13.10-11: Inner resonance leads to outer coherence

“Why do things keep going wrong?” Life often vexes us thus due to its unpredictable upheavals.

Gita wisdom suggests that we might be asking the wrong question: “After having so much repeated and resounding experience of things going wrong, why are we so naïve as to expect things to go right?”

We might protest, “How can I not expect things to go right? Am I meant to just sit passively and watch glumly as things go on a disastrous downslide?”

Gita wisdom doesn’t at all recommend passivity; the Gita was spoken to inspire its original student, Arjuna, to rise from passivity to activity. What Gita wisdom recommends is that we forgo labeling situations as “going right” and “going wrong” and instead focus on our responses so that we are “doing right” instead of “doing wrong.”

The Bhagavad-gita (13.10-11) indicates that we can suspend mental labeling of situations (nityam ca sama-cittatvam ishtanishtopapattishu) when we fix ourselves in undistracted devotional remembrance of Krishna (mayi cananya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicarini). By this prayerful connection, we experience an inner resonance with Krishna that brings outer coherence to our vision.

What does inner resonance with Krishna mean? It means the realization that Krishna is the supreme controller and the ultimate benefactor. When we are thus reassured that he is in charge and is acting for our benefit, we experience a strong spiritual solace that shelters us from the mind’s default tendency to label situations. The absence of negative labels ensures that we are no longer paralyzed or agonized by label-triggered feelings of resentment. With our mental energy thus conserved, we can prayerfully seek Krishna’s guidance and act constructively to solve the problem.

Problems thus become opportunities realize deeply the certainty of Krishna’s shelter and the infallibility of his guidance.