There is a very old Indian book, it advocates that the mystic must lie underneath the man of worldly affairs yet it’s pages have often been misunderstood and its value been reduced considerably. Nearly every literate Yogi in India carries with him a small edition of this inspired and profound classic, the Bhagavad Gita.
The Bhagavad Gita summarises various approaches to the Overself and also describes the latter. It can be misunderstood and I will reveal selected lines of esoteric meaning rather than the religious.
Arjun, a young prince who is one of the two parties – the divine teacher and his human disciple – engaged in dialogue which runs throughout these blog posts. It typifies in his own figure the man who seeks peace of mind amid worldly harassments, as well as the aspirant of spiritual light.
However, not until he is placed on a battlefield to fight against his beloved relatives, who he sees confronting him in the opposite army, does he cry out for an answer to his questions. The battlefield, obviously represents the battlefield of life in which we are placed under in all kinds of circumstances whether we like it or not.
The disciple cries out for guidance. Only when his anguish becomes almost unbearable and his heart deeply torn does the teacher, who is symbolised by the figure of the divine avatar Krishna appears.
Krishna not only represents the embodied spiritual teacher, but he is ultimately the Overself within man, the God within who can illuminate all dark corners and answer all questions. He finds the disciple agitated, confused and with eyes full of tears. He seems him torn between the desire to do his duty in battle and the love for his relatives who oppose him in the opposite army.
The occasion is used to give a length discourse upon spiritual subjects and and techniques. At the end of the discourse, after hearing all the teaching, the pupils mind becomes peaceful. He says: “My doubts are dispelled. Destroyed are my illusions.” By what magic? was the mental change accomplished? Through both the guidance and grace received from his teacher and his own inner growth in striving for insight.
The difficulties one meets in modern life can be met and overcome after we gain such insight. Wisdom is the ability to negotiate all circumstances of life adequately, correctly and with spiritual success. This understanding of the power lying latent within becomes in time a man’s anchor. He can ride the storms of life which bring uncertainty that there is something within him that cannot shake from position.
The man of inspired life follows no iron law and clings to no rock-like plan. Sufficient for him to look within for the right direction at all times under all circumstances. To perceive the truth about any matter is to dispel all doubt.
To Be Continued…..
