Bhagavad Gita and Management

November 23, 2005

Article by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner , to

The Govt. of Kerala. Humble request that it may be published in your

website and magazine after editing if necessary.

[http://www.srikumar.com/images/others/Bhattathiri.jpg]

Bhagavad Gita and management

Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, O Krishna, it is more

difficult to control the mind than to control the wind ~ Arjuna to

Sri Krishna

Introduction

The ancient Hindu philosophy of keepiing mind and body for the well

being, has entered the managerial, medical and judicial domain of the

world. Today it has found its place as an alternative to the theory

of modern management and also as a means to bring back the right path

of peace and prosperity for the human beings. One of the greatest

contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered

to be one of the first revelations from God. The Bhagavad-Gita is

the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical

life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of

man to the highest possible level." , reveals the deep, universal

truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone.

Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he

has to fight.( Mental health has become a major international public

health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad Gita is preached in

the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as a

counseling to do his duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting .

It has got all the management tactics to achieve the mental

equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita

can be experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation.

Bhagavad gita means song of the Spirit, song of the Lord. The Holy

Gita has become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of one's

life. In the days of doubt this divine book will support all

spiritual search.This divine book will contribute to self

reflection, finer feeling and deepen one's inner process. Then life

in the world can become a real education—dynamic, full and joyful—no

matter what the circumstance. May the wisdom of loving consciousness

ever guide us on our journey. What makes the Holy Gita a practical

psychology of transformation is that it offers us the tools to

connect with our deepest intangible essence and we must learn to

participate in the battle of life with right knowledge.

The Holy Gita is the essence of the Vedas, Upanishads. It is a

universal scripture applicable to people of all temperaments and for

all times. It is a book with sublime thoughts and practical

instructions on Yoga, Devotion, Vedanta and Action. It is profound

in thought and sublime in heights of vision. It brings peace and

solace to souls that are afflicted by the three fires of mortal

existence, namely, afflictions caused by one's own body (disease

etc), those caused by beings around one (e.g. wild animals, snakes

etc.), and those caused by the gods (natural disasters, earth-quakes,

floods etc).

Mind can be one's friend or enemy. Mind is the cause for both bondage

and liberation. The word mind is derived from man to think and the

word man derived from manu (sanskrit word for man).

"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is

directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on

a machine, made of the material energy."

There is no theory to be internalized and applied in this psychology.

Ancient practices spontaneously induce what each person needs as the

individual and the universal coincide. The work proceeds through

intellectual knowledge of the playing field(jnana yoga), emotional

devotion to the ideal(bhakti yoga) and right action that includes

both feeling and knowledge(karma yoga). With ongoing purification we

approach wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and

every human individual to help him or her to solve the vexing problem

of overcoming the present and progressing towards a bright future.

Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is the

experience of everyone in this world, the drama of the ascent of man

from a state of utter dejection, sorrow and total breakdown and

hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity, renewed

strength and triumph.

Introduction

Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at

home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all

organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common

purpose, management principles come into play through the management

of resources, finance and planning, priorities, policies and

practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities

in any field of human effort.

Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make

their weaknesses irrelevant, says the Management Guru Peter Drucker.

It creates harmony in working together - equilibrium in thoughts and

actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and

markets. It resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical,

technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the

minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management

causes disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even

depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible

way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most

important and essential factor for a successful management.

Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita

There is an important distinction between effectiveness and

efficiency in managing.

· Effectiveness is doing the right things.

· Efficiency is doing things right.

The general principles of effective management can be applied in

every field, the differences being more in application than in

principle. The Manager's functions can be summed up as:

· Forming a vision

· Planning the strategy to realise the vision.

· Cultivating the art of leadership.

· Establishing institutional excellence.

· Building an innovative organisation.

· Developing human resources.

· Building teams and teamwork.

· Delegation, motivation, and communication.

· Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when

called for.

Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them

committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social benefit -

in search of excellence.

The critical question in all managers' minds is how to be effective

in their job. The answer to this fundamental question is found in the

Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that "you must try to

manage yourself." The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level

of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in

the crowd.

Old truths in a new context

The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on

all managerial techniques leading us towards a harmonious and

blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions, poor

productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of

Indian enterprises today – and probably in enterprises in many other

countries.

The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership,

motivation, excellence in work, achieving goals, giving work meaning,

decision making and planning, are all discussed in the Bhagavad Gita.

There is one major difference. While Western management thought too

often deals with problems at material, external and peripheral

levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues from the grass roots

level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved,

it will automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their

results.

The management philosophy emanating from the West, is based on the

lure of materialism and on a perennial thirst for profit,

irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that

goal. This phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the

West and so 'management by materialism' has caught the fancy of all

the countries the world over, India being no exception to this trend.

My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas

mainly because of its centuries old indoctrination by colonial

rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything Western is

good and anything Indian is inferior.

The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building

temples of modem management education, no perceptible changes are

visible in the improvement of the general quality of life - although

the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles

in almost all sectors of the economy, criminalisation of

institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen

deep in the body politic.

The source of the problem

The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not far to seek. The

Western idea of management centres on making the worker (and the

manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies offer workers

more to work more, produce more, sell more and to stick to the

organisation without looking for alternatives. The sole aim of

extracting better and more work from the worker is to improve the

bottom-line of the enterprise. The worker has become a hireable

commodity, which can be used, replaced and discarded at will.

Thus, workers have been reduced to the state of a mercantile product.

In such a state, it should come as no surprise to us that workers

start using strikes (gheraos) sit-ins, (dharnas) go-slows, work-to-

rule etc. to get maximum benefit for themselves from the

organisations. Society-at-large is damaged. Thus we reach a situation

in which management and workers become separate and contradictory

entities with conflicting interests. There is no common goal or

understanding. This, predictably, leads to suspicion, friction,

disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at cross

purposes. The absence of human values and erosion of human touch in

the organisational structure has resulted in a crisis of confidence.

Western management philosophy may have created prosperity – for some

people some of the time at least - but it has failed in the aim of

ensuring betterment of individual life and social welfare. It has

remained by and large a soulless edifice and an oasis of plenty for a

few in the midst of poor quality of life for many.

Hence, there is an urgent need to re-examine prevailing management

disciplines - their objectives, scope and content. Management should

be redefined to underline the development of the worker as a person,

as a human being, and not as a mere wage-earner. With this changed

perspective, management can become an instrument in the process of

social, and indeed national, development.

Now let us re-examine some of the modern management concepts in the

light of the Bhagavad Gita which is a primer of management-by-values.

Utilisation of available resources

The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and

utilise scarce resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before

the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna's large army for

his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support.

This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective

manager - the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.

Work commitment

A popular verse of the Gita advises "detachment" from the fruits or

results of actions performed in the course of one's duty. Being

dedicated work has to mean "working for the sake of work, generating

excellence for its own sake." If we are always calculating the date

of promotion or the rate of commission before putting in our efforts,

then such work is not detached. It is not "generating excellence for

its own sake" but working only for the extrinsic reward that may (or

may not) result.

Working only with an eye to the anticipated benefits, means that the

quality of performance of the current job or duty suffers - through

mental agitation of anxiety for the future. In fact, the way the

world works means that events do not always respond positively to our

calculations and hence expected fruits may not always be forthcoming.

So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage present commitment to an

uncertain future.

Some people might argue that not seeking the business result of work

and actions, makes one unaccountable. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita is

full of advice on the theory of cause and effect, making the doer

responsible for the consequences of his deeds. While advising

detachment from the avarice of selfish gains in discharging one's

accepted duty, the Gita does not absolve anybody of the consequences

arising from discharge of his or her responsibilities.

Thus the best means of effective performance management is the work

itself. Attaining this state of mind (called "nishkama karma") is the

right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind, from

dissipation of attention through speculation on future gains or

losses.

Motivation – self and self-transcendence

It has been presumed for many years that satisfying lower order needs

of workers - adequate food, clothing and shelter, etc. are key

factors in motivation. However, it is a common experience that the

dissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is identical - only

their scales and composition vary. It should be true that once the

lower-order needs are more than satisfied, the Director should have

little problem in optimising his contribution to the organisation and

society. But more often than not, it does not happen like that. ("The

eagle soars high but keeps its eyes firmly fixed on the dead animal

below.") On the contrary, a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a self-

employed artisan, may well demonstrate higher levels of self-

actualisation despite poorer satisfaction of their lower-order needs.

This situation is explained by the theory of self-transcendence

propounded in the Gita. Self-transcendence involves renouncing

egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasising team work,

dignity, co-operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially

sacrificing lower needs for higher goals, the opposite of Maslow.

"Work must be done with detachment." It is the ego that spoils work

and the ego is the centrepiece of most theories of motivation. We

need not merely a theory of motivation but a theory of inspiration.

The Great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941, known

as "Gurudev") says working for love is freedom in action. A concept

which is described as "disinterested work" in the Gita where Sri

Krishna says,

"He who shares the wealth generated only after serving the people,

through work done as a sacrifice for them, is freed from all sins. On

the contrary those who earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins that

lead to frustration and failure."

Disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and

equipoise. The former two are psychological while the third is

determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic (usually taken

to mean "materialistic") pulls of daily experiences. Detached

involvement in work is the key to mental equanimity or the state

of "nirdwanda." This attitude leads to a stage where the worker

begins to feel the presence of the Supreme Intelligence guiding the

embodied individual intelligence. Such de-personified intelligence is

best suited for those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of

organisational goals as compared to narrow personal success and

achievement.

Work culture

An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in

pursuit of given or chosen tasks. Sri Krishna elaborates on two types

of work culture – "daivi sampat" or divine work culture and "asuri

sampat" or demonic work culture.

· Daivi work culture - involves fearlessness, purity, self-

control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness,

absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty,

absence of envy and pride.

· Asuri work culture - involves egoism, delusion, personal

desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service.

Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an

excellent work ethic. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by

ethics in work.

It is in this light that the counsel, "yogah karmasu kausalam" should

be understood. "Kausalam" means skill or technique of work which is

an indispensable component of a work ethic. "Yogah" is defined in the

Gita itself as "samatvam yogah uchyate" meaning an unchanging

equipoise of mind (detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an

equable mind is Yoga.

(Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1856-1920, the precursor of Gandhiji, hailed by

the people of India as "Lokmanya," probably the most learned among

the country's political leaders. For a description of the meanings of

the word "Yoga", see foot of this page.)

By making the equable mind the bed-rock of all actions, the Gita

evolved the goal of unification of work ethic with ethics in work,

for without ethical process no mind can attain an equipoise. The

guru, Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD), says that the skill necessary

in the performance of one's duty is that of maintaining an evenness

of mind in face of success and failure. The calm mind in the face of

failure will lead to deeper introspection and see clearly where the

process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken to avoid

shortcomings in future.

The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the

work done is the Gita's prescription for attaining equanimity. It has

been held that this principle leads to lack of incentive for effort,

striking at the very root of work ethic. To the contrary,

concentration on the task for its own sake leads to the achievement

of excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the

worker. Thus, while commonplace theories of motivation may be said to

lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita's principle

leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral,

satisfaction.

Work results

The Gita further explains the theory of "detachment" from the

extrinsic rewards of work in saying:

· If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire

credit should not be appropriated by the doer alone.

· If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the

entire blame does not accrue to the doer.

The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter

prevents excessive despondency, de-motivation and self-pity. Thus

both these dispositions safeguard the doer against psychological

vulnerability, the cause of the modem managers' companions of

diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers.

Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum

of "lokasamgraha" (general welfare) but there is also another

dimension to the work ethic - if the "karmayoga" (service) is blended

with "bhaktiyoga" (devotion), then the work itself becomes worship,

a "sevayoga" (service for its own sake.)

Along with bhakti yoga as a means of liberation, the Gita espouses

the doctrine of nishkamya karma or pure action untainted by hankering

after the fruits resulting from that action. Modern scientists have

now understood the intuitive wisdom of that action in a new light.

Scientists at the US National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda,

found that laboratory monkeys that started out as procrastinators,

became efficient workers after they received brain injections that

suppressed a gene linked to their ability to anticipate a reward.The

scientists reported that the work ethic of rhesus macaques wasn't all

that different from that of many people: "If the reward is not

immediate, you procrastinate", Dr Richmond told LA Times.

(This may sound a peculiarly religious idea but it has a wider

application. It could be taken to mean doing something because it is

worthwhile, to serve others, to make the world a better place – ed.)

Manager's mental health

Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity - more so

management. Sound mental health is that state of mind which can

maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in the

midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence.

Internal constancy and peace are the pre-requisites for a healthy

stress-free mind.

Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:

· Greed - for power, position, prestige and money.

· Envy - regarding others' achievements, success, rewards.

· Egotism - about one's own accomplishments.

· Suspicion, anger and frustration.

· Anguish through comparisons.

The driving forces in today's businesses are speed and competition.

There is a distinct danger that these forces cause erosion of the

moral fibre, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral

means - tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings,

being "economical with the truth", deliberate oversight in the audit,

too-clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be

called as "yayati syndrome".

In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of

Yayati who, in order to revel in the endless enjoyment of flesh

exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for

a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments

ultimately unsatisfying and came back to his son pleading him to take

back his youth. This "yayati syndrome" shows the conflict between

externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner

value and conscience (intrinsic motivation.)

Management needs those who practise what they preach

"Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the commoners follow," says

Sri Krishna in the Gita. The visionary leader must be a missionary,

extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable of translating

dreams into reality. This dynamism and strength of a true leader

flows from an inspired and spontaneous motivation to help others. "I

am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and

attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are

not opposed to righteousness," says Sri Krishna in the 10th Chapter

of the Gita.

In conclusion

The despondency of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is

typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer power of his inspiring words,

changes Arjuna's mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous

action, from the state of what the French philosophers call "anomie"

or even alienation, to a state of self-confidence in the ultimate

victory of "dharma" (ethical action.)

When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri

Krishna reminded him of the purpose of his new-found spirit of

intense action - not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own

greed and desire, but for the good of many, with faith in the

ultimate victory of ethics over unethical actions and of truth over

untruth.

Sri Krishna's advice with regard to temporary failures is, "No doer

of good ever ends in misery." Every action should produce results.

Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but evil.

Therefore, always act well and be rewarded.

My purport is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of

efficiency, dynamism and striving for excellence but to tune these

ideals to India's holistic attitude of "lokasangraha" - for the

welfare of many, for the good of many. There is indeed a moral

dimension to business life. What we do in business is no different,

in this regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not

justify the ends. Pursuit of results for their own sake, is

ultimately self-defeating. ("Profit," said Matsushita-san in another

tradition, "is the reward of correct behaviour." – ed.)

A note on the word "yoga".

Yoga has two different meanings - a general meaning and a technical

meaning. The general meaning is the joining together or union of any

two or more things. The technical meaning is "a state of stability

and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state." The

Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings.

M.P.Bhattathiri.

Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita.

"No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is

better loved, in the West, than the Bhagavad-gita. Translation of

such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward

sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry. For the poem is a

symphony in which God is seen in all things. . . . The Swami does a

real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic with

fresh meaning. Whatever our outlook may be, we should all be grateful

for the labor that has lead to this illuminating work."

Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy

University of Southern California

"The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great

religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the

world. The present translation and commentary is another

manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita."

Thomas Merton, Theologian

"I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's

scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gita. It is a most

valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great

utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. I promptly

recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully done

book."

Dr. Samuel D. Atkins Professor of Sanskrit, Princeton University

"As a successor in direct line from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad-

gita As It Is is entitled, according to Indian custom, to the

majestic title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada. The great interest that his reading of the Bhagavad-gita

holds for us is that it offers us an authorized interpretation

according to the principles of the Caitanya tradition."

Olivier Lacombe Professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Sorbonne

University, Paris

"I have had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by

the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and have found them to be of excellent

quality and of great value for use in college classes on Indian

religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and

translation of the Bhagavad-gita."

Dr. Frederick B. Underwood Professor of Religion, Columbia University

"If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there

must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, since those

who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in

the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people."

Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor of Sociology State University of New

York, Buffalo

"There is little question that this edition is one of the best books

available on the Gita and devotion. Prabhupada's translation is an

ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight."

Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall

College

"The Bhagavad-gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a

common part of our cultural milieu. This is probably less because it

is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of close

interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here

provided, a commentary written from not only a scholar's but a

practitioner's, a dedicated lifelong devotee's point of view."

Denise Levertov, Poet

"The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical

Vedic thought have been done a service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By

bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known

to many, he has increased our understanding manyfold."

Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr. Department of South Asian Languages and

Civilization University of Chicago

"The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada. Although Bhagavad-gita has been translated many times,

Prabhupada adds a translation of singular importance with his

commentary."

Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor of the History of Religions and of Libraries Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley,

California

"Srila Prabhupada's edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France,

where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought,

beyond the commercial East-West hodgepodge that has arisen since the

time Europeans first penetrated India.

"Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or not, a

reading of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is will be extremely profitable.

For many this will be the first contact with the true India, the

ancient India, the eternal India."

Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences Institute of

Political Studies, Paris, France

"It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but

large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in

another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same

questions which exercise us"

Emerson's reaction to the Gita

"As a native of India now living in the West, it has given me much

grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in

the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very

excited to see the publication of Bhagavad-gita As It Is by Sri A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will help to stop the terrible

cheating of false and unauthorized 'gurus' and 'yogis' and will give

an opportunity to all people to understand the actual meaning of

Oriental culture."

Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director of Indian Studies Center for Oriental

Studies, The University of Mexico

"The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive one, of the

summaries and systematic spiritual statements

of the perennial philosophy ever to have been done"

________Aldous Huxley

"It is a deeply felt, powerfully conceived and beautifully explained

work. I don't know whether to praise more this translation of the

Bhagavad-gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless

fertility of its ideas. I have never seen any other work on the Gita

with such an important voice and style. . . . It will occupy a

significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man

for a long time to come."

Dr. Shaligram Shukla Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University

"I can say that in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is I have found

explanations and answers to questions I had always posed regarding

the interpretations of this sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I

greatly admire. If the aesceticism and ideal of the apostles which

form the message of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is were more widespread

and more respected, the world in which we live would be transformed

into a better, more fraternal place."

Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of

Paris

"When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this

universe everything else seems so superfluous."

Albert Einstein

"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and

I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-gita and

find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the

midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will

derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."

Mahatma Gandhi

"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal

philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern

world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Henry David Thoreau

"The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind

by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions."

Dr. Albert Schweitzer

"The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living

creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a

new meaning for every civilization."

Sri Aurobindo

"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been

current in by gone ages. The link with Vedic conceptions is provided

by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are not an

earthly but a heavenly plant.' This correlation can be discerned by

what Krishna expresses in chapter 15 of Bhagavad-Gita."

Carl Jung

"The Bhagavad-Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of

human existence. It is a call of action to meet the obligations and

duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander

purpose of the universe."

Prime Minister Nehru

"The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of

life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."

Herman Hesse

"I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-gita. It was the first of

books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy,

but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which

in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same

questions which exercise us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with

full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it."

Rudolph Steiner

"From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human

existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest

quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures."

Adi Shankara

"The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual

evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear

and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed;

hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of

humanity."

Aldous Huxley

"The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science

of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual knowledge.

The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and

incarnating is relieve the world of any demoniac and negative,

undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development, yet

simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually

within reach of all humanity."

Ramanuja

The Bhagavad-Gita is not seperate from the Vaishnava philosophy and

the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this doctrine

which is transmigation of the soul. On perusal of the first chapter

of Bhagavad-Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in

warfare. When the second chapter has been read it can be clearly

understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be

attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of

righteousness are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently

take the time to complete the Bhagavad-Gita and try to ascertain the

truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion

is to relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we

possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati

"The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to

evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad-Gita is

the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk

and pollen is the essence of flowers."

Madhvacarya

Yoga has two different meanings - a general meaning and a technical

meaning. The general meaning is the joining together or union of any

two or more things. The technical meaning is "a state of stability

and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state." The

Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings. Lord Krishna is real

Yogi who can maintain a peaceful mind in the midst of any crisis."

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.

Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but three paths to this end. And common

to all the three is renunciation. Renounce the desires, even of going

to heaven, for every desire related with body and mind creates

bondage. Our focus of action is neither to save the humanity nor to

engage in social reforms, not to seek personal gains, but to realize

the indwelling Self itself.

Swami Vivekananda (England, London; 1895-96 )

"Science describes the structures and processess; philosophy attempts

at their explaination.-----

When such a perfect combination of both science and philosophy is

sung to perfection that Krishna was,

we have in this piece of work an appeal both to the head annd

heart. " ____________Swamy Chinmayanand on Gita

I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be

known!' For such a person knowledge and ignorance has only one

meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If not, you

are ignorant.As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of

Self, observing everywhere the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all

this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is contrary to

this is ignorance."

Sri Ramakrishna .

Maharishi calls the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and

a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is needed

to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."

Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to

the needs and aspirations of everyone.

Maharshi Mahesh Yogi

The Gita was preached as a preparatory lesson for living worldly life

with an eye to Release, Nirvana. My last prayer to everyone,

therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this

ancient science of worldly life as early as possible in one's

life.

--- Lokmanya Tilak

I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no

book so full of true knowledge, and yet so handy. It teaches self-

control, austerity, non-violence, compassion, obedience to the call

of duty for the sake of duty, and putting up a fight against

unrighteousness (Adharma). To my knowledge, there is no book in the

whole range of the world's literature so high above as the Bhagavad-

Gita, which is the treasure-house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus

but foe all mankind.

--- M. M. Malaviya

bhattathiry

ref. bbt.org, kamakoti.org, amritapuri.org, mahrshi.com,

sai.org,chinmaya.org,

vivekanada.org,neovedanta/gospel.com,spirituality.indiatimes.com

December 24, 2006

Thanks for the welcome

Christmas Day falls on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, which corresponds to December 25 on the Julian calendar. December 25 as a birthdate for Jesus is merely traditional, and is not thought to be his actual date of birth.Good luck!