Gita Satsang: Truth, Universal in Nature

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An Article From The Hindu - Truth, Universal in Nature

 

The supreme truth was revealed at the time of creation for the benefit of

humanity. These revelations are called the Vedas and they are eternal in

nature. Due to slackening of its practice in course of time, the Lord took

upon Himself the task of teaching them time and again. The Bhagavad Gita

which was taught to Arjun in the battlefield was one such instance when the

Almighty donned the mantle of a Jagadguru (world teacher) using Arjun as a

ruse to reveal the truth to one and all. Its teachings are universal and

relevant to all ages. Lord Krishna Himself clarifies this in the Gita by

introducing the concept of incarnation (Avatar) which is undertaken for this

purpose and for re-establishing Dharm whenever it is on the wane.

 

Another concept Lord Krshn draws attention to besides explaining His birth and

actions which are divine in nature in this context, is the identity of

God-realization and Self-realization. When the ultimate truth is approached

from the cosmic standpoint (the macrocosm) it is posited as God who has to be

attained as an external goal. The same truth when sought from the standpoint

of the individual is the discovery of one's spiritual nature which is termed

as Self-realization. The scriptural directive that man must make efforts

to realize God, underscores that it is the goal of human life. This can be

understood with the example of externalizing the healthy state of a person

when he is sick, as a goal to be attained. But, health is the natural original

state of the body which is only regained as soon as the illness is cured.

Vedant posits God as an external goal initially, but as the spiritual aspirant

evolves, this seeking becomes internalised and eventually the understanding

that realisation is within is discovered.

 

That self-effort and divine grace are necessary in the pursuit of the

spiritual path is allegorically portrayed in the Puraan in the episode of the

churning of the milk-ocean by the celestials (Dev) to obtain the nectar which

would make them immortal. They had to seek the help of the Asur, their

enemies, in this task and also outwit them. Further, they needed divine grace

also. In his lecture on the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Paramarthananda said that

spiritual progress involved different stages. The first sign of a turnabout in

life is noticeable as an intense yearning for spiritual life. Just as a

person who likes cricket gets obsessed with it, a spiritual aspirant's

yearning for God should become an all-consuming commitment for re-orienting

his life to this goal.

 

Source: An Article from the Religious Section of The Hindu taken with

permission: "Copyrights 2000 The Hindu & Tribeca Internet Initiatives Inc."