12.16: Adept to adopt and adapt

Many of us may have suspected that the Bhagavad-gita being an ancient book might not be practical in our times. Some of us may have been surprised to discover how practical and valuable it is when we encountered advanced devotees who had molded their lives according to it.

Such seasoned devotees can bring about this paradigm shift in us because they are expert or adept (daksha), as mentioned in the Gita itself (12.16). While this adeptness can have many aspects, its one essential aspect is the mature ability to apply the Gita according to time-place-circumstance. The Gita adept knows what to adopt and what to adapt in the Gita’s message and the spiritual tradition that it has engendered. This tradition has a central core and a circumferential periphery. The adept knows how to hold on to this core and to adapt the periphery according to the context.

These devotional adepts grasp the core of the Gita: the heart of Krishna, a heart longing to love us and be loved by us. Due to this inner harmony with Krishna, they know how to express and experience Krishna’s love in all situations in a way that is practical and appealing to the emotional and intellectual ethos of the times. Thus, they become receivers and radiators of divine love, with their radiations emanating at the frequency at which the contemporary people’s hearts are vibrating.

By observing, serving and learning from such an adept, we too can gradually become adept and develop a spiritual sixth sense to know what to adopt and what to adapt. The resulting constant inner devotional dynamism will make living the Gita an exciting, enlightening experience.

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My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.