Once a rich man having all opulence’s in life was not happy because of this worrying attitude.
He went to an astrologer and showed his horoscope.
The astrologer said, “Everything is alright in your horoscope now. Your anxiety of mind without any reason is simply troubling you. So you should learn Bhagavad gita from an Acharya and implement it in your life. That will solve all your anxieties. There is no other solution”.
The rich man went to an Acharya and the Acharya was very happy to teach him Gita.
He said “OK. We’ll start with first chapter and complete the whole book of 18 chapters in 3 months”.
The man said, “No Swamiji. I’m busy with many things. So teach me the most important part”.
The teacher said, “OK. Just learn 18th chapter. it is the summary of the Gita and it will take 2 weeks”.
The man said, “Even 2 weeks is difficult. Teach me something more simple”.
The teacher said, “OK. There is one sloka in the 18th chapter starting with sarva dharman parityajya. Just learn that one sloka and it will give you the essence of the Gita”.
The man said “One sloka is also difficult for me to learn. Tell me something more simple.”
The acharya said, “There is one important word in that sloka ‘ma shuchah’, which means, “Do not worry”. Just understand this and Gita is understood.”
The man said “That’s alright. But I’m already in anxiety and tell me how to remove it. Just telling “do not worry” will not help me. Please tell me what I should do to get rid of anxiety”.
The teacher said, “That is what the Gita is all about. If you want to know how to be free of worries then you should start from the chapter 1 of Gita and go through patiently and understand all the chapters. There is no shortcut to this process as Bhagavad Gita is itself a short cut given by the Lord. It is the essence of all Vedas and the Lord has mercifully given that so that one need not go through the brain-breaking Upanishads and Vedic mantras to understand the truth.” The man came to his senses and started studying Gita from beginning seriously under that Guru.
Moral of the story:
In the Bhagavad Gita 2.11, Lord Krishna starts his teaching by saying,
ashochyaan anva shochas tvam / prajnaa-vaadaams ca bhaashase
gataasun agataasums ca / naanushocanti panditaah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: “While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.”
Here he states Arjuna not to worry for something which is not worthy of worrying.
In material existence we take so many bodies and without fail in all these bodies, we think we’re the controllers and the anxiety follows without fail.
And in the Bhagavad Gita there is only one point stressed by the Lord from begining to end.
He starts with ‘Don’t worry’ in 2.11 and many times in the second chapter he repeats “na tvam shocitum arhasi” (you have no reason to worry).
In the BG 16.5 he again tells Arjuna ‘ma shuchah’ (do not worry) and in the final instruction he concludes again with the same words, “I will deliver you from all sins. Do not worry (maa shuchah)”.
We can understand from this that the summary instruction of the Gita is one should throw out anxiety.
Anxiety should be thrown out. The world is in the control of the Lord.
We worry for lack of opulences or comforts and become anxious when others possess it and when everything is alright and there is nothing to worry, we are worried that there is nothing to worry.
In this way, worrying has become a part of our nature. Actually this anxiety is due to lack of faith and surrender. And there are no shortcuts to be free from anxiety.
The only way is constant chanting of the Lord’s names and scrutinizing study of scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam in an attitude of surrender to learn how GOD controls everything.
The more intensely we chant and more intensely we study Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavatam the more we become surrendered to Krishna (maam ekam sharanam vraja). And as much as we are surrendered to Krishna, that much we become fearless and anxiety-free. And this understanding should be backed up by honest efforts in maintenance of our body and spiritual life.
( Story narrated by His Holiness Maha Vishnu Goswami – source unknown )
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
PS: I humbly request all the devotees to please forward and share this moral / instructive stories they hear so that everyone can be benefited by hearing about Krishna
