Introducing Srimad Bhagavad Gita - A User's Manual For Every Day Living

“Live in the world but don’t be of the world. Live in the world but  don’t let the world live within you. Remember it is all a beautiful dream,  because everything is changing and disappearing. If you become detached you  will be able to see how people are attached to trivia and how much they are  suffering. And you will laugh at yourself because you were also in the same  boat before”. - Osho

Contents

The Gita’s wide appeal

What is the Gita?

Story of the Mahabharata

Central Theme of the Gita

Over-view of the Gita

Main concepts of the Gita

Why Study The Gita? 

Thoughts for self evaluation

 

 

 

The Gita’s wide appeal

The Bhagavad Gita was first translated  into English by Charles Wilkins in 1785 and published by the British East India  Company with an introduction by Lord Warren Hastings, the first British  Governor-General of India, in which he prophetically wrote: “The writers of the  Indian philosophies will survive when the British Dominion in India shall long  have ceased to exist, and when the sources which it yielded of wealth and power  are lost to remembrance”. He further wrote “I hesitate not to pronounce the  Gita’s performance of great originality, of sublimity of conception, reasoning  and diction almost unequaled and a single exception amongst all the known  religions of mankind”.

The Gita deals with human problems in a  human way. That is why it has a tremendous appeal. It has inspired the human  mind in India  for centuries and today it casts its spell on millions of people across the  various parts of the world. It remains the most translated work in the Globe. The  modern technology like the Internet has further increased its reputation by carrying  its message to every nook and corner of the world. A mere click on the word  ‘Bhagavad Gita’ in the Google search engine throws about 963,000 results. An  incredible reach for any scripture!

Among the great and extraordinary people  who were inspired and found their outlook changed by the timeless wisdom of the  Gita are thinkers, writers, scientists and philosophers like Mahatma Gandhi,  B.G.Tilak, Sri Aurobindo, Albert Einstein, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Herman Hesse,  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aldous Huxley, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, Annie  Besant, Robert Oppenheimer Sir Edwin Arnold and Carlyle to name but a few.

In India it was left to Adi Sankara  who lived in the 8th century A.D. to reveal the greatness of the  Gita to the world. He retrieved it from the mighty tomes of the epic, the Mahabharata,  and wrote a brilliant commentary on it. It is this commentary which prevails as  a classic text even today. Later great acharyas like Ramanuja, Madhva,  Vallabha and others came out with their own commentaries which are popular  among their followers. In modern times Sant Jnanesvar, B.G.Tilak, Aurobindo  contributed their original thinking on the text.

Despite  this enormous popularity, the Bhagavad Gita remains a less understood but a better  known text; people know more about it than what is it about. On the analogy of  what the Bhagavad Gita says in Chapter 2, Verse 29 some look upon the book as marvelous,  a scripture of extraordinary or mysterious value, some others speak of the book  as wonderful. And still others though hearing its teachings do not comprehend  its wonderful significance!

Bhagavan  Sri Krishna also says in the Gita (7.3) “Among thousands of men , one by chance  aspires for perfection; even among those successful aspirants only one by  chance knows Me in essence.” A question arises why such enlightened persons are  so rare in our midst and why such an achievement is not within the reach of  everyone.

Vedanta  being a subjective science rarely one tries to know how to remove one's  weaknesses and develop inner strength much less one tries to live up to the  ideals propounded by it and bring about consequent re-adjustments in one's  life. Very few feel this urge to evolve themselves and most of us do not even find  the need for self improvement. We grope along by the voice of tradition,  authority, herd-instinct and group-mentality. Of those who strive to see the  truth and reach the goal, only a few succeed. Of those who gain the sight, not  even one learns to live by the sight.

No  wonder once a teacher wanting to educate a child about the Gita asked him “Do  you know Gita”? The child replied “Yes, I know, that is the name of my next  door aunty”.  The child obviously heard  of Gita and had his own meaning of it in his mind and remained happy about it.  That is the case with most of us today including the large mass of modern  educated sections. Then where do we go from here? Again, the Gita says by  constant learning and practice one can certainly improve oneself. Let us attempt  to heed that advice through this series of essays

What is the Gita?

The  dictionary meaning of the word ‘Gita’ is a song or poem containing an inspired doctrine  and the word ‘Bhagavat’ means a blessed or adorable or venerable or divine One.  Hence Srimad Bhagavad Gita is variously called as ‘The Song of God’, ‘The  Divine Song’, ‘A Song of Fortune’, ‘The Lord’s Song’, ‘The Holy Song of God’, ‘The Song of  the Lord’, Gudartha Deepika, Gita Rahasya, Jnaneshwari, Bhavaarthadipika,  Sadhaka Sanjeevani and so on. The noted English poet, journalist and a Principal of the Government Sanskrit College  at Pune, Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) called  his famous poetic version of the Bhagavad Gita as ‘The Song Celestial’.  The Bhagavad Gita's another title is ‘moksha  sastra’ or ‘Scripture of Liberation’. However, it is more popularly known  as “The Gita”.

The  Bhagavad Gita is a sacred Hindu scripture, considered among the most important  texts in the history of literature and philosophy. It finds a place in the Bhishma  Parva of the Mahabharata. It comprises of 18 chapters spread out in 700 verses.  Its author is Veda Vyasa, the compiler of the Mahabharata who wrote this epic  through the hands of the Lord of Wisdom, Sri Ganesha. Its teachings are  considered timeless and the exact time of revelation of the scripture is  considered of little spiritual significance. The teacher of the Bhagavad Gita  is Lord Krishna, who is revered as a manifestation of God, The Bhagvan,  Parabrahman.

The  content of the Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna taking  place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra before the start of the war between the  two clans of brothers - the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

Responding  to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins, Bhagavan  Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince and elaborates on  different Vedantic concepts. This has led to the Gita being described as one of  the prasthana traya, the triumvirate of the canons of Hindu Philosophy,  the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras.

It  is considered as a concise, practical, self-contained guide to play the game of  life. During the discourse, Krishna reveals His  identity as the Supreme Being (Svayam Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an  awe-inspiring vision of His divine universal form.

The  Gita itself tells us about what it is. At the end of the first chapter we find  a narration reading as under:
    om tat sat
    iti srimad bhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu  brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre
    sri krishnaarjuna samvaade arjuna  vishaada yogo naama prathamo'dyaayah||

“Thus  in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,  the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends  the  first discourse entitled: The  Yoga   of the Despondency of Arjuna”

The  narration as given above at the end of the first chapter occurs also at the end  of all the other subsequent chapters, the only difference being the respective  title of the chapters. This narration is called `sankalpa vakya' meaning  an epilogue for the chapter. It reveals in a very concise form the glory and  greatness of the Gita and states the theme of the concerned chapter.

The  meaning of this recital is as under:
1. Om Tat Sat:  A designation for the Absolute enabling everybody to turn towards Godhead.
2. Gita is called: Upanishad because it contains the  essence of all the Upanishads which are the revelations of the ancient sages.
3. Brahma Vidya or the science of the Eternal because it  teaches about the changeless Reality behind the ever-changing phenomenal world  of perceptions, emotions and thoughts.

4. Yoga Shastra because it is a scripture that explains  the technique of right living and provides a practical guide to work it out in  the form of Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga.
5. Samvad because it is in the form of a dialogue between  Krishna and Arjuna, the Divine and the human, the  former teaching the latter how to function successfully and efficiently in a  community.
6. This chapter is entitled `Arjuna Vishaada Yogah' or  the Yoga of despondency of Arjuna.

Story of the Mahabharata

In  the north of India,  there flourished a kingdom with its headquarters at Hastinapur.  King Pandu was ruling the kingdom after his  father's death, as his elder brother, Dhritarashtra, was born blind and  therefore not qualified for the rulership according to the tenets of that age.

King  Pandu had five sons who were known as Pandavas.   Dhritarashtra had one hundred sons who were called as Kauravas, the  eldest of whom was Duryodhana. Bhishma was the uncle of  Pandu and Dhritarashtra.

After  Pandu's death his children, Pandavas, were brought up and educated along with  Kauravas under the supervision of Bhishma and patronage of Dhritarashtra.  Drona was a skillful teacher who taught them  all the techniques of warfare.  Pandavas  were intelligent and brave. Within a short time they could master the art of  warfare.  Yudhishtira, the eldest of the  Pandavas, succeeded his father as the king.

Duryodhana  was jealous of the Pandavas. When Yudhishtira was proclaimed a king Duryodhana  could not keep quiet and watch.  He  employed all foul means to destroy Pandavas and every time he tried to kill  them he met with failure. On Bhishma's advice the kingdom was divided into two  parts - the better one with Hastinapur as capital was taken by the Kauravas  while the Pandavas took the other half and built a new beautiful capital called  Indraprastha for themselves.

Dhritarashtra  was equally affectionate towards his sons and Pandavas but had the weakness to  be sympathetic towards his eldest son's sorrows and disappointments.

Once  Duryodhana invited Yudhishtira for a game of dice wherein the former with the  help of his cunning and deceitful uncle, Sakuni, defeated Yudhishtira by using  all fraudulent means.  As a result,  Yudhishtira lost not only all his kingdom and possessions but also Draupadi,  the wife of all the Pandava brothers.   Draupadi was humiliated by the Kaurava brothers to such an extent that  an attempt was made to disrobe her in public.   Her honor was saved by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, a great family friend of  the Pandavas.

Finally  it was settled that Pandavas should live in the forest for twelve years in  exile and further one year incognito untraced by any one.  After successfully completing these thirteen  years of ordeal when the Pandavas claimed their kingdom Duryodhana refused to  part with even that much little land as could be covered by the point of a  needle.

The  good offices of Sri Krishna to bring sanity to Duryodhana who was intoxicated  with power and greed proved futile.  The  Pandavas were left with no alternative but to take up arms against Kauravas to  regain their kingdom lost through tricks, treachery and chicanery.

A  war between Pandavas and Kauravas became inevitable and the preparations for  the epic battle started.  Both the sides  mobilized their troops and took their respective positions in the battlefield  at Kurukshetra, near modern Delhi.

Bhagavan  Sri Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna, the mightiest of the Pandava  brothers. Arjuna asked Sri Krishna to place their chariot between the two  armies to enable him to have a glimpse of all those with whom he had to fight.  Although till that time he was in full fighting spirit, when he saw his  teachers, elders, brothers, relatives and friends standing before him ready for  the fight, his determination gave way to weakness of head and heart.  He lost his enthusiasm to fight and told Sri  Krishna that he did not want to wage the battle against his seniors, relations  and friends for the sake of a paltry kingdom.

When  Arjuna refused to fight, Sri Krishna gave him a good peace of advice  enlightening him upon where his duty lay. This marvelous advice delivered by  The Bhagavan in the battlefield at Kurukshetra is the immortal poem, the song  divine, the glorious SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA which epitomizes the whole gamut of  knowledge contained in all the Scriptures.

Sage  Vyasa offered Dhritarashtra the power of sight which would enable him to see  the events of war.  Unwilling to see the  inevitable massacre of his sons, the blind king desired to know the full  details of the war. To fulfill Dhritarashtra's request Vyasa bestowed Sanjaya,  the trusted minister of Dhritarashtra, with the divine intuitive vision by  which he could know not only the incidents of the battlefield but also the  ideas in the minds of the warriors.

After  ten days of war, Bhishma, the commander of the Kaurava army was severely  wounded and thrown off his chariot. When Sanjaya informed Dhritarashtra about  this incident the blind king became very sad and asked him to tell him all the  details of the war. The reporting of Sanjaya about the events of war including  the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna at the battlefield is contained in  the Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata wherein The Gita text finds place. The Gita  opens with the question of the blind king to Sanjaya asking him what happened  on the battlefield when the two armies faced each other in the battle formation.

Central Theme of the Gita

The  Bhagvad Gita can be studied from different angles such as a historical document,  a spiritual treatise, a scriptural text for daily chanting and prayer, a  sublime poetry, an exposition of Grammar and meter, or a management manual,  depending on one’s own outlook and purpose.

The  objective here is to study it as a spiritual text and try to find out its main  theme. Our ancient Rishis have given us a six-point test to determine the main  theme of a text. This is called ‘sadvidvidha tatparya nirnaya linga’. In  the light of this six-factor test let us look at the Gita to discover its  central theme.

The  1st point is called upakrama and upasamhara - the  beginning and conclusion of a text. The crux of the subject in the text starts  with Arjuna’s confusion, his acceptance of the delusion and surrender to the  Lord as a sishya with a request to teach him what is the best for him.  The text ends with his statement that all his doubts were cleared, his delusion  is gone and he regained his memory of the Self. This kind of beginning and end  of the text shows that the Bhagavad Gita contains the Knowledge that removes  the delusion and bestows the Supreme Good.

Even  from the teacher’s view point, the text starts from Sri Krishna telling Arjuna  that he is grieving for that which should not be grieved for thereby explaining  how sorrow is borne of delusion. It ends by asking Arjuna whether the delusion  had gone. This makes it clear that the entire purpose of the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna was aimed at removing spiritual  ignorance which is the cause of delusion. Thus the removal of sorrow and  delusion (soka moha nivritti) is the main theme of the Gita.

The  2nd point is called abhayasa - repetition and emphasis in the  text. The 2nd chapter gives ample evidence to this aspect. Krishna frequently tells Arjuna not to grieve and puts  forward the reasons for that view from several angles like the true knowledge,  duty, ignominy etc. Similarly, the concept of sthitaprajna has been  highlighted in several ways at various places. This shows imparting Self-Knowledge  is the key note in the text.

The  3rd point is called apurvata - the novelty or uniqueness of  the theme. Sri Krishna calls this Self-Knowledge as a secret, guhyam because  normal extroverted minds cannot grasp it and hence very few succeed in knowing  it. Similarly, moderation in all walks of our lives has been stressed at many  places. The teachings of the Gita are thus unique.

The  4th point is phalam or the fruit or the end result of the  study of the text. Removal of sorrow and confusion and attainment of clear  thinking and supreme knowledge - enlightenment - are the end result of the  study of the text.

The  5th point is arthavada - positive praise of the subject and  negative condemnation of the opposite. We find many slokas in the text  extolling the supreme Self-Knowledge and condemning spiritual ignorance. Thus  attaining the Supreme Knowledge is the goal of the Gita.

The  6th and the last point is upapatti - illustration and  reasoning. We find in the text that Krishna has  been giving a lot of logical explanations and reasoning to convince Arjuna  about his teachings. He uses profusely the word ‘tasmat’ meaning  ‘therefore’. His arguments are given from many standpoints, the main goal of  all His efforts being elimination of sorrow and delusion through Self-Knowledge.  The nature of Self is also revealed through examples and reasoning. These  indicate the Supreme knowledge ( tattva jnanam) as the main subject  matter of the Gita.

Therefore  Self-Knowledge (atma jnana) which eliminates our ignorance and the  consequent problems created and bestows the ultimate good for all of us (shreyas) is the core theme of the Gita.

Over-view of the Gita

The entire Bhagavad Gita can be divided into five topics viz.

1. Identifying the problem (covered in the 1st and the starting portions of the 2nd chapters of the Gita).
2. Finding a solution (covered in the major portion of the 2nd chapter and reiterated in the 7th, 9th and 13th chapters.
3. Implementing the solution (This theme is dealt with in the 3rd, 5th, 12th and 18th chapters).
4. Understanding the values of life (stated in many places in the Gita and particularly in the 16th chapter) and
5. Achieving perfection (elaborated in the 2nd, 5th, and 14th chapters).

Arjuna's  misunderstanding, his inability to see things as they are and consequent grief  and self-pity just at the crucial moment of war are the problems. The solution  to them can be short term which will only be of temporary nature or long term  which will be of permanent nature. The Gita offers a long term solution with  which anybody can face any situation in life at any time anywhere. This  spiritual solution teaches us to look at life as a whole and live a whole life.   Finding a solution is just not enough.  We must know how to implement it. The Gita provides us with a practical guidance  that helps us to understand how to live according to the guidelines offered.

But  living a life according to the guidelines offered is also not adequate unless  it is spiced with certain basic vision and values. If a person’s vision of life  is limited to mundane happiness derived from the senses, he will merely spend  his life time in eating, drinking and making merry. His value system will  revolve round making money by any means to satisfy his never ending needs. But  the value system of a person with a philanthropic bent or an animal lover or an  environmentalist or spiritually oriented will be entirely different. The Gita  provides us with such an enlarged vision of life laying the foundation for a sense  of fulfillment.

Finally,  the Gita gives us the vision of a person who has gained the supreme Knowledge  and lives anchored in it. One who faces problems and crisis in life gains the  vision of Truth, puts it into practice, and lives according to that value  system. He becomes a jivan mukta, liberated in this very life. He is  called a sthita prajna and the Gita gives us a vivid description of his  nature.

Such  an analytical understanding of the various topics in the Bhagavad Gita  makes it easy for us to study it fruitfully and gives us a ready reference  point to check out the slokas (verses) according to our requirement.

Main concepts of the Gita

The  main philosophical subject matter of the Bhagavad Gita is the explanation of  five basic concepts.

1. Jiva, the individual soul or the living being
2. Jagat, the universe he lives in or nature or matter
3. Jagadishvara, the creator of the universe or the  Supreme Controller and the relationship between Jiva, Jagat and Jagadishvara.
4. Dharma (Duty in accordance with Divine law)
5. Kaala (Time)

Krishna counsels Arjuna on the greater idea of dharma, or universal harmony  and duty. He begins with the tenet that the soul (Atman) is eternal and immortal.  Any 'death' on the battlefield would involve only the shedding of the body,  whereas the soul is permanent.

In  order to clarify his point, Krishna expounds  the various Yoga processes and understanding of the true nature of the  universe. He describes the yogic paths of devotional service -Bhakti Yoga,  action - Karma Yoga, meditation - Dhyana Yoga or Raja Yoga and knowledge -  Jnana Yoga.

Fundamentally,  the Bhagavad Gita proposes that true enlightenment comes from going beyond  identification with the temporal ego, the 'False Self', the ephemeral world, so  that one identifies with the truth of the immortal self, the absolute soul or  Atman.

Through  detachment from the material sense of ego, the Yogi, or follower of a particular  path of Yoga, is able to transcend his/her illusory mortality and attachment to  the material world and enters the realm of the Supreme.

Krishna does not propose that the physical world must be abandoned or  neglected.  Rather, one's life on Earth  must be lived in accordance with greater laws and truths; one must embrace  one's temporal duties whilst remaining mindful of timeless reality, acting for  the sake of service without consideration for the results thereof. Such a life would  naturally lead towards stability, happiness and, ultimately, enlightenment.

In  the Bhagavad Gita Krishna refers to the war about to take place as ‘Dharma  Yuddha’, meaning a righteous war for the purpose of justice.  He also states that he incarnates in each age  (yuga) to establish righteousness in the world.

Why Study The Gita?

Srimad  Bhagavad Gita has been a source of inspiration and enlightenment for  generations. The message of the Gita is not merely a general spiritual  philosophy or ethical doctrine but it has a bearing upon the practical aspects  in the application of such principles in our day-to-day lives. It is indeed  "An Users' Manual for the Practice of the Art of Right Living".

The  centuries old Bhagavad Gita continues to be the most relevant beacon light for  all of us today. The modern man, like Arjuna, is at the crossroads where the  focus is more on improving the Standard of Living rather than the Standard of  Life, more on the Stock Exchange Index than on the Human Development Quotient,  more on the Cost of Living than on the Quality of Life. This has resulted in  his disorientation and imbalance in an environment of shifting values. While  science aims to enhance the comfort of human life, spirituality teaches us how  to be comfortable with what we have. That is the difference. In this scenario,  the Gita is the only source of strength for the development of an integrated  personality, a complete man, within us.

The  Gita teaches how to achieve harmony with divinity in the midst of disharmony by  subduing all outward energies and remaining in equanimity with pairs of  opposites like pain and pleasure, aversion and attraction, success and failure  etc. The focus of the Gita is moderation and its aim is the total surrender of  man before the Supreme while continuing to perform his duties in the spirit of  Yoga. 

The  problem that is facing us today is that while the world is coming closer  physically it is drifting apart mentally and emotionally. Hence all the conflicts  and violence, destruction and damage across the globe. The urgent need,  therefore, is the reconciliation and reconditioning of the human mindset, to  inculcate a global vision and bring about the universal brotherhood.

The  Gita is specially suited for the purpose, as it attempts to bring together  varied and apparently antithetical forms of the consciousness and emphasizes  the root conceptions of humanity which are neither ancient nor modern,  belonging neither to the east nor the west, but eternal and universal.

Its  beauty and sublimity lie in its everlasting relevance to the daily problems of  human life, either occidental or oriental. It prescribes the methods which are  within the reach of all. It has a message of solace, freedom, salvation,  perfection and peace for all human beings. The more you study it with devotion  and faith, the more you will acquire deep knowledge, penetrative insight and  clear, right thinking. It is indeed a recipe for sane living for every man and  woman across the world.

Thoughts for self evaluation

1. Where is the Bhagavad Gita to be found?
2. What is the historical epic Mahabharata?
3. Who is the author of the Mahabharata?
4. What is the Bhagavad Gita?
5. In what form the Gita was written?
6. Where was the Bhagavad Gita originally spoken?
7. What is the composition of the Bhagavad Gita?
8. What is the central theme of the Gita
9. What are the broad topics covered in the Gita?
10.What are the main concepts elucidated in the Gita?
11.What can be learned by the study of Srimad Bhagavad Gita?
12.Why the Gita is popular in the world even today?