paritraanaaya sadhuunaam vinaashaaya chadushkritaam |
dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge ||
To protect good, to destroy evil and to establish dharma, God is born from age to age. Holy Bhagavad Gita also referred to as Gita is the oldest scripture of the world and guides the lives of people. Mahatma Gandhi considered it a ‘Mother’ because of its incomparable teachings and lessons that are covered in 18 chapters and 700 verses. Though it is the oldest scripture but you may wonder to know the relevance of Bhagavad Gita in modern time and the values it can add to your life.
Bhagavad Gita is actually a conversation between Lord Krishna and Pandava prince Arjuna in the battlefield of ‘Mahabharata’. Arjuna was dithering while performing his duty as a warrior. He was then directed by Lord Krishna who was his charioteer. Lord explained the meaning of life, self, universe and God.
Words of wisdom and practical teachings in Bhagavad Gita help to dispel restlessness and complications in life. Gita not only focus on doing your duties but it is the way to live life. Bhagavad helps you to explore yourself and helps you to understand the true ‘I’. Bhagavad Gita is not just for Arjuna but for the entire humanity and covers topics such as desire, way to control desires through practice of yoga, universal self, God, soul, devotion, liberation and so on.
It says that a real or truth can never be destroyed so one should not be afraid of doing good. People are afraid of death which is the reality. People love human body which is unreal. Soul can never be destroyed as it is real and remember you are a soul not a body.
All desires, feelings and thoughts are born out of mind which leads to attachment, a cause of anger. Desire and anger are the greatest enemies of a person. But there is a misconception in understanding ‘not having desires’ mentioned in Bhagavad Gita. According to the teachings of Gita desires are bound to come. Arjuna asked questions to Lord Krishna out of desire and only because of desire Lord explained it so elaborately. So having a desire is not a problem but one should have a full control over his desires. Whether to go for that desire or not should be in your hands. Harming anyone to fulfill your desire is wrong. Desires create pressure and you must be disciplined to say no to all such desires. Gita explains a justifiable and right way to fulfill desires by discovering yourself.
Non-attachment or detachment is emphasized in Gita and one should live like water on a lotus leaf. Ignorance results in attachment whereas wisdom results in detachment which is considered divine. One should attach only to God. Love without attachment is pure and divine. But detachment does not mean not loving and taking care of your family, friends, parents and world around you. Gita actually explains the way to free the emotions of love from jealousy and control. While living in this world physical and emotional detachments are impossible. Gita explains to live a pure life.
Bhagavad Gita solves the mysteries of life and day to day problems so that one can live life effectively. Person’s best friend and enemy is a person himself so a man must put efforts to raise himself. Gita teaches the way to stay alive. It helps you to understand and manage your desires, emotions, taking right decisions and actions.
Gita explains our moral duties and talks about holistic spiritual development and way to achieve these through self control, mental purity and dedication to God.
Gita’s teachings are also not free from criticism. Some believe that it teaches violence. But experts and people who believe in the holy book say that to understand the meaning of Bhagavad Gita one must have intense faith and a respectful attitude.
