Every month Neha promises herself that she will not snap at her family when she is tired. For some days it works. Then a tired evening comes and she does it again. She tries harder, and it happens again.
Slowly she begins to feel that something in her is stronger than her will. Many people know this feeling, whether the trouble is temper, fear or the habit of holding on to being right. The Gita does not hide it. It names it and gives a way across.
What the Gita says
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥ ७.१४ ॥
This divine illusory energy of Mine, made of the three modes of nature, is very difficult to overcome. But those who surrender to Me alone cross over it.
Lord Krishna says that this divine illusory energy of his, made of the three modes of nature, is very hard to cross, but those who take refuge in him alone cross it (Gita 7.14).
Two things are said here. First, this pull is the Lord's own power. No outside enemy runs it. Our moods, cravings and restlessness are all made of its three modes. Second, crossing it alone is called "hard", not "impossible". So there is a way across, but it is not the way of trusting only ourselves.
The first thing this pull does is delusion: the feeling that I see everything clearly and can handle it. That is what happens to Neha. Each time she thinks, "This time I will manage."
What taking refuge means in everyday life
Taking refuge means going to the one whose power it is. In our own work it means putting down two things: the pride of "it all depends on my strength", and the habit of gripping the result.
It does not mean giving up work. In the Gita the Lord tells Arjuna to offer all his actions to him, to be free from expectation and the sense of ownership, and to fight (Gita 3.30). There is offering, and there is also action. Refuge is not defeat and it is not helplessness.
Why some people do not turn to the Lord
In the next verse the Lord says that some do not take refuge in him: those whose knowledge the illusory energy has carried off and who hold on to a proud bent of mind (Gita 7.15). This is not a final judgement on any person. It describes a condition that we all enter at times, when "I am right" will not let us listen to anyone. A condition can change, and the Gita says so again and again.
An example, continued
Neha does not drop her effort. She arranges to sleep properly and learns to take one breath before she speaks. That is her part. After that, each evening she says one line: "Today I did my part. The rest is in your hands."
A few weeks later she sees that even on tired days her irritation is not as sharp as before. Nothing dramatic has happened. There is a little more room in her. The weight of "I must hold everything myself" has loosened.
Choose one habit that keeps beating you. Do your part for it with your whole mind today. Tonight, in your own words, say one line that hands the result to the Lord.
Questions readers ask
Does taking refuge mean I stop trying?
No. In the Gita offering and action go together (Gita 3.30). What is given up is the pride of relying on our strength alone, not the effort.
What if I do not feel faith yet?
The verse speaks of those who take refuge, which is a step, not a feeling. Start with a small act, such as one line each evening. Feeling often follows practice; it does not always come before it.
Does maya mean the world is false?
Not in this verse. It calls the illusory energy the Lord's own divine power, which can confuse the mind (Gita 7.14). The trouble is the pull of the three modes, not the existence of the world.
Going deeper
To read the verses in order, with examples and links to other chapters, see the detailed reading. To see how the same call comes back at the close of the Gita, read The Final Counsel. The whole topic is on its hub page.