There is a short term aspect and a long term aspect. In the short term, if the source of imbalance is related to time, such as taking on too many things, or related to work/life balance, the first thing to do is to make sure you make the time to fit in some yoga and meditation; the goal is to bring both a sense of calmness and reduce your blood pressure, so that you can start to contemplate what things you can let go and prioritize the things on your plate. In the long term, incorporate the following in your life, (i) a daily Sadhana or disciplined practice of yoga and meditation, (ii) if you are a person who likes daily prayers to a deity of your choice (Ishta Devata), do that, (iii) start engaging with the philosophical questions of, what is your purpose in life, what are your long term goals, why are you in the rat race, what is the opportunity cost? and (iv) implement the Purushartha model of determining and arriving at an optimum level of Artha and Kaama; figure out why you need more and more of these; is it due to peer/social pressure?

(i) the importance of giving your word or promise and sticking to it can set the ‘Dharma’ standard (Dasaratha’s promise to Kaikeyi) so that your child (Rama) can uphold it, (ii) being loyal to each other (like Rama and Seeta) can set an example for children, (iii) being truthful and following your values and principles, (iv) how to use tact and diplomacy while communicating – use that with children so they also learn that skill (just like Hanuman did before approaching Seeta; the Sundara Kanda), (v) importance of sibling relationships (Rama and his brothers; Kumbakarna-Vibheeshana-Ravana), and (vi) how to deal with adversity (Seeta’s ordeals and Rama’s agony) – don’t give up hope, have faith.

Ganesha means Lord of the Categories (gana means category or classification). There is also a second meaning, since, Shiva’s supporters are called ganas and Ganesha became the leader of that group, he came to be known as Ganesha. Ganesha is also symbolic of the representation of God in man. By having the face of an elephant that is symbolic of something very large or immense (or God), and the body of a man or something small, the form of Ganesha presents both the microcosm and macrocosm. In fact, many Hindus first pray to Ganesha before commencing their day or starting anything new, to recognize this divinity as well as to remove any obstacles. The elephant face itself is deeply symbolic. In Sanskrit, the elephant is called Gaja. Ga means ‘goal’ and ja means ‘origin’. One can interpret the goal as the ultimate goal to become one with God and the origin is the starting point or creation in general. So, symbolically, the elephant represents the higher order and forms the head, whereas the human is the lower order and is the body.

Some implications for us, (i) be comfortable with our appearance and be proud of who we are. Ganesha never questioned his Elephant head and was happy the way he was, (ii) When Lord Shiva asked his two sons Ganesha and Kartikeya to race around the world, Ganesha chose to do a pradakshina around his parents. He showed the smart way versus the hard way, (iii) Ganesha’s elephant ears are a symbol of great listening skills. One has to listen well, if you want to talk smartly.

Krishna had to persuade Arjuna to see the big picture and then act in the name of Dharma/preserve Dharma. He started with Karma Yoga, then Arjuna had some confusion/skepticism (Chapter 5), then Krishna introduced Jnana Yoga, then Dhyana Yoga; Arjuna was still not convinced/confused. Then Krishna had no choice, he played his trump-card, the Vishwarupa, after which not much effort was needed. As icing on the cake, Krishna then added on some teachings on top, in Part 3, Chapters 13-18 (more Sankhya, 3 Gunas, Sattvic lifestyle, Purushottama concept, 5 factors determine outcome, sanyasi versus tyagi, and so on). Then, in classic psychological fashion (after really changing the mind/thinking of a person, make the person think they did it!), in the last Chapter (Chapter 18), he says, now I have given you all the information, but the choice is yours, you decide what you want to do. Guess what Arjuna did!

The three pillars of persuasion in modern thinking (attributed to Aristotle) are Logos-Ethos-Pathos (Logic-Ethics-Emotion). One could argue Krishna set the stage for Aristotle or Aristotle was inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna used Logos by drawing heavily from the Upanishads, used Ethos/credibility by the Vishwarupa (everything past, present, and future are in me; I taught this to Vivasvan and Manu) and Pathos by describing the Adharma or Asura Sampad of the Kauravas plus Atman (soul and body; you will not be killing relatives, only their ‘bodies’). Similarly, the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita are widely applicable, in that, at work/business you have to convince people by building a case step by step, and at home to convince children to do something; have to appeal to their sense or Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.

The short answer is Yes. Rituals for the sake of selfish and material gains is frowned upon or classified as not leading to the ultimate goal of Moksha or liberation. So, it depends on the type of rituals. Detached action is the recommended path, along with other spiritually oriented ‘rituals,’ if one takes the holistic meaning of rituals to cover almost all action. For instance, if you look at the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advises Arjuna to stay away from the desire-driven rituals. So, you have to take stock and see among all your rituals, what are truly spiritually meaningful and what are just following a tradition, under which the associated ritual does not have a solid rationale. More importantly, many of the rituals in Sanatana Dharma were developed over thousands of years, and many are still in use today, and have good basis, origins, and history. You need to look at those Rituals, understand their rationale, and then classify them into 3 categories, (i) makes sense, I will follow them today, (ii) does not make sense or are not relevant in today’s world, and (iii) makes sense, but the way they are implemented needs to change. The third category, as you can imagine, will be challenging; you have to question the norms, seek broad support for change, and so on. But change is part of the fabric of Dharma, it is what that keeps it eternal.

Sanatana Dharma has been around for many thousands of years, with most of its traditions, including scriptural knowledge, kept alive, due to a combination of resilience, patronage, application in daily life, and courage of innumerable generations. In almost every generation, there have been efforts to either develop new scriptures or develop materials to support the core scriptures (such as translations, commentaries). There was also an attitude (or core principle) of supporting multiple views or theories or philosophies. As societies advanced and writing became ubiquitous, there was a plethora of scriptures that came on. If any system exists for long periods, it is bound to produce so much more as ‘outputs’; an analogy to be used here is the concept of ‘mature industries.’ In a mature industry, there are so many players, each with numerous similar-looking product lines, that one can get confused.