Guest guest Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Shree Hari Ram Ram Dear Sadhaks, We are revisiting some older postings due to Gita Jayanti Week..... Please add as appropriate. Thank you, Gita Talk Moderators, Ram Ram ======================================= Is Gita for Humanity at large or Hindus only? Is it for any caste within Hindus?It must depend on what is mentioned in it. I'm asking this question because Iknow very little about the Gita. There are some spiritual books and practiceswhich are limited to a particular caste within a religion or require conversion,therefore I am seeking clarification with this question. Sri Ram Balu ----- Dear Gita scholaras, No where in Bhagwat Gita has the word "Hindu" occured. No where have the word "Dharma" meaning RELIGION come up, though the words Karma & Dharma have been used with about 30 or so different meanings in the Bhagwad gita . the advice is meant for the humanity. There were no religions, so to say, at that time when the Gita was narrated. No where has Lord said specifically,"Do this..." He has only shown the way. He has time & again said " Use your intellect and decide. "It is for us to follow the teachings and benefit from them. Good luck good reading...Ram Ram ; Suhas Gogate ----------------------------- Namaste: Gita is teaching us what our true identity is, what this world we live in is, and what God is experiencially. Then It teaches us how to get there. In Gita , Lord Krishna need not be considered historical figure, even though he was. He is Pure Consciousness which we all share or rather are! An individual thinks in ignorance that his/her identity is body just by thinking and believing it to be true. These beliefs in turn become Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Indians, Chinees, Europeans etc etc. Thses condition/limits us and result into suffering as we know well. So to be happy we need to be free from false identifications regardless of our castes, religions, nationalities, and other such identities. This is Gita's teaching in summary. Therefore it is for all mankind, those of us who want to be happy, peaceful, loving human beings. Since it is not restricted to Hindus, it cannot be restricted to any castes. One suggestion: Gita can be best understood in its true spirit by such well versed/realized teachers as Swami Ramsukhdasji or others rather than reading only which is the next best thing. Pratap Bhatt --------- Ram Ram,THE LORD KRISHNA(NARAYAN), has propounded the teachings of Geeta for the well-being of mankind and mankind only. Sri Arjun is the prime audience who is a Human (NAR). The speeches of Shri Geeta were given not in a Temple or Place of Worship but at the Battle Ground of Kurukshetra (our Karma Bhoomi - place of work and action). The Time chosen for this teaching by the LORD is at the beginning of KALIYUG with the Battle of MAHABHARATA (the difficulties of this vast world) set in the back ground. So the Place ,Time and Object (Desh, Kaal, Patra) all are unrelated to any particular religion, caste or creed. Let us also look at some verses from Shri Geeta. Ch15V7 - The LORD says - All the life (human, animals, plants and so on) in this world are only MY Eternal Very Own Part (ansha). He does not say All Hindu or All Brahmins of India or Delhi but He says ....Jeeva Lokay Jeeva Bhutah, which means All Life in this WORLD.Sarva-bhoot-hitay-rata (Ch5v25 & Ch 12v4), Sarva-yonisu (ch14v4), Sarva-Dehinam (Ch14v8), sarva-bhoota-atma-bhoota-atmaa (Ch5v7), Sarva-Lok-Maheswaram(Ch5v29), Suhridam-Sarva Bhootanam (Ch5,29) and so on. The LORD, by repeatedly using the word "SARVA", has a very broad vision (vyapak) not limited to country, caste, creed or religion. Shri Geeta is for anyone and every one who want to attain the prime objective of birth (coming into this world).With very kind regards,Sushil Jalan----------- In Chapter 4, v-1 Lord describes that this knowledge has been inexistent for long time. At that time there were no religions orcastes. This knowledge got lost with time and HE imparted thisknowledge again to humanity via Arjuna.In Chapter 9, v-32 Lord assures members of Vashya and Shudra caste aswell as women and any one else who may think that they are noteligible to recieve Gitaji's teachings, He says, as long as theysurrender to HIM they will attain him just like Brahmins,the Pureones and Rajrishis etc (Ch9, v-33).Lord also describes who is not to be told about Gitaji. Ch 18, v 67describes the type of person who is not an ADHIKARI of being toldabout the knowledge in Gitaji.Several verses throughout Gita describe the qualifications of adevotee. Too many verses to enumerate. Basic message from all thsoeverses is that if you offer all your actions and thoughts to me thanyou are my true bhakta. Nowhere does HE say this knowledge is onlyfor Hindus. HE always uses the terms Manushyanam, Jiwanam,Sarvabhutanam etc. Many people around the world from all differentreligions and countries have approached Gitaji with Shraddha and havebenefitted from It's teachings.Humbly submittedJag Aggarwal- Hello mr.Sri, This is my understanding of Gita. Gita is for anyone and everyone. It encompasses everything and so not restricted to a particular religion. WHen Lord Krishna talks to Arjuna, it says..'Bhagavan uvacha'..that is..He is talking as SUPREME being and not just as a cowboy or Vrindavan's Krishna. Sometimes, a person from the religion(other than hindu also) may be practising the things said/mentioned in Gita..but in Hinduism, we call in Gita with our understanding of God in the personal physical form and it is Lord Krishna here. God when we say..the SUPREME being is not limited to language,caste,religion at all. Gita gives the idea of the nature of human mind and how to quieten it to get the bliss/happiness we humans are looking for. It shows us the path to handle the situation with equipoised mind irrespective of what comes our way. (At one time or the other..we begin to thing why this or that is happening..) and so, sometimes we feel that things are not in our control and we tend to brood over them or getting depressed. But the person who is equipoised (or in yoga as per Gita), enjoys everything that comes his/her way. Afterall, in the ordinary sense, enjoying the present moment is what is important as past and future are out of scope with respect to present moment. Gita gives us reminders/understanding the nature of human mind and the way human intellect works. Also, u may have heard 'renounce' work many times in Gita too..(many people if they do not understand the word 'renounce' properly, they may think...its not for youngsters but only elderly..) but what I feel is..'renounce' word can be interpreted in any different way. In Karma Yoga (chapter 3), Lord says..Renounce the fruits of actions (so that out mind is relaxed and not worried about future). In chapter 4, twelve ways are described for renouncing..(like some renounce sense actions, some other sense organs, some others wealth, some others - by regulated breathing techniques, some others by regulating inputs etc etc..). Have a nice wonderful day Regards. Bharathi ---------- Gita is for everyone. It is not for Hindus or Brahmins only. Do not worry about caste, creed, gender or any thing else. If you look at ISKCON popularly known as Hare Krishna movement you will see followers from all walks of life, different nationality, color, gender etc. Srimad Bhagvat Gita (song of God) is for everyone. So please start reading instead of wasting valuable time in irrelevant questions. (If you believe it is for particular caste or religion then also you are not going to loose any thing) Gita is a manual for human beings. If you understand and progress to surrendering to Krishna (bhakti) then you will guide rest of humanity about sweetness of Gita. My intentions are not telling you any thing about Gita but to remove the obstacles you are facing to start reading Gita. Already you wasted time, do not waste anymore. Hope this helps. GOvind Madhav Das-- Priya Bandhujan and Bhaginya Saadar PranaamRaam RaamI am giving the views on Gita based on my views and my foul mind's understanding of the holy scriptures. Hope you will forgive and bless and grace me for my mistakes.Gita is not only for Hindus or any caste within Hindus,its for the entire Humanity,even thats the matter of Reading and/or Purpose.Consider Holy Vedas, only Dvijya can read the Holy Vedas no one else,But Vedas are for the sake of entire Shrishti. But Gita is a part of Mahabharatha which is one of the ITIHASA, (there are two ITIHASAS,one is Valmiki Ramayan and other is Mahabharatha.)Entire humanity has got the right to read the ITIHASAS according to Holy SMRITIES.So no matter who you are,which religion you follow you can read The Holy Gita and attain the God by adopting the way described in Gita.Seeking forgiveness for my mistakes.Your DasRajanRam Ram-I too beleive that dear sir, that the Bhagwat-gita is for everybody.......in fact i believe that everybody should be allowed to approach god....regards,kanishk --Ram Baluji,This is very popular opinion that Gita is for anyone and everyone and is not restricted to any religion. It feels nice, but the reality is that Gita is a text of Sanatana Dharma and useful for followers of Sanatana Dharma. The principles laid in the Gita do not belong to a Christian or Jew person. One of the founding thought of Gita is reincarnation which no Abrahimic religions believe in. Another is therory of Karma and Dharma, which are unknown to many other religions. At the most one can say that Gita is a book for Dharmic religions. You see now you can say Oh! other religions do not know that but it belongs to them too. That is a same argument made by other religions that Hindus just do not know but Jesus is the God and only through him the salvation. Now does Gita have verses which are compatible with other relgions and thus apply to followers of other religions? Sure. But then there are many things in the Bible, Quran, Torah which apply to Hindus too. Regards, Sudhir Kalra --Jai Shri Krishna1st of all I would like to say Jai Shri Krishna In hindu DHARMA there is no special place for any one. Any one can read any holy book. It is not limited to Pandits and Brahmins. Arun AgarwalJai Shri Krishna -------- Dear Sir, I am not a pundit (all-knowng) in Gita but I can say with conviction that it is meant for any and everybody. There is no restriction of any kind. I think that there is no religious text which sets a pre-condition to read it. For knowledge one only needs to be a seeker and nothing else. I have not found at any place in the text a pre-condition to a person for reading Gita. I appreciate your concern and sensitivity. Thanks and regards, A SeekerAnil Anand Pathak --- Sri Ram: I don't know which reading you follow, but Gita is Universal - Eternal. It is not limited to Hindus or limited to any caste within Hindu. It is for the entire humankind....Any scriptures written in a language not commonly understable by people require translation, for example Vedas, Gita, Upnishads, smruti shruti, etc. are written in sanscrit, not a commonly understood language. Ashok Shukla -------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Shree Hari Ram Ram Dear Sadhaks, We are revisiting some older postings due to Gita Jayanti week..... Please add as appropriate. Thank you, Gita Talk Moderators, Ram Ram ======================================= NEW POSTING Hari OmGita is the only Scripture perhaps which does not distinguish between caste, creed, colour, country etc and is universally applicable to all JEEVAS (humans) of the earth. There is no insistence in Gita of any particular 'ism' or 'sect' ! Gita is meant for every human being. If you are a human being, Gita is for you- irrespective of how, where, what you are ! Jai Shree KrishnaVyas N B '-------------------------------- Shree Hari Ram Ram In Gita there is no mention of the word Hindu or Hindu Dharma . IF there were any topics related to any sect or race then it could be said that Gita is for "so and so" and not for all beings. Gita is for all of mankind. The word "Dharma" means "Duty" that is applicable to all, but mistakenly majority just call it "dharma". So be it, Vineet Sarvottam ---- Dear Sadaks,It is to be expressed as Bagavath Geetha instead of short form Geetha while trying to know essence of it. Bible, Quran, Buddhism, Jainism are all for welfare of Humans at Large not for particular caste or creed. In these scripts most matters are common. Bible: Love they neighbor as they self. Quran: treat everyone alike, even to beggar do not give old things. Buddhism: Love all living as you would love yourself. Jainism: Be kind even to yourself first and more kind to others. In Bagavath Geetha all these are said with very high clarity. Now one may ask, why Bagavan Krishna wanted to wage war, killing so many? But in Bible it is not so. There also in chirstian testaments, it is said of savior punishment of Judgment day- Chirst cursing a tree to go on flames that not yielded fruits. Cursing tree that too. HE was right. Buddha also cursed a bad king and looked with disgust on Devadhata (His brother in law).Like this, one can find similarity on truth, robbery, murder etc. But in Bagavath Geetha, Bagavan actually compressed all 108 unpanashids. Just look at it like this: The people in India in those old days were mainly Hindus. These people had climatic, chemical composition of earth, environment Etc conducive to do meditation. Few among them obtained enormous celestial powers to travel in the whole universe and beyond, know the past, good and evil, past-present-future. Nowadays, one can see Sri Sathiya Sai Baba gives gold ornaments by just waving his hand. Imagine those days, the saints then were million times powerful. One thing- we can NOWHERE read in any script that the script is for certain religion. In Hinduism, one can get excellent clarity on doubts. In Bible: Show the other cheek when slapped. In Hinduism: In upanashid: The one who slaps gets the sins transferred from the person got slapped. Buddhism/Jainism says even give yourself to one who wants to murder you. There is so much clarity about why we are born poor/rich, poverty/comfort, wrong doer living quite well when compared to good man, how we have NO choice to rebirth. Here in Bible it is said: NO rebirth. Bible is talking of soul which does NOT have rebirth. So does Geetha. First everyone need to know what is inhumane and humanism. (Maanushatuvam)B.Sathyanarayan -------------------------- OM GITA IS FOR ALL SOULS (ARJUN) NOT WISHING TO BE REBORN; BECAUSE IF THERE IS BIRTH THERE IS DEATH; SOULS DO NOT BELONG TO A PARTICULAR RELIGION. DELVE DEEP INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE MEANING TO KNOW THE REALITY OF THE UNIVERSE. SUCH DOUBTS OCCUR ONLY TO THOSE WHO TALK ABOUT SPIRITUALITY BUT DONT KNOW THEIR OWN SPIRIT WHICH IS MOVING A MASS OF THEIR BODY EQUIVALENT TO THEIR OWN WEIGHT ON THIS EARTH. OM Bhuvangiri Badri Kishore---------------------------- -------------------------- Respected Sadhaks, Namaste, Gita's Principles are for everyone in this world irrespect of any caste. It is not restricted to any religion. In fact, what I believe, every holy book has its own principle. So one should try to read these if possible. Regards, RUCHIRA----------------------- Is Gita for Humanity at large or Hindus only? Is it for any caste within Hindus?It must depend on what is mentioned in it. I'm asking this question because Iknow very little about the Gita. There are some spiritual books and practiceswhich are limited to a particular caste within a religion or require conversion,therefore I am seeking clarification with this question. Sri Ram Balu ----- Dear Gita scholaras, No where in Bhagwat Gita has the word "Hindu" occured. No where have the word "Dharma" meaning RELIGION come up, though the words Karma & Dharma have been used with about 30 or so different meanings in the Bhagwad gita . the advice is meant for the humanity. There were no religions, so to say, at that time when the Gita was narrated. No where has Lord said specifically,"Do this..." He has only shown the way. He has time & again said " Use your intellect and decide. "It is for us to follow the teachings and benefit from them. Good luck good reading...Ram Ram ; Suhas Gogate ----------------------------- Namaste: Gita is teaching us what our true identity is, what this world we live in is, and what God is experiencially. Then It teaches us how to get there. In Gita , Lord Krishna need not be considered historical figure, even though he was. He is Pure Consciousness which we all share or rather are! An individual thinks in ignorance that his/her identity is body just by thinking and believing it to be true. These beliefs in turn become Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Indians, Chinees, Europeans etc etc. Thses condition/limits us and result into suffering as we know well. So to be happy we need to be free from false identifications regardless of our castes, religions, nationalities, and other such identities. This is Gita's teaching in summary. Therefore it is for all mankind, those of us who want to be happy, peaceful, loving human beings. Since it is not restricted to Hindus, it cannot be restricted to any castes. One suggestion: Gita can be best understood in its true spirit by such well versed/realized teachers as Swami Ramsukhdasji or others rather than reading only which is the next best thing. Pratap Bhatt --------- Ram Ram,THE LORD KRISHNA(NARAYAN), has propounded the teachings of Geeta for the well-being of mankind and mankind only. Sri Arjun is the prime audience who is a Human (NAR). The speeches of Shri Geeta were given not in a Temple or Place of Worship but at the Battle Ground of Kurukshetra (our Karma Bhoomi - place of work and action). The Time chosen for this teaching by the LORD is at the beginning of KALIYUG with the Battle of MAHABHARATA (the difficulties of this vast world) set in the back ground. So the Place ,Time and Object (Desh, Kaal, Patra) all are unrelated to any particular religion, caste or creed. Let us also look at some verses from Shri Geeta. Ch15V7 - The LORD says - All the life (human, animals, plants and so on) in this world are only MY Eternal Very Own Part (ansha). He does not say All Hindu or All Brahmins of India or Delhi but He says ....Jeeva Lokay Jeeva Bhutah, which means All Life in this WORLD.Sarva-bhoot-hitay-rata (Ch5v25 & Ch 12v4), Sarva-yonisu (ch14v4), Sarva-Dehinam (Ch14v8), sarva-bhoota-atma-bhoota-atmaa (Ch5v7), Sarva-Lok-Maheswaram(Ch5v29), Suhridam-Sarva Bhootanam (Ch5,29) and so on. The LORD, by repeatedly using the word "SARVA", has a very broad vision (vyapak) not limited to country, caste, creed or religion. Shri Geeta is for anyone and every one who want to attain the prime objective of birth (coming into this world).With very kind regards,Sushil Jalan----------- In Chapter 4, v-1 Lord describes that this knowledge has been inexistent for long time. At that time there were no religions orcastes. This knowledge got lost with time and HE imparted thisknowledge again to humanity via Arjuna.In Chapter 9, v-32 Lord assures members of Vashya and Shudra caste aswell as women and any one else who may think that they are noteligible to recieve Gitaji's teachings, He says, as long as theysurrender to HIM they will attain him just like Brahmins,the Pureones and Rajrishis etc (Ch9, v-33).Lord also describes who is not to be told about Gitaji. Ch 18, v 67describes the type of person who is not an ADHIKARI of being toldabout the knowledge in Gitaji.Several verses throughout Gita describe the qualifications of adevotee. Too many verses to enumerate. Basic message from all thsoeverses is that if you offer all your actions and thoughts to me thanyou are my true bhakta. Nowhere does HE say this knowledge is onlyfor Hindus. HE always uses the terms Manushyanam, Jiwanam,Sarvabhutanam etc. Many people around the world from all differentreligions and countries have approached Gitaji with Shraddha and havebenefitted from It's teachings.Humbly submittedJag Aggarwal- Hello mr.Sri, This is my understanding of Gita. Gita is for anyone and everyone. It encompasses everything and so not restricted to a particular religion. WHen Lord Krishna talks to Arjuna, it says..'Bhagavan uvacha'..that is..He is talking as SUPREME being and not just as a cowboy or Vrindavan's Krishna. Sometimes, a person from the religion(other than hindu also) may be practising the things said/mentioned in Gita..but in Hinduism, we call in Gita with our understanding of God in the personal physical form and it is Lord Krishna here. God when we say..the SUPREME being is not limited to language,caste,religion at all. Gita gives the idea of the nature of human mind and how to quieten it to get the bliss/happiness we humans are looking for. It shows us the path to handle the situation with equipoised mind irrespective of what comes our way. (At one time or the other..we begin to thing why this or that is happening..) and so, sometimes we feel that things are not in our control and we tend to brood over them or getting depressed. But the person who is equipoised (or in yoga as per Gita), enjoys everything that comes his/her way. Afterall, in the ordinary sense, enjoying the present moment is what is important as past and future are out of scope with respect to present moment. Gita gives us reminders/understanding the nature of human mind and the way human intellect works. Also, u may have heard 'renounce' work many times in Gita too..(many people if they do not understand the word 'renounce' properly, they may think...its not for youngsters but only elderly..) but what I feel is..'renounce' word can be interpreted in any different way. In Karma Yoga (chapter 3), Lord says..Renounce the fruits of actions (so that out mind is relaxed and not worried about future). In chapter 4, twelve ways are described for renouncing..(like some renounce sense actions, some other sense organs, some others wealth, some others - by regulated breathing techniques, some others by regulating inputs etc etc..). Have a nice wonderful day Regards. Bharathi ---------- Gita is for everyone. It is not for Hindus or Brahmins only. Do not worry about caste, creed, gender or any thing else. If you look at ISKCON popularly known as Hare Krishna movement you will see followers from all walks of life, different nationality, color, gender etc. Srimad Bhagvat Gita (song of God) is for everyone. So please start reading instead of wasting valuable time in irrelevant questions. (If you believe it is for particular caste or religion then also you are not going to loose any thing) Gita is a manual for human beings. If you understand and progress to surrendering to Krishna (bhakti) then you will guide rest of humanity about sweetness of Gita. My intentions are not telling you any thing about Gita but to remove the obstacles you are facing to start reading Gita. Already you wasted time, do not waste anymore. Hope this helps. GOvind Madhav Das-- Priya Bandhujan and Bhaginya Saadar PranaamRaam RaamI am giving the views on Gita based on my views and my foul mind's understanding of the holy scriptures. Hope you will forgive and bless and grace me for my mistakes.Gita is not only for Hindus or any caste within Hindus,its for the entire Humanity,even thats the matter of Reading and/or Purpose.Consider Holy Vedas, only Dvijya can read the Holy Vedas no one else,But Vedas are for the sake of entire Shrishti. But Gita is a part of Mahabharatha which is one of the ITIHASA, (there are two ITIHASAS,one is Valmiki Ramayan and other is Mahabharatha.)Entire humanity has got the right to read the ITIHASAS according to Holy SMRITIES.So no matter who you are,which religion you follow you can read The Holy Gita and attain the God by adopting the way described in Gita.Seeking forgiveness for my mistakes.Your DasRajanRam Ram-I too beleive that dear sir, that the Bhagwat-gita is for everybody.......in fact i believe that everybody should be allowed to approach god....regards,kanishk --Ram Baluji,This is very popular opinion that Gita is for anyone and everyone and is not restricted to any religion. It feels nice, but the reality is that Gita is a text of Sanatana Dharma and useful for followers of Sanatana Dharma. The principles laid in the Gita do not belong to a Christian or Jew person. One of the founding thought of Gita is reincarnation which no Abrahimic religions believe in. Another is therory of Karma and Dharma, which are unknown to many other religions. At the most one can say that Gita is a book for Dharmic religions. You see now you can say Oh! other religions do not know that but it belongs to them too. That is a same argument made by other religions that Hindus just do not know but Jesus is the God and only through him the salvation. Now does Gita have verses which are compatible with other relgions and thus apply to followers of other religions? Sure. But then there are many things in the Bible, Quran, Torah which apply to Hindus too. Regards, Sudhir Kalra --Jai Shri Krishna1st of all I would like to say Jai Shri Krishna In hindu DHARMA there is no special place for any one. Any one can read any holy book. It is not limited to Pandits and Brahmins. Arun AgarwalJai Shri Krishna -------- Dear Sir, I am not a pundit (all-knowng) in Gita but I can say with conviction that it is meant for any and everybody. There is no restriction of any kind. I think that there is no religious text which sets a pre-condition to read it. For knowledge one only needs to be a seeker and nothing else. I have not found at any place in the text a pre-condition to a person for reading Gita. I appreciate your concern and sensitivity. Thanks and regards, A SeekerAnil Anand Pathak --- Sri Ram: I don't know which reading you follow, but Gita is Universal - Eternal. It is not limited to Hindus or limited to any caste within Hindu. It is for the entire humankind....Any scriptures written in a language not commonly understable by people require translation, for example Vedas, Gita, Upnishads, smruti shruti, etc. are written in sanscrit, not a commonly understood language. Ashok Shukla -------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 NEW POSTING Who can seek Bhagavad Gita? Everyone, rather everything, is bound to seek the Bhagavad Gita irrespectively. The very living or existence is the testemony for that. Everybody has to seek The Essence of The Life to sustain one's very presence in this universe. The very essence of the life is eloquently wondered about in the wonderful 700+ verses compiled with the same name - Bhagavad Gita. Chanting or knowing any or all of these verses cannot testify one's seeking the Bhagavad Gita; but every breath, every pulse and every blink testify one's very roots in the essence of the life one receives as well as one's very fruits in the very life one is blessed and blissed with. The very presence of anything and everything is a testemony for the grace of Bhagavad Gita and hence of The Bhagavan on the very presence. Who can follow the Gita Principles? Now we are talking of one's awareness of the all-pervasive embrosia of the life which is again wonderfully pondered upon in the 700+ verses of the Bhagavad Gita. Who can follow the principles of Gita? One who can follow the very principles of the life, the existence, alone can follow the principles of Gita as Gita and the existence are synanymous both being the very same essence of the Bhagavan, The Life. How can one follow the Gita Principles? By dropping "all the principles" gathered individually for individual promotion. Why? The essence of the life is missed completely in one's existence in-spite of its very presence to sustain one's very existence. The only reason for this is the short-sightedness, rather blindness, that we have nurtured to facilitate our urge to focus on the limited perceptions of our individual existence. We mostly insist the principles of life to be the same as the principles of such individual existence. Our focus on the individual existence is also lop-sided smeared on its appearance rather than its inherent presence. Therefore, we confine our knowledge of "principles of life" further to our individual appearances rather than our very presence. It is this ignorance that is the ONLY HINDRANCE for following the universal principles of The Life which are the same as the principles of Bhagavad Gita. Therefore, one can have a glimpse of the principles of Gita only when one is ready to destroy the coccoon of this ignorance - the forte of "personalized" principles of life that is gathered in an ego-centric and ego-promotional frenzy of individual survival. We end-up in this ignorance due to its seed - our belief that the life can only be individual survival. One can follow the principles of Gita ONLY WHEN this coccoon of ignorance is absolutely obliterated. Therefore, … If at all any religion (Dharma) is required to follow principles of Gita - it is one's very presence. If at all any caste (VarNa) is required to follow principles of Gita - it is one's very nature. If at all any knowledge (Gnyaana) is required to follow principles of Gita - it is one's very awareness. If at all any action (Karma) is required to follow principles of Gita - it is one's very existence. If at all any feeling (Bhakti) is required to follow principles of Gita - it is one's very experience. Therefore, whoever can be just PRESENT NATURALLY in the AWARENESS of the EXISTENCE in the very core of one's EXPERIENCE is verily entitled for following The Bhagavad Gita, the very essence of The Life. One who can garner one's apparently variant Dharma (presence), VarNa (nature), Gnyaana (awareness), Karma (existence) and Bhaava (experience) into one delicious recipe of The Invariant, Aatmaa (mere consciousness) ... can follow the principles of Bhagavad Gita in its very essence ... when nothing but the very essence remains. Respects. Naga Narayana ------- I bow to you Sri Vyas, After a long time I read the true fact about Gita from anothe rperson. YES SIR, GITA IS CASTE-FREE, FREE FROM THE BINDINGS OF RELIGION. IT SMASHES TO NOTHING ALL THE IDIOTIC CONCEPTS OF CASTE, GENDER AND EVEN SPECIES SUPERIORITY. IT IS NOT A HINDU RELIGIOUS BOOK. IT IS UNIVERSAL; AND ITS APPLICABILITY IS SEMPRE OR PERMANENT OR AKAAL AS NAANAK GURU SAID. Now, let us get out of the superstitions of caste, creed etc. Choose merit as the only God. Let duty be our God. Let dedication be our Dharma. Let Dharma be not insulted translating it as Religion.. With Gita in our Mana and Atma, we have the tool to bring Dnyaana and peace to the world. Do not leave the tool. Let us pass it to our children Do not buy Gold; but earn love to the Lord By perceiving the Lord in every object around and within us. That is what Gita is meant for Samudrala Krishna ----- --- Hari OmGita is the only Scripture perhaps which does not distinguish between caste, creed, colour, country etc and is universally applicable to all JEEVAS (humans) of the earth. There is no insistence in Gita of any particular 'ism' or 'sect' ! Gita is meant for every human being. If you are a human being, Gita is for you- irrespective of how, where, what you are ! Jai Shree KrishnaVyas N B '-------------------------------- Shree Hari Ram Ram In Gita there is no mention of the word Hindu or Hindu Dharma . IF there were any topics related to any sect or race then it could be said that Gita is for "so and so" and not for all beings. Gita is for all of mankind. The word "Dharma" means "Duty" that is applicable to all, but mistakenly majority just call it "dharma". So be it, Vineet Sarvottam ---- Dear Sadaks,It is to be expressed as Bagavath Geetha instead of short form Geetha while trying to know essence of it. Bible, Quran, Buddhism, Jainism are all for welfare of Humans at Large not for particular caste or creed. In these scripts most matters are common. Bible: Love they neighbor as they self. Quran: treat everyone alike, even to beggar do not give old things. Buddhism: Love all living as you would love yourself. Jainism: Be kind even to yourself first and more kind to others. In Bagavath Geetha all these are said with very high clarity. Now one may ask, why Bagavan Krishna wanted to wage war, killing so many? But in Bible it is not so. There also in chirstian testaments, it is said of savior punishment of Judgment day- Chirst cursing a tree to go on flames that not yielded fruits. Cursing tree that too. HE was right. Buddha also cursed a bad king and looked with disgust on Devadhata (His brother in law).Like this, one can find similarity on truth, robbery, murder etc. But in Bagavath Geetha, Bagavan actually compressed all 108 unpanashids. Just look at it like this: The people in India in those old days were mainly Hindus. These people had climatic, chemical composition of earth, environment Etc conducive to do meditation. Few among them obtained enormous celestial powers to travel in the whole universe and beyond, know the past, good and evil, past-present-future. Nowadays, one can see Sri Sathiya Sai Baba gives gold ornaments by just waving his hand. Imagine those days, the saints then were million times powerful. One thing- we can NOWHERE read in any script that the script is for certain religion. In Hinduism, one can get excellent clarity on doubts. In Bible: Show the other cheek when slapped. In Hinduism: In upanashid: The one who slaps gets the sins transferred from the person got slapped. Buddhism/Jainism says even give yourself to one who wants to murder you. There is so much clarity about why we are born poor/rich, poverty/comfort, wrong doer living quite well when compared to good man, how we have NO choice to rebirth. Here in Bible it is said: NO rebirth. Bible is talking of soul which does NOT have rebirth. So does Geetha. First everyone need to know what is inhumane and humanism. (Maanushatuvam)B.Sathyanarayan -------------------------- OM GITA IS FOR ALL SOULS (ARJUN) NOT WISHING TO BE REBORN; BECAUSE IF THERE IS BIRTH THERE IS DEATH; SOULS DO NOT BELONG TO A PARTICULAR RELIGION. DELVE DEEP INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE MEANING TO KNOW THE REALITY OF THE UNIVERSE. SUCH DOUBTS OCCUR ONLY TO THOSE WHO TALK ABOUT SPIRITUALITY BUT DONT KNOW THEIR OWN SPIRIT WHICH IS MOVING A MASS OF THEIR BODY EQUIVALENT TO THEIR OWN WEIGHT ON THIS EARTH. OM Bhuvangiri Badri Kishore---------------------------- -------------------------- Respected Sadhaks, Namaste, Gita's Principles are for everyone in this world irrespect of any caste. It is not restricted to any religion. In fact, what I believe, every holy book has its own principle. So one should try to read these if possible. Regards, RUCHIRA----------------------- Is Gita for Humanity at large or Hindus only? Is it for any caste within Hindus?It must depend on what is mentioned in it. I'm asking this question because Iknow very little about the Gita. There are some spiritual books and practiceswhich are limited to a particular caste within a religion or require conversion,therefore I am seeking clarification with this question. Sri Ram Balu ----- Dear Gita scholaras, No where in Bhagwat Gita has the word "Hindu" occured. No where have the word "Dharma" meaning RELIGION come up, though the words Karma & Dharma have been used with about 30 or so different meanings in the Bhagwad gita . the advice is meant for the humanity. There were no religions, so to say, at that time when the Gita was narrated. No where has Lord said specifically,"Do this..." He has only shown the way. He has time & again said " Use your intellect and decide. "It is for us to follow the teachings and benefit from them. Good luck good reading...Ram Ram ; Suhas Gogate ----------------------------- Namaste: Gita is teaching us what our true identity is, what this world we live in is, and what God is experiencially. Then It teaches us how to get there. In Gita , Lord Krishna need not be considered historical figure, even though he was. He is Pure Consciousness which we all share or rather are! An individual thinks in ignorance that his/her identity is body just by thinking and believing it to be true. These beliefs in turn become Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Indians, Chinees, Europeans etc etc. Thses condition/limits us and result into suffering as we know well. So to be happy we need to be free from false identifications regardless of our castes, religions, nationalities, and other such identities. This is Gita's teaching in summary. Therefore it is for all mankind, those of us who want to be happy, peaceful, loving human beings. Since it is not restricted to Hindus, it cannot be restricted to any castes. One suggestion: Gita can be best understood in its true spirit by such well versed/realized teachers as Swami Ramsukhdasji or others rather than reading only which is the next best thing. Pratap Bhatt --------- Ram Ram,THE LORD KRISHNA(NARAYAN), has propounded the teachings of Geeta for the well-being of mankind and mankind only. Sri Arjun is the prime audience who is a Human (NAR). The speeches of Shri Geeta were given not in a Temple or Place of Worship but at the Battle Ground of Kurukshetra (our Karma Bhoomi - place of work and action). The Time chosen for this teaching by the LORD is at the beginning of KALIYUG with the Battle of MAHABHARATA (the difficulties of this vast world) set in the back ground. So the Place ,Time and Object (Desh, Kaal, Patra) all are unrelated to any particular religion, caste or creed. Let us also look at some verses from Shri Geeta. Ch15V7 - The LORD says - All the life (human, animals, plants and so on) in this world are only MY Eternal Very Own Part (ansha). He does not say All Hindu or All Brahmins of India or Delhi but He says ....Jeeva Lokay Jeeva Bhutah, which means All Life in this WORLD.Sarva-bhoot-hitay-rata (Ch5v25 & Ch 12v4), Sarva-yonisu (ch14v4), Sarva-Dehinam (Ch14v8), sarva-bhoota-atma-bhoota-atmaa (Ch5v7), Sarva-Lok-Maheswaram(Ch5v29), Suhridam-Sarva Bhootanam (Ch5,29) and so on. The LORD, by repeatedly using the word "SARVA", has a very broad vision (vyapak) not limited to country, caste, creed or religion. Shri Geeta is for anyone and every one who want to attain the prime objective of birth (coming into this world).With very kind regards,Sushil Jalan----------- In Chapter 4, v-1 Lord describes that this knowledge has been inexistent for long time. At that time there were no religions orcastes. This knowledge got lost with time and HE imparted thisknowledge again to humanity via Arjuna.In Chapter 9, v-32 Lord assures members of Vashya and Shudra caste aswell as women and any one else who may think that they are noteligible to recieve Gitaji's teachings, He says, as long as theysurrender to HIM they will attain him just like Brahmins,the Pureones and Rajrishis etc (Ch9, v-33).Lord also describes who is not to be told about Gitaji. Ch 18, v 67describes the type of person who is not an ADHIKARI of being toldabout the knowledge in Gitaji.Several verses throughout Gita describe the qualifications of adevotee. Too many verses to enumerate. Basic message from all thsoeverses is that if you offer all your actions and thoughts to me thanyou are my true bhakta. Nowhere does HE say this knowledge is onlyfor Hindus. HE always uses the terms Manushyanam, Jiwanam,Sarvabhutanam etc. Many people around the world from all differentreligions and countries have approached Gitaji with Shraddha and havebenefitted from It's teachings.Humbly submittedJag Aggarwal- Hello mr.Sri, This is my understanding of Gita. Gita is for anyone and everyone. It encompasses everything and so not restricted to a particular religion. WHen Lord Krishna talks to Arjuna, it says..'Bhagavan uvacha'..that is..He is talking as SUPREME being and not just as a cowboy or Vrindavan's Krishna. Sometimes, a person from the religion(other than hindu also) may be practising the things said/mentioned in Gita..but in Hinduism, we call in Gita with our understanding of God in the personal physical form and it is Lord Krishna here. God when we say..the SUPREME being is not limited to language,caste,religion at all. Gita gives the idea of the nature of human mind and how to quieten it to get the bliss/happiness we humans are looking for. It shows us the path to handle the situation with equipoised mind irrespective of what comes our way. (At one time or the other..we begin to thing why this or that is happening..) and so, sometimes we feel that things are not in our control and we tend to brood over them or getting depressed. But the person who is equipoised (or in yoga as per Gita), enjoys everything that comes his/her way. Afterall, in the ordinary sense, enjoying the present moment is what is important as past and future are out of scope with respect to present moment. Gita gives us reminders/understanding the nature of human mind and the way human intellect works. Also, u may have heard 'renounce' work many times in Gita too..(many people if they do not understand the word 'renounce' properly, they may think...its not for youngsters but only elderly..) but what I feel is..'renounce' word can be interpreted in any different way. In Karma Yoga (chapter 3), Lord says..Renounce the fruits of actions (so that out mind is relaxed and not worried about future). In chapter 4, twelve ways are described for renouncing..(like some renounce sense actions, some other sense organs, some others wealth, some others - by regulated breathing techniques, some others by regulating inputs etc etc..). Have a nice wonderful day Regards. Bharathi ---------- Gita is for everyone. It is not for Hindus or Brahmins only. Do not worry about caste, creed, gender or any thing else. If you look at ISKCON popularly known as Hare Krishna movement you will see followers from all walks of life, different nationality, color, gender etc. Srimad Bhagvat Gita (song of God) is for everyone. So please start reading instead of wasting valuable time in irrelevant questions. (If you believe it is for particular caste or religion then also you are not going to loose any thing) Gita is a manual for human beings. If you understand and progress to surrendering to Krishna (bhakti) then you will guide rest of humanity about sweetness of Gita. My intentions are not telling you any thing about Gita but to remove the obstacles you are facing to start reading Gita. Already you wasted time, do not waste anymore. Hope this helps. GOvind Madhav Das-- Priya Bandhujan and Bhaginya Saadar PranaamRaam RaamI am giving the views on Gita based on my views and my foul mind's understanding of the holy scriptures. Hope you will forgive and bless and grace me for my mistakes.Gita is not only for Hindus or any caste within Hindus,its for the entire Humanity,even thats the matter of Reading and/or Purpose.Consider Holy Vedas, only Dvijya can read the Holy Vedas no one else,But Vedas are for the sake of entire Shrishti. But Gita is a part of Mahabharatha which is one of the ITIHASA, (there are two ITIHASAS,one is Valmiki Ramayan and other is Mahabharatha.)Entire humanity has got the right to read the ITIHASAS according to Holy SMRITIES.So no matter who you are,which religion you follow you can read The Holy Gita and attain the God by adopting the way described in Gita.Seeking forgiveness for my mistakes.Your DasRajanRam Ram-I too beleive that dear sir, that the Bhagwat-gita is for everybody.......in fact i believe that everybody should be allowed to approach god....regards,kanishk --Ram Baluji,This is very popular opinion that Gita is for anyone and everyone and is not restricted to any religion. It feels nice, but the reality is that Gita is a text of Sanatana Dharma and useful for followers of Sanatana Dharma. The principles laid in the Gita do not belong to a Christian or Jew person. One of the founding thought of Gita is reincarnation which no Abrahimic religions believe in. Another is therory of Karma and Dharma, which are unknown to many other religions. At the most one can say that Gita is a book for Dharmic religions. You see now you can say Oh! other religions do not know that but it belongs to them too. That is a same argument made by other religions that Hindus just do not know but Jesus is the God and only through him the salvation. Now does Gita have verses which are compatible with other relgions and thus apply to followers of other religions? Sure. But then there are many things in the Bible, Quran, Torah which apply to Hindus too. Regards, Sudhir Kalra --Jai Shri Krishna1st of all I would like to say Jai Shri Krishna In hindu DHARMA there is no special place for any one. Any one can read any holy book. It is not limited to Pandits and Brahmins. Arun AgarwalJai Shri Krishna -------- Dear Sir, I am not a pundit (all-knowng) in Gita but I can say with conviction that it is meant for any and everybody. There is no restriction of any kind. I think that there is no religious text which sets a pre-condition to read it. For knowledge one only needs to be a seeker and nothing else. I have not found at any place in the text a pre-condition to a person for reading Gita. I appreciate your concern and sensitivity. Thanks and regards, A SeekerAnil Anand Pathak --- Sri Ram: I don't know which reading you follow, but Gita is Universal - Eternal. It is not limited to Hindus or limited to any caste within Hindu. It is for the entire humankind....Any scriptures written in a language not commonly understable by people require translation, for example Vedas, Gita, Upnishads, smruti shruti, etc. are written in sanscrit, not a commonly understood language. Ashok Shukla -------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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