The glories of Bhagavad Gita

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hare Krishna

 

 

If you open up your heart

You will know what I mean

We have been polluted so long

But here's a way for all of us to get clean

 

By chanting the names of the Lord and reading Bhagavad gita you

will be free

 

The Lord is awaiting on all of us to awaken and see

 

 

 

The Glories of Bhagavad-gita from Gita-Mahatmya of Padma Purana

 

 

 

This Bhagavad-gita is the destroyer of all sins. And that

intelligent man who daily recites one chapter or even one sloka, one

half sloka, or at least one quarter sloka, will attain the same

position as Susharma had attained. "

 

Lakshmi inquired, " Who was Susharma? What class did he belong

to? And what destination did he attain? "

Lord Vishnu said, " My dear Lakshmi, Susharma was a very wicked

and a most sinful man. Although he was born in a brahmana family,

his family had no Vedic knowledge. And he only took pleasure from

hurting others. He never engaged in the chanting of, My names, in

giving charity, or receiving guests. In fact, he never performed any

pious activities. For his livelihood he collected leaves, and sold

them in the bazaar. He especially enjoyed drinking wine, and eating

flesh. In this way he passed his life.

 

" One day that foolish Susharma had gone to the garden of one

sage for collecting leaves, when a snake came and bit him, and he

died. After his death he was cast into many hells, where he suffered

for a long time. After which he attained the body of a bull. That

bull was purchased by a crippled man, who engaged him in his

service. For about seven or eight years he was carrying extremely

heavy loads. One day that crippled man had piled a very heavy load

onto the back of his bull. Very quickly he was forcing that bull

along when suddenly the bull fell over and became unconscious. Many

persons gathered there, to see what was happening, feeling sorry for

that bull. One pious man bestowed upon that bull the results of some

of his pious activities. Seeing that, other persons standing there

started remembering their pious activities, and offered the results

of some of those activities to that bull. In that crowd there was

also one prostitute who did not know if she had ever performed any

pious activities, but seeing everyone else offering their pious

credits to that bull, she also offered the results of any pious

activities she might have performed After that, the bull died, and

was taken to the abode of Yamaraja, the God of Death.

 

There, Yamaraja informed him, " You are now free from the

reactions of all your previous sinful deeds, due to the pious

credits given to you by that prostitute. " Then he took birth in a

very high brahmana family. In that birth, he was able to remember

his past lives. After many days, he decided to search out that

prostitute, who had been the cause of freeing him from his hellish

situation.

 

After he had found and introduced himself to that lady he

inquired from her - " What were the pious activities performed by

you, the fruits of which freed me from my hellish situation? "

The prostitute replied to him, " My dear sir, in that cage is

one parrot, which recites something everyday. Hearing that

recitation, my heart has become completely pure. The results of

hearing that recitation I had given to you. " Thereafter they both

inquired from that parrot about that recitation.

 

 

That parrot, remembering his previous life, started to narrate his

history. He said, previously, I had been a learned brahmana, but due

to my pride, I used to insult other learned persons. I was also

extremely jealous. I died, I was cast into many hells, and after a

long time of suffering, I achieved this body of a parrot. Due to my

past sinful activities, my mother and father died while I was a

baby. One day, while I was lying on the hot sands with no protection

some rishis saw me, and took me to their ashram, and put me in a

cage. At that place, the children of the rishis were learning the

recitation of the first chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad- gita.

Hearing them repeat the slokas, I also started repeating those

slokas along with them. Shortly after, a thief stole me from there

and sold me to this pious lady " .

 

Lord Vishnu continued : By reciting the first chapter of the

Bhagavad – gita, the parrot became completely pure. And by hearing

the recitation, the prostitute also became completely pure. And by

receiving some of the pious results of hearing the recitation,

Susharma also became completely pure.

 

After discussing for some time the glories of the first chapter of

the Bhagavat –gita, Susharma returned to his home, and the three of

them individually engaged in reciting the first chapter of the

Srimad Bhagavad –gita and quickly attained the supreme destination,

Vaikuntha.

 

Anyone who recites, hears or studies Bhagavat – gita will very

easily cross over the ocean of material miseries and attain the

service of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.

 

 

 

 

 

Hare Krishna

 

 

Padma