Many of us may have suspected that the Bhagavad-gita being an ancient book might not be practical in our times. Some of us may have been surprised to discover its practicality on encountering advanced devotees who had molded their lives according to it.
Such seasoned devotees can bring about this paradigm shift in us because they are adept (daksha), as mentioned in the Gita itself (12.16). While this adeptness can have many aspects, its one essential aspect is the mature ability to apply the Gita according to time-place-circumstance. The Gita adept knows what to adopt and what to adapt in its message and in the spiritual tradition that it has engendered. This tradition has a central core and a circumferential periphery. The adept knows how to hold on to the core and to adapt the periphery according to the context.
These devotional adepts grasp the core of the Gita: the heart of Krishna, a heart longing to love us and be loved by us. Due to their inner harmony with Krishna, they know how to make that sublime love accessible and relishable to the emotional and intellectual ethos of their times. Thus, they become receivers and radiators of divine love, with their radiations emanating at the frequency of vibration of their contemporary generation.
By observing, serving and learning from such an adept, we too can gradually become adept and develop a spiritual intuition to know what to adopt and what to adapt. The resulting devotional dynamism will make living the Gita an exciting, enlightening experience.
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