Sister, Sister

I chose The Eighth Teaching, stanza 27: “No man of discipline is deluded when he knows these two paths. Therefore [Arjuna], be armed in all time with discipline” (Gita 83). I was able to use it in conversation on Saturday with my sister.

To understand how perfectly this teaching works for her, you must know a little about my sister first. She recently moved from Arizona, she is in school for her master’s in teaching, and she just got a job at the local pub. She is outgoing, materialistic, fun, and enjoys spending money (whether she has it or not, which, right now, she does not). We were eating dinner at her boyfriend’s (even though she is in denial about him being her boyfriend) restaurant and she began complaining about her small house and how it is too small for her and her dog. She continued saying how she needs clothes and this and that and on and on and on. I was listening patiently, when I suddenly thought, “GITA!” and recited my stanza for her. She stopped, mid-sentence, and looked at me. Then she smiled and said, “That’s very true, thank you.” I smiled and tried not to laugh. A few minutes later she said, “Where did you think of that, anyway?” And I gave my secret away. She only laughed, however, and asked to read The Gita when I was finished with it.

This example shows how accurate many of the ideas are in The Gita. This advice helped my sister and made her think about her over abundance of clothes, how she has a house to be grateful for, and how discipline will lead her to her personal Nirvana. I hope this book helps other as much as it helped my sister, and me.