Upon first reading the Bhagavad Gita, many yoga practitioners are taken aback by the premise of a young warrior named Arjuna being propelled by Lord Krishna to step into a bloody battle. In place of the lessons of  peace and harmony you might expect from a story celebrated by yoga practitioners, when Arjuna expresses misgivings about his role in killing his own friends and family, Krishna persuades Arjuna to uphold his duty as a warrior.

Why, then, is this text so cherished?

Though, on the surface of things, it might seem like a bit of a call to violence, the Gita is really a manual for responding to any challenge that you might encounter in life with decisive action. We all face obstacles — though they probably don’t involve deciding whether or not to commit violence against your kin — within our relationships, professional life and at home. There will always be conflicts that arise that may make you feel fearful and doubtful and that can lead to indecision, underperforming and so-called self-handicapping. What we can learn from Arjuna’s quest is not how to be more violent but how to master bravery in the face of self-doubt, not as an action but as a skill to be cultivated.

Let’s say you need to have an uncomfortable conversation with someone in your life. Some people seem to thrive in these types of situations, but for others, the very thought of confrontation is grounds for sleepless nights and sheer existential terror. How should you initiate the conversation? Is it the right thing to do? Will the other person ever speak to you again? These questions that naturally arise and keep you awake all night long are the very questions represented by Arjuna’s pleas to Krishna for guidance. Through the path of devotion outlined by Krishna, Arjuna is able to act, and along the way, we learn a few lessons about bravery.

1. Fear Doesn’t Make You A Coward. Gita

The Gita opens with a terrified Arjuna being admonished by Krishna for his cowardice, but there’s another way to interpret his fear and that is through the lens of compassion. In fact, Arjuna isn’t afraid because he’s a coward; his fear stems from his concern for others, which we can probably all agree is a much more noble quality.

In challenging situations, fear is often an extremely valid and reasonable response, but it doesn’t have to be an obstacle to taking action. In fact, when you have a greater purpose that propels you to act in spite of fear — such as healing a schism in a relationship that’s important to you — fear born of compassion might steer you to take a more careful and loving tone and approach.

2. Trust Your Gut.

Knowledge is a central theme of the Gita, and while arming yourself with wisdom gleaned from textbooks might well give you confidence and clarity, there’s a subtler form of knowledge that comes from deep within you, otherwise known as your intuition. Intuition is generally thought to be a product of your unconscious mind scanning through past experiences and accumulated knowledge, resulting in prompt action that comes from direct perception, rather than a function of your intellect. Sometimes, however, when you experience fear, you can’t discern whether there is a real threat to your existence or whether it’s your intuition ringing the alarm bells.

Krishna tells Arjuna, “Remember who you are, and you will know what to do” and reminds him to listen to his inner voice for the answers that have been inside him all along. Likewise, learning to listen to and trust your gut can offer you a real sense of quiet confidence when making important decisions, even if you can’t verbalize to others exactly why you’re making a particular choice.

3. The Only Thing You Can Control Are Your Own Actions.

Not knowing how a potentially hostile situation is going to go is likely to cause you some apprehension, to say the least, and without some courage, it may even prevent you from taking action altogether. After all, if you just don’t have the conversation, the worst-case scenario can’t happen, right? Gita

Wrong. Krishna tells Arjuna that, “Action is indeed better than inaction,” as inaction only perpetuates the cycle of suffering. While there’s no way to predict or even control the outcome of your actions, you always have full mastery over your actions themselves. For Arjuna, this means fulfilling his duty as a warrior, while for you it may simply mean living in alignment with your own personal beliefs and values as to what can make the world a better place. So, go ahead, have the difficult conversation.

Photos from Adobe Stock. 

JULIA CLARKE is the author of the book Restorative Yoga for Beginners. She loves to explore mountains on foot, bike, skis and belay and then recover on the yoga mat. Julia graduated with a degree in journalism in 2004 and spent eight years working as a radio presenter in Kansas City, Vermont, Boston and New York City before discovering the joys of the Rocky Mountains. She then detoured west to Colorado and enjoyed 11 years teaching yoga in Vail before returning to her hometown of Glasgow, Scotland in 2020 to focus on family and writing.

Originally published in Winter + Spring 2022-23 issue.