The Secret To Success

I finally got to reading the next teachings of The Baghavad Gita. I would like to start off with a quote Ifound, “When his senses are controlled but he keeps recalling sense objects with his mind, he is a self-deluded hypocrite” The discipline of action Pg. 44 text 6. I really liked this quote. I’m not sure I really understand it, but it just stood out to me. It was like I could relate to it in some way, only I don’t know how. So the third teaching was mainly about senses and its title The discipline of action. Krishna is again trying to persuade Arjuna to fight in the war. This reminds me of the writer’s workshop lesson I took with rhetoric and ways of persuasion. I was able to find Logos, Ethos, and Pathos that Krishna uses to try to persuade Arjuna into fighting. Pathos was used when Krishna started saying it would bring shame to the family if he didn’t fight. Logos was used when he uses the examples of men of discipline, and ethos was used when he talks about how men have to be strong and detach from their emotions. This was very interesting because rhetoric was being used here when this was written far before rhetoric was invented. Another interesting point I noticed was that in this quote, “Men say that the senses are superior to their objects, the mind superior to the senses, understanding superior to the mind; higher than understanding itself” The discipline of action Pg. 49 text 42. Here, self is first, understanding is second, mind third, then senses, and last object. The order of this was interesting because although we may not see it we have this order in modern day as well. Although we try not to, we tend to put ourselves first. Without understanding we get nowhere so it is very important as to be second on the list. Our mind has to be above our senses; our senses wouldn’t work without our mind. Lastly we put our objects. You may find reason to contradict this but let me put it in a more logical way. If there was a burning building would you risk losing your senses to rescue an object? This is just my way of looking at the hierarquia.  There was one more quote in the third teaching that I really enjoyed. This quote I believe is something we could use now days especially, “Your own duty done imperfectly is better than another man’s done well. It is better to die in one’s own duty; another man’s duty is perilous” The discipline of action Pg. 48 text 35.

The fourth teaching is called Knowledge which is exactly what it is about. Krishna intends on teaching Arjuna the knowledge of life. This quote I believe explains just what this is about, “Your birth followed the birth of the sun; how can I comprehend that you taught it in the beginning? Knowledge Pg. 51 text 4. This is the essential question that starts this teaching. This teaching talks a lot about action and inaction. Krishna intends to teach the difference between the two, “What is action? What is inaction? Even the poets were confused- What I shall teach you of action will free you from misfortune” Knowledge Pg. 53 text 16. In pages 54-55 Krishna explains what type of action men of discipline do. He says some do it through sacrifice; inaction, giving up senses, and some by giving up food (exhaust sins). This is all kindled by knowledge and its source, action. Now this did make me think about sacrifice. I always thought of sacrifice in a death related way. But I’ve come to see its real definition would be giving up something. You don’t have to die in order to sacrifice. This to me was interesting because it changed an image I had for a long time. They also said sacrifice in knowledge was better that sacrifice in material objects. That said goes back to the heirarquia in teaching 3. Reading all of this got me to rethink my theory I had of Krishna. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all, or maybe I’m just falling for his persuasion. I know his intentions are bad though, trying to get Arjuna to fight. I’m just going to have to keep reading to discover the truth I guess.

Renunciation of Action, The title of the fifth teaching baffles me. Wasn’t Krishna trying to get Arjuna to take action? Krishna says here that you have to first praise actions and then discipline but discipline in action was best. Krishna confuses me sometimes. There are many constant contradictions but once you interpret them it is only making the information more specific. In this case he is saying Action is best when there is discipline. There is something in what Krishna says that makes me think of successful men today, “A man able to endure the force of desire and anger before giving up his body is disciplined and joyful” Renunciation of Action Pg. 62 text 23. A successful man isn’t a man loaded with money and a trophy wife. A successful man isn’t a man who has a perfect life with everything under control and not a financial dime short. A successful man is one that is truly eternally happy. Just like the quote says able to endure the force of desire. You are not happy if you are in constant greed. You are not happy if you are angry, so you must overcome those impulses. This quote is a formula to being a successful person. Another quote to further this example is this one, “Truly free is the sage who controls his senses, mind, and understanding, who focuses on freedom and dispels desire, fear, and anger” Renunciation of Action Pg. 63 text 28. This is also very much like Buddhism like I have previously said. This is what an enlightened person is. So far I am really enjoying this book. It is full of advice on life. The only thing is that it is a persuasion to go to war, the intentions aren’t the best. This was in a time where war was the answer, so I can’t blame a thousand year old book for that. In a way I just want to prove my theory wrong because it is full of so many truths that Krishna can’t be bad. I’m going to continue reading The Baghavad Gita. Stay tuned for my next blog.