Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita

At first I couldn’t understand — why are they so calmly discussing war against an army where many were close to Arjuna? The Gita is a myth, a description of an inner journey and the obstacles every human being has to face. The metaphor of the evil army represents everyone’s tendency toward evil. We encounter this in life when we don’t want to give up something that destroys our very existence. We don’t act, don’t follow our sense of duty, and keep living without making the right decision. We feel nostalgic for an unstable lifestyle, for easy pleasures.

The problem Arjuna faces — and all of us — is whether we can tell truth and reality from lies and illusion, and live by those truths? Do we have the courage and faith to build our lives on the insights that come from meditation and reflection? Can Arjuna realize and stand for what he knows to be true? Can I? The Gita pushes toward resolving this tension without falling into the trap of self-pity — “Woe is me, I will not fight!”