Chapter 18 Shloka 58

मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि।

अथ चेत्त्वमहंकारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि।।५८।।

Bhagwan says to Arjuna:

By affixing your mind in Me, 

you shall through My Grace 

remain untouched by dire difficulties.

And if on account of ego you do not pay heed

to My words, you will be destroyed.

Chapter 18 Shloka 58

मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि।

अथ चेत्त्वमहंकारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि।।५८।।

Bhagwan says to Arjuna:

By affixing your mind in Me, you shall through My Grace remain untouched by dire difficulties. And if on account of ego you do not pay heed to My words, you will be destroyed.

Look little one, the Lord says these words to that Arjuna:

a) who knew not where his duty lay;

b) who was gripped by moha;

c) from whose hands the Gandiva was dropping;

d) whose limbs were becoming lifeless;

e) whose head was dizzy with uncertainty;

f) for whom it was difficult even to stand;

g) who had forgotten his very nature of a warring Kshatriya.

Now understand why Arjuna had reached such a condition.

1. Such delusions occur within the mind and are also caused by the mind.

2. This duality occurs within the mind because of one’s intrinsic moha.

3. All these aberrations take place in the mind because of attachment and moha.

4. All these aberrations take place in the mind because of the instability of the intellect.

5. Instability of the intellect is caused by its affiliation and subservience to the body-self.

6. Instability of the intellect is the consequence of ignorance of the Truth.

7. Instability in the intellect is created when the individual becomes the servant of his body, mind and sense faculties.

8. For all the above reasons, that individual:

–  becomes greedy;

–  is enmeshed by desire;

–  becomes tyrannical;

–  is ready to snatch away another’s rights;

–  seeks only his own establishment;

–  wishes to live only for himself;

–  desires the safety only of his own desires and knowledge;

–  seeks to become individualistic;

–  indulges in criticism, telling tales, tyrannical behaviour etc. due to lack of intellect.

Actually such a one becomes a servitor of only his own body-self and thus becomes blind. If one places one’s intrinsic essence before one’s mind’s eye, then one’s eyes can open to the Truth. But the one who is blinded by attachment to the body becomes a veritable orphan because:

a) such a one works alone for his own establishment;

b) the intellect of such a one is devoid of any advancement, since such a one does not believe anyone else’s intellect to be superior to his own and consequently, he pays no attention to anyone’s advice;

c) when that individual begins to consider himself to be greater than any other, he is blinded by pride and vainglorious egoism.

Thus does such a one become a complete orphan and is left totally alone.

If one does not suffer from pride of one’s intellect, one will inevitably heed the advice of others; i.e. one will use others’ intellect as well. The intellect of such an aspirant will progress steadily from day to day. It will advance towards purity. It will continue to grow. Or else, an individual simply steals the thoughts of others for self aggrandisement but cannot fully understand them.

1. Therefore, the intellect of such a one cannot understand the Truth.

2. He cannot experience Truth.

3. He feels the necessity of pirating another’s knowledge.

4. He has to take pains to remember that knowledge.

5. He spreads half baked knowledge in the world.

The Lord says, “If you place your mind in Me, you can overcome the most terrible difficulties.”

1. Some difficulties are vanquished with the removal of pride of intellect.

2. Other difficulties can be severed in the process of offering one’s body-self to the Lord.

3. All other remaining difficulties will be vanquished with the voidance of the body idea. Because when one does not claim one’s body-self as one’s own, who remains to claim the difficulties that accrue to the body?

If you repose your mind in the Lord:

1. You shall verily become a gunatit, then the attributes will not distract you.

2. You will become replete with divine attributes; and the mind will then become purity itself.

3. Then that intellect shall become stable because your mind is reposed in equanimity.

4. Knowing the Supreme Essence, and abiding in That Divine Essence, you shall become an Atmavaan.

Then how can any other difficulty remain? You yourself will be the reliever of all difficulties. The Lord then says, “If you do not do as I say, your downfall and destruction is inevitable.”

Little one, for Arjuna, this downfall was inevitable because:

a) he would then not attain the kingdom he had set out to attain;

b) people would have ridiculed him;

c) people would have maligned him;

d) nobody would have ever trusted him again;

e) his courage would have been maligned;

f) those who were tired of Duryodhana’s tyrannical ways and looked to Arjuna with a renewed enthusiasm and hope, those very people would heap curses upon him.

However, Arjuna and the other Pandavas took great pride in their virtue. They took great pride in their goodness too. If they fell from their own esteem, how could they have ever lived in peace?

Little one,

1. Those who are sincere, are sincere to the Lord – therefore they are sincere to all others.

2. Those who love, love the Lord – thus they love everyone. If one is attached to one’s own body-self, demonic traits will inevitably emerge. If one is more attached to others, divine attributes will emerge. He who is attached to the Lord will inevitably become an Atmavaan.