Bengaluru-based sports psychologist and author MN Viswanath on Thursday (November 12) launched his new book – ‘The Bhagavad Gita and The Athlete’s Mind’.
Dr. P Ramesh Kumar, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests, Field Director (Project Tiger), Mysuru, released the book in the presence of Indian table tennis player Yashaswini Ghorpade, Indian tennis player Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar, and others, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises.
How Bhagavad Gita helped Manu Bhaker win Olympic medal
Viswanath said the Bhagavad Gita teaches athletes how to remain calm under pressure and cited examples of Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker, cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who had credited the sacred book had helped them in their success.
After winning a bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Bhaker had said Bhagavad Gita had helped her win the medal. Vishwanath recalled the shooter’s words.
Also read: Manu Bhaker reveals how Bhagavad Gita helped her to win Paris Olympics medal
“I read a lot of Gita. What was going through my mind was, just do what you are meant to do. You can’t control the outcome of your destiny. In Gita, Lord Krishna says to Arjun, ‘Focus on karma, not on the outcome of the karma’. That was running in my head. I thought, ‘do your thing and let it all be’,” Bhaker had said.
Inspired by Bhagavad Gita
Viswanath said he has related 295 out of the 700 verses of the Gita to mindset and psychological references to athletes in sports.
“The book is about the application of the ancient wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita to the field of sports. There are many instances and references in the Bhagavad Gita that can be related to the competitive situations in sports,” Viswanath said.
“I gained inspiration from The Bhagavad Gita, from its practical application to human issues and its solutions,” he added.
Viswanath said athletes need to take inspiration from the Gita and focus on preparation, effort and execution rather than thinking about the end result. “The Bhagavad Gita talks about resilience, focus, steady mind, equipoise, control of mind among other things. Drawing inspiration from The Bhagavad Gita I have asked the sportpersons to focus on the preparation, effort and execution as against focusing on the outcome of the contest. This is first step towards a successful career.”