America is the melting pot of all nationalities, all religions across the globe. It is the land of opportunity that acts like a magnet. Working here for last twenty plus years, I happened to visit quite a bit of this great nation. Every now and then, particularly on long flights, I got to meet people curious about India - the land of Yoga and the Vaidik philosophy - The mystical nature of India. Internet has only fueled this curiosity and I guess lots of people have put in genuine hard work in branding (and selling) the Indian heritage (nothing wrong). At the same time , there is a definite realization in the west, that material and consumptive approaches have their limits when it comes to internal satiation. Whatever be the reason, or simply the conversation fillers, I often saw a ‘thirst’ to know more about “Eastern Wisdom” ; and India in general.

Early days, I used to respond ad-hoc, depending upon who I was talking to; or the situation , the conversation. As I grew older, got more comfortable in terms of my understanding of the American culture, it’s openness; and genuine curiosity , I felt obligated to justify my answer. I may not be credible enough to take a point of view on this immense question but that should not be the reason to stop me putting in good effort to strive for one - what is India ?

My quest led me to the archives of Panḍit Neharū- the first prime minister of India, who used to ask this question in his speeches - What is ‘Bhārat mātā’ (mother India)? - And when the crowds pointed to the lands of India; he used to respond that India is all of you; in addition to the mountains and the rivers and the seas on its shores. But the problem really is how do you represent a billion plus Indians - Hindus, Muslims , Sikhs and hundreds of more religions and their factions. The question is valid but the answer is difficult. How to say what is India?

It’s a land of billion plus; a large and fertile agricultural base; growing very fast in technology; hundreds of political parties; all sorts of weathers; the tallest of the mountains; the deepest of the seas. But if you want to put a very concise answer that is really meaningful and that truly addresses the intent of the question, then the answer is not in the geography ; nor it is in the history! When people ask about India , they really want to know…

What is the essence of India? What is it you must know to blend in? What inspires Indian ethos and what drives the value system.

Lot of introspection; and conscious thinking - I reached kinda conclusion that India is actually two stories - The story of Rama and the story of Krishna. These two epics go beyond casts , regions and even religions. Yes , even Islam of India has shades of Rama and Krishna - be it the devotion of Raskhan or philosophy of Mirza Galib - they seem to echo one culture. In fact the offspring of these two - Islam and Hinduism - is Sufi culture . Khwaza Moinudding Chishti chose to settle down in India (Ajmer) and married into a Hindu family. So did Akbar whose wife Jodhabai was an ardent devotee of Krishna. So much so, she had Krishna temple right in her palace.

The narratives of Rama and Krishna are woven into the fabric of Indian psyche. One wouldn’t be wrong if she assumed that Rama and Krishna are the Gods; but truth is they are lot more than heavenly Gods. In their stories, lies the blend of Indian culture. And these stories are not just Godly teachings - they are the stories of war, deceit, love and hate and pretty much every aspect of life imaginable. If you get these two rather big narratives, the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārat you can get ninety percent of what India is. I mean if you happen to be in India and you know these two timeless epics well enough, you can come out of any conversation on top, as someone who knows what India is.

The remaining ten percent is where we get down to the deeper philosophy. Unfortunately just “stories” don’t work out well enough in such conversations. We need a deeper appreciation of the scriptures such as Vedas Upanishadas Puranas and Samhitas. Reading and understanding all of them is true love of labor. And pretty confusing too, because they evolved over thousands of years, and they may even contradict each other. That is where Gītā fits in.

Gītā packs the entire wisdom of East in just seven hundred verses that are easy to understand and are available in every language. Hundreds of gurus and philosophers have described Gītā with their own commentary though Gītā is not a book by itself. It is just one chapter of the epic Mahābhārat. It is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna in the middle of the great war - also named Mahābhārat. Thus knowing Gītā is, in a way, the fastest way to get to the core of Eastern Wisdom.

Krishna & Mahābhārat

In the larger epic Mahābhārat, Krishna is the multifaceted incarnation of the God - as a king, a diplomat , a messenger and a friend and the one who stands up to the evil. Among all these and many others, his role as the driver of Arjuna’s chariot is fascinating. This role is symbolic of one who is leading us on a righteous path; particularly when we are stuck into dilemmas.

Dilemma is the central theme of this epic. Arjuna was confronted with most daunting challenge humanly possible - something beyond imagination. Destiny had forced him to pick up weapons against his own extended family, his friends and his teachers. He had rather give up his own life than to put his loved ones into harm’s way. It was “literally” the existential question - to choose his life versus those who were the very reason of his existence. Despite being the most skilled warrior of his time, he was now a victim of “cycles of time”. No one , not even God himself, may change this basic nature of our reality; that good and bad times are two sides of a single coin - a sinusoidal wave.

We now know for sure that everything in our universe is a wave, even the physical particles such as electrons - even our own bodies. What we don’t understand from science is how we attach sense of joy and grief with this wave pattern.

Cyclic Nature

“God” may not change this eternal truth but she sure may hold our hands during these difficult transitions. She can show us the path that may not be self evident to our intelligence. There may exist an option to enable us ride this wave!

Gītā targets this timeless, universal problem - the cyclic nature of our lives. That is what makes it ever relevant. The birth and death are cyclic , so are the day and night. In observable universe, everything grows and then diminishes. Greater the rise, bigger the fall. Every success finally meets it’s failure and vice-versa. This is as true in business as in our emotional lives. Happiness and pain is a never ending cycle. Planets, stars and even black holes can’t escape this truth.

Krishna says..

Jatsya hi Druvo Mritur; DhruvaM Janm Mritsya Cha.

All things born in truth must die, and out of the death in truth comes life.

Karm Yoga

Krishna, in said conversation, lays out an elaborate method to help us stay afloat in the waves of joy and grief associated with the rise and the fall. A method that was unheard till he said it and remains unique to date. This message of Karm Yoga is both - rational and practical. It doesn’t warrant a leap of faith because it is experiential. Not only does it offer the exit from the cycles - Nirvana, it also makes the followers feel “blessed and blissed “ that obviously translates into worldly success. Thus Karm Yoga is a useful guide rail to navigate modern life.

My Journey

Birth and education in India ensures that we are unknowingly caught up with the stories of Rama and Krishna; and many more. But these narratives take a back seat as you immerse yourself in work , career and kids. Nothing different for me; but as I started thinking about India - afresh; from a vantage to explain it to someone who is never been to India ; in a way, my dormant interest got rekindled. It could also be that I had turned fifty! I realized that I hadn’t fully (cover to cover) read Gītā myself and the parts that I thought I had in me , were kinda fading away. Even then , it wasn’t easy for me to jump back into Gītā blindfolded. Truth be told, I did my due diligence! Here is my rationale before I took on the journey. First obvious comfort was - the ideas of Gītā appealed to me because it didn’t ask me give up my life for a strange unknown blessing. All it basically says is just do your duties without worrying about the outcomes. In addition …

• It didn’t ask me to visit a temple or light up the candles at a church. In fact it didn’t sound religious at all. It calls for realization of your inner “self” and it says once you know yourself, you are the God!

• Despite being part of Hindu scriptures, Gītā doesn’t belong to any religion nor does it advocate a specific God or a specific way to worship. In fact, it rejects the popular religious ideas. The situation itself was very symbolic - you have a king talking to a prince in the middle of a war. There were no long bearded monks there. This discourse was NOT at a Himalayan cave. In fact , it was not even a discourse - it was a one on one conversation. And the outcome of this conversation was the biggest blood shed ever known to the mankind - at least, till the time of its writing. There sure is nothing religious about it.

• It came as a fresh air to my goal (outcome) oriented thirty years through the corporate ladder. Everything should not be a calculation. I should be able to do things just for my (inner) sake. In fact Gita simplifies this conundrum - “What to do ?” . Should I indulge in activities that give me pleasure or should I invest myself into what my mind deems as “Righteous” ? And many times “Righteous” does appear difficult. Gita says , if you weed out the desires; what is left out there is “righteous”. It is so because “actions” are either driven by our “inner self” or by the “desires”. There is no other source of “actions”. And it is a myth that “righteous” can’t be fun filled. Careful removal of desires also revels that engaging in righteous actions is the biggest source of divine pleasure. Gita says that people who are indulged in actions under influence of desires, actually work very hard. They burn themselves in the fire of desires. But such hard work leads them to greater bondage and thus even bigger waves of joy and grief.

• Being attached to “Actions” made me more effective at my chores. I got better at fitness. Once I stopped chasing a number for “Financial Independence” and started focusing on right investment actions, the number automatically came through.

All above were good enough to engage , but the thing that really won me over …

The third option!

If we start a game, a common perception is there are two possible outcomes - we win , or we lose. Win means we are happy, lose means life sucks. In a normal game, if we keep on losing, ultimately we run out of the chips or the casino closes on us (assuming we are not at 24 X 7 Las Vegas!). So the third possible outcome is the game ends. What if we are in a game that can’t be stopped ….ever?

Isn’t life one such game? Leaving the concept of reincarnation at a bay (for the time being ) - I asked myself - Is it possible to be alive but not play the game!

The obvious answer was to get to a sustainable financial independence[FI], resign the regular job. Try to live within my means. I did all that. But many of you who reached FI would vouch - the game doesn’t stop. Portfolio, pandemics and politics never stop. And of course the body itself needs us to go on. It goes on and on. Only the events change - cycles don’t. Desires , happiness and pain are kinda built into us. No matter where we go , no matter what we do, our mind can’t get over the game.

There seems no option to pack the cards , sit in the casino bar and just enjoy a drink - no game.

Even if I don’t “use” the exit, there must be one. Where is my third option? To just “be” - at peace. I thought doing “nothing” might work. It doesn’t. In fact , being able to do nothing is very difficult. It is the freedom. Freedom is actually tied to the actions. Anyone can think or imagine whatever they want to do; but that is not so when it comes down to actions. For actions we need permissions. There are permissions to be sought at the work place, at home ; even from our own body. Our ability to do what we want to is freedom. And if we want to do “nothing”, then being able to do that is freedom. Turns out this ultimate freedom isn’t possible. No matter what we do , we still need to breathe, drink , eat and millions of other chores to run this body. With every single layer of sophistication or automation, we add another layer of chores that must be done. Charging our cell phone is now as important as drinking water!

It just seemed unfair that I was neither asked if I wanted to play in the first place, nor do I have permission to leave. No doubt this is a beautiful physical reality but it feels like a beautiful jail if we don’t have the permission to see past it. Or do whatever we want to. On top of that - the reincarnation thing (if true) sounds as if , I am stuck here for the eternity , playing these Squid games! Isn’t it?

Nirvana

Gītā says where the world looks at only two outcomes - heaven or hell ; both being here in this physical reality , there does exist a third option - Nirvana - that is to exit this game. It suggests a simple approach to accomplish this third stage - Indulge in actions whole-heartedly but give up all the expectations. That seems counter-intuitive because desires (or passions) are the very reason we indulge in actions. The good news is- Gītā, just doesn’t offer the dictum; it also offers a road-map. A definitive overall one stop solution!

Krishna says - Nirvana is the real victory and that is the real goal. And he proposes Karm Yoga as the only path. In essence, Gītā gives a new destination and also paves the singular path to it. Why singular? Why only path? Because , it says , all other paths finally lead to Karm Yoga.

In nutshell, it says that the pains and happiness are attached to the “the expectations versus the outcomes”. If favorable we are happy , Otherwise not. Actions, done without influence of desires, on the other hand, have two different properties - peace and knowledge. If we focus on actions (and do them as a ritual, free from desires - Nishkaam Yajna) we shall attain the peace and decrypt the knowledge. And finally this knowledge automatically solves the puzzle and thus the exit - Nirvana. Other way to understand this concept is to think about the wave nature (cyclic reality). If we were to maximise the cycle of happiness, that means we also must maximize the cycle of pain. While most of the religious, medicinal or even scientific approaches sell us the idea of enhancing happiness (or reducing the pain), Gita suggests such approaches defy the basic principle that every success must meet it’s failure. Higher the rise bigger the fall. Thus the idea of increasing happiness is a personal choice that must bake in the imminent sorrow. It should we be a conscious decision if we want to sink in cycles or ride the wave. This .however, doesn’t mean we become action-less. In fact becoming action-less is impossible. Gita says we can’t live without actions even for a moment. The actions driven by desires lead to cycles of happiness and pain. Actions done without desires decrypt the knowledge and thus lead to lasting peace. Such a state of peace is called NIrvana.

And here is the Kicker - It says we don’t need to perform any special drill. All we need to do is just change our approach to “Actions”. From “influenced by desires” to “free from desires”. In a way we are only shifting our focus from desires to actions.

If all I need to do is change the approach to things I anyway do - invest in stocks, love my dogs, run , chat with friends, take care of a family , drink some good wine and come up with occasional tweets; then obviously there is no down side to trying out Nirvana route! Kinda “no-brainer” …

Alexa - put me on Nirvana mode!

Unfortunately , technology still doesn’t have the Nirvana skill! So the journey is really to learn (and experiment) how to focus solely on “Actions”. Without any consideration of “outcomes”.

Turns out it is harder than what I thought. Desires creep into everything we do. Thus Karm Yoga is a skill , just like playing the Violin. The good news is Gītā has all the information. We still need to practice though ; because just information is not sufficient. Gītā is experiential.

Somewhat better news is, the work done on this path never goes wasted. This assurance comes from the “auto save mode”! Krishna knows, we will wander off track ; get swayed by the desires- thus the assurance that once we start on Karm Yoga , just like swimming , we will never forget it. We can always come back at any point, reset our password (if forgot), and get started from where we left …

Isn’t Nirvana a desire?

Yes it is, aspiring to exit is also a desire, a desired outcome - what a catch! I thought to myself!

Gītā says - only till we are learning. Once we attain Karm Yoga, even the desire to exit vanishes - thus the eternal peace. In fact Karm Yoga is not about exiting the life. It is about riding wave above the cycles of happiness and pains. Exit happens whenever it needs to happen. At this stage we are not even a Karm Yogi. We are simply a Yogi - means connected.

This writing work

It is hard to label Gītā as spiritual or scientific. It offers experiential method that is as testable as science. At the same time it warrants dedication, commitment and rigor which is common to any “problem solving” apparatus. A new reader might see the later as a “call for faith”. The best approach is to treat it beyond labels. Walk the line and determine yourself if it works. If it does, take on to the next iteration.

As we start invoking Gītā into our lives, first curious to see if it works and later as the path pulls us in, we realize Gītā is based out of pure logic. It may not not be grounded in the mathematical equations but a slightly deeper experience opens up the door to its superlative rationale that is baked into common sense above all. In a way, it could act as a unifier between two conflicting ideologies of our time - Science and Religion. And that is exactly this text is about. One of my motive is to bridge this gap , at least make a start.

The name - Arjun Uvāch

It simply means “Arjuna Said”. As we know, Gītā is a conversation where Arjuna asked the questions and Krishna answered them with love and respect. Think of this work, as Arjuna of this time , explaining back what he understood. A loop back mechanism to ensure intact delivery of communication and also its intent. And also using his own language, his metaphors and his analogies.

My goal is to say it in the most accessible way. My hope is, in the process, I will be able to boil it down to a modern document that is beyond blind faith and is logically appealing.