Abhimanyu's resolve

If Abhimanyu of Mahabharat could go back in time, the one thing he would do is to learn the art of breaking out of the chakravyuh from his uncle Krishn, so that he could save himself from an untimely death. As individuals, we are often not even aware that we are trapped inside a chakravyuh.

In the past 150-odd years, our world has been moving on a never-ending spiral of increasing populations, feeding the need for continuous growth in economies, leading to competition for resources and greed, thereafter fuelling high consumption. This is the chakravyuh we have entered involuntarily.

Luckily for us, Abhimanyu's uncle Krishn has left behind some really sound advice, about how to understand and break out of this chakravyuh through his words in Gita. The first piece of advice is to achieve jnan - awareness about the nature of this worldly chakravyuh - to accept that it is a spiritual trap, and that it can be destructive to stay emotionally invested in it for an extended period. The second piece of advice is to practise dhyan, meditation on the nature of chakravyuh and of the ways in which it traps us through moh, enthralment, raag, attachment, and bhay, fear. The third piece of advice is daan, selfless charity, to achieve goals of helping others while practising detachment.


As we get closer to a new year, let us take Abhimanyu's resolve to overcome chakravyuh trap with tools of jnan, dhyan and daan to reach a state free from attachments, hatred and fear.