“Have it all.” This is the mantra of today’s consumerist culture that impels us to believe that the more we have, the more we will enjoy. And when we have it all, we will be supremely happy, so goes the consumerist fairy tale.
Clearly, having it all is impossible. After all, we are finite, our time is finite and our resources are finite.
Those who still pursue the mission of having it all or having as much as possible court stress. The never-ending, never-satisfying pursuit of possessions sentences them to perpetual anxiety. The Bhagavad-gita (16.14) characterizes those who sacrifice morality for prosperity, stooping even to murder of rivals for monetary gains. The Gita preludes this delineation by cautioning that such people are tormented by endless anxiety (16.11: cintam aparimeyam ca) and concludes it with a similar caveat (16.16: aneka citta vibhranta). Contemporary sociological trends vindicate this warning: as our culture charges towards consumerism, more and more people are suffering from anxiety-related disorders, to the point that many sociologists are talking about an impending anxiety epidemic.
No wonder Gita wisdom urges us to direct our pursuits towards that which brings fulfillment: Krishna. Instead of struggling to get it all, we can strive to get the One who has it all. When we devotionally connect with Krishna, that connection grants us lasting fulfillment because Krishna is all-attractive, being the possessor and reservoir of the six opulences – the things that attract us in this world, beauty, strength, wealth, knowledge, fame and renunciation.
And putting Krishna first doesn’t deprive us of worldly things, but ensures that we don’t let worldly things deprive us of Krishna, as is demonstrated in Arjuna’s example of choosing Krishna instead of Krishna’s formidable army and eventually getting Krishna and victory.
Explanation of article:
Very nice explanation and very easy to understand.