Those who follow the Hindu religion know the Bhagavad-Gita very well and know that it is a work of extreme importance.

Bhagavad-Gita means "Sublime Song", "the song (Gita) of God (Bhagavan) or even "song of the blessed" and originates from Vedic Sanskrit - ancient Indian language, language of the Vedas, which are the oldest texts of the set of rules and principles of Hindu scriptures.

It is a chapter from the Mahabharata, one of the longest classical Indian epics. The Mahabharata is regarded among practitioners as the most important sacred text of Hinduism and deals with the three goals of human life (trivarga): dharma (that which defines the moral and social order of all beings), artha (sustenance, economic development), and kama (the experience of all forms of pleasure).

After fulfilling these goals, man is able to achieve moksha, that is, spiritual enlightenment or wholeness. The three goals are like stepping stones to moksha.

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What Bhagavad-Gita says

Although it is a small chapter of the Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita manages to transpose, in its short verses, the teachings of all the Vedas. In its 18 chapters, the work narrates a conversation between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna, on a battlefield. Explained in incidents prior to the Bhagavad-Gita, this battle took place between the families of two brothers, Dhritarastra and Pandu, heirs to the throne.Since Dhritarastra was born blind, Pandu assumed the reign.

Each had his own family and heirs (the Pandavas, Pandu's descendants; and the Kauravas, Dhritarastra's descendants). The conflict begins when the ambitious Duryodhana, Dhritarastra's son, tries at all costs to defeat the Pandavas after Pandu's death. After several frustrated attempts, war breaks out between the cousins.

The work is a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna - who is the young warrior's chariot driver. Early on, Arjuna asks Krishna to take him into the middle of the fight, where he can then study his opponents. He is soon surprised to find his own loved ones on the other side of the battle.

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In the midst of a real internal crisis, Arjuna completely paralyzes, his body trembles, his mouth goes dry. How can he fight his own relatives? But what if he doesn't fight? These are two conditions that, for him, would bring equally suffering, since Arjuna is basically the representation of dharma - that is, of what is right (as opposed to his cousin Duryodhana, who goes totally in the opposite way toBut if he fulfills his obligation, he will have to kill several of his relatives, even if it is to do the right thing.

The young warrior then decides to give up the fight, since he cannot fight against those he loves, and asks Krishna the reasons why he must face his own relatives, a task for which he thinks he does not have the strength. And then, to placate this suffering by making any decision, the young man asks Krishna for a light, in search of a decision that will avoid suffering.

To Arjuna's surprise, Krishna then explains the real meaning of the battle: it is an internal conflict, which we face in our daily lives and is the result of our existential problems. Throughout the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna teaches about yoga and its values.

The symbologies

Arjuna, for many times, questions his own ability to win - or even to enter the fight. He represents each one of us, for we also experience questioning whether we are capable, whether we are prepared.

His questions are our questions in front of life, the fear of making decisions, of getting rid of some addictions, of doing what is right, even if it has a cost. Because to choose is to win and to lose.

Krishna, as the chariot driver, symbolizes knowledge, which guides the warrior on his journey.

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Pandavas are our essential qualities, values, what is most noble in us. In contrast, Kauravas are our bad nature, faults, failures. It would be easy to deliberate if we looked "outside" at Pandavas and Kauravas, but inside, they are parts of us that we cultivate and have our affections for, even though we know they are not good for us.

This is why it is very difficult to get rid of a bad habit, and even though it is harmful at almost every moment of our lives, its existence is important for us to value and strengthen our virtues.

The values of yoga mentioned in the book

The illustrious dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna contained in this very essential chapter of the Mahabharata teaches perennial, timeless, and unsubjective values, what we can call ethics. Or, as we briefly mentioned above, dharma. Essential values for any person, in any circumstance, regardless of religion (or non-religion), philosophy of life, time or region.

These values, as Swami Dayananda Saraswati well portrays in his book "The Value of Values", are the "qualities that the seeker's mind must have in order to attain knowledge of the Self".

In this work, Saraswati talks about them in a schematic way, and here we will summarize them so that you can understand a little about what Arjuna is taught in his journey of decisions, and you can also make them a guide for your own journey. These values make up what we can call the Krishna Code:

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1. amanitvam: absence of vanity, arrogance, or need to be praised;

2. adambhitvam: absence of pretense;

3. Ahiṁsā: non-violence;

4. kṣānti: peaceful adaptability;

5. arjavam: righteousness;

6. acāryopāsanam: dedication to the master;

7. Śauchan: purification;

8. sthairyam: firmness of purpose;

9. Ātma-vinigraha: command over thought;

10. indriyartheśu vairāgyam: detachment from sense objects;

11. Anahaṅkāra: absence of identification with things of the ego;

12. janmamṛtyujaravyādhiduḥkhadośānudarśanam: reflection on the limitations of birth, death, old age, illness, and pain;

13. aśakti: absence of attachment to the idea of possession;

14. anabiśvaṅgaḥ putradaragṛhādiśu: affective equanimity;

15. nityam samacittatvam iśtaniṣṭopapattiṣu: constant equanimity;

16. bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī: unwavering devotion;

17. viviktadeśa sevitvam: appreciation for a quiet place;

18. aratiḥ janasamsadi: appreciation for solitude;

19. tattvajñānārthadarśanam: focus and clarity on the truth;

20. adhyātmajñāna nityatvaṁ: continuous disposition toward self-knowledge.

In order for you to get a light on how to find your way to evolution, you need to keep in mind that choices will be made, and this carries the weight of consequences, whatever your decision may be.

Fight your battles, don't let yourself be deluded by the comfort of the status quo, especially your flaws, as they are more easily installed, since they often present you with shortcuts to "solve" life's issues.

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We must act with responsibility and awareness, assuming all our actions, but always tending to do what is right, always seeking to improve as human beings. Because this, although apparently longer and more laborious, is the only possible path.