Srimad Bhagavad Gita - No Cost Library

Srimad Bhagavad Gita

   Author(s): Swami Tapasyananda  

        Publisher: Sri Ramakrishna Math , Year: 2003   

                                        

 Description: 

A pocketbook of the Bhagavad Gita with original text in Roman script and translation. This version is for those who don't know Sanskrit, but want to be able to read the Sanskrit verses using Roman script to help with pronunciation.

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Book Review:

In a nutshell: Pursue harmony inside yourself, do your work and marvel at the universe's mysteries.

The Bhagavad-Gita documents a dialogue (in the form of Krishna), between a young man and God. On the morning of a battle, young warrior Arjuna, of the royal Pandava family, is in a state of panic. The 'enemies' he expects to be fighting are cousins he knows well.

Arjuna turns to his charioteer Krishna for assistance in this dire situation. The answers he gets are not exactly what he wants to hear, but it is the chance for Krishna to tell a mortal how the universe works, and the best approach to life.

The uniqueness of this work is that it works at different levels – art, literature , philosophy, guide to self-help – and here we'll concentrate on the last of these.

The importance of Arjuna 's plight

Arjuna doesn't want to fight and why does he want to? The reader can but accept that waging a war against one's own family is insane. However, the narrative is allegorical; it is about action and non-action, and introduces us to the conceptions of karma and dharma.

Arjuna wondered why he should bother doing anything good, or doing anything good at all, in a world so evil.

The Bhagavad-Gita, however, states that for some reason what happens does so, even if that is the reason for you to combat it. To withdraw from life would be good but you can not. We can't avoid intervention or its consequences because we are alive, that's karma. But if we have to throw ourselves into life, then what should our guide be? Action is guided by intent, and action is done from a sense of purpose.

The first type seems easier, as it allows you to live without questioning and requires little knowledge of yourself. It simply goes against the grain of universal law, generally leading to a spirit 's removal from our lives. Purposeful behaviour seems to be more complex, but is really the most logical way; it is the redemption of our lives and also the source of happiness. Dharma is the word for that.

Rationale

The Bhagavad-Gita is a great book because it represents the mind of thought which can choose the way of intention over the automaticity of a life led by desire. If Arjuna actually keeps up with his urge not to fight, he will achieve nothing. Krishna instead tells him to 'fight the good fight,' that's his duty, his intent, his dharma.

Subsequently, freed from indecision, Arjuna is told that his opponents 'have it come to them;' Arjuna is merely the instrument of divine karma.

The reader does not dwell too long on why it is that God favours war. The point of the storey is that the young guerrilla displays reason in questioning his own actions and existence.

Reason is the process by which we discover our position in the broader scheme of things, specifically the work or actions which justify and fulfil our life. That is what makes us humans.

Running

The Bhagavad-Gita draws attention to the three 'earth constituents,' namely Tamas (darkness), Rajas (fire), and Sattva (light). A Rajas lifestyle is full of action and constant company, with too many pies in the mouth, desire for more, lack of rest, and passion for things and people. It's about winning and achieving, a life based on 'what's mine and what's not mine yet.'

Familiar sound? This is living by 'outcome' and while it may be of a higher order than Tamas (inertia, sluggishness, carelessness, ignorance), it is still one of mediocrity. And the light-life, Sattva? When your intentions are noble, you will know that you are living it and you feel peace in your actions. Your job is your refuge, and you'd do it for absolutely no benefit.

The key point about work in this book is that you are darkening your soul until you do the job that you enjoy. If that seems unlikely, then enjoy what you do. Independence will emerge from fear and concern about 'evidence.'

The stubborn self

When a storey comes on the year's Academy Awards, telling about the glitter and glory of the Oscars and exclusive post-ceremony events, you might be relaxing in front of the Screen. Someone comments: 'This is where the rest of the world wants to be.' And a nagging voice in your head begins: 'What have I done with my life that I'm not on the party list? Am I really going back to my job on Monday morning? The Gita teaches you can reach a state where you don't need any external commendation to make you feel good to fight these feelings of inadequacy that are focused on relying on others and getting their approval; you know you are of real value.

In this way the book is a perfect antidote to the feelings of insignificance and smallness that can overwhelm even the most optimistic of everyday life. Closing remarks

This is a great self-help book because it is not academic or complex but remains a source of profound wisdom, providing a road to steady-mindedness and joy in one's work that could not be more important in the 21st century's pace and intensity of life.