Reflections for the Soul: Pearls of Vedic Wisdom Reflections for the Soul: Pearls of Vedic Wisdom | Page 10

Foreword
The world today seems to be going through turbulent times.
With the haunting threat of terrorism in our daily lives, with the
onslaught of natural disasters and widespread epidemics, and even
with great economic uncertainty and social instability in the back-
drop of political bickering and wanton greed, the life of modern
man is tottering like a drop of water on a lotus petal. The Bhaga-
vad-Gétä aptly describes the world in which we live as one with
danger looming at every step. Life thus seems to be a precarious
and paradoxical journey, a bewildering experience with a plethora
of questions that offer very few answers.
Some 5000 years ago, Arjuna, the son of Queen Kunti, was in a
situation where he had to face his own relatives, friends and kins-
men on the battlefield of Kurukñetra (a district in Uttar Pradesh in
North India). He had to fight with them in battle for the king-
dom in what is believed to be the greatest war ever fought on this
planet. He, too, was bewildered and, as such, did not know what
to do; he wanted to give up his position as a commander general
and retire to the forest, thus abandoning his duty and his army of
millions.