Joyous world

Human life unfolds amidst beauty, yet is dominated by conflict - love and family ties interwoven with sickness, financial struggles and broken relationships. Amidst these challenges, values such as sacrifice and seva shine through. Gita explains that such suffering arises from pursuit of possessions, success, selfishness, greed, envy, lust and anger. Even Arjun's reluctance to fight in the Mahabharat war stemmed from attachment, a form of material bondage.

Gita offers a way to live amidst this flux: to move from material consciousness to divine consciousness. Its teachings are clear: perform prescribed duties as offerings to God, renounce attachment to outcomes, abandon pride of 'doership', act selflessly, master senses, overcome inner enemies like greed, lust and anger, transcend the three gunas, cultivate equanimity success and failure, and see God in all beings.

Gita depicts the world as an inverted Aswattha tree, with roots above and branches below. Roots symbolise God; branches represent endless desires. Liberation is attained by cutting down this tree with the axe of detachment.

The fruit of moksh is described in 8.15: 'Having attained Me, great souls are no more subject to rebirth, which is transient and full of misery, duhkhalayam ashashvatam.' Gita advises practising yog of severance from misery. Transcending three gunas leads to peace, joy and God-realisation.