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    The Wisdom Of The Gita: A manual for life
    The Wisdom Of The Gita: A manual for life
    The Wisdom Of The Gita: A manual for life
    Ebook128 pages2 hours

    The Wisdom Of The Gita: A manual for life

    By J. M. Mehta

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    The small book acquaints the readers with the fundamentals of life, which include the human body and the soul, pleasure and pain, God and nature, good and evil, the different qualities inherent in human beings, yoga, meditation, desires and similar other aspects. The book has been specially designed for the busy man of the present day, who has no time to read voluminous titles! All the literature of the world is puny and insignificant in front of the Bhagwat Gita- once remarked the famous American writer and philosopher, H.D.Thoreau. This book is an outcome of a deep study of the Gita over a long period and broadly covers the main teachings enshrined in the scripture. In fact,Gita is not merely a holy book meant for reverence and ritual worship, but it is a fountain spring of true knowledge and wisdom and can be considered as a manual for righteous living. This small book acquaints the readers with the fundamentals of life, which include the human body and the soul, pleasure and pain, God and nature, good and evil, the different qualities inherent in human beings, yoga, meditation, desires and similar other aspects. The book has been specially designed for the busy man of the present day, who has no time to read voluminous titles! Some Glimpses: *The Goal of Life: The man who remains same in pain and pleasure, and who is wise makes himself fit for eternal life. *The Charity given as a matter of duty and without expectation of return, to the right and deserving person, at the right time and place is Satvik. *Whatsoever makes the unwavering and unsteady mind wander away, let him restrain and bring it back to the control of the self alone. *A true devotee is one who has no ill-will to any being, who is friendly and compassionate, free from egoism and self sense, even-minded in pain and pleasure, and patient. #v&spublishers
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherV&S Publishers
    Release dateDec 5, 2018
    ISBN9789350573150
    The Wisdom Of The Gita: A manual for life
    Author

    J. M. Mehta

    The author J.M. Mehta is a post graduate in English literature and a topper in B.ED examination from the Punjab University. He held various responsible assignments both at the headquarters and abroad including posting in the U.K, Russia, Kenya, Vietnam and the Philippines. The author, after retiring from the Ministry of External Affairs in 1993, has been devoting much of his time to reading and writing. His style of writing is rather simple and lucid. He has been a student of yoga and its practitioner for several years. Several books of his on subjects ranging from Philosophy to Religion to Yoga have been published in the past. He has a deep interest in spirituality and in ancient Indian philosophy in particular. He is actively engaged in the regular study of the scriptures which actually prompted him to write this wonderful piece of art for the common man.

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      The Wisdom Of The Gita - J. M. Mehta

      Some Famous Comments on The Gita

      The Gita is a bouquet composed of the beautiful flowers of spiritual truths collected from the Upanishads.

      —Swami Vivekananda

      The Gita is the universal mother. I find solace in the Gita which I miss even in the sermon on the mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone, I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there, and immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies.

      —Mahatma Gandhi

      In the whole world of literature, there is no book so elevating and inspiring as the Gita. It is the source of all wisdom. It is your greatest guide. It is your supreme teacher. It is an inexhaustible spiritual treasure. It is an ocean of knowledge. It is a universal scripture for people of all temperaments and for all times.

      —Swami Sivananda

      The Gita was preached in order to give philisophical advice as to how one should live one’s worldly life, with an eye to release the true duty of human beings in worldly life.

      —B.G. Tilak

      Its teaching is acknowledged as of the highest value. Its influence is not merely philosophic or academic but immediate and living, an influence both for thought and action, and its ideas are actually at work as a powerful shaping factor in the renewal of a nation and a culture.

      —Aurobindo Ghosh

      It is a means to lift the aspirant from the lower levels of renunciation, where objects are renounced, to the loftier heights, where desires are dead, and where the yogi dwells in calm and ceaseless contemplation, which his body and mind are acrively employed in, discharging the duties that fall to his lot in life. It is a scripture of yoga which means harmony with the Divine law, becoming one with the Divine life, by the subdual of all outward going agencies.

      —Annie Besant

      The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the Perennial Philisophy, ever to have been done. Hence its enduring values are not only for Indians, but for all mankind.

      —Aldous Huxley

      The Gita is a handbook of instructions as to how every human being can come to live the subtle philosophical principles of Vedanta in the actual world. This is a great handbook of practical living.

      —Swami Chinmayananda

      The Bhagwad Gita is a valuable aid for the understanding of the supreme ends of life.

      —Dr. S. Radha Krishnan

      The Bhagwad Gita is one of the world-scriptures today. It guides the life of people all over the world.

      —Divine Life Society

      Sung by Lord Krishna, the Gita, drenched in ambrosial compassion, is the provider of initiation into duty, lessons of equanimity, alms of englightenment and surrender, and is for the welfare of the mankind.

      —Swami Ramsukh Das Ji

      The Bhagwad Gita is a technique for dynamic living and not a retirement plan.

      —Swami Parthasarthy

      The Gita – Some Interesting Facts

      The full name is BHAGWAD GITA — which means the song of the Lord.

      The original text is in SANSKRIT — which is the oldest language and is considered as the mother of several languages.

      It is the greatest, poetical, spiritual discourse ever given in the history of mankind.

      It is believed that this discourse was given by LORD KRISHNA (believed to be incarnation of God) to his disciple and friend ARJUNA, around 5000 years ago.

      It is an intrinsic part of the epic of ‘MAHABHARATA and its authorship is attributed to RISHI VED VYASA.

      The Gita consists of eighteen chapters, containing a total of 700 VERSES (Shlokas). Arjuna spoke 84 shlokas, while Lord Krishna spoke 514 shlokas. The rest were by others.

      Numerous commentaries have been written on the Gita. The commentary by SANKARA is considered as the most ancient of the existing ones.

      The Gita has been translated into most languages of the world.

      The Background

      The war of Mahabharata, which was fought between the cousins, Kauravs and Pandavs, at the battleground of Kurukshetra, serves as a background to the Gita. This war was caused because of the arrogance of the Kaurav prince Duryodhana, who refused to part with even a small territory of the kingdom to the Pandavs for their living and sustenance. The rival armies led by Duryodhana and Arjuna faced each other at Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna, a friend and guide of Arjuna, acted as his charioteer. At the crucial moment, when the two armies stood ready before the battle, Arjuna requested Krishna to place his chariot in the midst of both the armies so that he can survey the battlefield. When Krishna complied, Arjuna found that his respected elders, teachers, close relatives and friends were all arrayed against him. Observing this grim reality, he was overwhelmed at the thought of killing his own kith and kin. He, therefore, felt great sorrow and deep depression and told Krishna thus:

      I covet no victory, riches or kingdom and do not want to kill them even though they kill me.

      Having spoken this, Arjuna laid down his arms and sat down in his chariot, stricken with grief and depression. In this scenario, Lord Krishna delivered the sermon of the Gita to Arjuna, removed his doubts and depression and ultimately prepared him for the fight.

      The story of the Mahabharata, which has been portrayed as an epic battle has wider philosophical significance for the mankind. The battle which was fought at Kurukshetra is a pointer towards a battle on the mental and spiritual level being fought in the human mind, at all times. It is a battle between good and evil tendencies, duties and desires; noble and ignoble actions. The Pandavas and the Kaurvas who represent good and evil forces respectively, may be compared to positive and negative tendencies of an individual. A constant conflict is ever going on between higher and lower natures of an individual.

      The Gita represents a symbolic picture of life’s continuous battle. The problems faced by Arjuna are not individualistic. They are of universal nature. The crisis of choice of right and wrong which confronted Arjuna, is faced by every individual, in some form or the other. Arjuna is a representative person of his age. Kurukshetra is not just a historical battlefield or place. It symbolises the field of action in everyday life of each individual. This eternal and universal life situation, in the form of battle of life, forms the real background of the Gita.

      The Gita – A Manual for Life

      Human life would certainly become worth-living and beneficial if one knows the basic principles to deal with its different aspects. One can know these principles either from a man of wisdom and true knowledge or from a holy book like the Gita, which contains and teaches such knowledge. The vast domain of the Gita provides knowledge about the perishable body, the immortal soul, human faculties, life and

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