Be Strong, Be Positive!
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || 2.14||
mātrā-sparśhās tu kaunteya
śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās tans-titikṣhasva bhārata
When you walk along the street, the Sun’s rays may fall on the body. The skin may feel a little heat. When it is cold, instead of heat, for lack of Sun’s heat, your skin may feel cold. Sometimes it may rain.
How much will you weep over these things? You know, from experiences in this life since birth, and from experiences of countless previous lives, that these things are all temporary. In a day, how many times does the temperature change, especially in cold countries? In a day, the Sun comes and hides behind the clouds.
If this happens in the outer nature, the same thing is true with inner nature also. As you grow, you face so many things. Your mind, during the course of the day, has numerous thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. You are happy sometimes, sad sometimes, angry sometimes….And nothing is permanent. This is one thing certain.
If you identify yourself, the Ego, with an emotion, you become agitated. Just as you don’t bother much if sun’s heat is a bit strong on your clothes, you must also not bother if the mental emotions are a bit powerful on the soul.
YOU, the real YOU, are different from all these. Just come away from them. Just overcome these fleeting things.
Those who do not know, will be agitated with simple things and waste their precious time and lives. Thoughtful people, however, are not worried. They care nothing for these things and know that they come and go. They are impermanent.
The lesson from this verse of the Gita is: Hold on to the Permanent, the Eternal.