Bhagavad Gita and the Art of Responding

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In the Chapter 4 of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna shares a powerful perspective on the art of responding.

He says:

The way people approach me is how I respond to them. In all ways people follow my path.

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |

मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश: || 4.11

Typically the verse is translated as: how people approach me is how I reciprocate to them.

It seems what is being alluded to here is the dynamic of action and reaction. You do this to me and I will do the same to you.

But that's not the message Krishna wants to give. Mahatma Gandhi said that - "An eye for an eye will make the world blind."

What Krishna is teaching instead is the art of response. And the best way to understand the verse is through the analogy of cricket.

Let's say Krishna is batting and Arjuna is bowling. If Krishna says - "How you bowl to me is how I will bat." does he mean reciprocation? In other words does a master batsman try to mirror the batting action to the delivery bowled? Is the fast bowl matched with a fast bat and a slow one with a slow bat?

Not necessarily.

The second half of the verse throws light on the approach taken by a seasoned player.

The batsman does or tries to do only one thing regardless of the delivery type—use the delivery to his benefit. Sometimes that could mean swinging the bat with full force to hit a six, sometimes a delicate stroke for a cover drive, sometimes a clean sweep, and sometimes a defensive stroke to do nothing or save the wicket.

Tit for tat is not a great strategy—be it life, work or cricket. We seldom have any control over the actions of others or the events of life. Trying to match our responses to the actions of others is a sub-optimal strategy if at all.

However adopting the mindset that no matter what happens (or the ball life throws) I will use it to my advantage is pretty powerful. Because this allows us to keep the focus on our objectives and move in that direction without getting distracted by things we can't control. Plus it firmly puts us in charge of our lives by making us responsible for how we played it as opposed to what was thrown at us.

Interpreted this way the message in the verse is:

No matter what what life throws at me I use it to my advantage. In that sense everything that happens (in life) is for my benefit.

Isn't that powerful?

Next time any event happens ask yourself:

Am I reacting? [thoughtless action]

Am I reciprocating? [action matching action]

or

Am I responding? [action for my benefit]

~S~

#bhagavadgita