START A BETTER LIFE - 3 - PATH

Bhagwad Gita is in Sanskrit. Many experts have written about Bhagwad Gita and its purport. Numerous editions are available all over. Still there are misconceptions about Bhagwad Gita. These are summarized here –

Misconception	Reality
Bhagwad Gita is a religious book full of prayers deifying Hindu Gods and religion	Bhagwad Gita is philosophical and not religious. It is a practical guide to lead a life in a joyous manner.
Reading and practicing Bhagwad Gita at an early age would make youngsters shun ambition and therefore the drive to progress would diminish.	In opposite Bhagwad Gita makes them resilient, more practical towards the outcome of the effort and tells how to go towards the goal without burning out oneself  in order to achieve the goal
We think that it is not our right age to read and follow the path shown by Bhagwad Gita. Those who are believers may try to follow the path who in any case would end up being a pujari and not an accomplished person.	Bhagwad Gita tells what a successful life is. In life what is success and what is failure. It tells us what choice to be made in order to lead a joyful life.

To lead a joyful worthwhile life we need some anchoring, assurance, security, confidence and a way to lead the life. The way for this is shown in Bhagwad Gita. If we try to understand Bhagwad Gita, its meaning and inculcate its purport slowly in our life, we would emerge mentally stronger, happier and get sense of achievement at the end of the life.

For the youngsters, reading Bhagwad Gita in Sanskrit and to get its true purport is a challenge. There are so many interpretations and so many translations that the youngsters and current generation simply doesn’t have time, inclination and conviction to read Bhagwad Gita, to understand the Bhagwad Gita and practice the tenets preached in it.

Without making an attempt at knowing what is there in Bhagwad Gita, youngsters feel knowing about Bhagwad Gita is boring and uncool. It is like the key to happiness is with them but they don’t know it and they don’t believe that what they have is key to happiness. It is an awkward situation. They don’t know what Bhagwad Gita is all about so they are not inclined to read it, thinking it would be a boring religious book full of rituals out of sync with today. They don’t read so they don’t know what is there in it. They face day to day problems in life. Then to resolve the problems they start their quest. After whole round of external probing when they come to the latter half of their life they come to know about Bhagwad Gita but then the major time of their life has passed by so they let it go. Not because they would want to let it go but they just cannot then change their life style and their thinking. So they continue remaining in self-created depressed environment or continue struggling with emotions.

It is like a lady searching for a needle on a road and villagers helping her in finding the needle. From morning till evening they search without success. A senior person was passing by and he asked them “ what are u searching?” Villagers told him “They are helping the lady find a lost needle, but still are unable to find”. The wise asked “by the way where did you lose the needle?” The lady pointing towards her house answers “I lost it in my house”. Surprised, the wise person asks “you lost in your house and you all are searching here, you will never be able to find whatever you try.” When the wise asked, asks why there were searching there in broad day light instead of searching in the house he was told that they were searching there outside because there was enough sunlight here, there in the house it was all dark. To this the wise man says “You will never find it here unless you take the light inside your house where you have lost the needle”. Our whole life goes in searching happiness outside when actually it lies within. We never find it like that needle as we search at a wrong place.  

Here is the gist of Bhagwad Gita which can be easily read, understood and followed. There is also a guide what to follow, how to follow and what all to follow. Based on the temperament of the individuals, different paths are suggested to be followed which gives maximum benefits in terms of leading a happy life.

Bhagwad Gita has 18 Chapters and 700 shlokas but more about such details later. Considering the present times, societal norms and readers’ outlook relevant shlokas are interpreted. Only reading and understanding Bhagwad Gita would not give any benefits nor will it solve any problems. Only if we follow it with conviction, then will help to change our attitude and outlook towards life and that will get translated into joy and happiness. Keep reading………………….!