Bhagvad Gita imparts Metaphysics (Brahma-Vidya) as well as a Practical Discipline (Yoga Shastra) to us by Bishwa Nath Singh.
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Bhagvad Gita is one of the most important scriptures of the mankind which has been a main guiding force of the people of the universe particularly of India that was recited in the midst of a battle field of Kurukshetra where Lord Krishna preaches Warrior Arjuna about the duty of an individual .It occupies a unique place among the followers of Hinduism. The Vedas, the Upanishads and the Brahmasutra form the foundations of the orthodox Hinduism or the Sanatan Hindu Dharma. Since this holy book forms the very basis of the Hinduism a very large number of commentaries by many seers and scholars have been written from the ancient times. Many leaders of various sects have written commentaries on it to prove that their specific doctrines were in conformity with the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita. Many scholars and philosophers of modern age have also written commentaries on it. The commentary of Shankaracharya (A.D.788-320) is the most ancient among those, which are available to us. The text given in this work is generally followed and taken as the authoritative. Maharshi Ved Vyas is also given the honor of being the compiler of the Mahabharata. The Bhavad Gita occurs in the Bhishmaparva of the Mahabharata from twenty-third to fortieth chapter. The Bhagvad Geeta begins with the description of both the opposing armies in the war of Kurukshetra with the description of their main heroes. Sanjaya narrates the happening at the battlefield to the blind king Dhritarashtra, when he was asked to do so. A great hero and the greatest warrior of the Pandva side Arjuna sees members of his family, relatives, and teachers in the battlefield eager to fight from both the warring sides. This causes immense sadness to Arjuna. Overwhelmed by the grief he had left aside his bow and arrows. The desire for battle died in his heart and he sat down in the chariot in the state of despondency. Then his charioteer, Lord Krishna preached him, which forms the subject matter of the Bhagvad Geeta. The Bhagvad Gita is mainly a religious treatise. Though it contains ancient Indian Philosophy, policy and the code of worldly conduct, yet it is essentially a comprehensive guide to the Hindu way of life. For centuries millions of Hindus have found peace and tranquility in their lives by following the path shown by the Bhagvad Gita. It sets a religious experience of the ultimate reality. The all sects and the followers of all the traditions and doctrines among the Hindus accept the Bhagvad Gita thus it can be verily said to be the foundation of not only of the Hindusim, but of the root of the religion itself. The union (yoga) of the self (atma) with the ultimate reality (paramatma) is the final goal of the followers of the Bhagvad Gita. It brings about a reconciliation among the apparently conflicting doctrines of the way (a) of knowledge (Gyan-Yoga) (b)of action (Karma-Yoga) and (c) of devotion (bhakti-yoga). All these paths lead towards one goal only. The term yoga (means to unite, to yoke), is used in Bhavad Gita, in the sense of union of the self with the supreme -being.The Bhagvad Gita is also given a place among all sacred scriptures honorably, on an equal footing. One can say that the Upanishads, the Brahmasutra, and the Bhagvad Gita are the very basis of the Hinduism. Many western scholars have also done a lot of work on Bhagvad Gita and have produced excellent works. Some of them can be recollected as Sir Adwin Arnold (wrote a translation - The song Celestial-in beautiful verses), Jacob, Barnett, Douglas Hill, Franklin Edgerton etc. The Bhagvad Gita has been translated and commented on in almost all the important languages of the world. The Bhagvad Gita teaches the practical way to realize the supreme ideal. It does not give only a purely metaphysical world of thought to the seeker of the truth; it takes those people to the real world of experience. The supreme bliss can only be experienced; it cannot be reached by idle speculation of wits and mental gymnastics. The Bhagvad Gita gives us a metaphysics (brahma-vidya) as well as a practical discipline (yoga shastra) . By emptying our minds of impure thoughts, desires and wants, by putting our entire energy in the single minded contemplation of the nature of the ultimate reality, by constant efforts and being in a state - where the self (atma) becomes one with the Supreme Being (paramatma). This is called "Yoga" (coming from the root "yuj-it means yoking of or comes into union with the God (parameshwar). After one attains this state ignorance (Agyana) illusion (avidya) and egoistic state of mind (ahankara) can no longer exist. The self experiences the pure truth, pure mind and pure bliss (sat, chit, anand). Bhagvad Gita guide us to this yoga and bhaktiyoga. This is the essence of the Bhgvad Gita. Gyanyoga is the way of knowledge, Karmayoga of right efforts, of total devotion and surrender to the will of God. Thus the Bhagvad Gita has shown the way of salvation to all without any distinction or reservation. It is for the entire humanity. Distinctions place, caste creed or sect does not come in its way. The Bhagvad Gita is like the mother holy river Ganges which benefits all. The misconception among a few that the Bhagvad Gita is meant for the saints and the hermits is wrong without any basis. The Student (brahmachari), the house-holder and all have equal claim to its nectar. It's holy book to liberate mankind from all miseries. The hundred sons of Dhritarastra and the five sons of Pandu, fought a fratricidal war in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.This is the main theme of the Mahabharata. The Sons of the blind king Dhritarastra of the Kauravas bore great animosity to the Pandavas, the sons of Pandu. Kauravas were ruling the kingdom of Hastinapura and the Pandavas were the rulers of Indraprastha. The eldest among the Kauravas, Duryodhana, was very jealous of the splendour of their cousins, pandavas. He, with the help of his uncle Shakuni, won the kingdom of the Pandavas, decided that the Pandavas shall spend twelve years in the forest and then one year in disguise. If they were not discovered during this period, they would get back their kingdom. But when the Pandavas returned after thirteen years, as per their term of exile, Duryodhana refused to return their kingdom. All efforts to persuade him failed. Finally, Lord Krishna went to him as the emissary of the Pandavas. Even his efforts could not succeed. Then the war became inevitable.In the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Kauravas fought under the leadership of Duryodhana and the Pandavas side was led by the the eldest among the Pandavas, Yudhisthir. While the army of Lord Krishna's army fought on the side of the Kauravas he himself was on the side of the Pandavas. He was charioteer of Arjuna as he had promised that he would not wield any weapon in the war. When all the preparations of the war were nearing completion, sage Maharshi Ved Vyas went to the blind king and offered him the boon of divine vision, so that he could watch the war. But Dhritarastra declined the offer saying that he did not want to see the destruction of his sons with his own eyes. However, he was eager to know the going on the battlefield. Then Maharshi Ved Vyas granted the boon of divine vision to Sanjaya, the king of Charioteer. This enabled Sanjaya to see the war from any where. Sanjaya sitting near, Dhritarastra told him about the war affairs. In the meantime the war had commenced. On the twentieth day of the war, the great warrior Bhishma had felled down from his chariot by Arjuna and had been lying on a bed of arrows. Dhristarastra became very sad on hearing this news and asked Sanjaya to narrate the events of the war from the beginning i.e. from the time when his sons and Pandavas had gathered in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Bhagwat Gita as one would recollect commences with the question of the blind king Dhritarastra. Nevertheless to mention that there are three paths which lead directly to establishing a relationship with God. According to the authority of Bhagvad-Gita these paths have been designated as the yoga of perfect actions, the yoga of perfect devotion and the yoga of perfect knowledge. These three paths with great care and attention have been fully explained in the Bhagavad-Gita which comprises chapters twenty three through forty in the Bhishma-Parva section of Mahabharata. The Bhagvad-Gita consists of eighteen chapters. Each chapter is called a Yoga. Yoga is the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness. So each chapter is seen as a highly specialized yoga revealing the path of attaining realization of the ultimate truth. The first six chapters have been classified as the Karma Yoga section as they mainly deal with the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness through actions. These chapters are: Chapter 1 : Visada Yoga (Lamenting the Consequence of War),Chapter 2 : Sankhya Yoga (The Eternal Reality of the Souls Immortality),Chapter 3 : Karma Yoga( The Eternal Duties of Human Beings),Chapter 4 : Jnana Yoga (Approaching the Ultimate Truth)Chapter 5 : Karma Vairagya Yoga (Action and Renunciation) ,Chapter 6 : Abhyasa Yoga(The Science of Self Realization).The middle six chapters have been designated as the Bhakti Yoga section as they principally are pertaining with the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness by the path of devotion.Chapter 7 : Paramahamsa Vijnana Yoga (Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth)’,Chapter 8 : Aksara-Parabrahman Yoga( Attainment of Salvation),Chapter 9 : Raja-Vidya-Guhya Yoga (Confidential Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth),Chapter 10 : Vibhuti-Vistara-Yoga (The Infinite Glories of the Ultimate Truth),.Chapter 11 : Visvarupa-Darsana Yoga (The Vision of the Universal Form),Chapter 12 : Bhakti Yoga (The Path of Devotion).The final six chapters are regarded as the Jnana Yoga section as they are primarily concerned with the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness through the intellect. .Chapter 13 : Ksetra-Ksetrajna Vibhaga Yoga ( The Individual Consciousness and Ultimate Consciousness),.Chapter 14 : Gunatraya-Vibhaga Yoga (The Three Qualities of Material Nature). .Chapter 15 : Purusottama Yoga (Realization of the Ultimate Truth),Chapter 16 : Daivasura-Sampad-Vibhaga Yoga (The Divine and the Demoniac Natures Defined),Chapter 17 : Sraddhatraya-Vibhaga Yoga (The Three Divisions of Material Existence) and .Chapter 18 : Moksa-Opadesa Yoga (Final Revelations of the Ultimate Truth) . Bhagvad Gita could be truly said mainly as a religious treatise. Though it contains ancient Indian Philosophy, policy and the code of worldly conduct, yet it is essentially a guide to the Hindu way of life. For centuries millions of Hindus have found peace and tranquility in their lives by following the path shown by the Bhagvad Gita. It sets a religious experience of the ultimate reality. The all sects and the followers of all the traditions and doctrines among the Hindus accept Bhagvad Gita as a very holy religious book. Bhagvad Gita can easily be construed to be the foundation of not only of the Hindusim, but of the root of the religion itself. The union (yoga) of the self (Atma) with the ultimate reality (Paramatma) is the final goal of the followers of the Bhagvad Gita. It brings about reconciliation among the apparently conflicting doctrines of the way of knowledge (Gyan-Yoga) of action (Karma-Yoga) and of devotion (bhakti-yoga). All these paths lead towards one goal only. The term yoga (means to unite, to yoke), is used in Gita, in the sense of union of the self with the supreme being.One must bear in mind that he/she should not run away from the battle field whenever he/she is called upon to fight for Truth. Bhagvad Gita teaches the practical way to realize the supreme ideal. It does not give only a purely metaphysical world of thought to the seeker of the truth; it takes him to the real world of experience. The supreme bliss can only be experienced; it cannot be reached by idle speculation of wits and mental gymnastics. Bhagvad Gita gives us a metaphysics (brahma-vidya) as well as a practical discipline (yoga shastra) . By emptying our minds of impure thoughts, desires and wants, by putting our entire energy in the single minded contemplation of the nature of the ultimate reality, by constant efforts (abhyas) and being in a state - where the self (atma) becomes one with the supreme being (paramatma). This is called "Yoga" (coming from the root "yuj-it means yoking of or comes into union with the God (parameshwar). After one attains this state ignorance (Agyana) illusion (avidya) and egoistic state of mind (ahankara) can no longer exist. The self experiences the pure truth, pure mind and pure bliss (sat, chit, anand). Bhagvad Gita Guide us to this yoga and bhaktiyoga. This is the essence of Bhagvad Gita. Gyanyoga is the way of knowledge, Karmayoga of right efforts, of total devotion and surrender to the will of God. Thus the Bhagvad Gita shows the way of salvation to all without any distinction or reservation. It is for the entire humanity. Distinctions place, caste creed or sect do not come in its way. Lord Krishna had preached Warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra that is incorporated in Bhagvad Gita in 3102 B.C.; just prior to the commencement of the Mahabharata war. This date corresponds to 1700 years before Moses, 2500 years before Buddha, 3000 years before Jesus and 3800 years before Mohammed. So first and foremost it should be clearly understood that the eternal knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita has not been influenced by Buddhism, Christianity, Hebrewism or Islam; for these religions did not exist at that time and were established millenniums later. That proof of the date 3102 B.C. can be verified by ancient scriptures in India based on the fact that this was the year when the Pandava King Yudhisthira ascended the throne and was coroneted as emperor of the Earth. Also according to the Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II, the Battle of Kuruksetra took place in 3102 B.C. with Lord Krishna reciting the Bhagavad-Gita before its commencement. As well precise information of the positions of the constellation at the commencement of the Battle of Kuruksetra have been given in the great historical epic Mahabharata itself, which is based on the 26,920 year astronomical cycle known as the precession of the equinoxes which is the time it takes our solar system to revolve around the central sun. But the question arises as who exactly is Lord Krishna? Is He Narayana? Is He Vishnu? Is He Vasudeva as referred to in the Taittirya Aranyaka 10.1. 6 ? In the Bhagavad-Gita the Supreme Lord Krishna is addressed by Arjuna with 41 different names. Some of these names are Acyuta, Bhagavan, Govinda, Hari, Isvara, Janardana, Kesava, Madhava, Purusottama and Yogesvara as well as Vasudeva and Vishnu. Although Lord Krishna possesses unlimited names due to His unlimited attributes and potencies it should be clearly understood that the Krishna who is so wonderfully presented in the Puranas is one and the same Krishna who spoke the Bhagavad-Gita and is so marvelously glorified in the Mahabharata. It should be understood that the Bhagavad-Gita is the very essence of Mahabharata. The Bhagavad-Gita literally translates as the Song of God! It was originally revealed in the classical language of Sanskrit spoken on the Indian sub-continent. It was first translated into English in 1785 by Charles Wilkins. It was translated into Latin in 1823 by Schlegel, into German in 1826 by Von Humbolt, into French in 1846 by Lassens and into Greek in 1848 by Galanos. By now it has been translated into all the major languages of the world such as Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Hebrew, Portugese, Arabic, Hindi and Bengali. Many great and notable individuals from modern times as well as bygone eras have read the Bhagavad-Gita and have extolled its universal message.Albert Einstein had stated that when reading the Bhagavad-Gita he thinks about how God created the universe and then everything else seemed so superfluous. Mahatma Gandhi had stated that the Bhagavad-Gita calls on humanity to dedicate mind, body and soul to purity. Dr. Albert Schweizer stated that the Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested in all actions.Sri Aurobindo stated the Bhagavad-Gita has a new message for every age and every civilization. Herman Hesse stated that the wonder of the Bhagavad-Gita is its beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which has made philosophy blossom into religion. Ramanuja had stated that the Bhagavad-Gita reveals the goal of the all the Vedic scriptures. Aldous Huxley stated that the Bhagavad-Gita is the most comprehensive statement of perennial philosophy. Bhagavad-Gita gives exact information regarding God, the soul, material nature, birth and death, the purpose of human existence and is a practical manual for spiritual revelation and attainment. Buddhist scripture Niddesa written in 4 B.C. in the Pali Canon is found reference to the worship of Vasudeva and Baladeva, who are Krishna and Balarama respectively. Although some scholars surmise that the mention of nirvana six times gives them reason to assume that this might be contrary. The word nirvana is always compounded with the word brahma as in brahma-nirvanam meaning identified with the Ultimate truth or with the word paramam as in nirvana-paramam meaning identified with the Supreme. In Buddhism the word nirvana is used to mean extinguished or dissolved in terms of loss of separate existence. As the word nirvana by itself is also used in the Mahabharata in the sense of extinction it can be determined that the Buddhists received this concept of nirvana from earlier Vedic scriptures. We long for getting salvation after we pass away. In chapter eight of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita .Lord Krishna had emphasized the science of yoga. Revealing that one attains whatever one remembers at the end of one's life the Lord emphasizes the utmost importance of the very last thought at the moment of death. Also Lord Krishna had given information on the creation of the material worlds as well as establishing a distinction between them and the spiritual world. Here Lord Krishna had explained the light and dark paths in regards to leaving this material existence, the destination to which they could each lead to and the reward received by each and thus this chapter is entitled: Attainment of Salvation that is worth noting.It is interesting to note that the two foremost doctrines of Christianity as found in the Bible in Matthew, chapter 22, verses 37 and 39 which say: Love thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind; and love thy neighbor as thyself are not minimized but completely validated by the Bhagavad-Gita. The book Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, volume six, page 696 states, " It is certain that portions of the Bhagavad-Gita in which the doctrine of Bhakti ( devotion)or love of God is revealed are pre-Christian and of indigenous Indian origin. This is not only limited to the devotional portions; but the entirety of the Bhagavad-Gita is pre-Christian. Also it has been well noted by sanskrit scholars that in terms of grammatical construction many sentences and the archaic forms of many words do not follow the strict rules of grammar which all sanskrit scholars follow as expounded given by Panini, who lived in the 6th century B.C. Not only is the Bhagavad-Gita pre-Christian; but it is also pre-Buddhistic as well. That the Bhagavad-Gita is pre-Buddhistic can be determined by the fact that no where any reference to Buddhism is there. Whereas in the Buddhist scripture Niddesa written in 4 B.C. in the Pali Canon is found reference to the worship of Vasudeva and Baladeva, who are Krishna and Balram respectively. Although some scholars surmise that the mention of nirvana six times gives them reason to assume that this might be contrary. The word nirvana is always compounded with the word brahma as in brahma-nirvanam meaning identified with the Ultimate truth or with the word paramam as in nirvana-paramam meaning identified with the Supreme. In Buddhism the word nirvana is used to mean extinguished or dissolved in terms of loss of separate existence. As the word nirvana by itself is also used in the Mahabharata in the sense of extinction it can be determined that the Buddhists received this concept of nirvana from earlier Vedic scriptures. We long for getting salvation after we pass away. In chapter eight of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita .Lord Krishna had emphasized the science of Yoga. Revealing that one attains whatever one remembers at the end of one's life the Lord emphasizes the utmost importance of the very last thought at the moment of death. Lord Krishna had ALSO furnished information on the creation of the material worlds as well as establishing a distinction between them and the spiritual world. Here Lord Krishna had explained the light and dark paths in regards to leaving this material existence, the destination to which they could each lead to and the reward received by each and thus this chapter is entitled: Attainment of Salvation that is worth noting. It is therefore pleaded that one must go through Shrimad Bhagwat Gita every day to refresh our memories as how best we could be godly person by our good deeds and attain salvation when we leave this worldly earth.
By Bishwa Nath Singh.
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( Photos-4. The photo of King Dhritarastra was seen listening from Sanjay the entire episode of war that was fought in between Kaurava & Pandav in the Battle Field of Kurukshetra.. The second Photo is of
Conch was seen being blown by Arjuna to inform Kaurav about their arrival in the battle field of Kurukshetra . The third Photo is of Lord Krishna was seen while preaching Warrior Arjuna in the battle field of Kurkshetra about duties of a person. and the fourth Photo is of Lord Krishna had shown his original form of being Supreme God to Arjuna to clear his misgivings arising out in his mind.)
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Bishwa Nath Singh :
Bhagvad Gita is mainly a religious treatise. Though it contains ancient Indian Philosophy, policy and the code of worldly conduct, yet it is essentially a guide to the Hindu way of life. For centuries millions of Hindus have found peace and.tranquility in their lives by following the path shown by the Bhagvad Gita. It sets a religious experience of the ultimate reality. The all sects and the followers of all the traditions and doctrines among the Hindus accept the Bhagvad Gita as their very holy religious scriptures. It can be verily said to be the foundation of not only of the Hinduism, but of the root of the religion itself. Let us join to offer our humble obeisance to Lord Krishna who is our savior to seek His bliss for well-being of all living-being of this universe and pay our reverence to the most holy Srimad Bhagvad Gita!
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May 10,2011.
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