Sai Maharaj always pointed out that the Bhagavad Gita has a deep focus. Life comprises two domains – the external world and the internal world. The external domain is the outside world of office, home, and family. There are internal worlds comprising emotions, thoughts, fears, upsets, apprehensions, paradoxes, and conflicts.
In Sanskrit, philosophy is called Darshana Shastra. Darshana means sight. True understanding arises when one not only hears but also perceives clearly. We should not say, ‘I will go home and see.’ If we do not understand, then we must see it as it is – that we do not understand. There are two worlds – the outside world comprising job positions, and then there is a world inside.
For instance, there was a postponement of a flight from London to Mumbai. The next flight was sometime in the evening. This is the external world. My friend was busy checking out other flights to get to Mumbai. What happens when one is late or if one misses a flight? If one is a seeker, one witnesses the internal world. A seeker might say, ‘I feel frustrated and miserable about the delay.’ This is the internal world of thoughts and feelings. The internal world has a deeper impact on oneself than the external world. The internal world has its reality.
If a person is going through litigation in the external world, his emotional world is in turmoil. He thinks, ‘Oh, I am going through this litigation; it is so cruel.’ There is more agony and torment in this than the litigation itself. Bhagavad Gita addresses both worlds – external and internal. In the Mahabharata, conflict and tension arose because Gurus Bhishma and Drona were on the Kauravas’ side while their hearts were with the Pandavas. Often, life is complex. The Gita teaches us to see life simply despite its complexity. Can one bring simplicity to perceiving the complexity of the external world? This is the awakening of the internal world.
If one brings simplicity to one’s perception, complexities become clear facts or issues that need to be worked out. Nevertheless, the internal world of emotional turmoil is complex, in which even an ordinary issue appears complicated. The Gita presents a straightforward approach to dealing with a complex situation. Vyasa referred to Krishna as a pleasant scholar, Krishna smiled as he spoke. The enlightened soul had the insight to look at the battle in a simple way. However, due to ignorance, most of us take a complicated view of it. Moreover, when we look at it in a complicated way, we think we understand. We misunderstand!
Sai Maharaj one day asked me to leave for Mumbai on the evening train. He asked me to come back to Shirdi leisurely after a week. I had only one court case to attend but simply obeyed Sai Maharaj’s direction. When I reached Mumbai the next day, I learned that my daughter Vatsali had missed a near-fatal injury of being crushed under a cupboard. Sai Maharaj had miraculously saved her. She had a finger injury, and my comforting her for a week was a great morale booster. Then, I understood Sai Maharaj’s direction to return leisurely after a week. During this period, I had completed litigation and was awarded a box full of one thousand silver coins. I decided to give the entire money to Sai Maharaj.
This is how we deal with our life.
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