Book Review
Srimad Bhagwad Gita: Ved Vyas
Original text appears in the epic Mahabharat: Bhishma Parva
Chapters: 18
Verses: 700
Language: Sanskrit
Gita is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjun, at the onset of battle at Kurukshetra. The act of a sheperd, a teacher to bring his sheep, his student on the right track.
The most powerful component in any battle, or day to day life, is not the resources or weapons that one may have. It is the mind, which holds the reigns, and makes all the difference between success and failure, happiness and unhappiness. It is the mental programming that counts. Arjun's OS (Operating System) had crashed in depression and tension. The ace programmer Krishna came to his rescue, and revamped the system.
When Arjun asked why he should incur the sin of killing his family and friends, Krishna explained the position of the soul or Atma and the importance of Karma, right action , or swadharma, one’s duties. In successive chapters Arjun keeps asking further questions with the usual ‘what why and who’ connotations and Krishna answers all.
It is the mind, which holds the reigns, and makes all the difference between success and failure, happiness and unhappiness. It is the mental programming that counts
The chapters related to meditation were not an exercise to send Arjun to become a yogi, but to clear his doubts as to all the possible ways of self-realisation and fulfilment, Karma being one of them. There was no time for Arjun to become a yogi. The call to Arjun throughout the Gita is ‘Tasmat Utishtha’ asking him to rise from his state of mental chaos and inaction.
As Arjun had already surrendered ‘Shishyaste Aham’ as a student to Bhagwan Sri Krishna, he was eager to know what he should do in the present situation and had all his doubts cleared one by one. All of the 17 chapters after the first chapter are answers to Arjun’s successive queries.
The gist of the Gita is to do your duty, as an offering to God. Karma as an act of devotion. He says to Arjun in the third chapter itself, ‘Mayi Sarvani Karmani Sanyasyadhyat Aatm Chetsa, Nirashir Nirmamo Bhutva Yudhyasv Vigat Jvar; meaning - renouncing all actions to Me, with mind centred on the self, getting rid of hope and selfishness, fight – free from mental fever.'
The Gita is a theoretical outline for all mankind. It is not that Krishna’s word of reprimand in the very beginning did the trick, and Arjun fought! All the chapters from 2 to 18 are in response to the questions that Arjun sought answers to, when in a state of total despondency. Each word of the Gita revived him, reminded him of his swadharma, his duty. He got steam to act.
Thanks to Arjun, Sri Krishna, and Ved Vyas, the Gita is available to the human-race, and as Gandhiji said, it answers all questions, provided one has the sight.