Hindu Festivals.

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Dear friends and devotees,

 

Bhakti is eternal.

 

 

4. GITA JAYANTI

 

(On Margaseersha Suddha Ekadashi)

between

{December and January)

 

THE HOLY Gita Jayanti, or the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita, is celebrated

throughout India by all the admirers and lovers of this most sacred scripture on

the eleventh day (Ekadashi) of the bright half of the month of Margaseersha

(December-January), according to the Hindu almanac. It was on this day that

Sanjaya narrated to King Dhritarashtra the dialogue between Sri Krishna and

Arjuna, and thus made the glorious teachings of the Lord available to us, and to

people of the world, for all time.

The Gita Jayanti marks one of the greatest days in the history of mankind.

Nearly six thousand years ago, on that day a dazzling flash of brilliant light

lit up the firmament of human civilisation. That flash, that marvellous

spiritual effulgence, was the message of the Bhagavad Gita, given by the Lord

Himself on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Unlike ordinary flashes of light

which die away after a split-second, this brilliant flash of that memorable day

has continued to shine through the centuries, and even now illumines the path of

humanity on its onward march to perfection.

The Gita is the most beautiful and the only truly philosophical song. It

contains sublime lessons on wisdom and philosophy. It is the " Song Celestial " .

It is the universal gospel. It contains the message of life that appeals to all,

irrespective of race, creed, age or religion.

The Gita was given to us about six thousand years ago by Sri Krishna, the Lord

incarnate, through His most devoted disciple, Arjuna. Its teachings are based on

the sacred Upanishads, the ancient, revealed metaphysical classics of India.

The Gita shows a way to rise above the world of duality and the pairs of

opposites, and to acquire eternal bliss and immortality. It is a gospel of

action. It teaches the rigid performance of one's duty in society, and a life of

active struggle, keeping the inner being untouched by outer surroundings, and

renouncing the fruits of actions as offerings unto the Lord.

The Gita is a source of power and wisdom. It strengthens you when you are

weak, and inspires you when you feel dejected and feeble. It teaches you how to

resist unrighteousness and follow the path of virtue and righteousness.

The Gita is not merely a book or just a scripture. It is a living voice

carrying an eternally indispensable and vital message to mankind. Its verses

embody words of wisdom coming from the infinite ocean of knowledge, the Absolute

Itself.

The voice of the Gita is the call of the Supreme. It is the divine sound

explained. The primal source of all existence, all power, is the manifested

sound—Om. This is the Divine Word. It is Nada Brahman, whose unceasing call

is: " Be ye all ever merged in the eternal, unbroken, continuous consciousness of

the Supreme Truth. " This is the sublime message that the Gita elaborates and

presents in all comprehensiveness and in a universally acceptable form. It is

this message of the Gita that I wish to recall and reproclaim with emphasis to

you.

To be always conscious of the Divine, to ever feel the Divine Presence, to

live always in the awareness of the Supreme Being in the chambers of your heart

and everywhere around you, is verily to live a life of fullness and divine

perfection on earth itself. Such a constant remembrance of God and such an

attitude of mind will release you forever from the clutches of illusion and free

you from all fear. To forget the Supreme is to fall into illusion. To forget Him

is to be assailed by fear. To live in unbroken remembrance of the Supreme Truth

is to remain always in the region of light, peace and bliss, far beyond the

reach of illusion and delusion.

Mark carefully how the Gita stresses again and again this lofty message.

The Lord declares: " Keep thou thy mind in Me, in Me place thy reason " .

In another verse He says: " Therefore, at all times remember Me and fight. You

will surely attain Me, having thus offered yourself " .

And yet again: " Perform thou action, remaining united with Me at heart " .

The Gita guides you to glory with the watchwords: " Be thou divine-minded,

devoted to Me as your goal, and let your subconscious mind be divine " .

The Lord gives the following firm assurance also: " I become the saviour from

this mortal world for those whose minds are set on Me " .

Such is the most illuminating message of the Gita, seeking to lead man to a

life of perfection even while performing his ordained role here. Long has this

message been neglected by man. Forgetting the Lord, the world has turned towards

sense indulgence and mammon. A terrible price has been paid. O man, enough of

this forgetfulness! The Lord has warned you against heedlessness: " If, out of

egoism, thou wilt not hear, then thou shalt perish " .

It is a matter of great regret that many young men and women of India know

very little of this most unique scripture. One cannot consider oneself as having

attained a good standard of education if one does not have a sound knowledge of

the Gita. All post-graduate knowledge, all research in universities is mere husk

or chaff when compared to the wisdom of the Gita.

Live in the spirit of the teachings of the Gita. Mere talks or lectures will

not help you in any way. Put into practice the teachings of this most sacred

scripture and attain eternal bliss and peace.

The Gita may be summarised in the following seven verses:

1. " Uttering the one-syllabled Om, the Brahman, and remembering Me, he who

departs, leaving the body thus, attains the Supreme Goal " .

2. " It is meet, O Lord, that the world delights and rejoices in Thy praise;

the demons fly in fear to all quarters, and all the hosts of Siddhas bow to

Thee! "

3. " With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere,

with ears everywhere, He exists in the world, enveloping all " .

4. " Whosoever meditates on the omniscient, ancient ruler of the whole world,

minuter than an atom, the supporter of all, of form inconceivable, effulgent

like the sun, such a one goeth beyond the darkness of ignorance " .

5. " They, the wise, speak of the indestructible Asvattha, having its roots

above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns; he who knows it

is a knower of the Vedas " .

6. " And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory and knowledge, as

well as their absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas;

I am indeed the author of Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas am I " .

7. " Fix thy mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me;

having thus united thy whole Self with Me, taking Me as the Supreme Lord, thou

shalt verily come to Me " .

Read the whole of the Gita on Sundays and other holidays. Study carefully

again and again the verses in the second discourse, which deal with the state of

the Sthitaprajna (a perfected Yogi and sage). Also study the eight nectarine

verses in the twelfth discourse.

The study of the Gita alone is sufficient for the purpose of scriptural study.

You will find in it a solution to all your problems. The more you study it with

devotion and faith, the deeper will your knowledge become, the more penetrative

would be your insight, and the clearer your thinking. Even if you live in the

spirit of one verse of the Gita, all your miseries will come to an end and you

will attain the goal of life—immortality and eternal peace.

None but the Lord can bring out such a marvellous and unprecedented book,

which grants peace to its readers, and which guides them in the attainment of

supreme bliss.

The teachings of the Gita are broad, sublime and universal. They do not belong

to any particular cult, sect, creed, age, place or country. They are meant for

all. They are within the reach of all. The Gita has a message for the solace,

peace, freedom, salvation and perfection of all human beings.

At the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, the holy and auspicious Gita Jayanti is

observed every year on a grand scale:

All the aspirants wake up at 4 am and meditate on the Lord. From sunrise to

sunset there is unbroken recitation of the Gita. The Samputa method is used,

that is, before and after each verse the following Samputa is recited:

Sarva dharmaan parityajya maamekam sharanam vraja;

Aham twaa sarvapaapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shucha.

Thus, between two verses, this verse is recited twice. This is an extremely

efficacious method of earning the Grace of the Supreme Lord and the Gita, the

Mother.

Aspirants fast on the day, as it is also the Ekadashi day. Competitions are

held among the little children, to develop their talents in the recitation of

the Gita. In the case of the slightly older children, they are given a chance to

deliver discourses. This is a wonderful way of encouraging them to study the

scripture.

In the evening, a special Satsang is held at which scholars, Yogis and

Sannyasins discourse upon the Gita. Leaflets, pamphlets and books containing the

teachings of the Gita, as also translations of the holy scripture, are

distributed.

Take a resolve on Gita Jayanti that you will read at least one discourse every

day. Recite the fifteenth discourse before taking your meals. This is done at

the Sivananda Ashram.

Keep a pocket-sized edition of the Gita with you at all times. Mark a few

verses in it which inspire you. Everyday, while you wait for your bus or train,

or whenever you have a little leisure, pull out the book and read these verses.

You will be ever inspired.

May you all lead the life taught by the Gita! May the Gita, the blessed Mother

of the Vedas, guide and protect you! May it nourish you with the milk of the

ancient wisdom of the Upanishads!

Glory to Lord Krishna, the Divine Teacher! Glory to Sri Vyasa, the poet of

poets, who composed the Gita! May his blessings be upon you all!

(by Swamy Sivananda)

 

to be continued...

 

With love and regards,

 

Sastry.