A Fresh Start on the Journey of Self-Transformation

श्रीभगवानुवाच |अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादांश्च भाषसे |गतासूनगतासूंश्च नानुशोचन्ति पण्डिता: || 11||

The Lord said: O Arjuna! You grieve for those for whom there need be no sorrow, yet you speak words of the wise? The wise do not grieve for the dead or living.

CONGRATS!

You should consider yourself fortunate to have reached this point. Now begins your journey of total self-transformation, from a lack of clarity to total clarity. Strap in and prepare to act consistently on this path of self-transformation, for which you have been chosen.

The Verse

Now moving to the verse- This verse not only teaches but also reveals Arjuna’s condition. Arjuna speaks like a wise person but is driven by ignorance. His ignorance isn’t due to a lack of scriptural knowledge but a lack of wisdom. He has been taught the scriptures but hasn’t grasped their essence. And this is more dangerous than no knowledge because, when knowledge is misunderstood, it can be twisted to justify even the most heinous actions. This is why some of history’s most terrible crimes have been committed under the guise of religious or moral justification.

The purpose of scriptures is not to memorize verses like a parrot. Instead, you must become the very embodiment of these teachings. Just as clay is shaped into a pot, you must mold yourself to experience these teaching, and this can be done only through right actions.

Right Knowledge vs Right Action

Right knowledge without right action is like owning an Audi Q8 without fuel, it might look impressive but won’t get you anywhere.

So, what do I mean by right action?

Actions as prescribed by the scriptures. However, in this day and age, it’s impractical to read the entire Vedas, let alone follow all their prescribed actions. Changing times require changing measures. The core teachings remain the same, but we must adapt their application to our lives. This is exactly what I aim to do.

If we are merely a compound of food, flesh, and blood, then whose death are you grieving for? Are we crying over the loss of a mere collection of elements? Do you not share the same fate? Why grieve over something predetermined from birth?

This leads to a deeper question, Are we just this compound of elements? Who are we, really? Are we merely the names and tags given to us—boss, colleague, mother, child? Where do these tags go when we die?

And why does the Lord say that the “wise do not grieve for the living or the dead?” Does becoming wise mean becoming insensitive?

These questions all stem from a single fundamental question: “Who am I?” Do we truly know who we are, or do we just believe what we’ve been told since birth? If a human baby were raised by monkeys, would he still identify as human?2 Are we merely what we are told we are?

Who really are we?

Think deeply about this. Are you merely the roles you play, the names you are given? What remains when all these labels are stripped away? I urge you to seek beyond the superficial, to question the very essence of our existence.

See you with the next verse!

Do Your Homework:

1. Think deeply on who you really are?

2. Try to drop all your bookish knowledge and do a fresh start. Rediscover yourself as we proceed with the verses.