We all have that one wound we keep scratching. A betrayal, a harsh word, a moment we can’t seem to let go of—because letting go feels like letting them win. Like saying, It’s okay. But what if holding on is the real defeat? The Bhagavad Gita, one of the oldest and most profound dialogues on life, doesn’t tell us to suppress our pain. It doesn’t ask us to pretend that what happened didn’t matter. What it does say is that suffering doesn’t come from what happened; it comes from our refusal to move beyond it. Let that sink in for a second.

1. Because What Are We Really Holding On To?
We all have that one wound we keep scratching. A betrayal, a harsh word, a moment we can’t seem to let go of—because letting go feels like letting them win. Like saying, It’s okay. But what if holding on is the real defeat?
Suffering doesn’t come from what happened; it comes from our refusal to move beyond it.
There’s a strange comfort in resentment. We cradle it like a broken thing we refuse to put down, as if holding onto past wounds keeps them from fading into irrelevance. After all, if we let go, doesn’t that mean it didn’t matter? That the hurt wasn’t real? But here’s the thing—resentment isn’t proof of the past. It’s a weight we drag into the future. It doesn’t hold others accountable. It just holds us hostage. And if you ask the Bhagavad Gita, it’s a prison of our own making.

2. The Gita’s Take: You’re Not a Prisoner Here
Time has already taken that moment away. The person who wronged you? They may not even remember it the way you do. But here you are, keeping it alive, feeding it, making it part of your identity. You are not just carrying the past—you are choosing to carry it. You have lived through what happened, but you don’t own its aftermath unless you claim it. You cannot rewrite what they did. You can rewrite what it means to you.
Let’s set the scene: Arjuna, warrior prince, stands on the battlefield, frozen. On the other side? His own family, former friends, teachers—people who have wronged him, betrayed him, forced his hand. He has every reason to be consumed by rage. To act from that anger. To let the past dictate his future. Krishna’s advice? Don’t. Not because the past isn’t real. Not because injustice doesn’t exist. But because attachment—to wounds, to grievances, to the idea that we are owed something from life—is what keeps us shackled to suffering. The Gita doesn’t preach passive forgiveness. It doesn’t tell you to pretend the hurt never happened. What it does say is this: If you let resentment guide you, you are no longer free. And freedom, according to Krishna, is everything.

3. Resentment is an Agreement You Keep Renewing
We hold grudges as if they are weapons, as if our pain is proof of justice. But here’s the hard truth: resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to fall sick. It doesn’t touch them. It only corrodes you. The problem with grudges is that they don’t stay in the past. They demand upkeep. They require you to keep feeding them energy, to keep choosing to relive something that has already happened, again and again, like an old wound you refuse to let heal. Because the more you replay the past, the longer you let them live in your present. Why give them that power?
But here’s the harsh truth: The past isn’t asking you to carry it. You’re the one keeping it alive. The Gita teaches that action should be rooted in the present—not tangled in the ghosts of what was or the illusions of what should have been. Krishna tells Arjuna to act, not with bitterness, not with longing for some different version of reality, but with clarity. Because when you detach from resentment, you’re not letting the past win—you’re simply refusing to let it control what happens next.

4. You Deserve Peace More Than They Deserve Punishment
What does justice even look like? That they feel guilty? That they experience the same pain? That life teaches them a lesson? Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But the truth is, your life is not waiting for that outcome. You are. Strength isn’t in carrying the weight of the past; it’s in setting it down. Not because they deserve peace, but because you do.
You don’t have to forget. Some wounds will always leave a mark. But there’s a difference between a scar and an open wound. One reminds you of what you overcame. The other keeps bleeding. The choice is yours.
So ask yourself: How much longer do you want to carry this? Another year? Another lifetime? Or do you want to be free? Because that is what the Gita is offering—not just wisdom, but liberation. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to take it.