Gita shows you the pathway to excellence

-By Jaya Row

Is it possible to attain perfection or is human being flawed by nature? The world demands faultless action from us. Yet excellence seems like a distant dream. Our ancestors pursued and attained perfection. In just 19 verses, the Gita Chapter 2 defines perfection and describes the pathway to enlightenment.

What makes for excellence? What comes in the way of attaining your goals? Desire is the obstacle to gaining the very object you seek. It keeps you stunted, makes you unhappy. Chase after desire and the object of desire eludes your grasp. Turn your back on desire, the object comes to you.

Happiness is the goal of all beings. Yet, nobody seems to know where happiness lies or how to gain it. The Bhagwad Gita gives the prescription for happiness.

Happiness is equal to the number of desires fulfilled, divided by the number of desires harboured. Using this formula, either increase the number of desires fulfilled, or reduce the number of desires harboured. We all are busy fulfilling our desires, but has it increased our happiness?

Not necessarily.

Suppose you need a pair of walking shoes. As you enter the mall you sample a perfume, see a beautiful watch and the latest smartphone. Finally, you buy the shoes. You have fulfilled one desire, but now you harbour three more – perfume, watch, smartphone. Happiness has shrunk. So, focus on bringing down desires and your happiness increases exponentially. And when the desires come down to zero, you get infinite happiness.

The truth is that you cannot give up a desire, you can only take up a higher one. Then the lower will lose its lustre. But the object will come to you only because you have gained merit. The greatest of people only gained merit. Einstein, for instance, was dedicated to Physics. The Nobel Prize came to him.

Where does desire come from? When do you feel hungry? When your stomach is empty. Desire comes from emptiness. You seek objects to fill that emptiness. In spite of fulfilling many desires the emptiness does not go. Because it is not real. Even as you experience a void you are full, totally full. You don’t know it.

So, you do not need objects from the world, you need knowledge of your fullness. When a child gets separated from his wealthy parents and grows up as a beggar, he does not need alms. He needs to know he is a millionaire. Then his life improves dramatically.

We are not just millionaires, we are ‘infinitaires’. Ignorant of our real worth we ask for paltry, petty things. Gain knowledge and your life changes miraculously.

Upgrade your desires. For how long will you remain in the kindergarten of life, oblivious to higher joys? Pick an emotional desire, your happiness multiplies. When any family member does well you rejoice. Move to an intellectual desire. Connect with the country and you celebrate the achievement of all Indians. Your happiness increases 1.4 billion times.

Finally, move to the realm of the Spirit. You gain infinite happiness. You are no longer tormented by the world. You attain perfection.

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