Rooted Sangha: The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter 2 | Verse 55

sjholisticyoga
2 days ago
4 min read

This week in sangha, we continue discussing The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran. Each week, I will do my best to summarise the parts of the book we discuss. Please refer to https://www.sjholisticyoga.co.uk/post/what-is-the-bhagavad-gita if you need a grounding in what The Bhagavad Gita itself is.

I cross-reference with other versions of the Bhagavad Gita, so sometimes the translations differ from Easwaran's.

Ahamkara - The 'I-maker'

SRI KRISHNA

55. They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, whose love for the Lord of Love has consumed every selfish desire and sense craving tormenting the heart.

Now hold on a second here, who among us lives in this wisdom? Who doesn't have a shred of selfishness or desire in their consciousness? Perhaps we can look to the yoga sutras, where Patanjali's outlines the essential qualities necessary to attain the higher state of samadhi: complete absorption in the divine or universal consciousness.

"Shraddha virya smriti samadhi prajna purvakah itaresham."

These Five Keys, or qualities, act as a compass and a map for those of us on the spiritual path. If we can follow these, we will avoid the illusion of separateness and remember that we are all part of a whole. You can read more about all of this here. And this leads us on to sthitaprajna...

Inexhaustible Patience and Sthitaprajna

Eknath speaks of the 'terror' we experience when we feel we are surrounded by chaos and uncertainty. 'We fear we are going to be swept away...and we are not sure whether unkind words may not come out of our mouth, whether unkind actions may not come from our body.'

I can really relate to this. Often, if I am feeling apprehension or dread (and I have the presence of mind to analyse these emotions), I reflect that it's not the event or situation itself that I fear, but rather how it might affect my feelings - within my body, my nervous system, and my mind - my entire being.

A good example of this was when my children were babies. They would wake every 45 minutes through the night, crying and demanding my presence and love. I quickly became exhausted and anxious, and would lie in bed in fear of the next wake-up. Fearful not of a crying baby, but terrified of the feelings of being trapped, of stress and (sometimes) panic that would descend on me. I was not so rooted in my yoga at this point, but I was an avid reader of the Stoic texts. And what ultimately allowed me to cope was the quiet remembering of what was, and was not, within my control.

The waking, the crying, the broken nights… these were not mine to change or fix. But how I met them, moment by moment, was. Instead of lying there braced for the next disturbance, I began, gently, to turn towards it. This is what is happening. This is part of the night. The Stoics speak of amor fati - not just accepting what is given, but learning, in time, to meet it with a kind of willingness. And something softened. The fear did not vanish overnight, but it lost its edge. I was no longer fighting the experience, layering suffering on top of exhaustion. I could get up, hold my baby, feel the weight of them in my arms, and be there for what was needed - not because it was easy, but because it was the reality I was being invited to meet.

Turning back to our yoga philosophy, we can shield ourselves (and others) from this reactivity by embracing sthitaprajna - being rooted in wisdom. Whenever we encounter situations that evoke resentment, conflict, or hostility, we can view these as chances to respond with compassion, forgiveness, and a focus on the greater good.

It takes guts to be gentle and kind

'Our capacity to yield is not defeatism; it is not weakness. It is immense strength...'

A fulfilling life is not about tallying possessions, wealth, and accomplishments, but rather about the ability to forgive those who have wronged or are unfriendly to you.

A reflection for practice and daily life

When do I most strongly feel my sense of 'I'? What does it sound like in my thoughts?
Who do I find it hardest to feel compassion towards? What softens, even slightly, when I reflect on their humanity?
What does faith (shraddha) look like in my life at the moment?
How might I gently return to remembrance (smriti) throughout my day?
What helps me pause, even for a moment, before I react?
Where have I mistaken gentleness for weakness in myself?

Giving Back

After covering room and fuel costs, all proceeds from Rooted are being saved to support a local cause, to be chosen together later this year - as a small act of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion in action.

On 21st September, we made our first donation (£110) to Kettering Samaritans.

On 23rd December, we donated £100 to Johnny's Happy Place, a wonderful mental health support cafe in Kettering.

On 9th April, we donated £100 to The Green Patch in Kettering.

We will agree on our next beneficiary soon.

Going Forward

Next week, we will continue Chapter 2. If you would like to join us in person, do get in touch or book online. If you would like to buy the book, click the image below for options.

Front cover of our next book. The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living Vol. 1

Please Note:

My thoughts draw on teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text within Hindu philosophy. I share my reflections as a yoga practitioner and teacher, not as a scholar or religious authority. My intention is to explore how these teachings can be lived and contemplated within contemporary practice, and always with the utmost respect for their cultural and spiritual roots.

Om Shanti.

Vicki x