OUR LEGENDS, BHAGAVAD GITA , (PREFACE-2)

OUR LEGEND, BHAGAVAD GITA, MAHABHARAT

BHAGAVAD GITA, PREFACE-2

Bhagavad Gita has been recognized as one of the world's most important spiritual classics and a guide to all on the path of truth. The Gita is the fullest expression of self-actualization and liberation which free the soul from illusion which causes suffering and rewards one with peace in this life and union with God after death. 

In terms of pure spiritual knowledge, the Bhagavad Gita is incomparable. Its intrinsic beauty is that its knowledge applies to all human beings. It is approachable from the sanctified realms of all religions and glorified as the epitome of all spiritual teachings. This is because proficiency in the Bhagavad Gita reveals the eternal principles which are fundamental and essential for spiritual life from all perspectives. It allows one to perfectly understand the esoteric truths hidden within all religious scriptures. The primary purpose of the Bhagavad Gita is to attain the love of God. 

The purpose of the Bhagavad Gita is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukshetra. Arjun surrendered unto Sri Krishna, and consequently, this Bhagavad Gita was spoken. 

It is the divine discourse spoken by the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself. It reveals the purpose and goal of human existence. Supreme Lord Krishna describes the science of self-realization and the exact process by which a human being can establish their eternal relationship with God. 

It describes the techniques of applying the science of spirituality in our lives are termed Yog. Hence the Bhagavad Gita is also called Yog Shastra, meaning the scripture that teaches the practice of Yoga. Thus all its eighteen chapters are designated as different types of Yog since they deal with methodologies for the application of spiritual knowledge to practical life. 

The Gita in the title means "the word of God or the divine song". It accepts multiple ways of life, harmonizing spiritual pursuits through action (Karma), knowledge (Gyana), and devotion (Bhakti). The Gita discusses the three dominant trends: enlightenment-based renunciation, dharma-based householder life, and devotion-based theism. It states the dharmic householder can achieve the same goals as the monk through renunciation.

One must do the right thing, states Gita, without craving for its fruits, without worrying about the results, loss, or gain. It states that: There is Living God in every human being and the devoted service to this Living God in everyone - without craving for personal rewards - is a means to spiritual development and liberation.

The subject of the Bhagavad Gita entails the comprehension of five basic truths. God, living being, nature, time, and deeds are all explained in the Gita. First of all, the science of God is explained, and then the constitutional position of the living entities, jivas. There is Ishvara, which means the controller, and there are jivas, the living entities, which are controlled. Prakriti (material nature), and time (the duration of the existence of the whole Universe), and karma (activity) are also discussed. 

The Supreme Lord is the driver, under whose direction everything is working. Living entities have been accepted by the Lord's His parts and parcels. We are not the supreme controller. 

The Living Entities and Material Nature(Prakriti) are both controlled by the Supreme Lord. Material nature is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness (Satoguna), the mode of passion (Rajoguna), and the mode of ignorance (Tamoguna). The manifestation of the world (material nature or Prakriti) is real but temporary. The Lord, the living entity, material nature, and time are all interrelated and are all eternal.

The Parmatma, Ishvara, is living in everyone's heart. He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do. As the soul, the living entity thus suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, insanity, and understand what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, Karma is not eternal.

                        

OUR LEGEND, BHAGAVAD GITA, MAHABHARAT

When the Lord descends into the material Universe, He is not materially contaminated. Our consciousness is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that we have to purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actions will be dovetailed to the will of the Ishvara and that will make us happy. It is not that we have to cease all activities. Rather, our activities are to be purified and purified activities are called Bhakti. Thus the devotee of the Lord is not contaminated by impure consciousness or matter. They are transcendental to the three modes of nature.

                               

All the instructions of Bhagavad Gita are intended to awaken this pure consciousness. Purified consciousness means acting in accordance with the instruction of the Lord. This is the entire sum and substance of purified consciousness.

Consciousness is already there because we are part and parcel of the Lord, but for us, there is the affinity of being affected by the inferior modes. But the Lord, being the supreme, is never affected. That is the difference between the supreme Lord and the small individual souls. In contaminated consciousness, every living being thinks that he is the Lord and creator of the material world but actually the Supreme Lord is both the creator and the enjoyer, and the living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is neither the creator nor the enjoyer but cooperator. 

The complete whole is comprised of the supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic manifestation, eternal time and karma, or activities, and all of these completely form the complete whole, and the complete whole is called the Supreme Absolute Truth. The complete whole and the complete Absolute Truth are the complete Personalities of Godhead, Shri Krishna. All manifestations are due to His different energies.

Govinda, Krishna, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Realization of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is a realization of all the transcendental features: sat-chit-ananda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss) incomplete vigraha (form.)

The complete whole, the Personality of Godhead, has immense potencies. How Krishna is acting in different potencies is also explained in Bhagavad Gita. There is a complete facility for the living entities to realize the complete, and all sorts of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the complete. So Bhagavad Gita contains the complete knowledge of Vedic Wisdom.      

Vedic knowledge is complete because it's above all doubts and mistakes, and Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The Gita should be taken as the most perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is received from transcendental sources, and the first words were spoken by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord are called Apauruseya, meaning that they are different from words spoken by a person of the mundane world who is infected with four defects. A mundaner(1) is sure to commit mistakes,(2) is invariably illusioned,(3) has the tendency to cheat others, and (4) is limited by imperfect senses.           

Vedic knowledge is not imparted by such defective living entities. It was imparted unto the heart of Brahma, the first created living being, and Brahma disseminated this knowledge to his sons and disciples, as he originally received it from the Lord. 

                                

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES 

Read Also:

• OUR LEGENDS, BHAGAVAD GITA, (PREFACE-3), in English                                                                                   
• HUMARE MAHAPURUSH, BHAGAVAD GITA, (POORV-3), in Hindi