The Chariot of Life: Ancient Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita for Modern Living

I grew up seeing the image of Krishna and Arjuna in a chariot in cafes, restaurants, homes and function halls. I had no idea what it had meant until way into my 30’s. The Chariot of life from the story of Mahabharata in Bhagavad Gita is a metaphor that explains the human condition.

Picture this. The chariot is standing in the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The war is upon him, and Arjuna, the great warrior, is frozen in guilt and doubt. He must fight his teachers and his cousins. So, he seeks refuge in Krishna to ask for his wisdom. The battlefield is a classroom for humanity. And the Chariot image is our human life as the “Ratha Rupa Kalpana”, our imagination appearing in the form of a chariot.

The chariot is our body, and the horses represent our 5 senses. Powerful yet easily distracted. The reins represent the mind, trying its best to keep the “horses” moving in the right direction. The flag of Hanuman is not there in Kathopanishad, but I like the metaphor of Faith that Hanuman represents so I will leave it here.

Arjuna, the warrior seated in the chariot, represents our true inner self experiencing the journey of life. And “Krishna”, holding the reins, represents the higher intelligence within us — wisdom, awareness, and divine guidance.

The relevance of this chariot metaphor in our modern life is not too far fetched. Our senses (horses) are under constant attack from notifications, scrolls and loops of information. And our inner self is wondering where the chariot is headed.

If the uncontrolled horses run wild, confusion happens, and it leads to the chariot to crash.

And that’s why the role of our higher self (our own discretionary power, Krishna) becomes very important. We must guide our senses to steadiness and our mind to its true purpose.

You see, the metaphor was never really about the war, but the battle within our mind that we must conquer.

Should we stay in our comfort zone, or be courageous? Should be take the painful route of discipline or take the often taken path of distraction? Do we let our impulses or our inherent wisdom guide us?

Ultimately, when wisdom takes the reins, the horses run strong, the mind becomes steady and Arjuna moves forward to his true purpose. And the battlefield of life slowly begins to look like a path leading us there to our final goal.

Here’s my request to you. Let your Krishna drive.

The horses will follow.

About Sanatana Dharma

ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या जीवो ब्रह्मैव नापरः।
अनेन वेद्यं सच्छास्त्रमिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः॥

Brahman alone is real; the universe is mithya – neither fully real nor unreal, but an appearance. The individual self (jiva) is none other than Brahman itself, not separate or different. This is the true teaching of the scriptures, as revealed by Vedanta. ~ Verse 20 from Brahma Jnānavali Māla