An excerpt from Gita by Pranay

The crux of the Gita is of having a consciousness which is completely balanced, calm, tranquil, inorder, and in control. The kind of consciousness which Arjun displays in the beginning of the Gitais the opposite: it’s a highly disturbed consciousness. Agitated, in turmoil, mentally in disorder. It isobvious that a warrior on the battlefield, especially one who is supposed to set an example for others ,must display a balanced consciousness. Not only is it good from the point of view of achieving the taskat hand—of winning the battle and overcoming the challenge—but it also creates a great respect for that person from the point of view of his team members and his fellow fighters. Krishna is constantly advising Arjun to find his balance. To find calmness within. And to simply get rid of the agitation inhis mind, because that is the only way that our being will be positively nourished from within. And being positively nourished from within, he will be able to act in the correct manner.

Whatever happens out of a balanced consciousness is bound to be correct. Whatever happens out of a disturbed consciousness is bound to be incorrect, and leads to disastrous results. Very clearly, Krishna points out to Arjun that not only will he lose respect in the eyes of his fellow warriors if he remains so disturbed, but he will also not be able to come to a state where he functions with focus and concentration. For totality of action, it is really needed that one meets whatever circumstances that come one’s way with a total of balanced awareness. So that nothing disturbs one. It is like a tightrope walker, walking the rope with the balancing pole. He has to cross that rope; he has to surmount the challenge. But if he becomes disturbed in his state of mind, he’s bound to fall from that height! So,Krishna counsels Arjun that he is about to lose all that is good within himself simply because of being agitated.

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Balance implies being able to look at a situation in a passive, non-judgmental way. Look at the situation with totality of consciousness, without the fog of conditioning or mental/emotional prejudice. And this is the kind of mindset which not only a fighter on the battlefield has to have, but also one that a leader in the midst of any action in the world should have. Because that is what leads to welfare of both the individual and society. Otherwise, one is completely in a situation which leads to turmoil in one’s inner state. And turmoil in our inner psycho-spiritual state simply leads to turmoil in our material actions.

See how the mind is functioning: watch your own mind. Is it balanced? If it is, then no matter what the challenge, you can go into the challenge happily. You can go into the challenge with a transcendent awareness. And transcendent awareness means cutting away the nonessential, focusing on what truly needs to be done for the task! This is supremely important for a leader who seeks to make his team come to a totality of action, in order to achieve their desired result. But to make the concentration total, to make the focus like a laser beam, there has to be a situation where the mind is absorbed in a harmonious flow towards the task. If harmony of mental flow is lost, then the direction itself is lost. The energy is lost. And one reaches nowhere. It is then like water on sand: no matter how much you pour, it will still not flow. So, make the consciousness like a clear path. On that clear path will come a clear and dynamic flow. And when the energy of consciousness flows with a dynamic clarity, then does it become unstoppable. Then what one is doing is not being done just because one has to finish

Title:  GITA
Author: Pranay
Publisher: Fingerprint!
Available: Amazon

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