Defeatism & Victory in Life

How many times in your life you have felt yourself depressed, de-motivated & dejected? How many times you have felt yourself defeated in life? If one feels like a defeated person in life then the battle of life is lost for that person. So we should not let our mind delve into the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection. We should never let our mind feel defeated as then there is no positive meaning of life. You can never succeed & be victorious in life if you feel yourself defeated at mind.

In the ancient Kurukshetra war, "Arjuna" the great disciple of "Lord Sri Krishna" also came into such a de-motivated & dejected state of mind. In that war "Arjuna" refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous battle as he got infatuated & started thinking of his enemies as his own near & dear ones. His mind became week & highly de-motivated. He told his master "Lord Sri Krishna" that he is going away from the war & do not want to fight on the battle field. Arjuna's mental health became weak & he got deeply depressed. To overcome his disciple Arjuna's depression & to motivate him to fight a righteous war, "Lord Sri Krishna" gave the great teachings of "Bhagwat Gita" to his disciple "Arjuna". After listening to all these great teachings, Arjuna's mental health became well & he became motivated & energetic to fight the war. Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita which shows how Arjuna became de-motivated & how he refused to do his duty of fighting a righteous war.

"tatrapasyat sthitan parthah
pitrn atha pitamahan
acharyan matulan bhratrn
putran pautran sakhims tatha
svasuran suhridas chaiva
senayor ubhayor api" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 26)

"Now Arjuna saw stationed there in the midst of the both armies, his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and his fathers-in-law and well-wishers as well."

"tan samiksya sa kaunteyah
sarvan bandhun avasthitan
kripaya parayavisto
visidann idam abravit" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 27)

"Seeing all these relations present there, the son of Kunti, Arjuna was overwhelmed with extreme compassion and spoke these words in sadness."

"arjuna uvacha
drstvemam sva-janam krishna
yuyutsum samupasthitam
sidanti mama gatrani
mukham cha parisusyati" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 28)

"Arjuna said: Krishna, at the sight of these friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, my limbs give away, my body quivering and my mouth is parched."

"vepathus cha sarire me
roma-harsas cha jayate
gandivam sramsate hastat
tvak chaiva paridahyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 29)

"My complete body shakes & my hair stands on end. The bow Gandiva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning."

"na cha saknomy avasthatum
bhramativa cha me manah
nimittani cha pasyami
viparitani keshava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 30)

"My mind is reeling & I am now unable able to stand here any longer. I see the omens also inauspicious; only causes of misfortune, O Krishna, killer of the Keshi demon."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktvarjunah sankhye
rathopastha upavisat
visrjya sa-saram chapam
soka-samvigna-manasah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter One verse 46)

"Sanjaya said: Arjuna, having thus spoken on the battlefield, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief."

"sanjaya uvacha
evam uktva hrishikesham
gudakeshah parantapah
na yotsya iti govindam
uktva tusnim babhuva ha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 9)

"Sanjaya said: O King, having spoken thus to Sri Krishna, Arjuna, again said to Krishna, “Hey Govinda, I shall not fight,” and fell silent."

Below are verses of Bhagwat Gita in which Lord Krishna gave sermon to Arjuna to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war & motivated his mind.

"sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 35)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: It is far better to discharge one’s prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another’s duties perfectly. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another’s path is dangerous."

"karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

"yoga-sthah kuru karmani
sangam tyaktva dhananjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva
samatvam yoga ucyate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 48)

"Lord Sri Krishna said: Perform your duty equi-poised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."

By the teachings of Lord Krishna, weakness of mind of Arjuna was gone & he became motivated. Below is a verse of Bhagwat Gita in which Arjuna acknowledges that his weakness of mind has gone & that he is now motivated to do his duty of fighting a just & righteous war.

"arjuna uvacha
nasto mohah smritir labdha
tvat-prasadan mayacyuta
sthito ’smi gata-sandehah
karisye vachanam tava" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 73)

"Arjuna said: O Lord Sri Krishna, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your grace. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions."

So it is seen above, how the defeated & de-motivated mind of Arjuna became good & motivated by the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. Similarly we can also come out of the state of depression, de-motivation & dejection by reading the teachings of Bhagwat Gita. These teachings show us how to do our duty properly & how to lead a good life. So let's all follow the great teachings of Bhagwat Gita as told by Lord Sri Krishna Himself to Arjuna. These teachings are as much relevant in fast day to day life of ours today as these were in ancient times.



Jai Sri Krishna