Habits carry forward

rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyatetathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate

Dying in restlessness, one is born among those driven by action. Dying in heaviness, one is born among the confused.

What it means

Krishna continues. Leave life in rajas, restlessness, and you return among the restless and busy. Leave in tamas, heaviness, and you return among the confused. It's a teaching about momentum. Our dominant habits carry forward. It's not about judging anyone's birth or circumstances.

The story

Krishna is encouraging Arjuna to choose his habits carefully, not frightening him. What we practise daily becomes the current we ride.

In your life

Imagine someone who scrolled every evening for years, then started reading instead, and found their whole life slowly changing direction. Habits carry us. Change one evening habit this week.