Gita—the Gift of India

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Gita—the Gift of India

 

>From Our Correspondent

 

A seminar on the `relevance of Bhagavad Gita in the modern world' was

held in Thiruvananthapuram recently, conducted jointly by Bharatheeya

Vichar Kendra and Gita Swadhyay Samiti. In his inaugural address at

the seminar, Governor of Madhya Pradesh Dr Bhai Mahaveer said that

self-realisation is the greatest contribution of Bhagavad Gita to the

modern world. The messages of the Gita are the basic principles of

human life and Arjuna was only made as its medium, the medium to

disclose the mysteries. "India has never made any refugees but we

have sheltered a lot many. We have never made any attacks but were

attacked many times", said Dr Mahavir while referring to the

Bhagavadgita message of universal love. Fundamentalism is the

greatest threat to the present world. It is challenging the

independent world. It may also pave way to war between different

cultures.

 

We have always accepted and admired various beliefs. And Krishna has

said that he would accept any types of prayers offered by man, Dr

Bhai, thus concluded his views on the Gita in the seminar. Presenting

an essay The Gita and Sree Narayana Guru, well known scholar Muni

Narayana Prasad opined that the message of Sreenarayana guru and Gita

are inter-related. The essence and the base of both are the same.

Though the religions differ in many ways, all of them instruct to

cope with the nature and lead a peaceful and meaningful life.

Avoiding sheer stubbornness on different principles and

establishments will help one to know the essence of all religions, he

added. On the closing ceremony of the seminar, Dr Murli Manohar

Joshi, the Minister for Human Resources and Development opined that

the Gita which is accepted by all except the Marxists is the way to

face the conflicts of the modern life and it is read throughout the

world for the last five thousand years.

 

But Communist Manifesto which was published only 150 years ago is not

read even in China or Russia. What Gita puts forward is an

intellectual and spiritual aspect of practical life. Spiritual

society does not mean a religion-based society. We are all Arjunas in

the Kurukshetra war of life. The inspiration from Gita to work,

forgetting lethargy is inevitable. Like the people, the countries are

also facing an age of conflicts. The disparity between the have's and

have-nots' is increasing day by day. The poverty in all countries can

be alleviated by the wealth of the first seven richest ones in the

world but it remains something impossible. The Gita preaches to share

everything without exploiting. This is the real state of living with

the nature.

 

Everyone's welfare is also assured through this. Without considering

the religion the Gita addresses everyone, said Shri Murli Manohar

Joshi. Dr K. Madhavankutty, President of Bharatheeya Vichar Kendra

presided over the function. Swami Bodhananda Saraswathi, Swami

Amruthageethananda Puri, Shri P. Gopinathan Nair, president,

Sevagram, Shri Krishna Sastri, organising secretary, Sanskrit

Bharati, Shri K.R. Nambiar and K. Sivaprasad spoke on the different

aspects of the Gita. The Seminar demanded the Central Government that

the Gita should be declared as the Holy book of the nation. And it

was mentioned in the seminar that the Bhagavad Gita was presented to

the Pope when Shri Nayanar, the Chief Minister of the CPM-led

government in Kerala visited Vatican. This very incident should

suffice to illustrate how the Gita influences even its opponents.