Bhagvad Geeta :- The Supreme Gospel (Geeta Jayanti Special)

"The Bhagavad-Gita is the best commentary we have on the Vedanta philosophy— curiously enough the scene is laid on the battlefield, where Krishna teaches this philosophy to Arjuna, and the doctrine which stands out luminously in every page of the Gita is intense activity, but in the midst of it, eternal calmness. This is the secret of work, to attain which is the goal of the Vedanta.", says Swami Vivekananda on Bhagvad Geeta.

Bhagvad Geeta needs no introduction. Still, to give a proper context about the grandeur of this marvellous book, know that Geeta is considered to be the summary of all the Upanishads. In the glorious Vedantic heritage of India, where Vedas form the structure of its philosophical castle, Upanishads are its base and the Bhagvad Geeta is its Crown Jewel. Bhagvad Geeta is the cherry in the cake of Hindu Philosophy, still being completely free from any religious limitations that it is a one-stop solution for the thirsty seekers of all castes, creeds and religions.

The set of basic striptures that every Sanyassin of the Vedanta tradition ought to study and every spiritual seeker must read is famously called "Prasthaanatrayi"  in the Hindu tradition. The Prasthaanatrayi study includes the study of three things :- Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and the Bhagvad Geeta.

Describing the uniqueness of Bhagvad Geeta and Shri Krishna, as its preacher, we've already made a blog called Let us worship the brilliant Krishna of Geeta :- Janmashtami Special . Do not miss that blog as this blog is kind-of a continuation of that blog.

Till now we do have developed a clear picture about what exactly Bhagvad Geeta is. Let us now go through its contents in brief.

I've read Bhagvad Geeta from three stances. First one was from a book called "The Corporate of Bhagvad Geeta" by Prasun Kundu. There I read the ethical, moral side of Bhagvad Geeta, sort of a productivity booster view in the practical, corporate world. The second stance from which I've read Geeta was from a book called Bhagvad Geeta for kids. You would imagine that maybe that book will be full of fairy-tale stories and so on, but believe me, that book was nothing of that sort. It was very very deep and philosophical. The third stance from which I've read Bhagvad Geeta is through the book Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. This was my most intimate encounter with the sublime ideas of the Geeta. In Complete Works, we see Vivekananda quoting Geeta every now and then to explain his complex Vedantic ideas in a simplified way. Apart from these books, ofcourse I have a general idea of Mahabharata and the teachings of Bhagvad Geeta via videos etc. I've also watched numerious lectures of monks on Bhagvad Geeta and its essence.

From whatever I've known reading and researching all this, I say that Bhagvad Geeta, for me, is indeed a true life manual. Not only that, I go further saying that Bhagvad Geeta perfectly explains all the plains of Vedanta. Bhagvad Geeta is that text which is a thread to the scattered philosophies of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Samkhya Philosophy of Kapila Muni, all the ritualistic portion of Vedas such as doing Yajnas, Havans etc. Moreover, it says that the path of Bhakti is as true as that of Karma. The path of Yogic Practices is as true as that of sciences and knowledge (Jnana). By using one, two or all of these methods, one can attain the supreme knowledge and eternal peace and stability. Now you ask, "But what is all this Samkhya of Kapila, Jnana, Karma and all that? What practical here? All this is just a philosophy which sounds very good to hear, but is useless!" To that I say, my friend, if you cannot read anything about the Geeta, just read Swami Vivekananda's views on Bhagvad Geeta.

To end this blog, we will know the views of Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa on Bhagvad Geeta.

He says, "WHAT is the significance of the Gita?"

"What you get by repeating the word ‘Gita’ ten times is the essence of the book. It is then reversed into ‘tagi’, which means a person who has renounced everything for God."

"Whether a man is a monk or a householder, he has to shake off all attachments from his mind. He alone has understood the secret of the Gita who has renounced his attachment to ‘woman and gold’ and has directed his entire love to God.

You see, there is no need to read too much of the scriptures. If you read too much you will be inclined to reason and argue. It isn’t necessary to read the whole of the Gita. The purpose of reading the book is served if one practices renunciation.

The Gita is the essence of all scriptures. A Sannyasi may or may not keep with him another book, but he always carries a pocket Gita."

(Culled from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)

Thus, dear friends, let us all read and apply Geeta and attain enlightenment. 

Thanks,

Daksh Parekh.