Bhagavad Gita or Vedas

[Explorer]

Greetings to everyone,

 

I am a hindu who recently started exploring hinduism. I am not able to understand which is/are the most important religious book/s of hinduism. I have the following choices in mind.

 

1.Bhagavad Gita

2.Vedas

3.Upanishads

4.Brahmasutras

 

Can any one throw some light on this?

I thank you in advance.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

The Bhagavad Gita is considered the essence of the Upanishads. It provides us with the cream of all Vedic knowledge. For this reason the great Acharya Shankara has said, ekam shastram devaki-putra-gitam - "Let there be one scripture, the song of Lord Krishna (Bhagavad Gita), the son of Devaki."

 

The following from Srila Prabhupada's introduction to Bhagavad Gita very nicely explains the importance of the Gita:

 

In conclusion, Bhagavad-gita is a transcendental literature which one should read very carefully. Gita-shastram idam punyam yah pathet prayatah puman: if one properly follows the instructions of Bhagavad-gita, one can be freed from all the miseries and anxieties of life. Bhaya-sokadi-varjitah. One will be freed from all fears in this life, and one’s next life will be spiritual. (Gita-mahatmya 1)

 

There is also a further advantage:

 

gitadhyayana-silasya

pranayama-parasya ca

naiva shanti hi papani

purva-janma-kritani ca

 

“If one reads Bhagavad-gita very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of the Lord the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.” (Gita-mahatmya 2) The Lord says very loudly in the last portion of Bhagavad-gita (18.66):

 

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

mokshayisyami ma sucah

 

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies such a person against all reactions of sins.

 

maline mocanam pumsam

jala-snanam dine dine

sakrd gitamrita-snanam

samsara-mala-nasanam

 

“One may cleanse himself daily by taking a bath in water, but if one takes a bath even once in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad-gita, for him the dirt of material life is altogether vanquished.” (Gita-mahatmya 3)

 

gita su-gita kartavya

kim anyaih shastra-vistaraih

ya svayam padmanabhasya

mukha-padmad vinihsrta

 

Because Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gita. In the present age, people are so absorbed in mundane activities that it is not possible for them to read all the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gita, will suffice, because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and especially because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Gita-mahatmya 4)

 

As it is said:

 

bharatamrita-sarvasvam

vishnu-vaktrad vinihsrtam

gita-gangodakam pitva

punar janma na vidyate

 

“One who drinks the water of the Ganges attains salvation, so what to speak of one who drinks the nectar of Bhagavad-gita? Bhagavad-gita is the essential nectar of the Mahabharata, and it is spoken by Lord Krishna Himself, the original Vishnu.” (Gita-mahatmya 5) Bhagavad-gita comes from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to emanate from the lotus feet of the Lord. Of course, there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord, but from an impartial study we can appreciate that Bhagavad-gita is even more important than the water of the Ganges.

 

sarvopanishado gavo

dogdha gopala-nandanah

partho vatsah su-dhir bhokta

dugdham gitamritam mahat

 

“This Gitopanishad, Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanishads, is just like a cow, and Lord Krishna, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gita.” (Gita-mahatmya 6)

 

ekam shastram devaki-putra-gitam

eko devo devaki-putra eva

eko mantras tasya namani yani

karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva

- Gita-mahatmya 7

 

In this present day, people are very much eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation. Therefore, ekam shastram devaki-putra-gitam: let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world—Bhagavad-gita. Eko devo devaki-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world—Sri Krishna. Eko mantras tasya namani: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer—the chanting of His name: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva: and let there be one work only—the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

[ You can read Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita online at http://www.bhagavad-gita.us ]

[Guest guest]

sarvopanishado gAvo doghdA gopAla nandanah

pArtho vatsah sudhIr bhoktA gItAmRtam mahat

- gItA mahAtmyam 6

Gopala nandana, the cowherd boy (Lord Krishna) is milking ALL the upanishads as if they were cows. Arjuna and other intelligent persons are like the calf and drink this great nectarean eternal gItA. So it is best to read the gItA. Unlike other scriptures which talk about God, the gItA is spoken by God Himself. Lord Krishna is the Supreme Lord and is the ultimate goal of all our search for Absolute Truth. It is by Govinda's mercy and devotion to Narayana that one understands Vasudeva who is present in every soul. In the Gita, Lord Vishnu talks about the different processes of self realization, God, our relationship with Him and the material world. By reading the gItA one can have all the guidance requred to live one's life.

 

 

To understand the gItA, one needs the mercy of God. In this age of kali, this mercy is invoked by chanting His names. So you may chant

 

hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare

hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

 

This is a mantra in the kali santarana upanishad and caitanya mahaprabhu and His followers preached this mantra so that even ordinary people like us can get purified to the point of discriminating between matter and spirit, and developing bhakti.

[Explorer]

My sincere Thanks to Jndas and Ram.

 

The problem with Bhagavad Gita is that different people have given different interpretations for it. For example I think that the interpretation of Adi Shankara differs from that of Srila Prabhupada. I myself do not know sanskrit at all. Given this scenario, whose interpretation should I believe? Or should I read all interpretations and judge for myself which is the most convenient one? And on what basis should I judge? Surely, Sri Krishna would not have had the intention of confusing people.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Read some different commentaries and see which one touches your heart; through which one does Krishna speak to you directly.

 

Personally I can recommend Srila Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As It Is", as it has had a tremendous impact on my spiritual life.

 

[madhav]

bhagabad gita is 700 verse summary of the vedas (80,000 verses). it is the book of Hinduism (sanatana dharma, which includes vaishnavism)

 

gita (krishna) talks about:

 

- gyan yoga which is suitble for people with sharp inteligence and who think god has no form.

 

- karma yoga which is for people with a lot of energy to do something. they are doers.

 

- bhakti yoga (vaishnavism) for those who are people of heart/feelings full of loving capacity.

 

- dhyan yoga is for people who want to use mind conrol

to realize god

 

- there is more.

 

so if you cannot figure what is your strength asset, you may need a guru to help you figure what path is right for you. once you pick a path, stick with it. changing paths often does not help. this is like there are many wasy to go from NY to Chicago, they are different. one goes east and one west, or north and south. some are better than other; it all depends upon where you are and what asset you have to travel.

 

what krishna talks is spiritual science.

it is not a set of beliefs, but spiritual truths.

one nay not understand some, but if followed,

one gets the result.

 

best wishes for your journey.

Bhagavdvad Git As It Is, is a good start, excellent start.

if you like it, look for no more.

 

[shvu]

 

 

The problem with Bhagavad Gita is that different people have given different interpretations for it. For example I think that the interpretation of Adi Shankara differs from that of Srila Prabhupada. I myself do not know sanskrit at all.

 

 

Knowing sanskrit will not help here. If you read the Gita by yourself, without the aid of commentaries, you will interpret it in your own way, based on your background and nature. If there are n different interpretations, it follows that only one or none of them are correct.

 

 

Given this scenario, whose interpretation should I believe? Or should I read all interpretations and judge for myself which is the most convenient one? And on what basis should I judge?

 

 

Given the metaphysical nature of the content of such texts, it is impossible to objectively evaluate different interpretations and pick out the right one. To answer your question, there is no basis to judge and therefore any choice that is made, depends entirely on faith and personal preferences. Your choice may be incorrect...but the good side is, you will never know.

 

 

Surely, Sri Krishna would not have had the intention of confusing people.

 

 

There are instances where Krishna and Shiva jointly conspired to fool people, which resulted in Buddhism and Advaita. There are many iskcon adherents here, who can provide more details. Therefore, at least according to iskcon, it is not true that Krishna never had the intent of confusing people.

 

Cheers