Bhagavad - Gita As It Is
(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
The Paramatma (Supreme Soul) or God is not bound by time and space. The great Rishis (Saints and Scholars) of India have profoundly described the knowledge, the form, and the human birth of this boundless Supreme Soul in the vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. Veda vyasa created the greatest of greatest epic Mahabharata. This epic which is also called Pancham Veda (the fifth Veda) contains various teachings. Shrimad Bhagvad Gita is the epitome of all such teachings. It is the gem of the complete Mahabharata. There are eighteen chapters containing a total of eight hundred shlokas in Shrimad Bhagvad Gita. Gita is the conversation between Prince Arjuna, charged with leading an army into battle, and the Lord Krishna, who acts as his charioteer and counselor. As Arjuna struggles with an overwhelming dilemma, he asks questions of Krishna, who answers but does not tell him what to do. Arjuna has to work it out for himself. The setting of the Gita is a field on which two armies face each other, waiting for battle to begin. The battle scene symbolizes our inner conflict when faced with a difficult choice. Arjuna leads the army of the Pandavas, who are skilled in battle, compassionate and just. They face the armies of their jealous and selfish cousins, the Kauravas, who have tried repeatedly to wrest the throne from them The Kauravas' armies are huge because, given the choice between Krishna's counsel and his vast army, they chose his army. The Pandavas chose his counsel. Krishna and Arjuna engage in a dialogue throughout the - Gita as Arjuna struggles between his duty as a leader and his abhorrence of doing violence to his cousins When Arjuna saw his friends and relatives in the battlefield for the great battle of the Mahabharata, he felt dejected thinking that he will have to fight with his loved ones and they might be killed in the battlefield. His heart was filled with so much agony that he left his bow and arrow on the ground and sat in the chariot. When Shri Krishna observed that Arjuna is refusing to fight because of materialistic attraction towards his dear ones, he advised Arjuna to leave aside the weakness of the heart and to get ready to fight in the battlefield. He reminded Arjuna of his duties which he was forgetting because of his ignorance. Oh Arjuna! There does not exist any object other than me. The whole world is tied inside me, like the pearls in the string of a necklace. Those who are entangled in the material world do not know of this true form of mine. But the person who surrenders himself to me completely and remembers me regularly is able to reach the stage which is beyond birth and death. Even though the solution is so simple, but all those whose mind has been misguided by the spell of materialistic pleasures, have devilish tendencies, and are indulged in corruption and petty acts foolishly, do not meditate on me. Here the three qualities of nature: Satva (lucidity, balance of mind or wisdom), Rajas (passion, activity or restlessness) and Tamas (inertia or dullness) have been described. At any time the behavior of a person is determined by the degree of influence of any of these qualities on him. At times a man appears to be noble, and at other times he appears to be selfish or mean. His attitude and appearance is determined by the quality of nature which is influencing his thoughts at that particular time. Verily, the Soul which is the foundation of all these qualities remains unchanged, stationary, and un-deformed. But man assumes himself to be like his appearance because he identifies himself with his body and mind, and is influenced by the triad of nature. If one wants to realize the imperishable form and wants to acquire he knowledge of soul, then lucidity should be increased. Lucidity increases ina truthful environment, by eating easily digestible pure and light food, and by being in the company of lucid friends. Lucidity leads to the birth of ultimate knowledge. Bhagwat Gita, which is of eternal value, with thousands of versions written worldwide in almost all the languages has profound meaning to the present modern world.
Resumos Relacionados
- Bhagvat Gita- Chapter 1 Arjunavishadyoga
- Yoga Of Strategy
- Bhagvat Gita - The Essense Of Vedas
- Bhgavad Gita As It Is
- Bhagwad Geetha
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