Wisdom of the Gita!
Culture 101: Unpacking Local Sayings
Note: This first installment of the ‘Wisdom of the Gita’ series offers additional cultural context if needed. I curate, group and interpret selections from this ancient text for modern ways.
Of The Mind or Self
Raise the Self by the Self - do not weaken its power. For the Self can be your friend or your enemy; the choice is yours.
Know that your mind is extremely powerful.
It can exhort you to greatness, or lower you to your base instincts.
How you use it is a choice. Befriend it, and it will elevate you. Turn it into an enemy, and it will destroy you. 1
You, therefore, are your own worst enemy.
Unchecked, the mind is like four runaway horses of a chariot, causing havoc. 2
A skilled charioteer, though, can rein in the horses and maintain control, despite their antics. Aspire to be like this charioteer.
For this will hold you in good stead under all conditions.
Without mastery of the mind, nothing great can be achieved.
Happiness eludes three types of people:
The ignorant, who are neither curious nor willing to learn to harness the power of their Self.
Those who lack faith in themselves (or their Self) and the power of the Self.
The doubting individual who is forever questioning every aspect of life and the Universe. Always skeptical and weighing everything in negative terms, they fail to act in faith, unable to sustain belief in themselves.
For it is true, just as day turns to night, that the doubting soul has no peace of mind or happiness - either in this world or the next.
Just as a turtle withdraws into its shell, so too does a wise person withdraw from surrounding distractions and concentrate their mind on their inner Self.
Such a person remains calm and centered in the world, even in the midst of chaos.
Peace clings to a person who remains centered, untouched by the need to fulfil every desire swirling around, just as the ocean remains unmoved when waters merge into it from different sources.
Read other posts in this series.
Did you enjoy this curation? Do you have any favorite teachings from ancient philosophies that you'd like to share?
Milton (1608-1674) spoke of a similar concept in his famous quote: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”
I have borrowed an analogy from the Upanishads: the Self, as an Observer, is the passenger in the chariot representing the human body. The charioteer represents intellect or discernment, the reins symbolize the impulsive mind, and the five horses correspond to the five senses. Consider that Plato in Phaedrus depicts the soul as a charioteer driving a chariot pulled by two horses! Universal human experiences?
Excellent series to embark on, Jayshree. The Gita is one of the most seminal philosophical texts in history. Unlike much of Western philosophy which goes into intellectual wanderings and cognitive meandering, the Gita is meant to find immediate application in the problems we encounter in daily living. I am looking forward to this series.
Hi Jayshree,
I really liked this one, especially the list of the types of people that Happiness eludes!
I put another comment in a LinkedIn Message.