 describes the ‘Three Qualities of Material nature.’ The three
modes, namely sattva, rajas and tamas, modes are explained, along with
how they influence every aspect of the life of an individual; the chapter
also explains that liberation cannot be achieved without transcending
these three modes.
Chapter 15 deals with the ‘Realization of the Ultimate Truth’, where
Krishna reveals his transcendental nature and how this applies to
everything that exists. He describes himself as being Supreme in relation
to both transcendent and immanent levels of existence. Thus, Krishna
appears to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent for both manifest
and non-manifest reality.
Chapter 16 defines the ‘Divine and the Demonic natures’. Krishna
describes the divine properties as well as the conduct and actions that are
righteous by their nature and conducive to dharma. Ill conduct and its
sinful actions are also defined. The knowledge of the scriptures is
recommended in order to follow the right conduct.
Chapter 17 is the ‘Threefold Faith’. Krishna classifies the three divisions
of faith and their links to the three modes of nature. The three divisions
of faith are known as sattvic, rajasic and tamasic—these are seen as
determining one’s consciousness in this world.
The eighteenth or the last chapter is the ‘Final Revelation of the Ultimate
Truth’. Krishna concludes and emphasizes on karma yoga as the path of
performing actions in the world with the idea of offering everything to
the Lord.
By the end of this discourse in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjun finally attains
the understanding of liberation and liberation itself by performing his
duty as a warrior in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
 1

Arjun’s Dilemma

In ancient India, there was a king who had two sons, Dhritarashtra and
Pandu. The former was born blind, therefore, Pandu inherited the
kingdom. Pandu had five sons who were called the Pandavas.
Dhritrashtra had 100 sons, called the Kauravas. Duryodhan and
Yudhishthir were the eldest of the Kauravas and the Pandavas,
respectively.
After the death of King Pandu, Yudhishthir was to rightfully become
the king. However, Duryodhan, being jealous, planned several schemes
to kill the Pandavas and take away their entire kingdom. He succeeded in
doing so unlawfully and refused to return even an inch of the land
without a war.
The war of Mahabharata was thus inevitable. The Pandavas were
unwilling participants. They had only two choices: fight for their right as
a matter of duty or run away from the war and accept defeat in the name
of peace and non-violence.
Arjun, one of the five Pandavas, faced this dilemma while standing in
the battlefield, leading his army. He had to choose between
(a) fighting the war and killing his revered teachers, dear friends,
close relatives and many innocent warriors or
(b) running away from the battlefield for the sake of avoiding
violence and preserving peace.
That’s when Krishna, his charioteer, gave him a discourse of 700 verses,
what is known as the Bhagavad Gita. Simultaneously, this discourse was
also narrated to King Dhritarashtra, by his charioteer Sanjay, whie giving
an eyewitness report.
 2

Transcendental Knowledge
1 January–11 February

JANUARY

Day 1
You grieve for those who are not worthy of grief, and yet speak words of
wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living, nor for the dead. (2.11)
Some people talk one way and live another; there are a few who truly
walk the talk. There should be consistency in what we say and what we
genuinely feel.
People speak very sensibly about life and its trials, yet when they are
faced with situations like missing the bus or a flight, they immediately
become stressed. This is where one must do some introspection and
remove this two-facedness. The wise do not waste their time in
complaining or crying over things that are changeable. Better time
management can help prevent instances of missing a bus or flight.
Those who complain and get distressed are the ones who believe in
the sense of possession and expectation. It is a myopic way of looking at
the world. Death of a loved one reminds us that it is God’s world and
nothing belongs to us; we cannot possess anything or anyone and when
there are no possessions, how can there be any expectations?
One may look at the ocean and see the rise or birth and fall or death
of the waves on the surface. One may see the indivisibility or oneness of
the entire mass of water in its depths. The wise only see the indivisible
mass of water. They understand that little pebbles do not cause
commotion in the entire ocean.

Day 2
There was never a time when these monarchs, you, or I did not exist, nor
shall we ever cease to exist in the future. (2.12)
Change is the only constant. In this world, there is a constant change in
form and expression, but the essence within these changes remains.
See the water cycle; water from the Earth’s surface evaporates and
rises up to form clouds, which then get heavy and release the same water
back on the Earth as rain. The trees shed their dead leaves every autumn,
forming the soil in which fresh seeds grow to form new trees. Life dies
to nurture new life.
The human soul also keeps dying and keeps taking birth. The soul is
the non-physical essence of a living being. After death, it gets another
life in a new and different form. This is the philosophy of reincarnation.
The new form that the soul takes is the expression of desires that it
carries over from its previous life. All its present desires would, likewise,
find expression through a different body in the future. This play of cause
and effect of desires, resulting in different bodily forms or births, goes on
indefinitely, according to Krishna.

Day 3
Just as the embodied soul acquires a childhood body, a youthful body
and an old body during this life, similarly, the soul acquires another
body after death. This does not bother the wise. (2.13)
We live many lives in one lifespan. As a small child, a youth and then as
an old person, our physical, mental and emotional experiences are very
different; these life stages are almost like individual and independent
lives. The clock keeps ticking.
But every time, it is the body that goes through changes, the soul
remains the same. It is the soul, the consciousness that looks back at the
past with nostalgia and looks forward to the future with excitement.
Once the body gets too old and weak to handle the soul, it leaves that
body and finds another. There is still no change in the soul. And this
happens with all living beings.
Since our own body cannot be expected to live forever, how can we
expect others to be there for us forever? It is wise to not expect anything
to provide us with everlasting happiness, be it our family, friends or
material possessions.
 When we leave our school or university, we leave behind most of our
friends. When we move to another city to work, we leave behind our
neighbours. Life goes on. Material objects also become meaningless
after some time, when we are too old to appreciate them. The wise
realize the temporariness of everything and form no attachments.

Day 4
The contact of the senses with the sense objects gives rise to the feelings
of heat and cold, pain and pleasure. They are transitory and
impermanent. Therefore, one should learn to endure them patiently.
(2.14)
Our sense organs are very sensitive and respond pleasurably or painfully
to stimuli. They have been conditioned to have strong likes or dislikes.
There is no reaction when ice touches a stone, but when it touches the
human skin, there is a definite sensory reaction. The human brain
recognizes the perception of ice as cold. It is conditioned to interpret that
sensation as pleasurable or disagreeable, depending on the person. It is
simple—I may like the sensation of cold, you may not.
The interpretation of any perception as good or bad is dependent on
the preconditioning of the brain, and the body is accordingly directed to
react. The coldness of skin is superficial, but the perception is mental. A
chloroformed person, for instance, is unable to perceive any sensation
even if you put ice on their skin.
Interestingly, continuous contact with any stimulus results in
acclimatization. We get used to it. So, after a while, we do not feel good
or bad. Since our senses are bound to encounter all sorts of stimuli, it is
up to us to condition our mind to be less affected (or unaffected) by
them. Such a non-excitable state of mind gives immense peace.

Day 5
A calm person, who is not affected by the sense objects and is even-
minded in pain and pleasure, becomes fit to attain everlasting happiness.
(2.15)
The feelings of pain and pleasure have a common source, desire.
Fulfilled desire is pleasure and unfulfilled desire is pain. And desire is
produced through contact with the objects of the senses. Both,
attachment to pleasure and aversion to pain, disturb the peace and
equilibrium of our mind.
I want to buy a pair of blue walking shoes. I go to the market but I am
unable to get the right blue or if I do, I’m unable to get my size. There
are two options in front of me. I can get all worked up and disappointed
and decide to visit the market some other day. I am bound to feel upset
till I get the shoes. The second option would be to think what is more
important—the colour blue or the shoes? If my brain is not worked up, I
will either buy the shoes in another colour or place an order for my size
in blue in the shop where they had the colour but not my size.
We must see for ourselves and realize how our feelings and our
reactions bind us to our body and its environment. Only if we become
neutral in our reactions can we get out of this bondage.
A changeable mind gets easily disturbed. The mind which is in a
constant state of unruffled peace despite all kinds of sensory experiences
gains everlasting happiness.

Day 6
The invisible soul is eternal and the visible physical body is transitory.
The reality of these two is indeed known to men of wisdom. (2.16)
The ocean can exist without the waves but the waves cannot exist
without the ocean. The ocean is real and the waves are transitory.
Whenever there is a storm, the essence of the ocean remains the same;
it’s the waves that change in form and nature. And these waves can carry
a person away from reality.
We are in the grip of our senses and get carried away by the material
world around us. The glitz and glamour fuel our desires and we spend
our waking time struggling to satisfy them. We are surrounded by
temptations and are controlled by the media; we are told it is okay to get
loans to satisfy our larger-than-life desires. We do not realize that it is a
bottomless pit.
Trapped in the manifest material world, we forget that we have to
leave all this behind when we die. The ordinary person considers the
materialistic world as real because it manifests and the soul as unreal as
it is hidden. Such ignorance is the cause of all suffering— the suffering
of running after the acquisition of material goods and then the fear of
losing them.
The wise see through the veil of delusion and recognize the
impermanence of the outer material world. They recognize and
appreciate the inner soul and, hence, remain forever happy.

Day 7
The Spirit by whom this entire universe is pervaded is indestructible. No
one can destroy the imperishable Spirit. The physical bodies of the
eternal, immutable and incomprehensible Spirit are perishable.
Therefore, fight! (2.17–2.18)
When an earthquake destroys a house, the clay remains. It’s the same
with water that turns into ice or steam. Its form may change but the
essence remains the same. The air we breathe cannot be seen but can be
captured in balloon and watched as it floats.
In the same way, the Spirit or the energy, which some call the
universal soul or God and which pervades everything in this universe,
remains hidden and is indestructible.
The body will ultimately grow old and die. So it is best to fight the
senses and destroy the attachment to this mortal body. As, sooner or
later, the immortal soul is compelled to leave the old mortal body and
find a new one as its next abode.
Our senses are constantly creating traps for us to strengthen our
attachment to our body. We want to dress it better, beautify it with
artificial means, feed it with harmful foods and drinks—in short, we are
lost in a self-created sensual world.
The wise are never lost. They fight their senses and keep them under
control. They do not form an attachment with their mortal body but
enjoy the freedom of their soul.

Day 8
The one who thinks that the soul is a slayer and the one who thinks the
soul is slain, both are ignorant. Because the soul neither slays, nor can
be slain. (2.19)
Since the soul is immortal and indestructible, it naturally means that it
cannot be destroyed. And since it is omnipresent, pervading everything,
it cannot destroy anything for it cannot destroy its own self. Scientists
have also proved that energy can neither be created, nor destroyed. It
only gets re-arranged.
This does not mean that we kill someone on the premise that we are
not killing the soul, but just killing the physical body. The law enforcers
would certainly not be amused with this logic!
The action of killing would bring its own results, by way of getting
punished by the law of the land. Apart from that, the feeling leading to
such an action would attach and enmesh the soul more firmly in the
seemingly unending cycles of births and deaths.
At the end of the day, anger or any other emotion that makes us act a
certain way is also a form of bondage. We are allowing our emotions to
control us; the wise do not do so, they understand the imperishable
nature of the soul and, thus, are at peace.

Day 9
The soul is neither born, nor does it die at any time. It does not come into
being or cease to exist. It is unborn, eternal, permanent and primeval.
The soul is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. (2.20)
The universal Spirit or primal energy is reflected in all living things, just
as the moon is reflected in water. It is like the reflection of the moon in a
bowl of water; once the bowl is broken, the reflection disappears. But the
moon remains where it was. If we get another bowl of water, the moon’s
reflection would be seen in that. So the bowls may change, but neither
does the moon change, nor does its reflection.
In the same way, the universal Spirit reflects in us as our soul. The
soul is not destroyed when the body is. The various stages of life—birth,
existence, development, change, decay and death—also do not affect the
universal Spirit or the soul. When one mortal body is destroyed, the soul
gets reflected in another.
As the nature of the moon and its reflection do not change, the
universal Spirit and soul also are unchangeable. As the moon’s reflection
is not attached to the changeable bowl of water, the soul too is not
attached to the changeable mortal body. The wise understand this and
develop detachment from their physical bodies.
Day 10
How can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal,
unborn and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to be killed? (2.21)
If we realize that the same universal Spirit inhabits everyone, and that we
all are the same at the spiritual level, then we would hesitate to hurt or
kill anyone. This is a reasonable thought of a reasonable person. But
many a times, situations become such that a perfectly reasonable person
suddenly becomes unreasonable.
If a vicious person attacks a virtuous one and their family in order to
rob them, the latter is likely to put up a fight. By law, it might be wrong
if the vicious person gets hurt or killed in the fight; the virtuous person’s
actions, however, would be not be wrong morally.
It’s similar to soldiers fighting on the battlefront. They certainly do
not like killing people, but have to do it as it is the question of killing
their enemies. We need to always see the larger picture.
For self-defence or for the sake of justice, if our actions hurt others,
we should not let that bog us down or change our path. We need to
detach ourselves from emotions and carry on doing the right thing.
Humans are pawns in this game of life. The wise person understands this
and rises above any emotional attachment to the activities of this illusory
world.

Day 11
Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding the old ones,
similarly, the living entity or the individual soul acquires a new body
after casting away the old body. (2.22)
It is normal for humans to change clothes daily, the same way it is
normal for the soul to change physical bodies. Just like an actor may play
many roles in a play on stage, by changing costumes, a soul also plays
many roles in this drama of life by changing bodies.
It is easier to get new clothes if one is willing to discard the worn-out
ones. Similarly, it is less painful for the soul to move on if one is
unattached to the mortal body. Some people are extremely attached to
their bodies, death scares them. But the wise welcome death because
they know they would be entering a new body.
In our lifetime, we are full of wishes that we are always striving to
fulfil. When our body becomes old and infirm, we still do not want to
pause. We continue wanting more. Death comes when it has to and when
it does, we take our residual desires with us to the next life. The cycle of
karma goes on till we no longer hold any desire and ends with us no
longer coming back in another body. This is the theory of reincarnation
or rebirth.

Day 12
Weapons do not cut the soul, fire does not burn it, water does not make it
wet and the wind does not make it dry. The soul is eternal, all pervading,
unchanging, immovable and primal. (2.23–2.24)
A soul is a fine vibrational form or reflection of the universal Spirit or
the supreme energy. It is primal, omnipresent and indestructible by
water, wind, fire or weapons.
In order to create any impact, the energies should match, like a solid
breaking another solid; but the solid cannot break liquid or gas. So, how
can the soul be destroyed? There is nothing that matches the supreme
energy!
The entire creation is an illusion, like a dream or a drama. The
universal Spirit is the dreamer of this dream. There might be a calamity
in our dreams, but we continue to dream, unaffected. The flood and fire
of the dreams do not hurt us and we wake up safe. Likewise, the
universal Spirit, the dreamer of the creation, is unaffected by any mishap
to the creation.
The mortal body suffers but the soul residing in it remains untouched.
After the suffering is over, the body gets destroyed and the soul is free.
The universal Spirit wakes up from the dreaming state, safe and
unaffected, to create yet another illusory body for the soul that was freed.
The dream goes on.

Day 13
The universal Spirit is said to be unexplainable, incomprehensible and
unchanging. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body. (2.25)
Before the creation was created, before the dreams were dreamt, the
universal Spirit was present. Then the different body forms were dreamt
into existence, with the Spirit reflecting in them as their souls. The forms
changed, but the reflection remained the same.
It is like when we watch a film in a theatre. A film is nothing but a
bunch of moving characters that come alive on the blank screen in front
of us. Looking behind us, we can see the beam of light coming out from
the projection room and falling on the screen in front. Similarly, the
illusory world is the film created by the Spirit.
Every character on the screen seems real, till the projection beam is
switched off. Once that happens, the characters created by it also go
away. But we don’t grieve for them; we know it was just a film.
There is no universe without the universal Spirit. It’s the Spirit that
creates the ever-changing universe, while itself remaining the same. The
wise understand the true changeless nature of the Spirit and do not grieve
when their loved ones leave. They know their souls will return in new
bodies.

Day 14
Even if you think that the physical body takes birth and dies perpetually,
even then, you should not grieve. Because death is certain for the one
who is born, and birth is certain for the one who dies. Therefore, you
should not lament over the inevitable. (2.26–2.27)
According to the law of cause and effect, the soul is destined to change
its mortal residences. Once the soul has been caught in the web of
delusion or maya, it has to go through a series of prisons of mortal births
and deaths to fulfil its desires and pay for the debts incurred by its own
actions or karma.
Every desire is logged in as karma, even if we do not act on it
physically. As we grow up, our desires seem to increase steadily. The
more we see things around us, the more we desire to have them. These
desires create a web around us, from which there is no escape.
Since each action or karma has a reaction, we cannot escape the cycle
of cause and effect. So it is senseless to complain about the operation of
the universal law as we have no control over it.
A better proposition would be to consciously reduce our desires.
Fulfilling our desires for material things gives us momentary happiness,
whereas freedom from all desires gives us permanent happiness.

Day 15
All beings are invisible to our physical eyes before birth and after death.
They manifest between the birth and the death only. What is there to
grieve about? (2.28)
Just because air cannot be seen does not mean that it is not there. We
know it is there all around us; we are breathing it.
We don’t always have to see the source of things, nor do we have to
worry about where things go to in the end. As we switch on the
television, we see the images that entertain us. The images disappear
when we switch off the television. So, does it matter where they came
from and where they went? What should matter is that we enjoy the
programme that we are watching.
We need to learn to be mindful of the present and be happy. The past
is gone and the future is yet to come; it’s the present that is alive.
Can we do anything about what has happened in the past? Can we
turn the clock back? Do we know what is going to happen tomorrow?
What we certainly know is today, the present. We should not grieve what
we don’t know about. Let us live in the present and enjoy every moment
of it.

Day 16
The Spirit that dwells in the body of all beings is eternally indestructible.
Therefore, you should not mourn for anybody. (2.30)
When we mourn somebody’s death, we actually mourn for ourselves.
This may seem odd, but it is a fact, that we mourn a relationship that we
have lost, a loss of a comforter and an emotional partner.
The body alone dies, not the soul. And if we understand the
indestructible nature of the soul then we would not mourn. We would
then understand that the soul has left the body to find a new and better
one. We would say that so-and-so has left this world or passed on, rather
than saying so-and-so is dead.
Love for the person should not be limited to their body; it should be
for the soul inside that body. That way, when the body dies, the love
remains because the memories of that soul would continue to live
forever.

Day 17
Considering your duty as a warrior you should not waver like this.
Because there is nothing more fortunate for a warrior than a righteous
war. (2.31)
We all have roles to play and duties to perform in society, for it to exist
and grow. The monarchs or the leaders have to govern, the warriors have
to fight the enemies, the farmers have to grow food, the teachers have to
teach and the labourers have to labour.
A society or a country can function smoothly only if all perform their
duties well. Likewise, in a family too, the members perform their
respective roles of being a breadwinner or homemaker to maintain a
balanced family life.
At a micro level, all the organs in our body, including the sense
organs, have their individual functions to perform. If any one of the
organs fails to perform or lags behind in performance, an imbalance is
caused and the body falls sick. The role of our mind (head) here is to
monitor the rest of the organs. This is the genesis of the phrase, ‘head’ of
the family.
At the level of our individual selves, the mental (spiritual) warrior in
us should fight the momentary sensual attachments to protect our
kingdom of mental peace.

Day 18
If you will not fight this righteous war, then you will fail in your duty,
lose your reputation and incur sin. (2.33)
It would be wrong to refuse the opportunity to fight and conquer the
enemies that are threatening our welfare. It’s like refusing to take
medicines for a disease we are suffering from.
When we find ourselves in a situation whereby our mental peace is
threatened by sensual temptations, we should fight to conquer them. If
we don’t fight to gain self-control, then we would end up being sense-
controlled. A self-controlled person is governed by wisdom, whereas the
sense-controlled are slaves of their senses. This would eventually lead to
misery and sickness. The classic examples of sense-controlled people
would be addicts and gamblers, though those would be extreme cases.
In the larger perspective too, whether in a family, society or country,
the roles and duties are distributed according to the capabilities of
people. If anyone fails, it inevitably results in chaos.
A righteous war is that which is supported by our wisdom, where our
conscience is clear. If we fail to be righteous, sooner or later, our
conscience will prick us. That sense of guilt, of not having done the right
thing, will haunt us till death.

Day 19
You will go to heaven if killed in the line of duty or you will enjoy the
kingdom on earth if victorious. Therefore, get up with a determination to
fight. (2.37)
Life is a battle that all of us have to fight, facing our individual problems.
Those who fight and solve their problems are naturally happy with their
success. But those who fight and yet do not succeed are not complete
failures either, as they grow in strength.
Valiant losers are not cowards. People who are victims of greed,
anger, gluttony and other such sensual vices and are trying to overcome
them should not give up in the face of failure. They have to continue
trying as they would surely be successful one day. They are heading
towards it one step at a time.
However restless we may be, because of our habits and an
environment full of temptations, we can still fight our way out of inertia
with our determination. Patients suffering from a terminal disease
continue to try all possible treatments available to them. Death is
inevitable, but at least they die satisfied that they left no stone unturned.
Day 20
Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike,
engage yourself in your duty. By doing your duty this way, you will not
incur sin. (2.38)
The basic principle of yoga is to practise mental equilibrium to neutralize
delusion. This does not mean automation, but discrimination and self-
control. Control here means control of emotions like attachment or
repulsion, longing or unwillingness— these extreme emotions cause us
to lose our balance, like a pendulum swinging wildly. A calm and
balanced mind alone can take wise decisions. The middle path is the
right path.
The people who are overjoyed by their temporary success seldom
achieve permanent prosperity. Their success becomes their distraction.
The resultant overconfidence may lead them to take high risks and
wrong steps towards an eventual failure.
Likewise, disillusionment and depression after a failure also make
people lose their focus. It impairs their ability to renew their efforts, thus
reducing chances of any success in future.
The wise remain unruffled in any situation they face. Their minds are
balanced like a tractor, unaffected by the ups and downs of the path they
follow.

Day 21
No effort is ever lost in selfless service, and there is no adverse effect.
Even a little practice of the discipline of selfless service protects one
from the great fear of repeated birth and death. (2.40)
Any effort, even if unfinished, is not wasted. In fact, even the mere
desire for liberation leads one to it. It’s the secret of manifestation. We
desire something and, armed with faith and positive thoughts, we set out
to achieve it. More often than not, we are successful.
The desire for peace, however fleeting, takes root in the subconscious
and eventually bears fruit when the appropriate time comes.
If we start the process of keeping our senses under control, we will
eventually manage to do so. And the result will be everlasting peace.
 Just as a step in the right direction leads us towards freedom from the
karmic cycle, material pursuits would always lead us to all kinds of traps.
It is up to us to choose the path before taking the first step.

Day 22
A selfless worker has resolute determination for God-realization, but the
desires of the one who works to enjoy the fruits of work are endless.
(2.41)
For any task to be successfully executed, it is important to be focused on
it. It is like aiming at the bull’s eye when you shoot. Multitasking is
never successful, but setting goals and prioritizing them is.
When we set our target in a work environment, we direct all our
energies and resources towards achieving it. We end up successful. If we
have a direction and a goal, we would reach it, but if we go in multiple
directions, we would never reach any goal and would end up being
thoroughly confused.
It is the same with life. The temptations are endless. They do not
allow us to achieve our goal, enmeshing us in a web of desires.
Considering that not every desire can be fulfilled, our life can never be
happy or content; we would always be facing disappointments. Focussed
journey leads us to peace, whereas directionless journey creates an
endless karmic cycle of births and deaths.

Day 23
You have control over doing your respective duty only, but no control or
claim over the results. The fruits of work should not be your motive and
you should never be inactive. (2.47)
Some people live only for their own selfish happiness. They are attached
to the results and work as the sole beneficiaries of their actions. Such
self-centred people get continuously led from one desire to another.
Ultimately when their end comes, they realize that all their wealth would
be left behind for others to use. Such people always live their lives
dreading their end.
 This is not to say that we should lack ambitions or targets in life. We
should have goals to achieve, wealth being one of them. The problem
comes when we get so lost in acquiring wealth that we forget everything
and everyone else. Even if we manage to make some people happy with
our wealth, we still would be leaving it all behind when we die. Isn’t it
better that we use some of our wealth to help those in need?
When we die, we leave behind memories. People whom we have
helped in their times of need remember us forever. Whereas those who
are not needy, to whom we have given our wealth, do not appreciate our
gift. A person who has five pairs of shoes is unlikely to be grateful on
receiving another pair. At the same time, one who doesn’t possess shoes
would be forever grateful when they are gifted a pair.
Attachment to the fruit of the action should not be the driving force.
Attachment makes us unreasonable. However, non-attachment to the
fruits of action should not make you inactive. Action is important,
regardless of whether it fetches you the desired result or not. Attachment
is not great as it creates bondage.

Day 24
Do your duty to the best of your ability, abandoning worry and selfish
attachment to the results and remaining calm in both success and failure.
Selfless service is a yogic practice that brings peace and equanimity of
mind. (2.48)
The word yoga or yogic practice signifies the mental evenness that is the
result of communion of the mind with the universal Spirit. Mental
evenness is the natural state of the soul. Earthly material attachments
disturb this evenness or balance of the mind. A chaotic mind results in a
chaotic life.
A person of attachment always reaps unhappiness. Their worldly
minds become uneven by gains and losses, wins and defeats. The
unattached person, whereas, remains undisturbed and forever in peace.
The key is to do any and every task with devotion, commitment and
honesty towards the task, not its result. In this way, we do not get
attached to the result, be it good or bad. Where there is no attachment
there is no disappointment and, hence, no chaos or imbalance of the
mind.
Day 25
Work done with selfish motives is inferior to selfless service. Therefore,
be a selfless worker. Those who work only to enjoy the fruits of their
labour are always unhappy because one has no control over the results.
(2.49)
It is foolish to work for personal gain as it gathers only troubles through
ever-increasing desires. The results of such actions are uncertain and
transitory. It can be seen all around us.
People work towards earning more money to buy bigger houses,
bigger vehicles, more clothes, more jewellery, more gadgets, basically to
acquire more and more material goods. Very soon, these things go out of
date and the urge to acquire more continues. All marketing is aimed at
fanning our desires and greed. The result of this kind of selfish action
always results in stress and misery.
It is wise to work selflessly, unaffected by temptations. The result
would be peace and happiness. Once we understand the basic nature of
the universal Spirit that pervades all of us and the fact that all the wealth
that we accrue stays back when we die, it becomes easier to not form
attachment to that wealth.

Day 26
Working to the best of one’s abilities without becoming selfishly attached
to the fruits of work is called karma yoga. Karma yogis are freed from
the bondage of rebirth due to renouncing the selfish attachment to the
fruits of all work, and they attain the blissful divine state of salvation or
Nirvana. Therefore, strive for selfless service. (2.50–2.51)
Prisoners who serve their term rebelliously stay in the prison till the end
of their term. Those who serve their term with good conduct please their
warden and may be let off before their time.
Similarly, when we lead our life rebelliously, going in and out of
desires, we ultimately get stuck in them. Since desires are never-ending,
we still carry them in us when we die. Our soul then has to take birth
again to fulfil those leftover desires. The karmic cycle of birth and death
goes on.
 To carry on with life’s activities absolutely selflessly, without any
attachments, is karma yoga or the art of proper action. And it frees the
soul totally from the earthly bondage of karmic effects of actions.
The soul of a selfless person changes from a body-identified, limited
and karma-bound entity to a state that is ever free and beyond the
influence of karma. So a person, by performing all actions with the
conscious awareness of the universal Spirit or God, remains in peace and
happiness forever.

Day 27
When one is completely free from all desires of the mind and is satisfied
and happy with the universal Spirit, then one is called an enlightened
person. (2.55)
The wise know that their inner self is the universal Spirit that contains all
the bliss. They know that the same Spirit is in everyone. When everyone
is the same, then where is the need to discriminate or compare? When
there is no comparison, there would not be any competition or petty
jealousies among people.
Once we start shedding our desires, we start feeling free. After all,
it’s the desires that bind us down. We buy something good and then we
spend more time in looking after it and worrying for its safety. It is the
same with the smallest to the largest material object.
Without desires, there wouldn’t be any attachment, even if we
possess precious things. Hence, we wouldn’t worry about their safety.
Shedding desires goes a long way in making us peaceful. Having
such steady wisdom is called getting enlightened.

Day 28
A person whose mind is unperturbed by sorrow, who does not crave
pleasures and who is completely free from attachment, fear and anger, is
called an enlightened sage of steady intellect. (2.56)
The wise person or an enlightened one remains beyond the reach of
common emotions. They do not become inwardly perturbed or bothered
or stressed when in trouble or when things don’t go their way. They also
do not get unduly elated or excited over their success.
Why? This is because a wise person has neither attachments, nor
desires. Desire, when unfulfilled, gives rise to emotions like fear, anger
and disappointment. The same is true for any attachment; it gives rise to
fear of loss.
People of steady intellect, who are not shaken by the drama of the
world around them, are enlightened indeed. Such people are very
successful in life as they can continue to forge ahead in their profession
without getting affected by their environment.

Day 29
The mind and intellect of that person become steady, who is not attached
to anything, who is neither elated by getting desired results, nor
perturbed by undesired results. (2.57)
People who can perceive the separateness between their soul and the
excitable nature of their body and mind, remaining unaffected by the
pleasures and pains of their body, have unwavering wisdom.
Such people are often called heartless or cold-blooded or indifferent
by their friends and family. This is not so. Being calm and balanced in
every situation is being neutral, not indifferent. It requires conscious
effort to control the ever-excitable senses. It needs wisdom to understand
the fickle nature of the material world.
Such people have realized that God or the universal Spirit is within
them. They are aware that the soul is ever at peace, even when the body
is ceaselessly experiencing the dualities of pleasure and pain. Such a
person is like God and deserves respect.

Day 30
When one can completely withdraw the senses from the sense objects as
a tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shell for protection from calamity,
then the intellect of such a person is considered steady. (2.58)
The tortoise swiftly withdraws its limbs into its shell when faced with
any danger. Similarly, we withdraw our five senses into our subconscious
mind during sleep or deep meditation.
But then, we also have the capacity to withdraw our senses while
awake, if we so want. When we are told that a certain type of food, say
sugar or gluten, is bad for our health, we are able to withdraw our
craving for it and avoid it altogether. Likewise, we can control the
cravings of all five senses if we decide to do so or if we are convinced
that doing so would help us lead a better, healthier and happier life.
People who have consciously attained this freedom from sensory
intrusion, the ones who can voluntarily withdraw their mind and energy
from any of the five senses, are the true yogis.

Day 31
The desire for sensual pleasures fades away if one abstains from sense
enjoyment, but the craving for sense enjoyment remains in a very subtle
form. This subtle craving also completely disappears for the one who
knows and understands the universal Spirit. (2.59)
Physical self-control without mental self-control is of no use. A person
may distance themselves from sensory temptations but their minds
would constantly be dwelling on it, and may sooner or later succumb to
it.
It is like fasting, an imposition that we know will end soon and we
eagerly look forward to that end. Doesn’t the mind think more about
food while fasting? Such abstinence is only superficial; the mind is not
abstaining.
Running away to a hermitage or a retreat is escaping from reality. If
we want to get away from the clutches of our senses, we need to exert
mental control. Physical abstinence is incomplete without mental
abstinence. Having understood the presence of the universal Spirit
within, the wise have no interest in sensory pleasures.

FEBRUARY

Day 1
Restless senses forcibly carry away the mind of even a wise person
striving for perfection. (2.60)
The wise, while trying to overcome the sensory stimulations, should not
only stay away from the temptations externally, but also control their
senses internally.
Our subconscious is very powerful and feeds the senses with the
images of the past sensual experiences. In moments of weakness, we can
fall prey to temptations.
It is like building the immunity of our physical body. We work hard
to take precautions to make our body immune to infections. But
unknown to us, germs are present inside us at all times. The germs start
flourishing the moment our immunity drops.
Thus, we should introspect periodically to find out if we have been
successful in controlling our desires or are they just hiding for the time
being.

Day 2
One should fix one’s mind on the universal Spirit with loving
contemplation after bringing the senses under control. One’s intellect
becomes steady when one’s senses are under complete control. (2.61)
The victim of self-indulgence would not have a steady intellect and
would always have clouded judgment, moving on from one error to
another.
Our senses are so powerful that they control us without even letting
us know about it. A glimpse, a whiff, a faint sound or a memory can
trigger an avalanche of desires in us. Our desires keep pushing us in
multiple directions, leaving us confused and directionless in the end.
The wise should withdraw their minds from their senses and keep it
united with the universal Spirit. Such outer and inner control makes the
intellect steady. This does not happen overnight; it has to be practised
consciously and regularly so that it becomes a habit. We can consciously
train our subconscious to keep our senses in check.
Once achieved, steady wisdom helps us to exercise the right
judgment in all our decisions and actions.
Day 3
One develops attachment to sense objects by thinking about sense
objects. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to sense objects
and anger comes from unfulfilled desires. (2.62)
Attachments can happen any time. Seeing something beautiful can result
in a desire to possess it. In fact, visualizing any kind of sensory
happiness produces an attachment to that feeling of happiness. Such
attachment develops into a desire. And we know that the objects of
desire are many; they could be people, pets, gadgets, property, food,
clothes, jewels—anything at all.
Once the desire enters our system, our mind gets focussed on
fulfilling it. We think of ways and means to possess our object of desire.
If, unfortunately, we do not succeed, then the same unfulfilled desire,
which was earlier the cause of anticipatory happiness, becomes a cause
of anger.
If the desire is righteous, the resultant anger would also be righteous
and it would result in applying extraordinary efforts to pursue it. But if
the anger is egotistical, then the results can be very damaging.
Unrighteous anger make people lose their balance of mind. Such a
person may implode with heart attack or stroke or explode and become
aggressive. Most crimes are triggered by anger resulting from unfulfilled
desires.
Sense attractions should, therefore, be sublimated right in the
beginning before they get the chance to grow into desires.

Day 4
Delusion or wild ideas arise from anger. The mind is bewildered by
delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls
away from the right path when reasoning is destroyed. (2.63)
Non-fulfilment of desires agitates the calmness of the mind, arousing
wrath and resulting in blinding confusion or delusion. This delusion
stupefies the mind and dulls its reasoning power.
Loss of memory follows delusion—memory of their own dignity,
their real nature, of what they are supposed to do. Such a person is
unable to distinguish between right and wrong. Without the ability to
distinguish, the path leads to destruction and misery.
 Road rage is a classic example of this. We start a day well, looking
forward to a fruitful meeting at work or we end the day tired, looking
forward to a quiet dinner with family—in either case, we are driving.
Suddenly, another vehicle overtakes us from the wrong side so fast that it
brushes against our vehicle. Our vehicle gets a nasty dent. Meanwhile,
the culprit seems unapologetic, oblivious of breaking the traffic rule.
Such an incident always gives rise to anger. If we allow that anger to
grow, it would result in us getting out of our vehicle to shout at the
offender. Or else, we lose our cool and jump a traffic light. There could
be any number of consequences, and might even lead to an accident. Our
day gets ruined effectively.

Day 5
A disciplined person, enjoying sense objects with senses that are under
control and free from attachments and aversions, attains tranquillity.
(2.64)
If there is an attraction, there is a corresponding aversion. We love the
taste of sweets and get attracted to any and every dessert. With such a
sweet tooth, it’s highly unlikely that we would be attracted to anything
bitter; in fact, we would be averse to bitter foods.
Our attractions and aversions, likes and dislikes, are at the root of our
entanglement in the material world. They make us a slave to moods and
habits.
Self-controlled people, armed with wisdom and non-attachment,
perform their duties happily in the world full of temptations, confident of
their success at all times. Such wise people are like swans swimming in
muddy waters and yet not getting their wings dirty.

Day 6
All sorrows are destroyed upon attainment of tranquillity. The intellect of
such a tranquil person soon becomes completely steady and united with
the universal Spirit. (2.65)
The secret behind the success of all online portals that are selling goods
and services is the vulnerability of our senses. These portals pamper our
senses with attractive visuals and convince us that we must buy, or even
just try out, their products. More often than not we succumb to these
temptations.
Why? Because we are governed by our senses and are under their
control, whereas, it should be the other way round—we should be
controlling our senses. We should have the wisdom to decide what we
need. Uncontrolled desires create chaos in life.
Self-controlled people are unaffected by any temptation and hence
lead a peaceful life. They understand the true nature of the universal
Spirit and the material world. They know that the material world cannot
provide everlasting peace or happiness. This wisdom not only guides
them but also guards them against all temptations.
Such people are balanced in thought and deed and do well in their
professions too. Only a balanced mind can take the right decision at the
right time.

Day 7
There is neither Self-knowledge, nor Self-perception in those who are not
united with the universal Spirit. Without Self-perception there is no peace
and, without peace, there can be no happiness. (2.66)
If one is not in light, then one is in darkness. Opposites co-exist like
night and day. It is said that unless we go through sadness, we are unable
to appreciate happiness. So, this vacillation from one to the other
continues throughout life. Accordingly, our mind also reacts to the
situation at hand; it also vacillates.
When we keep getting pulled by our senses, how can our mind
maintain its balance? Those who are attached to the senses are, therefore,
never in balance. They are obviously not connected with the soul, as the
soul is eternally peaceful. A person in tune with their soul would be
unruffled and peaceful in all situations.
Peace does not mean indifference; many a times people develop
indifference to the material world after they’ve been through some
tragedy. That peace is negative. Positive peace results from Self-
knowledge and wisdom.
The mind is like water—you can’t see a thing if it’s turbulent but if
it’s calm, you can see everything. The calmness of mind comes from
understanding the truth about our soul and the universal Spirit reflecting
in it.

Day 8
The mind, when controlled by the roving senses, steals away the intellect
from the spiritual shore of peace and happiness, just as a storm takes
away a boat on the sea from its destination. (2.67)
In good weather, on a calm sea, a boat can sail easily and reach the
shore. But the same boat would be thrown off course in a storm.
Our intellect is like a boat. Our mind is like the sea. Our senses create
a storm in that sea through our various attachments. How can a person
possibly succeed in distinguishing right from wrong when caught up in a
storm of attachments?
The sensory temptations overwhelm and confuse us. We get
distracted and diverted from our natural course of good intentions.
It does not mean that we cannot get back on the right path. We still
can. We just need to still the storms of our senses. Humans are born
good; it’s the sensory distractions of the material world that trap them
and change their lives. Running after peace and happiness is actually us
running away from those. But hope is not lost. Once we get our control
back in our hands, peace and happiness come to us naturally.

Day 9
Those people whose senses are completely withdrawn from the sense
objects are the ones whose intellect becomes steady. (2.68)
Our wisdom is the charioteer controlling the sense horses that carry us to
eternal peace and happiness, riding through a terrain of sensory
temptations.
A person without self-control is unable to prevent the horses from
running wild in multiple directions in pursuit of sensory pleasures. On
the other hand, a wise person is able to guide the horses firmly towards
the path of virtue.
At the same time, it is not advised to tie up the sense horses. That is
not real control; training the horses to be obedient is the real way of
controlling them. Removing a person’s eyes does not destroy their desire
for sensuous beauty. The senses cannot act by themselves; they direct the
mind to generate action. Hence, it is important to free the mind from the
enslavement of the senses.
A wise person’s chariot would always be steady, as it would be
driven by controlled horses. Leaders are effective only when their
decisions are taken by their intellect and not by their emotions.

Day 10
One attains peace, within whose mind all desires dissipate without
creating any mental disturbance, as river waters enter the full ocean
without creating any disturbance. One who desires material objects is
never peaceful. (2.70)
Even though many rivers flow into it, the ocean remains ever unchanging
and ever full. Peaceful people are somewhat like that. The souls of
peaceful people are the oceans of contentment in which their entire
consciousness is immersed. They absorb within themselves all the
desires and yet keep overflowing with energy, contentment and peace.
Ordinary people are not completely at peace. Their level of peace is
like a tank of water that is bombarded continuously by many little desires
that surround them. These desires bore holes in the tank, from which the
water starts trickling out. Soon those people lose their peace completely.
Instead of losing their peace through small yearnings, human beings
could learn to control their desires. Another way is to help others in need
and spread happiness. It is paradoxically true that our joy increases when
we help others, but decreases when we are pursuing our selfish desires.

Day 11
One who abandons all desires, and becomes free from longing and the
feeling of ‘I’ and ‘my’, attains peace. (2.71)
Peace is a product of freedom from all desires. It may not always be
practical as there are certain obligations that we have for our own health,
our family and our work. But then, we can still avoid getting entangled
in the jungle of material objects.
 More than that, we need to take the tough call of freeing ourselves
from the inner longings for the objects we have relinquished. Our inner
desires cause more bondage, and hence more damage, than the material
temptations of the world.
True renunciation does not necessarily mean leaving the material
world and going to the Himalayas to live in a hermitage. Renunciation is
dropping all attachments, dropping the concept of ‘mine’. As with
everything else, renunciation is also in our mind.
Once we are able to renounce the world in our minds, we do not need
to go anywhere. We can continue living our normal life and it would be
peaceful and happy. Freedom from ego and its earthly attachments
results in everlasting peace.
 3

Path of Karma Yoga

12 February–13 March

Day 12
In this world, there is a twofold path of spiritual discipline. The path of
Self-knowledge for the contemplative ones, and the path of selfless work
for all others. (3.03)
The way of wisdom and the way of right action are the two paths to
attain eternal peace. The way of knowledge and discrimination, known
as gyana yoga, is for the wise. The way of right action, known as karma
yoga, is for all the others.
The wise study the scriptures to understand the real nature of soul and
the universal Spirit. But mere theoretical wisdom is not enough. The
scriptural knowledge has to be applied in life to experience its spiritual
precepts.
Studying and acquiring degrees is great, but those degrees don’t help
us get food on our plate or a roof on our head unless we use them to get a
job. We need to apply our education in practical life for it to bear any
fruit.
Likewise, right action alone is of no use, unless it is selfless in nature.
People get attached to their philanthropic activities and want to be
recognized for it. They promote themselves as the messiah for the needy.
Aren’t they missing the whole point? Right action means selfless action,
an action with no hidden agenda or attachment. Most of the so-called
philanthropists are obsessively attached to their actions.
The two paths of gyana and karma yoga merge in the end. Wisdom
and selfless work together lead towards eternal peace.

Day 13
One does not attain freedom from the bondage of karma by merely
abstaining from work. No one attains perfection by merely giving up
work because no one can remain action-less even for a moment.
Everyone is driven to action by the forces of nature. (3.04–3.05)
Freedom from karmic bondage does not come from renunciation of
work. Work alone does not create karmic bondage, our thoughts and
desires do so too. So there can be no absolute action-less moment. We
are either restlessly active or actively restless.
Though wisdom is considered superior to activity, ultimate
knowledge cannot be attained without climbing the ladder of social,
moral, religious and meditative activities. Wisdom is not served to us on
a platter; we have to work towards acquiring it. When we are thrown into
the river of life, we need to swim to save ourselves and move ahead.
The entire cosmos is created and guided by the interplay of three
qualities or modes of expression, sattva (elevating), rajas (activating) and
tamas (obstructing). So, as an integral part of the vibrating cosmos,
human beings are compelled to perform some or the other action. The
trick is to be detached from the fruits of all actions. By doing so, the wise
person is forever calmly active and actively calm.

Day 14
Anyone who restrains the senses but mentally dwells upon the sense
objects is called a pretender. (3.06)
The people who subdue their senses outwardly, becoming recluses, but
still think about the objects they have forsaken, are merely deluding
themselves. It’s like people fasting. Many people fast for religious
reasons and it’s a task for them; they would avoid going out for fear of
temptation or gorge on food the night before.
Dieting is similar. People who follow strict restricted diet to lose
weight gain it back almost immediately once they stop dieting. Why?
This is because they have forced themselves to fast or diet; they are not
mentally convinced or committed to it. The moment they are allowed to,
they eat and they eat more to compensate for the earlier abstinence.
The thoughts and deeds should be in harmony because if the inner
temptation increases to flood-like proportions, then the outer self-control
may be swept away.
 Control of action should always begin with control of mind. In order
to overcome a temptation, it is important to convince the mind, giving
reasons for abandoning the thought and, hence, the action.

Day 15
The one who controls the senses by the trained and purified mind and
intellect, and engages the organs of action to selfless service, is
considered superior. (3.07)
People who keep their senses under control, remaining unattached to
their own desires and ambitions, will ultimately manage to follow the
righteous path. That path will lead them to eternal peace and happiness.
Keeping our senses under control requires practice, which we would
do only if we understand the benefit of self-control.
Going back to the example of dieting, if we understand the basics of
nutrition and know what each food is doing to our body, then it would be
easier for us to follow the right diet. This wisdom comes from
knowledge, and that guides our actions.
The wise control their senses and direct their organs of activity on to
the path of right action. Such selfless activity is karma yoga.

Day 16
Perform your obligatory duty because working is indeed better than
sitting idle. Even the maintenance of your body would not be possible
without work. (3.08)
The universal Spirit that permeates every cell of cosmos is at peace, yet
is actively performing all functions to maintain life.
Nature all around us, including the plants, animals and the people, is
growing constantly, non-stop. The growth doesn’t stop even if there is a
natural calamity like earthquake, typhoon, etc. Even our body doesn’t
stop growing even for a second, does it?
Humans are in the image of the universal Spirit. They are also
expected to be actively performing all their duties related to the
maintenance of their body and life. It’s a simple enough task, but since
we are endowed with a thinking brain, a mind of our own as the phrase
goes, we tend to get swayed by our senses.
If wisdom prevails, our mind controls the sensory horses and leads us
on the right path and in the right direction. If it’s the other way round,
then the horses lead us wherever they want to go.
Doing nothing is not the solution. In fact, idleness is a crime of sorts,
as we all have our duty towards our creator and society. Even the one
who has renounced the material world, has a spiritual responsibility of
setting an example to the world.

Day 17
Work, other than that done as a selfless service, binds human beings.
Therefore, becoming free from selfish attachment to the fruits of work, do
your duty efficiently as a service to me. (3.09)
People who work for selfish motives like material profits and happiness
are doomed to be karmically tied to the earth through many incarnations.
If we pause and introspect, we would find that whatever work we do
has a selfish reason attached to it. It may start small as a means to
provide for ourselves and our family, but then it goes on to buying a
bigger place to live, a bigger vehicle to drive, expensive clothing,
holidays abroad, sending children to expensive schools and so on—the
list grows.
Our definition of providing for our family and ourselves changes over
the years. Unknown to us, our greed, our attachments, increase. We start
changing jobs to increase our salaries, so that we can buy more. Decades
ago people would stick to a job, but not now. Now, if you meet someone
after five years, you’d find them doing a different job than before, and
perhaps looking for yet another change.
These are bondages that we are getting trapped into; nobody is happy.
If we work without getting attached to its fruit, we would be saved from
all this stress. If we stop running after what is there in the market, we
would find contentment with what we have. That is the path to eternal
peace.

Day 18
In the beginning, the creator created human beings together with selfless
service (yagya) and said—by serving each other you shall prosper and
the selfless service shall fulfil all your desires. (3.10)
All human beings are created from one source, the universal Spirit or
cosmic intelligence. All are given divine wisdom.
The word yagya means that we do something and get something back
in return. People in the ancient times did yagyas propitiating gods to get
a son or a particular superpower. Their wishes were granted depending
on the intensity of the doer’s devotion or commitment. The yagya was
like a cow that would be milked whenever the need arose.
Yagya is equated here to selfless service. It is selfless service that gets
us what we really want. The word ‘really’ is the key. What do we really
want? No, not material goods, but eternal peace and happiness.
Humans are endowed with wisdom, which has the potential to guide
them in the right direction. Listening to this inner guidance, the wise
serve others in selfless service and enjoy peace and happiness forever.

Day 19
Nourish the celestial controllers with selfless service, and they will
nourish you. Thus, nourishing one another, you shall attain the supreme
goal. (3.11)
In ancient times, people worshipped nature to acknowledge human
beings’ dependence on the natural forces. They prayed to the sun, moon,
rain and various plants. It was a gesture of gratitude as well as a request
for maintenance of nature’s bounty. Somewhere down the line, humans
got so embroiled in their senses that they forgot all about nature. Global
warming is the result of the same.
At a micro level, humans are a miniature of the universe in which
they live. If they don’t look after their own bodies, the bodies will cease
to function normally.
Every activity is like a yagya, wherein we give and get. What we
sow, so shall we reap, is something we have been taught since
kindergarten. But blinded by our greed for satisfying our senses at the
cost of others, we move on to the path of self-destruction. All diseases
caused by lifestyle are a result of that.
 The wise stop running and take charge of their senses. It enables them
to move smoothly, unfettered, on to the path leading to eternal peace and
happiness.

Day 20
The celestial controllers, served by selfless service, will give you all
desired objects. One who enjoys the gift of celestial controllers without
sharing with others is, indeed, a thief. (3.12)
We should be grateful to the universal Spirit that makes this body
function, and should accept the bounties of nature humbly. Those who do
not do so, and feel that all that they are getting is rightfully theirs, are no
better than thieves. This applies at all levels.
In nature, we have seen the havoc caused by deforestation and
mining. Mostly, these are done by people who own large areas of land.
Greed makes them blind and they feel that since they own the land, they
can do whatever they want with it. They forget that the forests provide
food and shelter to animals and birds. They don’t want to share the trees;
they would rather cut them and sell the timber. The same is true for the
miners who mine indiscriminately. Such people are thieves, stealing
from nature.
There are some people who hoard food grains in the hope of selling it
at a higher price during shortage. They do this while people in another
part of the country are starving. This is also stealing. No one should have
to go hungry in the world.
Since we are not learning to share nature’s bounty, it is lashing back
with calamities like floods, famines, tsunamis, and of course, global
warming.

Day 21
The righteous who eat after feeding others are freed from all sins, but the
impious who cook food only for themselves, without first offering to God,
or sharing with others, verily eat sin. (3.13)
The fundamental principle of yagya should be applied to life at all times.
We should give first before getting anything. That giving may not
necessarily be actual physical giving, but can be symbolic by way of
gratitude.
For instance, before eating any meal, we should feel grateful for what
we have on our plate. When we are young and dependent, we should be
grateful to our parents or whosoever is providing for us.
All through our lives, the feeling of gratitude should remain alive in
us. Not only does it ground us, it actually makes us understand the value
of every little thing in life.
Those who are oblivious of and thankless to the source or the giver
remain within the karmic cycle of rebirths. The universal Spirit balances
out everything, so when we just take and take, we have to come back in
another life to give back.

Day 22
From food, creatures spring forth; from rain, food is begotten. From the
sacrificial cosmic fire, rain issues forth; the cosmic fire or light is born
of karma or divine vibratory action. This divine vibratory activity comes
to being from God’s creative consciousness; and this consciousness is
derived from the everlasting universal Spirit. (3.14–3.15)
Food is the fountain, the sustainer of life, and water is the sustainer of
food. Water comes from the cosmic fire, the cosmic light. And this
cosmic light comes from the universal energy.
Hence, the cosmic energy of the creative cosmic vibration is the
source of all life and life-sustaining food. This is the law of creation.
Humans are also a product of cosmic energy, of the life current that
condenses as earth or matter or food.
This is to understand that at the atomic level, everything that we see
around us has the same source. We come from the same source and get
absorbed back into the same, when our time ends.
Nothing is superior or inferior; everything is the same bunch of atoms
but clustered together differently. It is indeed a humbling thought. It’s
like a huge mass of Lego pieces that are joined together in different ways
to create different objects. Understanding this reality of the universal
Spirit, the wise remain unaffected by the sensory world.
Day 23
The one who does not help to keep the wheel of creation in motion by
selfless work, and rejoices in sense pleasures, that sinful person lives in
vain. (3.16)
According to Hindu scriptures, this is not the only life that we have; we
have lived before and will live yet again. We need to accept the present
and take responsibility of the future.
This understanding helps us to appreciate the ever-changing world
around us. Being a part of this ever-changing world we should fulfil our
duty towards it. We should actively look after nature and our
environment as we draw our sustenance from it.
People who are wrapped up in their own selves, in satisfying their
sensual needs, end up being restless and unhappy, as all the senses can
never be fully satisfied. Such a person is born and dies without leaving
any impact on anyone. What a waste!

Day 24
The one who rejoices in the soul, who is delighted with the soul, and who
is content with the soul alone, for such a self-realized person there is no
duty. Such a person has no interest, whatsoever, in what is done or what
is not done. A self-realized person does not depend on anybody for
anything, except on the universal soul or God. (3.17–3.18)
When we are conscious of our physical body, how we look and pander to
the demands of our senses, we get lost in ‘I, me and mine’. This is ego.
Ego has a tendency to grow very fast. People who are lost in their ego
have no time left for anything or anyone else.
Such people impose their ego on their family as well. They want to
be seen in designer clothes and luxurious cars. They even put pressure on
their children to do certain courses or follow certain professions to
maintain their image.
Humans are endowed with imagination, which can be very
troublesome at times. Egotistical people always live in their imagination.
They constantly look for validation from people around them.
On the other hand, the wise live within their soul, in the blissful
understanding that everything gets left behind when the soul moves on to
the next body. Such people are not attached to their body, nor dependent
on anyone; they are self-controlled and at peace with themselves and the
world.

Day 25
Always perform your duty efficiently and without any selfish attachment
to the results, because by doing work without attachment one attains
eternal peace. (3.19)
When we do anything, we always have a reason for it. Doing a job or
business, for instance, is done to earn money for sustenance. Initially, it
is self-sustenance, but subsequently, the requirement increases as the
family grows. So, attachment to result of work is understandable.
The key word here is ‘selfish’. When a normal straightforward
justifiable attachment becomes selfish, we don’t get to know. It starts
with fulfilling the basic needs, and then greed enters the picture. Over
time, we start earning more; when the needs have already been satisfied,
vanity takes over. We start pampering our senses with rich food,
beautiful accessories, expensive perfumes, visit to theatres and other
such luxuries.
With this, we have crossed over to the zone of ‘selfish’. In this zone,
no amount of wealth is enough, as the senses are insatiable. The wise
know how to not fall into this trap. They keep a control over their senses.
Since they don’t develop any attachments, they don’t suffer from any
disappointments. They are at peace, forever.

Day 26
King Janak and others attained perfection of self-realization by selfless
service (karma-yoga) alone. You should also perform your duty with a
view to guide people, and for the welfare of society. (3.20)
It is not necessary to ignore our household or family duties and pursue
charity or selfless work. King Janak, for example, was a great and noble
king, who efficiently performed his duties towards his kingdom, yet
remained unattached to it all. His people considered him to be a saint.
Another example would be Mahatma Gandhi. He was a well-
educated man from a well-to-do family who could have practiced law
successfully as he was a trained barrister. But he was not attached to the
sensory material world and decided to help the people of India to attain
freedom from British rule. That was selfless service.
The point being emphasized here is that selfless service is doable.
Any person, who decides to help others, sharing his knowledge or wealth
with those in need, is on the right path.

Day 27
Because whatever noble persons do, others follow. Whatever standards
they set the world follows. (3.21)
Ordinary people have a herd mentality. They look around for leaders to
follow; it saves them from thinking.
So, if we genuinely want to help others, we should set an example for
them. We should follow the path of selfless service with full
commitment. People around us would tend to emulate and follow us.
This is how goodness spreads. And if, because of us, people start
changing for the better, it would be a tremendous achievement.
One thing to remember here would be that we should not get attached
to the thought of people following us. We should just do what’s right for
us to do, without looking back, and continue doing so till the end of our
lives.
At the micro level, this means that our senses behave according to
what our mind feels. If the mind has anger, the senses also reflect the
same—music will seem like noise then. If the mind has bliss, the senses
will reflect the same—one would be tolerant to others’ mistakes.

Day 28
As the ignorant work with attachment to the fruits of work, so the wise
should work without attachment for the welfare of society. (3.25)
When we do gardening as a hobby, we enjoy seeing the fruits of our
labour in the form of colourful flowers. The sight is pleasing to others
too and it’s great for the environment.
But, when hired gardeners do the same gardening, they are not as
pleased with their work. They are just doing their job, and their worry is
that the owner of the garden should be pleased. All the efforts that they
put in gardening are to please their employers enough to raise their
salary. The same gardening does different things to different people
because the perspective varies.
When we do something as a hobby, we are not attached to the fruit of
the action; we are doing it for the experience, the feeling of happiness
that we get out of it. When we do something as a job, we are attached to
the fruits of our action. That causes expectations, resulting in stress.
Isn’t it better then, to do everything as a hobby, so that we get
pleasure doing it? No attachments, no expectations, only peace and
happiness!

MARCH

Day 1
The wise should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant ones who are
attached to the fruits of work, but the enlightened one should inspire
others by performing all jobs efficiently without selfish attachment.
(3.26)
It is not possible for all to follow the spiritual path. Everyone has a role
to play in this world for it to function. We need our farmers, builders,
tailors, teachers, soldiers, bankers, doctors and others. All the jobs are
interconnected and have to coexist peacefully.
All of us are born for a reason. And we are entitled to work towards
our social and economic growth. But there comes a time in our lives
when we are tired of running after material things and the perennially
elusive peace. At that time, we should pause and reset our goals. We
should start ridding ourselves of our material attachments and start on
the path of selfless service.
Each person is different in this world, with different speeds of growth
and levels of understanding. Nobody should force their understanding on
the other. It is best to follow one’s own path and set an example for
others to follow.
Day 2
The forces of nature do all the work. But due to delusion of ignorance
people assume themselves to be the doer. (3.27)
Nature has three primary components or principles: sattva, the principle
of harmony; rajas, the principle of activity; and tamas, the principle of
passivity. They are the causes behind the feelings of pleasure, pain and
indifference.
These three principles or attributes are present in everything in the
world. The nature of anything, be it good, bad or indifferent, is based on
the predominance of any of the three principles.
Interestingly, the proportions of these attributes keep changing and
they are the cause of all attachments in a person. How? The predominant
attribute of the mind acts like a lens that affects our perception and
perspective of the world around us.
If the mind is governed by rajas, it perceives the world to be full of
activity and reacts to it accordingly. Likewise, if dominated by sattva, it
perceives the world to be joyful; if led by tamas, the world seems
confusing.
The wise understand this and know that they are not the doer of any
activity, it’s the nature’s forces that create and generate activity.

Day 3
The one who knows the truth about the role of the forces of nature in
getting work done does not become attached to the work. Such a person
knows that it is the forces of nature that get their work done by using our
organs as their instruments. (3.28)
Once we understand the forces of nature playing within us, we can
observe them in a detached manner.
A friend gets promoted and we congratulate them. Then, after a
while, we start feeling jealous. We question their deservedness and we
assume that they must be indulging in sycophancy to get promoted. We
think of everything possible that they must be doing other than doing
their job well. It does not occur to us that they could be genuinely
capable and efficient in their work. This is how jealousy colours our
thoughts.
 Emotions like jealousy, rage, lust and craving make us do things that
we would not in a calm state of mind. In rage we can attack someone,
lust results in rapes, craving can make one steal and a jealous person can
find devious ways to destroy the other person’s achievements.
Since we know this, we can actually be alert to any such emotions
entering our mind. We can analyse and understand their cause. Once we
become observers of this cause and effect phenomena, it would be easy
to detach ourselves from it.

Day 4
But those who are deluded by the illusive power (maya) of nature
become attached to the works done by the forces of nature. The wise
should not disturb the mind of the ignorant whose knowledge is
imperfect. (3.29)
We see all kinds of people around us, but it’s not for us to judge them.
We only have to observe and help them when they seek help. Everyone
has a path, following which they grow and evolve. And that path
depends on their intellect and understanding of what they need to do.
A student knows what he/she has to study to become a doctor.
Merchants know what goods they have to stock to sell. Cooks know
what ingredients they have to buy to cook a certain dish. A teacher
knows what to teach. The list is endless.
The point here is that we all know what we are doing and we
certainly do not appreciate anyone interfering in our business. Try telling
your mother how to cook a dish that she’s been cooking for many years.
Or try telling the plumber how to fix the leaking tap.
Likewise, every person has an inbuilt system of emotional responses.
They have their own levels of attachment to senses. Once they get tired
of running after their desires, they pause and wonder. That is the time
when they seek help to understand the forces of nature that govern them.
That is the time when they start asking questions. And that is the right
time for us to help them, not before. It’s the patient who has to go to a
doctor, it’s never the other way round.

Day 5
Do your duty, dedicating all work to God in a spiritual frame of mind
free from desire, attachment and mental grief. (3.30)
There is always a reason or a motive behind any action. We need to
understand that. The motive could be guided by our past experience or
by our future goal.
A child wants to grow up to be a doctor and heal people. It is a very
popular dream profession of many children. When the time actually
comes to appear for entrance tests to study medicine, the child suddenly
recalls how the sight of blood had made them recoil when they had seen
their sister cut her hand. Based on that childhood memory, they decide
that medicine is not the right profession for them. Do you think they are
right?
Similarly, a child is all set to enter medical college and study to
become a doctor. Their heart is set on becoming a dermatologist. A
friend tells them of an uncle whose practice as a dermatologist turned out
to be a flop because of a bunch of skin clinics mushrooming in their
neighbourhood. The friend declares that becoming a dermatologist is a
waste of time as there is no dearth of people curing skin problems.
Should this be an influencing factor for a person to study or not study
dermatology?
Thoughts of past or future are always debilitating. We should stay in
the present and do what we are doing, without any distractions. This is
the only way we would be saved from mental grief. An unattached mind
is always at peace.

Day 6
Attachments and aversions for the sense objects remain in the senses.
One should not come under the control of these two because they are two
major stumbling blocks, indeed, on one’s path of Self-realization. (3.34)
Love and hate are the two sides of the same coin, as they say. It is true.
When we love someone, we are consumed by that emotion and
everything in our life revolves around them. When our loved one breaks
our heart, we go to the other extreme—we start hating that person. And
again this hate consumes us as we think of ways and means to hurt our
ex.
 In both scenarios, the emotions ultimately harm us. We are totally
controlled by those emotions. The only way out is the middle path of
moderation, which happens only if we are not attached to our sense
objects. This does not happen overnight. We have to understand why we
need to be detached; suppressing attachment is not the solution.
When we are told that sugar is harmful to our health, we stop
consuming all forms of sweets. This results in suppression of our desire.
One day our resolve breaks and we suddenly gorge on all desserts that
are available. The right course of action would be to understand why and
how much of sugar is harmful to our body. We can then consume it in
moderation.
Likewise, once we understand why attachments and aversions are
harmful, we can learn to deal with them effectively.

Day 7
One’s inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural work.
Death in carrying out one’s natural work is useful. Unnatural work
produces too much stress. (3.35)
It is natural for parents to want their children to follow their footsteps,
their line of work. It may work many a times, but in some cases it
doesn’t. The child of an industrialist may want to become a musician.
The parents want their child to handle their family business while the
child wants to set up his own music studio. The situation is likely to be
very volatile. There would be pressure on the child to study in order to
join the family business. If the child succumbs, they would be studying
under tremendous stress. And where is the guarantee that the child would
be as successful as their father after joining the family business? Who is
happy in such a situation?
For everyone’s happiness, it is advisable to follow what our gut tells
us. Following someone else doesn’t lead us anywhere. It is better to be
doing what satisfies us and makes us happy rather than doing something
half-heartedly.

Day 8
It is the desire born out of passion that becomes anger when unfulfilled.
Desire is insatiable and is a great devil. Know this as the enemy. (3.37)
Anger management is becoming an industry of sorts. It seems there are
more angry than happy people in this world. Why? Anger is the result of
unfulfilled desire. And it has a tendency to grow very rapidly, like a
virus. Interestingly, happiness doesn’t stay for long with us, but anger
does; it can actually stay forever.
If children are angry with their parents, they grow up to become
angry adults who take out their pent up anger on their subordinates at
work. The genesis of road rage is almost always some frustration caused
by an unfulfilled desire in the past, which boils over by any trigger on
the road. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
This is how dangerous suppressed emotions can get. The root cause
being the desire, generated by the senses, in response to the material
world around us.
If we learn how to not feel disappointed at the first instance of our
desire not being fulfilled, we will go a long way in controlling our
desires and developing detachment.

Day 9
As a fire is covered by smoke, a mirror by dust and an embryo by the
amnion, similarly, Self-knowledge gets covered by different degrees of
this insatiable lust, the eternal enemy of the wise. (3.38–3.39)
We are surrounded by temptations of the material world. Everything—be
it property, vehicles, clothes, jewellery, cosmetics, shoes, food, furniture
or even services like beauty treatments and bank loans—is being offered
at our doorstep at attractive prices.
Who wouldn’t succumb! And because of that, the problems are
getting compounded. People are dazzled by the easy availability of
everything and strive to earn more and more to enjoy these luxuries. But
then the story doesn’t end here. The market gets flooded with yet more
temptations, newer luxuries and the story moves on like the never-ending
TV soaps.
The more we get trapped in these material luxuries, the further we
move away from real happiness. The sensory pleasures can never end;
they have to be kept under check. They’re like diabetes or asthma that
can’t be cured but have to be controlled for our overall health.

Day 10
The senses, the mind and the intellect are said to be the abode of desire;
these delude a person by veiling Self-knowledge. (3.40)
Every desire of ours stems from one of our five senses. We smell
delicious food and we are tempted to eat it; we hear about an exotic place
and we want to go there for a holiday; we see an advertisement of the
latest car in the market and we want to buy it; we love the feel of a fabric
and desire to wear it; we taste a refreshing drink and want to continue
drinking it.
It’s all a play of senses. They create desires in our mind. The mind
itself cannot do much except push our intellect to take action. If the mind
convinces the intellect to buy the car, the intellect would then find ways
and means to do so. Likewise, for all the other items.
If we are wise, we would not give in to the mind’s temptation; instead
we would think further about the usability or importance of that item in
our life, like, do we really need that car at this time of our life? Isn’t our
old car good enough? Do we have the means to buy a new car? And so
on.
So, it’s up to the intellect whether it wants to fall prey to the desire or
not. A strong intellect can tell the mind to shut up and the desire would
vanish.

Day 11
Therefore, by controlling the senses first, kill this devil of material desire
that destroys Self-knowledge and Self-realization. (3.41)
We go to the market with our children, where they see a toy airplane in a
store and want it. Considering it’s the first time they have asked for
something, we agree to buy it.
Then the same thing happens again. This time they want a toy car.
Next time they want a football, then a pair of skates and it goes on.
Sounds familiar? This is how habits are formed. They will grow up to
behave the same way when they desire something. We have not taught
them to be reasonable in their demands.
As adults, we can be more careful. We can pause to think and reason
with our own minds—do we really need the object of our desire? We will
realize that the moment we start thinking, the desire also loses its
intensity. Gradually, we would be able to control it and, with that, we
would be able to control our senses as well. The tempting sights and
smells of the world would not attract our senses any more.

Day 12
The senses are said to be superior to the body, the mind is superior to the
senses, the intellect is superior to the mind, transcendental knowledge is
superior to the intellect and the Self is superior to transcendental
knowledge. (3.42)
The driver of the vehicle is the one who has to be very careful and alert,
as he has to know the right way apart from having full knowledge about
the vehicle itself. He has to manoeuvre the vehicle through the ups and
downs on the road, keeping it under control at all times. One mistake and
the vehicle could meet with an accident or veer off the road and fall into
a ditch.
So in life, we need our mind to be alert and careful. Absent-
mindedness can cause mishaps. The mind is guided by the intellect, so if
the mind is absent, the connection between the intellect and the senses
would be lost. The senses would go haywire.
The intellect, the mind and the senses are inextricably interconnected
and together run the body. The mind, under the guidance of the intellect,
handles the senses. It’s our intellect that saves us from greed and
gluttony. In the work scenario, our intellect stops us from taking rash,
emotional decisions. It’s the intellectual maturity that makes us an
effective leader.

Day 13
Thus, knowing the Self to be superior to the intellect, and controlling the
mind by the intellect that is purified by spiritual practices, one must kill
this mighty enemy, desire. (3.43)
Earlier in kingdoms, now in corporates, hierarchy is observed and
protocol is followed. The human level of consciousness also follows
hierarchy of sorts. The physical body is at the lowest level of
consciousness; it’s very limited. The senses are superior to it; they have a
wider range of activity.
The mind is superior and directs the functioning of the senses.
Intellect is superior to the mind because of its capacity to distinguish
between right and wrong.
Clearly, our intellect is the CEO of our consciousness and is
responsible for all our actions, as the CEO of a company is responsible
for its performance. It is up to our intellect to protect us from getting
distracted by the sensory temptations and falling into the trap of desires.
 4

Path of Gyana Yoga

14 March–1 April

Day 14
Though I am eternal, immutable and the Lord of all beings, yet I manifest
myself by controlling the material nature using my own divine potential
energy (maya). (4.06)
The universal energy is eternal—it is neither created, nor destroyed. It
just changes shapes and forms. This is something that science has
proved. Humans are also an energy form, as are other living things
around us in the material world.
People get so lost in their family name and background or their
educational degrees that they start feeling superior to other humans.
They don’t realize that family name is just that, a name; it cannot define
their nature.
Every human is inherently the same, with the same blood and body
organs. It has been proved time and again that when a patient needs
blood or an organ transplant, the donor could be anyone, as long as there
is tissue compatibility between the donor and the recipient.
The CEO of a company as well as the receptionist, both are humans;
this understanding goes a long way in how we treat our fellow human
beings. Everyone has a role to play in the functioning of an organization,
but outside of that, they are on the same level, that of a human.

Day 15
Whenever there is a decline of dharma (righteousness) and a
predominance of adharma (unrighteousness), then I manifest myself. I
appear from time to time for protecting the good, for transforming the
wicked and for establishing world order (dharma). (4.07-08)
Whenever there is serious tension in our lives, we seek help. It could be
from a friend, parent or even a counsellor. A similar thing happens at the
macro level. When people at large are going through turmoil or stressful
times, leaders or spiritual masters appear to lead them out of it.
Since everything is a play of energy, good and bad both, the bad is
transformed into good. This happens by the wise men convincing the bad
guys that what they’re doing is not good for anyone, not even for their
own selves. The good guys help the wise men in spreading this
awareness.
Similar transformation happens at a micro level in our own selves.
We spend a fair chunk of our lives running after material pleasures and
keeping up with the Joneses. One day, we feel tired and stop. That’s
when we realize our own foolishness of pursuing transitory pleasures.
We introspect and our intellect comes into play then. Our intellect
shows us where the real happiness lies. It channels our desires towards
helping people, catching up with family, doing something good for the
neighbourhood or society at large. The restlessness gets transformed into
peace.

Day 16
The one who truly understands my transcendental appearance and
activities of creation, maintenance and dissolution attains my supreme
abode and is not born again after leaving this body. (4.09)
According to Hindu scriptures, we are born again and again to fulfil our
leftover desires. We are okay with it, as we are unaware of our previous
life and don’t care much about the next. But closer home, unknown to us,
we are being sucked into the world of man-made material things. Our
houses may be overflowing, but our desires are never-ending.
We cut trees to build bigger houses but then have to plant more to
avoid soil erosion. If we had not cut the trees in the first place, we
wouldn’t have had to plant afresh. We fight with our parents to claim our
inheritance and, two decades later, our children do the same with us.
Things go wrong at our workplace, we get upset and shout at our
subordinate. He/she complains against us to our boss, who fires us.
These things can go on and on like a ripple effect, till somebody in the
chain decides to stop it by not reacting.
 That understanding, that wisdom of not allowing our emotions to ride
over us, is the wisdom that leads to eternal peace. And since this wisdom
would result in checking our desires, breaking the cycle of rebirth would
be an added bonus.

Day 17
Work does not bind me, because I have no desire for the fruits of work.
The one who fully understands and practises this truth is also not bound
by karma. (4.14)
People who do their work passionately, getting thoroughly involved in
and absorbed by it, will produce a masterpiece. There are many obvious
examples of such people in the field of art and craft, like Michelangelo,
Van Gogh and writers like Rabindranath Tagore and filmmakers like
Satyajit Ray and many more.
Even in the field of science we have had people whose sincere
dedication gave us the basic conveniences that we enjoy today. All these
people were not aiming at the money they stood to make for themselves;
they just did what they did best.
A person whose aim is sensual satisfaction gets trapped in the web of
senses. This we have seen and experienced. We buy a small vehicle and,
a couple of years later, we are tempted to buy a bigger one. The need
hasn’t increased, greed has. Greed is a bottomless pit, totally insatiable.
It continues forever till we consciously apply brakes to it.
The wise are happy and satisfied with what they do; they are focussed
on their work and not on the reward. They are aware that if the work is
good, they will get what they deserve. To them, work is relevant to their
existence, reward is irrelevant.

Day 18
The true nature of action is very difficult to understand. Therefore, one
should know the nature of attached action, the nature of detached action
and also the nature of forbidden action. (4.17)
Action is defined as the process of doing something to achieve an aim.
So by this definition, talking also is an action and so is keeping quiet,
depending on the situation.
Actions are also categorized as good or bad. But then, what is good
for some could be bad for another. It’s always a matter of perspective.
Many times, doctors have to amputate a part of the sick person’s body,
like a gangrenous limb or a cancerous growth in the intestine. It has to be
done to save the rest of the body from the disease.
As long as the reason behind the action is for the larger good, the
action is deemed good. If the action is completely selfless, it’s termed as
detached action. An action carried out for purely selfish reasons is
considered as an attached action. Any action that is liable to cause harm
in the long run is bad, even though it may seem to be good on the
surface; it would be termed as forbidden action.

Day 19
The one who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is a wise
person. Such a person is a yogi and has accomplished everything. (4.18)
In a workplace, the higher people go in hierarchy, the lesser they work
physically. Their role has more to do with using their brain, strategizing
and leading. Are they not working then? Their physical inaction is a
more powerful action than the physically active people working under
them.
Executives of sales or marketing run around actively to promote their
company’s product and secure business. But if they do this action
without planning a strategy, they will be stuck in making cold calls,
without achieving much. In the eyes of their boss, they haven’t worked,
as work should generate result.
So, we see that action or inaction do not follow a conventional black
and white meaning. They are in a grey area and their meaning changes
from the perspective of the person looking at them.
At a micro level, when we are pursuing material wealth, our mind
continues telling us that we haven’t achieved anything yet. It’s like we
are doing spot running without reaching anywhere.
When we are detached from the sensual pleasures, accruing material
wealth has no meaning for us. We use our resources to help the needy.
We reach the hearts of many, garnering much love and respect from
them. It’s like riding an escalator, reaching places without moving.
Day 20
The one who has abandoned selfish attachment to the fruits of work and
remains ever content and dependent on no one but God, such a person,
though engaged in activity, does nothing at all and incurs no karmic
reaction. (4.20)
There are some people who quietly do their job, working through the
ranks, and reach great heights in their workplace.
If observed carefully, it will be seen that these people do not get
involved in petty politics of the workplace and neither do they hanker
after increments and promotions. They simply work to the best of their
ability, with utmost sincerity. Since such people do not cause any harm to
anyone, nobody troubles them.
Life is also something like that. If we live in harmony with nature and
people around us, we will be at peace. If we let go of our sensual desires
and attachment to material things, we will be at peace. If we let go of our
expectations from people, we would not face any disappointments and
hurt.
If there are no mental actions, there will be no karmic reactions. It
would be a smooth sailing.

Day 21
The one who is free from desires, whose mind and senses are under
control and who has renounced all proprietorship, does not incur sin by
merely doing bodily action. (4.21)
Our actions are governed and defined by our thoughts. And our thoughts
are a product of our mind, which is mostly influenced by our senses. The
senses create desires, which result in attachment. The attachment is to
the object of desire as well as the desire itself.
We buy a laptop, maybe to work from home initially. Eventually, we
get dependent on our laptop for stuff other than our work, like the bank
accounts, mails, photographs, social media interactions, music, movies,
the works. This is attachment; it generates a feeling of comfort in us.
Now, if the laptop falls down accidentally, we would most likely
panic. This is what attachment does; it creates a reaction. If, after the fall,
our laptop doesn’t work fully like before, we would want to buy a new
one. Why? But, why not? After all, we are so dependent on it, isn’t it?
That’s how attachment creates further desires.
If we let go of the shackles of dependency, we would become less
reactive and lead a better, more peaceful life.

Day 22
All karmic bonds of a karma yogi who is free from attachment, whose
mind is fixed in Self-knowledge and who does work as a service to the
Lord, dissolve away. (4.23)
We know what we do consciously, because we have thought about it
before actually doing it. All our lives, we think, we plan and then think
more, and finally execute our thought.
Getting married, getting a job, going for higher studies, going for a
holiday, buying a house or a car, even having babies is planned these
days. Every thought that is based on a desire creates a bond.
Now if a person decides not to think or plan so much, they would do
things differently. They would get married whenever they meet the right
person. They would apply to places where they would love to work, and
not necessarily to where they are expected to work.
In short, this person would not follow what everyone else around
them are doing; they would carve their own path. Because there would
be no pressures on them, they would be at peace.
We create our own pressures; the moment we stop doing it, we feel
free.

Day 23
The Spirit shall be realized by the one who considers everything as a
manifestation or an act of the Spirit. (4.24)
When the waves of an ocean rise and fall and then dash against each
other, they are not creating anything new because the ocean and its
waves are one. The waves form out of the ocean and merge back into it.
This is the truth of the universal Spirit residing within us and
everyone else. The Spirit creates us and when we die, we merge into it,
to be born again in another body.
One who understands this truth also understands that feeling happy or
sad is irrelevant, that hurting someone or feeling hurt by someone’s
action is also irrelevant.
Every living organism has the same eventual destiny, though the
paths may vary. Whoever is born, has to die. Knowing this, does it make
any sense to waste time running after things or hurting people? Wouldn’t
it be better if we enjoyed every moment of our life?

Day 24
Those who perform selfless service obtain the nectar of Self-knowledge
as a result of their sacrifice and attain the Supreme Being. Even this
world is not a happy place for the non-sacrificer, how can the other
world be? (4.31)
No pain no gain, goes the popular saying. We are taught to work hard
from the time we are old enough to understand. As children, we are told
to study hard and do well to get admissions in good universities. There
also we are told to work hard to excel, to get into the profession of our
choice. At our workplace too, we are expected to work hard to get
promoted to finally reach the top of the rung. Working hard is
synonymous with achievement.
Forming attachments is easy. But detachment needs working hard.
Like they say, if you remove H from habit, a bit remains; if you remove
A, bit remains; if you remove B it still remains. The point that’s being
made here is that any habit is very difficult to break. Attachments also
are habits. We get used to desiring things and people.
Keeping a leash on our senses needs discipline. Every time we see a
new model of mobile phone or anything else that the media is throwing
at us 24x7, we needn’t buy it. Controlling such urges, such temptations,
requires intense working. We have to be convinced that the thing that is
tempting us is not really needed by us. It’s not need, but greed that is
making us even look in that direction.
Once convinced, the battle is half won. After that it’s just a matter of
making a habit of saying no to temptations.
Day 25
Acquiring transcendental knowledge is superior to any material sacrifice
such as doing charity. Purification of mind and intellect that eventually
leads to the dawn of transcendental knowledge and Self-realization is the
sole purpose of any spiritual action. (4.33)
So-and-so billionaire donated hundreds of millions to some charity in a
developing country—we keep hearing this kind of stuff happening all
over the globe. Most of these rich people did nothing for society when
they themselves were growing. Once they felt they had more than
enough—and everyone has a different parameter for that—they decided
it was time for them to give it back to society.
When you share what you have in excess, what you can spare after
fulfilling your needs, it is selfish charity. What Krishna talks about here
is different.
When people are compassionate, they would help everyone right
through their life. In their workplace they would help their subordinates
when needed. At home they would look after their staff well. So, when
their wealth grows, the people around them would also prosper along
with them. This is selfless charity.
People can extend this kind of help when they are detached from their
material wealth. This is real wisdom.

Day 26
Acquire this transcendental knowledge from a Self-realized master by
humble reverence, by sincere inquiry and by service. The empowered
ones, who have realized the truth, will teach you. (4.34)
When we are physically, physiologically sick, we go to a doctor. It stands
to reason then that when we are mentally sick, troubled or stressed, we
should seek advice from an expert in that field.
It happens in any field; we call a plumber for our house’s plumbing
issues or a carpenter for woodwork or furniture related queries. In our
workplace too, responsibilities are delegated according to expertise.
It is seen lately that more and more people are reporting burnouts and
depression at a young age. Obviously, they are unable to handle their
stressful lives. At this point, they are advised de-stressing programmes,
most of which use meditation to relax the person.
 Why reach this point? If we can be a bit more alert towards ourselves
and understand our own desires, we should be able to reason out with our
own selves. Meditation teaches the same—looking inwards. Taking help
from outside is great, but taking help from our own inner wisdom is the
best.

Day 27
Even if one is the most sinful of all sinners, one shall yet cross over the
ocean of sin by the raft of Self-knowledge alone. (4.36)
One is not born a sinner. It’s the circumstances and one’s reaction to
those circumstances that decide the nature of the person.
A poor boy may steal because he is hungry. It is a crime for others,
but not for him, as he has to satisfy his hunger or else he’ll die. For him
stealing is a lifesaving activity. If not helped on time, this young boy
would grow up to become a bigger thief.
Most sinners start like this young boy. They commit a sin to help
themselves get out of a sticky situation. Once they get away with it, it
quickly becomes a habit. This is the time when intervention is required—
it is like de-addiction. The sinner has to be forcibly disciplined to rid
them of their addiction for sinning. It has to be done under strict
monitoring.
The next step is rehabilitation. The sinner can be completely
transformed, as has been seen in a number of prisons. Once free of his
sinning habit, the person becomes as normal as you and me. It is like
cancer. Once a person remains cancer free for five years, he is declared
healthy.

Day 28
As the blazing fire reduces wood to ashes, similarly, the fire of Self-
knowledge reduces all bonds of karma to ashes. (4.37)
When people start working on a computer for the first time, they fumble.
For every little thing they turn to an expert for explanation. One day,
they realize that working on a computer is not difficult at all. The
software programs are quite user-friendly.
 That’s the day of enlightenment for them. Their confidence level goes
up. They are now ready to teach others who are less knowledgeable than
them. This is what knowledge or understanding does. It opens our eyes
to see things that we had not seen earlier and hear things we had missed
out on.
At a deeper level, when we understand the cosmic truth, we are
enlightened. It’s like shedding the veil of ignorance from around us. It’s
like the forest fire consuming the dead trees to make way for new ones to
grow. When we understand the impermanent nature of things around us,
including our own self, all our desires move away from us, leaving us
free and at peace.

Day 29
There is no purifier in this world like the true knowledge of the Supreme
Being. One discovers this knowledge within, naturally, in course of time
when one’s mind is cleansed of selfishness by karma yoga. (4.38)
Things happen when they have to happen. We cannot rush anyone’s
timeline. Look around at nature; can we rush the trees to bear fruit or
flowers to bloom? They do that when the time is right for them to do so.
It’s the same with everything.
The point to be understood here is that all individuals have their own
unique timeline. Some people take longer to learn while some pick up
very quickly. We have seen that in school with our classmates, at home
with siblings and at workplace with colleagues.
Following our own individual timeline, we reach various realizations
about the impermanence of life, the cosmic truth and about the futility of
pursuing the materialistic goals. And when we reach this point, our
innate wisdom guides us on the right path.
The path and the destination is the same for everyone, but the time of
arrival varies for each one of us.

Day 30
The one who has faith in God, is sincere in yogic practices, and has
control over the mind and senses, gains this transcendental knowledge.
Having gained this knowledge, one quickly attains supreme peace or
liberation. (4.39)
It is our senses that create confusion in our mind. If our nose was not so
good in appreciating fragrances, how would the huge perfume industry
survive! Apart from food and housing, the huge amount of money that is
being spent on clothes is a sheer waste. It’s all because of our eyes telling
us what is in fashion and what is not.
A mind that is not strong enough gets lured into the maze of
temptations and loses itself there. This is known as getting addicted;
addiction is not just to alcohol or drugs, it’s to clothes and jewels as well
as to food.
Wise people think twice before buying anything luxurious. They do
not indulge in impulsive buying. They weigh their options, study the
intensity of the need and then decide. The result is almost always in
negative.
A person who can control his mind can control the world, as they say.
Actually such a person is detached from the worldly ties and hence
cannot be controlled by anyone or anything. That is very powerful
indeed. Such wise people sail through the world like a duck sails through
muddy waters without getting its wings dirty.

Day 31
Work does not bind a person who has renounced work by renouncing the
fruits of work through karma yoga, and whose confusion with regard to
body and Spirit is completely destroyed by the application of Self-
knowledge. (4.41)
Nothing can bind people who are detached from the material world. Such
people are not bogged down by the responsibilities of their workplace or
family. They are perpetually relaxed and go about fulfilling their duties
calmly.
The wise have clarity of mind and know what their duties are. They
fulfil them without asking any questions because they have no questions,
no expectations; they cannot be disappointed or hurt. One who cannot be
hurt is forever happy and at peace.
The wise are not affected by their senses. The material world doesn’t
tempt them. They know what they genuinely need and what is
superfluous luxury. They are the masters of their mind and its thoughts.
Life becomes very comfortable if we have clarity in our thoughts. We
know our path, we know our job, we know our goal and we work with
sincerity. That’s all that is required. We will reach where we are
supposed to, in the time that it is supposed to take. As mentioned earlier,
we cannot rush any timelines.

APRIL

Day 1
Cut the ignorance-born confusion with regard to body and Spirit by the
sword of Self-knowledge, resort to karma yoga, and get up for the war.
(4.42)
Ignorance is our worst enemy and education is the best weapon to
destroy it. History has also shown us how education helped civilizations
grow and prosper and how it helped build nations.
Without the basic knowledge of fire, we wouldn’t have reached this
far. Basic things like the knife we use to cut fruits and vegetables or the
clothes we wear, wouldn’t have been there if some people in the remote
past had not felt the need to ease their situation of discomfort. The
wisdom of the early humans taught them to sharpen the stone to use it to
cut better.
There is no disputing the fact that even today inventions are
constantly happening and they certainly are done keeping the benefit of
humankind in mind.
Knowledge is so basic and yet so important. We should not
underestimate the power of our intellect. We should be in constant touch
with our intellect as that’s our best guide to resolve problems. It is like a
torch in darkness. It is our tool to cut through the web of material
temptations and lead a detached and peaceful life.
 5

Path of Renunciation
2–25 April

Day 2
The path of Self-knowledge and the path of selfless service both lead to
the supreme goal. But of the two, the path of selfless service is superior
to the path of Self-knowledge, because it is easier to practise. (5.02)
There are people who get sick and tired of their work and family
pressures and decide to leave everything and go someplace remote. In
ancient times, it was called sanyas. These days, people quit their job,
divorce their spouse and leave the city; they go to another part of the
country or the world and start afresh. This is escaping the reality. It
cannot help them.
In the monasteries and ashrams, not everyone is at peace. The place
does not guarantee peace, at best it just gives you space to meditate
undisturbed.
However many books that a person may read and even understand, it
will not help them if they don’t practise what they have read. When the
mind is full of all kinds emotions, meditation cannot happen. For that,
one needs a quiet mind.
The wise are aware of the cosmic truth and are unattached to the
emotions generated by their senses. They are in control of their mind and
are devoted to selfless work. Such people do not need to go in isolation
to quieten their mind; their mind is already at peace.

Day 3
A person should be considered a true renunciate who has neither
attachment, nor aversion for anything. One is easily liberated from
karmic bondage by becoming free from attachment and aversion. (5.03)
Physically giving up anything or any habit is never as effective as giving
up from your heart. The thought of what you have renounced should not
cross your mind. And even if it does, it should not affect you or generate
any emotion in you.
When a person quits smoking or any other addiction, just staying
away from it is not enough. True de-addiction is when seeing people
smoking does not create any desire or aversion in that person.
People have a tendency to get stuck in the opposites. One day we
love sweets and, when the doctor tells us we are diabetic, we start hating
sweets. The bond of love has changed to hate but the bond still remains.
Being really free is when we don’t experience attachment or aversion
to anything or anyone. That is true renunciation. When the mind is
guided by intellect, renouncing attachments becomes easy.

Day 4
The ignorant—not the wise—consider the path of Self-knowledge and the
path of selfless service (karma yoga) as different from each other. The
person who has truly mastered one gets the benefits of both. (5.04)
Everyone in the world has the same goal in life—to be happy. Some raise
a family to feel happy, some follow their passion of dancing or theatre to
be happy, some are sportspersons, some businesspersons and some
professionals. People try to follow the path that gives them happiness.
Earning money is very important but the underlying purpose of living
life day to day is to find happiness.
In pursuit of happiness, some get lost. They get trapped in a maze of
temptations. One day they realize their folly and want to leave it all and
disappear. This is not possible for obvious reasons; everyone has certain
obligations to their family. Obviously, these people do not know that by
using their intellect, they could get out of their trap successfully.
Our intellect teaches us the wisdom of mentally isolating ourselves
from the material world’s temptations. Physical isolation is not required.
Having accomplished mental isolation, it is easier to continue working as
usual, except this time it would be selfless and not motivated by some
material desire. The result would be the otherwise elusive happiness.
Day 5
Whatever goal a renunciate reaches, a karma yogi also reaches the same
goal. Therefore, the one who sees the path of renunciation and the path
of unselfish work as the same, really sees. (5.05)
Two friends studying together in school decide to become doctors to help
poor people. They study hard and become doctors. One step covered, the
next step was to help the poor who could not afford hospital treatment.
One of the friends was wealthy, so he built a hospital and created a
special wing to give free treatment to poor patients. He ran the rest of the
hospital commercially and used part of the profits to treat the poor
patients.
The other friend did not have the means to set up even a clinic. He
left home and went to a village to serve people. There he lived and
looked after the villagers, free of cost. People would get cured and pay
him with grains, fruits, etc.
Both the friends achieved their purpose, but by following different
paths. The important thing is to understand the purpose. The purpose
should not be sense gratification, it should be selfless service, and only
then will it result in immense satisfaction and happiness.

Day 6
True renunciation of action is difficult to attain without performance of
action. A sage devoted to action quickly attains nirvana. (5.06)
A person who doesn’t sing at all can’t give up singing. They have to be
doing it to be giving it up. One has to be wealthy to renounce wealth,
like Buddha did.
All the trappings of wealth, in terms of beautiful clothes, servants at
beck and call, all the possible gadgets, the best of cars and more money
than would ever be needed, surround a wealthy person. They are the real
traps. These attachments become such a part of one’s life that one starts
to believe that they are necessities. To renounce this kind of life takes
immense mental strength. The fact that a person is able to do it means
they are in control of their mind. This is the first step towards attaining
everlasting happiness.
The next step is for humans to understand that what they have to do
should be done with utmost sincerity. If they are teachers, they have to
teach with full dedication and commitment. They should not worry about
promotions and competition from their colleagues. Their selfless
commitment to teaching would filter down to their students whose
performance would pick up. It’s amazing how these things are so
contagious! Such detached renunciates would forever be at peace with
themselves and the world around them.

Day 7
A karma yogi, whose mind is pure, whose mind and senses are under
control, and who sees one and the same Spirit in all beings, is not bound
by karma, though engaged in work. (5.07)
We constantly hear stories about how a milk vendor’s son or a
carpenter’s daughter have become a doctor or a civil engineer. These
stories keep reiterating the fact that every human is the same, regardless
of their background.
Human aspirations remain the same; the means may or may not be
available to fulfil them. Some would steal or cheat to get the means;
others would work hard and patiently muster up enough means to get
them on the path of their aspirations.
When we are in control of our senses, we become more alert about
our surroundings. It’s like the driver who is in complete control of the
vehicle he is driving. He is able to look around and appreciate the
scenery on the way, as well as avoid the potholes on the road and stop at
the traffic lights.
Likewise, in life in general, and in the workplace in particular,
mindfulness helps us to understand our subordinates better. We would
then be able to help them better. Our reason would not be that helping
them is going to help us in some way, but we would help them because
they need help.

Day 8
The wise person who knows the truth thinks, ‘I do nothing at all’. In
seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing,
speaking, etc., the wise person believes that only the senses are
operating upon their objects. (5.08–5.09)
It is humility that makes a man an angel, they say. It is true, humility is
wisdom. It is the knowledge that the same universal energy flows in
everyone and that we are doing what we are supposed to do. We are but a
pawn in the larger scheme of things.
If we track down the biographies of successful people, we would
notice that most of them were totally focussed on their path and did
whatever they did without thinking how it would benefit them
individually. They worked for the benefit of humankind.
Absolute selfless devotion to their work and detachment from the
material world was the secret of their success. Considering they were
detached from everything, they were also detached from their success.
This endearing quality is humility.
Some successful people fail at this point. They start believing that
they have some superhuman quality or talent to make them reach where
they have. They forget that there were a whole lot people who supported
them. After all, behind every successful person are his or her family,
colleagues or subordinates and many more.
The wise are always grateful for all the support they get from
everywhere and everyone.

Day 9
One who does all work as an offering to God—abandoning selfish
attachment to results—remains untouched by karmic reaction or sin as a
lotus never gets wet by water. (5.10)
The lotus remains unsoiled while floating on muddy water. This is how a
wise man lives in the material world, unaffected by sensory temptations.
Some people are very excitable. The smallest of things, like watching a
film, stirs them emotionally. The turmoil of the world around them
affects them easily. Such people are obviously like puppets in the hands
of their senses.
On the other hand, people who have a grip on their senses and their
emotions are calm and collected in any situation. They move on through
life working selflessly. These people remain unaffected through the ups
and downs of life.
Since these people are not doing anything for a selfish purpose, they
can do nothing wrong. And since they are selfless, they do not have any
expectations from anyone or anything, which translates to absence of
disappointment or anger or any other emotion. These wise people are
successful humans and great leaders.

Day 10
The karma yogis perform action only for the purification of their mind
and intellect, without selfish attachment with their body, mind, intellect
and senses. (5.11)
We do not realize how and when we get caught up in the material web. It
starts innocently. It could be a gift, like a shirt, which we enjoy wearing
because it looks good and is of good quality. Once it gets old, we want to
replace it with something similar, something as good.
It is evident that we have become attached to the shirt, though
unconsciously. We desire to experience yet again, the feeling that the
shirt gave us. This can happen with anything. Desires are generated by
our senses in response to material triggers. Attachments result from these
desires and we get caught in between the two.
The wise know the dangers of getting attached, so they do not get
attached to the comfort provided by the shirt. They understand that
material comforts do not last for long. This shirt will get old and will be
discarded; a new one will take its place, then that one will become old
and another one will come…this will go on. The wise carry on with their
lives, unattached to anything.

Day 11
A karma yogi attains unshakable peace by abandoning attachment to the
fruits of work while others, who are attached to the fruits of work,
become bound by selfish work. (5.12)
Peace is freedom from disturbance. It’s the state of mind of a person who
does not get agitated by any disturbing thoughts. With the kind of lives
we live, such a state of mind is not at all easy to attain.
The moment a baby is born, parents start fretting for its admission in
school; the fretting continues till the child is in college. After that, a new
kind of stress enters the picture, that of making a career.
 These stresses become a part of a person’s life, so much so, that they
wouldn’t know how to pass their time if there’s nothing to stress about. It
may seem funny but it’s a serious malady. We are bound by and bound to
the world that we have created for ourselves. In the tight schedule of our
life, we have not left any window for peace.
The only way to achieve unshakable peace would be to detach
ourselves from everything. If there’s no attachment to manipulate us, we
will be able to walk steadily, peacefully and happily.

Day 12
The Lord neither creates the urge for action, nor the feeling of doer-ship,
nor the attachment to the results of action in people. The delusive
material world does all these. (5.14)
We may not realize it, but actually at all times, the choice of doing
anything is with us. Whether it’s the big decisions of our life or the small
ones, the choice is ours. Even the choice of allowing someone else to
decide for us is our choice.
In a simple situation, when we feel hot, we switch on the fan or when
we feel hungry, we eat food. Let us look at it differently. We feel hot and
react to the discomfort that heat is causing to us. In order to relieve
ourselves from the discomfort, we switch on the fan. We can tolerate the
discomfort, ignore it and not switch on the fan. It’s up to us, isn’t it?
It is easier to understand with hunger and food. When we are fasting,
don’t we ignore our hunger pangs? We are in control then. If we could
have such control over all our senses, we would be in control of our
actions.
We are surrounded by temptations in this material world. It is our
choice to succumb or not to succumb. If we succumb, we fall into the
trap of like-dislike, creating disturbing thoughts in our mind. The way to
get rid of this disturbance is in our hands—by detaching ourselves from
the material world.

Day 13
The Lord does not take the responsibility for the good or evil deeds of
anybody. The veil of ignorance covers Self-knowledge; thereby people
become deluded and do evil deeds. (5.15)
People generally like to blame others for whatever that goes wrong in
their own lives. Everyone is looking for a scapegoat to pin the blame on.
It could be a family member, teacher, friend, colleague, management of
the company or even the government.
When they are unable to find anyone to blame, they turn to God and
ask, ‘Why me?’ They are so blinded by the worldly illusions that they
are unable to see the genesis of their troubles. They firmly believe that
whatever they have done thus far is justified. And, if certain things are
not working out according to them or going against them, then surely it
cannot be their fault. It has to be someone else’s.
Such a delusional state continues forever, unless the individual
honestly starts looking inwards. Once that happens, the person wakes up
to reality. This is enlightenment.
The wise, the enlightened, understand that the material world will
always throw temptations at them; it’s up to them to remain unaffected
and continue walking their path. Even the most evil people can wise up
to this truth and change their lives completely.

Day 14
Transcendental knowledge destroys the ignorance of the Spirit and
reveals the Supreme Being just as the sun reveals the beauty of the
objects of the world. (5.16)
An egocentric person is actually ignorant and not as highly intelligent as
they believe themself to be. Actually, most people misunderstand the
meaning of intelligence—they relate it to education. They forget that
intelligence is the inherent nature of human beings; education adds
information. It’s the intellect that teaches us how to use our native
intelligence.
Dhirubhai Ambani, the father of Reliance Industries, was a college
dropout and Walt Disney was a high school dropout. These are classic
examples showing that education and success need not be related.
People also connect intelligence with success; that is also not true.
Success is transitory—a truly intelligent person knows that. Success has
the tendency to go to the head, it is said, which is true. Once they
experience success, people tend to believe that success is for keeps and
that they have become infallible. Such egocentric people are the most
ignorant of all.
Everything has a fixed life. Whatever is born has to die; be it success
or failure, they end eventually. The wise know this truth and are
unattached to their success. Knowledge of this truth is the real
knowledge, which removes ignorance and frees us from the shackles of
illusion.

Day 15
Those people whose mind and intellect are totally merged in the Supreme
Being, those who are firmly devoted to and have God as their main goal
and sole refuge, and whose impurities are destroyed by the knowledge of
the Self, do not take birth again. (5.17)
Some people, though rare, complete their studies and join a workplace to
earn a living. They continue working in the same place till their
retirement. Their colleagues provoke them to participate in office
politics, but they remain unconcerned.
At home, their parents, spouse and children goad them to find a better
job, but they remain unaffected. Such people are a satisfied lot. Their
goal in life is to provide for their family, which they do satisfactorily.
They don’t understand any other kind of goal.
Material goods do not tempt these people; their happiness comes
from a job well done. In good times and in adverse, these people remain
calm and handle the situation with equanimity.
Since they are detached from sensory desires, they are at peace. They
do not run after sensory pleasures like others, but sit back and smile in
the knowledge of the futility of the unending chase. These people do not
generate any karmic reactions and hence become free from the cycle of
rebirths.

Day 16
An enlightened person—by perceiving God in all—looks at a learned
person, an outcast or even a cow, an elephant or a dog, with an equal
eye. (5.18)
An eddy is a current, of water or air, moving in a direction that is
different from the main current. Eddies can commonly be seen in rivers
and oceans. When we look at an eddy from up close, it seems like an
independent body of water, with its own path and purpose. But when we
step back and see the entire picture, we see the eddy as just a little patch
in the large river, starting from and merging into it seamlessly.
Quantum physicist David Bohm postulated, ‘The entire universe
must, on a very accurate level, be regarded as a single indivisible unit.’1
Earlier Einstein had also said that energy and matter are the same things,
just in different forms. Science has proved that the same energy source
permeates everything, only the forms and shapes vary.
The wise are aware of this truth and treat everyone the same. It is the
ignorant who treat people on the basis of their colour, gender, caste and
class. The perception of differences is the cause of ego, of self-
importance. And the ego is the cause of all despair.

Day 17
Everything has been accomplished in this very life by the one whose
mind is set in equality. Such a person has realized the Supreme Being,
because the Supreme Being is flawless and impartial. (5.19)
We live our entire lives counting our accomplishments in the form of our
successes or the successes of our children. We tend to believe that our
children are our products and hence their success or failure reflects on
us. And of course, the parameters of success always remain how much
one has achieved in life in terms of fame and wealth.
We believe that fame and wealth make a person happy. Do they
really? Because, if it is so, then why do the wealthy start philanthropic
activities once their needs are assuaged? Most of them do that.
They realize at some point that somehow their wealth is not making
them happy or even satisfied. They also realize that wealth has a limited
use as far as their personal needs go. After their personal needs are taken
care of, their time is spent in protecting their wealth, which then becomes
a cause of stress.
The wise do not reach this point in their lives. They know nothing is
theirs to amass and all gets left behind when they die. Like a riverbed
that remains still under the ever-changing flow of water, the wise remain
undisturbed by the ever-changing life around them.

Day 18
One who neither rejoices on obtaining what is pleasant, nor grieves on
obtaining the unpleasant, who has a steady mind, who is not deluded,
and who is a knower of the Supreme Being, such a person eternally
abides with the Supreme Being. (5.20)
Detachment is the key to eternal peace and joy. But then, people
misunderstand the meaning of detachment. They think a detached person
is cold-blooded and emotionless. It is far from the truth.
A detached person goes through all the emotions but does not get
attached to any of them. Feeling an emotion is different from retaining
the feeling in memory. When we retain the memory of a feeling, good or
bad, we are actually getting attached to that emotion. The emotion then
controls us; we remember the emotion and the associated feeling
surfaces. This is how the emotion, as memory, controls us.
When a subordinate misbehaves and is pulled up for their action, the
story should end there. But if the boss continues to remember the
incident and hold a grudge against the subordinate, he’s making his own
life hell.
The wise are detached. They neither feel elated, nor do they feel
depressed by the ups and downs of life. They live in the moment and
move on when the moment passes. They are aware that all good or bad
times end, as do the days and nights. This awareness brings immense
peace and joy.

Day 19
Such a person, who is unattached to external sensual pleasures, is in
union with the Supreme Being and discovers the joy of the Self through
contemplation, enjoying transcendental bliss. (5.21)
We are aware that if our mind is not occupied by multiple tasks, we
always perform the task at hand better. Our concentration or focus is
better when we plan or work on one job at a time or study one subject at
a time.
Whether at home or at workplace, we keep fumbling, forgetting
important things when we are distracted with too many issues. Sounds
familiar?
The opposite is true as well. When we are at ease, with no issues to
worry about, children sorted, bills paid, no backlog pending from work,
we start getting interesting ideas or brainwaves, as some might like to
call them. We get brainwaves about how to renovate our house, where to
go for the weekend break, a new story idea to pitch to a studio…it could
be anything. We are at our creative best when our minds are uncluttered.
At a macro level, if we permanently declutter our mind, getting rid of
all attachments, we would find our lives simplified and eternally blissful.

Day 20
Sensual pleasures are verily the source of misery, and have a beginning
and an end. Therefore, the wise do not rejoice in sensual pleasures.
(5.22)
If we look around, we see the material world, our world of conveniences.
This world has made us dependant on it without us realizing it. And it’s
not that these things of convenience, which make our life simpler, last
forever. They don’t. The gadgets keep breaking down or the technology
becomes obsolete. The commonest examples staring at us are our laptops
and mobile phones.
The sources of convenience or pleasure also have their side-effects.
First we buy packaged food like frozen vegetables or canned beans for
convenience of cooking. Then a study surfaces that packaged foods are
harmful for health in the long run.
This is true for every sensory pleasure. The movies end, the food is
finished, the perfumes get over, the clothes fade, the flowers die…the list
is never ending. Finally, after accumulating, looking after and
replenishing all the objects of sensual pleasures in our life, life leaves us.
The wise know this truth and, therefore, remain unaffected by the
sensual pleasures.
Day 21
One who finds happiness within, who rejoices within, and who is
illuminated by Self-knowledge—such a yogi attains nirvana and goes to
the Supreme Being. (5.24)
As long as we have any material desires, we have to work towards
fulfilling them. We are absorbed in our attachment to those desires, the
fulfilment of which becomes our goal in life. Things don’t come easy;
we may fail many times before succeeding.
How many of us take failures kindly? There is so much competition
out there and in that crowd only a handful rise to the top. Life becomes a
race. Even thinking about it makes one stressed. The definition of
happiness changes from moment to moment, keeping in pace with the
ever-changing material world around us.
The wise understand the true nature of happiness. The ordinary
sensual objects of the world do not give any joy to them, as they know
the ephemeral nature of these objects. In their understanding of the
cosmic truth lies everlasting happiness.

Day 22
Seers, whose sins (or imperfections) are destroyed, whose doubts have
been dispelled by Self-knowledge, whose minds are disciplined, and who
are engaged in the welfare of all beings, attain the Supreme Being. (5.25)
Most people, when they start working, work with the intent of earning
their living. They need money to look after their primary needs of food,
shelter and clothing. The solution of finding a job to pay for our basic
needs is also the starting point of all our problems in life. How?
With the leftover money in hand, we start looking around.
Temptations are everywhere; the world is one big shopping mall. We
start listening to people, start copying what others are doing, and slowly,
we lose our own identity. We stop using our own brain and become
sheep to anyone who wants to lead us into further temptations.
But then, there are some who wake up one day to realize where they
are going wrong. And they stop. This realization is the first step towards
attaining wisdom. The wise understand that the sensual pleasures are like
mirages; they exist only in the eyes and not in reality. They turn away
from these mirages and look towards those who need their help.
Day 23
Those who are free from lust and anger, who have subdued the mind and
senses, and who have known the Self, easily attain nirvana. (5.26)
All living beings need air to breathe and food to stay alive. A need is a
necessity. Once it is fulfilled, it gets over, technically. But the senses are
so clever that they keep pulling us towards temptations, convincing us
that they are needed.
For instance, when we see the advertisements of all kinds of foods,
which ones fall under the head of necessary foods? Only the staples.
What about the rest? The rest are meant to tempt our taste buds—they
are luxuries. Eventually, seeing these foods, we start believing that they
are somehow necessary.
Similarly, larger expenses like those on houses are initially need-
based, but eventually become vanity-based. We do not get to know when
our need becomes lust. Tragically, once lust comes into the picture, it
always brings with it anger. The passion that converts need to lust is also
the driving force behind the anger that results when the lust is not
fulfilled.
A person, who is in control of his senses, is free from lust and anger.
Such a wise person is always at peace with himself and the world around
him.

Day 24
A sage is liberated by renouncing all sense enjoyments, fixing the eyes
and the mind on an imaginary black dot between the eyebrows,
equalizing the breath moving through the nostrils by using yogic
techniques, keeping the senses, mind and intellect under control, having
salvation as the prime goal, and by becoming free from lust, anger and
fear. (5.27–5.28)
Detachment is not easy to come by. But once we understand its
importance, we can surely try to consciously develop the habit of
detaching ourselves from the world around us.
The external world of material objects cannot harm us unless we
engage with it physically or mentally. Even if we abstain physically, the
mental engagement itself causes disturbance in our life. The only way to
get away from it all is to disengage ourselves mentally.
Just like we need to exercise our body to tone it and keep it healthy
and fit, so do we need to exercise our mind to maintain its strength.
Meditation may not be easy for most; it is advised to prepare the body
physically first.
Simple things like fixing our gaze in-between our eyebrows helps to
steady the eyeballs. This, followed by conscious breathing, helps in
steadying our breath. This exercise quietens the mind.
Once our mind is calm and quiet, we are able see things better and
understand the difference between need and lust. This clarity is essential
to detach ourselves from the sensory temptations surrounding us.

Day 25
A true yogi observes me in all beings and also sees every being in me.
Indeed, the Self-realized person sees me, the same Supreme Lord,
everywhere. (5.29)
True liberation is when we begin to see others as ourselves. This is when
the concept of ego disappears from our mind and we remain unaffected
by desire and anger.
When we consciously renounce the sensory temptations, we regain
control of our own mind. Once the mind is calm, the truth appears. The
truth is that the same energy source flows through everyone and that all
material things are ephemeral.
In a workplace, as a boss or leader, we should pause and observe
everything around us. We would realize that every team member is
inherently the same, with the same reactions and emotions, though their
skillsets might be totally different from each other. We would also realize
that people are dispensable; they might come and go but the organization
remains. And one day, the organization also ceases to exist.
We would realize that instead of getting caught up in petty issues, we
must continue working selflessly towards the larger goal, one that
benefits the entire humankind.
1David Bohm, Quantum Theory; Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, USA, 1951.
 6

Path of Meditation
26 April–25 May

Day 26
One who performs the prescribed duty without seeking its fruit for
personal enjoyment is a renunciate and a karma yogi. One does not
become a renunciate merely by not lighting the fire, and one does not
become a yogi merely by abstaining from work. (6.01)
When people hear about detachment, they feel the easiest way to detach
is to get away. They feel if they stay away from the object of desire, the
attachment would wane and disappear. But out of sight, out of mind
doesn’t work for desires.
Desires stem from our senses and feed off our mind. They have the
power to control us through our mind. And, no matter how far we run
away physically, we carry our minds with us. A person who is trying to
quit smoking or is fasting would always be thinking about smoking or
food.
Detachment is lack of any attachment to the object of desire even
when it is in front of you. The person who has really quit smoking for
good does not get tempted even when he sees his friends smoking.
Detachment is very powerful, as a detached person is in complete
control of themself, even while surrounded by temptations of this
material world. That is their way of enjoying life.

Day 27
Renunciation is the same as karma yoga because no one becomes a
karma yogi who has not renounced the selfish motive behind an action.
(6.02)
Detachment should not be confused with renunciation of the material
world. A detached person is not an ochre-clad hermit. A detached person
is the coolest person you’ll come across, one who is grounded even when
they are the peak of their career.
People like Mahatma Gandhi or Mother Teresa worked selflessly for
others. They devoted their lives working tirelessly for a cause. They
were karma yogis. They had renounced all selfish motives and had no
material desires. They were in full control of their minds.
Being selflessly devoted to work is as good as renouncing the world
because selfless devotion requires a certain discipline, which in turn
requires controlling of sensual desires.
A successful CEO of a company is the most disciplined of all its
workers. After all, he has to run the company and take it to the top of the
ladder, amidst all the competition in the market. He cannot achieve that
if petty attachments distract him. Though we call such people cold-
blooded and ruthless, they are actually detached.

Day 28
For the wise, who seek to attain yoga of meditation or the equanimity of
mind, karma yoga is said to be the means. For the one who has attained
yoga, equanimity becomes the means of Self-realization. A person is said
to have attained yogic perfection when he or she has no desire for
sensual pleasures or attachment to the fruits of work and has renounced
all personal selfish motives. (6.03–6.04)
The most popular treatment or solution for any kind of issue these days
is meditation, so much so, that a number of workplaces have started
having meditation rooms too. This is because stress has been discovered
to be at the root of every mental and physical ailment. And stress is the
result of unfulfilled expectations.
At home, the demands or requirements of our family are never-
ending. At work, it’s the same; there are company targets and personal
goals to be achieved and we’re under constant scrutiny of our bosses as
well as colleagues. There always seems to be a fire-fighting-like
situation. All that, plus the commute and mismanaged meal timings; it’s
a perfect recipe for a body and mind breakdown.
The wise do not have any expectations and are unaffected by the
expectations of others. This attitude helps them to maintain their balance
of mind and lead a happy and healthy life, even amidst the chaos.
Day 29
One must be elevated, and not degraded, by one’s own mind. The mind
alone is one’s friend as well as one’s enemy. The mind is the friend of
those who have control over it and the mind acts like an enemy for those
who do not control it. (6.05–6.06)
Our minds are the most powerful part of our body system. Human body
works like a team, with each organ carrying out its designated function
without any pause. The heart pumps blood round the clock, the lungs
breathe and our other systems like the digestive, excretory and
endocrine, also function 24×7.
It’s only our mind that is mostly restless. It keeps thinking endlessly
about everything. Some of these thoughts are helpful, but some are not.
The helpful or positive thoughts push us to do great things in life and
achieve fame. The negative thoughts make us jealous or angry with
others and this may lead to arguments or fights.
The negative thoughts pull us down, while the positive ones pull us
up. This is how we swing when our mind is controlling us. It’s not wrong
to say ‘It’s all in the mind’—because it is. Our mind can make or break
us.
Normally, the mind is controlled by our senses. The senses tempt the
mind into getting attached to the objects of desire. We need to be in
control of our mind and firmly prevent it from falling prey to the sensual
desires. This is what the wise do. For the wise, the mind becomes their
friend; as for the fools, it becomes an enemy.

Day 30
One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in
pleasure and pain, and in honour and dishonour, and remains ever
steadfast with the supreme Self. (6.07)
Meditation helps to slow down thoughts. With less traffic of thoughts,
the mind also relaxes. A relaxed mind is open to wisdom. Only when the
water is calm can it reflect the moon.
However much we train our mind to remain calm and unaffected
through the external disturbances of the world around us, the inner
disturbance is the toughest to handle.
Our body can be trained to be indifferent to heat and cold, pleasure
and pain. But what about the words spoken by others that remain lodged
in our minds? We need to train our mind to let go of the reactions that are
created by other people’s words. The mind would certainly react, but
then, it needs to move on.
We have to train our minds to be smooth like glass, so that thoughts,
reactions and emotions come and slip away; nothing stays back. The
wise remain calm in every situation, because nothing remains in their
minds for long.

MAY

Day 1
A person who has both Self-knowledge and Self-realization, who is
equanimous, who has control over the mind and senses, and to whom a
clod of earth, a stone and gold are the same is called a yogi. (6.08)
An ironsmith puts hot pieces of iron on an anvil to hammer them into the
desired shapes. The anvil itself is made of iron, but does not get affected
by the intense hammering. Likewise, a detached person’s mind remains
unaffected by the intense onslaught of material temptations surrounding
him.
The wise are aware of the true nature of everything. They know that
the same energy forms a clod of earth or a stone or a piece of gold. This
has now been proved by science as well. Having this knowledge, the
wise give equal importance to the three.
Once we are able to see everything and everyone in the same light,
we stop discriminating, which is a huge step towards peaceful
cohabitation in the world.
The next step is the understanding that everything and everyone in
this world has a fixed, limited lifespan. Nothing remains forever,
including us. This understanding enables us to not indulge in any
attachments.

Day 2
A person is considered superior who is impartial towards companions,
friends, enemies, neutrals, arbiters, haters, relatives, saints and sinners.
(6.09)
One of the very important characteristics of a successful leader is
impartiality. An effective leader does not indulge in favouritism. His
equal treatment of his subordinates gets him their sworn loyalty.
In life too, we come across people who could be honest or corrupt.
We may have been mistreated by many during our course of work or
otherwise. As we go along in life, we unconsciously start slotting people
under the ones we like and those we don’t. There could even be a third
category of people we hate.
These emotional labels are actually a form of attachment to those
people. The fact that we hate a person indicates towards that person’s
influence on us. It shows that we have empowered that person to create
the emotion of hate in us. Like this, we create innumerable bonds in our
mind that ultimately create disturbances. This is how we get caught in a
rut and do not come to know till our stress manifests as disease.
The best course of action would be to stop judging people. If we stop
getting affected by people and their actions, we stop judging them. And
if we do not judge them, it’s easy for us to ignore them and move on. It’s
simple. If we ignore our enemies, they cease to exist.

Day 3
A yogi, seated in solitude, should constantly try to contemplate on the
majesty of the Supreme Being after bringing the mind and senses under
control, and becoming free from desires and proprietorship. (6.10)
A man designs a couple of beautiful bags and decides to set up a
workshop to get them made. Once done, he shows the bags to his friends
who love them. The bags get sold fast and the person feels that this
success could and should be replicated.
It is obvious that this person is now entering a quagmire. He expands
his operations, puts a label on his products and starts selling worldwide.
He becomes the label himself; that’s what happens with all the top
designers. After amassing a great deal of wealth, and looking at his name
staring from all the big stores all across the globe, the person starts
believing that he has immortalized himself.
 Unfortunately, by now, in his long and eventful journey, he has
forgotten who all helped him to become what he is today. It takes one
mishap by one person to bring down the whole company. Our man also
gets caught up in a court case and realizes the hard facts, though a bit too
late.
‘Pride comes before a fall’—this actually happens. The wise remain
unattached to their success and do not consider themselves to be the
doers.

Day 4
This is not possible for the one who eats too much or who does not eat at
all, who sleeps too much or too little. (6.16)
Balance of mind is not restricted to the mind alone. It also includes
overall balance or discipline in all our activities. This is natural, because
all the voluntary activities are controlled by the mind.
The involuntary activities of our body like breathing, digesting food,
etc., are, as the term implies, automatic or reflexive. We are not
conscious of these activities. But all the other activities involve thinking
and reasoning. We are consciously involved with the activities. So, this is
where our intellect comes into play. We reason out the pros and cons
before we take any action.
At this stage of reasoning, we need to understand balance, the middle
path between two extremes of like-dislike, pleasure-pain, and so on. For
example, instead of choosing the path of ‘pleasure of eating’, or the path
of ‘pain of starving’, it would be sensible to choose neither and walk on
the middle path of eating as per the need of our body.
Detachment makes us choose the middle path. Once we control our
senses and get rid of attachments, we find ourselves walking the middle
path, detached, and at peace.

Day 5
The yoga of meditation destroys all sorrow for the one who is moderate
in eating, recreation, working, sleeping and waking. (6.17)
The world throws at us so many temptations that it is difficult to ignore
them. But then, why ignore them at all? Go buy a beautiful dress, but
buy only one. The idea is not to throttle or suppress your desires but to
experience them and then let go of them. Attachment to the objects of
desire is the root cause of all misery.
When we get attached, we want to preserve that emotion; we want
more and more of it. If you open your closet and see, you will find more
clothes and shoes than you actually need. You would see stuff that you
haven’t used for years. Why do you have all that? How did it come? It
came from your greed of wanting more.
This is true for everything; be it eating or exercising; anything in
excess is as harmful as lack of the same thing. The trick is moderation. If
we do sufficient exercise and eat what is sufficient for our body’s needs,
we would not fall sick. People often fall sick because of either overeating
or starving themselves.
If we maintain a work-life balance, we get to lead a mentally and
physically happier and healthier life. The key is to know when to stop.

Day 6
A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Spirit, when
the perfectly disciplined mind becomes free from all desires and gets
completely united with the Spirit in trance. (6.18)
We have seen, time and again, that it is the uncontrolled mind that
wanders in search of satisfaction from the sensory pleasures. The
pleasures themselves are not bad; it is their indulgence in excess that is
bad.
When we crack a successful deal, we feel a sense of achievement. We
celebrate that; but the celebrations cannot go on forever. Likewise, our
sense of achievement too should be kept aside and we should move on to
the next deal. But what happens is that people tend to remember their
achievements, becoming attached to it.
We lock up many such incidents in our memory and recall them to
feel good about ourselves. What is this, if not an attachment to memories
and a desire to feel good?
Obvious sensory pleasures like eating, drinking, shopping, having
sex, are there for all to see. But what about seeking validation, angling
for compliments, expecting rewards and awards? People go to great
lengths for these hidden but deep-seated desires. To be at peace within,
one has to get rid of all desires, obvious and hidden.

Day 7
A lamp in a spot sheltered by the Spirit from the wind of desires does not
flicker. This metaphor is used for the subdued mind of a yogi practising
meditation on the Spirit. (6.19)
The flame of a lamp flickers in the wind. In the same way, the human
mind also flickers in the face of many temptations. To see anything in the
dark, we need a steady light. A flickering flame does not give steady
light. In fact, the flickering light creates more confusion. In order to
utilize the light of the flame, we need to shelter it from the wind. Once it
stabilizes, it gives out steady light, helping us to see things around it.
Our mind is also like that. A flickering, restless mind is of no use.
Such a mind cannot focus on one thing or make a firm decision. In order
to use our mind effectively, we need to stop its wavering. Self-discipline
makes the mind strong.
Thinking with a cool head is always recommended. This is because a
calm mind can focus on issues and resolve them quickly. Decisions made
by a wavering mind almost always turn out to be wrong whereas those
taken by a calm mind always lead to success. This is applicable in all
situations, at home or at work.

Day 8
When the mind, disciplined by the practice of meditation becomes steady,
the ego perceives itself as soul, and one becomes content beholding the
Spirit of God within. (6.20)
There are two kinds of people, extroverts and introverts. They handle
their lives and its related issues differently. So, in order to calm down the
mind, the extroverts would seek external help. They would do intense
physical exercise, jog, play sports or indulge in any other physically
tiring work.
The introverts, on the other hand, would prefer to go for long walks
alone, sit by the side of a pond, write, paint or listen to soft music—
basically spend time doing something alone. They are also inclined
towards meditation as a means to quieten the mind.
Once the mind is quietened enough, the realization dawns that we
have all come from the same source of energy and will merge with the
same when we die. This humbling thought destroys the ego. Once that
happens, we lose interest in the sensory desires and all attachments fall
away. We get into a permanent state of contentment.
At home, when we realize and accept the fact that fretting about our
child’s admission will not result in him getting admitted into the college
of their choice, we relax. At work too, getting stressed about our
promotion is unlikely to affect our boss. Once we accept these facts, our
stresses and mental confusions will disappear.

Day 9
One feels infinite bliss that is perceivable only through the intellect, and
is beyond the reach of the senses. After realizing the absolute reality, one
is never separated from it. (6.21)
Right from our childhood, we have been facing confusions. It could be
while studying for exams, as to which subject to start first or which
chapter. Later on, it becomes bigger, when we are asked to choose a
career path. Very few are firm in the knowledge about what they want to
do as a profession. Finally, when the person settles in the work that they
love doing, they are the happiest. So, if a doctor stops working at a
hospital and starts working in films, their family might be shocked but
the doctor would be at peace.
Realization of truth always results in peace. It’s commonly believed
that truth is always bitter but it’s not. The same truth can be bitter for one
and sweet for the other, it’s a matter of perspective. All truths, when they
come to light, make our mental confusions disappear.
If the family gets to know the truth about their father’s financial
woes, they might feel disappointed at first. But then, they would have a
clarity that they should not put any pressure on their father any more.
Understanding and acceptance of reality leads to mental peace.

Day 10
Once the yogi finds the state that he considers as the treasure beyond
treasures, he remains anchored in that and is immune to even the
mightiest grief. (6.22)
When we are satisfied with our knowledge, we become confident to face
the world. We can then face the toughest of exams without feeling a
twinge of nervousness. This happens in every area of our life. It could be
cooking, stitching, gardening, driving, drawing, painting—any area at
all. The key is conviction. If we are convinced of our own expertise, then
nobody can shake our confidence.
At a macro level, once we understand that everything in the world is
perishable and dispensable, we start seeing things in a different light.
And once our mind is in control of our senses instead of the other way
round, we know that our happiness is in our own hands.
Armed with this knowledge, no calamity in the world can affect us.
After all, it’s up to us to allow anything to affect us, isn’t it?

Day 11
The state of severance of union with sorrow is called yoga. This yoga
should be practised with firm determination and without any mental
reservation. (6.23)
It is important to continue working with dedication and full commitment,
and not have any sort of doubts or reservations about the path or the
outcome. When an artist is making a painting or a sculptor is chiselling
stone, they do not know how beautiful their creation is going to be. They
just carry on with their work, pouring their heart and soul into it.
Any kind of work should be done with such dedication. Imagine a
workplace where every person is totally dedicated to their work and
nobody is distracted by what the other is doing. There would be no petty
politics and the end result would be success and an all-round growth of
the company. But such utopian conditions are rare to come by.
Collectively it might be difficult, but individually we can practise to
detach ourselves from the fruits of all our actions. Having achieved that,
we would be free from all sorrow.

Day 12
One gradually attains tranquillity of mind by totally abandoning all
selfish desires, completely restraining the senses from sense objects and
keeping the mind fully absorbed in the Spirit by means of a well-trained
intellect. (6.24-25)
As children we have done experiments in school. One of them was to
study decantation. A little bit of soil is mixed with clean water in a glass,
stirred and set aside. It is seen that gradually the soil particles start
settling down in the bottom of the glass. Eventually, the soil settles down
completely, leaving clear water that can be decanted into another glass.
Our minds are similar. They are full of stored memories and thoughts
that whirl around all the time. Just as the muddy water is not of much
use, so is the case with a muddled mind.
In order to use water, we need to be sure that it’s clean. Since water is
essential to all forms of life, we need to clean it carefully. Everyone is
aware of the ill-effects of impure water.
Likewise, in order for the mind to be effectively useful and life-
sustaining, we need to clean it thoroughly. The first step towards that
would be to still the mind, so that all the swirling thoughts settle down.
When the mind is quiet, it can focus all its energies on the task at hand.

Day 13
Wheresoever this restless and unsteady mind wanders away, one should
gently bring it back to the reflection of God. (6.26)
Since the mind is a flow of thoughts, it is likely to be restless and
unsteady. It is not unusual to be distracted by thoughts other than work
while in the workplace. If we have to pick our child from a dance class
or attend to a sick spouse or parent, the related thoughts are bound to be
on the top of our mind while working.
These are our attachments. We bind ourselves to these tasks, and
when their thoughts keep surfacing through the day, we get stressed. Our
priorities get mixed up.
If doing a particular task is on top of our priorities, then we must find
ways to delegate the other tasks to others. We can hire extra help to pick
and drop our child or to look after the sick spouse or parent.
Unfortunately, we don’t do this as we are trapped in the emotions of
relationships, yet we complain and get stressed as our work suffers
because of these disturbances in our routine.
The day we decide to detach ourselves from relationships, we would
not be governed by emotions and would be able to handle these issues
practically. It’s always the emotions that drag us down, not the task at
hand.

Day 14
Supreme bliss comes to a Self-realized yogi whose mind is tranquil,
whose desires are under control and who is free from faults. (6.27)
When the mental agitation or thought flow ends, the mind becomes still.
This requires repeated mental efforts. We can get rid of specific
attachments, for instance those to material possessions, fairly easily. It is
just a question of understanding the ephemeral nature of the material
objects.
Thoughts are like a bunch of horses pulling the chariot we are riding
on in multiple directions. It’s up to us to become a good charioteer or
driver and control and drive those horses in unison. Only then can we
reach our destination.
Controlling one sense is simpler like a driver controlling the car he’s
driving. But we are talking about the five senses. Naturally, they would
pull us in five directions of temptations.
The sensory desires are very distracting. Right in the middle of our
work, hunger pangs or a stink from the restroom close by or a beautiful
colleague or music from a neighbour’s computer or lack of proper air-
conditioning can distract us, slow us down or even derail us completely.
A truly tranquil mind is unaffected by any distractions.

Day 15
Such a sinless yogi, who constantly engages his or her mind and intellect
with the Spirit, easily enjoys the infinite bliss of contact with the Spirit.
(6.28)
Some people like to stay away from the objects of desire and distraction
in order to concentrate on their work. It is a good beginning. It helps to
have a workplace dedicated to our work, where we follow a timetable to
discipline our senses. Having fixed mealtimes is a great way to demolish
the untimely urges to eat.
This is the reason why artists and other creative people prefer to work
in their personal studios. It is their personal space, where they are
surrounded by their own work, which is inspirational.
Even with all the care taken to remove the objects of desire from our
workplace, the thoughts may continue to raid our mind. We need to find
a solution to that as well.
Meditation is a popular and effective way to quieten the mind, but the
key is to retain this sense of quietude within. With sincere and regular
efforts, we can rein in our thoughts and achieve mental peace.

Day 16
A yogi, who is in union with the Supreme Being, sees every being with an
equal eye because of perceiving the omnipresent Spirit abiding in all
beings and all beings abiding in the Supreme Being. (6.29)
A student of human anatomy will tell you that all human bodies look the
same inside. The organs function the same way in everyone. This is to
say, at a very gross level, that all humans are the same. They feel and
suffer the same way, inside, unconsciously. The entire science of
medicine is based on this premise.
At a finer level, we see that though people may feel the same way but
they emote differently. This is at a conscious level, where the mind
comes to play. Our behaviour is dictated by our mind, which in turn is
affected by our upbringing, education and other environmental factors.
Seeing this difference in behaviour, our mind starts judging people based
on superficial parameters.
Mother Teresa said, ‘If you judge people, you have no time to love
them.’ The wise do not discriminate. They are aware that all living
beings carry the same life force, from the same source. Hence, the wise
are always at peace with everyone.

Day 17
Those who perceive me in everything and behold everything in me, are
not separated from me, and I am not separated from them. (6.30)
Little children are not concerned with the differences in people; they
only look for similarities. When they play together, they don’t see the
racial differences; they just see that all of them seem to be somewhat of
the same size. The children understand that they have common interests,
like football or dance and so on—that is the reason for their bonding.
As they grow older, the parents and teachers start rewarding the
children for their various achievements. This starts the idea of self-
importance and ego.
In adults, it’s the ego that creates all kinds of barriers among them.
It’s these barriers that create so much stress and unrest in the world. The
only way to bring about harmony is to understand that no living being is
different from the other. Life on this planet is a drama where everyone
comes to play their part and then goes away.
When a person starts believing that everyone is equal, his ego
disappears. Then it’s easier to maintain a balanced mind. A balanced
mind does not have any conflicts, and functions smoothly and peacefully.

Day 18
One is considered the best yogi who regards every being like oneself, and
who can feel the pain and pleasures of others as one’s own. (6.32)
Be it in governance or business, one who is compassionate and looks
after others, keeping his own selfish interests aside, is considered to be
an effective leader. When the leader looks after others selflessly, the
others look after him by way of performing their best and achieving the
collective goal.
Compassionate here does not mean emotional; it means considerate
or thoughtful. People also confuse compassion with charity. They feel if
they donate to some charity they have shown their compassion towards
humankind. The same people may treat their employees harshly,
deducting salaries in the name of discipline.
Forcing discipline does not work, compassion works. A wise leader
knows this. He knows the strengths and shortcomings of his team and
utilizes them in such a way that the result is a win-win for all.
Day 19
Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is
subdued by any constant vigorous spiritual practice such as meditation
with perseverance, and by detachment. (6.35)
Affluence makes a person lazy. When we can afford to travel in a car,
why would we walk then? It is the same with other things as well. We
hire servants to pick things for us, to clean our surroundings and to cook
for us.
The inevitable result of this kind of lifestyle is seen in our increasing
weight. The body is not able to use up the food that we are putting into it,
hence it starts storing it, in the form of fat. Excess weight results in all
kinds of diseases, so we start exercising to push our lazy muscles into
action.
It is the opposite with our mind. Ordinarily, the mind is very restless.
In fact, the lazier the body, the more restless the mind becomes. It is
always trying to discover more and more sensual pleasures for us, for our
body.
Just as we need to exercise to bring our body into shape, similarly we
need to meditate to bring our mind to rest. Physical activity done with
persistence becomes a habit, so does meditation. We just need to set our
goal and work towards it with dedication and detachment, and we shall
succeed.

Day 20
There is no destruction for a yogi either here or hereafter. A
transcendentalist is never put to grief. (6.40)
Something is better than nothing, as they say. Some action or some
exercise is better than inaction or no exercise. A seed of an idea is better
than no idea at all. This is to say that even if we have understood the
fundamental truth of oneness of spiritual energy, it is good enough. The
thought will take root and grow.
Detachment doesn’t come overnight. We have to gradually start
reigning in our sensory desires. Once they are in our control, only then
can the mind function effectively.
 In your workplace, you must have noticed that if phone calls or
celebrating a colleague’s birthday or anniversary, or even planning your
next vacation, does not distract you, then you can achieve twice as much
in a day. The solution normally is to tell your assistant not to let anyone
disturb you till you finish your task at hand.
If we train our minds to not get distracted, then the phone calls will
not bother us. Celebrations or anything else happening around us will not
distract us. Distractions happen when we get involved emotionally.
Emotional attachment here means thinking about the topic long after it is
over. Detachment from emotional involvement makes our work
smoother.

Day 21
The less evolved unsuccessful yogi is reborn in the house of the pious
and prosperous after attaining heaven and living there for many years.
The highly evolved successful yogi does not go to heaven, but is born in
a spiritually advanced family. (6.41–6.42)
A man is known by the company he keeps, is a popular saying. It
invariably happens that like-minded people gravitate towards each other.
Right from childhood, we unconsciously make friends with those with
whom we share common interests like sports or books.
Later on in college too, our close circle of friends comprises like-
minded people. By now we become conscious of this fact. In workplace,
we consciously seek out colleagues or even hire those who share a
common interest with us. By now, of course, it is more professional than
personal similarities that interest us.
This clearly shows that as we evolve mentally, our choices also
evolve. We start shedding unnecessary or irrelevant attachments. In fact,
we become more aware of our attachments or bonds. This awareness
helps us to understand the truth and shed further material attachments as
well. Finally, as we become detached, we attain eternal peace and
happiness. This evolution happens at a different pace in different people.

Day 22
When he takes human form again in this world, he regains the knowledge
acquired in his previous life and strives again to achieve perfection.
(6.43)
Whatever we learn consciously or unconsciously never goes waste. We
always manage to use it sometime or the other. When we join an
organization as an assistant, we assist people in doing their jobs. Later
on, as we grow in hierarchy in the workplace, we use what we had learnt
as an assistant. And if we use it wisely, we rise higher in the chain of
command. At some point of time, we actually are in a position to train an
assistant.
This kind of growth is observed in most people in any workplace. At
home too, what we learn from our parents, we pass on to our children, be
it driving or cooking or any other life skills.
At a macro level, our soul, which is travelling from one form to the
other over many lives, also carries with it the knowledge it acquires over
those lifetimes. That is how it evolves. All knowledge is useful for our
evolution, for our understanding of the basic truth of life. Once we have
achieved that understanding, we attain freedom from the cycle of
rebirths.

Day 23
The unsuccessful yogi is instinctively carried towards God by virtue of
the impressions of yogic practices of previous lives. Even the inquirer of
yoga surpasses those who perform Vedic rituals. (6.44)
Whether we want it or not, whether we like it or not, life goes on. Day
will follow night as surely as winter is followed by summer. Everyone
instinctively moves ahead.
Even if a person is not ambitious at work, they would still get their
annual increments in salary and the bonus at the end of the year. In life
too, they will continue to grow and evolve.
Awareness helps in speeding up the mental evolution. If we know our
goal, we would make our path leading to it. We would learn whatever
would be helpful in making our journey comfortable as well as
expediting it. Otherwise, unaware, we would learn by committing
mistakes on the way. Either way, we would eventually reach our goal.
 The wise use their wisdom to detach themselves from the material
world’s trappings and reach their goal of peaceful bliss early in life.

Day 24
The yogi, who diligently strives, becomes completely free from all
imperfections after gradually perfecting through many incarnations, and
reaches the supreme abode. (6.45)
In Mahatma Gandhi’s words, ‘Life is an aspiration. Its mission is to
strive after perfection, which is self-realization.’
If we set our heart to it, we can achieve anything. There are many
rags-to-riches stories around us in the world. Larry Ellison was born in a
slum, but managed to educate himself and ended up as the co-founder of
Oracle.
Getting rid of attachments is a slow process and needs to be done
diligently. Gradually, we start getting used to the freedom that breaking
bonds brings with it. Our week starts better if we go off our computers
over the weekend. But it’s not easy. We have to be very firm with
ourselves. Initially, such an action would cause anxiety. It is like
withdrawal symptoms. But then, we would realize that it is de-stressing
to switch off our machines at least once a week.
The material world makes us its slaves. We have entered the trap
willingly. So, we should also get out of it willingly. Only then would this
detachment last.
Once detached from worldly entanglements, we would reach the state
of equanimity. The speed of our growth and evolution would escalate.
We would taste success earlier than our peers, as with no attachments the
journey becomes smoother and faster.

Day 25
The yogi, who is devoted to meditation, is superior to the ascetics. The
yogi is superior to the Vedic scholars. The yogi is superior to the
ritualists. Therefore, be a yogi. (6.46)
Wealthy industrialists eventually start taking interest in philanthropy.
Once they have more than enough for themselves and their children, they
realize that maybe they should share with those who are less fortunate.
Charity as a ritual to feel good about your own self is not real charity. It
has to be done from your heart. You have to understand the need of the
person who is receiving and not your own need to give.
Likewise, reading scriptures or listening to sermons from holy people
is not going to make us holy. Reading books can only teach us the
theory; we need to practise what we have learnt to understand it better.
We must visit the Taj Mahal personally to see and understand its beauty;
reading about it cannot suffice.
Meditation is a part of yoga, where we become aware of our own
breath and understand that the same universal Spirit flows through all
living beings. This practical understanding sets us free from all material
attachments.

Day 26
I consider the yogi-devotee who lovingly contemplates on me with
supreme faith, and whose mind is ever absorbed in me, to be the best of
all the yogis. (6.47)
Yoga is defined as the union of our soul with the universal energy source,
or God, as it’s called by some. It is achieved by focussing on the source
and stilling the mind.
These days, more so than before, doctors also prescribe meditation. It
helps the mind to relax and focus on getting well. Otherwise, with
Google’s availability on every smartphone, the patients fill themselves
up with a lot of misinformation and fall sicker.
Meditation teaches us to focus on one point. And in doing so, while
observing the movement of our own breath, our thoughts fall away. This
should be the state of our mind at all times. It’s an ideal state where,
unfettered by worldly attachments, we move on towards eternal peace.
When we observe the flow of our own breath, we realize it’s the same
breath that flows through every living being. And once we understand
that, we treat all living beings the same way. This is real yoga.
 7

Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth

27 May–12 June

Day 27
The mind, intellect, ego, ether, air, fire, water and earth are the eightfold
divisions of my nature. (7.04)
The supernatural power or the cosmic energy is the source of all living
beings. This fact has been established already. According to the
scriptures, the entire creation is made up of five basic elements in
different proportions. The elements are earth, water, fire, air and space or
ether.
All solid matter has more of earth element; all liquids have more of
water. Fire transforms one state of matter into another. Air is everything
gaseous. Ether is the subtlest of all elements and carries radio
frequencies, light and other cosmic rays.
Nature requires that these elements remain in a balanced state, as
their imbalance causes diseases. Yoga helps to maintain their balance.
Other than these, mind, reasoning or intellect and ego are three more
elements that are present in a human being.
As everything else, the five basic natural and the three subtle
elements are also the manifestation of God or the universal cosmic
energy.

Day 28
The material nature or matter is my lower nature. My higher nature is
the Spirit by which this entire universe is sustained. (7.05)
There are two kinds of nature of God, the first one is matter or material,
which is his lower nature. The second or the higher nature is the Spirit,
without which the matter remains inert.
 Matter, also known as prakriti, is inert, insentient, while the
indwelling Spirit, also known as purush, is sentient, dynamic. A
combination of matter and Spirit causes things to be born and function.
In a steam engine, the iron and steel components cannot function
without steam passing through them. The engine is matter and the steam
is the Spirit-factor. Only when they unite can we say that a steam engine
is created. It is the Spirit that makes an inert acorn to grow into a mighty
oak tree.
Once we understand the difference between matter and Spirit, we
realize that the cause of all our suffering is due to the Spirit identifying
with matter. When we detach the Spirit from all its identifications, it
realizes its original nature of bliss.

Day 29
Know that all creatures have evolved from this twofold energy; and the
Supreme Spirit is the source of origin as well as dissolution of the entire
universe. (7.06)
We have already seen that the higher and lower natures together cause
the manifestation of the world. If there is no matter, the dynamic Spirit
would not have any field to express itself. Matter is dormant and cannot
function till the Spirit activates or enlivens it.
Like in the case of electricity and bulb, both are of no use till they get
together. Electricity here is the dynamic Spirit-factor that enlivens the
bulb, which is the inert matter.
In every case, we find that the presence and absence of Spirit is the
cause of life and death of matter, respectively. Matter or prakriti on its
own cannot generate anything. The Spirit, therefore, is the cause of
creation and dissolution of the universe. But then, someone has to direct
what to create and what to dissolve. That power is called the Supreme
Being or God.
So it boils down to God deciding to put the Spirit or consciousness
into matter resulting in the creation of the universe or taking the Spirit
away from matter resulting in the dissolution of the universe.

Day 30
There is nothing higher than the Supreme Being. Everything in the
universe is strung on the Supreme Being, like jewels are strung on the
thread of a necklace. (7.07)
We have already seen that God or the Supreme Being is the cause of the
creation of the universe. He is also the supporter of the entire universe.
Just like the string supports the different beads strung together with it in
a necklace, so does God support all living beings in the universe.
There is a huge variety of living beings in the universe but all carry
the same universal Spirit. It is like a variety of beads, all of different
materials, strung together by one single string made of an entirely
different material.
Just like the Spirit, though, we cannot see the string hidden in the
beads, we are aware of its existence and importance in the necklace.
When the string breaks, the beads fall apart and the necklace ceases to
exist. Likewise, without the Spirit, the universe would cease to exist.
At the micro level too, in our body, the various organs coexist and
function in harmony because of the life force or Spirit running through
them.

Day 31
I am the sapidity in the water, I am the radiance in the sun and the moon,
the sacred syllable AUM in all the vedas, the sound in the ether and
potency in human beings. I am the sweet fragrance in the earth. I am the
heat in the fire, the life in all living beings and the austerity in the
ascetics. (7.08–7.09)
Everything in this universe is different; no two leaves, no two
snowflakes or no two fingerprints are the same. We can safely claim that
everything is unique.
That which remains from beginning to end, without which the thing
cannot be identified, is its essence. Like the taste of pure water, the
radiance of the sun and the moon, the heat of fire, the fragrance of earth
and flowers—they are special to them, they are the active principle, the
essence. This pure, uncontaminated, unexplained essence is present due
to the Supreme Being or God or Krishna.
When an artist creates a painting, he knows exactly which paint and
how much of it is to be used where. He also knows what he has to draw;
he is aware of every square inch of his canvas. So is God; he has created
this universe as one huge live painting or a film. He is the cause of
everything that exists in that film. God is like the light beaming from the
projection room on to the screen, creating the film—one beam of light
resulting in so many singing, dancing characters.

JUNE

Day 1
Know me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. I am the intelligence of
the intelligent, and the brilliance of the brilliant. I am the strength of the
strong who is devoid of selfish attachment. I am the lust in human beings
that is devoid of sense gratification and is in accord with dharma. (7.10–
7.11)
God is not only the eternal seed-cause of the entire creation, but also the
intelligence of a person, because without intelligence one cannot
understand the eternal truth. He is also the strength of the strong the
strength to protect the weak, not to oppress them. But all these qualities
are without desire or attachment.
Desire is for what is absent in our lives and attachment is for what we
have already obtained or achieved. These two emotions are the root
cause of most conflicts, be it between individuals, families, communities
or countries.
But here Krishna clarifies that lust or desire is not bad if it is devoid
of sense gratification. All thoughts or actions entertained by a person,
which are in accordance to dharma, are righteous. For instance, sex for
the purpose of procreation or propagating life is not wrong. So, God is in
all those desires that are not wrongful to a living being.

Day 2
Know that three modes of material nature—goodness, passion and
ignorance—also emanate from me. I am not dependent on or affected by
the modes of material nature, but the modes of material nature are
dependent on me. (7.12)
We have seen that God is manifested as purush or soul or consciousness
and prakriti or nature or matter. Prakriti has three modes or gunas,
namely sattva, rajas and tamas.
Sattva denotes goodness or serenity and harmony, rajas denotes
passion or restlessness and tamas denotes ignorance or inertia.
Everything in nature is made of these three modes in varying measures.
Material nature or prakriti is a manifestation of God and hence is
dependent on him, though God himself is independent of it. It is like the
king, who is the lawmaker of his own kingdom, is himself not subject to
the laws that he has created; like the ocean, which is not affected by the
waves that it creates, while the waves certainly are affected by it.
God has created us in his image. And as he is not affected by the
cosmic delusion of the three modes of material nature, so should we
strive to remain unaffected by the material world around us.

Day 3
Human beings are deluded by various aspects of these three modes of
material nature; therefore, they do not know me, who is eternal and
above these modes. (7.13)
The three modes of nature give rise to all the emotions like love, hatred,
anger, envy, etc., and these emotions create attachments. We get trapped
in the worldly attachments and are unable to see God as the cause behind
everything.
It is like when we are watching a film in a theatre. We do not pay
attention to the beam of light which is being projected from the
projection room on to the screen in front of us, resulting in the film that
we are enjoying. We are totally engrossed and lost in what we are
watching on the screen. Till the time the film is running, we continue
being lost in it.
Likewise, in life we are so wrapped up in gratifying our senses, that
we do not realize that our soul remains unchanged and unaffected all
through the stages of our growth, sickness and decay, till death. In the
end, the soul moves on, leaving this physical body behind.

Day 4
This divine power (maya) of mine, consisting of three states of matter or
mind, is very difficult to overcome. Only those who surrender unto me
easily cross over this maya. (7.14)
Since the universal soul and the material nature, both emanate from God,
both are considered divine. The three states of matter or mind, namely
serenity, restlessness and ignorance, are also divine by the same
definition. So the problem is not in the material states but is in getting
trapped by them.
When we go to any shopping mall, we see many shops, each selling
hundreds of products. We don’t have to buy all of them. In fact, we need
not buy any. The products, their sellers, would continue to lure us with
all kinds of offers. And we may succumb and end up buying something
or the other.
Our senses keep pulling us in different directions and we continue to
get enmeshed deeper and deeper in the sensory world. This is the
problem. To get out of this problem, we need to find the origin of it.
When hypnotists hypnotize someone, they can get them to do or feel
anything that they want. The only way to get out of this situation is when
the hypnotists themselves snap their fingers to release the person from
hypnosis. So, it stands to reason that since the delusory material world is
created by God, the way out of it is also with him.

Day 5
Four types of virtuous ones worship or seek me. They are: the distressed,
the seeker of Self-knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the enlightened
one who has experienced the Supreme Being. (7.16)
Why do we pray? By praying we are trying to reach God or whatever
superpower we believe in. We assume that the superpower is listening
and would answer, somehow.
When do we pray? We pray mostly when we are in trouble, when we
reach a dead end with our problem and have no answers. That is the time
we pray to God or the superpower and seek answers. Like when a loved
one is very sick, we pray for them to get well; when we want to get
admission in a college or get the job we desire, we pray to God to fulfil
our desires. This is a distress situation.
 However, there are people who pray to seek wisdom in order to
realize their own divinity and to understand the mystery of life. Here also
there are unanswered questions, but then it’s not a distress situation.
The third case is of those who pray to seek wealth and power in this
life and thereafter. They want the best of both the worlds, so no distress
here. The fourth type are those who want nothing; they pray out of love
and respect for God. They are the wisest of all.

Day 6
All these seekers are indeed noble. But, I regard the enlightened devotee
as my very Self, because the one who is steadfast abides in my Supreme
Abode. (7.18)
The very fact that a person has recognized or accepted the presence of a
superpower or God is the first step towards attaining everlasting peace.
When we accept that there is a superpower controlling us and everything
around us, then we can begin to move in its direction. Hence, all the
devotees are noble, according to Krishna.
At the micro level, the devotees who pray unconditionally are
superior to those who have reasons or some hidden agenda for praying.
When people pray for a reason, they are expecting favourable results.
They are attached to the fruit of their action.
The path of prayer is right, but in order to attain eternal peace and
happiness, we need to detach ourselves from any fruit of any of our
actions. The ones who indulge in selfless prayer are enlightened beings.
They are closest to the supreme power or God as they have understood
the universal truth. They have realized that they, as well as all the other
living beings, are a part of the same universal soul. They have realized
the God in themselves.

Day 7
After many births, the enlightened one resorts to me by realizing that
everything is, indeed, my (or Supreme Being’s) manifestation. Such a
great soul is very rare. (7.19)
We live in the midst of a material world, surrounded by temptations. Our
life is spent in fulfilling our desires, as our five senses keep pushing and
pulling us in different directions. Whatever we are unable to achieve in
this life, we carry those desires with us to the next life. Like this, we
keep taking birth to realize our unfulfilled dreams.
The karmic cycle of rebirth can go on forever, which it does for some
souls. But there are some people who realize the futility of such a life.
They are able to break free from this cycle of bondage by detaching
themselves from all material attachments.
These wise people are able to see that the entire universe is a
manifestation of the superpower or God. Such people are able to keep
their senses in check and live a life of selfless service.
Once we realize this truth, our attachments disappear; we have no
need to take birth again to fulfil any leftover desires, as there are none
left. We successfully break away from the cycle of rebirth.

Day 8
Whosoever desires to worship whatever deity—using any name, form,
and method— with faith, I make their faith steady in that very deity.
Endowed with steady faith they worship that deity and obtain their
wishes through that deity. Those wishes are granted by me. (7.21–7.22)
Faith here means absolute belief in the existence of divine or
superpower. Faith brings success to worship. In Dr S. Radhakrishnan’s
words, ‘All worship elevates. No matter what we revere, so long as our
reverence is serious, it helps progress.’
In India we pray to different gods for different reasons, for example,
Sarasvati is considered the goddess of learning and Lakshmi, the goddess
of wealth. So, people pray according to the need of the hour. When
people are in trouble due to their enemies, they pray to Hanuman and
when they are sick they pray to Surya.
But we know that the entire creation has one source, which is the
universal consciousness. This applies to the various gods and goddesses
as well. They are names or manifestations of the different aspects of the
universal consciousness or God.
So when we pray to one goddess or god, we are actually praying to
one particular aspect of the main God. Hence, whatever we wish for, is
granted by the universal consciousness itself.
Day 9
The ignorant ones, unable to understand my immutable, incomparable,
incomprehensible and transcendental form, assume that I, the Supreme
Being, am formless and take forms or incarnate. Concealed by my divine
power (maya), I do not reveal myself to such deluded ones. (7.24–7.25)
The unseen water vapour can be condensed into water and frozen into
ice. Similarly, the impersonal God can be projected into any form of the
devotee’s liking and worshipped as a finite personality. However, the
devotee would be foolish if he limits his understanding of God to that
finite form.
Even Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa did the same initially. Later he
said, ‘I had to destroy the finite form of Ma Kali with the sword of
wisdom, to behold her as the formless infinite.’2
Our minds are perpetually agitated by thoughts that emanate from the
five senses in the form of desires and emotions. It is these desires and
emotions that lead us to singular, limited deities to pray to, for the
fulfilment of our desires. Once our desire is fulfilled, we are convinced
of the power of the deity and forget the omnipresent nature of the
universal consciousness that is also present in the deity as well as
everything else, including our own selves.
Only by self-control, reflection and meditation can we quieten and
control the agitations of our mind and discover the universal
consciousness within.

Day 10
All beings in this world are in utter ignorance due to delusion of pairs of
opposites born of likes and dislikes. But persons of unselfish deeds,
whose karma or sin has come to an end, become free from the delusion
of pairs of opposites and worship me with firm resolve. (7.27–7.28)
Since all of us are going through cycles of rebirth, we are born with
leftover desires from our past life. Our current life is usually spent in
fulfilling those desires. While doing so, we get trapped in more desires,
since the world we live in is full of temptations.
 The result is that we are always going through the pair of opposites:
like-dislike, love-hate. We like to possess something, for example a
laptop, but because of certain family circumstances we are unable to buy
it. This leads to our hating those circumstances or the people responsible
for those circumstances. This conflict between desire and aversion goes
on right throughout our lives. Our intellect is perpetually occupied either
chasing the object of our desire or running away from the object of our
aversion.
The wise are in control of their senses. They cannot fall into this trap
of opposites as they remain detached from the material world. Such
people pray to God selflessly and achieve eternal peace and happiness.

Day 11
Those who strive for freedom from the cycles of birth, old age and death
—by taking refuge in God—fully comprehend the true nature and powers
of the Supreme. (7.29)
Birth, growth, disease, decay and death are the normal processes that any
living being goes through. The thing to remember here is that all this
happens to the physical body, while the soul residing in the body remains
untouched.
Practically, no one can be free from their body’s ageing process. The
freedom mentioned here is the freedom from attachment to the body and
the bodily processes. When we identify with our body, we get attached to
it and are upset by anything affecting it. We are scared by the mere
thought of losing our body one day.
The wise understand the nature and power of the universal soul that is
within us. They know that the soul remains untouched and moves on
from one body to the next. When this realization is there, where is the
need or use of any attachment to the material world?
The material world is ever-changing and perishable whereas the soul
is eternal. Comprehension of this truth releases us from all mental
bondages.

Day 12
The wise ones, who know me alone as the basis of all the mortal beings,
Temporal Being and the Eternal Being even at the time of death, attain
me. (7.30)
It is not easy for us to ignore the world in which we are living. Right
from our childhood we get used to facing competition, be it in studies or
sports. As we grow older, we start competing with our colleagues in the
race for promotions. Then there are relatives and neighbours, family and
friends, who egg us to continuously upgrade ourselves.
Do we ever stop to consider why we are always running a race?
When no two persons can be the same, no two circumstances can be the
same, then why compete? The most important question to ask is, where
is the finishing line of this race that we are running?
The wise know that the same universal soul is present in every living
being. Since we all are a part of one supreme energy, whom are we
competing against?
But then, knowledge of anything is useless if it is not put to practical
use. We need to apply the understanding of the cosmic truth in our lives.
We have to be in control of our senses and remain detached from the
material world. This does not mean that we need to leave our home. We
can fulfil our duties selflessly even while living in the material world, if
we remain detached from it. Just like a lotus grows and blooms in muddy
waters without getting soiled, so can we remain free from all
attachments.
Being in such a state at all times, right till their death, the wise
achieve eternal peace. Such beings do not need to be born again as
mortals, as they have no desires to fulfil.

2Swami Kriyananda, Paramhansa Yogananda A Biography, Ananda Sangha, 2011.

 8

Attainment of Salvation
13 June–1 July

Day 13
The eternal and immutable Spirit of the Supreme Being is also called
Eternal Being or the Spirit. The inherent power of cognition and desire
of the Spirit is called the nature of the Eternal Being. The creative power
of the Spirit that causes manifestation of the living entity is called karma.
(8.03)
Krishna talks about three things here—the indestructible Spirit, the soul,
the unfulfilled desires that it carries and its manifestation as a living
entity.
What we see physically is the result of karma. The living beings are
born because of their karma, their unfulfilled desires. The soul is the
essence of a living being. Though it is the same in all beings, yet the soul
identifies with the being that it inhabits and behaves in relation to the
desires it carries from the past life. This behaviour constitutes its nature.
The soul may keep changing its behaviour, but one thing constant in
the entire creation, the entire universe, is the universal consciousness or
the Spirit. It is this Spirit, also addressed as God or Krishna, which
illumines our body, mind and soul. It is like light, without which we
cannot see anything.

Day 14
There are various expansions of the Supreme Being. That which
underlies all the elements and is the basis of physical existence, is the
perishable entity or adhibhoota. That which underlies all the devtaas
and is the basis of astral existence, is the cosmic entity or adhidaiva. The
Supreme Being also resides inside the physical bodies as the Divine
Controller or adhiyajna. (8.04)
The physical nature is always changing. Anything that is born would
always grow, produce by-products, dwindle and finally die. This
perishable existence is called adhibhoota.
The presiding deities of the five senses, mind and intellect are the
adhidaiva. The planets and their deities or demigods are also adhidaiva.
Present in the body, along with the individual soul, is the super-soul,
the Spirit or Krishna or just God. The individual soul is called atma and
the super-soul is called paramatma or adhiyajna. Seated next to the
individual soul in the heart, the super-soul is a witness to all its activities
and, hence, is also called antaryami.
Existing in the cosmos as the originating and governing intelligence
and in the human body as soul, the Spirit or super-soul, therefore, is the
creative underlying substance of the physical, astral and causal universes
with their various kinds of beings. The wise are aware of this play of the
Spirit at the physical, mental and intellectual levels.

Day 15
The one who remembers the Supreme Being exclusively even while
leaving the body at the time of death, attains the Supreme Abode; there is
no doubt about it. (8.05)
All our waking moments in life are spent working towards fulfilling our
desires, which are many and never-ending. All the desires are created by
our senses. We want to eat a variety of tasteful delicacies, we want to
wear the finest of clothes and jewellery, we want to use the best of
perfumes, we want to travel and see beautiful places around the world,
we want to possess the most advanced gadgets to smoothen our daily life
and the list goes on.
As with everything, the desires are also part of our habits. We are told
as children to set our goals in life and work hard towards achieving
them; this becomes our habit as we grow up. We create many short-term
goals of achieving happiness through material objects. Without realizing
it, we get trapped in the web of the material world.
By practising yoga and meditation, we can learn to control our
senses. Once the senses are controlled, it is not difficult to detach
ourselves from the material world. It’s just a matter of inculcating a new
habit—the habit of saying ‘no’ to temptations.
 We know that our soul returns to fulfil our unfulfilled desires; it
stands to reason that if we are desireless, the soul would not return. We
would break away from the cycle of rebirth. Our soul would then merge
with its source, the Supreme Being.

Day 16
Remembering whatever object at the end of life while one leaves the
body, one attains that object. Thought of whatever object prevails during
one’s lifetime, one remembers only that object at the end of life and
achieves it. (8.06)
The most recurring thought of our life becomes the most prominent one
at the time of our death. And our last thought determines our soul’s next
birth. What we think we become. Our past thoughts have determined our
present and our present thoughts would determine our future.
The point to remember here is that it’s not just the last thought at the
time of death but the persistent thought all through our life that
determines the soul’s next destination.
Some people feel guilty for their misdeeds, some are constantly
hankering after wealth, while some regret not having spent time with
their loved ones and some dream of travelling across the world to see
exotic places. Whatever the feeling, it is the determining cause that leads
the soul to another incarnation on earth, in order to seek closure.
When we practise yoga and meditation, we realize how meaningless
our desires are and how mechanical our life is. This realization creates
detachment and all our desires vanish. We become free.

Day 17
Therefore, always remember me and do your duty. You shall certainly
attain me if your mind and intellect are ever focused on me. (8.07)
Considering that what we think in our heart, so we become, the next step
logically would be to contemplate on the super-soul or the Supreme
Being. And since we are contemplating on the super-soul or God, our
soul would merge with it after it leaves our mortal body.
 Sounds easy, but that is not what Krishna advised Arjun. Krishna told
Arjun not to give up his prescribed duties to contemplate on God. He
should continue performing his tasks but also think of God.
When we are performing any task, we tend to think about its result,
desiring a positive outcome. We do not realize that the results cannot be
controlled by us, as there could be multiple factors involved. For
instance, when Arjun was fighting, he could only hope for his weapons
to kill his enemies, but could he guarantee that?
Krishna’s advice to Arjun was to work selflessly, without worrying
about the result. And in this detached state of mind, he should think
about God, the super-soul, as everything happened only according to his
will. So, even if Arjun died while fighting, since he would be
contemplating on God, his soul would merge with the super-soul.

Day 18
One who meditates on the Supreme Being as the omniscient, the oldest,
the controller, smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest, the
sustainer of everything, the inconceivable, the self-luminous like the sun,
and transcendental at the time of death, with steadfast mind and
devotion, attains the Supreme Being. (8.09–8.10)
The Supreme Being or God, or Krishna in this case, is omniscient. He is
the knower of everything. No knowledge is possible without him. He is
the oldest, because he was present before the creation; he is the creator of
the creation.
In order to lead a meaningful existence, our physical, mental and
intellectual processes have to be in harmony. Apart from achieving inner
harmony, we have to be in tune with the world around us as well. This
would not be possible if we didn’t have the principle of awareness
present in our faculties of perception, feeling and comprehension. This
principle of awareness is the Super Consciousness or essence of life. Just
as clay is the essence of a clay pot, so is the Super Consciousness or
Supreme Being the essence or controller of the universe.
We have seen that the Super Consciousness is present in and sustains
everything, the smallest of the small and the largest of the large. It means
that it is smaller than the smallest, in order to pervade it. Likewise, it is
bigger than the biggest, in order to sustain it. The Supreme Being is
infinite, hence inconceivable.
 Though the Supreme Being may be beyond our comprehension, yet it
can be experienced. The wise, the enlightened beings, can understand it
to be their own Self, their own super-soul.

Day 19
When one leaves the physical body by controlling all the senses, focusing
the life-breath between the eyebrows, meditating on me and uttering
AUM, the sacred monosyllable sound power of Spirit, one attains the
Supreme Abode. (8.12–8.13)
The five sense organs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin are the entry
points through which the external stimuli reach the mind and cause
agitations in it. These senses have to be controlled by using the
discriminatory powers of the mind, which would result in detachment.
Yoga helps in doing that.
Although external stimuli can be avoided by controlling the senses,
there is always a possibility for the mind to get disturbed by memories of
the past. What do you do about that? Meditation helps us to focus on our
life-breath and stilling the mind.
When we reach the state of physical, mental and intellectual
equipoise, then focussing our life-breath between our eyebrows, chanting
AUM, contemplating on the super-soul, we get connected to it. When
our soul leaves our body at this moment, it merges with its source, the
super-soul.

Day 20
I am easily attainable by that ever steadfast devotee who always thinks of
me and whose mind does not go elsewhere. (8.14)
The law of attraction operates at all levels for everyone everywhere.
According to this law, our thoughts and energy can create our reality.
And we use this law unknowingly all the time.
We set our goals in life, like getting a job of our liking, having a
house of our own, marrying the right person and so on. One by one we
go about achieving these goals with a clear focus and positive attitude.
 But then, life is long and the ever-changing goals of material
achievements start telling on our mental and physical health. This is the
time when we pause and reflect. We realize that we have created too
many goals to achieve, like a bigger house to live in and another one to
rent out, a bigger vehicle and maybe a vehicle for each member of our
growing family, the list is never-ending. Somewhere along the way, we
switched tracks from desiring necessities to desiring luxuries. We
continued looking for happiness, but in the wrong place.
Once we understand what happiness really means and that the
perishable material world provides perishable happiness, we change our
focus to imperishable eternal happiness. The source of such happiness is
in the opposite direction—in detachment from the material world.
Freeing ourselves from material attachments, we become focussed on the
supreme creator, the universal energy, God. This is the path to eternal
peace and happiness.

Day 21
After attaining me, the great souls do not incur rebirth in this miserable
transitory world, because they have attained the highest perfection.
(8.15)
Looking around us, we see so much misery and pain. It is not limited to
those who are poor or sick, it applies to everyone. Those who have
amassed a great deal of wealth are also miserable. They constantly worry
about how to keep themselves and their wealth safe. With so much
money at their disposal, they want to live forever and spend a fortune to
maintain their youthful looks. They forget that their bodies are growing
old from inside.
The stress of maintaining their lifestyle takes a toll on their health.
Even getting the best of treatments cannot prolong their lives beyond a
point. Even on their deathbed, they are worried about what would
happen to their wealth. Without realizing it, such people have been
miserable for most of their lives.
The souls that have managed to detach themselves from this world of
miseries do not incur rebirth. They are desireless; they are free; they do
not need to start the cycle of rebirth again.
Day 22
The dwellers of all the worlds, up to and including the world of the
creator, are subject to the miseries of repeated birth and death. But, after
attaining me, one does not take birth again. (8.16)
The Hindu scriptures are full of stories about gods living up there in
heaven and demons living below in hell. We, the humans, live on earth,
in between. The stories revolve around the interactions among the
inhabitants of these three realms.
In these stories, there are gods who fall prey to greed or anger and
indulge in wrong actions, resulting in their being born again to rectify
their mistakes. There are stories of demons who are so good that they are
born again in heaven as a reward. The idea behind these stories is to
show—as you sow, so shall you reap.
The stories also tell us that no one is exempted from the cycle of
rebirth. The only way out is to understand the cosmic truth and follow it
in our lives. In the detached, desireless state we realize God within us.
There’s no coming back after this.

Day 23
Those who know that the duration of creation lasts for billions of years
and that the duration of destruction also lasts for billions of years, they
are the knowers of the cycles of creation and destruction. (8.17)
Krishna wants Arjun to realize how insignificant man’s existence is in
the larger scheme of things.
According to the Hindu scriptures, Lord Brahma is the first
manifestation of the Supreme Spirit. From him were created the rest of
the beings, hence he is also called the creator of the universe, though the
original creator is the Spirit.
The entire period of cosmic manifestation or evolution is known as
the day of Brahma, while the period of destruction or dissolution is his
night. So, as can be seen, the duration of the material universe is limited.
The substance, a cloud-like darkness, from which the material world
is created is called the causal ocean. In this ocean are several Brahmas,
rising and disappearing like bubbles. Each Brahma manages his own
universe. Even Brahma is not spared from the cycle of birth and death,
though he is engaged in the service of the Supreme Spirit in the
management of the material universe.
The wise know their own insignificance in the universe and hence
remain detached from it.

Day 24
All manifestations come out of the primary material nature during the
creative cycle, and they merge into the primary material nature during
the destructive cycle. The same multitude of beings come into existence
again and again at the arrival of the creative cycle and are annihilated,
inevitably, at the arrival of the destructive cycle. (8.18-19)
All of us, who are attached to this material world, continue to be born
again. We keep shunting back and forth in between the realms of heaven,
earth and hell, depending on our karma and material desires.
This happens during Brahma’s day which, as mentioned earlier, is
thousands of years long. So we, or rather our soul, keeps shunting for
thousands of years like this. When Brahma’s day ends and night begins,
all souls, including ours, get annihilated. This is another long period of
thousands of years.
After a long night, the day comes again and the cycle of rebirth
begins, and so on and so forth. Ultimately, when Brahma’s life is
finished, all souls are annihilated and remain unborn for millions of
years. When Brahma is born again in another millennium, the souls are
reborn to start off yet another round of births and deaths.

Day 25
There is another eternal transcendental existence higher than the
changeable material nature called Eternal Being or Spirit that does not
perish when all created beings perish. This is also called the Supreme
Abode. Those who attain the Supreme Abode do not take birth again.
(8.20-21)
As mentioned earlier, Brahma was the first manifestation of the super-
soul or the Spirit. This was done to facilitate creation. It is like when the
owner or promoter of a company sets up his first company, he installs a
managing director to run it. Meanwhile, he sets up more companies.
The Spirit or the Eternal Being, whom we address as God or Krishna,
is also the owner or controller of the universe that he creates. He himself
is eternal and imperishable, while his creation is transient and perishable.
The Spirit is like a mass or an ocean of energy, from where the
creation emanates and into which it dissolves back. Just like the bubbles
in water or waves in the ocean, the energy mass remains constant,
undisturbed and unchanged, while the bubbles or waves come and go.
The souls that escape the cycle of rebirth remain in the causal ocean
as part of the universal energy or Spirit.

Day 26
This Supreme Abode is attainable by unswerving devotion to me within
which all beings exist, and by which the entire universe is pervaded.
(8.22)
Just as the essential nature of a clay pot is nothing but the clay with
which it’s made, so is the essential nature of all beings in the world the
same as the Spirit from where they emanate.
Yoga and meditation teach us to concentrate on our breath, resulting
in stilling the mind. In this journey inwards, we realize soon enough that
all attachments to thoughts, people and things are useless, as everything
is transitory, perishable. Since we know that we cannot carry our wealth
with us when we die, we don’t mind using it to help the needy.
When the realization dawns that all living beings are a part of the
same universal soul, that we are made of the same energy, all forms of
discrimination drop from our system. We become happier and at peace.
This also results in our indulging in selfless service. This, according to
Krishna, is unswerving devotion to God or the universal soul.

Day 27
Fire, light, daytime, the bright lunar fortnight and the six months of the
northern solstice of the sun—departing by the paths of these celestial
controllers, yogis who know the Spirit attain the Supreme. (8.24)
Krishna says that the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirths is the
way of light or path of fire. Fire here means life energy. Yoga teaches us
how to control our life-breath or life-energy and, through meditation, we
learn to focus between our eyebrows. This is the site of the divine eye
which, when activated, enlightens us and makes us realize the cosmic
truth.
Daytime indicates the awakening of the person. When the divine eye
opens, it’s like the light switching on, dispelling the darkness. When the
person understands the cosmic truth, all the darkness of confusion
disappears from his brain, hence the term enlightened.
The moon doesn’t have its own light, it reflects that of the sun,
waxing and waning for a fortnight each in a month. Since the
enlightened person is reflecting the light of the universal soul, he is
compared to the bright lunar fortnight of the waxing moon.
Finally, the six months of the northern course of the sun indicate the
six spinal centres starting from the base of the spine to the brain. This is
the path of consciousness. Yoga helps our consciousness follow the path
to enlightenment or attaining the Supreme.

Day 28
Smoke, night, the dark lunar fortnight and the six months of southern
solstice of the sun—departing by these paths, the righteous person
attains heaven and comes back to earth. (8.25)
Krishna explains the path of darkness here, which leads to the continued
cycle of rebirths.
Smoke means ignorance or delusion that results in our increasing
attachment to the material world. When this smoke of delusion obscures
the divine eye, the darkness caused thereby is referred to as night.
The dark lunar fortnight is when the moon wanes and becomes
smaller and smaller till it disappears completely. It can also be looked at
as a light diminishing slowly. This denotes the person’s increasing
entrapment in the sensory material world. Such a soul keeps getting
reborn to fulfil its never-ending desires. The births cannot end till the
desires don’t end.
Day 29
The path of light of spiritual practice and Self-knowledge and the path of
darkness of materialism and ignorance are thought to be the world’s two
eternal paths. The former leads to salvation and the latter leads to
rebirth as human beings. (8.26)
Life is a constant conflict between the right and wrong paths. All the
religious texts, scriptures, mythology and folklore across the world tell
us stories about this conflict. In every story, the end is predictable; the
hero wins or the good wins over the evil. And when that happens, it
becomes a cause for celebration and, more often than not, results in the
birth of a festival.
Though there might be many stories where the good doesn’t win in
the end, but somehow, they are not as satisfying as the traditional ‘happy
endings’. Why? This is because we are born to naturally seek happiness,
which we do consciously and unconsciously.
Though there can be endless debates over what is good for one may
not be good for another, the fact remains that light and darkness are the
same for all. Hence, Krishna mentioned the way of light and the way of
darkness being the only two paths in front of us.
Light is that of knowledge, not academic but spiritual. It is the
knowledge of our own self, our soul and super-soul. This knowledge
cannot come from studying scriptures alone, it comes from
understanding the cosmic truth and realizing the God within us.
Ignorance and materialism lead to the path of darkness, which is the path
of rebirths in the mortal world.

Day 30
Knowing these two paths, a yogi is not bewildered at all. Therefore, one
should be resolute in attaining salvation as the goal of human birth, at
all times. (8.27)
The wise are aware of their choices of the two paths and they naturally
choose the path of light.
In fact, the very realization that we live in a material world, which is
full of temptations to confuse and trap us, is the first glimpse of light.
This understanding takes us further on the path of light, away from all
the delusions. The wise also realize that in order to escape the material
world, one has to control one’s senses and drop all attachments.
In showing these two paths, Krishna is telling Arjun that while
performing his worldly duties he should constantly remain in touch with
God, as that is the path of light. It is the aim of each soul to return to its
source, the universal soul, and the path of light leads to it.

JULY

Day 1
The one who knows all this knowledge goes beyond getting the benefits
of the study of the vedas, performance of sacrifices, austerities, charities
and salvation. (8.28)
According to the vedas, human life should be divided into four stages.
The first 25 years should be spent in studying in isolation, away from all
temptations. After becoming proficient in whatever field or subject, the
person should spend the next 25 years using that proficiency to earn a
living, get married and raise a family.
The next 25 years should be spent in living a retired life after winding
up the household responsibilities. In the earlier phase, one was bogged
down by so many family duties, but in this phase of life one is free to
travel. Here travel means inward as well as outward. Inward travelling or
introspection is crucial to evaluate one’s life and learn lessons from it.
The fourth or the last 25 years should be spent in detaching oneself from
any material attachments. Control of senses and detachment from the
material world leads one towards enlightenment.
The wise cut the process short. With the help of yoga and meditation,
they control their senses and drop all attachments. Consequently, they
reach the stage of enlightenment very early in life, after which they
continue leading their lives working selflessly. Whenever their soul
decides to leave their body, it merges straight away with its source, the
super-soul.
 9

Secret of Supreme Knowledge

2–26 July

Day 2
Self-knowledge is the king of all knowledge, is the most secret, is very
sacred; it can be perceived by instinct, conforms to righteousness
(dharma), is very easy to practise and is timeless. (9.02)
Enlightenment or Self-knowledge that we have been talking about is true
wisdom according to Krishna; it is the king of all knowledge.
The other subjects like philosophy, biology, chemistry, physics,
astronomy, mathematics, geography, etc., teach us about everything in
the world, but none teach us about the Spirit or the soul. Without soul
our body is useless, yet people give importance to the necessities of the
body rather than that of the soul.
Knowledge of Self cannot be acquired from books or teachers; it has
to be experienced. And once experienced it is never forgotten. ‘Most
secret’ implies how deeply embedded it is within us. After all, it is our
core! Once the veils of delusion are lifted, we experience the cosmic
truth, we experience our Self. This process of perception is instinctive.
People believe that God is elusive and unknowable, Krishna says
otherwise. God is universal consciousness, the super-soul present in all
beings. Knowledge of Self is the same as knowing God. God is eternal
and timeless, so is Self-knowledge.

Day 3
Those who have no faith in this knowledge do not attain me, and follow
the cycles of birth and death. (9.03)
Faith is complete trust or confidence in something or someone. Faith can
move mountains, they say. We may not realize it but our day to day life
is based on faith. We have faith in our parents as our children have in us;
how else can any relationship survive? When we fall sick we go to a
doctor with the faith that he would cure our sickness. It’s with great faith
in the education system that we send our children to school or college.
In today’s language, one can say that faith is like Wi-Fi; it is invisible
but has the power to connect us with what we need. In Mahatma
Gandhi’s words, ‘Faith is nothing but a living, wide-awake
consciousness of God within. He who has achieved that faith wants
nothing.’
Unfortunately, most of us tend to have faith only in things that our
senses can recognize, something that we have read or heard about. Such
conditional faith would continue to lead us on the path of rebirths.

Day 4
This entire universe is an expansion of mine. All beings depend on me
like a chain depends on gold, and the milk products depend on milk. I do
not depend on or am affected by them; because I am the highest of all.
(9.04)
We are aware that the entire universe is created by the union of purush
and prakriti. The one who is making this union happen is the Supreme
Power or God. Not only does he create and control the entire creation, he
is also present in everything that is created.
A simple example can be of air, which is invisible and is all around
us. The tyres of our vehicles or balloons of our child may depend on air
for their existence and functioning, but air itself is not dependent on
anything for its existence or functioning. Likewise, all milk products are
dependent on milk, all jewellery dependent on gold, not vice versa.
Universes are created and destroyed constantly, but that has no effect
on their source, the universal energy or God. The universal energy
always exists in its unmanifested form, though we get to see it only when
it is manifested.

Day 5
Look at the power of my divine mystery. In reality, I, the sustainer and
creator of all beings, am not in them, and they also are not in me. In fact,
the gold chain is nothing but gold. Also, matter and energy are different
as well as non-different. (9.05)
The universal energy or super-soul exists as soul in all living beings,
creating and supporting them, yet not getting entangled in them. This
entire activity is done in a detached manner. It is similar to a person
dreaming all kinds of dreams, yet not really participating in them.
Each cell of our body is alive because of the universal energy. We can
safely say that God is in every cell of all living beings. But do we behave
like God? No, we do not. Instead, we live in the delusion created by the
material world with the help of our senses, and are subject to a never-
ending cycle of birth and death.
Gold and gold ornaments are not the same when you look at them,
yet they are the same in essence. Matter or nature and energy or soul are
different, yet they are from the same source, the universal energy, hence
non-different too.

Day 6
Perceive that all beings remain in me—without any contact or without
producing any effect—as the mighty wind, moving everywhere, eternally
remains in space. (9.06)
The space is an endless expanse. It contains the earth, moon, sun, other
planets and stars. For us, the earthlings, air is an infinitely vast part of
nature. It affects all living beings. Lack of air or polluted air can kill,
whereas fresh air revives. Air in motion becomes wind, and depending
on its speed, it can create havoc, destroying everything coming in its
way.
In whatever form it might be at any given point of time, air would
always remain contained in space, as are other things. Space is not
affected by any actions of air, nor is it affected by the absence or
presence of any things or beings. It just serves as an inert container of all
beings and other things.
At a micro level, whatever we do with our body does not affect our
soul. We have already established the fact that it’s the body that grows
old and not the soul.
Day 7
All beings merge into my primary material nature at the end of a time-
cycle (kalpa), and I create them again at the beginning of the next cycle.
(9.07)
God’s creation is like a film. It runs on the screen till the time its reel is
running in the projector. Once the reel ends, the projection on the screen
ends, the film ends. Then it starts all over again, for the next show.
The people who are watching the film get affected by whatever is
happening in it; they laugh or cry or clap as they watch the story unfold.
The person who is running the reel in the projection room is not affected
by the film. He just does his job of running the film many times in a day.
In the same manner, God creates and annihilates the universe. At the
end of a time-cycle, the entire creation is annihilated and it merges back
into its source, the universal energy or God. After another time-cycle, the
process of creation starts again, and so it goes on. These cycles of
creation and dissolution are eternal and God remains unaffected all
through them.

Day 8
I create the entire multitude of beings again and again with the help of
my material nature. These beings are under control of the three modes of
nature. (9.08)
There are three modes of material nature that influence the way a person
thinks or behaves. Sattvic nature makes a person peaceful, rajasic nature
results in passion and tamasic nature makes one lazy. These three modes
of nature control the living beings.
The universal energy or God creates living beings with the help of
material nature. The beings, while being under the influence of the three
modes of nature, get trapped in the sensory temptations of the material
world around them. This dictates their actions or karma.
Based on their karma, the living beings are reborn and this cycle of
death and rebirth goes on forever.

Day 9
These acts of creation do not bind me because I remain indifferent and
unattached to the acts. (9.09)
Though God is responsible for the entire creation, he is unattached to it.
Like a judge passing judgment, God creates beings based on the karma
of their past life. The entire process is conducted with mathematical
precision and no emotion.
God is neither attached to creation nor to annihilation of the universe.
It is attachment to the fruit of action that binds. It is the feeling of ‘I did
this’ that creates attachment. Since all of God’s actions are done with
detachment, there is no question of attachment and bonds.
This is the message hidden in this verse. If we let go of egoism and
doership of any work, we would also become detached from the fruit of
our actions.

Day 10
The divine kinetic energy (maya), with the help of material nature,
creates all animate and inanimate objects under my supervision, and
thus the creation keeps on going. (9.10)
The Supreme soul or God, although aloof from the activities of the
material world, remains the supreme director. The source of the divine
kinetic energy as well as material nature is the Supreme soul.
All the living entities are born under the glance or light of the
Supreme soul, but take different bodies according to their past deeds and
desires. So, the Supreme soul is not directly attached to the creation,
though it activates it.
On the other hand, the material nature gives birth to all living entities
and, hence, is also called Mother nature—though in reality the Supreme
soul is the unseen source or mother of all.
So we can see that by the presence of the Supreme soul or God, the
wheel of manifested and unmanifested beings revolves round and round
forever.

Day 11
I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering, I am the herb, I am
the mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire and I am the oblation.
(9.16)
The Vedic sacrificial ceremonies are called yagyas and yagnas. They
involve praying to fire with offerings of clarified butter and herbs while
chanting sacred words or mantras. Clarified butter is made from cow’s
milk and hence represents the animal kingdom, whereas the herbs
represent the plant kingdom.
After the earth was created, along with its landmass and water bodies,
the next step was the creation of plants, animals and all forms of living
beings. Since all the living beings come from one source, they are the
expression of the universal energy in different forms.
The Vedic ritual is interpreted as an offering of nature to the universal
energy or the source. What we receive from the source, we surrender
back to it. It also indicates that all forms of worship are essentially the
same, we worship the universal energy, the one source or God, using his
own various forms.

Day 12
I am the supporter of the universe, the father, the mother and the
grandfather. I am the object of knowledge, the sacred syllable AUM, and
the Rig, Saam and Yajur vedas. (9.17)
The entire universe, moving and non-moving, is manifested through the
different activities of the universal energy or God.
In the material world, we have relationships like those of father,
mother, grandfather and so on. They are also a part of the same universal
energy. God is in every living being.
The knowledge of the universal energy or God is the only knowledge
to be had; the rest follows automatically. All our education, the various
subjects we study, are of no use if they increase our bonds of attachment
to the material world.
The understanding of Self, of the eternal soul, is true knowledge that
frees us from the cycle of rebirths. The vedas direct us to this knowledge.

Day 13
I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge,
the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the treasure-house
and the immutable seed. (9.18)
The universal energy or the super-soul is the source of everything and
hence, is also the goal for all to merge into. The infinite mass of energy
not only creates but also supports the entire creation in itself. It is also
the Lord or controller of all creation. But with all its activity, the
universal energy remains an ever detached witness or observer. The
entire universe is created from it and is also dissolved into it, and yet
does not affect it in the least.
The universal energy is also compared to a seed, though an
imperishable one, as it gives rise to all forms of creation. All living
beings take birth according to their past deeds and desires, the
knowledge of which is stored like a treasure in the source itself. This
treasure house has all the information about our past, present and future.
Finally, since God is our creator, our father, there can be no better
refuge or friend than him.

Day 14
I give heat, I send as well as withhold the rain. I am immortality as well
as death, I am also both the eternal Absolute and the Temporal. (9.19)
Krishna presents himself, or the universal energy, as the great paradox,
as the one responsible for the pairs of opposites—heat-cold, life-death,
reality-illusion.
The universal energy has created the sun to give us heat and light.
The sun is also responsible for climatic changes resulting in cold
weather, rains as well as drought.
Since the universal energy is our life-breath, the source of our life,
it’s withdrawal results in death. So, what gives life gives death as well.
The entire universe is the manifested energy of the Supreme, in
various shapes and forms according to their karmic past. But then,
creation is a constant process. The ones yet to be born, still unmanifest,
are also a part of the universal energy.

Day 15
The doers of the rituals prescribed in the vedas, the devoted, and whose
sins are cleansed, worship me by doing good deeds for gaining heaven.
As a result of their meritorious deeds they go to heaven and enjoy
celestial sense pleasures. (9.20)
The vedas prescribe a number of rituals to appease the various gods for
gaining wealth, gaining scriptural knowledge, getting a good harvest,
fighting terminal disease, getting a good spouse and so on. All these gods
are also a part of the universal energy, though not the energy itself.
Apart from specific rituals, there are generic rituals for atoning our
sins and clearing the path towards heaven. Going to heaven after death is
probably the most favourite death wish of people.
As mentioned earlier, heaven, hell and earth are three realms of the
universe. In heaven, there might be celestial pleasures to enjoy, but only
for a limited period of time. After that, the soul returns to earth to fulfil
the leftover desires from its past. The cycle of rebirth doesn’t end.

Day 16
They return to the mortal world after enjoying the wide world of
heavenly pleasures, upon exhaustion of the fruits of their good karma.
Thus, following the injunctions of the vedas, persons working for the
fruit of their actions take repeated births. (9.21)
According to the Vedic theory, those who perform the rituals gain
heavenly enjoyments after death. But going to heaven is not the ultimate
goal of the soul; it’s goal is to merge with its source, the super-soul or the
universal energy.
Wanting to go to heaven is also a sensory desire, and like other such
desires, it is also time-bound. The time period depends on the quantum
of good karma that the soul has accomplished in its lifetime. This period,
whether long or short, eventually ends and the soul resumes its never-
ending journey of rebirths.
According to Krishna, humans operate from the ego-centric
consciousness. They always seek pleasure, either of this world or of
heaven, and therefore, are stuck in the ever-running Ferris wheel of life
and death.
Day 17
I personally take care of both spiritual and material welfare of those
ever-steadfast devotees who always remember and adore me with single-
minded contemplation. (9.22)
This is the core of Krishna’s discourse. It states that God takes care of all
the burdens of his devotees. Devotion here means unconditional love for
God, abandoning all other love and attachments, and faith that God
would look after us and protect us like a father does for his child.
After gaining control of our senses and dropping all attachments to
the material world, devoting ourselves to selfless service, the next step is
unswerving devotion to God. This state of mind at the time of death
results in the soul’s merging with the super-soul or God.
Most people foolishly spend their lives in the pursuit of material
wealth, which they have to leave behind when they die. But the wise
spend their time to find wisdom, which frees them from the cycle of
rebirth.

Day 18
Even those devotees who worship the deities with faith, they also worship
me, but in an improper way. (9.23)
Not everyone in the world prays to the same God. People pray to deities
of their choice, some pray to saints, prophets or incarnations, others to
symbols that give them comfort. All of these, in reality, are various
aspects of universal energy or God.
So, when people are worshipping different deities with full faith, they
are actually invoking the same energy expressed through different forms.
Hence, Krishna says that even though people may worship other
deities, they are indirectly worshipping him. The destination is the same,
even though the routing is different.

Day 19
I, the Supreme Being, alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services, and
Lord of the universe. But people do not know my true transcendental
nature. Therefore, they fall into the repeated cycles of birth and death.
(9.24)
When a person watering plants sprays water only on the leaves and
branches, they think they have done their job. The plants look clean too.
Actually, the roots have to be watered for the proper growth of the
plants. When the roots are healthy, the entire plant remains healthy.
Watering just the leaves and branches may eventually result in the water
trickling down to the roots, but it would not be enough to sustain the
entire plant.
According to Krishna, the people who pray to various deities are
ignorant. They do not pray to the infinite God, but to his finite
manifestations.
A devotee can rise only up to the object and objective of his worship.
Hence, the finite gods take him to a finite level, that of heaven, from
where he has to eventually return to the mortal world. Such a devotee
continues to be born into the mundane mortal world again and again.

Day 20
Worshippers of the celestial controllers go to the celestial controllers, the
worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, and the worshippers of
the ghosts go to the ghosts, but my devotees come to me, and are not
born again. (9.25)
The celestial controllers represent the various sense organs, through
which the material world is experienced. It is a realm of physical
experiences. Those who consistently desire the external world of joys
and successes and pray to the appropriate deities manage to gain such
enjoyments.
The ancestors represent cultural purity and traditions. The
worshippers of ancestors gain the beauty and perfection of a pure life.
The ghosts represent nature and nature worshippers attain success
depending on their efforts.
But these are limited forms of the Supreme energy and cannot give
the ultimate peace and bliss that is achieved by worshipping the source.
Devotion to the Supreme brings the reward of merging with the source,
never to enter the cycle of rebirth.
Day 21
Whosoever offers me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water with devotion, I
accept that offering. (9.26)
A gift is an offering of love or affection or devotion. The emotions
associated with the gift make it precious. If the emotions are not genuine,
however expensive the gift might be, its value is nothing to the receiver.
Krishna’s life was his teaching. There are many instances in his life
where he accepts the humble gifts of devotees and rewards them with
phenomenal riches. One such famous incident was that of Sudama, a
childhood friend of Krishna. Sudama was a great devotee of Krishna and
when he falls into dire times, he decides to seek Krishna’s help.
Sudama had nothing except a fistful of rice flakes to offer as a gift to
Krishna. True to what he preached, Krishna accepted that humble gift
with great love and showered unmeasurable riches on Sudama and his
family, changing their lives forever. According to Krishna, surrender of
Self is the biggest gift ever.

Day 22
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the
sacred fire, whatever charity you give, whatever austerity you perform,
do all that as an offering unto me. (9.27)
Since the universal energy is the source of everything in the universe, it
is obvious that what we eat or offer to the sacred fire as oblation, is also
a part of universal energy. Why do we make the offering? The idea
behind doing that is to show our devotion to the universal energy or God.
An offering is a token of our love, that is why a lot of people like
giving to charities. The charities help and support the needy and
underprivileged, so helping a charity is helping them. Again, the needy
are also living beings, coming from the same source as us.
Since all our offerings are going to the various manifestations of the
Supreme, it is suggested that we actively, consciously think of the
Supreme while doing anything—be it our personal work or charity. This
would ensure a constant remembrance of God, helping us to make it our
final destination post death.
Day 23
You shall become free from the bondage of actions yielding good or bad
karma and come to me by this attitude of complete renunciation. (9.28)
The dictionary meaning of renunciation is the formal rejection of
something, typically a belief, claim or course of action. People
misconstrue it to mean physically leaving the material world, family,
wealth, etc., and living in the wilderness, or better still, the snowy
Himalayas. This is absolutely contrary to what Krishna has advocated.
Krishna advises to renounce the fruits of action. He advises to reject
egocentric activities and cravings. Rejection of the physical world is
simpler, but running away from temptations does not guarantee that our
cravings have ended. People who fast or are on a particular diet are
constantly thinking of the food that they are not supposed to eat.
When we renounce the fruits of our action, we are able to focus more
on the action. It’s the attachment to the fruits, the desire for favourable
results, that binds us to any action. Detachment gives us freedom from
karmic bondage. It makes us act selflessly for the larger good of the
people of the society, or even the country.
An unattached soul has no reason to return to the mortal world; it
merges with its source.

Day 24
The Self is present equally in all beings. There is no one hateful or dear
to me. But, those who worship me with love and devotion are very close
to me, and I am also very close to them. (9.29)
The sun shines on everything in the world; its rays get reflected from all
kinds of surfaces, whether smooth or rough. Likewise, the universal
energy is present in everything in the universe and illumines the thoughts
and emotions of all living beings.
The quality of reflection of the sun’s rays may vary due to the
variation in the reflective surface. But that doesn’t mean the sun is
shining more or less on those surfaces. In the same way, some people
show better spiritual advancement than others. It does not mean that the
Self or God is partial towards them.
 But then, the closer we are to the Self, the closer it is to us. It simply
means that the more understanding we have of the universal energy, the
higher the chances are of our merging with it. A simple analogy would
be of fire. The closer you are to it, the warmer you get; the further you
are, the colder you are.

Day 25
Even if the most sinful person resolves to worship me with single-minded
loving devotion, such a person must be regarded as a saint because of
making the right resolution. (9.30)
Better late than never, they say. Prophets and preachers of all religious
faiths have been expounding this fact. The main thing is to realize where
we have gone wrong. Acceptance is the first step to resolving the
problem. Hence, if the worst of sinners realizes his mistakes and decides
to follow the path of light, he should be respected.
It is not easy even for a normal person, who is not sinning but is lost
in the sensory material world, to understand the difference between the
mortal body and the immortal soul. So, if someone has realized the
cosmic truth, his being a sinner in the past is irrelevant.
Repentance is a genuine change of heart. It includes regret for the
past actions and a decision to prevent a repetition in the future. We know
that it’s very difficult to control our senses. But if we surrender to the
universal energy or God, the task becomes simpler, and we are able to
drop our attachments, even to our past. Such a detached person is
considered to be saintly.

Day 26
Such a person soon becomes righteous and attains everlasting peace. Be
aware that my devotee shall never perish or fall down. (9.31)
A person who realizes that they have sinned in the past has obviously
awakened their sense of discrimination. This is an important step
forward. Once this is in place, the person can pause and review their life
where they would be able to see where they had committed mistakes and
what were those mistakes. Since they cannot wind the clock back, they
resolve to not repeat their mistakes. This is the next important step.
Even with all the resolutions in place, it’s not easy for the person to
control their senses at all times. They need to distract themself and shift
their attention elsewhere, and that ‘elsewhere’ is the universal energy or
God. This step takes them on to the path of light.
Absolute focus on the universal energy helps the person realize the
energy in themselves, in their soul. Such a person is now free of all
worldly agitations and attains everlasting peace.
 10

Manifestation of the Absolute

27 July–3 August

Day 27
Neither the celestial controllers, nor the great sages know my origin
because I am the origin of celestial controllers and great sages also.
(10.02)
The universal energy is changeless and immutable, yet it manifests its
glories in the universe through various forms. Though it is unborn and
eternal, it is the cause of all that is born and perishable. The mystery of
these manifestations is not known even to the celestial controllers, the
gods of the senses and the great sages.
The origin of the universal energy is unknown, as it’s the most
ancient and was present before anything and everything else. The demi-
gods and sages cannot have any knowledge about the origin of the
universal energy, as they themselves originated from it.
This universal energy or God reveals himself in the hearts of his
devotees.

Day 28
One who knows me as the unborn, the beginning-less, and the Supreme
Lord of the universe, is considered wise among the mortals and becomes
liberated from the bondage of karma. (10.03)

Knowing a person or a thing would normally mean having a

reasonable knowledge about them. But here, the meaning is a bit
different. According to Krishna, knowing him or the universal energy is
more spiritual and emotional. One has to experience the energy, the Self
within, to ‘know’ it.
 Since the universal energy is eternal and infinite and is never
expressed in any finite form, it is considered unborn or birthless. Waves
are born in the ocean and they dissolve in the ocean too, while the ocean
remains birthless. Every manifestation in the universe has a beginning
and an end, it is created in Self and is dissolved in Self, while the Self
remains beginning-less and endless.
This knowledge of the universal soul or Self comes from within us
when we realize the Self within our own heart. According to Krishna,
Self-knowledge liberates us from all karmic bondage.

Day 29
Discrimination, Self-knowledge, forgiveness, truthfulness, control over
the mind and senses, tranquillity, fearlessness, non-violence, equanimity,
contentment, austerity, charity, fame, ill fame—these diverse qualities in
human beings arise from me alone. (10.04–10.05)
The diverse qualities of human beings, whether good or bad, also have
their origin in the universal energy.
Discrimination or intelligence is the power to analyse things in their
proper perspective, and knowledge means knowing the distinction
between Spirit and matter. Freedom from doubt and delusion is achieved
when one is detached from sensory temptations. Tolerance and
forgiveness are important to move on from attachments.
Truthfulness is required to present the facts for the benefit of others.
Control of senses means that senses should not be used for unnecessary
personal enjoyment. Likewise, the mind should be restrained from
thinking unnecessary thoughts. Non-violence means not doing anything
that causes misery to others. Equanimity refers to freedom from
attachment and aversion.
All these qualities and more are manifested in human beings as well
as demigods in the other realms.

Day 30
The seven great sages and the Manus are modifications of my nature and
were born of my thought, with powers like mine. All the living creatures
on earth descend from them. (10.06)
This is a genealogical synopsis of the universal population. Brahma was
the first manifestation of the universal energy and from him manifested
the seven great sages and four Manus.
The vedas were revealed to these seven sages and hence they became
the original teachers of the world. The four Manus were the original
rulers of the world.
Since the sages and Manus were born of the mind of the Lord and
were connected to the universal energy, they also imbibed it within
themselves and obtained wisdom and power.
The present inhabitants of the world have descended from these
primeval, though illustrious, people.

Day 31
Everything emanates from me. The wise ones who understand this adore
me with love and devotion. (10.08)
In the previous verses, we established the fact that the universal energy is
the source of everything in the material and spiritual worlds. It is the
creator, controller and destroyer of all. It is also the unifying essence
running through all experiences and all expressions of life and matter.
‘Experiment and theory alike indicate that the universe began in a
state of perfect simplicity, evidence of which was burned into the heart
of every atom at the beginning of time,’ wrote Timothy Ferris, a science
columnist for the New York Times.3
The wise ones understand this cosmic truth and are devoted to the
creator, the universal energy or God. They are so steadfast in their
devotion that they can never be shaken by any other theory or doctrine.

AUGUST

Day 1
I dwell within their inner psyche as consciousness and destroy the
darkness born of ignorance by shining the lamp of transcendental
knowledge, as an act of compassion for them. (10.11)
The Self is within us, but because we have no knowledge of it, we do not
see it. This is implied by the darkness of ignorance.
Krishna explains how devotion to God or the universal energy leads
to destruction of ignorance and rise of understanding. This understanding
is the light that dispels darkness and reveals the universal energy present
in us.
When we ask the right questions and follow the right actions, our
inner lamp of wisdom lights up and we snap out of the delusions of the
material world. And like everything else, this also happens by the grace
of God or the universal energy that is within us and around us.

Day 2
I am the Supreme Spirit (or super-soul) abiding in the inner psyche of all
beings. I am also the creator, maintainer and destroyer, or the beginning,
the middle and the end of all beings. (10.20)
This verse is the sum and substance of the entire Gita. Krishna or the
universal energy is the origin of the cosmos with all its universes and
beings. The material creation happened when the two aspects of the
universal energy united. Purush, the Spirit or soul, united with prakriti,
the nature, and thus all beings were created.
Once the universes were created, the universal energy or Krishna is
manifested as super-soul in each and every entity. The super-soul is
present as a witness in us, watching the drama of the soul getting deluded
by the sense organs of the physical body. The drama goes on till the body
dies and the soul gets reborn in another body and continues to fulfil the
leftover desires from the previous life.
Finally, everything dies—the universe is annihilated and gets
dissolved back into its source, the universal energy or Krishna.
Hence, Krishna is the beginning of the universe, the maintainer of the
universal manifestations, and the end of all energy.

Day 3
I am the all-devouring death, and also the origin of future beings. I am
the seven goddesses or guardian angels presiding over the seven
qualities of fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intellect, resolve and
forgiveness. (10.34)
The moment we are born, we start dying from that very moment. Death
is devouring every living entity at every moment and the last or final
stroke is called death itself. But as we know, only the body dies, the soul
is immortal. The soul takes birth in another body. In a way, the death of
one causes birth of another.
It’s the universal energy or Krishna who is the cause of and present in
every living entity, he is the birth and death of all.
Krishna also presides over the seven qualities or attributes of nature,
which may be consciously tapped through deep meditation. These are
fame or glory; success or prosperity; speech, an instrument to spread
knowledge; memory, to draw upon the vast storehouse of ancient
knowledge; intellect, the power to discriminate and maintain harmony;
resolve or steadfastness; and forgiveness, the harbinger of peace.

3Timothy Ferris, The Whole Shebang: A State of the University Report, Simon Schuster, 1998.
 11

Vision of the Cosmic Form of Krishna

4–10 August

Day 4
Behold my hundreds and thousands of multifarious divine forms of
different colours and shapes. Behold all the celestial beings, the entire
creation, animate-inanimate, and whatever else you like to see, all at one
place in my body. (11.05–11.07)
Arjun wanted to see the universal form of Krishna and requested him to
show it to him. This, the transcendental form of Krishna, was not the
usual manifest form like his hundreds and thousands of other forms.
Nobody had ever seen it but Krishna, being Arjun’s best friend and
mentor, agreed to manifest his universal form briefly.
To see gold in different types of ornaments is easy, because it
involves physical perception. But to see different types of ornaments in a
block of gold is not easy. It would require vision of the intellect, along
with some imagination.
Krishna enabled Arjun to have the insight to see him in his universal
form. And in that form were hundreds and thousands of creatures of
different colours and shapes. There were living beings and non-living
objects, suns, moons and other celestial bodies of varying sizes, and
many more seen-unseen objects. It was a fascinating sight indeed.

Day 5
But, you cannot see me with your physical eyes; therefore, I will give you
the divine eyes to see my majestic power and glory. (11.08)
The eyes of a man’s physical body are adapted to see the world of duality
—day and night, birth and death and so on. To see the universal form of
Krishna, Arjun needed a different kind of vision, a spiritual vision.
 Krishna blessed Arjun with divine vision, which enabled him to see
beyond the physical body.
We can acquire certain types of knowledge by our own efforts,
knowledge based on the perception of the senses and intellectual activity.
But then, there are other types of knowledge too, those related to the
spiritual world. This knowledge can only be obtained with God’s help.

Day 6
I am death, the mighty destroyer of the world. I have come here to
destroy all these people. Even without your participation in the war, all
the warriors standing arrayed in the opposing armies shall cease to
exist. (11.32)
Among the varied things and beings Arjun saw in the universal form of
Krishna, there was one that was particularly horrifying. It was that of an
all-devouring giant. On asking about it, Krishna said that it was him as
Time or Death, the mighty destroyer of the world.
The destruction of people is decided by the acts committed by them
long ago. So, even if Arjun did not want to fight, the war on the
battlefield of Kurukshetra would happen. And in that war, all the
Kauravas were to die as were most of the Pandavas. Death could not be
checked even if Arjun did not fight; they would die in another way.
According to Krishna, it was better for Arjun to perform his duty as a
warrior and fight. The people he would kill were destined to die any
which way.

Day 7
Therefore, you should get up and attain glory. Conquer your enemies,
and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. I have already destroyed all these
warriors. You are only an instrument. (11.33)
Everything in this universe is according to the cosmic plan. Our job is to
continue performing our duty without wasting time worrying about the
results. Renouncing the fruits of action is the key.
We all carry our individual baggage from our past life and spend this
life in completing the leftover incomplete tasks, fulfilling the leftover
desires. As our past decided our present, our present decides our future.
The entire universe runs on this formula. Each soul functions
independently, though they may live together. As can be seen, we all are
just instruments for the execution of God’s cosmic plan.
This is what Krishna told Arjun in the battlefield. The warriors were
destined to die, Arjun was only an instrument and not the cause of their
death. The cause of their death was their own karmic baggage from the
past.

Day 8
Pleased with you I have shown you, through my own yogic powers, this
particular supreme, shining, universal, infinite and primal form of mine
that has never been seen before by anyone other than you. (11.47)
Having heard so much about Krishna as the universal energy creating,
maintaining and destroying the universe, Arjun had become curious, like
any other human being. He wanted to see the universal form of Krishna.
Krishna obliged his dear friend, also his favourite devotee, and
manifested his effulgent universal form using his yogic powers. This was
a rare feat and Krishna did it because he loved Arjun.
No one in the universe had witnessed this infinite form of Krishna,
the universal energy. How could they? After all, it was an unmanifest
form, a form that contained the entire universe.
Because of Arjun, Krishna manifested his primal form, which was
also seen by other devotees in the various other realms of the universe.
This was also a way to validate what Krishna had been saying all this
while.

Day 9
However, through single-minded devotion alone, I can be seen in this
form, can be known in essence, and also can be reached. (11.54)
Devotion is the sole means to realizing the Supreme. In unconditional,
unswerving devotion, which seeks none other than the Supreme, nothing
else than the Supreme is experienced by the sense organs. Before
devotion sets in, the sense organs are reeling under the onslaught of
worldly temptations. Devotion also serves as a cleanser of senses.
Neither philosophical speculation nor studying of the scriptures can
explain the phenomenon of Krishna. The vedas prescribe various rituals
to understand Krishna, but any theoretical learning is not as effective as
practical experience.
When mention is made, about seeing the form, it is actually not the
physical seeing, but experiencing it. The Self or Krishna is experienced
within. The essence is felt. This is known as ‘reaching’ him.

Day 10
The one who does all works for me, and to whom I am the supreme goal,
who is my devotee, who has no attachment and is free from enmity
towards any being, attains me. (11.55)
This is the substance of the entire teaching of the Gita. According to it,
the art of right living comprises five major ingredients. The first is to
dedicate all our work to God, without seeking any rewards for ourselves.
The second is to make reaching God or Self-realization our goal in
life. Serving God with our heart and soul, through serving people, is the
third ingredient. This requires seeing every living being as an image of
God.
Detachment from the material world is a very crucial fourth
ingredient, which leads to the fifth and last ingredient—feeling no hatred
or enmity towards anyone in the world. One who possesses these five
ingredients is sure to attain God.
 12

Path of Bhakti Yoga

11–25 August

Day 11
Those ever steadfast devotees who worship with supreme faith by fixing
their mind on my personal form of God, I consider them to be the best
yogis. (12.02)
This is for people who worship idols. Three conditions should be
fulfilled to get the best results. The first condition is that the idol should
be of Krishna. And when worshipping it, the mind should think of his
universal form. Thought is the source of activity in the mind and
intellect. Hence it is important for it to go into the vastness of the
universe created by Krishna.
The second condition is that of steadfastness of mind. We know how
mercurial the mind is, and how it has the tendency to get distracted
midway during any activity. To worship Krishna, self-control is needed
to keep the mind focussed on the object of worship. This comes when
one is detached from the material world.
The final condition is to have supreme faith. This is not blind belief
in what anyone might be saying. Supreme faith comes from
understanding that God is in everything and everything is in God. Those
fulfilling these conditions are considered to be sincere yogis.

Day 12
But those who worship the unchangeable, the inexplicable, the invisible,
the omnipresent and the formless impersonal aspect of God; restraining
all the senses, even-minded under all circumstances, engaged in the
welfare of all creatures, also attain God. (12.03–12.04)
This is for those who worship the unmanifest, abstract form of God. The
unmanifest universal energy is invisible, and since it can’t be perceived,
it is inconceivable and inexplicable or indefinable. The energy is
formless and omnipresent, hence immovable; since it is present
everywhere, there is no place left for it to move into. The universal
energy supports the creation, maintenance and destruction of universes,
yet remains unchangeable, imperishable and eternal.
The seeker who worships the unmanifest should follow three
conditions. He should have mastery over his senses, so that he is able to
focus on the unmanifest. Intellectual equanimity, in all conditions and
situations while living in the material world, is a fundamental
requirement for successful meditation on the unmanifest. Lastly, the
seeker should be ever ready to help others to the best of his ability.
Fulfilling these conditions would help the seeker reach God, as the
goal is the same.

Day 13
Self-realization is more difficult for those who fix their mind on the
impersonal, unmanifest and formless Absolute because comprehension of
the unmanifest by embodied beings is attained with difficulty. (12.05)
According to Krishna, because it’s the abstract idea of God or universal
energy, it is not always easy to focus on the unmanifest, especially for
the embodied beings. Embodied here stands for those who identify with
their bodies, like you and me.
For most of us, it is easy to understand physical forms, as that is how
we exist and that is how we see things around us. This is the reason why
idol worship is popular. There is an instant connect and instant focus on
the object of worship. And to simplify things further, we have created the
idol of God in our own image—as a perfect human being.
Worshipping the unmanifest is challenging as there is nothing to
focus on, in the infinite. The mortal brains are tuned to look for forms.
When we look up at the sky during the day, our attention is grabbed by
the clouds; in the night it is the stars. But even then, though
comprehension of the formless is not easy, it is doable by those who have
decided to do it.

Day 14
For those who worship me with unswerving devotion as a personal deity
of their choice, offering all actions to me, intent on me as the Supreme,
and meditate on me; I swiftly become their saviour from the mortal
world. (12.06-07)
Krishna lays down certain instructions to be followed by those who want
to worship the manifest form of God. The first is to renounce the fruit of
all actions and offer the actions to Krishna. This entails complete
surrender to God, renouncing our ego.
The second is to make Krishna our personal deity and direct our
energies to achieve the goal of self-perfection in the image of God. This
is something like what the youngsters do—they put up posters of their
hero or heroine in their room and aim to become like him or her. This is
the genesis of the term ‘idolizing’.
The last instruction is to take our mind away from distracting
thoughts and focus single-pointedly on Krishna, with the dominant
thought of merging our soul with the super-soul. To such a devotee,
Krishna becomes the saviour, freeing them from the cycle of rebirths in
this mortal world.

Day 15
Therefore, focus your mind on me, and let your intellect dwell upon me
alone through meditation and contemplation. Thereafter you shall
certainly attain me. (12.08)
Krishna tells Arjun how to disconnect his mind and discrimination from
the senses and direct them to inner perception in order to experience the
soul consciousness. This instruction is relevant for all of us.
By meditation, focussing the mind on the form of Krishna is possible.
The important thing here would be to give up all thoughts of sense
objects. The mind may seem simple enough to focus, the problem arises
from our intellect.
Our intellect has the habit of weighing things, discriminating right
from wrong, determining what action to take, and so on. So, the intellect
also has to focus on Krishna.
Finally, when the intellect understands the infinite universal energy
and the mind focuses on the manifest form of that energy as Krishna,
Self-realization is attained.
Day 16
If you are unable to focus your mind steadily on me, then seek to attain
me by practice of any other spiritual discipline; such as a ritual or deity
worship that suits you. (12.09)
In case one is unable to focus their mind steadily on him, Krishna has
another option for them.
The first step to focus our mind on anything is to calm the mind.
Normal human minds are very restless. We have so much to think about.
There always seem to be job interviews, exams, targets to achieve at
work, household problems, issues of children and other family members,
health issues, financial issues and many such seemingly mundane
problems in our lives.
Yoga helps to focus on one’s breath in relation to one’s body. Some
people prefer regular chanting at fixed times of the day. Some like to
visit holy shrines, while some fast on certain days of the week or month.
According to Krishna, any spiritual discipline that helps us in stilling
our mind is good. Only when our mind is still can we focus on Krishna.

Day 17
If you are unable to do any spiritual discipline, then be intent on
performing your duty just for me. You shall attain perfection by doing
your prescribed duty for me, without any selfish motive, but just as an
instrument to serve and please me. (12.10)
Some people, in fact most people, are too distracted to follow any
spiritual discipline in their lives. They don’t have any time for it, they
say. Every minute of their busy day is accounted for. Well, Krishna has
an option for them too.
There is no need to take out time from one’s busy schedule for any
spiritual activity. Only one thing needs to be done—remembering God
while doing any work. It’s not difficult to do so; it’s just a question of
getting into the habit of remembering someone.
When we lose a loved one, we tend to remember them at all times or
at least most of the time; when we are in love, we think of our lover all
the time, don’t we? In the same way, we can think of God while we are
performing any task. Instead of pleasing ourselves or anyone else, we
can direct our action to please God. It may seem difficult initially, but
would soon become a habit. Without realizing it, we would shift the
focus of our mind to God or Krishna.

Day 18
If you are unable to do your duty for me, then just surrender unto my
will, and renounce the attachment to and the anxiety for the fruits of all
work by learning to accept all results as God’s grace with equanimity.
(12.11)
It may be that due to family or religious constraints, one is unable to
dedicate all of one’s actions to Krishna. There is yet another option for
them.
One needs to just cultivate a simple faith in God, in any form, and try
to unselfishly perform actions without focussing on their results. By
doing this, one’s mind would become free of likes and dislikes that are
normally part of selfish activities.
When a restless person meditates without any preconditioned
expectation of results, they meditate better. Why? Because their mind is
not distracted by cravings for any result.
Once this aspect of working is sorted out, the next is to accept all
results of the work as God’s grace.

Day 19
The transcendental knowledge of scriptures is better than mere ritualistic
practice; meditation is better than scriptural knowledge; renunciation of
selfish attachment to the fruits of work (karma yoga) is better than
meditation; peace immediately follows renunciation of selfish motives.
(12.12)
Listening to discourses on scriptures is normally considered as a spiritual
practice, as is performing rituals without understanding the significance
behind them. According to Krishna, knowledge is better than mere
practice. Knowledge means acquiring discrimination power and
discipline at mental and intellectual levels. A correct knowledge of any
spiritual practice is essential for it to be fruitful.
Better than just acquiring knowledge, is meditating over it, which
means pondering over its deeper meaning. But meditation may not be
successful if the mind is agitated due to all kinds of anxieties.
Therefore, renunciation of the fruits of action is recommended. It is
even better than meditation. It teaches self-control and relieves the mind
of all its agitations. Once the mind is rid of all its desires, peace follows.

Day 20
One who does not hate any creature, is compassionate, is free from the
notion of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, is even-minded in pain and pleasure, is ever
content, who has subdued the mind, whose resolve is firm, whose mind
and intellect are engaged in dwelling upon me, who is devoted to me—is
dear to me. (12.13–12.14)
The person who perceives the same Spirit in all creation cannot feel
hatred for any creature, and would be naturally friendly and
compassionate to all. Such a person would not see anyone as an enemy.
The person who has subdued the ego, does not think in terms of ‘I’ and
‘mine’.
The person who has full control over his senses remains ever content
under all conditions of existence. Such a person also remains unruffled
by material sufferings and pleasures.
Steadfast in his belief in Krishna as the Supreme God, such a devotee
is dear to him and soon achieves his goal of Self-realization.

Day 21
The one by whom others are not agitated and who is not agitated by
others, who is free from joy, envy, fear and anxiety, is also dear to me.
(12.15)
There are some people like Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi, whose
personas are very calming. Their mere presence changes the environment
of any place.
 In an emergency room of any hospital, the doctors are trained to
remain calm under all circumstances because, if they get agitated, they
would make mistakes and a doctor’s mistake invariably turns out to be
fatal. A mind blinded by agitation is unable to discriminate between right
and wrong.
How does one get rid of agitations? By controlling the senses. It is
the senses that create desires and the related emotions of joy, envy, fear
or anxiety. Our friend owns a beautiful solitaire ring, which causes us
envy. We save up and manage to buy a bigger solitaire for ourselves. But
the joy is short-lived as we fear for its safety. The story can go on
forever. These kind of emotions agitate the mind.
When the mind is desireless, it is free from agitations. Such a saintly
person is a Self-realized soul.

Day 22
One who is desireless, pure, wise, impartial and free from anxiety, who
has renounced the doership in all undertakings, such a devotee is dear to
me. (12.16)
Self-realized people are free from worldly expectations and, hence, free
from all anxieties. Their happiness does not depend on the well-being of
their physical body or sense pleasures or acquisition of material wealth.
Having realized the Self, such people are in a state of permanent bliss.
Their actions are ever selfless and devoted to help others, as they see the
same Self in all living beings. They know that in serving others they are
serving God.
Even if such people are running a big business, they run it not for
their personal gratification, but for the larger good of society. A classic
example would be of Bill and Melinda Gates, who decided to use 95 per
cent of their wealth for charitable activities across the globe.4 Mark
Zuckerberg has also pledged 50 per cent of his wealth for charity work
as have Warren Buffett,5 Azim Premji and Nandan Nilekani.
There are many such people in the world who think more about
others than themselves. They can be termed as modern day saints.

Day 23
One who neither rejoices nor grieves, neither likes nor dislikes, who has
renounced both the good and the evil, and is full of devotion, is dear to
me. (12.17)
According to Krishna, a true yogi is devout in all aspects of life. Their
mental equilibrium is not affected by good fortune or calamity. They are
not overpowered by grief under any circumstances, are free from
material longings. They have essentially risen above the duality of good
and evil.
When a devotee has awakened to God-consciousness, has realized
Self, they start looking at the world differently. Such a person sees God
in everyone, as they have realized that the universal energy pervades the
entire creation.
Since now they are the controller of their own senses, the duality of
the material world does not bother them anymore. They neither rejoice
nor grieve, neither like nor dislike; in fact, their sole focus in life is to
serve God in every way possible.

Day 24
The one who remains the same towards a friend or foe, in honour or
disgrace, in heat or cold, in pleasure or pain; who is free from
attachment; who is indifferent to censure or praise; who is quiet and
content with whatever he has; unattached to a place, a country, or a
house; equanimous and full of devotion; that person is dear to me.
(12.18–12.19)
The wise understand the world to be a dream of God, like a film. Friends
and foes, honour or disgrace, the experiences of heat and cold, pleasure
and pain in their daily life are a source of entertainment to them. They
know them to be as meaningless, ever-changing shadows of delusion.
They don’t speak much, speaking only what is required and when it’s
required. They are content with whatever they have and whatever they
get, as they have very few needs.
The wise are unattached to a place, country or house, as they are
devoid of any feeling of possession or belonging. Such souls are meant
to serve humanity as a whole and cannot be bound to any place.
Day 25
Those faithful devotees, who set me as their supreme goal and follow, or
just sincerely try to develop the above mentioned nectar of moral values,
are very dear to me. (12.20)
Krishna encourages people to set him as their main goal in life because
what one sets as a goal, one achieves.
He wants them to understand the cosmic reality. He wants them to
know that the perishable physical body and the imperishable soul have
been manifested by one universal energy, that is him. He is the creator,
maintainer and destroyer of the entire creation.
He wants people to learn to keep their senses in control, so that they
are not caught in the web of sensory desires. The material world is full of
temptations that keep the soul engaged in the cycle of rebirths.
Krishna tells people that the only way to break away from the karmic
cycle is to follow him, develop the moral values suggested by him and
work selflessly to serve him. Doing that, they would focus their energies
on him, and eventually realize him within themselves. This should be the
goal of every soul—to merge with the source.

4‘Bill and Melinda Gates give 95% of wealth to charity’, BBC News, 18 October 2010,
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-11565953.
5Dominic Rushe, ‘Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg signs up for Giving Pledge’, The
Guardian, 9 December 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/dec/09/mark-
zuckerberg-signs-up-for-giving-pledge.
 13

Creation and the Creator

26 August–16 September

Day 26
This physical body, the miniature universe, may be called the field or
creation. One who knows the creation is called the knower (or soul) by
the seers of truth. (13.01)
Our body is the field of activity for the soul. This is where the seeds of
karma, good or bad, are sown and reaped after appropriate time. This is
where events happen, including growth, decline and death.
The individual soul is the knower of the field. The soul is entrapped
and conditioned by the material existence and wants to lord it over the
latter. And to do that it gets a field of activity, which is the body.
The third entity is the conscious Self, the observer, the super-soul. He
is the Supreme Lord, the universal energy or Krishna—the source and
controller of everything.
The body, the miniature universe, is also termed prakriti or nature. It
is an unconscious activity. The individual soul is also termed purush or
matter. It is inactive consciousness. The super-soul, also termed Ishwara,
is inactive and detached.

Day 27
Know me to be the creator of all the creation. The true understanding of
both the creator and the creation is considered by me to be the
transcendental knowledge. (13.02)
In every living body, there are two souls: the individual soul and the
super-soul. The individual soul is the knower of its own body, but the
super-soul is the knower of all the bodies of all the species of life.
 A farmer may be the knower of his piece of land, but the king would
be the knower of all the land, including the farmer’s. Likewise, the
super-soul is the controller of the soul as well as the body, whereas the
individual soul only controls the body.
To understand the soul and super-soul to be one, yet distinct, is
transcendental knowledge, according to Krishna.
Krishna, being the super-soul, is the knower and controller of all
creation.

Day 28
Humility, modesty, non-violence, forgiveness, honesty, service to guru,
purity, steadfastness, self-control, detachment from sense objects,
absence of ego, perception of pain and suffering inherent in birth, old
age, disease and death—describe the knower of the field. (13.08–13.09)
We can realize the super-soul in us only by overpowering the enslaving
power that the material world has on our bodily field. This is done by
refusing to get dissolved in the material world, which means resistance
and suffering. Accepting the material world and its conventions
diminishes suffering and refusal increases it. But then, suffering is the
only process through which we fight for our true nature.
Krishna has described elements of knowledge and practices
conducive to spiritual enlightenment. Humility, modesty, non-violence,
forgiveness, honesty and service to guru are simple enough to
understand. Purity here is of body as well as mind. Steadfastness in
achieving the spiritual goal and self-control in terms of dealing with
others are important elements for this task.
Detachment and absence of ego are prerequisites for spiritual
development. Reflection on the miseries of birth, old age, disease and
death leads to indifference to sense pleasures. And the senses turn
inwards towards the innermost Self or super-soul for knowledge. This
was the turning point in Prince Siddhartha’s life too, which eventually
led him to become the Buddha.

Day 29
Non-attachment, non-fondness of son, wife and home; equanimity in
desirable and undesirable circumstances; unswerving devotion to me
through single-minded contemplation; taste for solitude, distaste for
social gatherings and gossip; steadfastness in acquiring the knowledge
of Spirit and seeing the omnipresent Supreme Being everywhere, this is
said to be knowledge. That which is contrary to this is ignorance.
(13.10–13.12)
When a person thinks that a thing belongs to them, they begin to identify
with it, love it and get attached to it. Non-attachment is the absence of
any such identification with anything. The same applies to people too.
Equanimity is a side-effect of non-attachment. Such a mind seeks
solitude and lives within itself; it doesn’t like the crowd of other
thoughts. Hence, seekers stay away from social gatherings and gossip.
The knowledge of Self is not like any other subject; it has to be lived
and not merely learnt. Since Self is everywhere, consistency of living the
spiritual knowledge is very important for the seeker. Knowledge includes
practice of moral virtues and keeping the goal of Self in front of us at all
times. It is this knowledge which is the means for the soul to get out of
the material entrapment.
Anything contrary to all this is ignorance. Qualities like pride,
hypocrisy, cruelty, impatience, insincerity, etc., tend to empower and
perpetuate the material world further and hence should be avoided.

Day 30
The super-soul has its hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths and ears
everywhere because it is all-pervading and omnipresent. (13.13)
As the sun shines, diffusing its unlimited rays of light everywhere, so
does the super-soul. It pervades the entire creation from Brahma to the
tiniest of insects. Hence, it has unlimited hands, feet, heads, eyes, ears
and mouths. This statement is symbolic and shows the omnipresence of
the super-soul because actually it is not a being, but a subtle, invisible
consciousness or energy.
Nothing can be termed as living if it doesn’t have consciousness.
Consciousness is life. The functioning of all the parts of our body are
based on consciousness or life principle. The functions of perception,
feeling and thinking are carried out as long as there is life in the body.
This consciousness, which is in every living being, is also called
Paramatma or superior to the individual soul, the atma.
Krishna had mentioned earlier that he accepted the smallest of gifts,
if given with sincere love, from his devotees. The fact that there must be
millions of devotees scattered in the world, offering their gifts at all
times, how does he accept them all? Well, the answer is simple—he,
being the super-soul, is present everywhere at all times and available to
accept our gifts.

Day 31
He is the perceiver of all sense objects without the physical sense
organs; unattached and yet the supporter of all; devoid of the three
modes of material nature, and yet the enjoyer of the modes of nature by
becoming a living entity. (13.14)
The Self or consciousness in us is functioning through the sense organs,
providing each of them its own individual faculty. It seems as though it
possesses them. But the sense organs decay and perish, while the
consciousness is changeless and eternal. It is like electricity, which is not
the light that we see in the bulb, yet when it functions through the bulb, it
looks as if it is the light. In fact, a lot of people use the word ‘light’ as a
synonym for electricity.
When we see a piece of cloth, we do not see the cotton or silk that
went into making it. But without cotton or silk, there would be no cloth.
At the same time, a cloth cannot be called cotton or silk, it’s called cloth
only. Similarly, the consciousness is not the living beings themselves, but
an unattached supporter of them all.
The human mind is governed by the three modes of nature, the rajas,
sattva and tamas. Since it is the Self or the universal energy that
functions as nature as well as soul, we can say that it is the modes of
nature as well as the enjoyer of those modes, while remaining unattached
to all.

SEPTEMBER

Day 1
He is inside as well as outside all beings, moving and unmoving. He is
incomprehensible because of his subtlety. And because of his
omnipresence, He is very near, residing in one’s inner psyche, as well as
far away in the Supreme Abode. (13.15)
The all-pervasiveness of Self or consciousness is explained here.
Consciousness is like sound waves, which is present all around us in the
air but audible to us only when we harness it through a radio. Although
no activity is possible without consciousness, yet no one can see it or feel
it. This is because of its subtle nature.
Since consciousness is all pervasive, it is actually unmoving. It is
conditioned by the object through which it functions. So, when it is
present in a moving being, we feel that consciousness is moving. It is
like when we sit in a train, we are still. When the train moves, we move
along with it, though we remain sitting.
Consciousness is present in our body, mind, intellect and also outside
of these. It is a part of the universal energy, so we can say that
consciousness is very near, in us, yet it is also far away as in the Supreme
Abode.

Day 2
He is undivided and yet appears to exist as if divided in beings. He is the
object of knowledge, and though appears as the sustainer, He is also the
creator and destroyer of all beings. (13.16)
When the sun comes out, we see it from our window and say that the sun
rose at this time. Thousands of miles away, in another country, the same
thing happens, they also say that the sun rose at this time. That time is
likely to be different from ours. But is the sun different? Or are there
multiple suns? Everyone sees the same sun, though at different places.
Similarly, though the Self is seen in multiple beings, yet it is not
divided.
Standing at the beach, we look at the sea and enjoy the sight of
waves, rising up high, rushing towards the beach and then crashing
down. Where do these waves come from and where do they go? They
come from the sea and go back into the sea. The sea creates them,
supports them and then devours them.
The Self too, creates the universe, sustains it and then annihilates it.
Day 3
The Supreme Being is the source of all light. He is beyond the darkness
of ignorance. He is the Self-knowledge, the object of Self-knowledge and,
seated in the inner psyche as consciousness of all beings, He is to be
realized by Self-knowledge. (13.17)
The Supreme Being or super-soul is the light of wisdom. To see any
object, we need to throw light on it. Likewise, to understand life and its
experiences, we need wisdom. The light of wisdom by which we become
aware of our own mental and intellectual states is the light of the super-
soul or consciousness.
Where there is consciousness, there can be no darkness; where there
is wisdom, ignorance doesn’t exist. Hence consciousness or Self is said
to transcend darkness.
The super-soul or Self is seated in the heart or inner psyche of all
living beings as consciousness. It is the realization of this Self that is the
goal of spiritual pursuit. When we control our senses, become detached
and still our mind, we are ready to realize the Self. Once we focus single-
pointedly on the Self, we realize it.

Day 4
Both the material nature and the Spiritual Being are beginning-less. All
manifestations and three dispositions of mind and matter, called modes,
are born of material nature. Material nature is responsible for
production of physical body and organs of perception and action.
Spiritual Being is responsible for experiencing pleasure and pain.
(13.19-20)
Purush or Spiritual Being and prakriti or the material nature indicate two
aspects of the same God or universal energy. Since the universal energy
is causeless and eternal, its manifestations, purush and prakriti, are also
beginning-less and endless.
Purush, the Spirit, is the inactive aspect in creation, while prakriti, the
matter, is the kinetic aspect, the creator of the universe and beings. Their
play causes the origin, preservation and dissolution of universe.
 Prakriti or material nature is like the storm of maya or delusion that
transforms the calm ocean of Spirit into tumultuous waves of living
beings. The force of this storm comprises the three modes of
manifestation.
As prakriti is responsible for creation of body and senses, purush is
responsible for experiencing pleasure and pain caused by those senses, as
it identifies with the body.

Day 5
Spiritual Being enjoys three modes of material nature by associating
with them. Attachment to the three modes of nature due to ignorance
caused by previous karma is the cause of birth of living entity in good
and evil wombs. (13.21)
Since the Spiritual Being identifies with the physical body and the
senses, it becomes the experiencer. It then experiences the qualities born
of material nature, like heat and cold, pleasure and pain. And the trouble
begins.
The Spiritual Being not only experiences the joys and sorrows of life,
but also develops attachment with them. Such attachment is the cause of
rebirth. The conditions of each new birth, whether good or evil, are
directly related to the degree of the Spirit’s attachment to the influences
of the nature’s good, active and evil modes. These modes are delusory
and make the Spirit forget its real nature. This is termed as ignorance.
The rediscovery of its own real nature by the Spirit is only possible
by removing ignorance through knowledge and removing attachments
through dispassion.

Day 6
The Supreme Spirit or the super-soul in the body is the witness, the
guide, the supporter, the enjoyer and the controller. (13.22)
Krishna mentions two purushs here, the lower Spirit and the higher
Supreme Spirit. The lower one is the knower of the bodily field, the
individual soul. The higher one is pure consciousness or the super-soul.
 The super-soul is always with the individual soul and is the
representation of God or universal energy. The individual soul enjoys the
activities of the body, but the super-soul doesn’t take part in the
activities; it functions as a witness, overseer and permitter.
Without the sanction of super-soul, the individual soul cannot do
anything. When it sees an evil action being performed, the super-soul is
called a spectator or silent witness. When it sees a noble action being
performed, it is called an approver. In other words, all activities of a
person are indirectly witnessed by God.

Day 7
They who truly understand Spirit and the material nature with its three
modes are not born again regardless of their way of life. (13.23)
Clear understanding of the material nature, individual soul and the super-
soul and their inter-relationship makes one eligible to become free from
the cycle of rebirths and merge with the universal energy.
Whether their position in life be high or low, whether or not they
have acted according to the spiritual injunctions as perceived by society,
Self-realized people are not subject to rebirth.
The purpose of Self-knowledge is to understand that the living being
has, by chance, fallen into material existence and that one can revert to
its source, if one tried sincerely.

Day 8
Some perceive the super-soul in their inner psyche through the mind and
intellect that have been purified either by meditation or by metaphysical
knowledge or by selfless service. (13.24)
The three main approaches to Self-realization are meditation (dhyana
yoga), metaphysical knowledge (gyana yoga) and selfless service (karma
yoga).
Meditation purifies the mind. Through meditation, the seeker
withdraws his senses into his mind, not allowing them to run after their
respective sensory temptations. Keeping it thus under control, the mind
is directed towards the Self. These seekers become highly detached.
 The path of metaphysical knowledge is for those who do not have the
steadiness of mind and intellect. The study of scriptures and reflecting
upon them leads the seeker to deeper conviction of the goal and the
steadiness of mind to achieve it.
The path of selfless service is for those who are unable to study the
scriptures due to their inner limitations. Such a seeker surrenders all his
actions to God, renouncing the fruits of his actions. This produces purity
of mind, leading to knowledge of Self.

Day 9
Others, however, do not know the yoga of meditation, knowledge and
work, but they perform deity worship with faith, as mentioned in the
scriptures by the saints and sages. They also transcend death by virtue of
their firm faith on what they have heard. (13.25)
Listening to any spiritual master is an art, which can also lead the
disciple to Self-realization. When a seeker knows nothing of meditation
or metaphysical knowledge, nor can he dissociate himself from his work
sufficiently, he can attain Self-realization by following his guru’s
teachings with full faith.
There are many people who listen to spiritual discourses and worship
diligently, following the advice of their spiritual master. Then there are
those who study spiritual books and faithfully adhere to the teachings
contained in them. The goal is the same, whichever path one follows.
According to Krishna, it’s faith that leads the seeker to transcend
death.

Day 10
Whatever is born, animate or inanimate, know them to be born from the
union of Spirit and matter. (13.26)
Whatever is created, be it animate or inanimate, is but a combination of
the living entity Spirit and material nature or matter. Both Spirit and
matter existed before the creation of cosmos. They are two aspects of the
universal energy manifested for the purpose of creating the universe.
Their relationship is eternal and is caused and controlled by their source,
the universal energy, which is also eternal.
The union of Spirit and matter is not physical, but is of mutual
superimposition. It is illusory. It is like the film projected on a blank
screen from a projector. If the projector does not play, there is no film. If
there is no blank screen to see the film on, then even if the projector
plays, there would be no film to see. Both the projector and the screen
are needed for the operator to show the film to the viewers.
The film itself is an illusion, a play of light. While it plays, it
engrosses the viewers and creates all kinds of emotions in them. The
emotions are real, the film is not. In fact, the emotions create an
attachment in the viewer and he begins to love or hate the characters of
the film. He then wants to see more films featuring the characters he
loves.
The filmmakers sell illusions or dreams. Likewise, life as we see and
experience is also a cosmic dream of God.

Day 11
The one who sees the same eternal Supreme Lord dwelling as Spirit
equally within all mortal beings, truly sees. (13.27)
Most people live life very seriously. They sincerely believe that they
need to do so much before they die. Guided or rather misguided by their
senses, these people keep working towards satisfying their sensual needs.
They create families and get busy in satisfying their family’s sensual
needs. They do not realize that a need is like a mirage in desert, it’s there
in front of you all the time but you can never reach it.
The reason why people are running all the time is because they see
everything as different, which creates so many things for them to want
and run after. The primary function of clothes used to be to cover and
protect our body. Now that has become secondary. More than being
need-based, clothes have become vanity-based. Same is true for food.
What was once eaten to fulfil the body’s need to grow and remain
disease-free is now eaten to pamper the taste buds.
When we see through the mirage of our needs, we start seeing life
differently. When we see that all the gold ornaments are made with the
same gold, we start seeing fellow humans differently. When we
recognize the changeless factor, the universal energy in everything, from
the highest deity in temples to the grain of sand under our feet, we are in
harmony with the universe.

Day 12
When one beholds one and the same Lord existing equally in every
being, one does not injure anybody, because one considers everything as
one’s own Self. And thereupon attains the Supreme Abode. (13.28)
We always look after our own. Right from childhood, we have felt
possessive about our belongings, be it our books, clothes, toys and gifts
given by friends or family. As we grow older, our domain of possessions
widens and includes our family and other material things. We look after
them well, to the best of our capabilities.
We send our children to the best of schools, give them the best of
food and clothes; if any of our loved ones falls sick, we get them the best
of medical aid; we have annual maintenance contracts for our gadgets
and insurances for our vehicles and other assets. In a nutshell, we really
take care of our people and our possessions. Why? Because they are
‘ours’, we feel connected to them.
At a macro level, if we realize that every living being has the same
universal energy or God in them as we do, then we would start looking at
them differently. They would seem to us as our own. There would be no
petty fights or wars then, as we would not like to hurt our own.

Day 13
The one who perceives that all work is done by the powers of material
nature, truly understands, and thus does not consider oneself as the doer.
(13.29)
We want to possess things that we think we need. Most of the time, for
most of the things, it’s the producer of those things who, through
excellent marketing, has convinced us that we need what they are selling.
It’s all emotional, and the emotions are created by our senses. So, it boils
down to the fact that we are controlled by our senses.
The wise step back a little from the material world and observe
themselves. They see that most of their needs are not their needs at all,
they are the needs of their senses. They don’t need the latest model of
mobile phone, the earlier one is functioning just fine. They don’t need a
larger TV, nor do they need a bigger car and so on and so forth. They can
see how their senses get tempted and trap them into acquiring
unnecessary things. They decide to take control in their own hands.
With the help of their intellect, such people are able to control their
senses and detach themselves from the material world.

Day 14
The moment one discovers diverse variety of beings and their different
ideas abiding in One, and coming out from That alone, one attains the
Supreme Being. (13.30)
The people who have recently discovered their diabetes, try their best to
avoid sweets. For them, food that are less sweet, moderately sweet or
more sweet, are the same. They are sweet, and they have to avoid them.
This is a very gross example, but the idea is to be alert about the
composition of things around us.
The animal lovers, especially pet-owners, can vouch for the fact that
animals feel the same way as humans, and behave even better. The plant
lovers would swear to plants having feelings. It has been seen that indoor
plants wither if the inmates of the house are loud and aggressive; the
same plants flourish in peaceful environs.
The wise see this and realize that all living beings have the same soul.
Even in humans, the stature they hold in society is superficial. At the
level of the soul, all humans are the same.

Day 15
Because of being beginning-less and unaffectable by the three modes of
material nature, the eternal super-soul, even though dwelling in the body
as a living entity, neither does anything nor becomes tainted. Just as the
all-pervading space is not tainted because of its subtlety, similarly, the
Spirit abiding in all bodies is not tainted. (13.31–13.32)
The individual soul carries with it various leftover desires from its past
life. It takes birth in a new body to fulfil them, the body being the field of
play for the individual soul.
The material nature of body is governed by the three modes: sattva
(goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance), which dictate all
thoughts and actions and bind the individual soul to the body. The cycle
of cause and effect continues, the cause creating the effect and the effect
giving rise to another cause.
Meanwhile, the universal energy, which is the source and cause of the
individual soul and the body, pervades it in the form of the super-soul.
This super-soul functions as a neutral observer, unaffected by the modes
of nature and the action-interaction of individual soul and the body. Just
as space remains unaffected by the various galaxies it contains, so the
super-soul remains untainted by the bodies it inhabits.

Day 16
They who perceive, with the eye of Self-knowledge, the difference
between the body (matter) and the knower of the body (Spirit), as well as
know the technique of liberation of the living entity from the trap of
divine illusory energy (maya), attain the Supreme. (13.34)
Krishna concludes that a human being’s life is fulfilled only when his
individual soul (Spirit) merges with its source, the super-soul or Self.
This is called Self-realization.
The way to Self-realization is to control the senses and meditate upon
the constitution of the body, the individual soul and the super-soul and
their relationship with each other. An understanding of this will lead the
seekers to discover the super-soul within themselves and break out from
the trap of material delusion.
The study of scriptures and teachings of spiritual masters also help
the seekers reach their spiritual goal of Self-realization.
 14

Three Qualities of Material Nature

17–30 September

Day 17
My womb of creation is the material nature wherein I place the seed of
my intelligence. This is the cause of the birth of all beings. (14.03)
Krishna tells Arjun how he is the father and also the mother of the
universe. Matter and Spirit are two aspects of the universal energy,
Krishna. These aspects are inherent in the energy mass and are
manifested when Krishna wants to create the universe.
As father, Krishna places the seed of his intelligence, the Spirit, into
the womb, which is material nature or matter. This union results in the
production of the cosmic egg. All the beings in the universe are created
from this egg.
The Spirit carries the blueprint of all future births, which happen to
depend on its interaction with the three modes of nature. It also carries
intelligence, which is the power of discrimination, to distinguish the right
from the wrong.
Material nature is also addressed as Mother nature, as it is seen as
giving birth to the entire creation. But since material nature is also an
aspect of Krishna, it is actually Krishna who is the real mother.

Day 18
Goodness sattva, rajas and tamas—with these three modes or ropes,
material nature fetters the eternal individual soul to the body. (14.05)
Goodness, passion and ignorance, the three modes of material nature are
always present in all human beings. However, they are never constant.
At any given point of time, only one out of the three dominates. Under
the influence of the three modes of nature, our mind expresses itself in a
variety of ways at different moments of changing environments.
 When the individual soul identifies with the body, it gets trapped by
the modes of nature. Accordingly, it feels the changes in the body as its
own changes and becomes subject to the joys and sorrows of the body.
This is called delusion; the soul forgets its own reality.

Day 19
The mode of goodness attaches one to happiness of learning and
knowing the Spirit, the mode of passion attaches to action and the mode
of ignorance attaches to negligence by covering the Self-knowledge.
(14.09)
A person in the mode of goodness is satisfied by their work or
intellectual pursuit, just as a philosopher, scientist or an educator may be
engaged in a particular field of knowledge and may be satisfied in that
way.
A person in the mode of passion is habitually engaged in worldly
activities. Passion gives birth to thirst and attachment. A passionate
person owns as much as they can and spend for good causes.
The mode of ignorance covers right judgment and knowledge. An
ignorant person is steeped in misconceptions and errors. In this mode,
whatever one does is neither good for them, nor for others.

Day 20
Goodness prevails by suppressing passion and ignorance; passion
prevails by suppressing goodness and ignorance and ignorance prevails
by suppressing goodness and passion. (14.10)
Do the three modes of nature act on our mind all at one time or each
separately at different points of time?
According to Krishna, these modes are acting on our mind all the
time. But at any given point of time, human personality works under the
influence of one predominant mode, while the other two are subdued, but
never totally absent.
When the mode of goodness is prominent, passion and ignorance are
defeated and the mind is filled with feelings of happiness. When the
mode of passion is prominent, goodness and ignorance are defeated and
the mind is filled with desires, actions and attachments. When the mode
of ignorance is prominent, passion and goodness are defeated and the
mind becomes unaware of its nobler duties. The competition is always
on.

Day 21
When the light of Self-knowledge makes all the senses in the body glitter,
then it should be known that goodness is predominant. (14.11)
The sense organs, through which the body receives stimuli from the
external, material world are termed as the gates of the body. Through
these gates the light of awareness enters us and illuminates us from
inside.
When there is unruffled peace of mind, inner harmony, absolute
tranquillity, clarity of vision and penetrative insight, then we should
understand that sattva or goodness predominates.
When goodness is predominant, the ears refuse to hear improper
sounds, the eyes will not see undesirable sights, the tongue avoids saying
anything improper and the mind is not attracted towards sensual objects.
Increase in sattva results in increase of knowledge and increase of
wisdom.

Day 22
When passion is predominant, greed, activity, undertaking of selfish
works, restlessness and excitement arise. (14.12)
People who are in a predominant mode of passion are never satisfied
with whatever position they are in life; they hanker for more. Such
people are full of greed, which leads to selfish activity.
Selfish activities carry a lot of expectations and associated anxiety
with them. Engrossed in fears of loss, these people are always restless.
They are so busy running after sense fulfilment that they can never really
enjoy life. They are always too exhausted.
The only positive side to this mode of nature is that such people
support themselves and their family. They are not a burden on anyone. In
fact, such passionate people help society by doing charitable work. It’s a
good way to expend their surplus energy.

Day 23
When inertia is predominant; ignorance, inactivity, carelessness and
delusion arise. (14.13)
Where there is no illumination, knowledge is absent. One in a
predominant mode of ignorance acts whimsically, for no purpose. Even
though they have the capacity, they make no effort to work.
Ignorance is a state of darkness in which one’s intellect is unable to
arrive at any decision. The person is beset with inertness and lacks
enthusiasm to achieve anything in the world. This state of mind also
makes the person incapable of discerning good from bad, and creates
havoc in their relationships.
Ignorant people fail to understand the world and live in a permanent
state of delusion. They eventually become a burden to society.

Day 24
They who are established in goodness go to heaven; passionate persons
are reborn in the mortal world; and the insipid ones, abiding in the mode
of ignorance, go to lower planets of hell, or take birth as lower
creatures, depending on the degree of their ignorance. (14.18)
This verse is about the continuity of existence after death. Those who are
living a pure life of discrimination, clear thinking, right judgement and
self-discipline, cultivate more and more goodness in themselves. When
the mind is thus quiet, it evolves to a higher level. Such people go to
heaven. Heaven is the place where Brahma resides.
The mode of passion is mixed; it is in the middle of goodness and
ignorance. A passionate person will return to earth as a rich person or a
king/queen. But if there is a slight leaning towards ignorance, then the
person has the chance of becoming mad in the next life. Normally, being
full of desires and ambitions, the passionate person would continue to
come back as a human to finish what they had left unfinished.
 Ignorance is the lowest quality and leads the person to hell. Ignorant
people are full of misconceptions and delusions. Depending on their
level of delusions, they devolve into lower species of life like birds,
reptiles, trees and so on.

Day 25
When visionaries perceive no doer other than the powers of the Supreme
Being in the modes of material nature; and know That which is above
and beyond these modes, then they attain nirvana or salvation. (14.19)
One can transcend all the activities of the modes of material nature
simply by understanding them properly.
A wise person understands when they are watching a movie that it is
created with the help of a beam of light falling through a variegated film
on to a screen. Similarly, a yogi also understands that the phenomena of
the material world is a play of the three modes of nature, animated by the
light of the universal energy.
With the help of meditation, the yogi transcends his own mind and
intellect to discover that the modes of nature transform themselves into
bodies, senses and sense objects, and that the Supreme Consciousness is
higher than the modes of nature. He also discovers the Consciousness
reflected in his mind as the individual soul. He realizes that he himself
was the cause of his delusion. This wise man would be considered as
Self-realized.

Day 26
When one rises above the three modes of material nature that originate
in the body, one attains immortality or salvation, and is freed from the
pains of birth, old age, and death. (14.20)
The joys and sorrows that we go through in life—the pains of birth, old
age and death—are actually experienced by our body. They are caused
by three modes of nature. When we identify with our body, we also
identify with the modes of nature and all that goes along with them.
As children, when we fell and scraped our knee, the sight of blood
made us cry. Then our mothers picked us up and distracted our attention
from the injury by showing us how many ants we killed by falling over
them. This technique has always worked with us as children. But what
happens when we grow up? We become body-conscious and hence hurt
more. It’s all in the mind, after all.
Once we get a grip on our emotions, and stop being sensitive to
everything and everyone around us, we would realize that our sorrows
have reduced. This is at a very basic level, but proves the point anyway.
For a long-term solution, meditation is the answer.
Deep, intense meditation helps us to go beyond physical
consciousness and thus beyond the three modes of nature that influence
us. At that level, we experience the infinite supreme consciousness,
which is immortal. This is Self-realization.

Day 27
One who neither hates the presence of peace, activity and confusion, nor
desires for them when they are absent, who remains like a witness
without being affected by the modes of material nature and stays firmly
attached to the Lord without wavering, thinking that the modes of
material nature only are operating, is the one who has transcended the
modes of nature. (14.22–14.23)
People normally tend to get affected by their surroundings. The noisy
late-night party of a neighbour, the smelly feet of a co-passenger in
flight, the short-tempered boss and many more varied situations can spoil
their day.
There are two ways to deal with such issues. First one is to tell the
person concerned and hope they won’t take offense and act on resolving
the issue. This method may not always be successful, as it banks on the
other person. The second way is to ignore the issue completely. It is not
difficult to inculcate this habit. They just need to remember their
childhood, how they were told to ignore their injury so as not to feel its
pain.
The wise know that people behave under the influence of their own
mode of nature. They cannot control them. They can only control their
reactions to them. This is the true realization of Self.
Day 28
The one who lives in the Self and is indifferent to pain and pleasure; to
whom a clod, a stone and gold are alike; to whom the dear and the
unfriendly are alike; who is of firm mind, who is calm in censure and in
praise, is said to have transcended the modes of material nature. (14.24)
We can learn how to ignore irritation or pain, but that’s not enough. We
need to learn to ignore pleasure as well, which is a tough call. Nobody
wants to be in pain, so it is easy enough to train yourself to ignore it. But
everyone wants pleasure; why would they want to ignore it? Because
pleasure creates greed; we want more and more of it. Greed is an
overwhelming desire that traps the best of people.
The wise know this fact and steer away from feeling any intense
emotion, be it pain or pleasure, heat or cold. For them, a ring made of
copper is no different from that made of gold, as both serve the same
purpose. Such people consider no one as their enemy, as everyone is
equally dear to them.
They are indifferent to blame or praise, and are secure in themselves
and their work. Such a person, who maintains equanimity in all
circumstances, is said to have transcended the modes of material nature.

Day 29
The one who is indifferent to honour and disgrace, who is impartial to
friend and foe, and who has renounced the sense of doership, is said to
have transcended the modes of material nature. (14.25)
One of the clear signs of equanimity is remaining unruffled in the face of
honour or disgrace. These social, and sometimes personal, evaluations by
people keep changing from time to time. A wise person knows this. They
have already crossed over the planes of egoism and vanity. Roses and
thorns are the same to them.
When we indulge in any activity for a personal reason, to satisfy our
desires or ego, we consider ourselves to be the doer of the same. This is
attachment and creates expectation of desired result, happiness on getting
it, and disappointment at not getting it.
The wise do not get entangled in such a situation. They work
selflessly, renouncing any attachment to the work or its fruit. Such
people have transcended the modes of material nature and are said to be
Self-realized.

Day 30
The one who offers service to me with love and unswerving devotion,
transcends three modes of material nature and becomes fit for nirvana,
or salvation. (14.26)
Contemplation on anything with utmost sincerity helps us in getting it.
This is the law of attraction, the secret of manifestation. We are taught
from childhood to focus single-pointedly on our goal and work towards
it, like target shooting or running or any other sport where the focus is to
win.
Many times, our minds may not always be completely free of
thoughts. This is true especially for people who lead a full life working
and looking after family as well. Such situations need reinforcements.
Krishna suggests that selfless service, devoting the fruits of action to
God, is a form of worship. It can be done all the time for all our actions.
The result is that we are constantly remembering God instead of wasting
time on thinking about the results of our various actions. This makes it
easier for us to meditate, as our mind would be less agitated now. The
chances of our achieving the goal of Self-realization become brighter.
 15

Realization of the Ultimate Truth

1–11 October

OCTOBER

Day 1
The universe (or human body) may be compared to an eternal tree that
has its origin (or root) in the Supreme Being and its branches below in
the cosmos. The Vedic hymns are the leaves of this tree. One who
understands this tree is a knower of the vedas. (15.01)
Krishna tells Arjun about the eternal cosmic tree that has its root above
and branches below. It is like an upside down peepal tree.
The root arises from the Supreme Being or God as he is the source of
all beings. The branches are the desires, from which sprout the shoots of
action that give rise to desire once again, in an endless cycle. The
colourful and fragrant flowers and fruits grow and bloom, but eventually
they wither or rot and die.
The millions of leaves seen on the branches are meant as protection
and denote the vedas, the words of wisdom. The knower of tree is also
the knower of the vedas.
As the branches reach closer to earth, they plunge in and become
roots from which new trees arise. Gradually a forest develops around the
cosmic tree.
The cosmic tree is reflected in the human body as our nervous
system. From the brain as the source, the nerves branch down to each
part of the body, right up to our toes.

Day 2
The branches of this eternal tree are spread all over the cosmos. The tree
is nourished by the energy of material nature; sense pleasures are its
sprouts and its roots of ego and desires stretch below in the human
world, causing karmic bondage. (15.02)
The branches of the eternal cosmic tree spread all over, upward and
downward. The upward growing branches denote evolution of some
individual souls. But most branches grow downward and enter the earth,
giving rise to roots and more trees. They denote the basal tendency of the
souls influenced by the material nature.
The tendency to lead a higher or lower form of life is determined by
the dominance of one of the three modes of nature.
The roots that arise from the branches entering the earth are the
secondary roots, the main being the original one in the cosmos. The
secondary roots are the ego, attaching the tree firmly into the earth,
denoting karmic attachments that bind the soul to the material nature.

Day 3
The beginning, the end, or the real form of this tree is not perceptible on
the earth. Having cut the firm roots (the desires) of this tree by the
mighty axe of Self-knowledge and detachment, one should seek that
Supreme Abode from where one does not come back to the mortal world
again. (15.03–15.04)
The branches (of desire) of this cosmic tree grow thick and hard and
plunge into the earth. They put down roots there and become giant trees
themselves. After some time, a forest grows around the main cosmic
tree. It seems that the forest has sprung up from the earth. The cosmic
tree gets hidden from sight.
This analogy denotes our state in the material world. The tree
constantly grows as that is its nature. The branches of desires continue to
spread, some of them taking deep roots and resulting in producing more
desires. When we desire a big house, the story doesn’t end there. We
then need to fill it up, which results in desiring more things. It goes on,
forever.
Surrounded by an ever-growing jungle of desires, we lose sight of the
cosmic tree, the stem or trunk of which denotes the individual soul. The
sap running through the tree, giving it life and consciousness, is Krishna
or the super-soul.
 In order to reach the trunk of the cosmic tree, we have to cut down
the forest of desires with the axe of detachment. We must remember at
all times that the goal of our soul is to merge with the source.

Day 4
Those who are free from pride and delusion, who have conquered the evil
of attachment, who are constantly dwelling in the Supreme Being, with
all lust completely stilled, who are free from dualities of pleasure and
pain, such wise ones reach my Supreme Abode. (15.05)
Krishna explains to Arjun certain disciplines, following which one could
lead a life of fulfilment.
The first step is to free oneself from pride. Pride leads to erroneous
judgment and delusion. People develop a false sense of importance and
arrogance, which preoccupies their thoughts so much that they ignore the
greater values of life. The next step is to drop attachments. Since
detachment is not very easy, it’s better to divert the attachment to God.
The most important discipline is to still the mind. Once the senses are
controlled, stilling of the mind becomes easier. Then one also becomes
free of the dualities of material nature like pleasure and pain. In this state
of equanimity, one is able to commune with Self and attain Supreme
Abode. The spiritual purpose of life is thus fulfilled.

Day 5
The individual soul in the body of living beings is the integral part of the
universal Spirit or consciousness. The individual soul associates with the
six sensory faculties (including the mind) of perception and activates
them. (15.07)
If God is the ocean, then humans are the wave. As human beings are a
part of God, they are never really away from him.
The vast sky becomes a small square-shaped sky when reflected in a
square-shaped bowl. Likewise, the Spirit of God becomes differently
displayed—as is the individual soul—in different human beings and
other living creatures. As the little sky reflected in the vessel is no
different in essence from the vast sky, so the infinite Spirit of God,
reflected as the individual soul in all the beings, is same in essence.
The power of seeing, hearing, etc., is the power of the universal Spirit
functioning through the sense organs. The six senses, the five external
ones and the mind, therefore, are the soul’s instruments of
communication with the world.

Day 6
Just as the air takes aroma away from the flower, similarly, the
individual soul takes the six sensory faculties from the physical body it
casts off during death to the new physical body it acquires in
reincarnation. (15.08)
After the death of a person, the individual soul transmigrates into another
person. Its last body and its activities are the background for the soul’s
next body. The soul gets the body according to its karma.
The individual soul is also considered as the Lord as it is the ruler of
the body, regulating all actions, feelings and thoughts. If it wants, it can
change its body to a higher class or to a lower one.
Just as the wind takes away the scent from its source, the flowers, so
in death the individual soul moves off, taking with it all sensory
faculties, including the mind and the intellect. Then, as and when it
wants, the soul enters another new body.

Day 7
The living entity enjoys sense pleasures using six sensory faculties of
hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell and mind. The ignorant cannot
perceive the living entity departing from the body or staying in the body
and enjoying sense pleasures by associating with the material body. But
those who have the eye of Self-knowledge can see it. (15.09-10)
The individual soul enjoys the material world through sense organs and
the mind. The consciousness reflects upon mind and intellect and
becomes intelligence, with which the sense organs become illuminated.
The individual soul, using the mind along with sense organs, enjoys the
sense objects such as sound, touch, taste, smell, etc.
 Consciousness is originally pure, like water. But if we add any colour
to water, it changes. Similarly, consciousness also changes according to
its association with material qualities, which results in its getting the
appropriate body in its subsequent life. It means, if the individual soul
adulterates its consciousness with qualities of dogs, in its next life, it gets
the body of a dog.
An ignorant person’s perceptions are covered over by the veil of the
modes of nature, and hence they can’t perceive the individual soul or
Self. Only those with the inner eye of knowledge can see it.

Day 8
I am seated in the inner psyche of all beings. The memory, Self-
knowledge, and the removal of doubts about God come from me. I am
that which is to be known by the study of all the vedas. I am, indeed, the
author as well as the student of the vedas. (15.15)
God is life, mind, senses, soul and ego in man. He is also the power of
feeling in the heart, which determines the way human beings react to
their contact with the objects of the senses.
God empowers memory, by which perceptions and cognitions are
gathered and held together to be connected with one another in
accumulation of knowledge.
God is the essence of all knowledge; he is the source of all wisdom in
the vedas. The seeker who listens to the vedas, reflects on their wisdom
and who finally experiences the fulfilment of his life, is also considered
as nothing other than consciousness. So, God is the knowledge and the
knower.

Day 9
There are two entities in the cosmos: the changeable Temporal Beings,
and the unchangeable Eternal Being (Spirit). All created beings are
subject to change, but the Spirit does not change. (15.16)
The two entities in the cosmos are perishable and imperishable.
Anything changeable, which includes the entire existence, is considered
as perishable. The living beings that are struggling in this world, with
their mind and five senses, have material bodies that are constantly
changing.
In the material world, the living entity undergoes six changes: birth,
growth, existence, reproduction, dwindling and vanishing. These are
changes of the material body, but the individual soul or the Spirit does
not change.
The Spirit is like the anvil that is used to shape iron products. Hot
iron becomes malleable and is placed on the anvil and beaten into the
desired shape, like a horseshoe, a vessel, etc. All the while, when the iron
is hammered, the anvil remains changeless, though it plays an important
role in the shaping of iron.
So, matter is changeable and perishable, while the Spirit remains
unchangeable and imperishable.

Day 10
The Supreme Being is beyond both the Temporal and the Eternal Beings.
He is also called the Absolute Reality that sustains both the Temporal
and the Eternal by pervading everything. (15.17)
We may have reached the highest rung in the corporate ladder, we may
be the CEO of our company, but after some time we would retire. For
years, decades even, we enjoy running the company, we enjoy the power
we had, the control we had over the working of a big organization. But
when it all goes away, do we cease to exist? When our designation is
taken away from us, do we lose our identity too?
People who go into severe depression after retirement are the ones
who identify themselves with the post they held. But they also come
back to the reality soon enough. The reality is our individuality.
At a macro level, matter or material nature is considered the field and
Spirit or individual soul is considered as the knower of the field. The
knower of the field is ‘knower’ because of the field. If we take away the
field, what happens to the knower? He is not a knower any more, but he
still exists. As what? The knower now is the ‘knowing principle’ or just
knowledge.
When the perishable is no more and the imperishable is no more,
what is left is only energy. It is the universal energy that was the essence
of both. This energy is pure consciousness or the Supreme Being.
Day 11
Because the Supreme Being is beyond both Temporal and Eternal,
therefore, he is known in this world and in the scriptures as the Supreme
Being (absolute reality, truth, super-soul) (15.18)
According to Carl Jung, ‘The word happiness would lose its meaning if
it were not contrasted and compared to sadness.’6 If we look around us,
we find that we live in a world of opposites. There is no way to explain
light without darkness, or wetness without dryness. Without first creating
a parameter to compare with, we cannot use the terms, fat, thin, tall or
short.
Therefore, the perishable matter also seems to change only against
the imperishable truth, as no change can be perceptible without reference
to a changeless factor.
When we build a pot and put water in it, we have created the terms
‘inside’ and ‘outside’. We say there is water inside the pot, and there is
no water outside the pot. Where there is no pot, there is no inside or
outside.
We have seen that the perishable matter and the imperishable Spirit
carry the essence of the universal energy. When they are no more, only
energy remains. As this universal energy is superior to all beings,
perishable and imperishable, it is known as the Supreme Being.

6Sreechinth C., The Musings of Carl Jung, UB Tech, 2018, p. 132.

 16

Divine and the Demonic Natures

12–18 October

Day 12
Fearlessness, purity of inner psyche, perseverance in the yoga of Self-
knowledge, charity, sense-restraint, sacrifice, study of the scriptures,
austerity, honesty, non-violence, truthfulness, equanimity, compassion for
all creatures, absence of malice and absence of pride, these are some of
the qualities of those endowed with divine virtues. (16.01–16.03)
This is a list of good qualities that lead a devotee to Self-realization. Fear
causes mental, physical and spiritual disturbances in a person. Extreme
fright is known to have caused heart failure. Long-continued fears give
rise to chronic nervousness, eventually manifesting as physical disease.
All this happens because fear ties us, our soul, to our material self.
Attachment to anything, as we know, gives rise to fear of losing it.
Fearlessness, for a devotee, is his undaunted faith in God, his love,
wisdom, justice, mercy and protection. A fearless man’s soul is free from
his material body’s shackles.
Once the mind is turned inwards, it can renounce worldly desires and
attain purity. This, in turn, is achieved by yoga and steadfast devotion to
acquiring knowledge of scriptures.
Charity here means sharing of knowledge. Whatever we have should
be shared with fellow beings. When one has all these major good
qualities along with freedom from self-importance, one becomes
spiritually richer and closer to God.

Day 13
The marks of those who are born with demonic qualities are hypocrisy,
arrogance, pride, anger, harshness and ignorance. (16.04)
Self-importance makes people delusional and unaware of reality. Such
people believe that having money or social status or even bookish
knowledge is a sign of their greatness. They would then arrogantly
demean others to make themselves look grander.
There is no limit to the harsh behaviour of these self-centred,
egoistical people. Desiring to always have things their own way, they are
prone to anger and aggression, often leading to violence. They have their
own distorted sense of values for their own selves, which are completely
different from what they have for others. Full of hypocrisy, they have
lost the sense of discrimination of right from wrong.
Krishna named such nature of a person as devilish or demonic.

Day 14
Divine qualities lead to salvation; the demonic qualities are said to be
for bondage. Do not grieve, you are born with divine qualities. (16.05)
Learning about the good and the devilish qualities would make anyone
wonder which category they fall into. It is like when we start reading
about various diseases on the internet, we suddenly find, to our utter
dismay and fear, that most of the disease symptoms are present in us.
Arjun felt the same. But Krishna assured him that his nature was
inherently good and not demonic.
Arjun’s involvement in the war was not demonic, as he was not
acting under anger, pride, arrogance or ignorance. For any warrior,
fighting is not demonic, it is his duty. Any casualties of war are collateral
damage.
According to Krishna, a divine or good-natured person is liberated
from mental entanglements by living a life of righteousness. On the other
hand, a demonic nature leads the person to confusion and a sorrowful
life.

Day 15
Lust, anger and greed are the three gates of hell leading to the downfall
(or bondage) of the individual. Therefore, one must learn to give up these
three. (16.21)
Lust, anger and greed are the basest of emotions that bind people to the
material world so strongly that they are unable to get out easily.
Lust means a strong desire for anything, whether it is sexual pleasure,
food, money, amassing property or any other material goods. When lust
is not fulfilled for any reason, it results in anger; stronger the desire,
stronger the anger. Anger leads to violence. As can be seen, it’s a
downward spiral.
If people are able to gratify their lust, it makes them happy briefly,
and then greed sets in. They want more. This goes on like a vicious
cycle. The desires always have a tendency to grow in quantum as well as
intensity. We desire for good clothes, which increases to wanting the
latest in vogue by the best of designers, and to getting them custom
made, and so on. We may spend a fortune on our clothes and yet be not
satisfied.
The people who are entrapped in these three emotions of lust, anger
and greed continue to be reborn to fulfil their endless desires. Their
individual soul devolves, leading to their downfall to lives each worse
than the previous. Hence these emotions are termed as gates of hell.

Day 16
One who is liberated from these three gates of hell, does what is best for
him or her, and consequently attains the Supreme Abode. (16.22)
The solution to a problem begins by identifying the problem. Once we
are able to identify the three emotions of lust, anger and greed in
ourselves, we have to try to control them.
We need to be alert. The moment we are beset by anger, instead of
reacting immediately, we should pause. This pause is not to count from
one to ten so that our anger dissipates; it is to ask ourselves what is the
cause behind our anger. We should not allow the anger to control us. If
we do this exercise often enough, we would see a decrease in our anger
levels.
Greed is easier to control. We need to be alert about when we are
acquiring more than what we require. Once we are conscious of that, we
can easily stop ourselves from getting swayed by greed. Since greed
stems from lust, controlling it would dilute the intensity of lust too, till it
dies its own death.
 Having abandoned these three gates of hell, we would be heading in
the right direction, towards the Supreme Abode.

Day 17
One who acts under the influence of his or her desires, disobeying
scriptural injunctions, neither attains perfection nor happiness, nor the
Supreme Abode. (16.23)
Computer or any other electronic device, any machine or an electrical
gadget, comes with a how-to-do manual—so does life. The scriptures are
the manuals telling us how to live life correctly, so that we get the best
out of it.
When we start operating any machine or gadget as per our whim or
fancy, instead of following its manual, it is bound to result in a disaster.
Imagine driving a car on the road without knowing how to drive!
If we have read the manual but do not want to follow it—well, the
result would still be the same. It is like taking the prescription for a
disease from a doctor and not following it. The disease would never get
cured.
Just as we take care of our physical and mental health, we should take
care of our spiritual health too. According to Krishna, if we do not
follow the scriptures, which are the life-manuals, we would live a
restless life, full of agitations and sorrow.

Day 18
Let the scriptures be your authority in determining what should be done
and what should not be done. You should perform your duty following
the scriptural injunction. (16.24)
The human body is a miniature universe within the larger universe, both
having the same underlying universal intelligence or consciousness. The
same cosmic powers that create and govern the macrocosm of the
universe, are also at work in man, the microcosm.
According to Krishna, the goal of human existence is to become re-
established in one’s true Self, the soul. Whatever is created has to go
back to its source, to be created again, like clay is recycled to create pots
and gold is recycled to create ornaments.
The path to Self-realization is explained in the scriptures. But mere
reading does not give us knowledge, it just gives us theoretical
information. Real knowledge is in the practical application of theoretical
information.
Without knowledge, we are bound to commit mistakes and get stuck
in the mortal material world, suffering with every birth. The only way
out is to follow the scriptural instructions with utmost sincerity.
 17

Threefold Faith
19 October–12 November

Day 19
The faith of one is in accordance with one’s own natural disposition that
is governed by karmic impressions. A person is known by the faith. One
can become whatever one wants to be, if one constantly contemplates on
the object of desire with faith. (17.03)
Faith is belief, and everyone has different belief systems that they follow.
The faith of a person stems from his basic nature—sattvic or divine,
rajasic or passionate and tamasic or diabolic. This basic nature of the
person is based on the karmic impressions from their previous life.
Our predominant mode of nature governs our faith, which in turn
governs our view of life, which conditions our desires, thoughts and
actions.
If a person’s innate tendencies are characterised by sattva, then their
faith would direct them in the pursuit of knowledge and happiness. If
their tendencies are governed by rajas, they would be directed towards
the pursuit of action, ending in pain and suffering. If characterized by
tamas, the faith would lead the person to ignorance and delusion.
Clearly, a person is made of their faith, and the intensity of their faith
accounts for their passion in pursuing any task.

Day 20
Persons in the mode of goodness worship celestial controllers; those in
the mode of passion worship supernatural rulers and demons; and those
in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits. (17.04)
According to Krishna, a person’s religion is not demonstrated by his
formal path of worship, but by his mode of nature. Everyone lives
according to the laws of their own nature. Therefore, they follow one of
the three paths of worship.
A sattvic or good person worships the gods for their own sake,
seeking nothing but their blessings. Their joy is in the act of worship
itself; their worship is selfless as are their other actions in life.
A rajasic or passionate person worships gods related to wealth and
power. Their idea of worship is based on desire and greed; they offer
gifts to gods in return for fulfilment of their material desires.
A tamasic or ignorant person worships the spirits of the dead and
various other ghosts. Such a person can be seen worshipping trees and
graves. As we can see, our path of worship is also based on our faith, our
belief system.

Day 21
They who practise severe austerities without following the prescription
of the scriptures; who are full of hypocrisy and egotism; who are
impelled by the forces of desire and attachment; who senselessly torture
the elements in their body and also me who dwells within their body;
know these ignorant persons to be of demonic nature. (17.05–17.06)
There are people who have manufactured modes of austerity and
penance, which are mentioned nowhere in any scriptures. Some even
commit acts of violence on their own bodies, like piercing it with
needles, denying themselves food and water, walking barefoot for miles
on stony paths, taking dips in icy cold rivers in extreme winters, etc.
These misguided people confuse self-torture with faith and devotion.
They don’t realize that they are actually showing disrespect to the
elements that sustain their body, including their soul, which is the
essence of God.
Some do it out of genuine ignorance and others indulge in such
behaviour to gain admiration from people. This show of egotism
constitutes a demonic nature.

Day 22
The food preferred by all of us is also of three types. So are the sacrifice,
austerity and charity. (17.07)
As faith differs according to the mode of nature of a person, so does his
food preferences. In fact, a person’s attitude towards anything and
everything in life, reflects their mode of nature. Their attitude to offering
worship to God, their attitude to penance and their attitude to charity also
mark a person as one of three types of people: sattvic, rajasic or tamasic.
One who offers their every action to God, expecting nothing in
return; who believes that any work of theirs is a sacred duty and is
detached from its fruit; whose every action is selfless, where they have
nothing to gain; such a person is of sattvic nature
One who carries out any sacrifice keeping in mind what they would
gain for themself from it; who performs actions to gain admiration and
appreciation from others or as a display of their own power or wealth,
such a person is of rajasic nature. One who acts without thinking; who
does not care how their actions would affect others; who doesn’t follow
any rules, such a person is of tamasic nature.

Day 23
The foods that promote longevity, virtue, strength, health, happiness and
joy are juicy, smooth, substantial and nutritious. Persons in the mode of
goodness like such foods. (17.08)
What we eat has physical as well as mental consequences. The body
cells are built with food and the mind is also affected by the nature of
food. The three modes of material nature apply to foods as well.
Sattvic foods are sweet, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and
legumes, fresh dairy products, nuts, natural sweets like dates, honey and
jaggery, and minimal amounts of fat. The foods are cooked to enhance
their nutrients, are pleasing to the eye, tasteful and easy to digest.
A sattvic diet promotes good health, vitality and longevity. It also
works on the mind and makes it calm, contented, cheerful and spiritually
inclined. Persons in the mode of goodness naturally gravitate towards a
sattvic diet regime.

Day 24
Foods that are very bitter, sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning and
cause pain, grief and disease are liked by persons in the mode of
passion. (17.09)
Rajasic foods stimulate the life forces of our body, including our mind
and senses. Stimulants are not always bad. In fact, for an average
materially active person, they might be helpful to some degree.
Rajasic foods include bitter, sour, salty, spicy, pungent foods that are
exciting to the tongue but disagreeable to the system. Eggs are
considered rajasic, as well as fish and fowl.
These foods should be taken in moderation as they tend to cause
acidity and disturbed sleep, eventually leading to various diseases. On
the whole, they are irritating to both body and mind and result in mental
agitation and distress. People with rajasic temperament enjoy this kind of
food as it enhances their passions.

Day 25
The foods liked by people in the mode of ignorance are stale, tasteless,
putrid, rotten and impure. (17.10)
Tamasic foods are essentially unhygienic and stale. Improper preparation
or preservation can turn sattvic or rajasic food into tamasic. The most
naturally tamasic foods are meats of higher forms of life like beef, pork
and mutton.
Unhygienically prepared street food, rotten fruits and vegetables,
pest-infested grains, contaminated food and water, stale mouldy foods
are some of the commonly available tamasic foods.
A tamasic diet taken for long term has a malignant effect on the body
and dulls the mind.

Day 26
Selfless service, enjoined by the scriptures, and performed without the
desire for the fruit, with a firm belief and conviction that it is a duty, is in
the mode of goodness. (17.11)
Most people go to temples or other religious shrines only when they need
something in life. Someone prays to get admission in the college of their
choice, someone prays to get a job, some pray for the health of their
loved ones and so on. This kind of service to God is not in the mode of
goodness.
One should go to the temple or any other religious shrine as a matter
of duty and offer selfless service. Services like feeding the hungry,
giving clothes to the needy, educating the under-privileged, etc., should
be done without any selfish motive. The motive should be only to help
those who need our help. This is the sattvic way to serve God.

Day 27
Service that is performed only for show, and aiming for fruit, know that
to be in the mode of passion. (17.12)
People conduct elaborate prayer services, inviting hundreds of people to
watch or participate. Spending that kind of money serves no purpose,
except to show off the wealth of the host. People who attend such
ostentatious ceremonies do not bless the host—they just eat, observe and
pass comments on the show of wealth.
Some people try to make a deal with God. They build temples or
install expensive idols in return for some major favour they ask of God.
Do they really believe that God could be bribed? Or that God operates
out of greed? This is sheer ignorance. This kind of selfish service is
termed as rajasic.

Day 28
Service that is performed without following the scriptures, in which no
food is distributed, which is devoid of mantra, faith and gift, is said to be
in the mode of ignorance. (17.13)
Normally, a prayer service or worship of any god or goddess requires a
priest. A priest is professionally trained to perform the rituals appropriate
for the worship. After the service is concluded, the priest is paid his fee
or given a gift as a token of gratitude. The people attending the service
are fed clean sattvic food. The atmosphere is of prayer and devotion.
On the other hand, there are some people who do not follow the
scriptures and perform voodoo-like practices. Their gods are spirits of
departed people, which could be living in a tree or a rock. Such services
are conducted at night as that’s the time when spirits and demons are
most active. This kind of delusional service is considered tamasic.

Day 29
The worship of celestial controllers, the priest, guru and the wise; purity,
honesty, celibacy, and non-violence—these are said to be the austerity of
deed. (17.14)
Krishna told Arjun about three kinds austerities: of deed, word and
thought. Austerity here does not mean self-denial, but an intelligent way
of living in the right relationship with the material world, avoiding
unnecessary wastage of energy.
To bow in respect before the gods, our teachers, the earth and its
creatures and wise people is the right thing for us to do. It is considered
as austerity of deed. To be pure inside out is also a part of austerity of
deed. Internal cleaning happens by feeding the body right foods, and
external cleaning by being strict about personal hygiene and cleanliness
of surroundings.
To maintain the health of our physical body, apart from food and
hygiene, right posture is also very important. Keeping the spine straight
is a part of yoga. Body discipline is helpful in controlling the senses.
Sense-control helps in curbing lust and non-violence, and focussing our
attention on Self. All these good qualities constitute the austerity of deed.

Day 30
Speech that is non-offensive, truthful, pleasant, beneficial and uses
regular references to scriptures is called the austerity of word. (17.15)
Speech is a powerful faculty, conveying words empowered by sound. It
should be used carefully. One should not speak words that hurt or harm,
or agitate the minds of others. Words once spoken cannot be taken back,
they remain out there, penetrating the minds of listeners.
It is advised to only speak the truth, but avoid speaking it if it is
hurtful to others. One has to be prudent in deciding whether, in any
situation, being truthful is important or being quiet.
 One should strive to engage in conversation that is both pleasant and
beneficial to the listener, reflecting the wisdom of the scriptures. Talking
too much should be avoided, as it turns into noise, as compared to
measured talking which is like music to the ears.

Day 31
The serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control, and the purity of
thought; these are called the austerity of thought. (17.16)
Austerity of thought comprises five noble values. The first noble value is
serenity of mind, which results from one’s healthy relationship with the
world. When our relationships are stress-free, our mind is also agitation-
free.
The second value is gentleness, which allows only good and gentle
thoughts to flow through the mind.
The third noble value is that of silence, which is not only not
speaking or speaking less, but is an inward noiseless calm wherein no
passions or desires are generated.
The fourth value is self-control, which is the ability to prevent our
mind from constantly jumping from one thought to another.
The fifth value is purity of nature and honesty of motive, which
means that the motivating thought behind any action should be noble.

NOVEMBER

Day 1
The above mentioned threefold austerity (of thought, word and deed)
practised by yogis with supreme faith, without a desire for the fruit, is
said to be in the mode of goodness. (17.17)
Anything, any service, any action, when performed selflessly,
renouncing the fruits of action, is said to be sattvic or in the mode of
goodness.
The goal of human life, the highest goal, is to connect to one’s soul.
When the threefold austerity of deed, word and thought is practised to
attain this goal, it is termed sattvic.
When this threefold austerity is practised, not to gain anything except
a better understanding of oneself, when it is practised with a balanced
mind and with complete faith in its wisdom, it is done in the mode of
goodness.
The threefold austerity is a great way to attain a sustained level of
inner tranquillity, which makes it easy to achieve Self-realization.

Day 2
Austerity that is performed for gaining respect, honour, reverence and for
the sake of show that yields an uncertain and temporary result, is said to
be in the mode of passion. (17.18)
Anything, any service, any action, when performed with a selfish motive,
is said to be rajasic or in the mode of passion. But a selfish motive need
not always have a negative connotation. Selfish people think only for
themselves, that is true. But that does not mean they are harming other
people; it’s just that they are not thinking about others.
When the threefold austerity of deed, word or thought is performed
for worldly rewards, whether it is to gain other people’s respect and
admiration, or to win power and wealth for oneself, it is said to be in the
mode of passion.
The hard-won rewards from such austerities are unstable and
transitory. After all, in this fiercely competitive world of ours, whoever
works the hardest gets rewarded. There are new winners all the time.

Day 3
Austerity performed with foolish stubbornness, or with self-torture, or for
harming others, is declared to be in the mode of ignorance. (17.19)
Anything, any service, any action, when performed with foolish
obstinacy, is said to be tamasic or in the mode of ignorance. When the
threefold austerity includes bodily harm and self-torture, and that too
with no clear thought about why it’s being done, then it is considered
tamasic.
 Tamasic people are stubborn and pay no heed to any laws or reason.
Their own reasoning is dead. They follow their foolish, unreasonable
goals stubbornly, eventually causing harm to their own selves as well as
others. They live in a perpetual state of rebellion.
The misconceived austerities, wrongly practised in the mode of
ignorance, always bring about sorrow and discomfort.

Day 4
Charity that is given as a matter of duty, to a deserving candidate who
does nothing in return, at the right place and time, is considered to be
charity in the mode of goodness. (17.20)
Charity means giving. As with any action, charity also is of three kinds,
sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.
A gift that is presented without any thought of receiving any
compensation for it is a virtuous or sattvic gesture. Charity that is
practised out of a sense of duty, to a deserving person, at the right time,
with no strings attached, is considered to be charity in the mode of
goodness.
At a physical level, to give food and money to a poor man is good; to
give him a job is even better. To help him become well-qualified to
obtain work is better still. On the mental level, educating an ignorant
person is good, but training them to educate others is even better.

Day 5
Charity that is given unwillingly, or to get something in return, or
looking for some fruit, is said to be in the mode of passion. (17.21)
Anything offered reluctantly is said to be rajasic or selfish. Charity that
is given unwillingly, or with the hope of some kind of return, or some
future reward, or as a repayment of past favours, is considered to be in
the mode of passion. Such charities are not done with the emotion of
‘giving’—they are done as a barter.
We find more people indulging in rajasic charity than sattvic these
days. People feed the hungry on a particular day outside the temple of a
particular god, with a very specific reason or request in their hearts.
 Some people make a big show of donating money to charities, in
order to garner respect from society, maybe even get an award or two in
recognition of their service to humanity. These rajasic people are fooling
themselves, not God.

Day 6
Charity that is given at a wrong place and time, and to unworthy
persons, or without paying respect to the receiver, or with ridicule, is
said to be in the mode of ignorance. (17.22)
Charity that humiliates the recipient, that which is unsuitable or is laced
with contempt, or charity that is practised towards an unworthy person at
an inappropriate time, is tamasic in nature.
Tamasic charity causes harm to both the receiver and the giver. One
should not give money or gifts to evil people, as they would use that to
do wrong things. Giving money to any person who indulges in
intoxication or gambling would actually encourage that person to
continue indulging in wrongful acts. This kind of charity, done in
ignorance, would naturally be harmful to the giver, as he is the one
helping the sinner to sin more.
When one offers help to another, with malice or insult, it arouses ill-
will in the receiver. This act of charity is also tamasic.

Day 7
Aum Tat Sat is considered the threefold symbol of the all-pervading
Spirit. Brahmins, the persons with divine qualities, the vedas, and the
sacrificial rites were created by and from the Spirit. (17.23)
The unmanifested, the infinite, the changeless Spirit, is God or the
universal energy. During the cycle of manifestation, the nameless and
formless Spirit is described as Aum Tat Sat. It means: The Supreme is
the Only Truth.
Aum is the creative vibration that upholds the world as prakriti. Tat is
the intelligence that pervades the creation as the individual soul or
purush. Sat is the father of all creation, the super-soul or Ishwar.
 Humans display these three divine manifestations in themselves.
Their body is the result of Aum. Their intelligence or Tat exists as their
individual soul in the spiritual eye, between the eyebrows. Sat, the
cosmic consciousness or super-soul, resides in their brain.
The eternal reality, Aum Tat Sat, is also the source of the vedas.
Devotees who perform sacrificial rites listening to the holy sound of
Aum Tat Sat soon attain cosmic perception and knowledge of the vedas.
With the help of the vedas, they soon ascend to the cosmic consciousness
and attain Self-realization, that is, they become brahmins or persons with
divine (Brahm or God) qualities.

Day 8
Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity prescribed in the
scriptures are always commenced by uttering any one of the many names
of God such as Aum, Amen, or Amin by the knowers of the Supreme.
(17.24)
Krishna prescribes that any act of sacrifice, charity or austerity be
preceded by chanting of Aum.
Aum of the vedas is the same as Hum of the Tibetans, Amin of the
Muslims and Amen of the Christians and Jews. This sound is the voice
of creation testifying the divine presence in everything.
When the holy syllable of Aum is chanted before any ritual, its
vibrations cleanse any impurity that might be inadvertently present in the
ritual. In fact, internalizing Aum and absorbing its vibration within, helps
to cleanse our mind of restlessness and delusion.

Day 9
The seekers of salvation perform various types of sacrifice, charity and
austerity by uttering ‘He is all’ without seeking a reward. (17.25)
After the devotee has merged with Aum, the next holy syllable is Tat.
Chanting Tat, representing the cosmic intelligence, the devotee should
perform selfless sacrifice or charity.
Salvation means liberation from physical, emotional and intellectual
attachments. While performing any sacrifice, understanding the meaning
of the term Tat as ‘the universal oneness of the spiritual truth’ is to work
with no ego and consequent freedom from attachments. Once liberated,
the devotee realizes the divinity in themself.
The uttering of the word Tat also indicates that all the acts of
sacrifice, penance and offerings by the devotee seeking atonement are
undertaken without expecting any reward.

Day 10
The word ‘truth’ is used in the sense of Supreme Reality and the
goodness emanating from it. The word ‘truth’ is also used for higher
forms of spiritual action. (17.26)
After the devotees penetrate beyond Aum, the cosmic vibration, and Tat,
the consciousness within all creation, they reach Sat, the Truth or God.
The good qualities and good activities of all human beings, demi-
gods and liberated persons have their source in Sat, God the Father, the
Absolute Truth. All the activities of the devotees by which they attain
oneness with Cosmic Consciousness are Sat in nature. They are divine
actions that lead to perception of God, the cosmic truth.

Day 11
Faith in sacrifice, charity and austerity is also called truth. The selfless
service for the sake of the Supreme is verily termed as truth. (17.27)
The wise carry out their actions, offerings and charity with a faith that is
steadfast and unwavering. This kind of faith is Sat. Selfless service,
expecting nothing in return, is also Sat.
When the devotees have reached the ultimate state of soul realization,
dissolving all restlessness by self-discipline and unwavering devotion,
they merge with Sat, the Supreme Truth. In this process, the Tat also
merges with Sat, and the illusion of duality disappears. This is the state
of samadhi. The realm of finite creation and the infinity beyond are seen
as one Cosmic Consciousness, the Absolute Reality—Sat.

Day 12
Whatever is done without faith, whether it is sacrifice, charity, austerity
or any other act, is useless. It has no value here or hereafter. (17.28)
Spiritual practices that are done half-heartedly or carelessly are lacking
in unconditional devotion and faith, hence considered Asat or against
truth.
One who performs his devotional duties without any interest, finds
his spiritual thirst to be unsatisfied in the current life. According to the
karmic law, his spiritual thirst would remain unsatisfied in his next life
and perhaps future lives too. He would never be able to break away from
the cycle of rebirth.
Actions create consequences depending on the faith behind them.
Krishna emphasizes that without faith evolution is not possible. Faithless
actions would produce no results.
 18

Final Revelation of the Ultimate Truth

13 November–31 December

Day 13
The sages define renunciation as abstaining from all work for personal
profit. The wise define sacrifice as the sacrifice of, and the freedom from,
the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work. (18.02)
Giving up of desire-prompted activities is renunciation, whereas giving
up of fruits of action is relinquishment or sacrifice. Since desire is
always for the fruit of action, renunciation and sacrifice seem similar in
that respect. But there is a slight difference. Although both suggest
giving up of desire, renunciation is giving up desire motivated action and
sacrifice is giving up of desire for fruits of action. One is in the present
frame, the other is in the future.
According to Krishna, work should be done after eliminating both the
factors—desire prompted action and desire for its reward. In such a case,
work becomes desireless action.

Day 14
Acts of selfless service, charity and austerity should not be abandoned,
but should be performed, because selfless service, charity and austerity
are the purifiers of the wise. (18.05)
Acts of selfless service, charity and austerity should never be given up,
as these activities bring about a discipline in our body, mind and soul.
Selfless service or sacrifice symbolizes performing the holy fire
ceremony of casting the material desires into the fire of wisdom. The
material desire then turns into longing for the divine.
Charity or giving can be turned around into giving to our own self.
Charity begins at home, they say. Working on our own self, de-stressing
and meditating would help us in following the right path to Self-
realization. Austerities or self-disciplining activities are important to
conquer physical restlessness, practise mental concentration, and strive
for Self-realization.

Day 15
Even these obligatory works should be performed without attachment to
the fruits. This is my definite advice. (18.06)
Like any other action, the acts of selfless service, charity and austerity,
should also be performed without any sense of attachment. Attachment
indicates presence of ego and its desires. Ego demands to be satisfied.
Clinging to self-satisfaction limits the progress and delays attainment of
absolute freedom of Spirit.
If any action is performed with attachment, the expectation of its
fruits affect the efficiency of the action undertaken. To be rid of the
anxiety for the fruits of the action, one has to get rid of attachment. This
means renunciation of ego while performing action.

Day 16
Giving up one’s duty is not proper. The abandonment of obligatory work
is due to delusion and is declared to be in the mode of ignorance. (18.07)
Working for material satisfaction should be given up. But working
towards spiritual evolution should never be given up. When a person
renounces his engagement with good activities, he will find himself
steeped in delusion, engaging in evil activities.
In a very gross example, we can see that children who do not spend
some of their daily time in studying or pursuing any other intellectual
activity, fall prey to spending their time in useless time-pass activities.
Empty mind is the devil’s workshop, we were told in school, and were
encouraged to keep ourselves constructively occupied even during
vacations.

Day 17
One who abandons duty merely because it is difficult or because of fear
of bodily trouble, does not get the benefits of sacrifice by performing
such a sacrifice in the mode of passion. (18.08)
A man quits his job and declares that he wants to do charity work. He
feels that it was time he let go of the material world and help the needy.
Sounds good. People praise him and his sacrifice. But there’s a flip side
to it.
The man was finding it increasingly difficult to cope up with the
pressures of deadlines and targets in his workplace. He decided to quit
before things got worse for him, and took on the option of charitable
work. At his age, no other work was available to him.
His real story changed his sacrifice from sattvic to rajasic. He could
fool his family and friends, but he could not fool himself and the God
residing in him.

Day 18
Obligatory work performed as duty, renouncing selfish attachment to the
fruit, is alone regarded to be sacrifice in the mode of goodness. (18.09)
Obligatory actions are divinely ordained duties. They include not only
looking after our own selves, but also our family, neighbours and the
country.
When a family member falls sick, we are duty-bound to help them. If
there is a crisis at our neighbour’s house, we should rush to offer our
services. The basic duty of keeping our neighbourhood clean should be
taken seriously by us. These are some of the things that we should do
ungrudgingly, without expecting anything in return.
This kind of selfless service is regarded to be a sacrifice in the mode
of goodness.

Day 19
The one who neither hates a disagreeable work, nor is attached to an
agreeable work, is considered a renunciant, imbued with the mode of
goodness and intelligence, and free from all doubts about the Supreme
Being. (18.10)
True renunciants are sattvic by nature. They never hate any disagreeable
work and environment, nor do they get attached to any agreeable field of
action. They do their duties under all circumstances, without getting
elated when successful or getting dejected when faced with obstacles.
They are independent of the happenings around them and do not become
victims of their own mental impressions.
Such people of equanimity are considered to be educated and
cultured, with a clear vision of their goals. They know their field of
activity, their own divine nature and their relationship with the world
around them.

Day 20
Human beings cannot completely abstain from work. Therefore, the one
who completely renounces the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work
is considered a renunciant. (18.11)
Most of us are worldly people and perform most of our actions fulfilling
the needs and desires of our own selves and our family.
A soul identified with the body may be said to be its slave. An
embodied soul cannot relinquish its actions entirely. Those who know
themselves as body rather than soul are a servant to the body. They have
to work for it, during which they get entangled in the web of material
desires.
The way out of this situation would be to completely renounce the
attachment to the fruits of all work. By continuous meditation, we can
disengage our mind from body consciousness and unite it with the
consciousness of the soul. At this stage, we are able to renounce all
desire for the fruits of action and perform our material duty with non-
attachment of the soul.

Day 21
The threefold fruits of work—desirable, undesirable and mixed—accrue
after death to the one who is not a renunciant, but never to a renunciant.
(18.12)
As there are three modes of action, there are three modes of fruits of
action too: desirable, undesirable and mixed.
Those who perform an action without renouncing its fruit, accrue the
good, bad and mixed results of their three-fold karma. Every result
deposits a seed tendency in the physical and astral brain of the person. At
death, the sum total of the person’s tendencies is stored in the individual
soul of the person.
These stored up seeds, when watered by proper environment, sprout
forth into specific results in this life and the next and so on. This is the
theory of reincarnation.
The true relinquisher of the fruits of action, the renunciant, remains
untouched by the three-fold actions. They are free.

Day 22
Sankhya doctrine describes five factors for the accomplishment of all
actions. They are: the physical body, the seat of karma; the ego, the
doer; the organs of perception and action, the instruments; the various
bio-impulses; and the fifth is the presiding deities of the organs. (18.13–
18.14)
Sankhya, the highest wisdom, is to have complete knowledge or ultimate
enlightenment. According to Krishna, there are five aspects of action laid
out in the Sankhya philosophy.
The first is the physical body or the gateway for the entrance of the
stimuli. It is the place of all physical, mental and spiritual actions. The
second is the ego that seeks fulfilment of the actions through the body. It
is the performer or doer of actions.
The third aspect is the organs of perception and action along with
their coordinator, the mind. These are the instruments through which the
individual soul comes into contact with the field of enjoyment. The
fourth aspect is the bio-impulses generated in the body by the organs of
perception and action.
The fifth aspect is the self-created destiny of the person. It comprises
the effects of past actions, which function as ruling tendencies (deities),
having a compelling influence in the person’s present and future actions.
Day 23
Whatever action, whether right or wrong, one performs by thought, word
and deed; these are its five causes. (18.15)
The five aspects listed in the Sankhya philosophy are the causative
factors behind all actions, right or wrong. Right action here means action
in accordance to the principles prescribed in the scriptures, and wrong
actions are those that are against the prescribed principles.
All actions that we do, through thought, word or deed, cannot happen
without our body as their happening place, their stage. Neither can we
perform any actions without our limbs and our sense organs as the
instruments of performance. Our mind has an important role to play too;
it processes everything that the sense organs sense and then decides what
action to take. With everything in place, we need the energy to act, which
is provided by our life-force.
Finally, fate comes into the picture. It is our own past karmic baggage
that pushes us in a certain direction, making us choose one action over
another.

Day 24
The ignorant one who considers one’s body or soul as the sole doer due
to imperfect knowledge, does not understand. (18.16)
According to Krishna, a person of little understanding or great arrogance
would believe that they are the doers of all their actions. But then, most
people are like that.
An artist sees the brush in his hands, colours on the palette and the
painting on the easel he is working on, and says, ‘I am painting.’ That is
his reality. Even in the simplest of tasks, like walking or eating, the doer
seems to be the one who is physically doing. According to Krishna, this
is ignorance.
Coming events cast their shadows long before, is a popular saying. It
means that talent cannot be hidden for long. If we look around, we’ll see
that children do not necessarily follow their parents’ professions. Why?
The children may have the genes from their parents for their physical
features, but that’s all. What their mental inclinations or tendencies are,
are based on their karmic baggage from their own past.
 When we encounter an immensely talented singer in a family of non-
singers, we call him a prodigy, and his talent as god-gift. It is nothing of
that sort. The singer is just finishing off where he left from in his past
life.

Day 25
The one who is free from the notion of doership, and whose intellect is
not polluted by the desire to reap the fruit, even after slaying people, he
or she neither slays, nor is bound by the act of killing. (18.17)
People who understand the five doers, and know that none of those five
is the real them, and carry on their duties diligently, without desire or
anxiety, with a calm mind, would not be bound by their actions. Even if
such people kill their enemies, they have not really committed a crime.
Here, Krishna emphasizes to Arjun that even if he killed his kith and
kin in the war, he would not be doing anything wrong. This was a kind of
concluding statement from Krishna in response to Arjun’s original
dilemma.
The essence was that if a person frees themselves from ego and
identification with their body, they would renounce all actions as they
were brought about by ignorance of the true nature of Self. Such a person
would then remain unaffected by the fruits of their actions.

Day 26
The knowledge, the known and the knower are the threefold driving force
to an action. The 11 organs, the act, and the agent or the modes of
material nature, are the three components of action. (18.18)
What makes one act? First is the object, which is perceived by our sense
organs and interpreted by our mind. This is called ‘knowledge’.
Second is our own understanding about the object, based on what we
have heard, seen or experienced in the past, which makes us love it, hate
it, or be indifferent to it. This is called ‘known’. Third, depending on our
own feelings towards the object, we either choose to pursue it, reject it or
do nothing. This is called ‘knower’.
 So, even with the five causes or doers of action that were discussed
earlier, we still need this three-fold driving force of knowledge, known
and knower, to make an action happen.

Day 27
The knowledge by which one sees a single immutable reality in all beings
as undivided in the divided, is in the mode of goodness. (18.20)
We have seen the three modes of nature being reflected in doers and their
actions. We can also see that all doers understand an object based on
their own past experiences or their own limited knowledge, and react
differently to it. Hence, knowledge also can be divided into three types:
sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.
Some people understand that even though there appears to be an
infinite variety of creatures and objects in the world, there is an
underlying unity in their diversity. Such people do not differentiate
between creatures, as they see beyond the external appearances, the
divine essence or one life that is in all of them. This is right
understanding; this mode of knowledge is said to be sattvic.

Day 28
The knowledge by which one sees different realities of various types
among all beings as separate from one another, is considered to be in the
mode of passion. (18.21)
The concept that the material body is the living entity and that, with the
destruction of the body the consciousness is also destroyed, is called
knowledge in the mode of passion or rajasic knowledge. It believes in
the plurality of the world.
According to this, people see the different creatures and objects in the
world to be different and separate from each other, and separate from
themselves. These people consider some creatures worthy of admiration
and others worthy only of disgust. They love some objects and hate
others.
Rajasic knowledge is superficial and delusive. Based on delusive
knowledge, some people consider themselves to be superior to others,
based on which they mistreat them.

Day 29
The irrational, baseless and worthless knowledge by which one clings to
one single effect (such as the body) as if it is everything, is declared to be
in the mode of darkness of ignorance (18.22)
There are some who see only what they want to see and believe that what
they see is the only thing that matters. They cling blindly to their narrow
view and do not see the rest of the world at all, or listen to any other
opinion. This is tamasic knowledge.
People of tamasic understanding thoughtlessly engage in trivial
aspirations, those they think will cause them the least trouble and give
the maximum pleasure. Physical, bodily satisfaction is their ultimate goal
in life. They never question the correctness of their motives, as their
befuddled understanding justifies all their personal convictions, however
contrary to the principles of truth they might be.
Tamasic perception views the body and the need to satisfy its
demands as the sole reason for existence.

Day 30
The obligatory duty performed without likes and dislikes, and without
selfish motives and attachment to enjoy the fruit, is said to be in the
mode of goodness. (18.23)
Our actions are as said also divided into three types: sattvic, rajasic and
tamasic. Sattvic actions are those that are one’s own obligatory duties
towards society, performed without any attachments to the fruits thereof.
These actions are not motivated by likes and dislikes—they are just
performed spontaneously.
Such actions are undertaken by people who possess sattvic
knowledge. They seek fulfilment and joy in all the work they do; for
them, work is worship. A sattvic action produces peace and harmony in
society.
If people do charitable work to help the needy, where the needy are
genuinely benefitting, then their action would be called sattvic. But if the
person is doing charity for the purpose of gaining publicity for himself,
then the sattvic action becomes rajasic.

DECEMBER

Day 1
Action performed with ego, with selfish motives and with too much effort,
is declared to be in the mode of passion. (18.24)
Rajasic action comes from rajasic knowledge. Such action is undertaken
to satisfy one’s desire in a spirit of arrogance, egoism and vanity. Most
people indulge in this category of action. They are engaged in mundane
pursuits, motivated by self-interest and worldly desires. Their actions
express an urgency to keep up with the standards of the day, with an
emphasis on material wealth.
Passionate people, concerned only with their own selves, perform
work that they dislike with reluctance, resisting and complaining. At the
same time, when it comes to work that they like or that which brings
them some gain, they do it with much eagerness. Desire-based rajasic
actions generate more desires and result in a continuous cycle of rebirths.

Day 2
Action that is undertaken because of delusion, disregarding
consequences, loss, injury to others, as well as one’s own ability, is said
to be in the mode of ignorance. (18.25)
Tamas is the dark quality that affects the knowledge of human beings;
their actions too, reflect their ignorance.
People who act thoughtlessly under the influence of violent emotions,
not concerned with the consequences of their actions, not only hurt
others but hurt themselves too. Due to their irrational behaviour, tamasic
people entangle themselves and their loved ones in all kinds of
difficulties.
Tamasic action is characterized by inertia. It always pursues the path
of least resistance to avoid the effort required in the practice of self-
control and exercise of discrimination.
Day 3
The doer who is free from attachment, is non-egotistic, endowed with
resolve and enthusiasm and unperturbed in success or failure, is called
good. (18.26)
Those people, whose minds are not bound by the ego or attached to
material things, who perform divinely motivated actions that help others,
disregarding success or failure, are sattvic doers. Such people are able to
distinguish temporal mortal dreams from the eternal reality, hence they
are totally free from attachments. Sattvic doers remain unperturbed with
their success or failure. In fact, they don’t see themselves as doers at all;
they believe God to be working through them.
Though it may seem highly improbable, but good sattvic workers do
exist in the material world. They are happy in their workplace, as they do
not recognize any competition and are focussed in their work. At home
too, such people remain calm in any stressful situation, which helps the
other family members also to relax. They diligently perform their duties,
whether at home or at the workplace, without any expectations. Such
people are a blessing to have around.

Day 4
The doer who is impassioned, attached to the fruits of their work, greedy,
violent, impure and is affected by joy and sorrow, is called passionate.
(18.27)
The person who is under the influence of passionate energy is said to be
rajasic in nature. Always restless and outgoing, a rajasic person is
completely materialistic, blindly amassing money, property and other
material goods with immense greed and self-interest.
Rajasic people can be insensitive, harsh, sadistic, revengeful, ready to
hurt or destroy any competitor or anyone standing in their way of self-
interest. They are greedy, thinking that whatever they have amassed is
permanent. They are happy when they are successful, but much
distressed and angry when not.
The sole aim of life of rajasic people is to make this world as
materially comfortable as possible for themselves.
Day 5
The undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, wicked, malicious, lazy, depressed,
and procrastinating doer is called ignorant. (18.28)
More often than not, the doers who are not successful in life have a
tamasic nature. They blame everyone else, except their own selves, for
their miseries. They never find fault with their own inherent laziness,
their own nature of procrastination and indiscipline.
Like a butterfly, a tamasic doer’s mind and body are forever restless.
Lacking the intelligence for decisiveness and the will for constructive
action, such people are pulled in one direction and then the other by any
momentary influence. These people are morally crude and vulgar,
indulging in evil actions whenever the impulse arises in them. Tamasic
people can unscrupulously deceive others, behaving like Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde.

Day 6
The intellect by which one understands the path of work and the path of
renunciation, right and wrong action, fear and fearlessness, bondage
and liberation, that intellect is in the mode of goodness. (18.30)
Our intellect also has three modes: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. When the
intellect is unclouded and is in a mode of goodness, the consciousness
rises to manifest as intuition. This makes the person instinctively
understand, in any circumstance, what should be done and what
shouldn’t be.
Sattvic discrimination in people reveals to them the bondage of
pursuing worldly activities. It shows how the path of self-satisfaction is
endless and makes a person constantly apprehensive about failure and
death.
A sattvic intellect is intuitively perceptive, fearless, steadfast and
calm. And because it is free from any material attachments, it leads the
person through life’s ups and downs with ease.

Day 7
The intellect by which one cannot distinguish between righteousness
(dharma) and unrighteousness (adharma) and right and wrong action is
in the mode of passion. (18.31)
The mode of passion clouds the intellect. Such people are not always
sure what is right and what is wrong. They are confused because their
only concern is how any action affects them.
A rajasic intellect makes people hold on strongly to things that give
them pleasure, power and wealth. Blindly following sensual pursuits,
such people soon get trapped in a web of worries and disillusionment.
Since rajasic intellect inherently lacks trust, it leads such people from
pillar to post. Unfortunately, happiness always eludes them. Such people
are never satisfied with anything in life.

Day 8
The intellect, when covered by ignorance, accepts unrighteousness
(adharma) as righteousness (dharma), and thinks everything to be that
which it is not, is in the mode of ignorance. (18.32)
Tamasic intellect is dark with ignorance. Such people are convinced
about the rightness of wrongdoing. They see things from a twisted,
perverted point of view. All actions emerging out of a tamasic intellect
lead to misery. And since a tamasic person cannot think coherently, they
indulge in more evil actions.
Such people have an extremist mentality and overindulge in sensual
pleasures like eating, sex, getting inebriated, gambling and so on. They
are irresponsible towards themselves as well as others and lead an
unnatural existence. Such abnormal people are a danger to themselves
and the society they live in.

Day 9
The resolve by which one manipulates the functions of the mind, prana
(bio-impulses) and senses, for God-realization alone, is in the mode of
goodness. (18.33)
Fortitude or resolve is of three kinds: sattvic, rajasic and tamasic.
Fortitude is defined as a combination of courage and patience. It is the
consistency of purpose and self-application with which a person pursues
his goal. Our intellect decides our goal as well as chooses the path for us
to follow to achieve it without getting distracted. Our fortitude makes us
stick to it.
The resolve with which one steadily controls one’s mind, sense
organs and their activities, maintaining an unwavering focus on the goal,
is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
Sattvic fortitude makes a person see God in everything. Such people
are helped by their own intuitive sense of discrimination, which steers
them away from evil people and evil actions. A person with sattvic
fortitude can wander in the worldly life, engaging in dutiful activities,
beholding good and evil, without getting affected or entangled in them.

Day 10
The resolve by which a person, craving for the fruits of work, clings to
duty, accumulating wealth and enjoyment with great attachment, is in the
mode of passion. (18.34)
When a person’s inner patience is influenced by worldly attachments, it
is said to be in the mode of passion. Such a person holds on firmly to
actions that give him wealth, power and sensual pleasure.
People who are always looking for their own benefit in the religious
or economic activities that they engage in, whose only desire is sense
gratification, are in the mode of passion or rajas.
People with rajasic disposition keep their mind and senses patiently
and persistently settled in worldly tasks. Most people belong to this
category and we see them focussed on earning money, maintaining a
family and superficially participating in religious ceremonies.

Day 11
The resolve by which a dull person does not give up sleep, fear, grief,
despair and carelessness, is in the mode of ignorance. (18.35)
Those who cannot avoid oversleeping, who cannot avoid the pride of
enjoying the material world, in fact whose mind and senses are always
engaged in dreaming of lording over the material world, are said to be in
the mode of ignorance. This tamasic quality makes the person
obstinately cling to evil.
Oversleeping results in mental and physical indolence and aversion to
constructive work. Lack of activity produces dejection through the
consciousness of a useless existence. After all, in our heart we know our
own reality. Ultimately, this low-spiritedness gives rise to grief and
hopelessness.
Unfortunately, the inherent contempt of tamasic people towards the
need to change keeps them away from any hope of salvation and they
remain in a state of unhappy existence.

Day 12
The pleasure that appears as poison in the beginning, but is like nectar
in the end, comes by the grace of Self-knowledge, and is in the mode of
goodness. (18.37)
Everyone wants to be happy. Happiness is the universal aim of life. But
then, we all have our own definitions of happiness. Violence makes a
tamasic person happy, whereas wealth and power make a rajasic person
happy. To a person sattvic at heart, the pleasure of self-control leading to
self-perfection is unmatched to any other sensual happiness.
Initially, the person may go through stages of struggle, when they are
trying to control their senses. But once they are under control, the person
feels a blissful sense of freedom. His soul becomes free. This happiness
is permanent because it becomes a state of being. The pleasure of Self-
knowledge, therefore, is considered to be in the mode of goodness.

Day 13
Sensual pleasures appear as nectar in the beginning, but become poison
in the end, and are in the mode of passion. (18.38)
People work hard, save money and then buy a car or a house, thinking
that it’s an achievement of sorts to buy those things. They expect to be
happy on having achieved their goal. And they are happy for a while, till
their possessions or achievements start giving them trouble. A house
needs regular maintenance, so does a car. Then these very possessions
become troublesome; those that were the cause of pleasure become the
cause of pain.
This mode of happiness, which is governed by passion, is considered
to be rajasic. It is temporary happiness, as it is dependent on the material
object. Any pleasure derived from the combination of senses and sense
objects eventually results in distress.
Worldly people or rajasic people, young or old, are those who
overindulge their senses. Even after discovering the harmful after-
effects, they are still helplessly driven towards excesses. Why? Because
these people are trapped in the web of their own bad habits.

Day 14
Pleasure that confuses a person in the beginning and in the end; which
comes from sleep, laziness and carelessness, is said to be in the mode of
ignorance. (18.39)
We have heard from our grandparents that if we sleep too much, our
mind also falls asleep. It is true. Too much sleep paralyses the mental
faculties of people; they lose any sense of discrimination. So the pleasure
derived from sleep and laziness is certainly in the mode of darkness or
ignorance.
Such tamasic people live in a constant state of illusion. They are
happy living in the belief that not doing anything is the best thing in the
world. Anything that lies unused for some time becomes useless. So is
the case with these people. Ultimately, they start losing the use of their
own arms and legs.
Tamasic people may believe that they are leading a royal life, but
once they become physically and mentally useless, even their own
people start shunning them. This, truly, is a mode of ignorance.

Day 15
There is no being, either on the earth or among the celestial controllers
in heaven, who can remain free from these three modes of material
nature. (18.40)
Krishna says that there is no creature either on the earth or among the
gods in heaven who is free from the influences of the three modes of
nature: sattva, rajas and tamas. The interplay of these modes is the very
expression of nature. It is the varying combination of these modes that
makes us all so different.
Even though both humans and gods have the power of choosing how
they want to behave or what they want to do and be responsible for their
actions, yet they cannot escape the influence of these three modes which
are endemic in nature.
The entire fabric of manifestation is held together by the
interweaving threads of the three modes of nature. We cannot escape it.
But we can surely use our intellect and refuse to succumb to the
temptations, and transcend these modes to merge with the source, or
God.

Day 16
The division of human labour is also based on the qualities inherent in
peoples’ nature or their make-up. (18.41)
With the three measuring parameters, Krishna classified the entire
humanity under four distinct types. The classification is based on the
inner qualities of people, their basic nature that guides them to do
whatever they do best in life. These qualities are inherent in a person and
have nothing to do with having been born in a particular family. In fact,
they are more to do with the person’s karmic past.
According to Krishna, there are four types of people: brahmins,
kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras. Their difference is due to the difference
in the level of sattva, rajas and tamas in their nature.
When a person manifests predominantly the good sattva qualities,
then they are considered a brahmin, or one who knows the Self. When a
person has a mix of good sattvic qualities and rajasic passion, and is
constantly striving to control their senses, then they are considered a
kshatriya, or a warrior. When a person manifests predominantly the
rajasic passion, tempered a little with the ignorance of tamas, then they
are considered a vaishya, a worldly person. One who has predominantly
tamasic qualities is considered a shudra or a body-identified person.
Day 17
Those who have serenity, self-control, purity, patience, honesty,
transcendental knowledge and belief in God are labelled as intellectuals
or brahmins. Those having the qualities of heroism, vigour, firmness,
dexterity, not fleeing from battle, charity and administrative skills are
called leaders or protectors or kshatriyas. (18.42–18.43)
They who have realized oneness with the universal energy or God have
no trace of any delusion in their consciousness. Such people possess
great self-control and tolerance. They are pure and upright in action,
thought and word; they are wise and follow the teachings of scriptures,
even if they have not read them. Their nature is dominated by sattva and
they are considered as brahmins.
They who are heroic in the face of adversity, a courageous fighter in
the face of injustice, and generous to those who follow them, they are
resourceful and dependable leaders who never turn their back on a
righteous battle, or a mission they have undertaken. Their nature is
dominated by rajas with a smattering of sattva, and they are considered
to be kshatriyas. Such people constantly fight to control their senses.

Day 18
Those who are good in cultivation, cattle-breeding, business, trade,
finance and industry are known as businessmen or vaishyas. Those who
are good in service to others, in all types of menial work, are known as
workers or shudras. (18.44)
A person who is involved in keeping the wheels of trade and agriculture
moving, creating wealth so that society’s needs are fulfilled, is known as
a vaishya. They are businesspeople or traders. A vaishya garners wisdom
from the sages and uses it to improve his life. And by exemplifying their
own life, they offer that knowledge to others. They take from one, work
on it and give it to another—this is typically a vaishya activity.
A person who is happy to serve others is a shudra. They are diligent
and loyal in the performance of their duty, content to follow orders and
instructions, and to carry them out to the best of their ability. Body-
bound people, who are busy only in earning money to support their
bodily needs, and who prefer to sleep when they are not labouring, are
typically shudras.
Day 19
One attains perfection by worshipping the Supreme Being—from whom
all beings originate, and by whom this entire universe is pervaded—
through performance of one’s natural duty for Him. (18.46)
We have learnt this by now that it’s our own karmic baggage that
determines our present birth. We have to reap what we have sowed in our
past. The liberation from this bondage is through working out the effects
by performing our present duties selflessly. If we don’t, we would carry
the karmic baggage on to the next life.
To liberate ourselves from the present bondage, the first step is that
we must understand that wherever we are born, the family, the
circumstances, all are because of our own past karma. We need to accept
this fact first, make peace with it and never complain about it.
The second step is that we should work hard selflessly, for that is the
only way we would be able to look after ourselves and our basic needs.
Selfless working would entail that while working we are not thinking of
ourselves, but are thinking of how our work is helping others. This
would free us from all the work-related stress as well. When we believe
in ‘work is worship’, we unconsciously serve God by serving others.
This is the path to Self-realization.

Day 20
One’s inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural work even
though well-performed. One who does the work ordained by one’s
inherent nature, without any selfish motive, incurs no sin or karmic
reaction. (18.47)
According to Krishna, if we are sincerely following our duty in work,
then we do not incur any karmic reaction. Simply put, we incur no sin. If
a soldier kills enemies in a war, it is not considered a sin, as it’s a part of
his duties. A criminal lawyer defends his client, wins the case, and his
criminal client is set free. It may seem wrong to us, but the lawyer did
his duty. If there seems to be any injustice, the onus falls on the judge or
the judicial system, but not the lawyer.
 Another important thing that comes to light here is that we must
follow our ‘calling’. Every person has a ‘calling’, which is the path
ordained for them to clear their past karmic debts. This is how the soul
evolves. The problem is that we choose to ignore the call of our soul. We
follow the path that others choose for us, be it our parents, teachers or
peers.
It is seen many times that people, after having studied engineering or
medicine, after having worked in multi-national organizations, suddenly
leave everything one day and get involved in charitable work. Why?
Because they finally hear the call of their soul. It’s not surprising that
doing the latter makes them happier than their high-paying jobs.

Day 21
Endowed with purified intellect, subduing the mind with firm resolve,
turning away from the objects of the senses, giving up likes and dislikes,
living in solitude, eating lightly, controlling the mind, speech and organs
of action, ever absorbed in yoga of meditation and taking refuge in
detachment; and after relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger,
and proprietorship one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of ‘I, me
and mine’, and fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being. (18.51–
18.53)
Those whose intellect is free from all sensual entanglements, keep
themselves in the mode of goodness. Such people are the controllers of
their own minds and keep their perception focussed on Self. They
abandon the luxuries of their senses, beginning with the desire to hear
and be heard. Free of likes and dislikes, such a person is satisfied with
the bare necessities for sustaining life.
Eating lightly is indicative of eating just enough to sustain the body.
Living in solitude does not necessarily mean living alone, but rather
living a detached life. When one is detached from the material world,
one becomes calm inside; it’s like being an island in the middle of a
choppy ocean.
Those people who can disconnect their minds from all distractions
and attractions, who are free from desires and attachments, who are free
from the consciousness of ‘I, me and mine’—such people are fit to
merge with the source, the universal energy or the Supreme Being.
Day 22
Absorbed in the Supreme Being, the serene one neither grieves, nor
desires; becoming impartial to all beings, one obtains the highest
devotional love for God. (18.54)
It is our ego that creates a divide between us and the others. It makes us
judge everyone all the time. It makes us evaluate everything on a
material scale. It fans our desires to acquire more and more material
possessions. Simply put, it binds us down inextricably to the material
world.
After eliminating egotism and its manifestations in the form of
power, pride, lust and sense of possession, the devotee experiences
tremendous peace within, as they become free from all false evaluations
of life.
Such people become detached and desireless; they become impartial
to all as they see God in all beings. When such a person becomes one
with the Self, they also becomes the seer, like the Self, like God.

Day 23
By devotion one truly understands what and who I am in essence.
Having known me in essence, one immediately merges with me. (18.55)
In order to understand or know someone or something, we need to
devote our full attention to it. That devotion makes us a devotee. The
same principle applies to understanding the universal energy or God. We
need to devote our complete undistracted attention to him. Once we do
that, then like any other subject or object, we would have a clear
understanding of him.
We would then understand that the universal energy or God is devoid
of all forms and names. The various forms and names are those of the
universal energy manifested as nature.
Knowing God as non-dual, unborn, unchanging and undying
consciousness is also the same as knowing one’s own Self. Once it is
clear that it is the same energy that pervades the entire universe including
us, it is also clear that we all are one. That is meant by merging in God.
Day 24
A karma yogi devotee attains the eternal immutable abode by my grace,
even while doing all duties, just by taking refuge in me, by surrendering
all actions to me with loving devotion. (18.56)
We are taught from childhood to have a goal to follow. All our adult life
too, is spent on following some goal or the other. Even a ship sailing on
the high seas is going from one port to another. A river has its goal—the
ocean it merges into. Likewise, every being born has a goal too, and it is
not to die, but to merge with its source.
It follows that if we just work selflessly without desiring the fruits of
our action, we would succeed in getting rid of our past karmic debts. We
would even find a place in heaven. But we would not be able to merge
with the Supreme or universal energy. Why? The answer is simple. We
never made it as our goal to achieve. We made selfless work as our goal.
In order to merge with our creator, the Supreme, we need to make
him our goal. So, while doing our selfless work, we need to constantly
think of God, surrendering all our actions to him. This would make us
achieve our goal of Self or God realization.

Day 25
Sincerely offer all actions to me, set me as your supreme goal and
completely depend on me. Always fix your mind on me, and resort to
karma yoga. (18.57)
Krishna tells Arjun to disconnect his ego from his mind and the sense of
doership of actions, and unite his intellect with God, feeling him as the
doer of all actions.
When in the performance of any action, a person’s mind is identified
with the ego, it becomes bound in the sense experiences and material
activities. Such people, whether they want it or not, experience the
emotions of like-dislike, love-hate and so on.
But when the person’s mind is identified with God, it ceases to get
entangled in the sensual experiences of like-dislike, etc., because in such
a case the ego does not exist. With no ego to pacify or pamper, the
person becomes free. Such an unfettered person, focusing on God while
performing any action, is on the right path.

Day 26
You are controlled by your own nature-born karmic impressions.
Therefore, you shall do, even against your will, what you do not wish to
do out of delusion. (18.60)
Krishna tells Arjun that if he felt that fighting was wrong or if he was
under any illusion that he could escape from participating in it, then he
was wrong. Being born as a warrior, Arjun’s basic nature was to fight
against injustice, to fight for the cause of righteousness. It was not
possible for him to escape from his mode of nature. His own rajasic
nature would compel Arjun to fight. This is the law of nature.
The advice here is that we should perform our duty neither
unwillingly, nor with attachment, but with the objective of liberating
ourselves from the bondage of the material world.
I would go a step further and say that following the call of our soul is
very important, as it is that which guides us on the right path, the path
ordained for us by our own mode of nature.

Day 27
The Supreme Lord, as the controller abiding in the inner psyche of all
beings, causes them to work out their karma, like a puppet mounted on a
machine. (18.61)
The Supreme Lord or the universal energy pervades all beings as super-
soul. We know by now that we are a combination of body, individual
soul and super-soul. The individual soul carries the karmic impressions
from our past and we live and function according to that. Super-soul is
the observer.
After the death of the physical body, the individual soul moves on to
another body to carry out the leftover karma. All beings are, therefore,
being governed by their own karmic impressions. They go on living and
dying, mechanically moving along the cycles of rebirth.
 All this action happens because the Supreme Lord created the
universe and manifested all the beings. Since he is the super-soul, his
energy is manifested as the individual soul as well as our body. He is the
ultimate controller of the entire show.

Day 28
Renounce all dharma of body, mind and intellect, and just surrender
completely to my will with firm faith and loving devotion. I shall liberate
you from all sins and the bonds of karma. (18.66)
People live with all kinds of perceived attachments and duties towards
their own body, mind and intellect and exist as individuals. That
individuality expresses itself as their ego. These perceived duties do not
constitute the real dharma of a person.
The real dharma of a living being is to merge with the source.
Keeping this in mind, the perceived dharma should be renounced.
Renouncing would mean that we should not allow ourselves to identify
again and again with our ego and the entrapments that accompany it.
A single-pointed steady contemplation of the Self, that is God, would
help in withdrawing from the sensory material world. It would also
liberate us from our sins, which are the agitations of our mind. A calm
mind devoted to Self merges with Self and frees us from the karmic
cycle.

Day 29
Whoever shall impart to my devotees the transcendental knowledge of
the Gita, shall be performing the highest devotional service to me, and
shall certainly come to me. (18.68–18.69)
This is a commandment that not only one should study the Gita but must
also pass on the benefit of such knowledge to others in society. The idea
is that if the knowledge is not transferred from one person to another,
there would not be any mobility of intelligence. It is not necessary that
one has to first become a master of the entire Gita. The purpose is to
spread knowledge, however much we have learnt and imbibed.
 God is conscious of his creation, he is aware of the sufferings that
many people go through. So, any person who does the job of helping
people understand their innate divinity, helps them to alleviate their
suffering. Such a person who leads others to liberation, is naturally loved
by God the most.

Day 30
Arjun: Destroyed is my delusion as I have gained my memory through
your grace. I stand firm with my doubts dispelled. I shall act according
to your word. (18.73)
Arjun admits that his confusions have ended and that he has woken up
from his state of unconsciousness. This statement is not just a meek
acceptance; it is an affirmation of Arjun recognizing his real nature.
Arjun wakes up from his dream-state where he had identified with his
ego, like all of us do. His doubts were destroyed and his delusions had
disappeared. His mind was now clear of all conflict and he was ready to
perform his duty to the best of his abilities. With full faith in his dear
friend and charioteer Krishna, Arjun the warrior, was ready to fight for
righteousness.
It is important not just to hear or read a lecture, but also to see its
impact on people, see how it changes a person’s life completely. After
all, we all learn by seeing examples that we can identify with. Identifying
with Krishna may not be easy, but identifying with Arjun is a piece of
cake!

Day 31
Sanjay: Wherever there will be Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, and Arjun, a
true devotee, wielding the weapon of self-control, there will be
everlasting prosperity, victory, welfare and morality. (18.78)
In this concluding verse, Sanjay, after witnessing the enlightenment of
Arjun, declares that whoever becomes like Arjun, who, though weak
initially, was still ready to free himself by slaying his would-be captors,
his senses, with the bow of self-control, and who was able to unite his
soul with the super-soul—such a person is bound to find everlasting
happiness.
By practising non-attachment and by withdrawal of consciousness
from sense perceptions with the help of yoga and meditation, a person
can unite his soul with the Spirit and attain eternal peace and happiness.
And this is the aim of all living beings.
 Acknowledgments

Writing this book has been a beautiful journey of introspection and

learning.
I must start by thanking Avdhesh, my husband, who made me
relocate to the hills of Uttarakhand, my home state, to write. He
understood my need to internalize the Gita first before spilling it out on
paper.
I have Kapish Mehra to thank for, for nudging me into taking this
journey inwards, the result of which is here for you to read. This is my
second book with him, the first one being on Krishna’s management
skills. Hopefully, between Rupa and myself, there would be many more
‘gods’ to write about.
Thank you dear Rudra, you are the best commissioning editor I have
met so far. It’s people like you who seed the author into giving their best.