This is a very important question that one should inquire in order to attain to the 'Self', Atmasakshatkara. One should turn inward before it is too late in life. It is the nature of the jiva to wander everywhere in search of peace, joy and happiness, It is endowed with all the intelligence to know, understand and attain what it intimately desires. But, alas, it looks elsewhere when it is easily attainable within. It is only an attained jnyani, a 'guru' who can guide in this matter. An attained jnyani is powerful enough to transform a devoted disciple by mere touch or look! One day, the jiva contemplated on the Self and realized that...
"I am not the body, i am not the senses, the buddhi or the ego that rules my life from birth to death, binding me to the worldly existence and bind me eternally. I never realize the fact that I have descended to this death-knell and take repeated births after deaths with no end in sight. There is no other way but to seek a learned, attained person, to take me by hand and help cross this mrutyu lok. I did not realize the fact that what i am doing here is not helpful in any way to redeem myself from this repeated births and deaths."
Thus, the jiva prayed the supreme Lord to help, guide, and redeem him. The supreme Lord took pity on the tormented jiva and sent a guide, a teacher. This is how a sincere seeker will get help and guidance when ardently prays for help. The Bhagavad-Gita comes handy and the Lord Himself speaks here. There is no better guide than this. The scriptures, too, need some wise teacher to properly interpret and impart the instructions. Nothing is easy in this inward journey.
Finally, one has to withdraw from all sorts of indulgences in the external world. the senses are wayward and the mind is not interested in redemption, mukti, moksha. It is not seeking wise counsel from the Conscience. The perverted intelligence is mischievous and makes the foolish jiva suffer. It is attributed to prarabhda karma. The jiva never realizes the fact that 'Desire' is the root cause of all sufferings. When the jiva realises this, it turns away from all worldly attraction and seeks solace in the 'Self'. The jiva that rests in peace with its Self is a self-established one and needs no external help to be happy. The Gita reiterates that a jiva that is established in its Self is the fulfilled one and attains Him.
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