Meditations On The Srimad Bhagavad Gita


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I do not know if I will continue to write meditations on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. As I said at the begining, It is a spiritual friend. I have been reading the Gita for over fifty years, It served with me in the U.S. Navy, It has been with me during my law enforcement career. It has always inspired me to live in a more or less interesting way. But I must insist that the Bhagavad Gita was written by a human being.

It is said that the author of the Gita is a man named Vyasa Deva or Veda Vyasa or Krishna Dvaipayana. It is not clear if Vyasa was one person or a series of persons. Nevertheless, He is attributed with having compiled the Four Vedas and having written the Mahabharata and, of course, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. True or false? I do not know, but the annual Hindu celebration of the Guru Purnima is a celebration dedicated to Vyasa Deva. He is the Adi Guru of all followers of the Sanatana Veda Dharma.

Almost at the end of the Gita, Sri Bhagavan Krishna (God) says something to Arjuna (Mankind) which is the foundation of all theistic religions:

Sri Bhagava Krishna says:

"Give your mind to Me,

be devoted to Me,

worhip Me and bow to Me.

Doing so you will come to Me alone,

I promise you; for you are exceptionally

dear to Me. Resignin all you duties to Me,

the All-Powerful and All-Supporting Lord,

take refuge in Me alone,

I shall absolve you of all your sins, worry not"

(Srimad Bhagavad Gita 18:65-66).

In the end, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, like the Bible, the Qur'an, the Avesta, and all the Sacred Books of Mankind, is a book about faith, and the love of God. But let us never forget, it is a book written by a humman being.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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Today I woke up thinking: "What if someone asked me to say briefly what is the true meaning of the Simad Bhagavad Gita? What would I say? I thought about it for a while, and it came to me.

Love God and abandon selfishness.

That is the essence of the 18 chapters and 700 verses of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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I do not know if I will continue to write meditations on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

I hope you will, I really only have a superficial understanding of Hinduism and I've found several of them resonating deeply. I don't expect absolute interpretations that define the one and only true path to enlightenment, but I really appreciate your insight. One of the reasons I enjoy this forum so much is the opportunity to be exposed to different teachings without being condemned for associating with the "wrong" God(s). :)

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I will continue to write the Meditations. Remember they are meditations not interpretations. But once and a while it is necessary to explain some issue about the Sanatana Veda Dharma (a.k.a. Hinduism). One of the things that I like about the Gita is that in the text God does not claim to have a chosen people, and God is not necessarily speaking to the Hindus. That is why today many modern "esoteric" groups use the Bhagavad Gita as a special text.

When the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upanishads were written the idea of a "Hindu religion" did not exist. The Vedas were poems similar to the Psalms of the Bible. The Vedas were passed down from father to son or from teacher to disciple. The Vedas would eventually become the foundation of the fire rituals of the Hindus. Hinduism as we know it today has moved away from the Vedas, the Vedic Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. I have encountered many Hindus who have never read any of those texts. What is interesting is that the great Hindu Renaissance has had a very profound influence in the West. Ever since Swami Vivekananda discovered America in 1893, many Hindu teachers have come to the West and established spiritual missions. Some of those teachers have been very sincere others have been charlatans.

I shall continue with these meditations, and I will also include translations from the Vedic Upanishads.

Many blessings to all!

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) was one of the most outstanding sages of the Sanatana Veda Dharma of India during the Twentieth Century. He reached the highest state of spiritual enlightenment that can be reached by a human being: Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Unlike many Sadhus (spiritual persons) of His time, He did not create a spiritual institution, and He taught everyone who approached Him freely. His teachings were simple: He basically taught to concentrate on the question "Who am I?" He had a profound influence both in the East and in the West.

He was asked by one of His students: "Should we read the Gita once in a while?" Maharshi answered, "Always!" Again He was asked, "May we read the Bible?" The Sage answered, "The Bible and the Gita are the same." (This conversation is found in the book "Talks with Ramana Maharshi" ISBN: 1-878019-00-7.)

Both the Bible and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita are spiritual instruments that when used wisely lead us to an understanding of our True Nature. In the Bible, the Psalmist asks God: "What is man that You have been mindful of him, mortal man that You have taken note of him, that you have made him little less than divine, and adorned him with glory and majesty..." (Psalm 8:5-6). This is a question that has been asked for ages by people of different cultures and religions. When visiting the temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece, people would find an inscription that said: "Gnothi sauton" (Know thyself!).

It is said that the ancient Rishis (Vedic Sages) also asked the question, concentrated deeply on the question, and discovered the following: "The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all. The Lord is the Supreme Reality" (Isha Upanishad, verse 1). The author of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita insists that God (Sri Krishna) is "the Atman (Universal Self) seated in the heart of all beings" (Gita 10:20; 18:61).

But all the enlightened Sages of India, and all the Buddhas, insist that to know that Truth intellectually is not enough. Every generation must discover the Truth by themselves. Intellectual knowledge is not spiritual enlightenment. Both the Bible and the Gita insist that we ask the question and find the answer for ourselves.

May we all find enlightenment here and now.

Hermano Luis

Moriviví Hermitage

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Sri Bhagavan Krishna says: "He who enjoys the gifts bestowed by the Gods, without making the proper offerings of gratitude, in undoubtedly a thief" (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3:12).

Change the words "Gods" to "God" or to "Heaven" and it has the same effect. One should be grateful for everything that one receives in life even if one is an Atheist. It matters not. Being thankful is a great blessing even if it is not offered to anyone.

Today I was at a special Satsanga (spiritual meeting) by visiting monks of my Sampradaya (spiritual tradition). After the meeting, the members of the temple had a social gathering with a meal and refreshments. I remembered the above words of Krishna (God), and went up to the ladies and said:

"Even though the Gita always tells us not to be concerned about the results of our labor, it also tells us to be grateful. Thank you for all you have done for everyone."

They had worked selflessly for three days, some of them even missed the Satsanga. I know that their main concern was that everyone enjoyed the blessings of the Santsang. And we did. But the selfless effort of the ladies was an even greater blessing, for they were perfect examples of a teaching of the Gita: "You have the right to act, but not to the fruit of action" (Gita 2:47). Remember, that is an esoteric teaching of the Gita which means: The fruit of all actions, is the action itself.

Nature is a selfless worker. We should imitate Her actions.

Hermano Luis

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