Self-Realization Fellowship Blog

Below are excerpts from the talk “The Bhagavad Gita: Masterful Guide for Everyday Spiritual Living” by Brother Chidananda, president and spiritual head of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.

In the very first verse of the Bhagavad Gita, India’s sublime scripture of yoga, we encounter the great importance of introspection.

It begins, “Gathered together on the battlefield of Kurukshetra,” — the evil forces of the Kurus (representing the ego) and the good forces of the Pandavas (representing the soul), facing each other — “what did they do this day?” Who won the battle this day? And in his masterful commentaries on the Gita, entitled God Talks With Arjuna, Paramahansa Yogananda then beautifully presents a most comprehensive explanation of that science of introspection.

Introspection is a miracle tool for changing ourselves. At the end of the day just to sit quietly to review the events of the day — how we reacted, how we responded, how we could have done better, what we learned from our different reactions and the experiences we went through — this is a miracle tool for growth.

But why does it work for some people while other people really have a hard time with it? Have you ever thought about that? Have you found yourself unable really to embrace this as a tool of “victorious psychological warfare,” as Paramahansaji would call it, in the battle of life?

I think the cause is really a very simple thing, and that it comes down to the attitude with which we introspect.

On the one hand, there are some of us who use it as a means of picking ourselves apart — of discovering every little flaw and saying, “Oh, how terrible I am! How could I have been so stupid?” and so on and so forth. That completely misses the point of introspection. If that is the attitude that we are taking with us into introspection, it is no wonder that we want to put it on the shelf and not take advantage of it.

But on the other hand, there are those that look at their actions, attitudes, habits — and the course of their lives — from the point of view of the divine potential that is within all of us, and say: “What can I do to bring this potential out? What can I do to remove the obstacles so that I can live in that great joy, that great love, that great wisdom, that great sense of security and peace?” That approach completely changes how we introspect.

So I would make one suggestion for using this art of introspection: It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can make it something that is very simple and personal to you.

Write down the things that you are trying to accomplish in your life — spiritually and psychologically, even materially — your goals, the qualities you are trying to cultivate, the things that you are really making an effort to build into your daily life: meditation and other objectives such as a serviceful attitude, or kindness, or a right attitude toward other people.

For each of us it is going to be different, but we can make a list and just review it once a day — that’s all. It’s not esoteric; it’s not complicated.

There are other things that you can also do. You can then go and study what Paramahansa Yogananda said about the different topics on your list; and you can work with an affirmation, perhaps, to make greater progress. But even if you do nothing else besides looking over the list once a day, just to remember what you have written down, you are fighting delusion — you are improving and changing yourself.

You know, someone once said: “It’s not the things that the saints do that is so extraordinary; it’s that they do it all the time.” We all have a sense of the way we want to live our life. It is just a matter of remembering.

So make introspection, this miracle tool of daily self-analysis, one of your good habits: Take just a few minutes after meditation in the evening to go over your list. If you do this with the right attitude, you will be truly amazed at the changes you see in your ability to reach your goals — and the joy that you feel.

We would like to suggest some additional resources for your diving into this vital topic of using the tool of introspection to achieve your goals, and bring greater happiness and success — both spiritual and material — into your life:

• “Introspection — Exploring the Workings of Your Inner Self,” a talk by Brother Ishtananda from the 2021 SRF World Convocation — Video
• “Introspection — Key to Self-Discovery,” a 2021 talk by Brother Govindananda from SRF’s weekly online inspirational services series — Video
• Supplement Lesson 69, “The Art of Introspection and Psychological Self-Analysis” — for students of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons, Paramahansa Yogananda’s home-study course in meditation and spiritual living