Remaining Centered - Excerpts From Gurudev's Talks On The Bhagwad Gita

Where there is no peace, there can be no happiness.

buddhau saranam anviccha krpanah phala-hetavah (2.49)

“Remaining ‘centered’, move on in life. If you are not united with yourself, neither your intellect will be bright nor your emotions get enriched.” And when you are not at peace emotionally, how can there be happiness in your life?

asantasya kutah sukham (2.66)

When you are disturbed, and when there is no peace in you, there can be no happiness. “So Arjuna, get back to your Self. Collect everything together - your mind, body, emotions and intellect, everything. Wake up!”

Then Krishna goes on to describe people who go about proclaiming, “This is the final Truth and this is the only way to Heaven. There is nothing beyond this!”

Perhaps, there were Evangelists even in those days, who would say, “This book is the final book and this book has all the secrets and all the truth and…..so on!”

They would talk and talk, and talk, but don’t have the compassion to guide people to the truth. Krishna said, “Beware of all these people. They are not going to lead you to the freedom you are looking for.”

kamat krodho ‘bhijayate (2.62)

They create a lot of desires in you. More miracles, more desires are created in you. Desires bring about anger, and anger brings about delusion. Delusion makes you forget the Truth, the reality.

buddhi-nasat pranasyati (2.63)

And, delusion destroys one completely.

nasti buddhir ayuktasya Na cayuktasya bhavana (2.66)

One who is not connected with the Spirit, one who is not centered, even his feelings are dead. His feelings are not clear, he doesn’t know whether he is feeling love or hatred or fear or anxiety. He does not know what is happening, he’s in complete confusion.