The overlapping principles of Bhagavat Gita and contemporary psychotherapies

The Bhagavad Gita also known as Song of the Lord is a Hindu philosophical sculpture. It is based on a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna that took place at Kurukshetra war. Just like every human being faces dilemma in performing their duties, Arjuna also faced this universal dilemma. To solve this, Gita imparts the knowledge of self and answers the two universal questions, who am I, and how can I lead a happy and peaceful life in this world of dualities. These are also the principles of any basic psychotherapy. The central teaching of the Gita is the attainment of freedom or happiness from the bondage of life by doing one’s duty. Just as Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual’s well-being following self-actualization, The Bhagavad Gita aims at self-enquiry and happiness of the mind and the heart. The purpose of this study is to draw and discuss the parallels between the Gita and the contemporary psychotherapies. Lord Krishna’s teachings had elements of the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Henceforth, we ascertain the analogies between the principles of Gita and CBT (therapist-client relationship, active participation, problem-focused therapy), self-actualization, grief emancipation therapy, self-esteem, unconditional positive regard as well as self-knowledge. The Bhagavad Gita’s concept of a mentally healthy person is discussed and finally the congruity of the teachings of Bhagavad Gita to the current psychotherapies is explained.