We all live through this ocean of life in waves and stillness. Some moments touch us, and some just pass through us, going unnoticed. For the moments that go unnoticed, our actions and thoughts also slip by without any account. But for moments that grip our attention, we find ourselves pausing, reflecting, and feeling accountable for our actions. Wonder what has changed, what is it that has tugged? In this pause, we then begin to learn and unravel life’s greatest mysteries and lessons. 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 1 Shloka verse 1, King Dhritarashtra questions Sanjaya: 

dharma-kṣhetre kuru-kṣhetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāśhchaiva kimakurvata sañjaya

After gathering on the holy field of Kurukshetra, O Sanjay, and desiring to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?

As I begin my reflections on one of the greatest and longest poetries in literary history, the Bhagavad Gita, I look at this first verse and see how this battle of Kurukshetra is symbolic of our daily struggles. The blind king (manas) asks the far-sighted and trusted Sanjaya (buddhi) what did his sons, the Kauravas (the hundreds of sensory distractions), and the sons of Pandu(the five senses) did. 

Reflecting each night, do we ask ourselves an account of our actions? Were we distracted by all this sensory overload and stimulation? Did the blind mind rely on the lower impulses of worldly distractions or did we allow the purity of the five senses to relay the information and allow the far-sighted buddhi or intelligence to wield its power of choice?

The outcome of our life is the day-to-day score of who we allow triumphing each day. Yoga gives us a wonderful practice of reflection/swadhyaya. All you need to do is sit with yourself every night and ponder. Much like being Michaelangelo who already sees his David in the marble. Each day he just is removing the unwanted piece of stone and released the statue. Reflection is the sculptor that is releasing the true us. 

So, are you sculpting daily?