It’s good that you’re confused

The more decisions you make, the more confused you are, and as a result, you swing between pain and pleasure. The more the witness grows in you, the more playful and untouched you are. Trust, faith, love, and joy all manifest in and around you

“Nothing is predictable in this world, especially the minds of people. You don’t know who is thinking what and what is going to happen the very next moment”              — gurudev

A couple went to a Guru. They said, “We have two questions to ask.” Usually, in those days, questions weren’t answered immediately. The Guru said, “Then you have to do seva (service) here, for two years.” Each answer comes at a price. Two answers equal two years of seva. The husband and wife did seva, bringing water from the well, carrying it up the hill, tending the plants in the ashram, doing all the work, cooking, and looking after the cows, sheep, and buffaloes. At the end of the second year, they went to the Guru. “Today, we have completed two years of service. We have two questions.” The Guru said, “What are your questions?” The couple said: Our first question is, ‘What is God?’, and the second one is, ‘What is life?’ The Guru said, “God is confused, and life is a problem.” They said, “This is where we were two years ago!”

Confusion arises when a concept breaks down. The question was, “What is God?” The answer the couple got was, “God is confused.” The ‘answer’ suggests that the problem lies in the expectation of a neat definition from the Guru, particularly after serving the Guru for 2 years. Know that expectations are a part of life; it is natural to expect. But when they come up, you should simply become aware that by expecting, you are only closing new avenues of growth. Expectations are based on set concepts. When a concept breaks down, it opens a new avenue of growth. 

The third chapter in the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ begins with confusion. When Arjuna was already thoroughly confused, God confused him even more. Arjuna said, “Oh, my dear Krishna, you said, ‘Drop everything, don’t do anything,’ and at the same time you are saying ‘Do it!’ Tell me one thing, one definite thing. Don’t keep me in limbo. What should I do? You said, ‘You should act’, and then you say, ‘No, like a turtle, you take everything inside, and focus on yourself and meditate, be silent, be quiet. Take refuge in yoga, be equanimous.’ Then, the next moment, you say, ‘Come on, what would people think about you? They will think you are such a coward for running away from a battlefield. You aren’t doing your duty. Come on, wake up! Do your duty.’ Another time, you say, ‘Relax. You have no control over the action; it is all cause and effect. Everything happens by itself.” Arjuna says, “I am so confused! Please tell me one thing that I should do. When you say that you are satisfied, in your depth, is all joy, then why are you asking me to fight this war? Why are you putting me up for this horrible fight? Why are you putting me in this complicated world? I am ready to leave everything today and go to the Himalayas and sit there and meditate. I don’t want anything. I can eat fruits from the trees. I want nothing, but you are saying completely opposite things. I am already confused; you are confusing me even more. I have come to you not to get more confused. I want some clarity, but you are leading me into even more confusion. Tell me one thing that is good for me, which is beneficial for me, not that which pleases me. Help me evolve and uplift myself. Tell me that one thing.”

The need to make a decision comes only when there is confusion. When there is no confusion, then there is no decision. For example, if there is a piece of wood and a biscuit on your desk, you don’t decide which one to eat, isn’t that right? A decision is always about choice, and choice is always confusing.  Action is spontaneous when there is no actor. In you, there is an actor, and there is a witness. An actor is either confused or decisive, but the witness realises that the action is spontaneous and smiles.

The more decisions you make, the more confused you are, and as a result, you swing between pain and pleasure. The more the witness grows in you, the more playful and untouched you are. Trust, faith, love, and joy all manifest in and around you.

Your concept that things should be in a certain way causes pain in your mind. Set concepts in the mind are the causes of distress. And nature loves to give you surprises. God loves fun! He always gives you surprises; sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. You grow through both of them in life. In fact, you grow much more because of unpleasant surprises than from pleasant ones. Hence, behind each surprise there is a big message for you. When you know that all types of joy and sorrow are the result of concepts, you can see the reality as it is, without making concepts out of it again.

Nothing is predictable in this world, especially the minds of people. You don’t know who is thinking what and what is going to happen the very next moment.

Arjuna continued asking questions till the end. Finally, Krishna himself got fed up. He said, “I have already said whatever I could say. Now, Arjuna, you can do whatever you think is the best way forward.” And only then did Arjuna become aware of the value of surrender. He told Krishna that he would do whatever Krishna said.

When there is too much confusion, you need to find solace in surrender. Surrender to your Guru or the Divine and know that you aren’t alone. ‘Sharanagati’ is complete surrender with this deep feeling of devotion. In utterly confusing moments, if you surrender to divinity, your mind relaxes, and a relaxed mind is the harbinger of intuition. When you face conflicting choices, just relax. The state of surrender helps relax the mind. In relaxation, your intuition works, which you can rely on. Your intuitive abilities remain hidden when your mind is too busy. Relaxation helps rekindle your intuition, and intuition never goes wrong.

When you face conflicting choices, just relax. The state of surrender helps relax the mind. In relaxation, your intuition works, which you can rely on. Your intuitive abilities remain hidden when your mind is too busy. Relaxation helps rekindle your intuition, and intuition never goes wrong