Bhagavad Gita
The speeches of Sri Krishna which prepared Arjuna to fight against his cousins and ultimately vanquish them has been called Bhagavad Gita.
The literal meaning of ‘Bhagavad Gita? is ‘the praise of God.? This book has raised Sri Krishna in the estimate of the people to an Avtar of Vishnu.
Sri Krishna’s versatile personality, his philosophical ideas, his metaphysical approach to the human problems, his extraordinary emphasis on one’s duty regardless of consequences and rewards and ultimately his charming personality have made him dear to the hearts of all who read him and come in close contact with his sacred teachings.
Background: The Krishna was on the side of the Pandavas when the famous battle of Mahabharata was being staged on the historical battle-field of Kurukshetra. Overwhelmed by his love for his relations on the side of Kaurvas, Arjuna refused to take up his arms against them. Sri Krishna stepped in as a moral teacher and gave a very impressive speech which persuaded Arjuna to fight against Kaurvas and to fight to the finish.
Teachings: This Speech has been recorded as a holy word from the Avtar of Vishnu and even today it is being recited in almost all the houses of the country with great devotion. The main schemes of the teachings of Sri Krishna are:
Knowledge,
Action and
Devotion to God.
What we learn from Bhagavad Gita?
Men are exhorted to fight for truth, righteousness and against evil and they should not care for personalities for this devotional duty.
Every pious act is to be done for the sake of piety and for pleasing the overlord and there should not be any expectation of any return from any corner including the creator.
The Yoga has also been preached in this book but here it does not mean a physical exercise that ultimately leads to absorption of the human spirit with the Atman, the universal spirit that hovers over the hearts and minds of all the creation. This absorption of the human spirit with the universal spirit has been the main teaching of Sri Krishna.
This high stage of spiritual attainment cannot be obtained unless a man loves all creation including the animate and the inanimate objects. The real knowledge that one has to seek is not the worldly knowledge for wealth and prosperity in this world but the real spiritual knowledge that teaches one to walk on the path that ultimately leads to Atman, the higher spirit with whom one has to mingle up his spirit and in whom one has to lose his identity.
In short, man has been exhorted in this Holy Scripture to lose himself, his person and his spirit and to get it mixed up with the Greater Spirit. This would be the ultimate end of a man’s highest achievement.
High philosophical and metaphysical as the subject matter of the book is, it is very practical in teaching people to practice Dharma in their daily life. This book is really the great testament of the millions of people of India.
