The Reading Experiment That Helped Me Calm Down
I read The Bhagavad Gita, Indian scripture for 30 Days and it changed my thought process
What we consume affects us in more ways than we can imagine.
When I started this experiment, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As a rational and pragmatic person, I wasn’t sure if I would agree with what’s written in the scripture I was going to pick.
In 30 days, it brought more change in me than any self-help book I read, and I have read hundreds of them.
I grew up hearing stories of Mahabharata and had attempted to read this book in my early 20s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue it after several pages. I didn’t dare to pick it up again after that.
To keep me sane amidst the prolonged lockdown, I decided to read this give this masterpiece another try. So I decided to read it for 15 minutes every day in February and March.
To my surprise, I was fully invested and couldn’t keep it down this time. I surpassed the reading streak of 30 days that I had decided to read the Gita or Song of the Lord.
Introduction
It's an epic Hindu scripture based on Mahabharata to someone unfamiliar with the Bhagavad Gita. It is the conversation between Lord Krishna and his devotee Arjuna. The dialogue between the two takes place right before the Kurukshetra war between the Kauravas and Pandavas.
Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, is skeptical about fighting against Kauravas, his cousins who publically humiliated their wife, Draupadi. So, he starts questioning his moral duties and his life; he confesses how he’s not ready to face his kin on the battlefield. That’s when his chariot, Krishna, the god himself, teaches him valuable lessons about life and responsibilities.
The conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna about his moral duties and dharma is still relevant after centuries.
In India, most people believe that the Bhagavad Gita has all the answers you’re looking for. So if you have a question, you can ask silently and then open this book and pick up any random shloka or verse, which will answer your question.
I am yet to try the above experiment, but I observed many changes after reading the magnum opus for 30 days without any failure.
Sharing some lessons I learned from it and how it changed me as a person.
I Became Calmer Than I Was Ever Before
The immediate change that I noticed in myself was calmness. Reading Gita opened my mind on various levels.
When you're stuck in your head, your mind only thinks about you, and your challenges become the center of the universe. Unfortunately, research has also suggested how our minds are more inclined towards the negative than the good.
However, after reading the multiple verses about spirituality and life, my focus shifted from negativity to the brighter side of life. I started thinking about the world and the people around me. My ego had to tone down because it couldn’t stay with the growing spirituality within me.
“The Blessed Lord 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 the dead.”
When you learn that your time in the world is limited, you become soft, and you learn that the things you are obsessed with don’t matter.
My desires got faded away, and everything that was troubling me felt kiddish. I felt light and like I wasn’t part of the material world. My family could also witness how I stopped reacting and took jokes lightly, unlike in old times.
Less Desire Means Less Anxiety
Gita elaborates about human desires and how they are the source of pain. Zen philosophy has a lot to say about desires; the lack of them is where peace and happiness reside.
While I was reading the book, I had hundreds of desires. Travel the world, become a millionaire, to sell 500,000 copies of my next book and whatnot. I could streamline all my pain into the desires they were coming from.
The feeling of lack was instigated by my desire to become rich. The feeling of loneliness was coming from my desire to get a fantastic partner. The pain of not being successful came from the desire to become a bestselling author and a successful creator.
It took two hours of reading this book to understand that I can get rid of my pain by getting rid of my desires. We know that expectations hurt, but how often do we analyze what makes us sad and how we can get rid of the root cause.
“He is full with contentment, who absorbs all desires within, as the brimful ocean remains unmoved(unchanged) by waters entering into it, not he who lusts after desires.”
I won’t lie by saying that I don’t have any desires now, but I have 10X less than when I started reading Gita.
My current desires are purposeful, and meaningful unlike before.
Sense of more significant purpose and fulfillment in my work
As a creative person and a creator on the internet, it’s difficult not to judge your work based on the number of views and likes. Most often, we get so involved in the results that we become oblivious about the process.
I spent a significant amount of time writing articles that got me more views at the beginning of my writing career. Unfortunately, my focus was attached to the outcome, and I hardly remember the process I followed in writing those articles. I was only writing for the whims of the online world.
Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path.
Understanding the importance of the process and being detached from the outcome allowed my writing to become an extension of who I am today.
It doesn't matter how many views I get. Writing these stories brings me joy, and I love the process involved. As if that wasn’t enough, I felt a sense of purpose in work, which brings peace to your work.
When you’re only doing it for yourself, your ego is the driving force, but when you’re doing it for a more significant reason, for people you love and care, love and the sense of giving back become your driving force. So that’s what we called Dharma In Hinduism.
You feel content enough by knowing that you’re on the other to something more significant, the joy of helping others radiated a different kind of energy in you. When we follow a cause bigger than ourselves, more people approach us to participate in helping us get there.
“Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.”
The understanding of life itself
No amount of philosophy books will ever be enough to understand the complexity of life. This is because there’s no black and white on this subject. Reading books and observing your life closely can give some notion, but we all hold different meanings for our lives based on our experiences and narrative.
Reading scriptures, or in my case, Gita, gives a foundation to explore these ideas and support them with ancient wisdom and reasoning. For example, when you learn that your existence is only a matter of seconds compared to the universe's age and its existence, you realize you’re just a flicker in the wide world. This allows you to look at your life and problems from a different light; the things you considered the center of your universe become meaningless.
You realize that you won’t be here for too long, and nobody knows what tomorrow will bring in our lives. This kind of thinking makes a person mindful and grateful for the life that’s been given to them.
“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.”
The attachment we feel for materialistic goals and people reduces drastically, and we start expecting less from others and more from ourselves. This understanding I developed from the Gita allowed me to forgive people, be kind to strangers, and not take life too seriously.
Parting thoughts
I hadn’t seen such an overall effect of words on me before. By the time my one-month challenge was over, I was calmer and more mindful than before. I felt so light afterward that I continued the challenge for another month.
What astonished me about Gita was its practicality — a book written hundreds and thousands of years ago to answer today's question. It’s mostly self-actualization than religious jargon. It tells you how to live a fulfilled life by devoting yourself to your Karma.
I want to extend my reading to other religious scriptures, but I will continue reading this one and learning from it.
If you’re planning to read this book or any other, remember that the beginning will always be daunting. But it’s fascinating to read what’s been written thousands of years ago and still making sense.
You don’t have to finish it but start and go one page after another.
Last Week’s Finds
Lesson of the week
Only focus on HRA (high return activities). Return doesn’t have to be monetary but in terms of relationships and learning. If a book is not keeping its promise, stop reading.
Book of the week
I am in the middle of a bunch of books. The two mains one is I Am The Mind by Indian author call Deep Trivedi. This book was a gift and looks pretty interesting. Another one I am diving into is Freakonomics by economist Stephen J. Dubner and journalist Stephen J. Dubner. This is on my list for the last 4 years!
Video of the week
I don’t know if I have already shared this video with you, but I watch only one video when I need a push. It’s from one of my favorite filmmakers and actors, Mark Duplass. Like me, he’s also a crazy head, does multiple things, and never flows a linear path. His address at SXSW talks about starting small and collaborative relationships, but the most important lesson was knowing that cavalry is not coming to save you.
You gotta save yourself — in life and in art. It’s a long video but worth watching if you’re a creative person.
Quote of the week
“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve.” — Debbie Millman
Song of the week
Watching FKJ play is as amusing as his music. If you’re wondering what a single person and play and produce, this week’s music is for you.
Creation of the week
I made a digital collage for IG.
And wrote this piece on relationships for Medium
I need your feedback
I was thinking of making this newsletter monthly because I don’t want to send you run-of-the-mill content. I want to write about things you haven’t read anywhere else. For that, I need to spend a significant amount of time in research and writing.
If not monthly. Perhaps bi-monthly.
Let me know what do you think, it’s always nice to hear from you.
If you enjoyed any bit of this email, feel free to share it with your friends.
I will see you next Sunday or the one after with something new and experimental.
Enjoy your day :)
Love and light
Shreya
Great summary....Iskcon has recently introduced a free online course to understand Gita in 18 days https://t.ly/gita
To me, the Gita is a way of life. To me it seems like a multi layered user manual that presents advanced material as your experience of life evolves.
Hindus (back then, the entire Indian subculture) believed in a universal consciousness (God) that flows through and binds everything. And recognising oneself to be a part of this consciousness was possible only through the human form. Having achieved this realisation would free us (the Self that’s distinct from the individual’s mind, identity or body) from the infinite cycle of birth and death.
From that frame, a lot of things said in the Gita, might start to make a lot of sense or could be interpreted differently. Who we are, where we are born, everything is pre scripted by our Karma. And everyone we meet, everything that happens, happens for a reason. Resisting none of it and craving for none of it, is the way forward. One is detached yet full of acceptance (love).
My journey into spirituality has been pretty interesting! Would be happy to chat about it over coffee sometime.