Fwd: Bhagavad Gita Gives Freedom of Choice

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Bhagavad Gita Gives Freedom of Choice

 

PARMARTHI RAINA

 

[ MONDAY, JANUARY 03, 2005 12:00:00 AM ]

 

Over 5,000 years ago Krishna instructed his confused friend Arjuna on

the philosophy of human life — its purpose, goal and its attainment.

Known as the Bhagavad Gita, the Song Divine, it is accepted as the

quintessence of all the Vedas.

 

The Gita is unique because, unlike any other religious scripture, it

is spoken by God (Krishna) Himself. If there appear to be any

contradictions and inconsistencies, they are only in the differing

interpretations of the text

 

The Lord speaks the philosophy in the midst of the opposing armies of

two closely related families ready to fight a fratricidal war. When

Arjuna is reluctant to fight his kith and kin, whom he may have to

kill, Krishna tells Arjuna that he should not shirk from svadharma or

ordained duty which, as a kshatriya, is to fight. While most religions

advocate compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and exhort to abjure war and

killing, here God Himself urges Arjuna to fight and kill.

Krishna convinces Arjuna of where his duty lies, and the same Arjuna

who in the beginning refuses to fight now promises to Krishna's

bidding. In no other scripture does God so unabashedly glorify

Himself. To convince Arjuna that He is the master and controller of

all that be, Krishna recounts His innumerable vibhutis or glories,

opulences and powers and shows His virat-rupa or universal form in a

brazen display of His majesty and powers. The Gita jolts us into

contemplation when it tells us that we are not the body and mind that

we believe we are, and that, in fact, we are pure spirit soul or atma,

a tiny part or amsa of God, the Supreme Spirit, and we are eternal,

indestructible and immutable. The realisation of this basic truth is a

pre-requisite to any spiritual progress.

 

The Gita does not propose attainment of heaven and its sense pleasures

as the goal of human life. Krishna warns that gratification of the

sen-ses cannot bring happiness. The Gita describes the material world

as dukhalayam, a place full of misery, wherein birth and death take

place in a continuous cycle (samsara). It urges us to liberate

ourselves from samsara and reunite with the Lord and thereby attain to

His nature of sat-chit-ananda, the state of being eternally

existent-completely knowledgeable-full of bliss, which is the goal of

human life and which alone can bring eternal peace and happiness.

 

To achieve that goal the Gita elucidates four different paths: Raja

Yoga or meditation, Karma Yoga or work, Jnana Yoga or knowledge and

Bhakti Yoga or devotion — from which the aspirant may choose according

to his temperament, capacity and inclination. In Bhakti Yoga, the Gita

makes available to us an easy and effective means to reach Krishna.

Bhakti Yoga requires neither elaborate paraphernalia nor cumbersome

rituals, for Krishna says: " If a bhakta offers Me with love and

devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, I will

wholeheartedly accept it " .

 

The essence of the Gita is summed up in verses 65 and 66 of the

concluding chapter wherein Krishna asks Arjuna to simply abandon all

religious practices and simply pay homage to Him, adore Him, worship

Him and unconditionally surrender unto Him, after which Arjuna need

have no fear, for Krishna would absolve him of all his sins and take

complete care of him.

 

The Song of God or the Bhagavad Gita is unique because it is free from

dogma. After explaining the most confidential spiritual knowledge,

Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that now that he had heard everything, he

was free to do what he thought fit. In essence, the Gita recognises

the individual's liberty and leaves the ultimate choice in the hands

of the seeker. Liberal and without prejudice, the Bhagavad Gita is

Lord Krishna's gift to humankind, to help us deal with the turbulence

of life in as rational a manner as is humanly possible

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/978318.cms

 

 

 

 

 

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