2.37: Just Do It

So in these last four verses, Krishna's painted a somewhat bleak picture of how we'll feel if we don't actually heed the deep core of our heart. So guess what he does next? So beautiful. Now he uses contrast. And Krishna's a master of contrast.

Now he encourages us. So he says, if you don't do what you need to do, you're just going to suffer for it sooner or later. But now he basically explains there's no losing if you have the courage to follow the path of authentic action. And he says... So he says, if you die...

If you die, you go to heaven. If you win, you enjoy the earth. Therefore, rise up, you who are human, having made a clear decision to engage, to fight it. So first line, basically, you're in a win-win situation if you heed the call of your heart. When you engage on the course of authentic action, there's no losing.

Because if you die along that path, you'll die in a place of fulfillment. You were living how you wanted to live. And if you win, then you enjoy. You don't have that voice inside saying, oh, I wish I'd done that, I should've done that. You rest easy.

So when you make the choice of doing what you really want to, Krishna says, then there's no losing. If you die, no problem. You lived your life in the way you wanted. So what more could you have possibly done? And if you emerge victorious, then you will enjoy it because you will rest easy knowing you did what you needed to.

And even if it's not so dramatic as living and dying, let's say a more mundane affair. If we are successful, then we enjoy the success. But if we're not successful, even then, if we did it in such a way that we know we did it in the way that was best for us, that was true for us, even if we don't get the result we wanted, generally speaking, I have a really good chance of learning a lot from that experience and not feeling a lot of suffering about it as it passes. So he says, Tasmad, therefore, uttishta, so rise up, you who are human, having made a clear decision to engage. And he emphasizes, once you know what to do, just do it.

Be clear, be decisive, remain alert, but no point dithering around. You know what you need to do, so do it.