Bindu
Chapter 3 ( 1-9) of the Bhagavad Gita reminded me that life cannot
be paused, avoided, or held at a distance. Action is always
unfolding, even when we convince ourselves that doing nothing is
safer. Arjuna’s confusion felt deeply familiar to me because I, too,
have often hesitated to act when I could not clearly see the
consequences or when a task felt overwhelming. One of the most
significant examples in my life is the opportunity I had twenty
years ago to join the finance team at my company and earn an
accounting degree for free. I wanted to take that step, but I allowed
myself to be discouraged by a colleague who insisted that my
regular holidays in India would make it impossible. My best friend
Alicia, who was already working in finance, encouraged me to
join, but I ignored her advice. This remains the only regret I carry.
Alicia went on to embrace every learning opportunity the company
offered, and after taking redundancy, she joined the BBC finance
team. When I look back now, I sometimes joke that I “listened to
the devil,” much like Eve in the old story, and the humour in that
softens the sting of regret. Yet Krishna’s teaching—that
knowledge and action must be united—speaks directly to this
moment in my life. I now understand that I grow most when I
engage with life directly, even when it feels messy or uncertain,
rather than allowing fear or hesitation to guide me.
My journey has also been shaped by periods of loneliness
and distraction. When I came to the UK in my twenties, I left
behind my friends, my education, and the familiar rhythms of
home. I felt inexperienced in running a household, especially since
back home my only responsibility had been to study. Everything
here felt new, strange, and emotionally distant. Even though I was
surrounded by people, I often felt alone, and the recent addition of
extended family did not ease the solitude I carried inside. As
technology grew, I found comfort in social media—WhatsApp
groups, school groups, college friends, and endless online
conversations. These connections felt exciting, almost intoxicating,
and for a while they filled the emotional gaps in my life. But like
all things shaped by Maya, the excitement was shortlived.
Eventually, I realised that I had become tangled in distractions that
pulled me away from my own existence here. When that awareness
came, I withdrew from everything that once absorbed me and
entered a kind of capsule focused on building my career and
rediscovering myself.
This shift in focus brought its own lessons. I remember
turning down a higher job offer because it did not feel fair to
others, and in that moment I recognised how much I had grown
from the mistakes of my past. My biggest breakthroughs have
always come after failing, reflecting, and choosing differently.
Accepting mistakes as part of my growth has helped me remain
calmer and more confident in both my work and personal life.
Instead of seeing failure as something to hide, I now see it as a
teacher—one that has shaped my resilience, my clarity, and my
sense of purpose.
The chapter’s teaching on sacrifice also resonated deeply
with me. For much of my life, I believed sacrifice meant giving
something up or doing something unpleasant for someone else.
Now I understand it differently. Sacrifice can be a freely chosen
action, something done from a place of integrity rather than
obligation. It can mean dedicating time to help a colleague,
focusing on my health, or learning a new skill—not because I
must, but because I choose to grow and contribute. When I act
from this place of intention, I feel more alive, more grounded, and
more connected to the world around me. This shift in
understanding has transformed the way I approach my
responsibilities and relationships.
Ultimately, Chapter 3, verses 1–9, reminds me that spiritual
growth is not about escaping life but participating fully in it—with
awareness, balance, and intention. Life becomes richer when
thought and action are aligned, when choices are made
consciously, and when I act without clinging to every outcome. My
journey—from regret to reflection, from distraction to clarity, from
obligation to chosen action—mirrors the very teachings Krishna
offers Arjuna. Growth does not come from avoiding life, but from
engaging with it wholeheartedly, even when the path feels
uncertain. Through this understanding, I continue to learn how to
live with purpose, courage, and a deeper sense of inner freedom.
Love Bindu x
Scott: Good story about your regret about the finance team, Bindu.
We aren’t very good at listening to our authentic inner voice, and
have learned in childhood to pay attention to what others are
telling us. There’s no sharp line between them, but in spiritual life
we slowly learn to pay more heed to our inner inclinations. If
nothing more, they need to be taken into account. This chapter
focuses on at least making our choices freer than our polite
obedience to other people might dictate.
Eve didn’t listen to the “Devil,” she listened to the serpent. If
you read Genesis closely, the serpent was the wise one who told
the truth, and Yahweh lied, trying to prevent the humans from
becoming like gods, knowing good and evil, and becoming
immortal. I like to imagine that gods and demons speak through
humans (who are oblivious of it, for the most part), and we should
consider that what we hear might be one or the other (symbolically
speaking, of course), but it’s still up to us to make our own
decisions.
Eve made the right choice! Curmudgeons and woman-haters
have always tried to curse her, but we should not accede to their
prejudice.
Chapter III is headed toward an upgrading of action to free
choice grounded in the Absolute:
17) But for those who happen to be attached to the Self alone,
who find full satisfaction in the Self—for those who are happy
in the Self as such, there is nothing that they should do.
18) Neither is there anything indeed for them resulting from
work done, nor anything from work omitted here, nor is there
either for them any dependence in respect to anything derivable
from any being whatsoever.
19) Therefore always remain detached, engage yourself in
actions that are necessary; indeed, performing actions with
detachment one attains to the Supreme.
There are so many distractions these days, for us to get
entangled in! The detachment advised here is what you chose,
Bindu, when social media no longer felt fulfilling. I definitely
support turning the arrow of interest inward, toward the heart.
There is so much entertainment, that it takes a long time to wean
ourselves away from our youthful attachment to it, but then the
depth and meaningfulness we encounter more than makes up for
what we have given up.
It took me a very long time to realize the Gita’s wisdom
sacrifice, the highest sacrifice of all, amounted to freely chosen
activity. “Sacrifice” literally means “making sacred.” Of course
you would feel “more alive, more grounded, and more connected
to the world around” from that type of action. You will find plenty
of support in the Gita study; we’re just getting started.
Your concluding paragraph is spectacular, BIndu—may it be
realized by all seekers of truth. Everyone benefits when a person
becomes fully engaged with their true nature.
I just ran across an excerpt on the Devil from Nitya’s
commentary on verse 95, in That Alone. Narayana Guru is trying
to get us to be more lighthearted:
What if you said the Devil was in charge of the science of humor?
Really, he is. Mark Twain and others have had that insight. In Man
and Superman, Bernard Shaw describes how Satan found that the
number of people in Hell was increasing at a terrific rate. He took a
roll-call to find out why there was such a burst of population, and he
found that many were migrants from Heaven. He asked them, “What
is wrong with Heaven? Why didn’t you stay there?” Everyone
answered it was very boring in Heaven. All you could do was be
reverential and sit and mumble prayers all the time. But in Satan’s
world everything was very humorous and there was plenty of variety.
Gopica
Dear Scott,
Greetings! and thank you.
An anxious flicker stirred in my core upon reading your note about
you and Deb heading to the No Kings protest.
Rationalizing it as wisdom and action perfectly aligned brought a
settling peace.
My Evolving Definition of Sacrifice
My understanding of sacrifice has transformed over time. As a
child, it meant skipping a meal on Thursdays for God's blessings
through fasting. In college, it involved giving up holidays to clean
an ancient temple as part of NSS service. As a mother, it was
attending to my daughter's needs despite personal discomforts.
Professionally, it felt like switching my thinking to follow a
leader's rules.
With the last few years in being part of Atmo group by Nancy, I
see sacrifice as aligning with harmony;an anchor amid personal
and professional chaos.
Overcoming Obstacle Through Harmony, Not Conflict
"Life is not a problem to be solved but an adventure to be lived."
Recently, as Project Lead for Mental Health Wellness initiative, I
faced this truth. The second batch of volunteers was trained in
Transactional Analysis (TA-simple, accessible concepts for
layperson reflection and entry-level counselling). Mentors
expected me to sustain energy among new trainees and existing
volunteers, while the leader tasked me with hospitality
coordination via a dedicated team. I trained them on this too,
shuttling between the hall, participating in sessions, addressing
trainers' needs and stakeholders inside/outside and ensuring
smooth logistics. The leader joined most days, except one.
The next day, she noticed me seated near the door and urged me to
join the group. I explained I'd move once tasks cleared, and did so.
Post-training reflection turned tense. She revisited it, insisting I
focus more on learning from the Trainers, share mentor insights
from her absent day not the "mishap" that was shared in her
personal window, and model vulnerability as a role model for the
new group to see me as an equal. She shared that she had not
experienced and that was her expectations and to be followed
going forward. She noted I must wear "efficient leader, responsible
leader, psychological leader" shoes as needed,
I gently shared my 1-2 minute body-relaxation exercise: spotting
tightness from the prolonged first-day session, I jumped in to ease
it (informing the mentor why). With 7+ years in TA (now
preparing for CTA) and the sessions feeling like a refreshing
review, watching trainees apply concepts was blissful and I felt
misunderstood. She also suggested me toward the group's
recommended counsellor, despite my established personal one
(used as needed).
Pressure built; my nodding hid inner turmoil. Tears welled sharing
with my husband, my go-to buddy. He gently prompted me to
examine my thinking with no more words.
Recalling Tai Chi's principle-yield to life, absorb, redirect to
harmonize,I chose unitive action. I yielded to her expectations,
absorbed my discomforts (rationalizing them), and am still in the
process of harmonizing - getting my thoughts in to action . No
fight, no dismantling just high-purpose strength, turning obstacle
into adventure.
Scott: You’re right, Gopica: many people are afraid to be seen
supporting democracy, as they could get in serious trouble,
especially depending on their skin color or native place of birth. So
us old people who are retired have to show up for them, as well as
for ourselves. It seems that the few troublemakers have dropped
out of sight, which is a relief. Our demonstrations are vastly
peaceful, and that has always been the point.
Yes, yoga is wisdom in action, and there is a wide range of
opportunities to exercise it. I’m glad you are finding it and anchor
for you. I often wonder what I would have done without it, and feel
fortunate to not have to find out.
I guess I’m too old to fully understand your problem at work,
but it boils down to coping with some bossing from a leader,
something we’re all familiar with. It sounds like you are handling
it well, though there is nothing easy about it. Often ego domination
is a factor, so it may be intentionally insulting, even when
politeness is maintained.
In a recent Class Notes from our in-person class, I shared
Guru Nitya’s advice he got from Nataraja Guru. It’s very fierce,
and you don’t need to take it too seriously, but the premise is
worthwhile. It was a transformative moment for me, when I heard
this. You probably have read it in Nancy’s Atmo class, from That
Alone verse 59:
When I first came to my Guru, I had plenty of trouble with
people, with my fellow disciples. Guru called me and said, “I
shall give you a secret: allow the other to be victorious. If
somebody fights you, let you be the vanquished and not the
victor.” I found there is nothing more helpful than this, to be
vanquished and not to become victorious. Just say, “You have
the upper hand. Let all the glory be yours. I shall lie in the
dust.” It is very difficult, but it works. You don’t make any
claim. You don’t indulge in any feelings of martyrdom. You
just give up.
The basic truth rests on this: there is only One and not a
second. If there is someone to be punished, it is only you. If
there is someone to be corrected, it is also just you. ‘You’
means ‘me’. In my personal life I correct the other by
correcting myself. I punish the other by punishing myself. I
silence the other by going into silence myself. I bring peace to
the other by making myself peaceful. I bring happiness to the
other by making myself happy. It is a very intimate experience,
to work with one’s self. And it is the one place where you can
conveniently work, where your volition, your knowledge and
your feeling are all at hand, at the very source from which the
idea ‘I’ comes.
So good you have a supportive husband, too. Tears are fine: they
are doorways into our deeper feelings. Let them flow, and let
healing come naturally, with time.
Sure, Gopica, be yielding, but also stand up for yourself,
without anger. Chapter IV closes with Krishna instructing Arjuna
to stand up, as a yogi, and that’s where we’re headed, too.
Venkat
Thank you for adding me to the Gita Class - 2026. As you know, I
am behind and trying to catch up. I am pondering on Arjuna
Vishada Yoga. I read Natraja Guru’s, and Guru Nitya’s
commentaries (introduction + chapter 1 ) to help me start on the
right foot. I realize, as I write, that writing or rather the question of
what to write ? - helps me ponder in depth.
Why call Chapter 1 as Arjuna Vishada Yoga but start it from the
name Dhritarashtra ? Why does it begin with righteousness as its
first dialogue ? What is righteousness to Dhritarashtra ? In fact,
what is righteousness? These were the questions that arose in me
initially. For two days, I was carried away by the verses depicting
the conch blown in the battlefield. I was searching for pictures
depicting Krishna and Arjuna blowing their conches together. And
then it struck me-perspectives.
From the very beginning of the chapter, Dhritarashtra,
Duryodhana, Arjuna (to an extent), and all in the battlefield, are
blinded by their relative perspectives. Some are blinded to an
extent of losing their lives for the benefit of their Kings. Amidst all
the chaos, the only sound in unison is of Krishna and Arjuna. I felt
it as a foreshadowing. But reading Guru Nitya’s commentary, I
believe, it is in alignment with the meaning of Yoga (to yoke), and
the learning happens at every moment, just as a kid enjoys every
moment of playing with a ball.
In the midst of the battlefields, split among opposite views, the
only person to see everyone as his own is Arjuna. He stands alone
among the huge crowd with deep sadness. Guru Nitya’s
introduction translates Atman as Sat-Chit-ananda and Ananda as
values. From which I understand that Arjuna is at the lower end of
the value spectrum leading to inactivity due to a self conflict. The
conflict that may differ for each of us but fits into the value
spectrum. The conflict that has led us to read the Gita in 2026.
In current times, I could see that there are parallels to blindness in
perspective, sacrifices for beliefs, and willingness to eradicate
opposite opinions with zero acceptance. On the other end, the
views are relative, talking about the material benefits without
thinking about the long term repercussions on the environment
(physical and mental).
Contemplating the Gita has helped me travel within, stand apart,
and look at myself in day-to-day life. It has helped me look at the
events from the other person’s perspective. There are instances that
I look back and regret for doing things a certain way. But I accept
them from what they are and acknowledge them openly as much as
I can.
Scott, Thank you for encouraging me to share my thoughts. I
wouldn’t have found the cohesive relationship in them if not for
your encouragement. I have a question - what are horizontal and
vertical values? I understand they are Wisdom vs Action. But I
have trouble grasping them.
I am grateful for the continuous learning and realization.
Best,
Venkat
Scott: Venkat, I’m so happy to have your participation! The whole
study hangs together as a unit, so don’t worry about being
behind—just update us wherever you have gotten. You are
welcome.
Pondering the ideas is much more valuable than being given
answers, and I’m delighted to hear that pondering is exactly what
you are doing. Reading both Gurus works is a huge project,
though. If it isn’t too demeaning for you, I recommend you read
my commentary first, and then dig into the others if you have more
time. Nataraja Guru wanted to make things hard for students, and
Guru Nitya took us a long way from there to clarity, yet I feel like
I’ve gone another step, mainly adding to Nitya’s work ideas from
his classes that aren’t in his book. They are quite helpful. I’ve also
added a lot about workplace dynamics, relational issues, child
rearing, and other topics that sannyasins are less well informed
about.
It’s great to read that you are getting so much from your Gita
contemplations, Venkat. It’s one of the great treasures of our
planet.
I wish I had a handy document explaining the horizontal and
vertical ideas. The chapter in my Introduction on The Arch Shape
is useful. The best I can do is excerpt my Introduction to Nataraja
Guru’s Saundarya Lahari. (I clip in the whole thing, in case you
want more background.) The dichotomy of horizontal and vertical
will be covered all through the study, and there is a lot to learn.
Here’s the excerpt:
At the core of Nataraja Guru’s philosophy are the Cartesian
coordinate axes, consisting of a horizontal and a vertical parameter
represented by straight lines that intersect at right angles to form a
cross. The point of intersection is arbitrarily called zero, with
increasingly large numbers representing expanding negativity and
positivity leading away from the zero point. The left side of the
horizontal line is called negative, and the right side positive. On
the vertical parameter, above the zero point is positive and below it
is negative.
Of these two lines, the vertical one is understood as being
made up of unitive values, representing the urge for inclusive
transcendence, while the horizontal axis stands for the multiplicity
of ever-proliferating transactional variety. The horizontal and the
vertical actually intersect each other at any and all points, giving
rise to a stable ground of participation between the outside and the
inside, existence and essence.
Though they have been used in various forms throughout
much of the history of thought, the adoption of Cartesian
coordinates to the philosophy of the structure of the universe was a
stroke of genius of the Guru. Nataraja Guru’s coordinate axes
combine the three perceivable spatial dimensions into the
horizontal, while conceptual ideas and time make up the vertical
axis. The implications of this are profound.
Descartes himself set the initial parameters that Nataraja
Guru developed into his Science of the Absolute, although due to
certain unshakable prejudices he was unable to develop the system
to as advanced a point as the Guru. To him res cogitans, or
thinking substance, was the vertical factor, and res extensa, or the
extended, proliferated substance comprised the horizontal. In
Nataraja Guru’s interpretation of this, the horizontal is the physical
universe (in its broadest sense) and the vertical is the metaphysical.
Where the horizontal is vast, the vertical is an almost infinitely fine
line or backbone, which knits the universe together in the same
way that a fine thread holds together a string of pearls.
The Cartesian coordinates are not a fixed scheme but a tool
for integrating seemingly divergent fields, so an endless series of
dichotomies may be examined through them. If the horizontal
represents the phenomenal, the vertical is the noumenal or the
essential. Another integration is of para and apara, transcendent
and immanent. The One and the many. Being and becoming.
Essence and existence. And so on.
Breaking the axes down further, the horizontal positive may
be treated as objective and the negative as subjective. The vertical
parameter can run from the alpha at the extreme negative to the
omega at the most positive, or from the dimensionless causal
source to the dimensionless transcendental mystery. The journey
from the alpha to the omega begins as a seed or point, grows in
space until it is maximally horizontalized in the prime of life, and
thereafter refocuses to the omega point at the termination of
existence.
The horizontal positive is associated with the waking state,
the horizontal negative with the dream state, the vertical negative
with the deep sleep or seed state, and the vertical positive with
turiya or the transcendental state. Using this scheme it is possible
to graph all states of consciousness on the coordinate axes, as well
as to monitor the progressive development of any aspect of
creation.
Bailey
Scott’s prompts: Living the adventure --- making mistakes.
Not acting at all? Paralysis? Survival strategy? You really do
know, don’t you? Vs 4-5
Not even for a single instant can one ever remain engaged in no
action at all. By virtue of modalities born from nature, all are
made to engage in action helplessly. ( Gita III, verse 5)
“Don’t be afraid to make your mistakes”. (Nataraja Guru to
friends & disciples, bright Spring morning, Ooty, May 1972.)
Turn which way? This way? No! this way! No –maybe this
way? That way? Too late today. Give up? (BKY to self, damp
November morning, Paris, 1977(?)
“Survival strategy”. Your dualism-clinging ego (mentalité) , ever
resourceful, so determined, so endlessly tricky, so adept in keeping
you (one) trapped in its action/reaction mechanisms—survival at
all costs! So what are you (er, that is, “I”) afraid of? Dying as
idiot? (duh! image of slapping forehead). What is the Question?
What next? France in four weeks. And then? (Fragments of
BKY’s inner conversation, Meadowood home ,March 26, 2026).
Impulse-driven commentary:
Having “hit a wall” with regard to proceeding with (let alone
finishing) my dissertation (Spring 1971), oppressed by a confused
sense of the complexity of the causes determining this paralysis-
temptation, Christine and I travelled to India Fall 1971 (her
reasons? Ask her), came to Ooty gurukula more or less by chance
(is “chance” really how the Universe works?) in March 1972. I
hear NG’s words; an inner process begins working; I take heart; by
the time of our return to France Summer 1973 inner conviction that
I can and should resume and finish the dissertation is strong.
Encouraged and abetted by my mother, my professors Ed &
Bernard, by Patrick Perin (and by Christine too) this gets done
(Spring 1975). Now what? Job prospects for newly-minted
medievalist academic in the USA looking bad to hopeless (and can
I bear to live there anyway?), stay in France. How survive?
English teaching? Archaeology? Thrash about, grab this/that
opportunity. Stay true, man, stay true. Having forced myself out
of the apartment into that cold damp November morning
(must have been ’78?) paralysis wins on the corner where the Rue
de Rennes meets the Blvd St Germain: accept defeat, get back on
the metro, back to the apartment, warmth, dance of the fire (oh
Agni!)... Fast forward. So many decisions taken (or not), so many
bold initiatives/resolutions-aided-by-friends, so many strokes of
luck (there is such a thing—or is there?), so many actions
undertaken (others refrained from, dropped), so many changes,
challenges (divorce, second marriage and children, joys of
fatherhood, relationship problems, divorce #2, remarriage to
Christine) later, here we are. Archaeologist. Professor of
History—make that Distinguished Professor of History, emeritus,
living in Meadowood Retirement Community, Bloomington,
Indiana. Donald Trump is wrecking havoc with the world as
we’ve known it, and that’s just the symptom, right? Still I wake up
wondering. How are we doing, Christine and I? Are we on the
“spiritual path”? She likes it here (in our garden cottage, in this
community-in-proximity-to-Kitch-and-kids) well enough, but
yearning for France, to be in France, as strong as ever. So we are
off again, in just a month. What can I do, what ought I to do, to be
helpful to her (to us) in the month of May? Of course I’ve got my
own stuff, also, that I can or might do. Then in June separate
ways: I return for my 60 th Reunion in Williamstown, etc while she
stays with her (also our) old, old friend Kathleen celebrating 50
years as Parisienne. Then, come July, back together, here, again.
Lots of adventures, to be sure! Lots of mistakes too, no
doubt. Acting/reacting, or...?
Do engage yourself in action that is necessary (v 8)... Even with
such a purpose, do engage in work, O Arjuna, freed of all
attachments (v 9)
Scott: I see you’re working on your impulsiveness, Bailey. And
heading back to France soon? I don’t recall if you’ve read That
Alone yet, but verse 95 is a great favorite, and here’s an excerpt for
you:
This verse is for all people to become light-hearted. We should
see the light side of life rather than becoming so grumpy about
everything. If you make a mistake it’s because Mother Nature
wants you to make it. So don’t have any sense of guilt, make
your mistakes gladly. If you don’t make little mistakes, God
will call out to you: “Fool! I gave you a chance. I sent you to
the world, and you didn’t make any mistake. Stupid! Get out!”
If you are here in this world, make some mistakes. Maya is
sitting there and asking us to do all these things. Nataraja Guru
used to tell us in the Gurukula that we should make interesting
mistakes, not stupid or clumsy ones. Whatever mistakes you
make should be very clever and interesting.
Fritz Peters tells a great story about Gurdjieff. At his school
one time he had to be away for a few days, so he put a
trustworthy woman in charge in his absence. On his return she
showed him a little black book in which she had kept track of
all the offenses the students had committed. It was quite a long
list. To everyone’s surprise, Gurdjieff took out his wallet and
started giving each one money, paying so much per offense.
Fritz had been at the top of the list so he got the most money,
but he was ashamed to spend it, feeling the old woman had
been let down. She had carefully chronicled all the crimes, and
now Gurdjieff was giving everyone presents for their mistakes.
But Gurdjieff said life was like that, and if you didn’t make
mistakes life would never be interesting.
So here you are being given an invitation to make mistakes.
And what kind of mistakes is maya causing you to make? Her
mistakes are not freaks of nature. She has a system. We can see
how comedy and tragedy come in such a way that over time
they balance each other out.
We’re heading out to the No Kings protest, I with my new No
Dons poster, on the back of Old Smoky, from 2001. He’s been to
many gatherings.
Chance is one of Krishna’s divine principles, so take it in
stride, Bailey. We can see how you went with the tide in your
affairs, and in led you to much satisfaction and challenge.
The Path to the Guru leads from your present step, and is
determined by your walking. You make your own path, with the
help of so many forces and factors. We hope you will stay in touch as you roam. God speed.
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