Maharishi didn't just sort of send Vernon Katz off on his own to write the commentary from scratch. According to Katz, it was an extremely close day-to-day collaboration, with Maharishi supplying the thoughts and he and Katz deciding together how to put them into words on the page. That's not to minimize Katz's contribution, which was substantial, but it's incorrect to suggest he wrote the commentary by himself.
Also, it isn't established fact that Maharishi "distorted" the Gita. Every translation/commentary reflects the consciousness, knowledge, and understanding of the translator/commentator. There's no one definitive overall meaning that one can determine from the various versions, or even find in the original Sanskrit. Maharishi may well have tweaked his version here and there to bring out more strongly and clearly what he wanted to teach about TM, but whether that constitutes "distortion" is a matter of opinion. For all we know, he may have brought out what others had missed or misinterpreted. Anyone who reads versions of the Gita other than the Marshy version will know that Marshy distorted a good deal of it to funnel people's awareness to believe that it was all about TM. That's not what the Gita says. And marshy didn't write his commentary - he had a TM'er write it for him, Vernon Katz I think it was. -------------------------------------------- On Tue, 2/25/14, nablusoss1008 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Transcendental Meditation: Remembering the legacy To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 10:55 AM His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi referred to the Bhagavad Gita as "the pocketbook edition of the Vedas". It contains all the wisdom necessary to take us from ignorance to enlightenment. The Gita's most important verse, Maharishi says, is verse 45 of chapter II. Here Krishna instructs Arjuna: 'Nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna' . Be without the three gunas , O Arjuna. Take your mind from the field of excitation and chaos, to the state of inner Unity, perfect orderliness. In his commentary on this verse, Maharishi says, "It is difficult for a man to improve his business affairs while he himself is constantly immersed in all their details. If he leaves them for a little while, he becomes able to see the business as a whole and can then more easily decide what is needed". Similarly, transcending all mental activity results in great clarity, peace, and broadened awareness, which naturally put life in its proper perspective. "Water the root, to enjoy the fruit" , sums up Maharishi. Just as a strong foundation is necessary for a sturdy structure, so inner silence is the basis of successful activity. By enlivening the "root" of the mind, the "vacuum state" of consciousness, all aspects of life get nourished. Maharishi had the key for this: Transcendental Meditation (TM), a technique of effortless transcending. To understand what TM is, we need only analyse its name. "Transcend" means to go beyond; "meditation" refers to thinking. During TM, the mind goes from the surface, hectic level of thinking, to more quiet, less excited states, until one transcends thought altogether, arriving at the silent oasis of the mind. This is the state of anandam - pure consciousness - where the mind is completely calm and fully awake. For centuries scholars have said that it is very difficult to transcend thought and gain the state of perfect inner peace. Maharishi knew otherwise. Transcending is easy because the mind experiences increasing degrees of happiness at every step of the way. No effort is required. Any force or control actually prevents the mind from transcending. This technique of effortless transcending is validated by verse 40 of chapter 2: "In this (Yoga) no effort is lost and no obstacle exists. Even a little of this dharma delivers from great fear". Maharishi commented, "The flow of the mind towards this state is natural, for it is a state of absolute bliss, and the mind is always craving for greater happiness. Therefore, as water flows down a slope in a natural way, so the mind flows naturally in the direction of bliss". By alternating between dipping a white cloth in yellow dye, and then hanging it in the sun, eventually it becomes colourfast. Similarly, the regular alternation of TM and daily activity results in a state where pure consciousness becomes permanent. Then one enjoys inner silence even while engaged in dynamic activity. Besides the personal experience of over 60 lakh people in 140 countries practising TM, nearly 700 scientific research studies validate its effectiveness (e.g. increased alertness and focus, 87 per cent reduction in heart disease, improved memory, reduced stress). Maharishi's legacy to mankind is a remarkably simple, natural procedure, which nourishes all aspects of life: mental, physical and spiritual. He said, "Life is here to enjoy and no one has the right to suffer". For over 50 years, Maharishi endeavoured to make the world aware of this. http:// spirituality.indiatimes.com
