In the tumult of life—when darkness closes in, when fear grips the heart, and when hope seems to vanish—the Bhagavad Gita rises as a radiant beacon. Its message, delivered millennia ago on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, remains more relevant than ever today. Through its timeless verses, the Gita teaches us that true courage does not come from the absence of adversity, but from the presence of unwavering faith.
This blog explores the Gita’s message of hope and courage, using powerful insights from revered spirtual teacher Swami Mukundananda, and the transformative examples and stories.
The Battlefield Within
The Bhagavad Gita is set on a literal battlefield, but its deeper relevance lies in the battlefield within each of us. Arjun, the mighty warrior, is paralyzed by despair. He sees friends, family, and teachers arrayed on the opposing side, and he falters. The bow slips from his hands, his knees tremble, and he turns to Shree Krishna, saying, “I shall not fight.”
This moment defines the Gita—not as a call to physical war, but a call to inner awakening.
“When all seems lost, do not give up. That is the moment to seek inner clarity.”
Faith: The Source of Fearlessness
In one of the most touching stories shared by Swamiji, a naval officer's wife is terrified during a violent storm at sea. Yet her husband, the ship’s captain, remains perfectly calm. When questioned, he places a sword on her head and asks, “Are you afraid?” She replies, “No, because the sword is in your hands, and I trust you.”
The officer smiles and says, “In the same way, I trust that the ship is in God's hand, and He is my protector.”
This is exactly the mindset Shree Krishna expects from us:
“Have full faith that God is your well-wisher and protector. That alone is the beginning of fearlessness.”
The Gita teaches this through the shloka:
“anapekṣhaḥ śhuchir dakṣha udāsīno gata-vyathaḥ
sarvārambha-parityāgī yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ”
(Bhagavad Gita 12.16)
“Those who are indifferent to worldly gains, externally and internally pure, skillful, without cares, untroubled, and free from selfishness in all undertakings, such devotees of Mine are very dear to Me."
What Truly Sets the Victorious Apart?
During the Life Transformation Challenge, a striking example is given of a long jumper who stops before taking the leap. Why? Because he thinks, “I can’t do it.” That single negative thought robs him of even the attempt.
This is what separates success from failure—not talent, not luck, but the ability to keep striving despite setbacks.
“Those who succeed also fail—but they keep going. Those who fail permanently are the ones who give up.”
This message is echoed in the story of King Bruce of Scotland, who failed six times in war, but was inspired by a spider who failed six times to build its web, only to succeed on the seventh. Inspired by a tiny creature's persistence, Bruce returned, fought again, and won his kingdom.
The Parable of the Double-Headed Coin
Swamiji shares the tale of a small kingdom of 300 warriors facing an enemy army of 700. Unsure whether to surrender or fight, they consult an old commander. He takes them to the temple, prays, and tosses a coin. It lands on heads—a sign from the deity to fight with confidence.
They do—and they win.
Later, they discover that the coin had heads on both sides.
The commander explains, “The message from God was this—if you believe you will succeed, you will.” This is not blind arrogance. This is faith-driven courage.
Fear: The Great Paralyzer
In his discourse, Swamiji explains that fear is biologically programmed—a useful survival mechanism when facing real danger. But when imagined fears dominate, they paralyze us. A man afraid of a non-poisonous snake jumps off a cliff, harming himself more than the snake ever could.
“Fear makes the wolf seem bigger than it is.”
Like Chhatrapati Shivaji who chose to live bravely rather than die daily in fear, the Gita calls us to live with the mindset that our life is not in random hands—it is held by the Divine.
Faith in Divine Protection
The Gita’s most powerful message of hope is found in Chapter 9, Verse 22:
“Ananyāśh chintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate, teṣhāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣhemaṁ vahāmyaham.”
“There are those who always think of Me and engage in exclusive devotion to Me. To them, whose minds are always absorbed in Me, I provide what they lack and preserve what they already possess.”
This verse underscores that complete surrender leads to divine guardianship.
Swamiji illustrates this through a story of Arjun sleeping peacefully the night before the war, even after learning Bhishma has vowed to kill him the next day. Shree Krishna visits his tent at 2 a.m. to console him, only to find Arjun snoring peacefully.
Arjun simply says:
“If You, Lord, are worried for me, then why should I worry?”
This surrender is not passive. It is an active inner state of full trust, coupled with our best efforts.
God Provides for All – Why Not You?
A large portion of Swamiji’s message focuses on Vishwambhar—the aspect of the Divine who maintains and nourishes all life forms.
“Look at the elephants,” he says. “So huge, yet they find enough food in the forest. Look at the ants—tiny, yet guided mysteriously to grains of food on your kitchen shelf.”
In a delightful story, Goddess Lakshmi challenges Lord Vishnu's claim that He protects all beings. She traps an ant in a jewel box to test Him. At night, she opens the box—and the ant is alive, nourished by a tiny grain of rice that had fallen inside unknowingly.
This gentle yet profound anecdote affirms the Gita’s truth:
“The same God who provides for the ant will provide for you too—if you surrender with faith.”
Hope in the Storm: The Spiritual Mindset
Hope, in the Gita, is not naive optimism. It is grounded in a deep understanding that the soul is eternal, and that no situation is permanent. Despair comes when we are too attached to outcomes, forgetting that we are not the doer, but instruments.
"yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate"
“Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjun, abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yog.” (Bhagavad Gita 2.48)
Hope is born when we align with this teaching.
The Highest Prayer: Remaining Calm Amid Chaos
In one discourse, a devotee asks how he can pray amid health issues, financial troubles, and family conflict. Swamiji replies:
“Today, the finest prayer is to remain calm despite everything.”
This is the highest form of spiritual progress—to maintain inner stillness when everything outside is in chaos.
Conclusion: The Message for Today
The Bhagavad Gita is not a book of sermons—it is a manual for transformation. When life is unfair, when failure knocks again, when fear grips the soul, remember Shree Krishna's message to Arjun:
“The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed (BG 2.20)”
So, let us rise from the ashes of self-doubt. Let us leap, even when our mind whispers that we can’t. Let us fight, even when the odds seem impossible. And above all, let us surrender, not out of helplessness, but from a place of profound trust.
Because courage is not the absence of fear—it is the presence of faith.
Closing Thoughts
No matter how turbulent the storm, remember this:
- The ship of life is in God’s hands.
- You are not alone.
- And your story isn’t over yet.
As Shree Krishna guided Arjun through the darkest night of his life, so too does the Bhagavad Gita offer its light to us—a light of hope, of unwavering courage, and of divine assurance.
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