The Bhagavad Gita's teachings on Letting Go & Moving On offer a transformative framework for understanding wisdom for releasing the past, overcoming regret, and embracing change This 7 day reading plan guides you through the most essential verses on this theme, with daily reflections and practical action steps. Whether you are new to the Gita or deepening an existing practice, this structured approach ensures steady, meaningful progress. The concept of Letting Go & Moving On appears throughout the Gita, particularly in chapters 2, 5, 12, 18. Krishna presents this teaching not as abstract philosophy but as practical wisdom for navigating life's most pressing challenges, including holding onto past, regret and guilt, fear of change. By following this day-by-day plan, you will build a deep, embodied understanding rather than just surface-level familiarity. This plan is designed so that each day builds on the previous one. The early days establish foundational concepts like releasing past, while later days explore more nuanced aspects such as new beginnings. Take your time with each day's reflection question and action step — these are where real transformation happens.
Plan Overview
- Duration: 7 days
- Daily Time: 15 minutes
- Level: breakup sufferers
- What You Need: A copy of the Bhagavad Gita (or use the Srimad Gita App)
Introduction to Letting Go & Moving On
Verses to Read: BG 2.14
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: The contact of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti, which causes heat and cold, pleasure and pain, has a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of holding onto past? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice releasing past in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
Releasing Past
Verses to Read: BG 2.22
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so too the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of regret and guilt? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice forgiving self in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
Forgiving Self
Verses to Read: BG 2.47
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: Your right is only to work, but not to its results; do not let the results of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of fear of change? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice embracing change in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
Embracing Change
Verses to Read: BG 2.62
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: When one thinks of objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment, desire is born; from desire, anger arises.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of inability to forgive? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice impermanence in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
Impermanence
Verses to Read: BG 2.63
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: Anger leads to delusion, which causes loss of memory; this, in turn, leads to the destruction of discrimination, resulting in destruction.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of nostalgia addiction? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice new beginnings in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
New Beginnings
Verses to Read: BG 5.3
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: He should be known as a perpetual Sannyasi who neither hates nor desires; for, free from the pairs of opposites, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he is easily freed from bondage.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of holding onto past? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice releasing past in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
Integration: Living Letting Go & Moving On
Verses to Read: BG 12.12, BG 18.66
Reading Time: 15 minutes
Key Teaching: Better indeed is knowledge than practice; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruits of actions: peace immediately follows renunciation.
Reflection: How does today's teaching relate to your experience of regret and guilt? What shift in perspective might the Gita be offering you?
Action Step: Today, practice forgiving self in one specific situation. Notice how it changes your experience.
After Completing This Plan
You have completed this 7 day study of Letting Go & Moving On through the Bhagavad Gita. The verses you studied contain deep wisdom that reveals new layers of meaning with repeated reading. Consider revisiting this plan in a month, or continue exploring related topics like Vairagya and Grief & Loss. The Srimad Gita App provides daily verse reminders and deeper commentary to support your ongoing practice.
Why Letting Go & Moving On Matters in the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita's teaching on Letting Go & Moving On is among its most practical and widely applicable wisdom. Set against the backdrop of Arjuna's crisis on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, this teaching addresses the universal human struggle with holding onto past and regret and guilt. Krishna does not offer mere philosophy — he provides a framework for action that has guided seekers for over five thousand years.
In the modern world, the relevance of letting go & moving on has only grown. Whether you are dealing with holding onto past, seeking clarity about regret and guilt, or working to develop releasing past, the Gita's teaching provides tested, reliable guidance. The verses in chapters 2, 5, 12, 18 lay out a progressive path from understanding to practice to mastery.
What makes the Gita's approach distinctive is its emphasis on integration. Rather than requiring withdrawal from the world, Krishna teaches Arjuna — a warrior, a family man, a person with real-world responsibilities — how to practice letting go & moving on right in the middle of daily life. This makes the teaching accessible to students, professionals, parents, and seekers of all backgrounds.
Key Concepts in Letting Go & Moving On
The Gita's teaching on Letting Go & Moving On encompasses several interconnected concepts that work together to form a complete path of practice:
- Releasing past: This aspect of letting go & moving on teaches us how to approach holding onto past with wisdom and equanimity. Understanding releasing past is essential for putting the Gita's broader teaching into practice.
- Forgiving self: This aspect of letting go & moving on teaches us how to approach regret and guilt with wisdom and equanimity. Understanding forgiving self is essential for putting the Gita's broader teaching into practice.
- Embracing change: This aspect of letting go & moving on teaches us how to approach fear of change with wisdom and equanimity. Understanding embracing change is essential for putting the Gita's broader teaching into practice.
- Impermanence: This aspect of letting go & moving on teaches us how to approach inability to forgive with wisdom and equanimity. Understanding impermanence is essential for putting the Gita's broader teaching into practice.
- New beginnings: This aspect of letting go & moving on teaches us how to approach nostalgia addiction with wisdom and equanimity. Understanding new beginnings is essential for putting the Gita's broader teaching into practice.
Each of these concepts builds on the others. As you study and practice them, you will notice how understanding one naturally deepens your grasp of the rest. The Srimad Gita App provides detailed commentary on each of these themes, allowing you to explore them at your own pace.
How to Begin Practicing Letting Go & Moving On
Starting a practice of letting go & moving on does not require any special background or preparation. The Gita teaches that every person, regardless of their current situation, can begin right where they are. Here is a simple approach to getting started:
Step 1: Read the key verses. Begin with BG 2.14 and BG 2.22. Read them slowly and reflectively, using the Srimad Gita App for multiple translations and audio pronunciation of the Sanskrit.
Step 2: Choose one principle to practice. Rather than trying to implement everything at once, select one aspect of letting go & moving on — such as releasing past — and focus on it for a full week.
Step 3: Observe and reflect. Throughout your day, notice moments where the teaching is relevant. In the evening, spend a few minutes journaling about what you observed. This reflective practice accelerates understanding.
Step 4: Deepen gradually. After your first week, add another dimension of the teaching. Over time, your practice of letting go & moving on will become more natural and integrated into your daily life.
The Bhagavad Gita's Context for Letting Go & Moving On
The Bhagavad Gita, often called simply "the Gita," is a 700-verse scripture that forms part of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. Set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, it records the dialogue between Prince Arjuna and his charioteer Lord Krishna, who reveals himself to be the Supreme Divine. The teaching on letting go & moving on emerges directly from Arjuna's real-life crisis — facing a battle where his own relatives and teachers stand on the opposing side.
This setting is significant because it means the Gita's wisdom on letting go & moving on was not given in a monastery or ashram, but in the most intense, high-stakes situation imaginable. Krishna's teaching is designed for people engaged in the world, not withdrawn from it. When he speaks about releasing past, he is addressing someone who must act immediately and decisively.
The classical commentators who have shaped our understanding of the Gita's teaching on letting go & moving on include Adi Shankaracharya (8th century), who founded the Advaita Vedanta school and emphasized non-dual knowledge; Ramanujacharya (11th century), who established Vishishtadvaita and highlighted qualified non-dualism with devotion; and Madhvacharya (13th century), who taught Dvaita or dualistic devotion. Each of these masters brought a unique lens to the same verses, and studying their perspectives enriches understanding immensely. The Srimad Gita App includes commentary references from these traditions.
Related Bhagavad Gita Teachings
Letting Go & Moving On connects deeply with several other important Gita themes. Exploring these related teachings will enrich your understanding and provide multiple perspectives on the spiritual path:
- Vairagya — Freedom from attachment to outcomes, possessions, and worldly desires
- Grief & Loss — Finding comfort and perspective on death, loss, and impermanence through the Gita
- Shanti — Achieving mental calm, emotional balance, and lasting inner peace
The Bhagavad Gita's genius is in showing how all these teachings converge toward the same goal of self-realization, inner peace, and liberation. By studying letting go & moving on alongside these related themes, you develop a comprehensive understanding that supports genuine spiritual growth.