In Praise Of The Bhagavad Gita

[emalpaiz]

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu spiritual book with a vast following in the West. Henry David Thorough (1817-1862), the American author, said of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, poet, and lecturer, said: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us."

The Bhagavad Gita or "Song of the Lord" ("Gita" means "song" and "Bhagavad" means "of the Lord") is a small portion of the longest epic poem in world literature: The Mahabharata. This vast poem is the story of a royal family of ancient India that has been divided over who is the rightful holder of the throne. At the beginning of the great war Prince Arjuna asks his charioteer -- the Supreme Lord (God) in His incarnation as Lord Krishna -- to take him between the two armies to see those whom he must fight. In both armies are found friends, teachers, and family members. Prince Arjuna, an already experienced warrior, finds it difficult to fight against his own family and friends: "We are prepared to kill our own relations out of greed for the pleasures of a kingdom" (BG 1:45). Arjuna finds this to be a great sin and refuses to fight.

At this moment Lord Krishna says. "This dispair and weakness in a time of crisis are mean and unworthy of you, Arjuna. How have you fallen into a state so far from the path to liberation? It does not become you to yield to this weakness. Arise with a brave heart and destroy the enemy" (BG 2:2 - 3).

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (or Gita for short) is -- in my understanding -- an allegorical dialogue between God (Lord Krishna) and Man (Prince Arjuna). The Gita is a book written in various levels.The war of the Mahabharata can be taken as an actual war or it can be taken as a symbolical one. My spiritual teachers taught me that the great battle is an allegorical one; it is the battle each and every one of us must face when we decide to walk the path of Spiritual Enlightenment. Lord Krishna (God) wants everyone to face this battle and come out of it victorious (enlightened). God is aware that our human nature -- because of our attachment to our physical bodies and its pleasures -- is weak, and sometimes we might want to run from the battle (the spiritual path) offering all kinds of excuses. Everyone of us is Prince Arjuna, and God is our Divine Charioteer or Spiritual Guide.

It is said that the Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence of Vedic teachings. Lord Krishna starts by affirming the immortality of life. "You were never born; you will never die. You have never changed; you can never change. Unborn, eternal, immutable, immemorial, you do not die when the body dies" (BG 2:20-21). Lord Krisha will also say that the nature of our soul (life) is divine... it is of the same essence as God: "I am the true Self (Soul/Life) in the heart of every creature, Arjuna, and the Beginning, Middle, and End of their existence" (BG 10:20).

Hinduism is famous for its many Divinities. Lord Krishna in the Gita will affirm what the Rig Veda had already said: One Truth, Many Names (see Rig Veda I:164:46). The Blessed One will say, "Those who worship other Gods with faith and devotion also worship me even if they do not observe the traditional forms. I am the Object of all worship, its Enjoyer and Lord" (BG 9:23-24). There is only one Supreme Reality that we call by different Names and worship under different Forms. The different Divinities of Hinduism are nothing but reflections of that One Supreme Being. But the Lord in the Gita says that we must understand God's "true nature" (BG 9:25) only then shall we be liberated spiritually and not subject to the process of reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a key doctrine in Hinduism. Lord Krishna says "You and I have passed through many birth, Arjuna. You have forgotten, but I remember them all" (BG 4:3). It is by searching for the Supreme Truth that we will find spiritual liberation (Moksha or Salvation). Lord Krishna defines the liberated person in the following manner: "They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego-cage of 'I, me, and mine' to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain this, and pass from death to immortality" (BG 2:72).

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita does recognize that there are many paths that lead to union with God. The Gita never insists that only by being a Hindu will you find the Supreme Truth, but It insists that the the best path is the path of LOVE: "But through unfailing devotion (love), Arjuna, you can know me, see me, and attain union with me. Whoever makes me the supreme goal of all his work and acts without selfish attachment, who devotes himself to me completely and is free fom ill will for any creature, enters into me" (BG 11:55). Our Jewish sisters and brothers have a similar teaching in their Torah: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). In Hinduism that is called Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion to the Supreme Being or Supreme Truth.

The Gita makes a sacred promise to all Mankind, God will be there whenever we have a need of God. "Whenever Dharma (spiritual truth) declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I (God) manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to re-establish dharma" (BG 4:7-8). That is called the doctrine of the Avatars or Divine Incarnations. God will appear in special beings periodically to restore the spiritual values of mankind. Not always will we recognize God's presence among us.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is short, yet in Its 18 chapters and 700 verses the essence of the Vedas is found. In Its teachings I have found a path that leads to happiness through communion with God. It was with me when I married for the first time, and during the tumultuos years of that marriage it helped me overcome great difficulties. It served with me during my years of military service helping me to overcome the obstacles that I had to face during those years. My second marriage of 33 years has been inspired by the Gita. It was the Gita that inspired me to live when I felt that there was no hope during a great crisis in my life. Today the Gita continues to be the foundation of my spiritual life and is the basis of my ministry.

I have chosen the Srimad Bhagavad Gita as my Holy Book, not because I think that it is the Word of God, for I believe -- and the Gita says -- that it was written by man (Vyasa, the Hindu Homer), an enlightened soul. I have adopted the Gita, because in It I have found something more than just a Book; I have found a companion, a loyal friend, inspiration, and a true spiritual guide. But the Gita does not deprive me of expanding my understanding of other spiritual cultures. The Gita has inspired me to study the Bible, the Qur'an, the Vedic Upanishads, the Dhammapada, and other spiritual literature of mankind.

Let us never stop searching for Supreme Truth.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

[Brother Michael Sky]

Thank You emalpaiz, I continue to find inspiration from the Hindu Spirituality...

Having taught the Vedas, the teacher says:

"Speak the truth. Do your duty. Neglect not

The scriptures. Give your best to your teacher.

Do not cut off the line of progeny. Swerve not

From the truth. Swerve not from the good.

Protect your spiritual progress always.

Give your best in learning and teaching.

Never fail in respect to the sages.

See the divine in your mother, father,

Teacher, and guest. Never do what is wrong.

Honor those who are worthy of honor.

Give with faith. Give with love. Give with joy.

If you are in doubt about the right conduct,

Follow the example of the sages,

Who know what is best for spiritual growth.

This is the instruction of the Vedas;

This is the secret; this is the message."

- Taittiriya Upanishad

[emalpaiz]

Thank you, Brother Michael Sky!

The Gita and the Vedic Upanishads sre the foundation of my spirituality. Nevertheless I do not limit myself to those sacred books of my faith. At the Moriviví Hermitage I have many of the holy texts of mankind, and they also contribute to my spiritual life.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

[panpareil]

My favorite verse is 2.19. "The one who knows this as the slayer and the one who thinks it slain are both mistaken, the embodied soul is neither slayer nor slain."

The soul is imperishable and life's suffering or joy is only part of the play.

Do not confuse the play with the player.

Do not avoid the part you must play.

There is no point in doing so.

(just my take)