Essence of Gita in talkative terms

August 20, 2004

I found the following from a webwite. As the information is written nicely in easily understandable format, thought I will post it for people to read.

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Some people study the Gita in order to find loopholes and criticise the teachings contained in it. The teachings of the Gita can only be understood if you approach it with a reverential attitude of mind and with intense faith.

Recently someone wrote a criticism in the newspaper: “The Gita is not a sacred book at all. It teaches violence. Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to kill even his dear relations and preceptors”. It is clear that this critic obviously has no real knowledge or understanding of the Gita. He is like Virochana who received spiritual instructions from Prajapati and took the body as being the Self on account of his perverted intellect. He is obviously a follower of the philosophy of the flesh. He cannot comprehend the depths of the Gita philosophy as his mind is callous and impervious to the reception of its truths. He has read the Gita not to gain spiritual knowledge but to attack it.

The answer to his criticism lies in a proper understanding of the following verses: “He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks He is slain, neither of them knows. He slays not nor is He slain”—II.19; “Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. Verily by Me have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna!”—XI.33; “He who is free from the egoistic notion, whose intellect is untainted (by good or evil), though he slays these people, he slayeth not, nor is he bound (by the action)”—XVIII.17.

Just as coloured dye stands out more clearly only when the original material is pure white, so also the instructions of a sage penetrate and settle down only in the hearts of aspirants whose minds are calm, who have no desire for enjoyments and whose impurities have been destroyed. For this reason an aspirant is expected to possess the qualifications of keen discrimination, dispassion, control of the mind and senses, and aversion to worldly attractions, before he can practise the threefold Sadhana of hearing the scriptures, reflecting upon them, and meditating upon their significance. Discipline and purification of the mind and the senses are the prerequisites for aspirants on the path of God-realisation.

Even when the nature of God is explained, those who have not been purged of their faults and impurities would either disbelieve or misbelieve it, as was the case with Indra and Virochana. Therefore, knowledge as inculcated arises only in him who has purified himself by austerity, performed either in this or in a previous birth.

The Upanishads declare: “To that high-souled man whose devotion to his preceptor is as great as that to the Lord, the secrets explained here become illumined”.

Some people catch fish in the Ganges river to satisfy their palate. Then they quote the Gita in support of their evil actions: “Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not”—II.23. Wonderful philosophy indeed! Devils can also quote scriptures. These people are the followers of the Virochana school. They are evil-doing, deluded and the vilest of men. They cannot hope to understand the teachings of the Gita as their wisdom has been destroyed by illusion and they have embraced the nature of demons. May the Lord grant them a subtle and pure intellect, inner spiritual strength and right understanding to comprehend the teachings of the Gita in their proper light and live in their spirit!

Some ignorant people say: “Lord Krishna was not God. He was not an Avatara or Incarnation. He was a passionate cowherd who lustfully played with the Gopis”.

What was the age of Lord Krishna at that time? Was He not a boy of seven? Could there have been a tinge of passion in Him? Who can understand the secret of the Rasa Lila and Madhurya Bhava—the culmination of the highest state of devotion or total surrender to the Lord? It is only Narada, Sukadeva, Chaitanya, Mira, Ramananda and the Gopis who could understand the secret of the Rasa Lila. The Gopis only are qualified for this divine sport.

Did He not play miracles when He was a boy? Did He not show that He was the Avatara of Lord Hari? Did He not show His Cosmic Form to His mother when He was only a baby? Did He not subdue the serpent, Kaliya, by standing on its hood? Did He not multiply Himself as countless Krishnas for the satisfaction of the Gopis? Who were the Gopis? Were they not God-intoxicated beings who saw Krishna alone everywhere, even in themselves? The sound of the flute would throw them in a state of ecstasy or holy communion. They were above body-consciousness.

Just listen to the fate of such people who cavil and carp at the Lord: “The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, as having manifestation, knowing not My higher, immutable and most excellent form”—VII.24; “Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of all beings”; “Empty of hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings”—IX.11-12; “These cruel haters—the worst among men in the world—I hurl these evil-doers into the womb of demons only”; “Entering into demoniacal wombs and deluded birth after birth, not attaining Me, they thus fall, O Arjuna, into a condition lower than that”-XVI.19-20.

Some thoughtless people begin to entertain a doubt and say: “How could the Gita have been taught to Arjuna on the battlefield in such a short time? It could not.” This is wrong. It was all a revelation to Arjuna. The Lord gave Arjuna the divine eye of intuition. He can do anything. His Grace can make the dumb man eloquent and the cripple a climber of mountains.

Solutions to Conflicting Verses

A critic says: “In the Gita, III.33, it is said, ‘Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature; beings follow their nature; what can restraint do?’ What then is the use of our attempt at controlling the senses and the mind when our nature is so powerful and overwhelming? How can our Sadhana overcome it?”

In the very next verse, Lord Krishna distinctly advises us to control likes and dislikes. Our nature can be subdued by Sadhana. When studying the Gita you should not confine the meaning to one verse exclusively, but see its connection with the previous and succeeding verses of the same discourse as well as of all the other discourses. You have to frequently make cross references before you get the right answer.

Those who disregard the Lord’s commandment: “Renouncing all actions in Me, with the mind centred in the Self free from hope and egoism and from mental fever, do thou fight”, and who sit quiet, renouncing their own duty, will not derive any benefit by such renunciation. The power of Maya is invincible to even wise men; then how much more difficult it would be for worldly men to conquer it! For them, renunciation of work without attainment of knowledge is undesirable. They will be caught in the clutches of Maya. Of what avail is their effort to control the senses, or what can restraint do in their case? These worldly men cannot escape the clutches of likes and dislikes.

Even the residual good tendencies in the wise men work in accordance with the qualities of their nature, namely, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. The wise too are affected by the three Gunas when they are not actually in the state of Samadhi. But they have no attachment to the body and other objects of enjoyment and, therefore, are not affected mentally. They are ever serene, self-contented and self-satisfied. They do not long for objects not attained nor weep over things lost.

Another objector says: “In the Gita, XVIII.61, Lord Krishna says, ‘The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine!’ Is man then a perfect slave? Is he like a straw tossed about here and there? Has he not any free will to act?”

Krishna tries His best to persuade Arjuna to do his duty. He wants to extract work from him. So He speaks of Arjuna’s utter helplessness. In VI.5, Krishna preaches about right exertion: “Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, let him not lower himself; for this self is the friend of oneself and this self alone is the enemy of oneself”.

Being under the sway of one’s nature, the natural duties can never be forsaken. One’s duty should in no case be ignored. The Lord, the inner ruler, is the director of the individual soul. As long as one is not free from ignorance, one is bound to one’s duty. Arjuna’s duty as a Kshatriya was to fight; and Lord Krishna wanted him to do just that. The Lord has also said that “one’s own duty is good”.

Yet another critic says: “In XV.7, the Lord says: ‘An eternal portion of Myself, having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses with the mind for the sixth, abiding in Nature’. It is quite clear that the individual soul is a part of Brahman, the Absolute. How can we say that it is identical with Brahman? The doctrine of Advaita is therefore wrong”.

In VII.17, the Lord says: “Of them, the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me”. Here He speaks of identity. The doctrine of non-dualism is quite correct. Non-dualism is the highest realisation. The Lord gives instructions according to the aspirant’s qualification. Advaita philosophy can be grasped only by a microscopic few. So, He speaks of other philosophical doctrines in different places to suit different kinds of aspirants. From the absolute point of view there is neither the individual soul nor Self-realisation; Brahman alone exists. Dualism, qualified monism and pure monism are different rungs in the ladder of realisation. The truth is that the individual soul and Brahman are one in essence. All these schools eventually reach the Advaitic goal of oneness. Understand things in their proper light.

Epilogue

India is held in high esteem by the Westerners on account of the Gita. Gandhiji once visited one of the biggest libraries in London and asked the librarian which book was issued most frequently. The librarian said that it was the Gita. It is very popular throughout the world. All aspirants should try to get the whole eighteen discourses by heart. This can be achieved through daily study over a period of about one year at a rate of two verses a day.

Study of the Gita must be made compulsory in all schools and colleges of India; nay, of the whole world. It must become a textbook for students of schools and colleges. It should find a very important place in every scheme of education. Only that system of education wherein moral and spiritual training are imparted along with secular knowledge can be deemed sound, practical, sensible and perfect.

Hold the magnificent torch of faith. Float high the unique banner of peace. Wear the magnificent shield of dispassion. Put on the marvellous coat of arms of discrimination. Sing the immortal song of Soham, Shivoham, Radheshyam or Sitaram. March boldly with the band of Pranava. Blow the conch of courage. Kill the enemies of ignorance and egoism and enter the illimitable kingdom of God.

My silent adorations to Lord Ganesh, Lord Subramanya, Lord Rama, Sita Devi, Sri Saraswathi, Sri Shankara, Bhagavan Vyasa, Sri Padmapadacharya, Sri Hastamalakacharya, Sri Totakacharya, Sri Sureshvaracharya, Sri Jnana Dev, Sri Swami Visvananda, Sri Swami Vishnudevananda, and all the Brahma Vidya Gurus and commentators on the Gita, through whose Grace and blessings alone I was able to write this commentary! May their blessings be upon you all!

Glory, glory to the Gita! Glory to Lord Krishna, who placed the Gita before men of this world to attain liberation! May His blessings be upon you all! May the Gita be your centre, ideal and goal!

Blessed is the man who studies the Gita daily! Twice blessed is he who lives in the spirit of the Gita! Thrice blessed is he who has realised the knowledge of the Gita or attained Self-knowledge! Om Tat Sat! Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!

Swami Sivananda

4th July, 1942

August 20, 2004

The bible is by far the most well read book in the world; it crosses many different cultures, in many different countries and many different languages. Many people find the bible daunting to read, due to its size and what people perceive as its irrelevance to todays society. The bible though is a very interesting book, with something for everyone. No other book has death, romance, immorality, miracles, war, peace and so forth all under the same cover! The Qur’an remains the most widely read book in the world. All Muslims memorize some parts of it to recite in their ritual prayers daily. Many others devote a part of each day to reading the Qur’an, and even more so during the month of Ramadan. Further, there are still hundreds of thousands — both Arab and non-Arab — who memorize the entire Qur’an. The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. I am wonder which is true and which one will lead us to the truth?

August 20, 2004

The bible is by far the most well read book in the world; it crosses many different cultures, in many different countries and many different languages. Many people find the bible daunting to read, due to its size and what people perceive as its irrelevance to todays society. The bible though is a very interesting book, with something for everyone. No other book has death, romance, immorality, miracles, war, peace and so forth all under the same cover! The Qur’an remains the most widely read book in the world. All Muslims memorize some parts of it to recite in their ritual prayers daily. Many others devote a part of each day to reading the Qur’an, and even more so during the month of Ramadan. Further, there are still hundreds of thousands — both Arab and non-Arab — who memorize the entire Qur’an. The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. I am wondering which is true and which one will lead us to the truth?

August 20, 2004

Very nice explanation on Gita to give answers for people who raise conflicting questions.

Raghavan

August 22, 2004

Whether its bible or qaran or Baghwatgita, as long as one follows the real religious path as prescribed originally by the Prescriber (in Gita it was Supreme Personality of God Head Sree Krishna, In Bible it was His subordinate- Jesus and for Qaran it was Mohammed) without contamination of values as per convenience, all path would lead to God for sure.

Of all the three, I feel Gita is simple to understand when once we put our mind into it and read without speculation in mind.