Tuesday, January 15, 2013

one of those days...


Verse 1.27: When the son of Kuntī, Arjuna, saw all these different grades of friends and relatives, he became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus.

When I first took up this challenge to read and write reflections on every single verse of the Gita, it wasn't without trepidation. I had good friends saying, "You're going to start at Chapter 1??" As you might have noticed, especially at the beginning of Chapter 1, the scene is being set as opposed to intense spiritual insights being shared.

So there are days when I read the verse and think, "I have no idea what to write about! Why did I ever attempt this project." Today was one of those days! However, I'm starting to realize that those days are often the best, just because it forces me to understand that actually nothing comes from me. I'm not actually very intelligent, realized or talented at all. It's only due to the blessings of my guru (spiritual teacher and guide) and the association of like-minded bhakti practitioners that I even realize that this path of bhakti is so precious.

All talents, all gifts and all intelligence comes from a source. That source is God. It is only when we recognize that we are small, he is big and we need his help that we can aspire to become a conduit of God's grace. I once heard a beautiful phrase - mercy (blessings) descends. It flows downward. Ever notice when you act all big and mighty that it's hard to listen to anyone else? Hard to hear anything when that ego is blocking your ears! Hence, mercy descends.

That being said, feeling small doesn't mean having low self esteem. In fact, feeling small on the path of bhakti means feeling supremely connected. It's super empowering since you know where to tune in to to connect to a higher power.

So that's my realization for today. I can't do anything by myself, but when I recognize it it becomes my opportunity to become a potential conduit for greatness.

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