User:TheMandarin/Bhagavad Gita

To Incorporate

 * Social Role
 * overview
 * Steven J. Rosen's overview
 * Swami Rama
 * Essential Hinduism
 * Soteriologies of India and Their Role in the Perception of Disability
 * isherwood

Message and Views

 * Mahatma Gandhi - Gospel of Unattached action
 * Ramakrishna - Tagi
 * Vivekananda - Chap 2 verse
 * Essential Hinduism summary

Scholar Radhakrishnan writes that the verse 11.55 is the "the essence of bhakti" and the "substance of the whole teaching of the Gita" — He who does work for Me, he who looks upon Me as his goal, he who worships Me, free from attachment, who is free from enmity to all creatures, he goes to Me, O Pandava.

Scholar Steven Rosen summarizes the Gita in four nutshell verses, Krishna says that he is "the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from him. The Wise who fully realize this engage in my devotional service and worship me with all their hearts."(10.8) "My pure devotees are absorbed in in thoughts of me, and they experience fulfillment and bliss by enlightening one another and conversing about me."(10.9) "To those who are continually devoted and worship me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to me."(10.10) "Out of compassion for them, I, residing in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance." (10.11)

Ramakrishna said that the essential message of the Gita can be obtained by repeating the word several times, "'Gita, Gita, Gita', you begin, but then find yourself saying 'ta-Gi, ta-Gi, ta-Gi'. Tagi means one who has renounced everything for God."

According to Swami Vivekananda, "If one reads this one Shloka —क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते । क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परंतप॥ — one gets all the merits of reading the entire Gita; for in this one Shloka lies imbedded the whole Message of the Gita." — Do not yeild to unmanliness, O son of Pritha. It does not become you. Shake off this base faint-heartnedness and arise, O scorcher of enemies!(2.3)

According to Mahatma Gandhi, "The object of the Gita appears to me to be that of showing the most excellent way to attain self-realization" and Gandhi writes that this can achieved by selfless action—"By desireless action; by renouncing fruits of action; by dedicating all activities to God, i.e., by surrendering oneself to Him body and soul." Gandhi called Gita, The Gospel of Selfless Action

Karma Yoga
The Gita According to Gandhi—

Chapter 1 - Arjuna's Grief
The Gita opens with the question of the blind kind Dhritarashtra to Sanjaya regarding what happened on the battle-field when the two armies, Pandavas and Kauravas faced each other in battle array. The scene starts with Arjuna of the Pandavas as he faces the Army of Kauravas, his relatives, who had expelled him and his brothers from their right of kingship and taken over their rightful legacy to rule. He is perplexed by dilemma of fighting for his and his brother's rights and by the necessity to kill Bhishma, his teacher Dronacharya and many of his intimate friends. He puts down his arms and is overwhelmed by grief.

Chapter 2 - The way of ultimate reality
In this chapter, Arjuna seeks Krishna's insructions regarding his confusion about his duty. Krishna starts by explaining the immortality of the Soul and asks him to endure the pairs of opposites. Krishna says that the Soul is immutable and is unaffected by death. He asks Arjuna to fight by explaining the Dhrama of a Kshatriya. He asks Arjuna to perform his duties with evenness of mind and renounce the fruits of the action. Krishna also describes the characteristics of a Sthitapragna—Absence of attachment and hatred, Indifference to good and evil, Complete self-control and desirelessness.

Chapter 12 - The Way of Divine Love
Krishna elaborates on the desired qualities of a devotee in this chapter. These qualities are enumerated by Krishna himself: The devotee is not envious of any living being; Cultivates a sense of friendship and compassion; Gives up the feeling of false proprietorship; Doesn't misidentify the self with the body; Is equal in happiness or distress; Is tolerant and forgiving; Strives for self-control; Is always content and grateful; Has strong determination on the spiritual path; Surrenders the mind and intellect to God; Does not put anyone into difficulty; Is not disturbed by others; Is not thrown off by fear or anxiety; Is pure and efficient; Is disinterested to mundane dualities; Is equal to friends and enemies; Is unattached to honor and dishonor, fame and infamy; Is free from bad association and disinterested in useless talk; Is not attached to any particular living situation; Is steadfast in mind and fixed in knowledge; God is such a person's ultimate goal in all situations.

While the Gita describes these as much desired qualities, they are said to naturally arise in one who practices devotion to krishna. The Gita says that for one who is a true devotee, with consciousness focused on Krishna-everything else will fall into place.


 * Gita According to Gandhi - Characteristics of a devotee.