Why is Vishad Yoga the name of the first chapter in The Bhagavad Gita? Is Vishad (misery) necessary to gain true knowledge? Does misery result in negative or positive progress?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When a person goes through misery, it awakens him, and then leads him to experiences knowledge. This is why it is called Vishad.
In Vishad, one keeps on seeing everything as not right. It is like a negative cloud that surrounds a person, it rattles them. These negative thoughts can come at home or at the work place. To move out of this negative space, you need some supporting foundation. And that comes to you from knowledge.
