|
|
|
The
Bhagavad Gita is quickly becoming one of the most popular religious texts in
translation, with numerous readings and adaptations of its 700 verses being
published in many languages, especially with its exposure to the world outside
India. The Bhagavad Gita is a passage of 701 verses in the epic Mahabharata
(Bhishma Parva chapters 23 – 40). It is revered as a sacred text of Hindu
philosophy. The name 'Bhagavad Gita' translates to "the song of the divine
one", Bhagavat being a title of Krishna. Commonly referred to as The Gita,
it is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna which takes place on the battlefield
of Kurukshetra, just prior to the start of climactic war. During the conversation,
Krishna proclaims that he is God Himself (Bhagavan), and at the request of Arjuna,
displays his divine form, which is described as timeless, that leaves the latter
awestruck. The conversation summarizes a number of different Yogic and Vedantic
philosophies, explaining the meaning and purpose of life and existence. The
Bhagavad Gita refers to itself as an 'Upanishad', and is sometimes called Gitopanisad.
While technically, it is considered as Sm?iti text, it has singularly achieved
the status of sruti, or Revealed Knowledge. It is not exactly clear when the
Bhagavad Gita was written. Astronomical evidence cited in the Mahabharata place
the incidents upon which the Gita is based around the time 5561 BCE. |
|
|
|
|
|
Background
: The discourse on the Bhagavad Gita begins before the start of the climactic
battle at Kurukshetra. It begins with the pandava prince Arjuna, as he becomes
filled with doubt on the battlefield. Realising that his enemies are his own
relatives, beloved friends, and revered teachers, he turns to his charioteer
and guide, Sri Krishna (an avatar of Sri Vishnu), for advice. Krishna counsels
Arjuna, beginning with the tenet that the human Soul is immortal, and human
death on the battlefield is just the shedding of the body, but the soul is permanent.
Krishna goes on to expound on the yogic paths of devotion, action, meditation
and knowledge. Fundamentally, the Bhagavad Gita proposes that true enlightenment
comes from growing beyond identification with the Ego, the little Self, and
that one must identify with the Truth of the immortal Self, (the soul or Atman),
the ultimate Divine Consciousness. Through detachment from the personal Ego,
the Yogi, or follower of a particular path of Yoga, is able to transcend his
mortality and attachment from the material world, and see the Infinite (the
Brahman). To demonstrate the infinity of the unknowable Brahman, Krishna grants
Arjuna the boon of cosmic vision (albeit temporary), and allows the prince to
see Him in all his Divine Glory. He reveals that He is fundamentally both the
ultimate essence of Being in the universe, and also its material body. This
is called the Vishvarupa/Viratrupa. Gita refers to the war as Dharma Yuddha,
meaning just war. In chapter 4, verse 7, it clearly states that God takes incarnation
to establish righteousness in the world.
The
Scripture of Yoga : The Gita addresses
the discord between the senses and the intuition of cosmic unity. It speaks
of the Yoga of equanimity, a detached outlook. The term Yoga covers a wide range
of meanings, but in the context of the Bhagavad Gita, describes a unified outlook,
serenity of mind, skill in action, and the ability to stay attuned to the glory
of the Self (Atman), which is of the same essence as the basis of Being (Brahman).
According to Krishna, the root of all suffering and discord is the agitation
of the mind caused by desire. The only way to douse the flame of desire is by
stilling the mind through discipline of the senses and the intellect. However,
abstinence from action is regarded as being just as detrimental as extreme indulgence.
According to the Bhagavad Gita, the goal of life is to free the mind and intellect
from their complexities, and to focus them on the glory of the Self, by dedicating
one's actions to the divine. This goal can be achieved through the Yogas of
meditation, action, devotion and knowledge. The Gita describes the best Yogi
as one who constantly comtemplates God.
Krishna summarizes the Yogas through
eighteen chapters. There are four kinds of Yoga - Raja Yoga or Psycho-Physical
Meditation, Bhakti Yoga or Devotion, Karma Yoga or Selfless Action, and Jnana
(pronounced gyaan) Yoga or Self Transcending Knowledge. While each path differs,
their fundamental goal is the same - to realize Brahman (the Divine Essence
) as being the only truth, that the body is temporal, and that the Supreme Soul
(Paramatman) is infinite. Yoga's aim (nirvana or moksha) is to escape from the
cycle of reincarnation through realization of oneness with the ultimate reality.
There are three stages to self-realisation enunciated from the Bhagavad Gita
:
1. Brahman - The impersonal universal
energy
2. Paramatma - The Supreme Soul sitting
in the heart of every living entity.
3. Bhagavan - God as a personality, with
a transcendental form.
Here are some quotations from Krishna
that make up history's first real yoga text and give comprehensive definitions
of the four principle yogas :
On The Goal Of Yoga
: " And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me
(Krishna) alone, at once attains My (Krishna's- Transcendental) nature. Of
this there is no doubt."
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
Bhakti Yoga : Put simply, Bhakti Yoga
is Service in Love and Devotion to God (Krishna in the context of the Bhagavad
Gita). "I consider the Yogi-devotee - who lovingly contemplates on Me with
supreme faith, and whose mind is ever absorbed in Me - to be the best of all
the Yogis". "After attaining Me, the great souls do not incur rebirth
in this miserable transitory world, because they have attained the highest perfection."
"... those who, renouncing all actions in Me, and regarding Me as the Supreme,
worship Me... For those whose thoughts have entered into Me, I am soon the deliverer
from the ocean of death and transmigration, Arjuna. Keep your mind on Me alone,
your intellect on Me. Thus you shall dwell in Me hereafter." "And
he who serves Me with the yoga of unswerving devotion, transcending these qualities
[binary opposites, like good and evil, pain and pleasure] is ready for liberation
in Brahman." "Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service
to Me, bow down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because
you are My very dear friend." "Setting aside all meritorious deeds
(Dharma), just surrender completely to My will (with firm faith and loving contemplation).
I shall liberate you from all sins. Do not fear." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
Karma Yoga : Karma Yoga is essentially
Acting, or doing one's duties in life as per his/her dharma, or duty, without
concern of results - a sort of constant sacrifice of action to the Supreme.
It is action done without thought of gain. In a more modern interpretation,
it can be viewed as duty bound deeds done without letting the nature of the
result affecting ones actions. It is said that the results can be of 3 types
- as aimed for, opposite of what is aimed for, or a mixture of these. If one
can perform his duties (as prescribed in the Vedas) without any anticipation
of the result of his actions, he is bound to succeed. It includes, but is not
limited to, dedication of one's chosen profession and its perfection to God.
It is also visible in community and social service, since they are inherently
done without thought of personal gain. Example: If one is playing tennis on
the tennis court, his duty is to play as well as he can. If he is a Karma Yogi,
the loss of a few points will not hamper his enthusiasm and energy for the rest
of the game, but if he is not, then he will start getting tense, nervous, self-conscious,
etc. and is then bound to make mistakes and lose anyway. This is a simple example
of Karma Yoga for a layman. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Krishna advocates Nishkam Karma Yoga
(the Yoga of Selfless Action) as the ideal path to realize the Truth. Allocated
work done without expectations, motives, or thinking about its outcomes tends
to purify one's mind and gradually makes an individual fit to see the value
of reason and the benefits of renouncing the work itself. These concepts are
vividly described in the following verses :
"To action alone hast thou a right
and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive;
neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction" -- verse 47, Chapter
2-Samkhya theory and Yoga practise, The Bhagavadgita - Radhakrishnan
"Fixed in yoga, do thy work, O
Winner of wealth(Arjuna), abandoning attachment, with an even mind in success
and failure, for evenness of mind is called yoga" -- verse 48, Chapter
2-Samkhya theory and Yoga practise, The Bhagavadgita - Radhakrishnan
"With the body, with the mind,
with the intellect, even merely with the senses, the Yogis perform action toward
self-purification, having abandoned attachment. He who is disciplined in Yoga,
having abandoned the fruit of action, attains steady peace..."
In order to achieve true liberation,
it is important to control all mental desires and tendencies to enjoy and sense
pleasures. The following verses illustrate this:
Verses 62,63, chapter 2- Samkhya theory
and Yoga practise', The Bhagavadgita - Radhakrishnan'
"When a man dwells in his mind on the object of sense, attachment to them
is produced. From attachment springs desire and from desire comes anger."
"From anger arises bewilderment,
from bewilderment loss of memory; and from loss of memory, the destruction of
intelligence and from the destruction of intelligence he perishes." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
Jnana (Gyana) Yoga : Jnana Yoga is a process
of learning to discriminate between what is real and what is not, what is eternal
and what is not. Through a steady advancement in realization of the distinction
between Real and the Unreal, the Eternal and the Temporal, one develops into
a Jnana Yogi. This is essentially a path to God through knowledge and discrimination,
and has been described as being the "shortest, and steepest" path
to God - the most difficult one. "When he
perceives the various states of being as resting in the One, and from That alone
spreading out, then he attains Brahman. / They who know, through the eye of
knowledge, the distinction between the field and the knower of the field, as
well as the liberation of beings from material nature, go to the Supreme." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
On Raja Yoga
: Raja Yoga is the stilling of the mind and body through meditating techniques,
geared at realizing one's true nature. This practice was later described by
Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. " To practise yoga, one should go to a secluded
place and should lay kusa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin
and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low and should
be situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very firmly
and practice yoga to purify the heart by controlling his mind, senses and
activities and fixing the mind on one point. One should hold one's body, neck
and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose.
Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from
sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate
goal of life. Thus practicing constant control of the body, mind and activities,
the mystic transcendentalist, his mind regulated, attains to the kingdom of
God [or the abode of Krishna] by cessation of material existence."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Influence
of Bhagavad Gita : In many ways seemingly
a heterogeneous text, the Gita is a reconciliation of many facets and schools
of Hindu philosophy of both Brahmanical (i.e., orthodox Vedic) origin, and the
parallel ascetic and Yogic traditions. It comprises primarily Vedic (as in the
four Vedas, as opposed to the Upanishads/Vedanta), Upanishadic, Sankhya and
Yogic philosophies. It has stood the test of time, bringing together all four
thought systems by taking their largely cohesive, common ideologies and backgrounds
into the powerful Sanskrit verse of one text. It had always been a creative
text for Hindu priests and Yogis. Although not strictly part of the 'canon'
of Vedic writings, almost all Hindu sects draw upon the Gita as authoritative.
Some claim that it may have been inserted into the Mahabharata at a later date,
but this is only natural as it sounds more like an Upanishad (which are commentaries
that followed the Vedas) in thought than a Purana (histories), of which tradition
the Mahabharata is a part. For its religious depth,
quintessential Upanishadic and Yogic philosophy and beauty of verse, the Bhagavad
Gita is one of the most compelling and important texts of the Hindu tradition.
It is one of the world's greatest religious and spiritual scriptures. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Vedantic schools of Hindu philosophy,
it is one of the three foundation texts (Sanskrit: Prasthana Trayi, literally
three points of departure)( the other two being the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras).
Every such school is required to have a commentary on the three. The oldest
available commentary is from Adi Shankara but he mentions older commentators.
He is followed by classical commentators like Anandagiri, Shridhara Swami, Madhusudana
Sarasvati, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Dnyaneshwar. While
the traditional text commented upon by many scholars including Adi Shankara
and Ramanuja, consists of 700 verses, there exists a recension of the text from
Kashmir with additional 15 verses. The renowned philosopher Abhinavagupta(10-11th
century CE) has written a commentary on this recension called Gitartha-Samgraha.
Other ancient and medieval scholars (like Vedanta Desika in the Tatparya-Chandrika)
seem to be aware of such additional verses but prefer to comment on the popular
700 verses. Among the great sages and philosophers who have drawn inspiration
from the Bhagavad Gita is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who initiated public singing
of the "Hare Krishna" mantra. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upon witnessing the world's first atomic
blast in 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer, american physicist and director of the
Manhattan Project, is reported to have misquoted "I have become Death,
the shatterer of worlds". The dynamic Swami
Vivekananda, the follower of Sri Ramakrishna was known for his seminal commentaries
on the four Yogas - Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja Yoga. He drew from his knowledge
of the Gita to expound on these Yogas. Swami Sivananda advises the aspiring
Yogi to read verses from the Bhagavad Gita every day. Paramahamsa Yogananda,
writer of the famous "Autobiography of a Yogi", viewed the Bhagavad
Gita as one of the world's most divine scriptures. Mahatma
Gandhi derived great moral strength from Bhagavad gita, which is evident in
his words : |
|
|
|
|
|
|
"The Geeta is the universal mother.
I find a solace in the Bhagavadgeeta that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount.
When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of
light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there,
and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies - and
my life has been full of external tragedies - and if they have left no visible
or indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of Bhagavad Geeta."
Traditionally the commentators belong to spiritual traditions or schools (sampradaya)
and Guru lineages (parampara), which preserve the teaching in pure form. Thus
traditions stemming from Krishna himself are considered the most faithful to
the original message. It should be kept in mind that different translators and
commentators have widely differing views on what multi-layered Sanskrit words
and passages truly signify, and their best possible presentation in English
depending on the sampradaya they are affiliated to. Especially in modern times
in the West, different authors have come up with a wealth of diverse interpretations
that often do not agree with the traditional views, the reason being the background
and intrinsic values of the interpreters and commentators, which may still be
well rooted in Western culture. Though overall
the Gita features Sanskrit that is fairly easily comprehensible, translations
of the original Sanskrit text may at times be inaccurate on account of the lack
of appropriate corresponding terminology.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gita Saar
The Subject Matter of
Shrimat Bhagwat Gita
Geeta
Saar is the gist of
the main teachings of
Lord Krishna. It contains
the crux of the Holy Gita.
Why
do you worry unnecessarily? What are you afraid of? Who can kill destroy
you? A soul is never born, so it never dies. |
|
Whatever
happened in the past, happened for the best; whatever is happening, is
happening for the best; whatever will happen in future, will happen for
the best. Do not repent the past, do not worry for future, concentrate
on your present. |
|
What
did you own, that makes you cry on losing? What did you bring, that you
fear losing? What did you give birth to, that you fear its destruction?
You didn't bring anything. Whatever one takes, one must return it to God.
Everyone came empty handed and will therefore die, empty handed. |
|
Whatever
belongs to you today, belonged to someone else yesterday and it will belong
to some one else tomorrow. Don't be illusioned by maya. Maya is the root
cause of all pain and misery. |
|
Change
is the rule of nature. What one understands, as death is actually life
itself. One moment you are the owner of crores and in the very next moment
you become a pauper.
|
|
Your
body doesn't belong to you and vice versa. Body is composed of five elements-
Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Sky; one day it will perish in these elements. |
|
Offer
yourself to the Almighty Lord. This is the best support. One who knows
this unconditional support gains freedom from fear, worry and despair. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
