6 Gita Shlokas to Remind You: You Are Not Behind in Life
Riya Kumari | Jul 25, 2025, 13:30 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Highlight of the story: I wrote this while sitting in the same sweatpants I’ve worn since Tuesday, stress-scrolling through someone’s engagement announcement, wondering how they got their life together and found time to air-dry their curtains. Because if you’ve ever thought, “I should’ve been somewhere else by now.” …you’re not alone. You’re just awake.
The Myth of "Falling Behind" Let’s be honest. We don’t just want success, we want it on time. By 25: “Figure it out.” By 30: “Have it all together.” By 35: “Maintain it perfectly.” And when that doesn’t happen? We assume we’ve failed. But here’s the truth: "Behind" is a human-made concept. Life never said you were supposed to peak by a certain age. Only comparison did. And that’s where the Bhagavad Gita enters, not as a spiritual escape, but as a direct, grounding answer to our most modern, anxious question: "Why am I not where I thought I’d be?"
This shloka has been quoted endlessly. But have we really heard it? It’s not telling you to give up on results. It’s telling you to detach your identity from them. You can work with full effort and still face rejection. You can love sincerely and still lose people. That doesn’t make your effort meaningless, it makes it pure.
You’re not behind in life just because the outcome didn’t match your timeline. The work you’re doing now might quietly be building something that takes time to reveal itself.
What does this have to do with your career stagnation or your failed relationship? Everything. This isn’t just about metaphysics. It’s a reminder of perspective. The part of you that is you, your essence, is not on the clock. Not aging. Not rushing. Not competing.
That pressure to “catch up”? It belongs to the outer world. But your soul is on no deadline. It's not in a race. It's just here to experience, learn, and evolve. That is progress too, even when it's invisible.
You don’t need a 10-year plan. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to take the next right step. Dharma here doesn’t mean duty in the corporate sense. It means alignment. With truth. With self-respect. With courage.
And Krishna says, even a little alignment dissolves fear.
Because it reminds you: you're not lost. You’re becoming. Progress isn’t always big or loud. Sometimes it’s in quietly choosing what honors you, even if no one claps for it.
The Gita knows the mind will wander, to what others are doing, to what you should’ve done, to what didn’t work out. But it gently instructs: bring it back. Not with force, but with awareness. You don’t need to suppress your anxiety about the future. Just don’t let it run the whole show.
Each time you bring your attention back, to the task, to the breath, to the present, you’re training your mind. And a trained mind doesn’t panic at delays. It learns to trust the pace of its own unfolding.
You know that sinking feeling when someone younger than you succeeds? Or when someone you love gets something you still haven’t? That ache? That’s not a flaw. That’s human. But the Gita offers a deeper path: don’t get numb, get steady. Stability doesn’t mean indifference. It means your identity doesn’t rise and fall with temporary wins or losses.
You may not have the job, the relationship, the validation, yet. But that doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're building a core that won’t collapse when storms come. That’s not weakness. That’s evolution.
You are not working alone. That thing inside you, the desire to grow, to love, to do meaningful things, it isn’t random. It’s part of a bigger intelligence. Krishna isn’t saying "stop working." He’s saying: you’re not the only force at work.
The universe is moving with you, even when it’s silent. Delays are not punishments. Sometimes, they’re protection. Or preparation. Or simply, not your time yet.
So, Are You Really Behind?
Behind what? A schedule made by whom? Based on what kind of life? You’re not late. You’re on a different syllabus. Some people learn success first, then humility. Some learn failure first, then wisdom. Some walk fast. Some walk deep.And some, like you, learn to trust the path even when it doesn’t make sense yet.
The Gita doesn’t promise instant answers. It promises clarity, if you stay long enough to listen. So take a breath. You’re not failing. You’re unfolding. And there’s still time for every chapter that’s meant to be yours.
1. “You have a right to perform your duties, but not to the fruits of your actions.”
Hard work
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This shloka has been quoted endlessly. But have we really heard it? It’s not telling you to give up on results. It’s telling you to detach your identity from them. You can work with full effort and still face rejection. You can love sincerely and still lose people. That doesn’t make your effort meaningless, it makes it pure.
You’re not behind in life just because the outcome didn’t match your timeline. The work you’re doing now might quietly be building something that takes time to reveal itself.
2. “The soul is neither born nor does it ever die.”
Soul
( Image credit : Unsplash )
What does this have to do with your career stagnation or your failed relationship? Everything. This isn’t just about metaphysics. It’s a reminder of perspective. The part of you that is you, your essence, is not on the clock. Not aging. Not rushing. Not competing.
That pressure to “catch up”? It belongs to the outer world. But your soul is on no deadline. It's not in a race. It's just here to experience, learn, and evolve. That is progress too, even when it's invisible.
3. “Even a little effort towards dharma saves one from great fear.”
Truth
( Image credit : Unsplash )
You don’t need a 10-year plan. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to take the next right step. Dharma here doesn’t mean duty in the corporate sense. It means alignment. With truth. With self-respect. With courage.
And Krishna says, even a little alignment dissolves fear.
Because it reminds you: you're not lost. You’re becoming. Progress isn’t always big or loud. Sometimes it’s in quietly choosing what honors you, even if no one claps for it.
4. “Let the yogi strive constantly to keep the mind steady.”
Positive
( Image credit : Unsplash )
The Gita knows the mind will wander, to what others are doing, to what you should’ve done, to what didn’t work out. But it gently instructs: bring it back. Not with force, but with awareness. You don’t need to suppress your anxiety about the future. Just don’t let it run the whole show.
Each time you bring your attention back, to the task, to the breath, to the present, you’re training your mind. And a trained mind doesn’t panic at delays. It learns to trust the pace of its own unfolding.
5. “One who is equal in pain and pleasure, and remains steady, is fit for immortality.”
Stability
( Image credit : Unsplash )
You know that sinking feeling when someone younger than you succeeds? Or when someone you love gets something you still haven’t? That ache? That’s not a flaw. That’s human. But the Gita offers a deeper path: don’t get numb, get steady. Stability doesn’t mean indifference. It means your identity doesn’t rise and fall with temporary wins or losses.
You may not have the job, the relationship, the validation, yet. But that doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're building a core that won’t collapse when storms come. That’s not weakness. That’s evolution.
6. “I am the source of all worlds. Everything emanates from Me.”
Pray
( Image credit : Unsplash )
You are not working alone. That thing inside you, the desire to grow, to love, to do meaningful things, it isn’t random. It’s part of a bigger intelligence. Krishna isn’t saying "stop working." He’s saying: you’re not the only force at work.
The universe is moving with you, even when it’s silent. Delays are not punishments. Sometimes, they’re protection. Or preparation. Or simply, not your time yet.
So, Are You Really Behind?
The Gita doesn’t promise instant answers. It promises clarity, if you stay long enough to listen. So take a breath. You’re not failing. You’re unfolding. And there’s still time for every chapter that’s meant to be yours.