PREFACE :

Jayanti of a Discourse :

Out of the innumerable scriptures we have in our glorious spiritual heritage, Gita stands out also because of being the only one of which ‘Jayanti’ is celebrated. As per the Hindu calendar it was on the day of Mokshada Ekadashi that Lord Krishna gave out his immortal discourse to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The celebration of jayanti or the birthday of someone only shows our great love & reverence for the person. For those who have had the oppurtunity to study or hear the message of Gita this occasion is certainly one of expressing of their overwhelming gratitude & reverence to the text, teaching and also the teacher of this great scripture. For others it becomes an occasion to inculcate samskaras of respect towards the text. Whoever started this unique tradition of celebrating the jayanti of a ‘discourse’ did certainly succeed in popularizing the text amongst the masses in a language which they understand best. Gita like any other text does have its own identity, but it has slowly been personified too. Today Gita is looked upon as a mother and we have its aarti and all other such things associated with our traditional way of expressing reverence towards someone. It is indeed interesting to see how the masses relate with all these things and thus bring about that important ingredient of sraddha which is so very important to dive into it with a positive frame of mind. A famous verse which is chanted as the first shloka of Gita Dhyana when translated reads : -

We dedicate this edition of Vedanta Sandesh to the message of this divine mother and pray that ‘May her message bless the lives of all people at all places and at all times.’

VEDANTA :

There are some commentators who struggle to find an allegorical significance in not only the characters in the Gita but in almost every line of the great Immortal Song. This extra preoccupation to discover some secret meaning in many of the lines has crushed the Gita out of its natural and sweet shape. No doubt, Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, was a child of the Vedas, and soaked as he was in the literary style of the Vedic mysticism, he had employed symbolism to a certain extent in his Puranic works. The entire Mahabharata, in the development of its theme, represents a huge literary canvas upon which he had successfully brought out Vedanta, in speaking objective representations.

The Kauravas, hundred in number, represented the innumerable ungodly forces of negative tendencies within man’s bosom and the Pandavas, no doubt, represented the divine impulses in man. A constant Mahabharata war is being waged in everyone of us at all our crucial moments of action; and in all cases the negative forces in each one of us are larger in number and usually mightier in their effectiveness, while the inner divine army is ever lesser in number and comparatively weaker in efficiency. Therefore, every single individual, at the moment of his inward checking up, must necessarily feel the desperation's of an Arjuna.

The story of Mahabharata rings an optimistic note of hope to man that even though the diviner impulses are seemingly less in number, if the same are organised fully and brought under the guidance of the Supreme Lord, Krishna, the Self, then under His guidance, they can be easily ushered into a true and permanent victory over the out-numbering forces of lust and greed. Any careful student of the Gita cannot but be reminded of the famous analogy of the chariot in the Kathopanishad. The Mahabharata was written in an age, when the Vyasa-generation was fully conversant with atleast the famous passages in the Vedas and particularly of the Upanishads. Any young man of that age reading Gita could not but be reminded of the corresponding picture that had been so beautifully painted by the words of Lord Death to Nachiketa.

In that famous analogy of the chariot, the physico-spiritual theory of the Vedantic Sadhana had been most effectively described. The body is chariot, which is pulled forward by the five steeds, the sense organs, each trotting along its path laid down by the sense-objects. The discriminative intellect is the ideal charioteer who holds the lusty steeds in perfect control and, therefore drives the chariot and the Lord of the chariot, the ego, to its destination - the haven of peace. When a student of the Kathopanishad enters the description of the Gita setting, the very picture of Lord Parthasarathy, in the chariot advising Arjuna, speaks to him a greater significance than it would to a raw reader.

The Kauravas, representing the negative tendencies and the sinful motives in a mortal’s bosom, are born as children to the old king, Dhritrashtra, a prince, born blind, wedded to his wife Gandhari, who had voluntarily blinded herself with her own willful bandages on her eyes. The commentators are tempted to see in this a very appropriate significance. Mind is born blind to truth and when it is wedded to an intellect that has assumed blindness, the negative instincts yoked with low motives can only beget a hundred criminalities and sins.

When upon the spiritual field of self-development within, (Dharmakshetra), the lower instincts and the higher ideals array themselves, ready to fight, a true seeker, (the captain of the latter) under the guidance of his divine discriminative intellect, takes himself to a point on the no-man’s land, between the two forces, for the purpose of reviewing the enemy lines, without identifying himself with the good or evil in him. At that moment of his introspective meditation, the egoistic entity happens to be under a morbid desperation and feels generally incapacitated to undertake the great spiritual adventure of fighting his inner war with any hope of victory. This peculiar mental condition of a seeker is beautifully represented in the vivid picture of Arjuna’s dejection in the opening chapter.

In Sanskrit works, it is recognized tradition that the opening stanza should indicate the whole theme of the text. The bulk of the book then discusses, at length, the different views and gives all possible arguments, until in its concluding portion the last stanza generally summarizes the final conclusion of the shastra on the theme indicated in the opening section of the book. In this way. when we consider the Gita, we find that the Song Divine starts with the word ‘Dharma’ and concludes with the term ‘mine’ (Mama); and, therefore, the content of the Gita, we may conclude, is nothing but ‘My Dharma’ (Mama Dharma).

The term Dharma is one of the most intractable terms in Hindu theology. Derived from the root dhar (Dhri) to uphold, sustain or support, the term Dharma denotes that which holds together the different aspects and qualities of an object into a whole. Ordinarily, the term Dharma has been translated as a religious code as righteousness, as a system of morality, as duty, as charity etc., but the original Sanskrit term has an individual personality of its own, which is not captured by any one of its renderings. The best rendering of this term Dharma that I have met so far, is ‘the Law of being’ meaning ‘that which makes a thing or being what it is.’ For example, it is the Dharma of the fire to burn, of the sun to shine, etc. Dharma means, therefore, not merely righteousness or goodness but it indicates the essential nature of anything without which it cannot retain its independent existence. For example, a cold dark sun is impossible, as heat and light are the Dharmas of the sun. Similarly, if we are to live as truly dynamic men in the world, we can only do so by being faithful to our true nature, and the Gita explains to me ‘My Dharma’. In using thus the first person possessive pronoun, this scripture perhaps indicates that the Song Divine, sung through the eighteen chapters, is to be subjectively transcribed and lived by each student and personally experienced in his own life.

Regular lessons on the famous introductory text book of Vedanta 'Tattva Bodha' written by Bhagwan Sri Adi Sankaracharya, is going to be shortly started on the newly started mailing list called 'guru-prasad' by Poojya Guruji. Subscribers will also regularly receive Guruji's prasad in the form of 'food for thought'. This mailing list will be in HTML format. Subscription to this list is only on personal request. Send mail to Poojya Guruji to join list. Archives of the list can be viewed on the web at :

KNOW YOUR SCRIPTURES :

Bhagwad Gita :

Bhagwad Gita is like a pendant in the necklace called Mahabharata. Like a pendant it is beautiful and also almost in the center of the famous epic. Bhagwad Gita or in short Gita consists of 18 chapters which are in fact chapter numbers 25 to 42 of the Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata. It is a philosophical dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna and consists of seven hundred shlokas. Gita is one of the three basic texts of Vedanta philosophy. It is called Smriti Prasthan. The other two being Upanishads and Brahma Sutras, called Sruti prasthan and Yukti Prasthan respectively. Upanishads are the fundamental texts (the Pramana granths), while Brahma Sutras talk the language of logic. Gita deals basically with the translation of the Upanishadic vision in our day to day life.

Even though the discourse of Gita was given on the first day of the great Mahabharata war, but the present text as we have it was given out by Sanjay (the charioteer) to King Dhritrashtra on the tenth day of the war. When the King heard that Bhishma Pitamah had fallen his surprise knew no bounds, he then asked Sanjay to describe to him the details of all the incidents which took place on the battlefront of Kurukshetra. Earlier the great sage Ved Vyasa had offered to the King some divine vision with which he could see all details of the war. The King politely refused. He was in a strange state of mind. On one hand because of some very great warriors like Bhisma and Karna on his side and also larger number of soldiers on his side he was confident of the win, yet deep down he had his own fears about the consequences of the war because he knew he had time & again resorted to various unrighteous means. He would certainly not prefer to see the end of his own sons and would certainly not like the world to know that he was watching the show when the sons of Pandu were being killed. So he declined the unique offer of the sage and instead suggested to let Sanjay have that divine vision, by which he could not only see & hear things outside, but also what others were thinking and feeling. Two people heard this divine discourse directly. Arjuna and Sanjay. One directly by Lord Krishna and other because of the grace of a Sage, indicating thus the total identity of the Sage and God.

The names of all the eighteen chapters come to us as some yoga, like Vishada Yoga, Samkhya Yoga, Karma Yoga etc. for the first, second & third chapter respectively. None of these names are originally found in the Mahabharata. They are a later interpolation by some Acharya and later publishers. However they got acceptability and thus have carried on, giving identity to each chapter. Even though they do give an inkling about the subject matter of each chapter but like any name they are conditionings too. We hereafter tend to look only for the message suggested by the name, and take that alone as the intended message.

Regarding the subject matter of Gita there have been quiet a few opinions by various commentators. The best indication on this point has given by someone who points out that if we look at the first and the last word of the text then strangely enough the real subject matter gets beautifully revealed. Looking at the beginning and the end of a text to discern its real purport has been an old practice. The first word of Gita is Dharma and the last word is Mama. When we combine these two words then we form the sentence Mama Dharma, meaning My Dharma. The term Dharma not only means righteousness or goodness, but also the essential nature of anything without which it cannot retain its independent existence. Here the word Dharma implies the latter. In fact one who is faithful to his essential nature alone can be truly & spontaneously righteous & good. Gita thus reveals to me My Dharma, what is my essential nature, knowing which I revel in the peace & silence within, facilitating not only contentment but also free, selfless & creative action.

 SOME FAQ’s :

Some Frequently Asked Question’s about Gita :

1. Ancient commentaries as per the Advaita Vedanta tradition (all in Sanskrit)

 STRESS MANAGEMENT :

Handling Stress - the Gita way :

The problem of Stress is one the greatest problem of our modern times. The Times magazine called it the ‘Epidemic of Eighties’. The slow and steady built-up of stress results not only in bringing about various physical, psychological and behavioral irregularities and problems. The well known symptoms under these categories are :

A. Physical symptoms : Headache, Neckache, Stomachache, Backache, Fatigue, Increased palpitations, Increased blood pressure, Indigestion, Allergy, Sweaty hands etc.

B. Psychological symptoms : Anxiety, Frustration, Impatience, Hostility, Dejection, Insomnia, Emotional imbalance, Lack of concentration, Reduced efficiency etc.

C. Behavioral symptoms : Escapism, Strained relationships, Resorting to intoxicants, Dependence on medications, Sexual difficulties, Constant change in work etc.

If the above symptoms are not checked and sorted out well in time then it could well lead to what is called as the ‘burnout’, which for all practical purpose is the end of an active human life. So this problem needs to be checked at the earliest.

The cause of stress is basically because of built up of emotions. This is because the emotions could not get an outlet to get released or resolved. The person who has all the responsibilities in the world and is not getting any help gets crushed in the process. Even though it is the same world for everyone, yet subjective perceptions differ and so do its consequences. The important causes of Stress are :

The way of life as revealed by Gita suggests that :

- Everyone has an intrinsic tendency and capacity to act in a particular field. Everyone has been made for excellence for a particular work. This is not to be imposed by anyone from outside but has to be discerned by the individual himself after a deep and objective look at ones tendencies. The best comes out of a person when one acts right from the core of ones heart.

- You are never alone. Look at the cosmos, the world, the seasons, your body, everything is working so beautifully. There is a great intelligence operating in & through everything. One should learn the art of performing actions while holding the hands of this power called God.

- Everyone in the world seeks anand, but it is strange to see that majority have never cared to go into this secret of life. Happiness is never in any object, achievement or person in life. It is the subjective essence of all. It is extremely important to open the inner gates of joy, thereafter there will be a subjective revolution in life.

- The essence of one is the essence of all. Atma is Paramatma. Know that and be free from all sense of limitations. The experience of knowing one’s self is the an experience beyond description. It is verily total contentment. The cancer of selfishness and ego-centric existence if rooted out completely thereafter.

Any person who sees the above facts of life, and also assimilates this knowledge, shall certainly will root out the very cause of stress. Any other methodology is a compromise, it is only a temporary cure, first aid. The thrust of most the Stress Workshops is only in facilitating release of 'pent-up-emotions' and do not provide any plan of action to guarantee that the emotions will not be repressed in the first place. Gita provides a Holistic approach.

 GENERAL :

2. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who frees our hearts from all passions and lusts by sucking out the poison in it, as had been done by the Lord himself when he sucked the poisonous breasts of Pootna (the Maya, whose) manifestations of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, ever enchant all of us.

3. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain, the symbol of steadfast and deep knowledge of the infinite, by imparting that knowledge in his own words and thus sheltering the mankind under it from the torrential rains - the fears and sorrows of relative existence, and guides them to safety.

4. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who shines with the knowledge of the Pure and the Infinite themes of the Sruti’s, who has given to us the very nectar of the Upanishads in the beautiful jars of this verses and shows the right Path of Action as laid down by the Smriti's.

5. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who destroyed the Serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna - which is but sensuous instinct in human heart, who killed the elephant Kuvalaya representing vanity, who had done to death the demon Chanoor - symbolizing greed & possessiveness, and who also destroyed the most powerful and hitherto unconquered Kamsa - the indomitable anger.

6. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who comforts as a beloved friend and encourages those, who are trying to tune themselves to you (trying to do Yoga), who honor you, or who have realized the infinite. As their teacher, you give paternal protection to all such true devotees.

7. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who runs to receive true but intellectually poor devotees like Sudama - who are devoid of Divine Grace, do not have the capacity to understand the infinite, and to discriminate between good & the bad. Like Lord Krishna, Gita uplifts them all by filling the void of their shortcomings.

8. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who is holding the reins of the horse, the sense organs, which are pulling in different directions for the fulfillment of their wild desires, and thus controlling them all with the whip of right conduct, drives them along the true path and instills into them enough power to save the ‘master’ of the chariot, the ‘ego’.

9. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who seated in the chariot of eighteen-chapters imparts knowledge of how to win the battle of life and death, and thus shows ‘Vijaya path’ to them who are groping in the darkness of ignorance having lost their capacity to discriminate between the right and the wrong.

10. Glory unto thee, O Gita ! the word-form of Lord Krishna, who moving the wheel of the eternal Truth runs to the rescue of his beloved devotee, Arjuna, whose very existence was threatened by the attack of six indomitables (Shadripus) in the form of Bhisma.

The report of the highly enchanting 'Badri-Kedar Yatra' is being sent separately.

As part of the Gita Jayanti celebrations by Vedanta Mission-Ahmedabad, a Geeta Gyana Yagna has been organised at Ramkrishna Hall at Ahmedabad from 8^th to 15^th Nov 98. The texts to be taken by Poojya Swaminiji will be Gita chapter Four in the evening sessions, and Kenopanishad in the morning sessions.

As part of the Gita Jayanti celebrations by Vedanta Mission-Mumbai, a grand Gita Mahayagna is being at Hinduja Hall, in Bandra, from 19^th to 28^th Nov 98. Poojya Guruji will be taking all the eighteen chapters of Bhagwad Gita in these ten days. This will be second time when all the eighteen chapters are being taken in Mumbai.

As part of the Gita Jayanti celebrations by Vedanta Mission-Indore, a Gita Gyana Yagna is being organised at Jai Hind Hall, Indore from 4^th to 10^th Dec 98. The texts to be taken by Poojya Guruji in the Yagna will be Gita Chapter Six in the evening session and Kaivalyopanishad in the morning session. Param Poojya Mahamandaleshwar Sri Swami Vidyanandaji of Kailash Ashram, Rishikesh has kindly consented to inaugurate the Yagna. During his visit Mandaleshwarji will also visit the Vedanta Ashram and bless the students & devotees of Ashram.