Bhagavad Gita Teachings on How to Overcome Stress.

"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than 

the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”

- Albert Einstein

Stress has become a common problem these days. People generally take so much stress due to big problems and sometimes even due to small problems that are not so challenging. Everyone tells us to not take stress but, how not to take the stress that very few people tell.

#First, let's see what Stress is.

In a simple layman language, it is a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc., or something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety.

#Why do we take so much Stress?

Let's take an example of a School Student who has recently given his exams and is preparing for College. Now, here the situation is that he has to make a list of colleges he wants to go to but he does not know what marks he will be getting as the result is not declared yet. He successfully makes a list of the colleges he wants to go to, but now he is tensed and stressed about his result, whether he will be able to get the marks that satisfy the conditions of those colleges.

In the Bhagavad Gita, it is explained very clearly. Let's see the causes of stress according to Bhagavad Gita:

1. Attachment to the results.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||47||

Translation: While you have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. (BG 2.47)

To find out a solution to a problem we first need to identify the cause of that problem. 

When we think of the result, we start taking stress, which makes us vulnerable and doesn’t let us think of our opportunities.

So, from the above example, we can see that the student was only stressing on one point that what his marks will be, but he didn’t think of the opportunities other than that list of colleges he made.

The solution to this problem is in the verse itself:

~ We have to perform our duties, but we should not think of the fruits or reactions we will get.

~ You should not consider yourself as the doer of the activity, you are just a medium.

~ One should accept the result "As It Is" and never mourn or be sad about the outcome, the result is not in his control but the duty is.

~ Never be attached to inactivity. It is not correct to run away or to not perform your duties.

2. Excessive attachments to things.

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङगस्तेषूपजायते |
सङगात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ||62||
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ||63||

Translation: While contemplating the objects of senses a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment selfish desires develops, and from it rises anger. (BG 2.62)  

While From anger delusion arises and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost. When this happens, one falls down again into the material pool. (BG 2.63)

Objects of senses are money, status, power, position, additives, gadgets and all sorts of material things. 

At this point of time in the world we see that most of the people are running for money, they do illegal activities to attain a higher position or status, each and every kid has all sorts of gadgets and all lead to attachment, just like Arjuna in the battlefield of kuru-kṣetre was not able to fight as he was having an attachment with the opposite party who were from the same family.

We also have the same attachments, not just with family but also with money, power, status, etc. This leads us to selfish desires which in turn, make us angry, delusional and stressed. To get out of such situations we should:

~ Not have excessive attachments to objects of senses like food, wealth, house, position, people, gadgets etc.

~ Limit our desires and check whether what we want is a need or desire.

~ Keep working towards your goal, until then be satisfied with what we have.

~ Love and respect everyone and everything but don't get attached to them.

3. Non-acceptance of the present situation.

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ||14||

Translation: O son of Kunti, the non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. (BG 2.14)

When the five senses come in contact with material things, we are bound to experience joy and sorrow. They are unavoidable like the summer and winter seasons.

We can’t stop the seasons from coming, but we can change our attitude or response towards them.

In winters rather than complaining about the cold and using it as an excuse, we can wear warm clothes and keep working.

Similarly, during a time of distress, we can adjust ourselves and proceed with our work rather than inaction or complaining.

When we accept this fact then stress starts disappearing. Stress originates when we don’t accept the current situation. Here, we need to:

~ Understand that everything is temporary in our life: people, money, power will keep on coming and going.

~ Tolerate the conditions with peace in mind, God's name in heart and a smile on the face.

~ Accept whatever position we are in, keep working to solve it, and never run from them or get tense about the situation.

~ Respond and not react.

~ Let go and move on.

~ Use the senses for the satisfaction of the Lord. Remember the Supreme not only in distress but in all moments of life.

Conclusion

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः ।

अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ॥27॥

Translation: The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature. (BG 3.27)

So, now we have clarity that all the stress we have in our lives are due to our worrying, attachments, and non-acceptance.

In this world of duality, you will have to face such situations and running away from them or Keeping complaining about them or getting frustrated from problems will not solve those problems but will only increase your stress level.

In the above verse of Bhagavad Gita, we can get a clear picture of why we should not take the stress and that is that all the activities in this world are carried out by nature and not by us. 

If you understand this, you can break the root cause of all the stress and overcome any situation.

Always remember:

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