What the Bhagvad Gita says?

//Introduction

The Bhagavad Gita is said to be a metaphor for immortal dialogue between human self and god.

A part of Mahabharat, the Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses with 18 chapters. It is a dialogue between Pandav Arjun and Shri Krishna- an Avatar of Vishnu- on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

It is set in the Dwapar Yug, the third of the four yugs in Hindu Cosmology.

//What is a Yug?

A yug is used to indicate an age of time. Four yugs make a cycle and one thousand cycles make a kalpa which is also known as Brahma’s one day. It describes the cycle of creation and destruction.

A cycle lasts for about 4,320,000 years and with each yug, the length and humanity’s general moral and physical state decreases by one-fourth.

The four yugs are Satya (Krita), Treta, Dvapara and Kali. It is believed that in the Satya yug, good and evil reside on different planes (lok), in the Treta yug, good and evil reside on the same land, in the Dwapar Yug, good and evil reside in the same family, and the Kali Yug, good and evil reside within the same person.

The starting point of Kali Yug is an extremely rare planetary alignment. Kali Yug, which lasted for 432,000 years- started in 3102 BCE. Near the end of the Yuga, when virtues are at their worst, Kalki is said to be born to usher in the next cycle to re-establish dharma. Kalki is the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

In times when humanity is at its worst, we can only turn to trusted and comforting sources that have been believed by us generation through generation.

The values in Bhagavad Gita are one such source of comfort and discipline. It covers a broad range of topics, moral and ethical dilemmas, and philosophical issues that go well beyond the war and the struggles of human life.

The war between the Pandavas and Kauravas commences due to the struggle for the throne of Hastinapura. The battle produces complex conflicts of kinship and friendship, instances of family loyalty and taking precedence over what is right, as well as converse.

Lord Krishna who, while himself has not participated in the war, has given his army to Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurava brother, and has become the charioteer of Arjun, the Pandava brother at their behest.

On the battlefield, Arjun becomes preoccupied with a moral dilemma about the war against his kin and the violence and death that will follow. Here we witness, Lord Krishna giving a sermon to a crestfallen Arjun who has given up his weapons and sitting with his head lowered.

This is the ‘Bhagvad Gita’. It holds a unique pan-Hindu influence.

The Gita says that there is no one right path in life and accepts multiple ways with an emphasis on devotion. It shows how one can harmonize spiritual pursuits through action (karma), knowledge (jnana), and devotion (bhakti).

It encourages us to have a ‘both-and’ view instead of an ‘either-or’ view.

//Here are some teachings that resonated with me.

In chapter one, Arjun faces a moral dilemma seeing his relatives, teachers, and family on the other side of the battlefield is overcome with emotions on being supposed to be fighting against them. He wonders if it is morally proper to kill and if one should fight and why.

Lord Krishna, to this confoundment of Arjun, replies that he is grieving for something that is neither dead nor living. Something that will cease to exist in the future. The soul is indestructible. It is similar to how one puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old ones.

In chapter 2, verse 14 it is said- "O son of Kunti, the non-permanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharat, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."

Shri Krishna says that a man who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is calm in both is eligible for liberation or Moksha- moksha is the freedom from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.

Arjun ponders whether the ‘war is “not so important” after all’. Shri Krishna to this says that one must do their duty for action is better than inaction.

In Chapter 3, Verses 4 and 5 it is said "Not merely abstaining from work can one achieve freedom from reaction, nor by renunciation alone can one attain perfection./ All men are forced to act helplessly according to the impulses born of the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment."

Results are not motivation, those who act without a craving for fruits are free from karmic effects.

The Gita says that no matter whether one follows the path of sannyasa(monks who renounced worldly attachment) or the life of grihastha (householder), the people who are self-aware reach self-realization and live without fear, anger, or desire.

The personality of someone who has renounced fruits is impartial to friends and enemies, beyond good and evil, who have reached the summit of consciousness. They harbor no malice towards anyone and are selfless.

Evil is said to be the consequence of ignorance and attachment to the impermanent or Maya- Maya is illusion or magic, where things appear to be present but are not what they seem. Maya is difficult to overcome, one can achieve moksha by doing so.

A part of the verse was said by J. Robert Oppenheimer in a television documentary about the atomic bomb in 1965.

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Verse 32-

The Blessed Lord said: "Time I am, destroyer of the worlds, and I have come to engage all people. Except you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain."

Shri Krishna says that he loves those who have compassion for all living beings, are content, lead a detached lifestyle- are impartial and selfless, unaffected by pleasure or pain nor are depressed by criticism. He explains the difference between ahamkara (ego) and atman (self).

In one of the translations, the Gita is depicted as “redefining the battlefield as the human body, the material realm in which one struggles to know oneself”- human dilemmas are presented as a ‘symbolic field of interior warfare’

Franklin Edgerton says that “through God, the Gita seems after all to arrive at an ultimate monism: the essential part, the fundamental element in everything is after all one- is God."

Teaching 'karma-phala-tyaga' (renunciation of the fruits of actions), emphasizing renunciation of attachment to the outcomes of action, and performing duties with selflessness and devotion, the Gita comes to an end.

//Favourite Verses

• Chapter 2- Verse 47

One has the right to perform their expected duty, but not the right to the fruits of action, one should not consider oneself as the doer of the action, Nor should one attach oneself to inaction.

• Chapter 6- Verse 5

One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.

• Chapter 12- Verse 13/ 14

One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with me- he is very dear to me.

• Chapter 14- Verse 13

O son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, madness, illusion, inertia, and darkness are manifested.

//Conclusion

Following the Bhagavad Gita can provide profound guidance and wisdom for leading a balanced and fulfilling life. It offers practical insights into handling life's challenges, managing stress, and maintaining inner peace. By teaching the importance of duty, selflessness, and devotion, the Gita helps individuals cultivate a sense of purpose and moral clarity. Its emphasis on self-realization and understanding one's true nature encourages personal growth and spiritual development.

Additionally, Gita's holistic approach to integrating knowledge, action, and devotion can help individuals achieve harmony in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.