Back to basics

 

Everytime I get lost in the daily grinds of life, I come to this beautiful text by Bhagavad Gita. Do everything you have to to do. But not with greed. Not with Ego. Not with lust. Not with envy. But with love, compassion, humility and devotion. This is a beautiful line and technically one of the most important teachings from Bhagavad Gita. Let's try and expand this thought a little bit.

## Greed

A lot of times we do certain things because we want more money, because we want a better car, we want better everything and we want more and more. However, in the process of wanting more and more, we tend to forget what we really have. After all, we need to keep ourselves in check of what we have. We might want more. We all do. We are humans. We are bound to slip. However, to simplify greed is about taking. Greed is not about giving or providing value. If we do everything with the purpose of greed or something that's materialistic, we would never be able to achieve the transcends of life where we are learning things more and more in depth. We are also understanding the root cause of a problem when it comes to software. 

Greed is an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or material posssessions. It leads to individuals to prioritize their own interests above those of others. This unchecked ambition can result in harmful consequences for both the individual and the community around them. So you would see greed in excessive hoarding or accumulating more goods and resource sthan they need. This deprivs others of necessities. Now there are certain things which is business oriented and I would not go into the ethics of it. Because people who make more profits through business have the opportunity to donate as well. What I am trying to say is that the purpose should be team first. Not just a selfish need of wanting something from someone. I know its easy to do that. But team first mentality is what Bhagavad Gita teaches. Putting the team above one self.

## Ego

Ego is also when we try and think in terms of I. Ego means the self. So when we do something out of ego and to protect ourselves that too the Bhagavad Gita teaches not to do. We are people who should not talk about I, me and myself. Moreover, what is ego in reality? Its the perception of our self. It says that I am better than one person and worse than other. It deals with superiority and inferiority complex. It says that you know what, here are certain things that I need, certain things I want. Give me respect. Give me power. That to me is ego. So when we are ego oriented we are not doing any justice to the team. The collective success of every individual is what matters the most. But well, that kept aside. I also know that Kohli has an ego, some other players that are that big that have an ego, does that mean ego really help? I would differ that and say its self confidence. So what is the difference between ego and self confidence. I believe self confidence is about having confidence in your own abilities. Ego is about protecting yourself. Ego is a deep rooted fear in my opinion. For someone with great ego, they cannot say sorry, they are extremely defensive in their approach. For someone with ego, they cannot bow down in front of God. For someone with great ego, they cannot say a statement like I don't know. Whereas a self confident person can do all of those things and still be confident in his or her ability. So have less ego my friends. Use the word, "we" rather than "I". The collective success of the team matters the most. 

## Lust

This idea is beautiful. Like Bhagavad Gita says, one must stay away from lust. I have recognized that lust is all about fulfilling one needs. Lust is impatient. Lust takes. Lust violates boundaries. Lust condemns. However, on the other hand, love is giving. Love waits. Love is being patient. Love is respecting. Love is also forgiving. Love is also unselfish. Love is also generous. Lust is greedy. Lust endagers while love protects. Lust is disloyal, while love is faithful. Lust abandons. Love upholds. Whenever I feel lost in life, I want to tell that I want to be giving, I want to be patient. I want to give respect, I want to forgive and I want to be unselfish. I want to be generous not just in thoughts but in deeds too. So remember love is what protects us all. Love for ourselves, love for our family members and love for our community or lets call them a tribe. So let's try and see how we can give. Its about being patient. Its about waiting. Its about respecting. Its not about impatient and taking something from someone. That would be the last thing that we want in our lives. We don't want to be takers. We want to be givers. We want to give in the best possible way. 

## Envy

Now lets take envy in our lives. What is envy really? How can we understand envy better. To me all of these 4 terms lust, greed, ego and envy are related. Envy is a feeling you get when someone has something that you don't have. Whether that's money, or any material possessions, envy is about wanting those sort of feelings. However, when we talk about envy, the question comes down to ego as well. We are all egoistic creatures in some sense. We do think, why does someone else have more than what we have? But in checking the plate of others, we forget checking our own plate. It does not matter how full their plate is, we focus on ours. Because as they say, what we focus on grows. So focus on what you have. Not what you don't have. That's what the bhagavad gita also says. We need to think of envy in terms of the negative feeling when you have ego. Envy also technically has greed associated to it. So what I am trying to say is that we need to have less envy, lesser and lesser envy and more and more of self confidence. 

## Practical Tips

1. Start your day with intention (Kills greed + ego)

Before you begin work, take 2 minutes and ask:

• “What value can I give today?”
• “Who can I help today?”

This simple shift moves you from taking → giving.

Even in your software work:

• Don’t just “finish tasks”
• Think: How can I make this cleaner, more useful for others?

2. Use the “We over I” rule (Reduces ego instantly)

In meetings or conversations:

• Replace “I did this” → “We worked on this”
• Replace “my idea” → “our approach”

This doesn’t make you smaller—it makes you a leader.

Even great leaders like Satya Nadella emphasize collective success over individual credit.

3. Practice “Pause before reaction” (Controls lust + ego)

Whenever you feel:

• Anger
• Impatience
• Urge to react

Do this:

• Pause for 5 seconds
• Take 1 deep breath
• Then respond

This builds emotional discipline, which is real strength.

4. Gratitude journaling (Destroys envy)

Every night, write 3 things you already have:

• Skills
• People
• Opportunities

Why this works:

• Envy = focusing on what’s missing
• Gratitude = focusing on what’s present

And as you said beautifully: what you focus on grows.

5. Give without expecting (Builds love over lust)

Every day, do 1 act where:

• You help someone
• Without expecting anything in return

Examples:

• Help a teammate debug
• Share knowledge
• Encourage someone

This trains your mind to give, not take.

6. Learn to say “I don’t know” (Destroys ego, builds confidence)

Try this in real life:

• Admit when you don’t know something
• Ask questions openly

This is not weakness.

In fact, the most confident people (like Virat Kohli at his peak learning phases) constantly evolve by accepting gaps.

7. Delay gratification (Controls lust)

Whenever you want something immediately:

• Wait 10–15 minutes before acting

This builds:

• Patience
• Control
• Respect for boundaries

Over time, you move from impulse → intention.

8. Focus on your “plate” (Kills envy deeply)

Whenever comparison comes:

• Ask: “Am I better than yesterday?”

That’s it.

Not:

• Better than others
  But:
• Better than your past self

9. Weekly self-check (Aligns everything)

Once a week, reflect:

• Where did I act with ego?
• Where did I act with greed?
• Where did I act with love?

No judgment. Just awareness.

Awareness → correction → growth.

10. Work as devotion (Highest teaching)

The deepest teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is:

• Do your work
• Without attachment to results

Think of your work as:

• Offering
• Contribution
• Practice

This removes:

• Fear
• Pressure
• Ego

And brings:

• Flow
• Focus
• Peace