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A painting for stuck

Stuck

Every option seems wrong, so you have stopped moving.

  1. Arjuna sits down in the middle of a battlefield and drops his bow. Nothing is resolved, and Krishna says nothing for eleven verses. The text takes paralysis seriously before it addresses it.

    एवमुक्त्वाऽर्जुनः संख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत्
    विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः

    Having said this, Arjuna sat down on the floor of the chariot in the middle of the battle, let his bow and arrows fall, and his mind was overcome with grief.

  2. Krishna's answer is not gentle: shake off this small weakness of heart and stand up. Sometimes the accurate thing to say to someone stuck is not a comfort.

    क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते
    क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप

    Do not give in to this unmanliness, son of Pritha. It does not suit you. Shake off this small weakness of heart and stand up.

  3. Do the work in front of you; inaction is not the safer choice it appears to be. Not choosing is itself a choice, and it has consequences you did not consent to.

    नियतं कुरु कर्म त्वं कर्म ज्यायो ह्यकर्मणः
    शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः

    Do the work that falls to you. Action is better than inaction. Even the keeping of your body would fail without it.

  4. Your own work done badly beats someone else's done well. If you are frozen because you are trying to pick the optimal path, this removes the premise.

    श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्
    स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्

    Better your own work done imperfectly than another's done well. One who does the work born of their own nature takes on no fault.