Gita 01.28 Our thought-train’s journey from intentions to actions is diverted by our emotions

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.28 So these this verse begins a prolonged sequence of verses that Arjuna will be speaking to explain his emotion and to thereby speak out his unwillingness to fight the war.

I can see in front of me all of them. These are all my people. yutsum samupasthitam yutsum for the purpose of fighting they have all been situated.

samupasthitam they have assembled. sidhanti mamagatranim my limbs sidhanti they are all becoming weak because of this. mamagatranim mokham chaparishushyati and my mouth is drying up.

If we consider the chain of events over here there is a physical situation there is the perception of that situation and the perception of that situation leads to a particular response to that situation. There is an emotional response and the emotional response emotional the reaction at the emotional level also causes a reaction at the physical level for Arjuna. The Bhagavad Gita depicts the power of the emotions in shaping our actions and thereby our destiny.

Unless we are extremely careful and cautious our emotions can carry us away in many many random directions. There is just no way we can overcome the emotions very easily. So only recently modern science has begun to acknowledge the power of the mind in changing how we act.

That is whenever we are faced with a problematic situation it is for each one of us to move forward in our life with steady determination and purge ourselves of the destructive emotions or at least to restrain the destructive effect of the emotion. This is vitally essential if we wish to stay steady. So science has recognized this whole field of mind-body medicine that say emotions are real in the sense that emotions can have real effects on us.

So Arjuna, it is described that his Krupaya Paraya Vishto was described in the previous verse. He was overwhelmed by great compassion. The result of that great compassion was that he just couldn't think straight.

He just couldn't keep his actions in alignment with our intentions. So we often say that think straight. What does that mean? If our thinking is twisted, then we don't go where we should be going logically.

So if we consider somebody is drawing a twisted line, then that line will take more time to get to the destination or even if they start towards the destination, if the line is too twisted and they don't correct the twisting, then the line will not reach the destination where it is meant to reach. In a physical journey, if we keep taking turns at random, at our webs, we will not get to our desired destination. But if we do focus on, if we learn to focus on the reality that we are not to be so easily dissuaded or dissipated or distracted, if we consider thinking to be like a travel in the territory of our consciousness, and we want to go from point A to point B, we will use the, we will try to find the straightest path.

Usually the straightest path is the fastest path. Unless of course, there is no straight path available because of the terrain, the mountains, rivers in between or the straight path will be crowded because of traffic. Otherwise, the straightest path is the fastest path.

And we would be well advised to take that straight path for getting to our destination as quickly as possible. Now, if we move forward in our straight path and if we are unable to keep to that path because of externals, that's understandable. But if we ourselves keep taking random turns, then we can't get to the destination.

So, we can't, we don't think straight. That means there is a particular situation and that situation needs to be dealt with logically. But instead of dealing with that situation, we let ourselves get distorted.

We get diverted. And the main diverters of our thought train, we may use that word, the main diverters of our thought train are our emotions. Arjuna came to the battlefield with the intention to fight against the Kauravas.

But the way things turned out, he got swept away by his situation and he just couldn't do anything about it. He was so forcefully swept away that the emotions coming within him are now described as having physical reactions on him. Next few verses will also continue to describe the physical reactions that he experienced.

But the important thing is that he kept himself, although he got carried away, but it was the association of Krishna and his willingness to take guidance from Krishna that prevented his excessive diversion. If we are consulting a map or a guide, a friend, and then the friend cautions us, turn left, turn left, turn left, turn left, if you are turning right, turn left, turn left, then by that he will be able to move forwards from where we are upwards. Otherwise, upwards means towards our destination.

So, if we regularly take the guidance of Krishna by hearing from his words, by hearing his words, and hearing his words especially, explained by those who are devoted to living those words, then we will find that we will not get that distracted. We will be able to better get ourselves on track and move towards the desired destination. Move towards attaining a spiritually progressive destination by our spiritual practice.

Such is the potency of remembering Krishna and especially remembering Krishna words as a director for our life. So, how Arjuna was saved from being excessively diverted by his emotions will be described in the Bhagavad Gita.