10 Key Teachings from Bhagavad Gita
Last updated on April 8th, 2024 at 07:26 pm
Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important sacred Hindu texts, in the form of a discussion between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna. The conversation takes place on the battlefield when Arjuna faces a dilemma of whether it would be correct to fight with his inmates for victory. While counseling Arjuna and encouraging him to fight for ultimate justice, Lord Krishna covers many important aspects of living a meaningful life. The conversation between Arjuna and Krishna, that is encapsulated in the Gita, has an in-depth explanation of dharma, karma, the purpose of one’s life, one’s ethical and moral duties and responsibilities and self-realization. In this write-up, we enlist 10 key teachings of the Gita.
10 Important Teachings of Bhagavad Gita
#1 One of the main moral lessons of Gita is that the past is behind us, learn from it; the future is ahead of us, prepare for it; the present is here, live it. Thus, the Gita teaches us the importance of living in the present.
#2 The Gita says that all of us face challenges and have to go through difficult times. It is natural to feel afraid and confused during such times. However, we should let go of the fears, focus on the karma and trust the process.
#3 An important teaching of Gita is that we should adhere to the good, and continue with our good deeds without worrying about the rewards. This means, we should focus on our work and not the results. Lord Krishna teaches us to abandon the fruits of our actions.
#4 In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that the body is mortal, but the soul is immortal. It is reborn into another body, and for those who have understood the ultimate truth, the soul is freed from the cycle of births, and achieves moksha.
#5 Bhagavad Gita teaches us that change is unavoidable and that we must learn to adapt to changes in life. Difficult phases will come and go. We should learn to tolerate them and accept them without getting affected by them. Lord Krishna emphasizes that nothing in the world is permanent.
#6 What Gita says about love? The Gita teaches is to forego our prejudices and extend love and compassion to all living beings. We should not carry hatred for any creature and that we should be friendly and forgiving to all. We should be able to achieve a state where we can treat our friends and foes equally.
#7 The importance of meditation has been discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krishna explains that meditation is extremely necessary in order to find inner peace and for sadhana. A mind which is engrossed in materialistic things cannot meditate.
#8 One more key teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is that desires come and go but we should be dispassionate towards them. If we get affected by our desires, we may take to certain wrong deeds, so it is important to prevent ourselves from getting shackled by our desires and be able to experience them objectively. Lord Krishna says that we should be free from attachment and egoism, and balanced in pain and pleasure.
#9 Whatever happens, happens for the good, is an extremely important teaching of the Bhagavad Gita. Repenting over past actions or stressing over the present circumstances is futile, as everything is designed by God, and whatever is happening with us, is for the good. It is important to have faith in God and trust in his design instead of mulling over the past or blaming ourselves or our circumstances for the present situation. We should believe that whatever happens, happens because it was meant to be, and God will never let anything bad happen to us. So, everything is happening for the good.
#10 The Gita teaches us to trust the Almighty and devote ourselves to him. We should dedicate all our actions to God. We should know that He is supreme, the creator as well as the destroyer and it is he who is governing all our experiences in life. If we surrender to the almighty, and devote ourselves to him, we will gain strength from him and know that He is always there to help us during difficult times. We should know that God is omnipresent and all-knowing, and that if we have faith in him, we shall be able to sail through life with ease.
Applying the principals of Gita in our daily life, can lead to a huge positive change in the way we think, behave and act. The application of lessons learned from the Gita can be life-changing, as this sacred text carries the ultimate knowledge of life.
It teaches us to have faith in the almighty, trust the process, know that everything is transient and live with objectivity. The Bhagavad Gita also teaches us to have compassion for all living beings, to never forsake the good, to imbibe purity in our thoughts and actions, and to live in the present with a strong belief that everything happens for our greater good. The Gita teaches us to turn our pain into purpose and live a disciplined and fulfilling life.