What About the Bhagavad Gita?
Posted: Sunday, December 07, 2008
by Tex Norman
I was raised a Christian, and raised to believe that the Bible contained sacred scriptures and it was the inspired inerrant word of God, but I knew, very young in my life, that there were other religions on the earth, and those other religions worshiped a different God, at least a god with a different name, and these "other religious people" had writings they honored as their sacred scriptures. I really didn't give it much thought for years. After all, America was the riches most powerful nation on earth and that was clearly because God had blessed us for choosing the RIGHT Bible and worshiping the Right God.
I got interested in Mahatma Gandhi a little bit during the Civil Rights movement, and more so, after watching the movie about his life staring Ben Kingsley. I discovered that Gandhi read many of the world's sacred texts, but the one he read most was the Bhagavad Gita. I was intrigued enough to buy a copy of the Bhagavad Gita.
You might also remember that when the first atomic bomb exploded it's maker, Robert Oppenheimer, quoted the Bhagavad Gita:
I am become Death,
The shatterer of Worlds.
The Bhagavad Gita is actually a part of the a larger text called the Mahabharata, and that work is comprised of some 700 verses. The teacher in the Bhagavad Gita is someone called Sri Krishna, and this guy is regarded by the Hindus as the supreme manifestation of the Lord Himself. To my ears saying someone is the manifestation of God is similar to saying someone is the incarnation of God. Within the Bhagavad Gita Sir Krishna is referred to most often as "the divine one."
The book is actually a poetic account of a conversation between Sri Krishna and Arjuna whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' (cf. Latin argentum). The character Arjuna was suppose to be the best archer ever, and Arjuna is often referred to as Jishnu, which means the undefeatable.
This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna takes place just before a battle that starts the Kurukshetra War. As is true for most of us, about to begin a battle, we start to focus in on what is really important. People who face death, also consider all those things that give their life meaning, and place their own value on living. So the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna cover a lot of topics, and explore the confusion and moral dilemma common not just with Sri Krishna but with all human beings. Some scholars who have studied the text have said the Bhagavad Gita have described The Gita as "a lighthouse of eternal wisdom" and others have stated that The Gita has the ability to inspire any human being to reach their highest levels of accomplishment and enlightenment.
Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita
The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.
The wise sees knowledge and action as one; they see truly.
The mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it.
Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge. Observe your discipline. Arise.
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service to Me, bow down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because you are very dear to Me.
Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exists.
The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self, there remains nothing more for him to accomplish.
No one attains perfection by merely giving up work.
He who hates no single being, is friendly and compassionate, free from self-regard and vanity, the same in good and evil, patient; Contented, ever devout, subdued in soul, firm in purpose, fixed on Me in heart and mind, and who worships Me, is dear to Me.
A man's own self is his friend. A man's own self is his foe.
As person abandons worn-out clothes and acquires new ones, so when the body is worn out a new one is acquired by the Self, who lives within.
Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.
If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive.
Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives.
There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.
To the illumined man or woman, a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same.
You might also remember that when the first atomic bomb exploded it's maker, Robert Oppenheimer, quoted the Bhagavad Gita:
I am become Death,
The shatterer of Worlds.
The Bhagavad Gita is actually a part of the a larger text called the Mahabharata, and that work is comprised of some 700 verses. The teacher in the Bhagavad Gita is someone called Sri Krishna, and this guy is regarded by the Hindus as the supreme manifestation of the Lord Himself. To my ears saying someone is the manifestation of God is similar to saying someone is the incarnation of God. Within the Bhagavad Gita Sir Krishna is referred to most often as "the divine one."
The book is actually a poetic account of a conversation between Sri Krishna and Arjuna whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' (cf. Latin argentum). The character Arjuna was suppose to be the best archer ever, and Arjuna is often referred to as Jishnu, which means the undefeatable.
This conversation between Krishna and Arjuna takes place just before a battle that starts the Kurukshetra War. As is true for most of us, about to begin a battle, we start to focus in on what is really important. People who face death, also consider all those things that give their life meaning, and place their own value on living. So the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna cover a lot of topics, and explore the confusion and moral dilemma common not just with Sri Krishna but with all human beings. Some scholars who have studied the text have said the Bhagavad Gita have described The Gita as "a lighthouse of eternal wisdom" and others have stated that The Gita has the ability to inspire any human being to reach their highest levels of accomplishment and enlightenment.
Quotes from the Bhagavad Gita
The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.
The wise sees knowledge and action as one; they see truly.
The mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it.
Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge. Observe your discipline. Arise.
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service to Me, bow down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because you are very dear to Me.
Creation is only the projection into form of that which already exists.
The soul who meditates on the Self is content to serve the Self and rests satisfied within the Self, there remains nothing more for him to accomplish.
No one attains perfection by merely giving up work.
He who hates no single being, is friendly and compassionate, free from self-regard and vanity, the same in good and evil, patient; Contented, ever devout, subdued in soul, firm in purpose, fixed on Me in heart and mind, and who worships Me, is dear to Me.
A man's own self is his friend. A man's own self is his foe.
As person abandons worn-out clothes and acquires new ones, so when the body is worn out a new one is acquired by the Self, who lives within.
Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.
If you want to see the brave, look at those who can forgive.
Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives.
There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.
To the illumined man or woman, a clod of dirt, a stone, and gold are the same.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Arjun is never referred to as Jishnu; Sri Krishna was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.I wish you would consider writing more about the Bhagavad Gita and the details of your faith. It is clear that you know a lot more about this topic than I do.
The Hindus call God as Brahmn. Brahmn is our soul. Brahmn makes the whole world. There is nothing but Brahmn in the world according to Hinduism.
Hinduism believes in the trinity of God. The three names are- Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. In different forms God performs differently. Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains and Mahesh or Shiva destroys. But it is important to note that all three are same as Brahmn.
» left by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh 2 years 296 days ago.
20 fans. Follow Dr Jeannette Kavanagh on twitter!Interesting article. Your approach to the Bhagavad Gita was very open but then anonymous came in with a correction. Then the next anonymous (is it the same person?) starts on about how Hindu beliefs.Unfortunately most belief patterns or faiths don't allow for the possibility that any other movement or faith can have just as much to offer. Each one is THE one. Me? I think that God is goodness beyond measure and S/he is bemused by our attempts to limit Her greatness to one definition. Of course God may have taken only a male form - or may be way beyond issues of gender.In my reading of the Bhagavad Gita, I was upset to read that "according to Canakya Pandita, women are generally not very intelligent and therefore not trustworthy". (ch 1 Text 1.40) Lots of killin' in that book so it's not surprising that their God is male, and that they disrespect 51% of the human race. So since we've never met Her/Him I like to think of God as the nurturant feminine who abhors war and who contains the nurturant male also.Thanks for your comments. It is always dangerous for someone to write about stuff in which the hold so little knowledge. My understanding rests on reading, and coming from a Christian background, and after watching the movie Ghandi a dozen times. I hope that by seeing faith writings through the eyes of someone who has read without too many teachings by the experts might help. I also hoped that people who haven't considered reading the Bhagavad Gita might give it a read. Thanks. I sense a much deeper understanding in you.Hi Dr. Jeanette,
I am a student of the Gita and I am a unsure who Canakya Pandita is. My guess is that you are reading a translation (or rather commentary on the Gita by him). It would be great if you can read a simple translation of the Gita without commentary to form an opinion.
There is the concept of Guru-Shishya in Vedic tradition and "parampara" which means disciplic succession. According to this concept, the Gita and other vedic texts are passed down from teacher to disciple and this is an unbroken chain going back several thousand years. This ensures that the shlokas are not altered and that the original ideas are maintained.
It is unfortunate that this tradition is often broken (as seen by the several translations by British scholars written when they occupied India.) Here is a good translation of the Gita : vedabase(dot)net/bg/en that adheres to tradition and can be traced back to Krishna himself.
I am so glad that you brought up the importance of the female form since it plays a huge role in Hinduism. Fortune and Knowledge have Goddesses and not Gods - Lakshmi and Saraswathi respectively. :)
Hope this helps you!
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