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Namaste,

 

This article describes beautifully that the purpose of Gita is to illustrate and

guide the practical aspects of life.

 

Ram Chandran

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This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

Gita shows purposive, practical way of life

 

CHENNAI, MAY 8. ``Maintain poise. Treat joy and sorrow alike.

Consider a gold coin and a potsherd as the same.'' These and

similar statements, no doubt, seem to be easy to tell others as

they have been mentioned in scriptures and elaborated by

spiritual leaders. Can they be followed in our practical day-to-

day life? It is possible, says God in His human garb, though it

requires sincere efforts and intense practice. For this an

example of a pious, gently soft-natured and noble person can be

given. When such an individual dons the role of a villain on the

stage and tortures a woman (character) provoking one among the

audience to aim a missile at the ``cruel'' actor to protest

against his action. The latter came down the stage, pacified the

enraged man who was witnessing the drama and asked him as to

where his other footwear (one was thrown at him) was. Likewise

saints whose merits and excellences as great devotees are

portrayed in the Periapuranam have demonstrated such an attitude

of detachment and one among them, coming across gems and pebbles,

while cleaning a temple, felt that both were worthless and flung

them away. The advice tendered by the Lord (as Krishna) in his

Bhagavad Gita at the conclusion of its recital on the battlefield

says that ``Surrender at God's feet signifies a resolve to abide

by His will and not to cross His purpose; to believe that He

alone will save us; to seek help from Him and Him alone and to

yield up one's spirit to Him in all meekness.'' The divine song

presents a practical, purposive way of life, a theory of Reality,

and an integral and harmonious blend of the needs of an

individual and of the requirements of social life.

 

Surprisingly, while the Lord's song runs to 700 verses in

Sanskrit, in his Tamil translation, Villiputhurar has epitomised

the entire message in just six stanzas containing all the salient

points. In his analysis of this sermon during his Mahabharatam

lecture, Sri K. P. Arivanandam said, the path of action can be

described as a command to dedicate all one's works to Him, free

from desire and trace of self (ego) and from the bonds which bear

good or evil fruits. About the path of devotion, Krishna advises

men to fix his mind on God alone and rest the thoughts on Him.

The path of knowledge points out that to one who sees God

everywhere and sees every thing in Him, He is never lost to him.

The wise having attained Him, worship Him and live in Him. The

Lord blazes forth a code of conduct and creed which is within the

reach of all earnest human beings.

 

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