A lot is being said and done on Srimad Bhagwad Gita these days. Management colleges are debating over including Bhagvad Gita in the curriculum, people from all over the world are reading and trying to absorb the messages in Gita, companies are arranging series of talks/ symposiums on Gita, markets are flooded with audio cassettes and CDs on Gita especially for expectant mothers, so on and so forth.
In this post I’m trying to present a simple and brief introduction on Srimad Bhagwad Gita by answering the why, who and what of Gita as comprehended during a few study circles on the same conducted by speakers from spiritual and management faculties.
Why should anyone read Gita?
Most of us seek permanent happiness from impermanent sources. As a result, we derive transitory happiness and at times perennial unhappiness or divine dissatisfaction. Success, wealth, accolades, worldly relations give only fleeting joy. After all, nothing lasts forever, since everything is ephemeral, except for the soul. Hence, the purpose of reading Gita is to help us accomplish eternal bliss.
Who should read Gita?
Why did Krishna divulge Gita only to Arjun and no one else on the ground of Kurukshetra? Beacause-
a) Arjun was under severe conflict ; on one hand he had the onus of saving his kingdom and on the other he had the arduous task of fighting with his own kith and kin-grandfather, gurus, uncles and first cousins.
b) Arjun was Krishna’s friend, follower and seeker.
Like Arjun, we all are under some or the other conflict or mental/ emotional turmoil at some or the other time; more so in today’s dynamic and highly competitive environment where even a small child is under the influence of stress. There is a gap between what we should do and what we actually do. In order to resolve the conflict, move in the right direction and bridge the gap between what we should do and what we actually do, one must read Gita.
And if one wants to be a friend, follower and seeker of the divine, then again he must read Gita.
What is the subject-matter of Gita?
The subject matter of Gita is self-knowledge. What we see (even about ourselves) is just the tip of an iceberg. Study of Gita helps in knowing the unknown and thus leads to self-actualisation. According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation (popularly known as the Hierarchy of Needs -Theory of Motivation), self-actualization is the peak; it is about the quest of reaching one's full potential as a person. So if one is able to reach his full potential, he realizes the purpose of life.
So, Gita shows us the way of life; helps in developing divine sense of discrimination, enables us to tread on the path of righteousness under all circumstances and emerge victorious.
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