The Messenger Of God
Gita is the Messenger of God.
Gita is the Universal Mother.
Gita is the means for man to cross the
ocean of life.
Gita is the support for all spiritual seekers.
Embodiments of Love!
Bhagavad Gita deals with the basic facts of the gross material world and
the subtle
spiritual world; human society and the human mind. Gita is a mirror of
the mind of the total, integral and universal man. It elevates man from the
intellectual to
the spiritual love and illumines his pathway to the Paramatma. It
elucidates the secret of total selfsurrender. It is an aid to the integral and
total
transformation of man. It is an epitome of the spiritual verities
revealed by Krishna.
with the external world of sensations that he has become
oblivious of his own divinity and his natural identity
with Godhead.
Men are immersed in the sea of cosmic Truthconsciousness-
bliss, but they have not realised it. Sathchith- ananda is everywhere,
both within and without us, but it continually eludes and tantalises us. We are
like men wading through a river but incapable of quenching our thirst. We need
not search for Divinity in the external world. We have to realise it within our
own selves. The divine effulgence of Sath-chith-ananda is concealed by
the perverted nature of the human mind.
The sun is really impartial. The entire world is bathed in sunlight. The
sun sheds its light equally on all objects, men and animals, beasts and birds,
and forests. But the image of the sun is not reflected in mountains and
valleys. A clear mirror reflects the rays of the sun. We can see the sun’s
image reflected by the calm surface of clear water. Likewise, the sacred vision
of Paramatma is revealed to an unperturbed and tranquil mind in which all
thought waves have been calmed. A
pure and holy heart will mirror the divine glory of Paramatma.
A man with a wavering mind can never experience the Divinity of nature.
All creatures in the world are manifestations of the Divine. Krishna has
vividly demonstrated the Divinity of creation in the vibhuthi yoga.
To appreciate the significance of sculpture, one must possess aesthetic
sense. He must also possess some basic knowledge of its technique. You may
provide
yourself with a stone, a chisel and a hammer; but, you cannot carve an
idol without acquiring an artistic temperament and the requisite technical
skill. Similarly, a total and comprehensive cosmic awareness is the foundation
for perceiving the Universal Reality.
The Bhagavad Gita expounds the secret of creation and the essence of
Divinity. It explains the theory and practice of all spiritual knowledge based
on individual experience. We must try and understand its true significance and
practical relevance to human destiny. The sun is the source of light on the
earth.
Without the sun the entire world will be plunged in darkness. Similarly,
Lord Krishna is the source of intellectual illumination and spiritual
enlightenment.
It is obvious that we cannot experience the pure effulgence of
Sath-chith-ananda or Truthconsciousness- bliss without Divine Grace. Human
effort alone is not enough to attain spiritual beatitude. The divine
annunciations of the Gita enable man to transcend the barriers of the world and
acquire divine power and spiritual energy. All creatures are equally exposed to
the celestial radiance of Sath-chith-ananda. But in apprehending this
Truth-consciousness-bliss, men follow different paths. Sath-chith-ananda is not
found in the external world. However, man is so preoccupied
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“Among the Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya. Among the mountains, I am the
Himalayas. Among the rivers, I am the Ganges. I am the lion among all beasts,
the cow Kama Dhenu among the herbivorous animals and the cobra among the
snakes.” In the hierarchy of creation,
Paramatma is the essence and the source of all attributes and
excellences. Nevertheless, Paramatma is both transcendental and immanent. God
manifests Himself wherever purity of thought and unwavering devotion
coexist in a human being.
There were many noble souls at that time. There was Dharmaraja, the
personification of all dharma and virtues. There was Bhishma, a tenacious
warrior and a venerable, all-knowing scholar. There was Bhima, the powerhouse
of physical strength, wielding his mighty club. Does it mean that Bhishma,
Dharmaraja and Bheema were not worthy of being the direct disciples
of Krishna? What is that special merit which Arjuna possessed and the
others did not?
Young men of modern times should ponder over this somewhat invidious
distinction made by Krishna. They must recognise the subtlety and
sanctity of the Divine Force that sways the universe. Did not Dharmaraja, who
had never deviated
from the path of dharma even under the most painful circumstances,
deserve the Lord’s Special Grace?
Arjuna knew that he was morally inferior to his brother Dharmaraja and
wished to know in what way he was more deserving. He questioned Krishna, his
guide, guru,
and friend. Krishna gave an appropriate answer, “Bhishma knows that
justice is on the side of the Pandavas and has even made a public proclamation
of this. But, he is leading the Kaurava army. This means that his deeds
do not correspond to his thoughts and words. Harmony among thought, word
and deed is the greatest virtue, and its absence is hypocrisy and
wickedness.“Dharmaraja is subject to the common human failing of repentance
rather than prior consideration.
Though a noble soul, he lacks foresight and is guilty of remorse for his
past mistakes. On the other hand, Bhima, who has tremendous physical prowess
and is dextrous with his mighty club, unfortunately has a deficiency in
intellectual strength, the greatest strength of all. A man without the
power of discrimination cannot absorb this subtle teaching.”
Here, we must distinguish purvatapa from paschattapa. Paschattapa is
futile regret for the past. Purvatapa is wise concern for the future. Purvatapa
is an indispensable aid to the spiritual aspirant while paschattapa is
absolutely useless. The power of
discrimination is definitely more valuable than bookish knowledge, wealth
and physical strength. The harmony between thoughts, words and deeds is the
first step in spiritual growth. Lack of correlation between ideas, utterances
and actions leads to selfdeception, hypocrisy, and spiritual bankruptcy. The
proper
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study of mankind is man. The generation, expressionand efflorescence of
humanitarianism depends on theproper integration of thought, speech and action.
In other words, the rapport between mental and physical activities is an
essential ingredient of spiritual training. Arjuna exemplifies the harmonious
blending of
thoughts, words and deeds—a quality absent in
Bhishma.
In the midst of the din and roar of the battlefield,the clash of arms and
the clamour of falling warriors, Arjuna maintains his physical composure and
mental
equanimity. He does not, for a single moment, lose hisone-pointed
alertness and mental agility. Krishna exhorts Arjuna to maintain his onepointed
poise, with implicit faith and self-confidence. Arjuna listens to the
divine declaration of the Great Integral Incarnation. He surrenders himself
absolutely
to the Lord. Arjuna becomes a saranagata (absolute selfsurrender)
and prostrates himself at the Feet of Krishna. Arjuna is superior to
Dharmaraja, whose mind is always agitated by regrets for the past. Unlike his
brother
Dharmaraja, Arjuna is concerned with the future. In comparison to the
mighty Bhima, Arjuna possesses a sharp intellect capable of grasping spiritual
profundities.This is the justification for Arjuna being the chosen
recipient of the Bhagavad Gita.
Arjuna’s name has great spiritual significance.Arjuna is one who has a
pure heart. Krishna used to address him as Partha also. Partha means “the son
of
Prithvi.” There is no use of merely memorising the seven hundred slokas
(verses) of the Bhagavad Gita. We must try and become Arjunas and Parthas.
Krishna is Purushothama, the greatest being. We can offer our faults and
foibles, and sins and sorrows at Krishna’s Feet and enjoy the highest treasure
of pure,
unalloyed bliss. We must enshrine the teachings of Krishna in our hearts
and practise these precepts in our daily lives. The slokas of the Bhagavad Gita
will banish the soka (sorrow) in our hearts and give us abiding peace and joy.
