For our good

It is our tendency to desire those things that will keep

us chained to samsara, and to neglect that which will lead us to the Supreme One. In the Gita, Lord Krishna shows us how to reach Him, elaborated Valayapet Ramachariar, in a discourse. There are three ways of discerning valid knowledge. One is through perception; another is through inference; and the third is through verbal testimony. That which our well wishers say can be taken to be verbal testimony. You see something, but you are unsure whether it is a snake or a rope. Suppose someone who has your

welfare at heart were to confirm that it is a rope and that you need not be afraid to go near it, then you would believe him. So, verbal testimony should be taken as the words of someone who is concerned about our welfare.

Parents are the well wishers of their children. The Vedas are equal to thousands of parents. That is, the Vedas have our welfare in mind, much more than our parents do. The Bhagavad Gita gives us the essence of the Vedas, and it comes from Lord Krishna. The Lord has the welfare of not only Arjuna but of all of us in mind, when He advises Arjuna. So we should pay heed to the Lord’s words. We should begin the day by thinking of the elephant Gajendra, for it will remind us of the Lord’s parental concern for all of His devotees.

We should remember that we are dear to Krishna and that His words of advice therefore will lead us to Him. Our bhakti in Him should be unshakeable. Thinking of Him is the best offering we can make to Him.