Modi's Bookshelf: Bhagavad Gita

Bhagvad-Gita is one of the holiest books in Hinduism, and has been a timeless source of wisdom for thousands of years. In this memo discover the Gita's key insights on the nature of the self, demonic traits, and more👇

Detach first, attach later. Lord Krishna recommends "abandoning all attachment to" outcomes. Don’t surrender to anger or lust, but "unto the lord." Detachment clears the ground, attaching to the supreme builds something worthwhile on it.

God, a metaphor for timeless principles? Krishna says, "My transcendental body never deteriorates." This can be a metaphor for principles that do not corrode or change across time. The search for God, then, becomes the search for the unchanging grid on which all reality is built.

Demonic traits. To believe that there is "no foundation" below or a "God in control" above, is, for Krishna, demonic. Without foundations or higher principles, the soul gets "bound by a network of illusions" and becomes continually anxious.

Krishna says the intelligent men see "the inaction in action and action in inaction." This paradoxical verse might be the world's first formulation of opportunity cost. Inactivity is an act of wasting time; acting in a certain direction implies inaction in all other directions.

Predating Freud by millennia, the Gita says there are 3 aspects to the self: the good, the passionate, & the ignorant. The ignorant expresses itself as "madness & sleep" : the unconscious. The passionate, as "desires & longings": the ego. The good, as "knowledge": superego.

Sacrifice - to what end? The Gita is concerned with the end as much as with the means. Sacrifice is a means to an end. It is not, by default, good. If the end goal is just material gain, worldly honor, or boosting the self's pride in itself, then that is improper sacrifice.

Charity - to what end? Charity, too, is a means to be used for proper ends. Charity done as manipulation to get something in return, charity done "in a grudging mood," or charity directed towards "unworthy persons" are all inappropriate.

Food affects mood. The Gita understands the relationship between what's on the plate and what's on the mind. The Gita says "bitter, sour, and pungent" food strokes the passions, "stale and tasteless" food leads to sloth, and "juicy, fattening and palatable" food leads to health.

Bottom line. The Gita has 700 verses and touches on almost all aspects of life. It is full of ideas that feel fresh and useful after thousands of years. Share this memo with a friend and introduce them to this timeless classic.