Bhagavad Gita Quotes On Environment
Lawana Stuckert
For the past three weeks, I have been mulling over the above verse (one of the most puzzling verses in the Bhagavad Gita) to the point of having sleepless nights. Intoxicated with thoughts, words, and voices that leave their mark like a drowsy hangover that has remnants from the previous night: blurry, vague, but within reach.
My day is consumed with the pursuit of understanding its deep meaning. The present environment is toxic, harsh, and unforgiving. Nothing I do is good enough, nothing I say is worth understanding, and stepping back to listen is considered complacent and harmful, so I retreat inward to learn.
Lord Krishna explains how one can act in a way that does not bind us to the fruits of our actions. But to understand this, I had to go back to the meaning of karma. Sanskrit is a language that is layered with subtle nuances and meanings. It is a language of deep emotions and subtle pronunciations. It is a language where one word can reflect different expressions, depending on the context. When we view our ancient scriptures from a Western lens, it takes away from the essence of what is being conveyed. I believe that, to understand the depth of these sacred texts, we need to read and feel from the core of our hearts.
Now, all past actions hold space within our physical, emotional, and mental bodies in the form of memories. It is through these memories, which are constantly being re-packaged or re-created by none other than the ego, that we act or react from.
In this mantra, the 24 Mudras are practiced while chanting the Gayatri Mantra which has 24 syllables. Gayatri Mantra is dedicated to Savitri, a Vedic sun deity. Among various translations of the mantra, I introduce the first line by Tias Little and the rest of the lines by Swami Vivekananda.
Now that social media has become an extension of our own communities, a lot of negative perspectives and habits have made their way from the digital world to our real one. By becoming aware of your emotions and actions, you can get past the bad side of social media and enjoy the company of your social circle.
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna talks at length about the "three modes of material nature." These are subtle forces that influence our behavior as well as every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional world. The Sanskrit term for these forces is guna, "rope," and the Gita explains how they pull us to act in various ways, even against our better judgment.
The effects of sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, are seen when an atmosphere of peace, serenity, and harmony prevails in our environment and ourselves. Rajo-guna, the mode of passion, is felt as insatiable desire for temporary things, striving for more and more of them, and perpetual dissatisfaction. Tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance, is indicated when there's laziness, depression, intoxication, and insanity.
The fourteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita contains elaborate descriptions of the modes, their symptoms, how they affect us, and ultimately how to become free from their influence through the practice of bhakti-yoga, or Krishna consciousness.
"When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life."
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