The Hindu Article - Eternal relevance of the Gita

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Date:20/11/2002 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2002/11/20/stories/2002112001590900.htm

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Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Eternal relevance of the Gita

 

 

CHENNAI NOV.20 . The teachings enshrined in scriptural texts like the

Bhagavad Gita are relevant to all ages. Lord Krishna taught the Gita

for the benefit of all humanity using Arjuna as a pretext when an

opportunity presented itself in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The

opening chapter of the text situates the context of the teaching.

Arjuna who had come to wage a war was on the horns of a dilemma

seeing all his kith and kin arrayed in battle. It was not as if he

was unaware of what to expect in the battlefront as he was a

redoubtable warrior. But, attachment to them made him seek an

alternative to avert a war and his frame of mind was thus receptive

to the spiritual teachings the Lord expiated. Otherwise the subject

matter was not one to be deliberated in the battlefield, as the Gita

is a spiritual text, which is hailed as the quintessence of the

Upanishads. The battlefield described in such vivid detail at the

outset is a metaphor for the life situation every individual faces in

the world. So its teachings remain ever relevant to the human

predicament.

 

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastri said discrimination

was essential for spiritual instruction. The scriptures outline the

requisites necessary in a spiritual aspirant and Arjuna qualified for

receiving the teachings from the Lord to whom he surrendered with

faith that He would enlighten him as to what was best for him. It is

also essential for the student to approach the teacher to study the

scriptures from him, as he must be convinced of his eagerness to

learn. The difference in temperament can be seen by the manner in

which Arjuna and Duryodana reacted to the same situation. Arjuna took

refuge in the Lord because he knew he could not enjoy the kingdom the

Pandavas would get after a victory in the fratricidal war, as he

would have been instrumental in the bloodshed.

 

Duryodana had no such qualms as he was attached to the kingdom.

Arjuna had thus developed the capacity of discrimination and

detachment, which are essential requisites for spiritual knowledge.

Further, Duryodana was impertinent enough to accost his teacher Drona

after taking position in the battlefield and pointed out the warriors

assembled on both the sides to him as an assessment of the relative

strength of the armies. The order in which he listed the warriors on

his side was intended in praise of his teacher and those loyal to

him. A person should never resort to praising his teacher, as he must

be humble before him and elders.

 

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