Mahabharata (as by Guruji)

Q: Thousands of years ago (at the time of the Mahabharata), people had the same problems as what we have today. There is not much difference.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Thousands of years ago also, there was a new moon and there was a full moon, there was winter and there was spring. So in everyone’s life also, the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita happen.

•The first chapter is where you regret and say, "I am powerless and I give up".

•The second chapter in your life is when someone wakes you up and says, "Hey come on! There’s nothing to regret in life. There is something in you that doesn’t change andyou have the power to sail over all this". Then you wake up and you felt good.

•The third chapter tells you to act. Don’t sit and worry, ‘What about me? What about me? 'Go and act, this is Karma Yoga.

•The fourth chapter tells you, now that you are acting you must also listen to knowledge.Don’tbecome like a machine and only act, listen to knowledge as well. There is something beyond all this.

•The fifth chapter tells you about material and spiritual knowledge. You cannot say, "Everything is being done and there is nothing for me to do", or you cannot think, "I am doing everything. I did this and I did that". This is not going to work for you. Wake up and see, are things happening or are you really doing it?

•Then the sixth chapter is when you learn to meditate.

•The seventh chapter tells you, now that you’re meditating, you should know the author of meditation - the one who is meditating in you. 'Who am I? What is time?' Knowing all about science.

•Like that it goes on! When you meditate miracles happen in your life. Wake up and see the miracles! Many don’t observe miracles, nor believe in it. If you recognize it and believe in it then it happens even more! Give a chance for miracles to happen, don’t be so steeped in the material cause and effect - 'I did this so this will happen', or 'I did that and only that will happen', no! You did it but something else can also happen out of the blue! Recognizing that ‘something different’ is Vibhuti. Vibhuti means giving a chance for miracles in your life, exploring it.

•Then after that is knowing the universal self and knowing that everything is in me and I am in everything.

•Then comes love and devotion. You know and understand all this, but then what? It is not enough. You should be in deep love! When you know that the divine loves you, you cannot but fall in love with the divine! That’s the 12th chapter.

•Then you understand what are the divine qualities and what are the demonic qualitiesand you realize that you have all the divine qualities in you.

•Then there are the three qualities or Gunas (Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic) to everything: mind, ego and food. Sattvic ego is, "I am everything and everybody". The Tamasic ego is knowing that you are only this body, and the Rajasic ego is having a limited mindset and falling into craving and aversion.

•The final chapter is knowing that you cannot wash your own sins. Drop them and understand what is being said, "I am here to take care of your sins. Feel that you are mine, be connected to me and I will take care of everything. Just relax!’ This is sanyaasa or liberation.

These are the 18 chapters and these chapters are all a part of everybody’s life.Sometimes we don’t reach up to the 18th chapter. It takes many lifetimes to reach there!