Dec 6, 2003, 12.00am IST
When I say that the Bhagavad Gita is an ideal guidebook for the young, the reaction is almost always: " Gita for the young? Wasn't it meant for retired people? Who has the time to read the Gita when we are already under so much pressure every day of our lives?"
Wait, hang on, I tell them... perhaps the Gita can help relieve those very pressures and enable us to overcome stress and threat of failure.
Youth is characterised by boundless energy, the spirit of adventure and thirst for new horizons. Yet today the young seem bored. So many options are available to them — it is like eating different types of exotic food but without salt.
All that is required is just a dash of salt to make the fare more palatable. So it is with life. The Gita lends taste to life like does salt to food. Just a sprinkling is enough to bring back the excitement in life, not only during our youth but right through life. So I would say that the Gita is an essential ingredient in life.
In this age of intellectual capital you are busy acquiring the latest skills and expertise in the belief that it will guarantee success. But success comes only when you put all that knowledge to use.
For example, you need the knowledge during examinations or at a job interview. But you get so nervous that it is not available to you when you need it most. You blank out in the exam hall.
The Gita introduces you to your inner personality. The intellect which reasons and discriminates and the mind which is the centre of emotions and impulses. The mind is like a virus in a computer and the intellect is like anti-virus software.
The former corrupts your database, the latter protects it. So only when the intellect is in command of your personality, you can access the knowledge that you have so painstakingly acquired. When the mind is playing up, the "Access Denied" sign flashes on your screen.
So alongside academic education you need to invest time and effort in developing the intellect to achieve success. So the Gita could be the password to success.
You must be driven not by passion but by a vision, not by the desire to arrogate but to abnegate. Go beyond mere feeding and clothing to satisfy your own deeper, more meaningful aspirations.
A lofty ideal keeps the mind from devolving into chaos and poor work. The ideal is the vitamin that fuels performance. Prosperity is the collateral benefit which comes as a result of working for a nobler cause.
Physics tells us that an object is red in colour because it absorbs all other colours except red — which it reflects. Amazingly, what it gives it retains. What it takes, it loses. So it is with life.
The more you give the more you get. Dedicate yourself to a higher goal. And see the phenomenal results. What is the driving force behind your action? Is it merely prize money, personal landmarks and records? If so, you will soon get bored with life.
If you have a powerful emotional motivation you outperform your own standard and excel. Further, if you are dedicated to an intellectual ideal, you have access to far greater reserves of energy.
Rise still higher to offer your talent as an act of worship to the Divine Power and you can make the impossible happen. Tap your potential.
So go ahead, connect with the Gita . Embark on a journey to transform your life from one of mediocrity to that of excellence.
Jaya Row
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