Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), was a great patriot, philosopher, social reformer and

freedom fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement.
The British colonial authorities infamously and derogatorily called the great leader as
"Father of the Indian unrest". He was also conferred upon the honorary title of
Lokmanya, which literally means "Accepted by the people (as their leader)". Tilak was
one of the first and strongest advocates of "Swaraj" (self-rule) in Indian consciousness.
His famous quote, "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it !" is well-remembered in
India even today.

Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the author of this work, interprets Gita as the scripture
of Karmayoga. Karmayoga is performing one's duty without having any desire for its
fruits. According to Tilak Gita teaches selfless action as is said in Chatper 2, Verse 48:

yogasthah kuru karmaani sangam tyaktvaa dhananjaya

siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhuutvaa samatvam yoga ucyate

Remaining steadfast in yoga, oh Dhananjaya (Arjuna), perform actions, abandoning

attachment, remaining the same to success and failure alike. This evenness of mind is
called yoga.
This book is the source book of New (proactive or practical) Vedanta which Tilak and
Vivekananda propounded by the end of 19th century and early years of 20th century. Its
scholarship and insight is astonishing for a political leader who spent a very difficult time
in Mandale prison where major part of this book was written.
In the storm of life we struggle through myriads of stimuli of pressure, stress, and multi
problems that seek for a solution and answer. We are so suppressed by the routine of this
every life style that most of us seem helpless. However, if we look closely to ancient
techniques we shall discover the magnificent way to understand and realize the ones
around us and mostly ourselves. If only we could stop for a moment and allow this to
happen. May all beings be happy (Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu) is the essence of
Indian philosophy?
What were the inner feelings and emotions of Shri Krishn when he preached the Geeta?
All inner feelings cannot be expressed in words. Some can be told, some are expressed
through the body language, and the rest are to be realised which can only be understood
by a seeker through experiences. Only after attaining the state which Shri Krishn had
been to, an accomplished teacher knows what Geeta says. He simply does not reiterate
verses of the Geeta but, in fact, gives experiences to the inner feelings of the Geeta. This
is possible because he sees the same picture which was there when Shri Krishn preached
the Geeta. He therefore, sees the real meaning, can show it to us, can evoke the inner
feelings and would lead us on the path of enlightenment.
How to become Karma-free

Karma is not action and reaction as in Newtons laws of physics. Sometimes the law of
karma is erroneously defined as: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The law of karma states that for every action there is a consequence; it may not equal and
it may not even be opposite.

This is so because the Law of Karma deals with individual, cognizant beings on varied
levels of spiritual maturity. Hurling an insult at MK Gandhi and hurling an insult at Idi
Amin would result in two very different consequences; neither of which would be equal
or opposite to our act of verbal insult.

Not only do our actions have consequences but they also leave impressions on our subtle
being. These material impressions must be purified in order to break free of Samsara. So
karma is; an action resulting in a consequence, which in turn leaves an impression on our
subtle being.

There are three divisions of action.

Karma Actions that give good consequences and leave good impressions on our subtle
being; thus keeping us bound in samsara.

Vikarma Actions that give bad consequences and leave bad impressions on our subtle
being; thus keeping us bound in samsara.

Akarma Action that may result in good or bad consequences but, and this is the key,
leave NO impressions whatsoever on our subtle being and therefore does not keep us
bound in samsara.

Note: There is no such thing as good and bad karma, from the spiritual perspective,
because any karma that leaves impressions binds us in Samsara and, in terms of spiritual
development, this is hardly advantageous.

Karmic and Vikarmic activities will leave impressions on our subtle being, we dont want
that. So we must resort to Akarmic activities.

There are 4 practices which enable us to become and remain Karma Free:

MantraSpiritually empowered hymns, chants and sound vibrations

YajnaSpiritually empowered ceremonies, meditations and worship
SevaSpiritually empowered selfless work
PrasadSpiritually empowered blessings

Mantra All sound energy is powerful and can therefore leave powerful karmic
impressions upon the soul. However, spiritually pure sound burns the impressions of our
Karmic and Vikarmic activities.

Yajna Yajna, which is not spiritually pure, can also increase our karmic impressions.
For example there are meditations and ceremonies to enhance our material affluence.
Such Yajna are Karmic and will leave impressions, albeit good ones.
Seva Philanthropic and humanitarian work, though selfless, can also be quite Karmic
thus leaving good impressions. Because we want to be Karma-free our Seva also has to
be spiritually pure.

Prasad (I believe this is what Christians call Grace) Blessings can come in many forms
i.e. spiritually purified food, clothing, flowers, inanimate objects etc. By properly
receiving such Prasad karmic impressions can be reduced and eradicated.

However, these 4 practices, if not spiritually purified are also Karmic and thus leave
impressions. The spiritual catalyst for such purification is Guru.

The Guru (enlightened one, master, saint, insert any term you like) is the key in
spiritually empowering and purifying these 4 processes. The living Guru comes in a line
of Gurus who are spiritually pure, empowered and karma-free and therefore able to burn
and consume the Karmic impressions of others. The Guru, will either personally
eradicate the Karmic impressions of his or her charges, or pass them on to his/her own
Guru for eradication. The four practices, in themselves, are quite karmic indeed when
engaged in by a person who is NOT connected to a line of spiritually pure and Karma-
free masters.

To be Karma-free liberates us from samsara and allows for Brahman realization. The joy,
happiness and freedom of Brahman realization far outweigh the temporary pleasures
resulting from good karma. Krishna tells Arjuna about the immense pleasure derived
from Brahman realization alone, not mention the subsequent realizations of Paramatma
and Bhagavan.

Take Action:

Find a master who comes in a spiritual lineage of masters (called parampara) and under
his or her auspices engage in the 4 practices mentioned above. With this method one can
become karma-free even in this life, be liberated from samsara and achieve spiritual
(Brahman) realization.

Bhagvad Gita

he Bhagavad Gita is one of the most

revered of Indian scriptures. Though it
is much later than the Vedas, and does
not constitute part of the revealed
literature of the Hindus, it occupies a
distinct and in some respects unrivaled place in Indian philosophical and religious
literature. While it is almost conventional to view it is a separate text, it is in fact a part of
the Mahabharata, and relays the teachings of Krishna to Arjuna. The occasion for these
teachings was furnished by the great war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who
are also related to each other. As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna, one of the five
Pandava princes, throws down his bow and arrow, and confesses his inability to kill his
own cousins and kinsmen, as well as those revered teachers who had been the common
tutors of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Krishna then delivers an oration, urging Arjuna to
perform his duty, to be the warrior that he is, and it is these teachings that are
encapsulated in the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of the Lord.

The teachings of the Gita have been the subject of much interpretation. The Gita counsels
us to retain our equanimity, and says unequivocally that the sthitha-prajna , or the being
preserved in wisdom, is moved to neither excessive joy nor excessive sorrow. Krishna is
understood as recommending that we must fulfill our duties, but never with an eye to
being rewarded for our activities; and that whatever travails the flesh may be heir to, the
soul is always immortal. Thus, truly speaking, we do not have it within our power to kill
anyone, nor can we be killed by anyone; and if Arjuna should imagine that he has such
power, he has failed to understand the nature of the divine. The Gita lays out several
paths to emancipation: for those inclined towards activity or service to humankind
through works, there is karma yoga, just as those inclined towards devotion can practice
bhakti yoga. The intellectually inclined can veer towards jnana yoga, the path of
knowledge and intellectual discrimination. The eleventh chapter contains some of the
most celebrated verses of the Gita. As these teachings have been delivered by Krishna,
who however appears in human form, and that too as as the humble charioteer of Arjuna,
the Pandava prince must be brought to the realization that he is in the presence of the
Lord himself. Krishna consequently reveals to Arjuna his cosmic form, and Arjuna is
dazzled by the vision of the Supreme Deity.

There are hundreds of commentaries on the Gita, and in modern times no great Hindu
figure has failed to leave behind an interpretive work on this philosophical poem. The
earliest, and still most moving, of the commentaries is the twelfth-century work by
Jnaneshvar, a Marathi poet-saint, called the Jnaneshvari. From the purely literary and
devotional standpoint, this work is without comparison. In the late nineteenth century, the
Gita was put to different use. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in his magisterial interpretation, the
Gita-Rahasya, suggested that the Gita urges us to action. It is the devotionalism of the
Hindus that, Tilak was to argue, made them incapable of defending the country against
foreign invaders. Krishna's injunction to Arjuna to take up arms and perform his duty as a
warrior was taken literally by the armed revolutionaries who now declared the Gita to be
their indispensable bedside companion. But Mahatma Gandhi, who was inclined to view
the teachings of the Gita as an allegorical representation of the conflict between
knowledge and ignorance (rather than good and evil, if I may add that caveat) within each
person, insisted upon the centrality of the Gita's teaching that we must perform our duties
without expecting the fruits of our labor. Gandhi called the Gita the 'Gospel of Selfless
Action'. Among the modern commentaries, the most notable ones, besides those by Tilak
and Gandhi, are by Aurobindo, Vinoba Bhave, Vivekananda, and Ramana Maharishi.
There are numerous recitations of the Gita as well, and the Gita has drawn the attention of
many prominent Western writers, such as T. S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, and Christopher
Isherwood.
There are many English translations of the Gita: perhaps the most readable of these is one
by Swami Prabhavananda and Isherwood, though the translations of Swami
Nikhilananda, S. Radhakrishnan, and Barbara Stoller Miller are both scholarly and
literary. Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita is a trifle too ponderous but still unmatched.

Among the worlds scriptures,The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most popular texts. Its
popularity is demonstrated by the fact that, next to the Bible, it is perhaps the most widely
translated of scriptural texts. This scripture is suited for the entire man- kind, irrespective
of a persons religious or ethnic background.

The Gita is considered as the Revelation given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna, in the battle
field to help him resolve his mental conflict and was put in the present form by sage
Vyaasa. In India, ever since the great Shankara wrote his commentary on it, many
eminent scholars of the vedanta philosophy have given their interpretations of this
exemplary text.

It is not the ancient Indian thinkers alone, but many leaders of modern times had also
taken it as a text for expounding their noblest thoughts. Many books such as Tilaks Gita
Rahasya, Aurobindos Essays on Gita and Mahatma Gandhis Anasakti Yoga show the
continued preference and admiration for Gita over centuries.

The tremendous appeal of the Gita is because it deals with practical problems of Life, and
contains lessons that we can follow to resolve our day to day conflicts. This could be the
reason why there are so many links to the Bhagavad Gita in the internet as well

Modern age is an age of science. Hence some persons doubt the utility of Gita in the
present times. But as a matter of fact perhaps it is in the present age alone that Gita is
most urgently needed.

It can be said without exaggeration that most of the acute problems of man at present can
be solved by following the teachings of Gita. The nature of human beings does not
change with the change of time.

The Gita is based upon the fundamental principles of human nature and hence it will
always be a source of inspiration to human beings. In the present age many philosophers,
politicians and scientists have been inspired by Gita.

According to William Von Humboldt, Gita is the most beautiful perhaps die only
philosophical song existing hi any known tongue Mahatma Gandhi wrote in Yong
India I find in Bhagwad Gita which I even miss in the Sermon on the Mount.

When disappointment stares me and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the
Bhagwad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there and immediately begin to mile in the
midst of tragedies.

My life has been full of extreme tragedies and if they have left no visible mark, no
indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Gita. Tilak wrote Gita Rahasya
to elighten the modern world through Gita. Annie Besant and Sri Aurobindo have also
interpreted Gita in the context of the modem age.

In the modern times when all the efforts of the world peace seem to rest on the walls of
sand, Gitas teaching of world brotherhood can very well guide humanity. The ultimate
end, according to Gita is the consolidation of society. It has not only preached for the
welfare of human beings but even that of all living beings as m. h. Gita has that liberality
which is characteristic of Indian thought. Gita synthesized selfishness with altruism by
seeing God everywhere.

Synthesis of Activism and Renunciation:

The circumstances in the present times are however different from those in the time of
Gita. In the context of Gita, Arjuna was tending towards renunciation. The modern men,
however, tend in the opposite direction. But the need of Gita for the modem man is no
less than it was for Arjuna, since both require a balance. Gita has advocated integral
perfectionism. It refutes all one sided developments. It preaches renunciation through
activism. In the words of Prof.

Hariyana, Ours is an age of self assertion, not of self suppression. Men are not now
likely to give up their duty to become reduces as Arjuna wanted to do. The danger some
from the other side. In our eagerness to claim our rights and exercise them, we may
ignore our duties. Hence the need of teaching of the Gita now is as great as ever.

Its value has not lessened through lapse of time and that is a mark of its greatness. As a
matter of fact, Gita is beyond the distinctions of space and time. Several types of
temperament can attain peace through it. Its teachings have reached every country and
have found place in thoughtful persons everywhere.

Various Interpretations:

According to Samkar the central teaching of Bhagwad Gita is knowledge. Samkar does
not emphasize action and devotion as necessary for knowledge and maintains them as
subordinate to it. According to him one can attain liberation only by the knowledge of
Reality. On the other hand, Ramanuja maintains that devotion is better than knowledge
and action and the latter are not essential for the former.

According to Madhwacharya also devotion is the central teaching of Gita.

Ballabhacharya has also advocated this view and so is the view of Nimbarkacharya as
well. Mahatma Gandhi has emphasized devotion, but laid excessive emphasis on the
moral values.

All these views either emphasize knowledge or devotion. B.G. Tilak the author of Gita
Raltasya, however, maintains karma Yoga as the central teaching of Gita and subordinates
both knowledge and devotion to action, like Sri Aurbindo, Tilak occupies a place among
the foremost commentators on Gita. Hence it is relevant to discuss his views critically
and in details.

Tilaks Interpretation:

To support his view regarding the central teaching of Gita, Tilak in his Gita Rahasya,
quotes a verse from Nyaya Philosophy meaning,The beginning and the end, the
occasional repetition, the novelty of the subject, the immediate result of the work, the
subsidiary matter and finally the argumentation in support, are the seven ways of
determining the aim of a particular work. According to Tilak in Gita all these speak in
favour of activism.

The occasion of Gitas teachings:

The occasion in which the need for the preaching of the Gita arises is very much
significant to determine its central purpose. It was a question of war. To regard a
consideration of ultimate philosophical questions as falling within the main aim of Gita,
is plainly ignorant Gita was required to convince Arjuna that fighting is his supreme duty
and it is for this conviction that Sri Krishna has elaborated his teaching in more than 700
verses.

...................

The struggle against British colonialism marked a period when a huge number of Hindus
became free from a very exploitative regime (and although the new regimes in India have
eventually turned out just as worse as the British working against the interest of Hindus)
it cannot be denied that the freedom fighters against the British Raj deserve the respect
of all.

The post-World War 2 era of world history saw the dramatic end of colonialism all
around the world. The first and most devastating blow to colonialism was the freedom of
India, in which over night 1/5th of humanity were freed. Despite the sad events that
accompanied Independence (i.e. the partition of India and the accompanying massacres),
Independence Day is a happy event, celebrated by over a billion people every year. India
was the first country to free herself, and her freedom gave impetus and hope to the
freedom movements of so many other countries spread out over. Asia and Africa. This
section is dedicated to the sacrifice of all of the freedom fighters who struggled against
European colonialism.

Many of the most prominent freedom fighters were inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. Many
even went to the gallows and were executed with the Gita in their hands. The Swadeshi
movement of Bengal in 1905 began with a gathering of 50,000 people on the streets on
the streets of Calcutta, each with the Gita in their hands. The crowds proceeded to the
Kali Temple where they vowed to boycott British goods and drive the British from their
lands. The following are very brief biographies about some of the many great leaders and
freedom fighters that drew inspiration from the Gita:

Lokmanya Tilak (1856-1920) was known as the Father of Indian Unrest. He was the
very first person to demand full independence from Britain in the Congress sessions. He
explained: The most practical teaching of the Gita, and one for which it is of abiding
interest and value to the men of the world with whom life is a series of struggles, is not to
give way to any morbid sentimentality when duty demands sternness and the boldness to
face terrible things. And It is my firm conviction that it is of utmost importance that
every man, woman and child of India understands the message of the Gita.He write a
commentary on the Gita called Gita Rahasya, which even today is one of the best
books written on the Gita
Bankim Chandra Chatterji (1858-1930) Bankim Chandra was not a freedom fighter, but
through his writings he sparked of an intense freedom struggle and breathed a new
passion and life into the nation, particularly his native region of Bengal, which became
kindled with religious, nationalistic and artistic fervour after being infused with the
powerful visions contained in his writings. Virtually all of you will have heard the famous
slogan Vande Mataram (I bow to the Mother). The poem and song by this name was
first written by him in his famous novel Anandamath. The Anandamath story is set in
18th century India, when a group of warrior sannyasis mounted a guerilla war against
Muslim rule (based on a true historical attempt by sannyasis to do precisely this). It was a
riveting story line with amazing characters and meaningful dialogues. Yet more
importantly, hundreds of thousands of Indians took the story as a metaphor for their own
present day situation, understanding it as a call to arms to drive the new tyrants (the
British) away from the sacred soil. Vande Mararam became the slogan of the freedom
struggle. Bankim Chandra drew deep inspiration from the Gita. He wrote a commentary
on the Gita, which was only three quarters complete when he died, and an inspiring life
sketch of Krishna based on historical and literary research, titled Sri Krishna Charitra.

Mahatma Gandhis (1869-1948) role in the freedom movement of India needs no

explanation. His very name invokes images of Indias Independence. He was a kshatriya
who fought his battle with unique weapons. He drew great inspiration and courage from
the Gita, I find a solace in the Bhagavad-Gita that I miss even in the Sermon on the
Mount [Gandhi felt that the Sermon was the most deep and meaningful dialogue in the
Christian teachings]. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not
one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad-Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there ,
and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies and my life
has been full of external tragedies and if they have left no visible or indelible scar on
me, I owe it all to the teaching of Bhagavad-Gita.

Sri Aurobindo Ghose (1872-1950) was one of the greatest revolutionaries in the early
phase of the Indian freedom struggle, and is recognised throughout the world as a great
mystic, intellectual and visionary. He felt that Indias weakness had been due to a weak-
minded and cowardly group of leaders, who did not have the nerves to face hardship and
take risks for the better of the nation. He emphasised the necessity of the Gita in uplifting
India as well as liberating humanity from the bondage of our lower nature into the bliss of
divinity. He wrote a beautiful selection of essays on the Gita and its secrets. A certain
class of minds shrink from aggressiveness as if it were a sin. It is an error, we
repeat, to think that spirituality is a thing divorced from life. It is an error to think that
the heights of religion are above the struggles of this world. The recurrent cry of Sri
Krishna to Arjuna insists on the struggle; Fight and overthrow thy opponents!,
Remember me and fight!, Give up all thy works to me with a heart full of spirituality,
and free from craving, free from selfish claims, fight! Let the fever of thy soul pass from
thee.
Damodarpanth Chapekar (executed 1898) In the late 1890s, in the Maharashtra
province of India, there was a devastating plague, which killed many people. The British
colonial government was very unhelpful about relief for the suffering people. Indeed, the
British agricultural policies (enforcing production of cotton rather than traditional food
crops) seriously compounded the problem. The celebrations of Queen Victorias Golden
Jubilee (50 years of rule) were held in the Poona city of Maharashtra. The celebration
was carried out with such immense pomp and splendour, in a region where innumerable
people were suffering. This sent a wave of resentment amongst the Indian populace,
against the colonial government. It was at this time that the erstwhile limited freedom
struggle against the British gained support and momentum. As a mark of the peoples
resentment against the British administration, an important incident occurred which was
to breath a hitherto unknown fire into the revolutionary freedom movement. Outraged by
the countless miseries of the famine and plague stricken masses and the excesses
committed by the British soldiers, Damodarpant Chapekar shot dead the British plague
commissioner, Mr Rand, and the British officer Mr Ayerst on June 22, 1897, in Poona
(the city which has been a cradle of heroes throughout history). He was later betrayed by
two friends, and was sentenced to death. He embraced the gallows with the Bhagavad
Gita in his hands on April 18th 1898.

Madanlal Dhingra (1887-1909) was the assassin of Sir Cyrzon Wyllie, in London in
1909. He was executed in London on 17 August 1909. Bhagat Singh acknowledged
Dhingra as his predecessor. A colourful and brave personality throughout his short life, he
died with the Gita in his hands.

Khudiram Bose (1889-1906) was a young revolutionary from Bengal. He was brought up
with a deep knowledge of the Hindu heritage, and he was constantly pained that a country
which had once achieved so much was now bankrupt and under foreign yoke. He was
arrested and hung at the young age of 17 for his part in an attack on British targets. He
had the words Vande Mataram on his lips and the Bhagavad Gita in his hands when he
died.

Hemu Kalani (1923-1943) was a freedom fighter from Sindh, who participated in all
aspects of the freedom struggle, from the boycott of British goods, to Gandhis campaigns
and revolutionary activities. He was caught in a plot to steal British munitions and supply
it to Indians. While marching to the gallows, he consoled his distressed mother by
quoting verses from the Gita regarding the indestructibility of soul. This shows the
bravery and coolness that the Gita can inspire, even in the face of calamity. He said as he
was about to be executed that he would like to be born again to finish the job of liberating
India. He embraced the gallows with the Bhagavad Gita in his hands on April 18th 1898.

eko sastra devakiputra gita, eko devo devaki putra eva.. mantra eko tasya namani yani
karmat ekaa tasya devasya deva....lets there be only one scripture for humanity,let there
be only one god, the supreme personality of godhead lord krishna, let there be only one
mantra the name of krishna and let there be only one duty how to please the supreme lord
by devotional service.
.................................

Introducing Srimad Bhagavad Gita - A User's Manual For Every Day Living
By T.N.Sethumadhavan, October 2010 [tnsethu@rediffmail.com]
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
Chapter :

Live in the world but dont be of the world. Live in the world but dont let the world
live within you. Remember it is all a beautiful dream, because everything is changing
and disappearing. If you become detached you will be able to see how people are
attached to trivia and how much they are suffering. And you will laugh at yourself
because you were also in the same boat before. - Osho
The Gitas wide appeal
The Bhagavad Gita was first translated into English by Charles Wilkins in 1785 and
published by the British East India Company with an introduction by Lord Warren
Hastings, the first British Governor-General of India, in which he prophetically wrote:
The writers of the Indian philosophies will survive when the British Dominion in India
shall long have ceased to exist, and when the sources which it yielded of wealth and
power are lost to remembrance. He further wrote I hesitate not to pronounce the Gitas
performance of great originality, of sublimity of conception, reasoning and diction
almost unequalled and a single exception amongst all the known religions of mankind.
The Gita deals with human problems in a human way. That is why it has a tremendous
appeal. It has inspired the human mind in India for centuries and today it casts its spell
on millions of people across the various parts of the world. It remains the most translated
work in the Globe. The modern technology like the Internet has further increased its
reputation by carrying its message to every nook and corner of the world. A mere click
on the word Bhagavad Gita in the Google search engine throws about 963,000 results.
An incredible reach for any scripture!
Among the great and extraordinary people who were inspired and found their outlook
changed by the timeless wisdom of the Gita are thinkers, writers, scientists and
philosophers like Mahatma Gandhi, B.G.Tilak, Sri Aurobindo, Albert Einstein, Dr. Albert
Schweitzer, Herman Hesse, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aldous Huxley, Walt Whitman,
Henry David Thoreau, Annie Besant, Robert Oppenheimer Sir Edwin Arnold and Carlyle
to name but a few.
In India it was left to Adi Sankara who lived in the 8th century A.D. to reveal the
greatness of the Gita to the world. He retrieved it from the mighty tomes of the epic, the
Mahabharata, and wrote a brilliant commentary on it. It is this commentary which
prevails as a classic text even today. Later great acharyas like Ramanuja, Madhva,
Vallabha and others came out with their own commentaries which are popular among
their followers. In modern times Sant Jnanesvar, B.G.Tilak, Aurobindo contributed their
original thinking on the text.
Despite this enormous popularity, the Bhagavad Gita remains a less understood but a
better known text; people know more about it than what is it about. On the analogy of
what the Bhagavad Gita says in Chapter 2, Verse 29 some look upon the book as
marvelous, a scripture of extraordinary or mysterious value, some others speak of the
book as wonderful. And still others though hearing its teachings do not comprehend its
wonderful significance!
Bhagavan Sri Krishna also says in the Gita (7.3) Among thousands of men , one by
chance aspires for perfection; even among those successful aspirants only one by chance
knows Me in essence. A question arises why such enlightened persons are so rare in our
midst and why such an achievement is not within the reach of everyone.
Vedanta being a subjective science rarely one tries to know how to remove one's
weaknesses and develop inner strength much less one tries to live up to the ideals
propounded by it and bring about consequent re-adjustments in one's life. Very few feel
this urge to evolve themselves and most of us do not even find the need for self
improvement. We grope along by the voice of tradition, authority, herd-instinct and
group-mentality. Of those who strive to see the truth and reach the goal, only a few
succeed. Of those who gain the sight, not even one learns to live by the sight.
No wonder once a teacher wanting to educate a child about the Gita asked him Do you
know Gita? The child replied Yes, I know, that is the name of my next door aunty.
The child obviously heard of Gita and had his own meaning of it in his mind and
remained happy about it. That is the case with most of us today including the large mass
of modern educated sections. Then where do we go from here? Again, the Gita says by
constant learning and practice one can certainly improve oneself. Let us attempt to heed
that advice through this series of essays.
What is the Gita?
The dictionary meaning of the word Gita is a song or poem containing an inspired
doctrine and the word Bhagavat means a blessed or adorable or venerable or divine
One. Hence Srimad Bhagavad Gita is variously called as The Song of God, The
Divine Song, A Song of Fortune, The Lords Song, The Holy Song of God, The
Song of the Lord, Gudartha Deepika, Gita Rahasya, Jnaneshwari, Bhavaarthadipika,
Sadhaka Sanjeevani and so on. The noted English poet, journalist and a Principal of the
Government Sanskrit College at Pune, Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) called his famous
poetic version of the Bhagavad Gita as The Song Celestial. The Bhagavad Gitas
another title is moksha sastra or Scripture of Liberation. However, it is more
popularly known as The Gita.
The Bhagavad Gita is a sacred Hindu scripture, considered among the most important
texts in the history of literature and philosophy. It finds a place in the Bhishma Parva of
the Mahabharata. It comprises of 18 chapters spread out in 700 verses. Its author is Veda
Vyasa, the compiler of the Mahabharata who wrote this epic through the hands of the
Lord of Wisdom, Sri Ganesha. Its teachings are considered timeless and the exact time of
revelation of the scripture is considered of little spiritual significance. The teacher of the
Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna, who is revered as a manifestation of God, The Bhagvan,
Parabrahman.
The content of the Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna taking
place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra before the start of the war between the two clans
of brothers - the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins,
Bhagavan Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince and elaborates on
different Vedantic concepts. This has led to the Gita being described as one of the
prasthana traya, the triumvirate of the canons of Hindu Philosophy, the other two being
the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras.
It is considered as a concise, practical, self-contained guide to play the game of life.
During the discourse, Krishna reveals His identity as the Supreme Being (Svayam
Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of His divine universal form.
The Gita itself tells us about what it is. At the end of the first chapter we find a narration
reading as under:
om tat sat
iti srimad bhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre
sri krishnaarjuna samvaade arjuna vishaada yogo naama prathamo'dyaayah||
Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the
scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first discourse
entitled: The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna
The narration as given above at the end of the first chapter occurs also at the end of all
the other subsequent chapters, the only difference being the respective title of the
chapters. This narration is called `sankalpa vakya' meaning an epilogue for the chapter. It
reveals in a very concise form the glory and greatness of the Gita and states the theme of
the concerned chapter.
The meaning of this recital is as under:
1. Om Tat Sat: A designation for the Absolute enabling everybody to turn towards
Godhead.
2. Gita is called: Upanishad because it contains the essence of all the Upanishads which
are the revelations of the ancient sages.
3. Brahma Vidya or the science of the Eternal because it teaches about the changeless
Reality behind the ever-changing phenomenal world of perceptions, emotions and
thoughts.4. Yoga Shastra because it is a scripture that explains the technique of right
living and provides a practical guide to work it out in the form of Jnana Yoga, Karma
Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga.
5. Samvad because it is in the form of a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, the
Divine and the human, the former teaching the latter how to function successfully and
efficiently in a community.
6. This chapter is entitled `Arjuna Vishaada Yogah' or the Yoga of despondency of
Arjuna.
Central Theme of the Gita
The Bhagvad Gita can be studied from different angles such as a historical document, a
spiritual treatise, a scriptural text for daily chanting and prayer, a sublime poetry, an
exposition of Grammar and meter, or a management manual, depending on ones own
outlook and purpose.
The objective here is to study it as a spiritual text and try to find out its main theme. Our
ancient Rishis have given us a six-point test to determine the main theme of a text. This
is called sadvidvidha tatparya nirnaya linga. In the light of this six-factor test let us
look at the Gita to discover its central theme.
The 1st point is called upakrama and upasamhara - the beginning and conclusion of a
text. The crux of the subject in the text starts with Arjunas confusion, his acceptance of
the delusion and surrender to the Lord as a sishya with a request to teach him what is the
best for him. The text ends with his statement that all his doubts were cleared, his
delusion is gone and he regained his memory of the Self. This kind of beginning and end
of the text shows that the Bhagavad Gita contains the Knowledge that removes the
delusion and bestows the Supreme Good.
Even from the teachers view point, the text starts from Sri Krishna telling Arjuna that
he is grieving for that which should not be grieved for thereby explaining how sorrow is
borne of delusion. It ends by asking Arjuna whether the delusion had gone. This makes it
clear that the entire purpose of the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna was aimed at
removing spiritual ignorance which is the cause of delusion. Thus the removal of sorrow
and delusion (soka moha nivritti) is the main theme of the Gita.
The 2nd point is called abhayasa - repetition and emphasis in the text. The 2nd chapter
gives ample evidence to this aspect. Krishna frequently tells Arjuna not to grieve and puts
forward the reasons for that view from several angles like the true knowledge, duty,
ignominy etc. Similarly, the concept of sthitaprajna has been highlighted in several ways
at various places. This shows imparting Self-Knowledge is the key note in the text.
The 3rd point is called apurvata - the novelty or uniqueness of the theme. Sri Krishna
calls this Self-Knowledge as a secret,guhyam because normal extroverted minds cannot
grasp it and hence very few succeed in knowing it. Similarly, moderation in all walks of
our lives has been stressed at many places. The teachings of the Gita are thus unique.
The 4th point is phalam or the fruit or the end result of the study of the text. Removal of
sorrow and confusion and attainment of clear thinking and supreme knowledge -
enlightenment - are the end result of the study of the text.
The 5th point is arthavada - positive praise of the subject and negative condemnation of
the opposite. We find many slokas in the text extolling the supreme Self-Knowledge and
condemning spiritual ignorance. Thus attaining the Supreme Knowledge is the goal of
the Gita.
The 6th and the last point is upapatti - illustration and reasoning. We find in the text that
Krishna has been giving a lot of logical explanations and reasoning to convince Arjuna
about his teachings. He uses profusely the word tasmat meaning therefore. His
arguments are given from many standpoints, the main goal of all His efforts being
elimination of sorrow and delusion through Self-Knowledge. The nature of Self is also
revealed through examples and reasoning. These indicate the Supreme knowledge
( tattva jnanam) as the main subject matter of the Gita.
Therefore Self-Knowledge (atma jnana) which eliminates our ignorance and the
consequent problems created and bestows the ultimate good for all of us (shreyas) is the
core theme of the Gita.
Over-view of the Gita
The entire Bhagavad Gita can be divided into five topics viz.
1. Identifying the problem (covered in the 1st and the starting portions of the 2nd chapters
of the Gita).
2. Finding a solution (covered in the major portion of the 2nd chapter and reiterated in the
7th, 9th and 13th chapters.
3. Implementing the solution (This theme is dealt with in the 3rd, 5th, 12th and 18th
chapters).
4. Understanding the values of life (stated in many places in the Gita and particularly in
the 16th chapter) and
5. Achieving perfection (elaborated in the 2nd, 5th, and 14th chapters).
Arjunas misunderstanding, his inability to see things as they are and consequent grief
and self-pity just at the crucial moment of war are the problems. The solution to them
can be short term which will only be of temporary nature or long term which will be of
permanent nature. The Gita offers a long term solution with which anybody can face any
situation in life at any time anywhere. This spiritual solution teaches us to look at life as
a whole and live a whole life. Finding a solution is just not enough. We must know how
to implement it. The Gita provides us with a practical guidance that helps us to
understand how to live according to the guidelines offered.
But living a life according to the guidelines offered is also not adequate unless it is
spiced with certain basic vision and values. If a persons vision of life is limited to
mundane happiness derived from the senses, he will merely spend his life time in eating,
drinking and making merry. His value system will revolve round making money by any
means to satisfy his never ending needs. But the value system of a person with a
philanthropic bent or an animal lover or an environmentalist or spiritually oriented will
be entirely different. The Gita provides us with such an enlarged vision of life laying the
foundation for a sense of fulfillment.
Finally, the Gita gives us the vision of a person who has gained the supreme Knowledge
and lives anchored in it. One who faces problems and crisis in life gains the vision of
Truth, puts it into practice, and lives according to that value system. He becomes ajivan
mukta, liberated in this very life. He is called a sthita prajna and the Gita gives us a vivid
description of his nature.
Such an analytical understanding of the various topics in the Bhagavad Gita makes it
easy for us to study it fruitfully and gives us a ready reference point to check out the
slokas (verses) according to our requirement.
Main concepts of the Gita
The main philosophical subject matter of the Bhagavad Gita is the explanation of five
basic concepts.
1. Jiva, the individual soul or the living being
2. Jagat, the universe he lives in or nature or matter
3. Jagadishvara, the creator of the universe or the Supreme Controller and the
relationship between Jiva, Jagat and Jagadishvara.
4. Dharma (Duty in accordance with Divine law)
5. Kaala (Time)
Krishna counsels Arjuna on the greater idea of dharma, or universal harmony and duty.
He begins with the tenet that the soul (Atman) is eternal and immortal. Any 'death' on the
battlefield would involve only the shedding of the body, whereas the soul is permanent.
In order to clarify his point, Krishna expounds the various Yoga processes and
understanding of the true nature of the universe. He describes the yogic paths of
devotional service -Bhakti Yoga, action - Karma Yoga, meditation - Dhyana Yoga or Raja
Yoga and knowledge - Jnana Yoga.
Fundamentally, the Bhagavad Gita proposes that true enlightenment comes from going
beyond identification with the temporal ego, the 'False Self', the ephemeral world, so
that one identifies with the truth of the immortal self, the absolute soul or Atman.
Through detachment from the material sense of ego, the Yogi, or follower of a particular
path of Yoga, is able to transcend his/her illusory mortality and attachment to the
material world and enters the realm of the Supreme.
Krishna does not propose that the physical world must be abandoned or neglected.
Rather, one's life on Earth must be lived in accordance with greater laws and truths; one
must embrace one's temporal duties whilst remaining mindful of timeless reality, acting
for the sake of service without consideration for the results thereof. Such a life would
naturally lead towards stability, happiness and, ultimately, enlightenment.
In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna refers to the war about to take place as Dharma Yuddha,
meaning a righteous war for the purpose of justice. He also states that he incarnates in
each age (yuga) to establish righteousness in the world.
Why Study The Gita?
Srimad Bhagavad Gita has been a source of inspiration and enlightenment for
generations. The message of the Gita is not merely a general spiritual philosophy or
ethical doctrine but it has a bearing upon the practical aspects in the application of such
principles in our day-to-day lives. It is indeed "An Users' Manual for the Practice of the
Art of Right Living".
The centuries old Bhagavad Gita continues to be the most relevant beacon light for all of
us today. The modern man, like Arjuna, is at the crossroads where the focus is more on
improving the Standard of Living rather than the Standard of Life, more on the Stock
Exchange Index than on the Human Development Quotient, more on the Cost of Living
than on the Quality of Life. This has resulted in his disorientation and imbalance in an
environment of shifting values. While science aims to enhance the comfort of human
life, spirituality teaches us how to be comfortable with what we have. That is the
difference. In this scenario, the Gita is the only source of strength for the development of
an integrated personality, a complete man, within us.
The Gita teaches how to achieve harmony with divinity in the midst of disharmony by
subduing all outward energies and remaining in equanimity with pairs of opposites like
pain and pleasure, aversion and attraction, success and failure etc. The focus of the Gita
is moderation and its aim is the total surrender of man before the Supreme while
continuing to perform his duties in the spirit of Yoga.
The problem that is facing us today is that while the world is coming closer physically it
is drifting apart mentally and emotionally. Hence all the conflicts and violence,
destruction and damage across the globe. The urgent need, therefore, is the reconciliation
and reconditioning of the human mindset, to inculcate a global vision and bring about the
universal brotherhood.
The Gita is specially suited for the purpose, as it attempts to bring together varied and
apparently antithetical forms of the consciousness and emphasizes the root conceptions
of humanity which are neither ancient nor modern, belonging neither to the east nor the
west, but eternal and universal.
Its beauty and sublimity lie in its everlasting relevance to the daily problems of human
life, either occidental or oriental. It prescribes the methods which are within the reach of
all. It has a message of solace, freedom, salvation, perfection and peace for all human
beings. The more you study it with devotion and faith, the more you will acquire deep
knowledge, penetrative insight and clear, right thinking. It is indeed a recipe for sane
living for every man and woman across the world.
.....................
METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF
THE GITA RAHASYA

Dr. S. K. BASU

Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 - 1920) was a great son of mother India. A
front-ranking patriot, a reputed journalist, an eminent educationist, a profound scholar,
and a man of spotless personal character and integrity, he made his mark in whatever he
undertook. But perhaps the greatest achievement of his life, for which he will be
remembered and respected so long as Hinduism survives, is his Gita-Rahasya, a scholarly
and original interpretation of the Bhagavadgita, written in Marathi, during the period
from November 1910 to March, 1911 - while he was interned in Mandalay jail for his
role as a freedom fighter.

In the Gita-Rahasya Tilak has tried to unravel the real import of the advice given
by Lord Krishna to Arjuna, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, just before commencement
of the fratricidial was between the kauravas and the pandavas.

The urge for undertaking such an intellectual exercise arose out of Tilaks
conviction that the existing commentaries on the Bhagavadgita, written by the great
medieval scholars (Achatyas) were biased, and hence, do not provide a correct
interpretation of Lord Krishnas utterances on the battlefield.

The Gita is universally acknowledged to be one of the three authoritative works or

pillars of the Vedanta philosophy (known as Prasthanatraryi), the other two being the
Upanishads and the Brahmasutra. The Upanishads are many in number, and written as
they were by different authors at different times, contain diverse philosophical views,
some of which are prima facie mutually contradictory. Therefore, ordinary readers find it
difficult to understand their true significance.

In the Brahmasutra (also known as the Vedanta Sutra and Sariraka Sutra) an
attempt was made by Badarayana to harmonise the teachings of the Upanishads. But the
result has not be very satisfactory, as the Sutras are written in the form of brief aphorisms
and have again been interpreted differently by various scholars representing different
sects, viz. Shakara (Advaita or monism), Ramanuja (Visistadavaita or qualified monism),
Nimbarka (Bhedaveda or difference and non-difference), Madhava (Dvaita or dualism),
and Vallabha (Sudhadvaitavada or pure non-dualism).

The Gita is a relatively consistent and compact work of seven hundred verses,
divided into eighteen chapters, and its language is lucid and inspiring. It is believed to
contain the quintessence of Hindu philosophy, as its author, Lord Krishna, tries to
harmonise various conflicting beliefs and religious practices current at that time. Its
appeal to successive generations of Hindus over a period of more than tow thousand
years has been unique in the history of any religious scripture. Millions of Hindus read it
regularly for guidance and inspiration. Even many non-Hindus have acclaimed it as a
great work in the realm of philosophy and ethics.

Devout Hindus consider the Vedas and the Upanishads (the latter forming the
concluding portions of the former) to be of divine origin. They were revealed to the sears
(Rishis) and, were not man-made. Hence they enjoy the highest status in Hindu thought.
Every religion deals broadly with two kinds of problems; namely, those concerning the
fundamental tenets and ideals that remain valid for all times and under all circumstances;
and those which relate to the social, political and economic issues, and problems of the
time. In Hindu thought the former is referred to as Sruti or knowledge revealed to the
seers and the latter as Smriti, or that which is the creation of great saints and seers. Sruti
always enjoys a higher status because it forms the fundamental basis of a religion which
cannot be questioned by any body without being a heretic.

Although the Bhagavadgita is not asruti text, nevertheless, it enjoys a very high
status as a religious work. Every devout Hindu believes Lord Krishna, the author of the
Gita, to be an Avatar or Incarnation of God. The words coming out of the mouth of the
God incarnate have, therefore, the highest validity and respectability in the eyes of
believers.

Moreover, the Gita discusses certain issues concerning mans duty in critical
situations of life along with the criterion for judging what is right and what is wrong.
Metaphysical questions are discussed in the contest of certain live issues that confront
man every now and then. Hence, the Gita is used by millions as a moral and spiritual
reference book for guidance in worldly life. This is not the case with many other
scriptures.
 The kind of problem that Arjuna faced several thousand years ago, are faced by
most of us at certain critical moments in our lives. And the solution offered by the Lord in
the distant past, remains valid even today, for they are based on a logical exposition of the
nature of the ultimate reality or truth and mans place and duty in the world. So long as
the creation will continue man will again and again, be confronted with the same kind of
problem as Arjuna faced, and will also be forced to seek proper solutions to them. The
validity of the Gita is, therefore, universal and eternal.

Nevertheless, the interpretation of the message contained in the Gita has been a
subject of fierce controversy. Obviously, Lord Krishna must have offered some specific
advice to Arjuna in order to enable him to overcome the dilemma confronting him at that
point of time. But scholars have interpreted the same words in different ways, thereby
creating a lot of controversy and confusion. This is quite natural, for the prestige of the
Gita is so great and its appeal so universal that each and every sect tried to find support in
it for the particular religious views held by it. Even in our day to day mundane activities
often we try to justify our actions and views on the authority of some great personality or
book. No wonder, therefore, that the great medieval religious leaders representing various
sects tried to enlist the support of the Gita in favour of their respective views.

In his boyhood Tilak was often told by his elders that if one wanted to attain
salvation (Moksha) one must renounce the world and become a Sanyasin. This set him
thinking. The question that arose in his mind was; does Hinduism want a devotee to give
up or renounce the world in order to be able to attain the perfection of manhood? Tilak
was also told that the Bhagavadgita was universally acknowledged as a book containing
all the essential principles of the Hindu religion. Therefore, he thought that the Gita must
provide an answer to his query and hence started studying it objectively without any pre-
conceived ideas. The conclusion he arrived at was that the Gita advocated the
performance of action in this world even after the actor has achieved the highest union
with the Supreme Deity by Jnana (Knowledge) or Bhakti (Devotion) 1

How and on what basis Tilak arrived at the above conclusion will be discussed
elsewhere. Here we are primarily concerned with the methodology adopted by him and
the influence of Positivism as propounded by Auguste Comte (the celebrated nineteenth
Century French Philosopher) and some others on the author.

Comte (1798 - 1857) advocated adoption of the positive or scientific

methodology, as opposed to the theological and metaphysical methodologies, used in
earlier times. According to the Positive philosophy, it is not possible for man to know the
essence of phenomena. We know only the constant relations between phenomena, the
relation of succession and of similarity among facts or the constant resemblances which
link phenomena together. The constant sequences, are termed their laws. The laws of
phenomena are all we know respecting them. Their essential nature, and their ultimate
causes, either efficient or final, are unknown and inscrutable to us.2 According to
Positivism, therefore, the origin and the end of the things are insoluble problems. Only
that which lies intermediate between the two inscrutable termini of the world is an object
of knowledge.3

According to Comte, the theological, the metaphysical and the positive methods
have been successively used in human history. The theological age continued from the
beginning of civilization upto about 1300 A.D. Then began the metaphysical age which
ended in about 1800 A.D. Afterwords the scientific age, which is characterized by
emphasis on analysis of phenomena began. The positive method supports the value of
science for prediction and social control.

Comte says:

In whatever way we study the general

development of the huma intellect,
whether according to the rational
method or empirically, we discover,
despite of all seeming irregularities,
a fundamental law to which its progress
is necessarily and invariably subjected.
This law consists in the fact that, the
mental constitution of man, and every
portion of it, of necessity, passes
through three successive phases, the
Theological, the Metaphysical and the
positive or physical. Thus man began
by considering phenomena of every kind
as dueto the direct and continuous
influence of supernatural agents; he
next regarded them as products of
different abstract forces, residing
in the bodies but distinct and hetero-
geneous; while he ends by viewing them
as subjected to a certain number of
natural and invariable laws which are
merely the general expression of the relations
observed in their development. 4

Sheer dialectal argumentations of the Cartesian and Hegelian type become

negative. Hence, Comte argued that it was essential to utilise the positive methods and
techniques of science for progress of civilization. This method supports the value of
science for prediction and social control. In place of efficient and final causes, it lays
emphasis on concomitance and sequence of phenomena for a scientific organisation of
society. But the Positive philosophy is not a recent invention of M. Comte, but a simple
adherence to the traditions of all great scientific minds whose discoveries have made the
human race what it is5. Before Comte Kant also had maintained that we know nothing
of Things in Themselves, (Noumena) but only of things as they are presented for us
(Phenomena) though he admitted that beyond the world of sense there may exist an
omnipotent, omniscient cause of the world.

As Mill rightly points out, the Positive mode of thought is not necessarily a denial
of the supernatural; it merely throws back that question to the origin of all things. If the
universe had a beginning, its beginning by the very condition of the case, was
supernatural; the laws of nature cannot account for their own origin 6.

In the third chapter of the Gita-Rahasya, sub-titled Karma-Yoga Sastra, Tilak has
briefly examined the different methods of scientific exposition, according to both Indian
and Western theories. He says that the subject matter of any science may be discussed in
three different ways, Adhi-Bhautika, (positive or materialistic), Adhi-Daivika
(theological) and Adhyatmika (metaphysical). Citing the example of the Sun he says that
when we look upon it not as a deity, but a round mass of gross matter made up of the
five primordial elements, and examine its various properties, such as its hear, or light, or
weight, or distance, or power of attraction, etc., that becomes the positive or material
examination of the Sun.7. This method is used in all modern sciences, such as chemistry
and physics, and Tilak adds that materialists imagine that when they have examined in
this way the visible properties of any object, that is all the need to do and that it is useless
to further examine the objects in the world. 8

But if this method is discarded and an attempt is made to discover what lies at the
root of the material world, that is, whether the activities of the objects are due to some
inherent properties in them, or there is some other power or principle behind those
activities, then one has to transcend the material examination of the object.9 Repeating
the example of the sun Tilak argues that if it is held that there exists a deity called the
Sun which dwells within it, and that this deity carries on the activities of the material
Sun, such examination is called an Adhi-Daivika (Theological) examination of the
object.10 According to this theory all worldly objects have their respective presiding
deities without which activities of the former will stop.

The third theory is that there exists in this world some Spiritual Force, i.e., factor
of consciousness (eicehakti) impreceptible to the organs, which carries on all the
activities of the external world; and that this spiritual force exists in the human body in
the shape of an Atman and acquaints the human being with the entire creation.11 There
also exists a corresponding supreme power of force (commonly referred to us Brahman).
Which controls the entire creation and without which all worldly activities will cease.
This is called an Adhyatmika (metaphysical) point of view.

These three ways of viewing the world have been in existence for a very long time
and they have been followed even in Hindu religious books such as the Upanishad and
the Bhagavadgita. Tilak quotes the examples found in theBrihadaranyaka and other
Upanishads while considering whether the organs of perception (Jananendriya) or the
vital force (prana) is superior, and adds that in deciding this question the respective
strengths (of the Organs and Prana are considered. Once from the point of view that they
have deities like Agni etc., and again by considering their subtle (metaphysical i.e.
adhyatmika) forms (Br. 1.5.1 and; chan. 1. and 3, kausi 2,8,) and the consideration of the
form of the Isvara at the end of the seventh chapter and in the beginning of the right
chapter of the Gita is also from this point of view.12 Out of these three methods
discussed above, Tilak prefers the metaphysical (Adhyatmika) method, on the ground that
Indian religious writers attach a higher importance to it.

In the fourth and fifth chapters of the Gita Rahasya Tilak has examined various
theories of happiness and unhappiness, as advocated by materialistic schools, such, as,
the gross hedonism of Charvaka and Jabali, the refined hedonism of Hobbes and
Helvetius, the altruism of Sidgwick and the utilitarianism of Bentham, Mill and
Shaftesbury, and has rejected all of them as inadequate. Supporting the metaphysical
point of view he says:

... our philosophy of Karma-Yoga has

ultimately come to the conclusion that
the doctrines of the benefit of everybody
or the greatest happiness of the greatest
number, or the highest development of
humanness, or other such external test or
Materialistic methods of determining
questions of Morality are inferior tests . . . 13

In the sixth chapter Tilak has examined the intuitionist school of ethics as
propounded by Christian writers. He considers this theory as unsatisfactory on the ground
that besides mind and intellect, there is no foundation for recognizing the existence of a
separate and independent entity like conscience or moral intuition.14 He feels that
intuition is included in Vyavasayatmika buddhi or pure reason.

After discussing the various standards of ethical action as advocated by different

schools, Tilak finally opts for the metaphysical world outlook. Observe the following
comments.

Therefore, one has to come to the

ultimate conclusion that there exists
in this activated living Body some
comprehensive and potent power which is
more powerful and more comprehensive
than the various dependent and one-sided
workmen in the Body who work in grades
rising from organs like the hands and feet
to life, Activity, Mind and Reason;
that this power remains aloof from all
of them, and synthesises the activities
of all of them and fixes for them the
direction in which they are to act, and
is an every-awake witness of all their
activities. 15
 Thus it is seen that Tilak finally chooses the metaphysical approach to ethics, as
he considers the hedonistic and intuitionist schools to be inadequate and unsatisfactory.
According to him the meaning of the words Brahmavidyayam Yogashastre is that the
ethics of the Gita is based on the spiritual perception of the nature of reality. 16

Comte wanted to elevate sociology to the rank of a positive science, using the
same method as is applied in the natural sciences, namely, interrogation and interpretation
of experience by means of induction and deduction. After a careful consideration of the
history of the world he came to the conclusion that the highest religion of every human
being is to love the whole human race and to continually strive for the benefit of
everybody While Mil, Spencer and some other English Philosophers support this view,
kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer and other German philosophers have proved that this positive
method of considering ethics is inefficient and they have recently revived in Europe the
method of basing Ethics on Metaphysics adopted by our vedanta Philosophers. 17

Tilak was considerably influenced by the methodology of T. H. Green, who

deduced his ethical conclusions from his metaphysical views. Green was an idealist and
believed in one absolute spiritual reality. His ethics is, therefore, based on a spiritual
world out-look, as is the case with the followers of the Vedanta philosophy. Man
according to Green, has no isolated existence. Hence he cannot Contemplate himself as
in a better state, or on the way to the best, without contemplating others.18 In other
words, human perfection can not be pursued individually, in a selfish manner. It has to
be sought collectively by all.19 Also in judging the moral worth of an action Green took
into account the motive or intention of the person concerned. In his opinion, It is not by
the outward from...that we know what moral action is. We know it, so to say, on the/inner
side.20 Tilaks interpretation of the Gita bears stamp of these ideas.

In the Gita it is stated that after arriving at the battlefield, Arjuna found the armies
of the Kauravas and pandavas arrayed against each other, ready to fight. Seeing his kith
and kin on the opposite side of the battlefield, he became overwhelmed by compassing
and grief. He was totally nervous and in no time the determination and courage with
which he came to the battlefield to settle old scores with the kauravas, vanished. His
limbs drooped, mouth dried up, body shivered and hairs stood on end. The great bow
Gandiva slipped from his grip, and he experienced burning sensation of skin. He was
even unable to stand as his head reeled. He saw bad omens and told Lord Krishna that he
would not fight because he did not sire Kingdom and worldly pleasures at the cost of the
blood of his Kinsmen.

Thus there was dramatic change in Arjunas mental condition within a short time,
after arrival at the battlefield and taking a glance at the general disposition of the two
armies. In fact, even after arriving at Kurukshetra, his determination remained intact for
some time as is evident from the fact that he had raised his bow and asked Lord Krishna,
his Charioteer, to place the chariot between the two armies, so that he could have a look
at the persons against whom he would have to fight and thus review the situation. A very
valid question, therefore, arises as to what happened within such a short time that
changed Arjunas mind so radically and dramatically? In other words, what was the cause
of the sudden change in the attitude of Arjuna who came to fight but refused to do so just
when each side was getting ready for it. After all, Arjuna was not a coward, nor was he a
novice in the science and art or war-fare. He was reputed as one of the best, if not the
best, heroes of his time, For such an outstanding soldier to suffer a nervous breakdown at
the very beginning was most surprising. In a war what matters most is high morale, even
if weak in physical strength. But Arjuna became dispirited before even an arrow was shot
at him. What was the reason?

In appears that Arjuna suddenly felt that it would be morally wrong on his part to
kill the Kauravas, who were his kith and kin although they had wronged him and his
family in a number of ways. Verses 31 to 46 of Chapter 1 of the Gita contain the various
arguments advanced by him in support of his changed attitude. But his main point was
that it would be better to die without offering resistance than to incur sin by killing the
near and dear ones. It is obvious, therefore, that Arjunas mind became confused as he
could not decide what his proper duty or course of action was in that particular situation.
In other words, he faced a moral dilemma, mainly because of lack of a proper perspective
based on a true understanding of reality or truth underlying the phenomenal world.

Tilak says that the critical position in which Arjuna had found himself in the
commencement of the Bhagavadgita, as a result of being caught between two mutually
contradictory paths of duty and became doubtful about his proper duty is not some thing
unique.21 Every now and then great and responsible persons who wish to discharge
their duties in life consistently with righteousness and morality find themselves in such
circumstances. He quotes several example from various sources, including Shakespear
Hamlet, to prove the point. Hamlet became insane and finally met a tragic and because he
could not decide whether he should kill his uncle who had murdered his father and
married his mother, or pardon him because he was his own uncle and step-father.
Fortunately such a calamity did not overtake Arjuna because he was luckly enough to get
Lord Krishnas moral support and guidance.

In trying to understand the true import of Lord Krishnas advice to Arjuna, it is

extremely important to understand the ethical, religious and metaphysical basis
underlying it. Which form the core of vedanta Philosophy. Anybody who thinks that Lord
Krishna had encouraged violence, or did not do so but recommended renunciation, or that
he preached a philosophy of action, or of devotion etc., without understanding the
metaphysical and ethical ideas of Hindu though in general and Vedanta philosophy in
particular, on the basis of which the advice was tendered, will miss the point. In Hindu
philosophy and religion various alternative paths for God realization (viz. those of
knowledge, action, meditation, devotion etc.) have be prescribed depending on the
situation, and the status of the aspirant. The Gita tries to harmonise these apparently
contradictory means of attaining the summan bonum of life. It is easy for anyone
following anyone of these means or methods (Yogas) to find passages in the Gita eu-
logising or supporting a particular stand-point. That does not mean, however, that lord
Krishna prescribed only one of these Yogas exclusively, without taking into consideration
such factors as the status of the person concerned, and the situation in which he is placed.
Once a principle or criterion is laid down (as was done by lord Krishna) a particular
aspirant has to apply it to his own specific situation and choose his own course to action.
Towards the end lord Krishna said:

Thus has knowledge most secret been declared to you by Me: reflect on it fully
and act as you like (chap. 18.63)

This and other related issues will be considered in detail elsewhere because they
do not fall within the scope of the present discussion:

However, it is important to note here that excepting the first chapter which
prepares the background for lord Krishnas exhaustive exposition of the Vedanta
philosophy, all the other subsequent seventeen chapters of the Gita are full of subtle
metaphysical and ethical thoughts. They relate to the nature of the Truth or Reality behind
thee phenomenal world including the nature of human soul, its relationship with the
Creator and the aim and purpose of human existence and how to achieve it. In fact, as
already stated, lord Krishna has harmonised the various religious and metaphysical
thoughts current at that time over the all embracing foundation of the vedanta philosophy.

Coming back to the main point, it is found that although the Comtean
methodology is valid for the material sciences which function within the broad operations
of space and time and sense perceptions, it hardly helps in spiritual and ethical realms. In
his sociological theory Comte advocates universal love and brotherhood. This is very
good and useful. But the question arises, why should one love others unless there is some
common bond underlying everyone, past, present and future? like comte, the Utlitarians
also advocate the highest good of the greatest number. Prima facie it looks very
convincing and attractive. But there may be, and have been, situations in which the
perception of the highest good is not only faulty but also positively harmful. Fanatics all
over the world have fought wars and killed millions of innocent men, women and
children, in the supposed pursuit of good as understood by them. In the absence of an
underlying spiritual basis of criterion they could not be, at that particular point of time,
questioned and contained. But future has always exposed the hollowness of all such
beliefs and practices. As Swami Vivekananda points out, utilitarian standards cannot
explain the ethical relations of men...He says, why should I do good to other men, and
not injure them? If happiness is the goal of mankind, why should I not make myself
happy and others unhappy. 22

Following the ideal of Vedanta philosophy, according to which there is only one
Absolute Spiritual Reality behind the entire creation, Tilak prefers the metaphysical
(Adhyatmikia) point of view to the positive out look of Comte. If the matter is scrutinised
to its logical end, it would appear that the Utilitarian (or the Positive) ideal of the greatest
good of the greatest number is basically an outcome of some such spiritual outlook,
although it may not be recognised or admitted. There is no reason why one should love
others unless some basic identity at a deeper level is recognised. In the Vedanta
philosophy this basic identity rests on the recognition of the same eternal self (atman) in
every creature. In the Gita it has been proclaimed, the knowledge by which one sees the
one undivided imperishable substance in all beings which are divided, should be known
as Sattvika (18.20) Therefore, although sociologically Comte and others like him may
be correct, their theory do not adequately, account for ethical and spiritual values and
truths. Jesus Christ demonstrated a similar spiritual outlook when he preached universal
love and tolerance. He believed in the existence of one Supreme Father in the heaven as
the source of all creation. He said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as
thyself. (St. Luke, 27). Without some such fundamental belief a proper justification for
advocating good of others is found wanting.

Now, the question arises, in the present age of science and rationalism is there any
justification for belief in any supernatural spiritual force (God or Brahman)? What
justification or proof can be advanced in support of such a belief? According to Swami
Vivekananda, religion has to be realized internally by every one. Religion, like other
sciences, requires you to gather facts, to see for yourself, and this is possible when you go
beyond the knowledge which lies in the region of five senses. 23 The science of religion
can be mastered not with the help of sense-organs but by intuition and introspection. Man
has achieved great success in exploring the truth or law working in the physical universe.
But very little effort has been made so far to discover the truth underlying the entire
existence including spiritual experience. The same principle working in the outside world
is also present in man. Prophets and seers have come face to face with this truth and they
have broadly indicated the method to be used to share the same experience. The proof of
religion lies in its experience internally, through introspection and meditation. It is wrong
to say that no proof exists. But the proper method and means must be adopted and the
proper effort has to be made to get at the truth.

Tilaks choice of the adhyatmika methodology is absolutely valid in as much as it

is a time-tested principle in the realm of spiritual experience. Lord Krishna explained the
true (spiritual) remove his ignorance, and after this was accomplished, it was not difficult
for Arjuna to decide for himself what his duty was at that particular situation. There is no
scope for any dogmatic assertion in this regard as it is quite possible that placed in a
different situation another person (or even the same Arjuna) might have chosen a
different course of action. There is no single fixed duty for all persons and under all
circumstances or stations in life. However; there is a fixed criterion on the basis of which
duty has to be determined and discharged, therefore, to say that Lord Krishna preached
only this or that to the exclusion of all other possibilities. Would be dogmatic and not in
keeping with the comprehensive and universal message of the Gita.

To sum up, tilaks choice of the adhyatmika (metaphysical) methodology is quite

appropriate as the Gita is a work on metaphysics and ethics where the positive
methodology has little applicability. In the Upanishads again and again we come across
condemnation of the idea of separateness and emphasis on mans spiritual kinship with all
creation. It is interesting to note that this basic oneness, this non-separateness is the
theme of modern scientific thought as well.24 The dichotomy between matter and spirit
is tending to diminish, and in this changed situation the spiritual world-view is gaining
ground, even in those areas which were earlier thought to belong to the domain of
physical sciences.

REFERENCES

1 Tilak, Bal Gangadhar: Om-Tat-Sat Srimad Bhagavadgita rahasya or karma-Yoga-Sastra,

Tr. by B.S. Sukhtankar first English edition, (Poona, tilak Brothers, 1935), P. XXV,-here-
in after referred to as Gita - Rahasya
2 Mill, J. S. Auguste Comte and Positivism (The University of Michigan Press, 1961) P. 6
3 Falckenberg, R. History of Modern Philosophy Calcutta, Progressive Publishers, 1953),
P, 555
4 Comte, Auguste The Crisis of Industrial Civilization: The Early Essays of Auguste
Comte (London, Heinemann Educational Books, 1977), P. 182
5 Mill, J. S. Op. cit., PP. 8-9
6 Ibid P. 14
7 Gita-Rahasya P. 84
8 Ibid,
9 Ibid
10 Ibid P .85
11 Ibid
12 Ibid
13 Ibid. P.164
14 Varma, Dr. V P The Life and Philosophy of Lokmanya Tilak (Agra, lakshmi Narain
Agarwal, 1978), P. 484
15 Gita-Rahasya P. 199
16 Varma, Dr. V P. Op. cit. P. 484
17 Gita-Rahasya, P. 87
18 Green, T H Prolegomena to Ethics (London, Oxford University Press, 5th edition,
1906), P. 229
19 Basu, Dr. S. K. Foundations of the Political Philosophy of Sarvodaya (Delhi, Light
and bliss Publishers, 1984), P.75
20 Green, T. H. Op. cit., P. 229
21 Gita-Rahasya P. 40
22 Vivekananda, Swami: Jnana-Yoga (Calcutta, Advaita Ashrama, 5th impression, 1980),
P. 11
23 Vivekananda, Swami: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta, Advaita
Ashrama, 1989), Vol. VI, P. 133
24 Ranganathananda, Swami: The Message of the upanishads (Bombay, Bhartiya Vidya
Bhawan, 1987), P. 110

Back
...............................

There are a lot of different opinions on the origins and meanings of the Bhagavad-Gita.

The historical placing itself is questioned by many scholars and its definite meaning is

speculated on by many philosophers. (Klostermaier, 2007, pp. 74-5) The conversation of

Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra is deep and intricate, and it covers a

wide range of thoughts. This essay aims to look at two famous interpretations of the

Bhagavad-Gita which focus on the doctrine of action. Bhagavad-Gita arguably focuses

on Karma-Yoga (action), Jnana-Yoga (knowledge) and Bhakti-Yoga (devotion), which

commentators argue about, considering which of them is the concluding and ultimate

path mention in the Bhagavad-Gita is.

The commentators selected here consider the main essence of the message of the

Bhagavad-Gita to be the concept of Karma-Yoga. The first of the two commentators

selected is Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), an active nationalist in Indian history. (Flood,

2001, p. 259) His non-violent protests caught the attention of many in Indias historical

push for independence. (Flood, 2001, p. 259) The second commentator selected here is

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), another heavily active nationalist in a similar time era

as Mahatma Gandhi. (Doniger, 2009, p. 27) His reputation seemed to be that of an

extremist from the view of outsiders. (Nehru, 1988, p. 63)

The essay hopes to draw out how the Bhagavad-Gitas many themes can be focused on to

draw out very similar conclusions (in this case, that of action) and can otherwise be used

to support a variety of completely opposing ideas (in this case the possibility of violent or

militant nationalism and non-violence, passivism). Mostly I would like to look into how

the interpreters introduce their Bhagavad-Gita interpretations, some of their very

fundamental ideas that they propagated in their lives and how these conclusions

coincided with the outsiders perception of their sociopolitical regimes in Hindu/Indian

Nationalism.
Tilaks Bhagavad-Gita commentary the Gita Rahasya is not a very systematic text and

he prefers to present his work in chapters based on different philosophical aspects that he

finds important as opposed to the books natural flow. Tilak lends himself to the belief

that the text is a real story (or at least that its not an allegorical rendition). He takes the

Bhagavad-Gita on its own and also in its greater context in relation to the outside story of

the Mahabharata in this light. (Tilak, 1935, p. 2) Like many previous commentators,

Tilak claims that his opinion is not a biased one but totally objectionable.

Simultaneously, He has also claimed in this context that he has realized the original

purport of the text. (Tilak, 1935, p. xxiv) This is a nice gesture to be made on behalf of

Tilak but it would appear from an outside perspective that his agenda was very much

Hindu/Indian nationalism and that the interpretation of Bhagavad-Gita as a book of action

would instantly lead support to an ambition in this tapered direction. (Klostermaier, 2007,

p. 442) Although he claims to bring a fresh light to interpreting the Bhagavad-Gita, it

would not seem too stretched to suggest that perhaps he was indeed trying to put the

Hindu/Indian stance behind a text that the Christian, British settlers had been trying to dig

into for so long. In this light, Tilak disagreed with scholarly dates offered by outside

scholars for crucial periods of Indian history. (Klostermaier, 2007, p. 20) In stating his

own lack of prepossession of ideas in his reading of the text, Tilak also notes that the

Christian mind was prejudiced in this regard. In stating his lack of conflicting prejudices

he seems to hint his lack of appreciation of previous outsider commentaries, an

interesting point to note in regards to later discussed matters of Hindu/Indian nationalism.

(Tilak, 1935, p. xxiv)

Tilaks concept of Karma-Yoga was decided as his ultimate means of service to God or

oneness with the deity. He considered this doctrine of action as the unifying principle

that should always be performed. (Tilak, 1935, pp. xxv-vi) Jnana-Yoga and Bhakti-
Yoga were definitely there in the Bhagavad-Gita but devotion and knowledge, he

considered, were nothing without the impetus of action. One could act in devotion and

one could act in knowledge but without such action these separate concepts were not

really a viable medium to practice within out lives. (Tilak, 1935, p. xxv) In Tilaks

introductory statements to his text, compiled from speeches, he very much derides the

concept of complete material renunciation as a path allocated by Bhagavad-Gita,

although there are many statements in the Bhagavad-Gita which could lend support to

such a path. He concludes that Action alone must be our guiding principle [] (Tilak,

1935, p. xxvii). In this way, Tilak suggests that the ultimate religious goal, whether

supported by the concept of grace or not, was only achievable by our own personal

efforts, and not simply some spiritual, sentimental dependence on the figure of God. HE

has willed that self can be exalted only through its own efforts. (Tilak, 1935, p. xxvii) In

the religious world, where grace and ones personal endeavour for salvation are

concerned, this kind of connotation is a very definite categorization for Tilaks set of

beliefs. This statement is interesting in the greater Hindu diaspora because in the Hindu

religious context, the debate of grace and personal endeavour were two definite stances in

theological approach, which arguably could change the set values of any man.

(Klostermaier, 2007, p. 211) Naturally, in this light, we see Tilak as a man of his own

actions, not stemmed down by any binding beliefs.

Gandhis Bhagavad-Gita commentary The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi is

based on lectures that he delivered to his followers in his ashram, for a period in 1926

where he withdrew mostly from his political activities. This time was over thirty five

years later than Gandhis original acquaintance with the Bhagavad-Gita. (Gandhi, 2000,

p. 10) He chose not to comment on many verses and thus his commentary seems rather
selective. The book itself has a systematic format, chapter by chapter with the original

texts flow (whether or not Gandhi actually spoke it in a systematic way). Gandhi admits

that, in the efforts of translating the Bhagavad-Gita, he isnt a fully competent linguist in

this regard, which might take away from his essential grasping of the texts ultimate

conclusions and intricate concepts. Gandhi considered the Bhagavad-Gita to be a

spiritual reference book, something that was appropriate for assisting one in their

approach to daily conduct, although he considered that no one could perfectly live up to

the ideal expectations of the Bhagavad-Gita. (Gandhi, 2000, p. 15) Gandhi suggested that

the previous commentaries of the Bhagavad-Gita definitely had their place but still

suggested that all Gujarat people should read his commentary (his version originally

appearing in Guajarati, his native language). (Gandhi, 2000, pp. 15-6)

Gandhi personally did not take the Bhagavad-Gita as a historical text, nor did he see the

larger context of the Mahabharata as a historical rendition. (Gandhi, 2000, p. 16) Gandhi

considers the figure Krishna in the text of Bhagavad-Gita to be imaginary, based on the

authors own devotion, whether such a person actually existed in real history or not,

outside the context of the Bhagavad-Gita. (Gandhi, 2000, p. 17) Gandhi was noted for

being a man that was not so much concerned with ancient Hindu mythology so it is not so

surprising for him to have such a peculiar view. (Flood, 2001, p. 261) Gandhis personal

opinion of the text was that it was actually an allegorical rendition, based on the

conception of humans inner struggle in life, as opposed to a real story book or set of

factual events and conversation. (Klostermaier, 2007, p. 75) Gandhi seems to have an

obvious opinion about the original author of the Bhagavad-Gita and is perhaps openly not

running in line with the original purpose of the text but perhaps this is not of his ultimate

concern. (Gandhi, 2000, pp. 16-7) Gandhi strings the main teachings of truth and

non-violence from the Bhagavad-Gita. (Gandhi, 2000, p. 22) In the Bhagavad-Gitas

doctrine of achieving true renunciation, Gandhi propounds knowledge as the key. In

regards to the efforts of knowledge, Gandhi suggests that the Bhagavad-Gita insists that

knowledge will come with devotion. Ultimately though, Gandhi will end up saying that

devotion without action is not really a proper example of true devotion and thus action

becomes the outstanding principle. (Gandhi, 2000, pp. 19-20)

Scholars agree that both Gandhi and Tilaks doctrines taught through Bhagavad-Gita were

ultimately propounded as Karma-Yoga, and this doctrine of action was expressed most

obviously in the realm of religious nationalism and the struggle for Hindu/Indian

independence. (Knott, 2000, p. 38) The religious text that was used by other Hindu

religious paths was now to be used for the Hindu/Indian nationalist cause, making its way

into the socio-political realm. (Klostermaier, 2007, p. 146) In terms to both of their

approaches to this nationalistic endeavour, Tilak is more than often referred to as an

extremist, whereas Gandhi, although heavily influential and thought provoking, was

seen as moderate man in his seemingly non-violent endeavours. (Nehru, 1988, p. 63)

Tilak was seen as an outstanding extremist in the Nationalist circles. (Zavos, 2002, p. 7)

He amassed a large amount of attention in the nationalist scene but he also managed to

receive a very large amount of criticism for his sharp schemes of action. (Klostermaier,

2007, p. 75) Like the great scene of the Bhagavad-Gita, Tilaks nationalism campaigns

were often enough leaning towards the militant nature. (Doniger, 2009, p. 27) Although

there are certainly violent connotations in the Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita, some

scholars considered it an ambiguous stretch of interpretation of Bhagavad-Gita or the

former text to formulate it into such a mainstream plan as a just means of action in

common affairs. (Doniger, 2009, p. 283)

Gandhis use of the Bhagavad-Gita and his whole socio-political campaign was on the

other side of the spectrum, though also highly successful. Gandhi opted for a passive

resistance from the British oppression of India. (Flood, 2001, p. 259) Gandhi saw the

self, God and the truth as one. He took this as an argument that we should practice non-

violence and this whole paradigm reflected in his various campaigns. He used Bhagavad-

Gita to support this whole campaign but discovering non-violence within the Bhagavad-

Gita itself was an ambiguous task to say the least. (Flood, 2001, p. 260) Although

Gandhi was pushing so much in the struggle for Indian independence, he considered that

there was no real victor of a campaign based on violence. (Lipner, 2002, p. 187) Its a

sad irony to note that Gandhi, who spent a life in pursuance of non-violence, died a

violent death. (Flood, 2001, p. 262)

The Bhagavad-Gita is a text filled with so much wonderful, thoughtful depth and

therefore so many people dive into it to bring out what supposed jewels they consider to

be of value. It seems from the selected subjects (Gandhi and Tilak) that there are some

great similarities in their contributions but also some very vast differences. They both

profess Karma-Yoga as the ultimate, a stance of difference from many others. At times, it

does not seem they draw their arguments from the full context of the text, although they

would claim they stem from the Bhagavad-Gita. For a book with a subject not directly

linked to nationalism, it is interesting also to note how they could bring an otherwise

religious book into this realm, and at the same time consider their regimes to be an

ultimately religious endeavour.

For the part of differences, the two took two very different approaches to their similar
nationalistic branch in their doctrine of divine action. The decision of violence or

nonviolence, in the terms of the Bhagavad-Gita, are both very hard to define as definite

approaches to the texts purpose and both of the commentators have stemmed out in

either of these directions. Krishna never instructs Arjuna to be passive in battle, to

support the suggestion of non-violence, and to otherwise draw out the context and apply

it to an urge to take up violence would also be a stretch considering Arjunas

unwillingness to fight and the previous context of the Mahabharata.

It is also interesting to note that one author took the text literally and the other took it

allegorically. This is a great look into the light of Hinduism, where no exact stretch of

faith or ultimate ideal rule one out of the Hindu umbrella, and that ones take of the

history and mythology of Hinduism do not render one any less Hindu than the other.

Tilak took to the mythology in a historical passion but Gandhi stepped out of this realm,

though still supporting so many aspects of historical Hinduism. The versatility of the

Bhagavad-Gita so nicely reflects the versatility of Hinduism, ready to be stretched out to

support such an abundance of culture and views, but it would be wrong to then oppose

the original text for such ambitions because the original text perhaps has a totally

different reason for existence.

Bibliography

Doniger, W. (2009). The Hindus: An Alternative History. New York, NY, United States of

America: The Penguin Press.

Flood, G. (2001). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge.

Gandhi, M. K. (2000). The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi. (J. Strohmeier, Ed.)

Berkeley, California, United States of America: Berkeley Hills Books.

Klostermaier, K. K. (2007). A Survey of Hinduism (Third ed.). Albany, NY, United States

of America: State University of New York Press.

Knott, K. (2000). Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction. New York, United States of

America: Oxford University Press.

Lipner, J. (2002). Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices.London: Routledge.

Nehru, J. (1988). Jawaharlal Nehru: An Autobiography. New Delhi, India: Oxford

University Press.

Tilak, B. G. (1935). Gita Rahasya (First ed., Vol. 1). (B. S. Sukthankar, Trans.) Poona,

India: Tilak Bros.

Zavos, J. (2002). The Emergence of Hindu Nationalism in India. New Delhi, India:

Oxford University Press.

........................

No other living tradition can claim scriptures as numerous or as ancient as Hinduism;

none of them can boast of an unbroken tradition as faithfully preserved as the Hindu
tradition. Hindu literature is the most ancient and extensive religious writings in the
world. Hindu religion is not derived from a single book. It has many sacred writings
which serve as a source of doctrine. The most important texts include the Vedas,
Upanishads, the Puranas, the Epics - Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.

Hinduism is very much a religion of revelation. Hindus are the most thoughtful people,
and their literature is characterized by constant concern with humanity's spiritual destiny.
In response to this concern they have created elaborate philosophical concepts and wrote
great epic poems, narrative literature and fiction. These vast epics, and the four 'books' of
the Vedas, were originally transmitted by a phenomenal human chain of memory, and
only written down centuries after their actual compilation. This oral tradition still exists
in India today. The early phase of the Vedic tradition in India is dated between 10,000 -
7,000 BCE.

According to Professor Klaus K. Klostermaier: "Since ancient times India has been
famous for its wisdom and its thought. The ancient Persians, Greek and Romans were
eager to learn from its sages and philosophers. When, in the eighteenth century, the first
translations of some Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita became available to the West,
European philosophers rhapsodized about the profundity and beauty of these writings.
Here they encountered a fusion of philosophy and religion, a deep wisdom and a concern
with the ultimate, that had no parallel in either contemporary Western philosophy or
Western religion. Indian philosophy is highly sophisticated and very technical and
surpasses in both in volume and subtlety."

Sir William Jones was always impressed by the vastness of Indian literature. He wrote:
"Wherever we direct our attention to Hindu literature, the notion of infinity presents
itself." Hinduism has always laid great stress on Pramanas (the means and instruments of
correct knowledge). Hindu philosophers have discussed at great lengths the science of
Noetics. Max Muller says: "In thus giving the Noetics the first place, the thinkers of India
seem to have again superior to most of the philosophers of the West."

.................

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No other living tradition can claim scriptures as numerous or as ancient as Hinduism;
none of them can boast of an unbroken tradition as faithfully preserved as the Hindu
tradition. Hindu literature is the most ancient and extensive religious writings in the
world. Hindu religion is not derived from a single book. It has many sacred writings
which serve as a source of doctrine. The most important texts include the Vedas,
Upanishads, the Puranas, the Epics - Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita.
Hinduism is very much a religion of revelation. Hindus are the most thoughtful people,
and their literature is characterized by constant concern with humanity's spiritual
destiny. In response to this concern they have created elaborate philosophical concepts
and wrote great epic poems, narrative literature and fiction. These vast epics, and the
four 'books' of the Vedas, were originally transmitted by a phenomenal human chain of
memory, and only written down centuries after their actual compilation. This oral
tradition still exists in India today. The early phase of the Vedic tradition in India is
dated between 10,000 - 7,000 BCE.
According to Professor Klaus K. Klostermaier: "Since ancient times India has been
famous for its wisdom and its thought. The ancient Persians, Greek and Romans were
eager to learn from its sages and philosophers. When, in the eighteenth century, the first
translations of some Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita became available to the West,
European philosophers rhapsodized about the profundity and beauty of these writings.
Here they encountered a fusion of philosophy and religion, a deep wisdom and a
concern with the ultimate, that had no parallel in either contemporary Western
philosophy or Western religion. Indian philosophy is highly sophisticated and very
technical and surpasses in both in volume and subtlety."
Sir William Jones was always impressed by the vastness of Indian literature. He wrote:
"Wherever we direct our attention to Hindu literature, the notion of infinity presents
itself." Hinduism has always laid great stress on Pramanas (the means and instruments
of correct knowledge). Hindu philosophers have discussed at great lengths the science
of Noetics. Max Muller says: "In thus giving the Noetics the first place, the thinkers of
India seem to have again superior to most of the philosophers of the West."

Introduction
Vedas
Upanishads
Bhagavad Gita
All Matter is Nothing but energy
Brahman: The All- Pervading Reality
Itihasa: The Great Epics
1. Ramayana
2. Mahabharata
Conclusion

Introduction
The Vedas are not puerile babblings of rustic troubadours, but sedate out-
pourings of exceptional minds in quest of God. Early Rig Vedic hymns were
composed between 6,000-1500 BCE. Like indestructible gems they have
come down during many thousands of years in spotless perfection. From the
Vedas they evolved the Upanishads, whose copious enquiries into the nature
of man, the Universe, and God, strike us with speechless wonder. They
evolved the most perfect language in the world, Sanskrit, with a scientific
alphabet and perfected vocabulary, and a grammar which is itself a great work
of art. Their intellectuals vying with each other, propounded six systems of
philosophy explaining man, universe, and God, before which Aristotle's and Plato's
theories look like juvenile endeavors, which fell flat on their own country-men. They
discovered the Earth's dual motions, and studied the courses of constellations and stars,
and founded the twin sciences of astronomy and astrology. They probed the human
frame, and perfected a system of medicine for the welfare of the body, evolved the
science of Yoga for the health of the mind, and the Tantra Shastra to develop the
psychic and esoteric forces latent in man's being. They brought out Dharma Sastras to
guide man's conduct in society, Grihya Sutras to guide the conduct of house-holders,
and a unique science, Meemamsa, prescribing sacrificial lore for the attainment of
individual and national prosperity. They codified the laws of sanitation, town-planning,
architecture, sculpture and enunciated the principles of music, dancing, and the art of
love. They laid down principles of state-craft, and of the art of war, with human and
animal strategy, with physical weapons, or shastras, and enchanted weapons or astras.
The English knowing world began to read of the greatness of Indian civilization in the
18th century. Scholars, one after another, caught glimpses of its luster, and becoming
curious, slowly unveiled the enveloping shroud and gaze with ever growing wonder at
is astonishing extent. Russian, German, Italian, Swedish, French, and American
intellectuals also turned their telescopes on the Indian sky during the period, and
expressed their appraisal in no uncertain terms.
But the bulk of the English educated public of India are still unaware of its rich past.
(source: Sanskrit Civilization - G. R. Josyer International Academy of Sanskrit
Research. p. 3-4)
The Sanskrit word for philosophy is darsan or 'seeing', which implies that Hinduism is
not based merely on intellectual speculation but is grounded upon direct and immediate
perception. This, in fact, distinguishes Indian philosophy from much of Western
philosophical thought. The oldest and most important scriptures of Hinduism are the
Vedas, which contain inspired utterances of seers and sages, who had achieved a direct
perception of the divine being. The Vedas are considered to be eternal, because they are
not merely superb poetic composition but represent the divine truth itself as perceived
through the elevated consciousness of great seers.
In general, Hindu scriptures may be classified into two divisions: Sruti scriptures and
Smriti scriptures.
Sruti in Sanskrit means "that which is heard." Thus the Vedas are the eternal truths that
the Vedic seers, called rishis, are said to have heard during their deep meditations. The
Vedas are not considered the works of the human mind, but an expression of what has
been realized through intuitive perception by Vedic rishis, who had powers to see
beyond the physical phenomena. As such, Vedas are considered of divine origin. The
Vedic truths were originally transmitted by the rishis to their disciples over thousands
of years. At a later date, these were compiled by Sage Vyasa for the benefit of future
generations. India's teachings are not speculative. They are based on divine revelations.
Indeed, the revelations are so cosmic that they approach more closely the findings of
physics and astronomy than the pious pronouncements of preachers. The rishis made
claims so cosmic that even modern physics seems only to be catching up with them and
realizing, after every scientific breakthrough, that the ancients were there long before
them. Sruti include the Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) and the Bhagavad Gita.
The Vedas are the primary scriptures of Hinduism. Each of the four Vedas consists of
four parts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.
Smriti means "that which is remembered." Smriti scriptures are derived from the Vedas
and are considered to be of human origin and not of divine origin. They were written to
explain and elaborate the Vedas, making them understandable and more meaningful to
the general population. All authoritative writings outside the Vedas are collectively
referred to as Smriti. Smriti inlcude the Dharma Shastras, Nibhandas, Puranas, The
Epics, Agamas or Tantras, Darshanas and Vedangas (Upa Vedas). According to Alain
Danielou distingused Orientalist, " The Puranas provide genealogies, which go back to
the sixth millennium B.C. E. and are probably largely authentic. The stories and
descriptions of the various regions of the earth and the various civilizations living on
the "seven continents" provide priceless documentation on the world's oldest
civilization."
The Smriti are considered the secondary scriptures of Hinduism. These scriptures are
classified in the following diagram:
Classification of Major Scriptures
Note: Each of the four Vedas consists of four parts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranykas,
and Upanishads.
The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Epics (The Mahabharata).
(image source: The Hindu Mind - By Bansi Pandit).
***
Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1854-1930) in his History of Sanskrit Literature tells us
that 'the importance of Indian literature as a whole consists of its originality. When the
Greeks towards the end of the fourth century B.C. came to the north-west, the Indians
had already worked out a national culture of their own, unaffected by foreign influence.
Sir William Jones was always impressed by the vastness of Indian literature. He wrote:
"Wherever we direct our attention to Hindu literature, the notion of infinity presents
itself."
(source: Eminent Orientalists: Indian European American - Asian Educational Services.
p. 21).
To the Hindu, Shruti is what cannot be thought up by the limited human intellect, but is
of God. It is what is forever valid, never changes, is not dependent on the limited
capacity for understanding of any one historical person. The Hindu for this reason is
proud not to need a historical founder. The founder and foundation of the Vedas and the
Upanishads is the Brahman itself, is what is indestructible and timeless.
(source: Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism- By Hans Torwesten p. 23).
The Vedas and the Upanishads are to India what the Crown and Scepter are to an
anointed king. They are India's proudest and most ancient possessions. They are the
world's oldest intellectual legacies. They are the only composition in the universe
invested with Divine origin, and almost Divine sanctity. They are said to emanate from
God, and are held to be the means for attaining God. Their beginnings are not known.
They have been heirlooms of the Hindus from generation to generation from time
immemorial.
When Europeans first came to know of them, they roused amazement. Guigault of
France exclaimed: "The Rig Veda is the most sublime conception of the great highway
of humanity."
(source: Sanskrit Vistas - By J. R. Josyner p. 1).
Professor F. Max Muller says: "The Vedic literature opens to us a chapter in what has
been called the education of the human race, to which we can find no parallel anywhere
else."
(source: India: What can it teach us - By F. Max Muller p. 89). Refer to Internet Sacred
Texts on Hinduism and Stotra Rathnas.
Top of Page

Vedas
The Vedas (Book of Knowledge) are the greatest legacy of India, a prodigious body of
verse, philosophy and hymns that is among the world's oldest written sacred scriptures.
The Vedas are the discoveries of the laws of nature, the world and the being living in it
and the Ultimate Truth. They are called apauruseya grantha (authorless works) as they
are not books composed by men at a particular period of time. Ancient sages received
these eternal Truths as revelations in meditation.
The Four Vedas are the primary texts of the spiritual and religious records of the
ancient culture and teachings of India. The four Vedas are the Rig, Yajur, Sama and
Atharva Vedas. The religion of the Rig Veda is well known. It is pre-eminently the
worship of Nature in its most imposing and sublime aspect. The sky which bends over
all, the beautiful and blushing dawn which like a busy housewife wakes men from
slumber and sends them to their work, the gorgeous tropical sun which vivifies the
earth, the air which pervades the world, the fire that cheers and enlightens us, and the
violent storms which in India usher in those copious rains which fill the land with
plenty, these were the gods whom the early HIndus loved to extol and to worship. Such
is the nature-worship of the Rig Veda, such were the gods and goddesses whom our
forefathers worshipped more than four thousand years ago on the banks of the
Saraswati. The conception of the nature-gods and the single-hearted fervency with
which they were adored, argue the simplicity and vigor of a manly race, as well as the
culture and thoughtfulness of a people who had already made a considerable progress
in civilization.
In the first years of his stay at Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) most original
philosopher of modern India. He made a deep study of the Vedas and, struck by the
light it threw on his own experiences, rediscovered its lost meaning. In his book India's
Rebirth ISBN: 81-85137-27-7 - p. 94:
He wrote: "I seek a light that shall be new, yet old, the oldest indeed of all lights...I
seek not science, not religion, not Theosophy but Veda - the truth about Brahman, not
only about His essentiality, but about His manifestation, not a lamp on the way to the
forest, but a light and a guide to joy and action in the world, the truth which is beyond
opinion, the knowledge which all thought strives after - yasmin vijnate sarvam vigna -
tam (which being known, all is known); I believe it to be the concealed divinity within
Hinduism..." "I believe the Veda to be the foundation head of the Sanatan Dharma; I
believe it to be the concealed divinity within Hinduism, - but a veil has to be drawn
aside, a curtain has to be lifted. I believe it to be knowable and discoverable. I believe
the future of India and the world to depend on its discovery and on its application, not,
to the renunciation of life, but to life in the world and among men. I believe the Vedas
to hold a sense which neither mediaeval Indian or modern Europe has grasped, but
which was perfectly plain to the early Vedantic thinkers."
"The mind of ancient India did not err when it traced back all its philosophy, religion
and essential things of its culture to the seer-poets of the Vedas, for all the future
spirituality of her people is contained there in seed or in first expression."
(source: The Vision of India - By Sisirkumar Mitra p. 59).

Vedic Rishis - the Ancient

Pathmakers
Watch Scientific verification
of Vedic knowledge
Watch video - Brahmins in
India have become a
minority
***
The Rishis were the revered
pioneers of the Hindu
religion, and pre-eminent
among them are Vishvamitra
and Vasistha. The great
Rishis of the Vedic age
composed the hymns, fought
their wars, and ploughed
their fields; but they were
neither Brahmins, nor
Kshatriyas nor Vaisyas. The
hymns of the Rig Veda
speak of the Punjab alone -
India beyond the Punjab is unknown to the Rig Veda. The banks of the distant Ganga
and Jumna are rarely alluded to; the scenes of war and social ceremonies are the banks
of the Saraswati and her tributaries. This was the Hindu world when the hymns were
composed.
***
Swami Vivekanada (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna and a world
spokesperson for Vedanta. India's first spiritual and cultural ambassador to the West,
came to represent the religions of India at the World Parliament of Religions, held at
Chicago has said:
"The Hindus have received their religion through revelation, the Vedas. They hold that
the Vedas are without beginning and without end. It may sound ludicrous, that a book
can be without beginning or end. But by the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the
accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons at different
times. Just as the law of gravitation acted before its discovery by humanity, and would
continue to act if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual
world. The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis, and we honor them as perfected
beings. Now the Vedas teach us that creation is without beginning or end. Science has
proved to us that the sum total of cosmic energy is always the same.
They were written, nobody knows at what date, it may be 8,000 years ago, in spite of
all modern scholars may say; it may be 9,000 years ago. Not one of these religious
speculations is of modern date, but they are as fresh today as they were when they were
written..."
..this ancient monotheistic idea did not satisfy the Hindu mind; it did no do far
enough....the first question that we find now arising, assuming proportions, is the
question about the universe. "Whence did it come?" "How did it come?" "How does it
exist?" Various hymns are to be found on this question, struggling forward to assume
form, and nowhere do we find it so poetically, so wonderfully expressed as in the
following hymn:
"Then there was neither aught nor naught,
nor air, nor sky, nor anything. What covered all?
Where rested all? Then death was not nor deathlessness,
nor change to night and day."
Now first arose desire, the primal seed of mind.
Sages, searching in their heart by wisdom, found the bond
Between existence and non-existence."

It is a very peculiar expression; the poet ends by saying that "perhaps He even does not
know."
(source: Hinduism - By Swami Vivekananda p. 2 -35).
The metaphysical agony, which alone makes man great, bursts forth in the famous
words of the Rig Veda. These words of spiritual yearning, metaphysical unease and
intellectual skepticism set the tone of India's cultural growth. The seers of the Rg Veda
believe, in a truth, a law which governs our existence, which sustains the different
levels of our being, an infinite reality, ekam sat, or which all the different deities are but
forms.

(source: East and West in Religion - By S. Radhakrishnan p. 21-22).

Agni, god of fire, shown riding a goat, in a miniature painting from an

18th century watercolor
***
The Vedas are the most ancient scriptures in the library of consciously
evolving humanity. The Vedas are the direct experience and revelations
of the rishis of the hoary past. The Vedas are meant for the lovers of
eternal Time. The oldest Indian literary documents are the four Vedas;
the word means sacred knowledge or lore. These texts include hymns,
liturgical instructions, and explanatory theological and philosophical
courses. These vast and complex works reflect a long development in philosophical and
religious thought. The Vedas are regarded as the foundation of the Indian Culture and
the Rishis of Vedas have been revered throughout the ages in India as having heard the
truth and revealed it and thus given perennial wisdom to guide the development of the
future.
The Vedas stand in all their might and majesty as the very source and bedrock of Hindu
civilization. The Vedas are the inspired utterances of a whole galaxy of realized souls,
of spiritual geniuses, of people not merely
One of the most dominant ideas of Indian culture has been that of Dharma, and this has
been a consequence of the Vedic discovery of the r'ta or the Right. The right of law of
this automatic harmony is the r'ta.
The Vedas are the brilliant product of intuitive insight. The original seers who "saw"
them were and will ever remain anonymous, for this was not the age of unbridled
individualism. Here you have the quintessence of classical Indian philosophy.
Thinking with your heart and loving with your mind. The Vedas were the brilliant
product of intuitive insight, not of the logical intellect. Known only orally at first,
transmitted by word of mouth from master to discipline, later written down. The
original seers - 'rishis' who 'saw' them were and will ever remain anonymous, for this
was not an age of unbridled individualism.
The chief sacred scriptures of the Hindus, the Vedas, register the intuitions of the
perfected souls. They are not so much dogmatic dicta as transcripts from life. They
record the spiritual experiences of souls strongly endowed with the sense for reality.
They are held to be authoritative on the ground that they express the experiences of
the experts in the field of religion. The Vedas bring together different ways in which
the religious-minded of that age experienced reality and describe the general
principles of religious knowledge and growth. The experiences themselves are of a
varied character, so their records are many-sided (visvatomukham) or 'suggestive of
many interpretations' (anekarthatam).
(source: The Hindu View of Life - By S. Radhakrishnan p. 5-6).
Sir William Jones called the Vedas as the fountain of Indian literature: "From the
Vedas are immediately deduced the practical arts of Surgery and Medicine, Music and
Dancing, Archery, which comprises the whole art of war, and Architecture, under
which the system of mechanical arts is included."

(source: Eminent Orientalists: Indian European American - Asian Educational Services.

p. 21).
Dr. Nicol Macnicol says, the beginning of 'the brave adventures made so long ago and
recorded here, of those who seek to discover the significance of our world and man's
life within it...India here set out on a quest which she has never ceased to follow."
(source: The Discovery of India - By Jawaharlal Nehru p. 79). Refer to Internet Sacred
Texts on Hinduism and Stotra Rathnas.
When the Yajur Veda was presented to Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1774)
France's greatest writers and philosophers, he expressed his belief that:

"the Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the
East."
The Vedas are said to be anadi (beginningless) and apaurasheya (not thought and taught
by men). The Rig Veda says: The Hindu doctrine is that the mentioning of the sage and
the metre and the deity in respect to a Vedic hymn (mantra) does not mean that the sage
composed the mantra as a piece of literary composition. The sage merely had it
revealed to him in his vision as the result of his purity and meditation.
Professor Max Muller in his book, India: What It can Teach Us says: "In the history of
the world, the Vedas fill a gap which no literary work in any other language could fill. I
maintain that to everybody who cares for himself, for his ancestors, for his intellectual
development, a study of the Vedic literature is indeed indispensable."

Some Vedic hymns paint the exquisite glories of the

natural world: the preternatural beauty of predawn
light, its rosy fingers holding the iridescent steel-
blue sky; some celebrate the welcome cool of
evening, the scented breezes of a calm and
refreshing night, its basalt dome studded with
shimmering pearls and diamonds. Beauty permeates
them, a reflection of Truth. The Vedas go much further in
outlining the nature of reality than any other religious texts still in use. Other hymns
concentrate on different aspects of nature's wonder, very specific in their knowledge of
the great cycles that sustain life. Vedic writings detail a scientific knowledge of the rain
cycle that startles with its accuracy.
(source: Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys into India - By Paul Williams Robert - p.
312).
' We meditate upon the supreme effulgence of the Divine creative Sun,
that he may give impulse to our intelligence.'
- Rig Veda III. 62.10
The Vedic songs represent the most amazing celebration of life that has ever been
created. The joy and wonder in life which was felt by those early and vigorous peoples
who sang the Vedas.
The Vedas testify to a strong urge in Man towards unity, a longing to arrive at a
conception that is both totally Divine and human. This dynamic process has not yet
ceased. No merely naturalistic explanation of the worship of the God as natural powers
will do justice to texts or to the sophistication of Vedic culture.
The Lord of the paths shows the way to growth to all creatures, each according to its
nature. A Vedic man prays to:
'The One who is the life spark of the water,
of wood, of things both moving and inert,
who has his dwelling even within the stone,
Immortal God, he cares for all mankind,
'He who sees all beings at a glance,
both separate and united,
may he be our protector.'
(source: The Vedic Experience: Mantramanjari (An Anthology of the Vedas for Modern
Man) - By Raimundo Panikkar p. 53-123).
The Vedas emphasize that the internal suksmasarira, the finer or subtle body of man,
the equivalent of "soul" in modern thought, is of transcendental importance; and that
suksma-sarira is of the nature of infinite existence and infinite consciousness. In this
luminous philosophy, material substance is wholly insignificant. Compare the
observations of Einstein: "We may therefore regard matter as being constituted by the
regions of space in which the field is extremely intense...There is no place in this new
kind of physics both for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality."
(source: India's priceless Heritage - By Nani Palkiwala p. 6-7).

An 18th century
manuscript of the
Rigveda ("Wisdom of
the Verses"), the earliest
and most auspicious of
the four Vedas.
Watch Scientific
verification of Vedic
knowledge
***
1. Rig Veda
"This homage is to the
ancient-born Seers, to
the ancient makers of the Path." - Rig Veda X. 14-15.
"Let us bring our minds to rest in
The Glory of the Divine Sun!
May He inspire our reflections!"
- Rig Veda II. 62. 10).
"You shine, all living things emerge. You disappear, they go to rest. Recognizing our
innocence, O golden-haired Sun, arise; let each day be better than the last." Rig Veda
(X, 37, 9).
The Rig Veda is the Veda par excellence, the real Veda that traces the earliest growth of
religious ideas in India. These hymns were composed between 6,000-1500 BCE. It is in
poetical form, has one thousand twenty eight poems or hymns called Samhita. It is so
much full of thought that at this early period in history no poet in any other nation
could have conceived them. The sublimity, the nobility, the natural justice, the
equality, the love and welfare of all humanity as a whole is the theme of the Rig Veda.
The Vedic God has no partisan attitude of the jealous vindictive God, who is ever ready
to please and help his own people by hurling disease, death and destruction on their
enemies in return for sacrifices.
Jawaharlal Nehru wrote: "Rig Veda is the earliest book that humanity possesses. Yet
behind the Rig Veda itself lay ages of civilized existence and thought during which had
grown all other civilizations..."
(source: The Discovery of India - By Jawaharlal Nehru Oxford University Press. 1995.
p. 43).
The Vedas are the quintessence of classical Hindu philosophy.
Thinking with your heart; loving with your mind. All yoga and
meditation aim to attain this goal. Anything else is delusion, or
worse. And when the heart sees, it sees the unknowable, nameless,
formless, limitless, supreme God. He is called the nonexistent
because he is eternal, beyond existence. God manifest is the fabric of
creation itself. They are one. The heart that learns to think realizes
this truth and merges into the eternal oneness. As William Blake put
it, If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would
appear as it is, infinite.

This merging with the Eternal, this inner transformation, this direct
experience of Truth these are the goals of which the Vedic sages
speak. They explain the nature of the universe, of life, while admitting that Creation
itself is the one unknowable mystery. To the Vedic sages, creation indicated that point
before which there was no Creator, the line between indefinable nothingness and
something delineated by attributes and function, at least. Like the moment before the
Big Bang Theory. These concepts preoccupy high wisdom, the Truth far removed from
mere religion. Recent research and scholarship make it increasingly possible to believe
that the Vedic era was the lost civilization whose legacy the Egyptians and the Indians
inherited. There must have been one. There are too many similarities between
hieroglyphic texts and Vedic ones, these in turn echoed in a somewhat diluted form and
a confused fashion by the authors of Babylonian texts and the Old Testament.
(source: Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys into India - By Paul Williams Robert - p.
312).
Indian poetic thought at this stage appears as free, candid and honest about the nature
of God as that of any modern thinker who would express the doubts and sorrows of his
heart without any inhibition. Even in the very early hymns of the Rig Veda, we
encounter passages of a rather philosophical nature. These are no longer concerned
with singing the praises of the numerous nature deities and reaching some kind of
heaven, but with knowledge of a higer reality. There is also a refusal to be bound into
any dogma about the supernatural though their ecstatic expressions do acknowledge
Him as the Highest Being, the Most High Seer, as can be seen from this beautiful
Hymn of creation in the Vedas called the Nasidiya Sukta. The most remarkable and
sublime hymn in which the first germ of philosophic speculation with regard to the
wonderful mystery of the origin of the world are found:
"Nor aught nor naught existed; you bright sky
Was not, nor heaven's broad roof outstretched above;
What covered all? What sheltered? What concealed?
Was it the waters' fathomless abyss?
There was no light of night, no light of day,
The only One breathed breathless in itself,
Other than it there nothing since has been.
Darkness there was, and all at first was veiled
In gloom profound, an ocean without light;....
Yet the Vedas go further, being philosophy, or really spiritual sciences, rather than
myth. One can almost detect a touch of irony in the last question of this hymn which
ends this verse.
Who truly knows, who can honestly say where.
This universe cam from
And where it will vanish to at the End?
Those godlike wise men who claim they know were born long
After the birth of Creation.
Who then could know where our universe really came from?
And whoever knows or does not know where Creation came from,
Only one gazing at its vastness from the very roof of the final Heaven
"Only such a one could possibly know,
But does even He know? "
- Rig Veda - 129.6. 7
The philosophical and mystical depth of this hymn is unsurpassed.
Paul William Robert has written: "The Bible begins with the Creation.
Before the Creation, however, there was the Creator, but does even He know
what was there before He existed ? Long before such philosophical
questions occurred to other historical peoples, Vedism posited the existence
of something more ultimate than the one God. Whatever must have created
Him. That is presuming the absolute and basic reality. Or is it?
This is mysticism that is simultaneously metalogic and the kind of thing
those bardic sages living some twenty-five thousand years ago thought
about a great deal, according to Hindu tradition. The Vedas are the very first
compositions mankind produced dating back at least twenty thousand years.
Most orthodox historians and anthropologists strongly dispute such a view.
They confuse writing with civilization and deny meaningful history to any
people who did not leave a written record. A rich culture does not
necessarily depend on writing, as the Celtic civilization proves. The hymns
are the most sophisticated, most profoundly beautiful, and most complete
presentations of whatAldous Huxley termed the perennial philosophy that
is at the core of all religions. In modern academia, of course, there is not
supposed to be any ancient wisdom.
The Vedas go much further in outlining the nature of reality than any other religious
texts still in use. Some Vedic hymns paint the exquisite glories of the natural world: the
preternatural beauty of predawn light, its rosy fingers holding the iridescent steel-blue
sky; some celebrate the welcome cool of evening the scented breeze of a calm and
refreshing night, its basalt dome studded with shimmering pearls and diamonds.Beauty
permeates them, a reflection of Truth. The Vedas hold within them enough information
to rebuild human civilization from scratch, if necessary. I think someone did believe
that might be necessary one day.
(source: Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys into India - By Paul Williams Robert
p.299 -325).
The Gayatri Mantra (chant), which forms the core of Hindu faith, is actually addressed
to Surya, Sun God:
" Om bhr bhuvah svah tat savitur varnyam bharg dvasya dhmahi dhiy y nah
pracdayt"
O splendid and Effulgent Sun,
we offer this prayer to thee.
Enlighten this craving mind.
Be our protector.
May the radiance of the divine ruler guide our destiny.
Wise men salute your magnificence with oblations and words of praise."
Lord Rama was also taught, by sage Agastaya, the Adityahridayam, a prayer addressed
to the sun god.

"The Sun is the foremost physical manifestation of divine creative power. In the
glorious morning the faithful bend towards the giver of life in one single gesture of
adoration. "

His chariot drawn by prancing horse,

Surya, the Sun god rides the sky to a
chorus of worshippers.
O splendid and Effulgent sun, May
your radiance enlighten this craving
mind.
(image source: Splendors of the Past:
Lost Cities of the Ancient World -
National Geographic Society. p.186-
190).
***
Battlestar Galactica - The Sky One
version of the title sequence for
season one featured a Hindu mantra,
the Gayatri Mantra, taken from the
Rig Veda. In the U.S. , the music was
an original instrumental piece by
composer Bear McCreary called
"Two Funerals" originally written for
the episode "Act of Contrition". As
of season two, the main title
sequences in all territories where the show airs now use the Sky One title sequence, the
Gayatri Mantra version written by miniseries composer Richard Gibbs.
Usha, the dawn, is often invoked, and is the subject of some of the most beautiful
hymns that are to be found in the lyrical poetry of any ancient nation.
Beautous daughter of the sky!
Hold they ruddy light on high,
Grant us wealth and grant us day,
Bring us food and morning's ray.
White-robed goddess of the morning sky,
Bring us light, let night's deep shadows fly.

"We gaze upon her as she comes

The shining daughter of the sky
The mighty darkness she uncovers,
And light she makes, the pleasant one that we see."
This light, most radiant of lights, has come; this gracious one who illumines all things
is born. As night is removed by the rising sun, so is this the birthplace of the
dawn....We behold her, daughter of the sky, youthful, robed in white, driving forth the
darkness. Princess of limitless treasure, shine down upon us throughout the day." - Rig
Veda I. 113.

Usha! (Dawn) Hail, Beautous daughter of the sky!

(image source: The Splendour That Was 'India' - By K T Shah).
Refer to The Vedanta Kesari
***
Of the hymns to other deities, the hymns to those to Usha, the Dawn, are especially
beautiful. Some of the loveliest nature poetry of this period is dedicated to her, depicted
as a young maiden who comes to mankind in the special characteristics of the dawn.
Dawn bring a feeling of hope and refreshment, of entering into the activity of the
universe.
The Aryas worshipped Nature. They were fascinated by their natural surroundings.
Gods representing the forces of nature are mentioned in the hymns of Rig Veda. Rta
was the term used to mean the natural law of the cosmic order and morality. It was the
regulator of the whole Universe. Dyaus, sky, Prithvi, earth, Varuna, the sky god and
protector of Rta and Indra, Savitri, Mitra and Pushan represented different powers of
the Sun such as heat, light and nourishment. Vishnu was the symbol of swift movement
while Rudra amd Maruts were the gods of storm and winds. Shiva was the later name
given to Rudra. Vayu and Vata were other gods of winds while Parjanya was the god of
rain. There were gods on earth also. Agni was an important deity. Soma was regarded
as essential for sacrifice. Saraswati as river goddess on earth. But the most loved
goddess was Usha (Dawn) belonging to both earth and heaven. Some of the most
beautiful hymns are addressed to Ushas.
(source: Ancient Indian History and Culture - By Chidambara Kulkarni Orient
Longman Ltd. 1974. p.43-44).
2. Yajur Veda
The Yajur Veda, containing 3,988 verses, is a compilation of mantras and methods for
use by priests in performing Vedic rituals and sacrifice.

3. Sama Veda

The Sama Veda, a collection of 1,540 verses, was wet to music by the Vedic period for
chanting during rituals. The use of music in the r
4. Atharva Veda
The Atharva Veda, a unique collection of 5,977 verses was used to satisfy the daily
needs of the people. This included verses deemed necessary for success in agriculture,
trade, progeny, health, and general welfare. Other verses are designed to assist in
procuring medicine and fighting one's enemy. The Sanskrit word Ayurved means
medicine. The Ayurvedic system of medicine, based upon the use of herbs for the
treatment of disease, has its roots in the Atharva Veda.
Format of the Vedas - Each Vedas is divided into four main sections: (a) Samhitas or
mantras (b) Brahmanas, (c) Aranyakas or "forest books" (d) Upanishads.
***
Guigualt says: "The Rig Veda is the most sublime conception of the great highways of
humanity."

On July 14, 1882 Mons Leon Delbios said in a paper read on the Vedas when Victor
Hugo was in the chair, says: "There is a no monument of Greece or Rome more
previous than the Rig Veda." When Voltaire was presented with a copy of the Yajurveda
he said, "It was the most precious gift for which the West has been for ever indebted to
the East."
(source: The Soul of India - By Satyavrata R. Patel p. 76-77).
F. Max Muller wrote: "In the history of the world, the Veda fills a gap which no literary
work in any other language can fill."
(source: India: What can it teach us? - By Max Muller p. 121).
Dr. Jean LeMee born in France in 1931, and studied Sanskrit at Columbia University
has written:
"Precious stones or durable materials - gold, silver, bronze, marble, onyx or granite -
have been used by ancient people in an attempt to immortalize themselves. Not so
however the ancient Vedic Aryans. They turned to what may seem the most volatile and
insubstantial material of all - the spoken word ...The pyramids have been eroded by the
desert wind, the marble broken by earthquakes, and the gold stolen by robbers, while
the Veda is recited daily by an unbroken chain of generations, traveling like a great
wave through the living substance of mind. .."
"The Rig Veda is a glorious song of praise to the Gods, the cosmic
powers at work in Nature and in Man. Its hymns record the struggles, the
battles, and victories, the wonder, the fears, the hopes, and the wisdom of
the Ancient Path Makers.

Glory be to Them!"
(source: Hymns from the Rig Veda - By Jean LeMee - Illustrator Ingbert
Gruttner ISBN: 0394493540 and ASIN 0224011812).
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American Philosopher, Unitarian,
social critic, transcendentalist and writer:
What extracts from the Vedas I have read fall on me like the light of a
higher and purer luminary, which describes a loftier course through purer
stratum. It rises on me like the full moon after the stars have come out,
wading through some far stratum in the sky."

"Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt that some
unearthly and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of the
Vedas, there is no touch of sectarianism. It is of all ages, climes and nationalities and is
the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge. When I am at it, I feel that I
am under the spangled heavens of a summer night." He also admitted that, "The
religion and philosophy of the Hebrews are those of a wilder and ruder tribe, wanting
the civility and intellectual refinements and subtlety of Vedic culture." Thoreau's
reading of literature on India and the Vedas was extensive: he took them seriously.
(source: The Secret Teachings of the Vedas. The Eastern Answers to the Mysteries of
Life - By Stephen Knapp volume one. pg- 22)
Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), British mathematician, logician and philosopher
best known for his work in mathematical logic and who, in collaboration with Bertrand
Russell, authored the landmark three-volume Principia Mathematica, (1910, 1912,
1913). He reported to have remarked:
"Vedanta is the most impressive metaphysics the human mind has conceived."

(source: Huston Smith: Essays on World Religion. edited by M. Darrrol Bryant.

Paragon House 1992 p. 135).
J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) Scientist, philosopher, bohemian, and radical. A
theoretical physicist and the Supervising Scientist Manhattan Project, the developer of
the atomic bomb said:

"Access to the Vedas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all previous
centuries.
Modern man is a diminished man. Despite the superficial excitements of our high-tech
world, life for most has become a flat, stale, and joyless thing. It is joyless because we
have forgotten what life is supposed to be.
Dr. Karan Singh observes:
"The Vedas stand in all their might and majesty as the very source and bedrock of
Hindu civilization. The Vedas are the inspired utterances of a whole galaxy of realized
souls, of spiritual geniuses, of people not merely well versed intellectually but with
spiritual enlightenment. "
(source: Essays on Hinduism - By Karan Singh p. 50. For more on nature refer to
chapter on Nature Worship).
Prof. Bloomfield Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology has remarked:
"The Vedas represent the pinnacle of the oldest literature of India. It is the ancient most
written document of Indo-European language. This may be termed the principle source
of religious thought."
Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya (1861 1946) was a great Indian nationalist and a true
propounder of Hindu culture and often called as the Teacher of the Nation, has said:
"The Vedas are the oldest scriptures in the world. The Vedas accept the existence of
God. They say that the creator of this animate and inanimate world is God. The sun,
moon, heavens and earth have been created by God only."

(source: The Essence of the Vedas - By Dr. Mahendra Mittal p. 12).

A P J (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul) Kalam ( 1931 - ) Noted Scientist and President
of India. India who reads the Bhagavad Gita and the Koran. He said, India should seek
to become like the perfect nation defined in Thirukkural, the ancient Tamil discourse.
He described the Veda as,
"They are the oldest classics and the most precious treasures of India. The soul of
Bharatiya sanskriti dwells in the Vedas. The entire world admits the importance of the
Vedas."
(source: Vedas, soul of India - By Dina Nath Mishra - dailypioneer.com). Refer to
Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism and Stotra Rathnas. Refer to Battlestar Galactica -
wikipedia.org.
Refer to Rig Veda among 38 new heritage items in UNESCO culture list - Thirty
manuscripts of the ancient Hindu text Rig Veda dating from 1800 to 1500 BC are
among 38 new items that have been added to the United Nations heritage list to help
preserve them for posterity.
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati. Refer to
The Vedanta Kesari
Top of Page
Upanishads
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and writer, wrote about the
Upanishads:
"From every sentence (of the Upanishads) deep, original and sublime thoughts arise,
and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit...."In the whole world
there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. They are
destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people.

He regarded them:
" It has been the solace of my life -- it will be the solace of my death."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) an author, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian
minister who lectured on theology at Harvard University wrote:
"They haunt me. In them I have found eternal compensation, unfathomable power,
unbroken peace."
A. E. George Russell (1867 -1935) the Irish poet, essayist, painter, Nationalist leader,
mystic wrote:
"The Upanishads contain such godlike fullness of wisdom on all things that I feel the
authors must have looked with calm remembrance back through a thousand passionate
lives, full of feverish strife for and with shadows, ere they could have written with such
certainty of things which the soul feels to be sure."
Paul Deussen (1845-1919) a direct disciple of Arthur Schopenhauer, preferred to be
called in Sanskrit, Deva-Sena was a scholar of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, has
observed:

"Whatever may be the discoveries of the scientific mind, none can dispute the eternal
truths propounded by the Upanishads."
" the Upanishads have tackled every fundamental problem of life. They have given us
an intimate account of reality." "On the tree of wisdom there is no fairer flower than the
Upanishads, and no finer fruit than the Vedanta philosophy,
Huston Smith (1919 - ) born in China to Methodist missionaries, a philosopher, most
eloquent writer, world-famous religion scholar who practices Hatha Yoga.
"When I read the Upanishads, I found a profundity of world view that made my
Christianity seem like third grade."
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was among India's most fervent nationalists and he paid
tribute to the remarkable Isha Upanishad.
If all the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sudden to be
reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse in the Ishopanishad were left in the memory
of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever.
"The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all
The Lord is the supreme Reality
Rejoice in him through renunication.
Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord." - Isha Upanishad 1 -1 .
(For more refer to chapter on and Quotes).
***
India's soul-offering is the perennial light of the Upanishads. Upanishads are the divine
revelations received by ancient seers. They represent the essence of the Vedas, the
greatest truths ever known to mankind. The Upanishads are humanity's most profound
philosophical inquiry and the first perceptions of the unity of all, the oneness of man
and God. The Upanishads are also called the Vedanta. The literal meaning of Vedanta
is 'the end of the Vedas.' They were composed around 700 BCE. The basic teaching of
the Upanishads is that the essence of all beings - from a blade of grass to the perfect
human being - and all things is the Divine Spirit, called Brahman.
Free from theology and dogma, the Upanishads remain the primary source of
inspiration and guidance for millions of Hindus and non-Hindus alike. They have
influenced many Western thinkers, including von Gothe, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph
Waldo Emerson. The Upanishads are the concluding portions of the Vedas and the
teachings based on them is called Vedanta. The Upanishads focus on philosophical
questions such as the purpose of life, origin of the universe, concepts of time, space and
matter, as well as concepts of atman, Brahman, maya, immortality, rebirth, karma, and
the world.
The Upanishads offer to the world at large the supreme achievement of the awakened
and illumined Hindu life. The Vedas represent the cow. The Upanishads represent milk.
We need the cow to give us milk, and we need milk to nourish us.
According to our Indian tradition, there were once 1,180 Upanishads. Of the 108
Upanishads that have been preserved, the following thirteen are generally considered to
be the principal Upanishads: The Isa, Katha, Kena, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandhukya,
Chandogya, Brhadaranyaka, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Svetasvatara, Kaivalya and Maitri.
The Upanishads are known as the Vedanta, both because chronologically they come at
the end of the Vedas and also because philosophically they represent the noblest
upshot, the highest watermark of the Vedic civilization and genius. One meaning of the
word Upanishad is to sit nearby. In the Indian tradition, the guru would be seated under
a tree, near a river or lake, and one or more disciples would cluster around him to learnt
he wisdom. They are the dialogues between guru and sisya.
The Upanishads are the remarkable compositions, which contain sublime and
philosophical speculations concerning the Universal Soul, the All-pervading Breath.
The Upanishads contain the quintessence of Brahmavidya and declare that Brahman is
in its nature Satchitananda and is also the material cause (Upadana Karana) and the
efficient cause (Nimitta Karana) of the universe. The Upanishads declare that Karmas
give us only perishable fruits and that jnana (knowledge) alone can lead to immortality.
We begin with the Doctrine of a Universal Soul, an all-pervading Breath which is the
keystone of the philosophy and thought of the Upanishads. This idea is somewhat
different from monotheism as it has been generally understood in later days. For
monotheism generally recognizes a God and Creator as distinct from the created
beings; but the monotheism of the Upanishads, which has been the monotheism of the
Hindu religion ever since, recognizes God as the Universal Being: - all things else have
emanated from him, are a part of Him, and will mingle in him, and have no separate
existence. This is the lesson which Yajnavalkya imparted to his esteemed wife
Maitreyi. This too is the great idea which is taught in the Upanishads in a hundred
similies and stories and beautiful legends, which impart to the Upanishads their value
in the literature of the world.
"All this is Brahman (the Universal Being). Let a man meditate on the visible world as
beginning, ending, and breathing in the Brahman."
"He is my self within the heart, smaller than a corn of rice, smaller than a corn of
barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary
seed. He also is my self within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky,
greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds."
Such is the sublime language in which the ancient Hindus expressed their sublime
conception of the minute but all-pervading and Universal Being whom they called
Brahman or God.
Who is not struck by this manly and fervent effort made by the Hindu nation, three
thousand years ago, to know the unknown Maker, to comprehend the incomprehensible
God. And the joy of him who has comprehended, however, feebly, the
incomprehensible God, has been well described:
"He who beholds all beings in the Self, and Self in all beings, he never turns away from
it."
(source: The Early Hindu Civilization - By Romesh Chunder Dutt p. 17-177).
Etymologically the word Upanishad suggests sitting down near: that is, at the feet of
an illumined teacher in an intimate session of spiritual instruction, as aspirants still do
in India today. The sages who gave them to us did not care to leave their names; the
truths they set down were eternal, and the identity of those who arranged the words
irrelevant. While the Vedas look outward in reverence and awe of the phenomenal
world, the Upanishads look inward, finding the powers of nature only an expression of
the more awe-inspiring powers of human consciousness.
The Upanishads tell us that there is a Reality underlying life which rituals cannot reach,
next to which the things we see and touch in everyday life are shadows. They teach that
this Reality is the essence of every created thing, and the same Reality is our real Self
so that each of us is one with the power that created and sustains the universe. The
Upanishads are not philosophy but are darshanas, something seen and therefore to be
realized.
This fervent desire to know is the motivation behind all science, so we should not be
surprised to find in Vedic India the beginnings of a potent scientific tradition. By the
common era, it would be in full flowerBut the roots of this scientific spirit are in the
Vedas. The Vedic hymns are steeped in the conviction of rita, an order that pervades
creation and is reflected in each part a oneness to which all diversity can be referred.
From this conviction follows a highly sophisticated notion: a law of nature must apply
uniformly and universally. The forest civilization of the Upanishads took a turn
unparalleled in the history of science. It focused on the medium of knowing: the mind.
The Self is the Brahman is the central discovery of the Upanishads. Its most famous
formulation is one of the mahavakyas or great formulae: Tat tvam asi, You are
That.
(source: The Upanishads: Translated for the Modern Reader - By Eknath Easwaran p. 1
- 25).
The Chandogya Upanishad makes a bold statement, to some extent more daring and at
the same time convincing:
Tat twam asi - That Thou art.

What does it
mean? It
means that you
are none other
than God. Who
else is God, if
not you?
***
In the words of
the great
German
philosopher
and writer,
Arthur
Schopenhauer
(1788-1860):
"In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the
Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life; and it will be the solace of my death.
They are the product of the highest wisdom."
"As flowing rivers disappear into the sea, losing their name and form, thus a wise man,
freed from name and form, goes to the divine person who is beyond all." -Mundaka
Upanishad iii 2.
Upanishads are the zenith of Hinduism cultural development. The Upanishads are
crammed with thoughts that wander through eternity. Their message is that there is far
more to life than success, and far more to success than money; and there can be no
higher destiny for man than to be engaged in endless seeking after endless truth. They
give the most memorable answers to the three immemorial questions posed by T. S.
Eliot:
"Where is the life we have lost in living"
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
***
The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (I.3.28) offers to humanity an unparalleled prayer:
"From the unreal lead me to the Real;
From darkness lead to Light,
From death lead me to Immortality."
One of the lessons of the Upanishads is that you must regard "the universe as a thought
in the mind of the Creator, thereby reducing all discussions of material creation to
futility." The Upanishads teach that both space and time are endless or infinite. Modern
science completely agrees.
(source: India's Priceless Heritage - By Nani Palkhivala published by Bharati Vidya
Bhavan 1980 p. 6-27).
The reality of the atomic physicist, like the reality of the
Eastern mystic, transcends the narrow framework of opposite
and contradictory concepts. The Upanishads say:
"It moves, it moves not,
It is far, and it is near,
It is within all this,
And it is outside of all this.
The words below of Oppenheimer seem to echo the words of
the Upanishads regarding physical matter:
J. R. Oppenheimer (1904-1967) Chairman of the Los Alamos
Project, sadly confessed:
"If we ask, for instance, whether the position of the electron
remains the same, we must say 'no';
if we ask whether the electron's position changes with time, we
must say 'no';
if we ask whether the electron is at rest, we must say 'no';
if we ask whether it is in motion, we must say 'no.'
In his autobiography, Einstein expressed his sense of shock
when he first came in contact with the reality of atomic
physics:
"All my attempts to adopt the theoretical foundation of physics
to this (new type of) knowledge failed completely. It was as if the ground had been
pulled out from under one with no firm foundation to be seen anywhere, upon which
one could have built."
The Rishis had repeatedly emphasized that the ultimate reality lies beyond the realms
of the senses and the grey matter beneath our skulls. Hark again to the Upanishads:
"There the eye goes not
Speech goes not, nor the mind.
We know not, we understand not,
How would one teach it?"
(source: India's Priceless Heritage - By Nani Palkhivala published by Bharati Vidya
Bhavan 1980. p.14-15).
Of all the productions of the Epic age, however, the Upanishads are the most striking.
They represent the belief of the learned and the wise, and they embody the philosophy
and spiritual knowledge of the age. The Upanishads elucidate the doctrine of the
Universal Soul. In India the Upanishads are classed as works which impart True
knowledge, while the Brahmanas regulate Observances. This distinction has endured in
India in all times.
The cardinal doctrine of the Upanishads are the doctrine of Transmigration of the Souls
and of the Universal Soul. We have seen both these ideas in a hazy form in the hymns
of the Rig Veda, in the Upanishads we find them more fully developed. All things
change, all things cast off their old form and assume new shapes. The Soul within
living beings thus changes its outward form, enters into new shapes, until it is merged
with the Universal Soul called by the Vedic name of Brahma. This cardinal principle of
the Upanishads is best explained in the language of the Upanishads:
"As a goldsmith, taking a piece of gold, turns it into another newer and more beautiful
shape, so does the Soul, after having thrown off this body, and dispelled all ignorance,
make unto himself another newer and more beautiful shape....
"So much for the man who desires, But for the man who does not desire, who not
desiring, free from desires, satisfied in his desires, desires the Soul only, his spirit does
not depart elsewhere; being Brahma, he goes to Brahma." (Brihadaranyaka, iv. 4).
This is true philosophical Hinduism as it was more than three thousand years ago, and
as it is now. The doctrine is that all universe and all being proceed from Brahman, live
in Him, are a part of Him, and end in Him. Each individual Soul has its beginning in
the Universal Soul, and passes through a number of outward shapes or incarnations
according to its doings in the world, and in the end merge in Him. The great idea of a
true Unity comprehending all changing phenomena, is conceived and explained in the
Hindu doctrine of Transmigration of Soul and of a Universal Soul.
(source: The Civilization of India - By Romesh C. Dutt p. 23 - 24). Refer to and Stotra
Rathnas. Refer to The Vedanta Kesari

Handwritten page of
Sanskrit text from the
Chandogya Upanishad.
Chandogya is one of the
oldest and best known
for its equation of the
atman (soul) within,
with the Brahman
(absolute spirit) without.
Watch Scientific
verification of Vedic
knowledge
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati.
Refer to The Vedanta Kesari
***
Dama, Dana and Daya (i.e DA, DA, DA).
In our daily life Indian culture has emphasized three cardinal virtues. There is a parable
in the Brihadaranyka Upanishad 5.2 Prajapati, the ancestor of man, blessed his creation
with a code of conduct consisting of three basic principles. viz. Dama, Dana and Daya
i.e. restraint, charity and compassion. These are the basic qualities for which man is
revered and respected in India.
(source: Cultural Heritage of Ancient India - By Sachindra Kumar Maity p. 14).
"Like corn decays the mortal," said the Katha Upanishad, "like corn is he born again."
It is one of the fundamental tenets of Hinduism that the soul, upon the death of one
body, moves to another body or form carrying with it all the impressions or deeds that
it has accumulated in its previous body. It is a simple cause and effect process between
the matter and the spirit, the soul. All living beings are subject to this process of
transmigration since they began life.
Professor F. W. Thomas in The Legacy of India says: "What gives to the Upanishads
their unique quality and unfailing human appeal is an earnest sincerity of tone, as of
friends conferring upon matters of deep concern."
And C. Rajagopalachari (1878-1972) was a scholar, a statesman, and a linguist. A
contemporary of Mohandas Gandhi, he was also free Indias first Governor General,
thus eloquently speaks of them:
"The spacious imagination, the majestic sweep of thought, and the almost reckless
spirit of exploration with which, urged by the compelling thirst for truth, the Upanishad
teachers and pupils dig into the "open secret" of the universe, make this most ancient of
the world's holy books still the most modern and most satisfying."
(source: The Discovery of India - By Jawaharlal Nehru Oxford University Press. 1995
p. 90).
The main teachings of the Upanishads are of a sublime character. Max Muller wrote:
"How entirely does the Upanishads breathe throughout the holy spirit of the Vedas!
How is every one who has become familiar with that incomparable book stirred by that
spirit to the very depth of his soul! Vedanta is the most sublime of all philosophies and
the most comforting of all religions."
Paul Deussen (1845-1919) preferred to be called in Sanskrit, Deva-Sena was a scholar
of the Asiatic Society of Bengal says:
"On the tree of Indian wisdom there is no fairer flower than the Upanishads and no
finer fruit than the Vedanta philosophy."
In his Philosophy of the Upanishads, Deussen claims for its fundamental thought "an
inestimable value for the whole race of mankind." It is in "marvelous agreement with
the philosophy founded by Kant, and adopted and perfected by his great successor,
Schopenhauer," differing from it, where it does differ, only to excel.
(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda p. 298-299).
Victor Cousin (1792-1867) French Philosopher, says: "The history of Indian
philosophy is the abridged history of the philosophy of the world."
(source: Hindu Culture and The Modern Age - By Dewan Bahadur K.S. Ramaswami
Shastri - Annamalai University 1956 p.214-215).
Lord Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859) in comparing the ancient Greeks with the
ancient Hindus, says: "Their (Hindus) general learning was more considerable; and in
the knowledge of the being and nature of God, they were already in possession of a
light which was but faintly perceived even by the loftiest intellects in the best days of
Athens."
(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda p. 299).
Top of Page

The Bhagavad Gita

"I am the Self seated in the heart of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and
the very end of all beings".
- Lord Krishna (Bhagawad Gita, sloka 20, Chapter 10).
***
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Philosopher, Unitarian, social critic,
transcendentalist and writer. He wrote:
"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of
the Bhagavat Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in
comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."
"One sentence of the Gita, is worth the State of Massachusetts many times over"
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) an author, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian
minister who lectured on theology at Harvard University. He wrote: "Iowed a
magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small
or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in
another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which
exercise us."
Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967) A theoretical physicist and the Supervising
Scientist for the Manhattan Project, the developer of the atomic bomb.Oppenheimer
acquired a deeper knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita in 1933 when, as a young professor
of physics, he studied Sanskrit with Professor Arthur W Ryder (1877-1938) at
Berkeley.
The Gita, he wrote was very easy and quite marvelous. He called the Gita the most
beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.
Oppenheimer who finally brought the Gita into the popular vocabulary of the scientists
in the West by citing this quote from the Bhagavad Gita.
"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like
the splendor of the mighty one " and "Now I am become. Death, the destroyer of
worlds." (July 16, 1945, inscription at first nuclear test site Trinity, New Mexico).
Carl Sagan famous astro-physicist was awed by the revelation in the Gita that the
creation and destruction, an essential part of the cosmic evolution, was actually
postulated in a more realistic vast time scale.
(source: Science and the Gita - By Dr. Alok K. Bohara).

Lord Krishna playing the

flute adorns a mural at
Mattancherry Palace,
Cochin, Kerala.
The notes of Krishna's flute
drifting through the woods
are the call of the Divine.
(image source: National
Geographic - January 2008).
***
Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950)
most original philosopher of
modern India observed:
"The Bhagavad-Gita is a
true scripture of the human
race a living creation rather
than a book, with a new
message for every age and a
new meaning for every
civilization." He wrote in
Essays on the Gita, "The
Gita is the greatest gospel of
spiritual works ever yet
given to the race." "Such
then is the divine Teacher of
the Gita, the eternal Avatar,
the Divine who has
descended into human
consciousness, the Lord
seated within the heart of all
beings, He who guides from
behind the veil all our
thoughts and action."
Lokmanya Tilak (1856-
1920) freedom fighter, great
Sanskrit scholar and
astronomer and author of
Geeta Rahasya says: "It
gives peace to afflicted
souls, it makes us masters of spiritual wisdom."
Warren Hastings (1754-1826), was the first governor general of British India wrote:
"The Bhagavad Gita is the gain of humanity - a performance of great originality, of a
sublimity of conception, reasoning and diction almost unequalled."
Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925) Austrian-born scientist, editor, and founder of
anthroposophy, wrote: "In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-
Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it."
Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1854-1930) in his History of Sanskrit Literature remarks:
"The beauty and the power of the language in which this doctrine - that the zealous
performance of duty is a man's most important task, to whatever caste he may belong -
is inculcated, is unsurpassed in any other work of Indian literature."
Lord Mountstuart Elphinstone (1779-1859) says: "The Bhagawat Gita deserves high
praise for the skill with which it is adapted to the general Epic, and the tenderness and
elegance of the narrative by means of which it is introduced."
Mrs. Manning wrote: "Bhagwat Gita is one of the most remarkable compositions in the
Sanskrit language."
Count Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) was a Belgian writer of poetry and a wide
variety of essays. He won the 1911 Nobel Prize for literature. In his book The Great
Secret calls The Bhagavad Gita "a magnificent flower of Hindu mysticism."
Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888) writer, philosopher, schoolteacher, visionary. On
May 10, 17, and 19' 1846, he wrote in his journal: "I read more of the Bhagavad Gita
and felt how surpassingly fine were the sentiments."
"Best of books - containing a wisdom blander and far more sane than that of the
Hebrews, whether in the mind of Moses or of Him of Nazareth. Were I a preacher, I
would venture sometimes to take from its texts the motto and moral of my discourse. It
would be healthful and invigorating to breathe some of this mountain air into the lungs
of Christendom."
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767- 1835) Prussian minister of education, a brilliant linguist
and the founder of the science of general linguistics. He said:
"The most beautiful, perhaps the only true philosophical song existing in any known
tongue ....perhaps the deepest and loftiest thing the world has to show."
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) the English novelist and essayist wrote: "The Bhagavad-
Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to
mankind. The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the
spiritual thoughts ever to have been made."
Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888) writer, philosopher, schoolteacher, visionary. He
wrote:
"I read more of the Bhagavad Gita and felt how surpassingly fine were the sentiments.
These, or selections from this book should be included in a Bible for Mankind. I think
them superior to any of the other Oriental scriptures, the best of all reading for wise
men."
"Best of books - containing a wisdom blander and far more sane than that of the
Hebrews, whether in the mind of Moses or of Him of Nazareth. Were I a preacher, I
would venture sometimes to take from its texts the motto and moral of my discourse. It
would be healthful and invigorating to breathe some of this mountain air into the lungs
of Christendom."
(For more refer to chapter on and Quotes and GlimpsesX).
Dr. Alok K. Bohara, professor of economics at University of New Mexico has
remarked:
"Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita and encouraged by the scientific evidence behind the
power of meditation within the controlled environment, Dr. David J. Haglin has
initiated a project in India involving mass meditation. He hopes to change group
behavior to promote peace through such concentrated meditative contemplation. The
power of intention through contemplation to alter personal disposition is amply
articulated in the Gita as well, and scientists have just begun to scratch its surface.
Interestingly, many Hindu scriptures speak of highly accomplished Rishis as having
power to calm the other beings around them. But, there is much to learn about the
relationship between the mind and matter. Nevertheless, efforts are underway to make
good use of such potentiality."
(source: Science and the Gita - By Dr. Alok K. Bohara). Listen to The Bhagavad Gita
podcast - By Michael Scherer - americanphonic.com. Refer to Vrindanet - Poland
***
The Gita opens magnificently: the two armies arrayed, ready to do battle, on the
ancestral field of Kuru; pennons flapping in the breeze and horses pawing the ground
impatiently. As the conch shell signal the beginning of the battle, and as the armies are
about to hurl themselves upon each other, Arjuna has doubts about the bloody deeds he
is on the verge of perpetrating - the slaying of his kinsman, teachers, friends - and he
voices his doubts to his charioteer, none other than the Lord Krsna himself. Krsna
(Vishnu) then tells Arjuna why he must take part in the upcoming battle, why he has in
reality, no alternative but to do so (his dharma, his duty as a Kshatriya), Krsna then
preceeds to expound the unique philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, including the
essence of practical morality.
(source: Traditional India - edited by
O. L. Chavarria-Aguilar Prentice Hall
Place of Publication 1964. chapter on
Practical Morality - By Franklin
Edgertonp. 69).

Lord Krsna expounds the unique

philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita.

The Gita is a diamond among

scriptures.
The Bhagavad Gita has influenced
great Americans from Thoreau to
Oppenheimer. Its message of letting go
of the fruits of ones actions is just as
relevant today as it was when it was first written more than two millennia ago.
Watch Lost / Submerged city of Dwaraka The Learning Channel video
Watch Maha Vishnu Das of ISKCON - lecture on The Bhagavad Gita. Watch Scientific
verification of Vedic knowledge. Refer to jalebimusic.com. To download Hindu
Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati. Listen to The Bhagavad Gita
podcast - By Michael Scherer - americanphonic.com and The Bhagavad Gita The
essence of all Scriptures. Refer to Science and the Gita - By Dr. Alok K. Bohara and
Vrindanet - Poland
***

The Bhagavad Gita embodies a universal ideal of spiritual warriorship, teaching that
freedom lies not in renunciation or retreat, but in disciplined action performed with
self-knowledge and detachment.
Before the final battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna had doubts whether it is right to fight and
kill men who are his relations and his old friends; above all is war justifiable? Lord
Krishna, after failing to convince him that it is the duty of a warrior to fight in a
righteous war, reveals himself to Arjuna and answers his questions on the nature of the
universe, the way to God and the meaning of duty. This magnificent dialogue between
man (Arjuna) and creator (Krishna) forms the Bhagvad Gita, in which the Hindu
doctrine is fully explained.
(Note: Lord Krishna was born at midnight on Friday July 27, 3112 BCE. This date and
time has been calculated by astronomers on the basis of the planetary positions on that
day recorded by Sage Vyasa. Lord Krishna passed away on 3102 BC, start of Kail
Yuga. The Bhagavad Gita was compiled around 500 BCE.
(source: Hinduism TimeLine - By Madan M. Mathrani and The Hindu Mind - By Bansi
Pandit). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism
A God of War?
The Gita does not solve the problem of war: rather it thrusts us right into the heart of
the problem of war, any struggle, and shows us by means of one example how easily in
actual life we can be drawn into tricky situations and conflicts of conscience the likes
of which hardly arise for the ascetics in forests and caves. Lord Krishna, in the Gita is
not addressing a sannyasin (a monk; one who has completely renounced worldly life),
but a member of the warrior caste who still finds himself right in the midst of life.
There are no cheap attempts at painting black and white in the Gita; no heroes in the
service of the good cause and bad guys in the service of the devil and the ending a
triumphant victory of good over evil. A certain dualistic pattern is evident in Krishna's
pronouncements, the kind we find in almost all religions; the struggle of light against
darkness, against asuric (demonic) forces. He says himself that he manifests himself a
new in every age "whenever there is a decline of dharma....for the protection of the
good...for the destruction of the wicked.." (IV. 6 -8). Good and bad are both aspects of
the one divine reality. Good and evil are relative. The world is not neatly divided here
in two halves. It is shown in all its ambiguity in its condition as maya, where all good
contain a little evil and all darkness a little light.
(source: Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism - By Hans Torwesten p.78 - 82). Refer to Burning
of Bhagavad Gita by Christians in India - By Prof. C I Isaac
In his famous Essays on the Gita, Sri Aurobindo summed up the whole problem in
these words:
We will use only soul-force and never destroy by war or any even defensive
employment of physical violence ? Good, though until soul-force is effective, the
Asuric force in men and nations tramples down, breaks, slaughters, burns, pollutes, as
we see it doing today, but then at its ease and unhindered, and you have perhaps caused
as much destruction of life by your abstinence as others by resort to violence. Strength
founded on the Truth and the dharmic use of force are thus the Gitas answer to
pacifism and non-violence. Rooted in the ancient Indian genius, this third way can only
be practised by those who have risen above egoism, above asuric ambition or greed.
The Gita certainly does not advocate war ; what it advocates is the active and selfless
defence of dharma. If sincerely followed, its teaching could have altered the course of
human history. It can yet alter the course of Indian history."
The Gita is, in Sri Aurobindos words, our chief national heritage, our hope for the
future."
(source: The Gita in Todays World - by Michel Danino - bharatvani.org). Also refer to
Gita Supersite and Stotra Rathnas.
Dr. Fritjof Capra (1939- ) the famous theoretical high-energy physicist and author of
The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and
Eastern Mysticism writes:
"One of those epics, the Maha Bharatha, contains India's favorite religious text, the
beautiful spiritual poem of the Bhagavadh Geetha. The Geetha, as it is commonly
called, is a dialogue between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna who is in great
despair, being forced to combat his own kinsmen in the great family war which forms
the main story of the Mahabharata. Krishna, as Arjuna's charioteer, drives the chariot
right between the two armies and in this dramatic settling of the battlefield, he starts to
reveal to Arjuna the most profound truths of Hinduism. As the god speaks the realistic
background of the war between the two families soon fades away and it becomes clear
that the battle of Arjuna is the spiritual battle of man, and the battle of the warrior in
search of enlightenment. Krishna himself advises Arjuna:
Arjuna was confused by noble thoughts before the war. But
fortunately Lord Krishna labored through 18 long chapters of
discourse in Bhagvad Gita to clear Arjuna's confusion and to help
him take a decision. Arjuna finally decided to wage the war. But
what today's intellectuals have failed to fathom is that only wars
waged out of ambition, like Emperor Ashoka did, are wrong. Men
of wisdom have regarded war as sometimes essential to bring
peace. What is wrong is war of hate. Kill therefore with the sword
of wisdom the doubts born of the ignorance that lies in thy heart.
Be one in self-harmony, in Yoga and arise, great warrior, arise.
The basis of Krishna's spiritual instruction, as of all Hinduism is
the idea that the multitude of things and events around us are but
different manifestations of the same ultimate reality. This reality,
called Brahman, is the unifying concept that gives Hinduism its
essentially monistic character in spite of the worship of numerous
gods and goddesses. "
(source: Hindu Destiny in Nostradamus - By G.S. Hiranyappa. cited in Chapter on
Hinduism - By Fritjof Capra p. 171). For more on Fritjof Capra refer to Quotes251-
270)
Non-violence is the ideal for the individual, but society needs protection and cannot
remain non-violent in the face of aggression. The Gita mentions repeatedly that ahimsa,
or non-violence, is the highest virtue.
The Bhagavad Gita forms a part of the great epic, the Mahabharata. It is the song of the
Supreme God and is considered a sacred text of religion. Gita is said to be the most
beautiful philosophical song in any language.The contents of the text are brought out in
the form of a dialogue between Krsna, and Arjuna, a warrior prince of the Kuru
dynasty. The situation in which both are placed in a battlefield where in Arjuna has
come to fight, by force of circumstances, his own cousins, nephews, elders of the
family, teachers and friends. Metaphorically, the battle and battlefield is life itself. For
in life we are constantly engaged in a struggle both within and without between the
forces of good and evil.
The Bhagavad Gita is both supremely realistic and extremely idealistic, certainly the
most acute, penetrating depiction of human nature and true morality, however remote it
may seem from our own. Lord Krishna symbolizes the principle of Divine Incarnation
(avatar), the supreme spirit become flesh, pouring into the world during the evil phases
of the cosmic cycle in order to check evil - but in a spirit of complete detachment and
indifference. The supreme thought of the Gita is concerned with a tolerance:
"Whatsoever devotee seeks to worship whatsoever divine form (rupa) with fervent
faith, I, verily, make that faith of his unwavering."
Dharma and Non-Attachment: The first answer given to Arjuna is that he must full fill
his Dharma, that is the basic obligation of his state in life. Only in this way can his
salvation be achieved. He is a warrior. To abandon the field is to betray his fundamental
duty. Yet if Dharma is to be fulfilled, it must be done with total self-detachment. There
must be no seeking after success in life, for the fruit of action (karma phala). Action are
to be done, because they are correct, because they are required by Dharma, not for
personal gain.
Lord Krishnas views on the immortality of the soul were compiled in one of Indias
holiest books of scriptures, the Bhagwad Gita.
One reason that the Gita is a source of inspiration is because it presents to its readers
the concept of God as personal (Isvara), and this is the most meaningful concept of
God. A personal God is a being who knows every sorrow and is a witness of all our
grief: "I am time never ending. I am the creator who sees all."Ishavara, the personal
God, accepts us as we are and purifies us: " Though a man be soiled with the sins of a
lifetime, let him but love me, rightly resolved, in utter devotion. I see no sinner. That
man is holy. He shall not perish."
The Awesome Majesty of God
In Chapter 11, perhaps the most famous in the Gita, Lord Krishna appears again before
Arjuna in his full and this time awe-inspiring majesty. To enable him to see his far-
flung powers he lends Arjuna the Celestial Eye. What follows is the sheer endless
profusion of images of the mysterium tremendum et fascinosum, causing the amazed
and frightened Arjuna's hair to stand on end.
"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky,
that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One."
"I am mighty world-destroying Time, now engaged here in slaying these men. even
without you, all these warriors standing arrayed in the opposing armies shall not live."
- Bhagavad Gita chapter XI. 12- 32).

Lord Krishna appears again before Arjuna in

his full and this time awe-inspiring majesty.
The Bhagavad Gita, a world beloved, timeless
classic was treasured by American writers from
Emerson to T S Eliot.
Watch Lost / Submerged city of Dwaraka
The Learning Channel video. Refer to Bhaja
Govindam - kamakoti.org and The Bhagavad
Gita The essence of all Scriptures. Listen to
The Bhagavad Gita podcast - By Michael
Scherer - americanphonic.com. Refer to
Science and the Gita - By Dr. Alok K. Bohara
and Vrindanet - Poland
***
The Bhagavad Gita is the greatest testament of
the Eternal Religion (Sanatana Dharma), the
name by which the Hindus call their spiritual
tradition. In it, spiritual wisdom finds its most
profound, catholic, clear and modern
expression. Gita means a song, and Bhagavad
Gita means the divine song. The truth of
scripture or of science does not depend on
historical facts. The Gita is a sermon on the
battlefield. It was delivered by Lord Krishna,
the Divine Teacher, to Arjuna, his disciple, on
the eve of a great battle between two sets of
opposing cousins in which were engaged most
of the princes and noblemen of India of the
time. Krishna's sermon epitomizes the wisdom of Sanatana Dharma. It is a marvel
because such an excellent work on religion and ethics has not been written since, nor is
it likely to be written again.
The Bhagavad Gita has been read daily and recited by millions in India over centuries
and across its vast expanse. It has been the source of inspiration to individuals, to
seekers of enlightenment and peace and also to leaders of great social and political
movements. Gandhi had turned to the Gita for light and guidance in times of crisis just
as a child in trouble turns to its mother for comfort and reassurance. Gita has inspired
many thoughtful men of letters and theologians of the West; several influential and
liberal movements like Christian Science and New England Transcendentalism owe
their origin to it. The source of Emerson's inspiration was the Gita. Carlyle presented
him with a copy of the Gita, and this little book was responsible for the Concord
Movement. "All the broad movements in America," said Swami Vivekanada, "in one
way or the other are indebted to the Concord Party."
The Gita is a diamond among scriptures. Invocatory poems praise it as the essence of
all scriptures. Krishna declares that God dwelling in the heart of all beings moves them
to action. The Gita proclaims that there are many ways (yogas) of reaching the spiritual
goal of life and that one should never disturb the faith of others whose understanding is
poor. All the different ways of knowing God have been classified into four broad paths;
namely 1. Jnana yoga - the way of wisdom, 2. bhakti yoga, the way of love of God 3.
karma yoga, the way of selfless action 4. dhyana yoga, the way of meditation.
(source: The Bhagavad Gita: A Scripture for the Future - By Sachindra K. Majumdar p.
1-55).
The Bhagavad Gita is the jewel of all Hindu religious writing. This sacred poem, which
appears in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, is the quintessence of the
Upanishadic teachings. The chief doctrines of the Bhagavad Gita are in theism, its
devotionalism, its doctrine of the divine appearance in human form as savior of man,
and its teaching of divine grace. In the Bhagavad Gita is found the first clear statement
of beatitude as a mutual indwelling of God in man and man in God:"They who with
devotion worship me, they are in me and I in them." (IX 29).
(source: Religions of India: Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism - Thomas Berry p. 31-32).
The Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual, much revered work that has served as an inspiration
to all Hindus for thousands of years. Sri AdiSankaracomposed his commentary on the
Gita in the 8th century, while Sant Dnyaneswar, one of the foremost religious figures of
Maharashtra wrote his commentary on the Geeta; The Dnyaneswari in 13th century.
The Dnyaneshwari has been an integral part of Maharashtras cultural and religious
tradition ever since.
Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) poet and scholar. Author of The Song Celestial, which
is a translation of the Bhagavad Gita. It has great elevation of tone and majesty and
dignity of style. There are many translations of the Gita but Arnold's translation has a
place apart among them by its accuracy and the grave harmony of the verse. The
translation is dedicated by the poet to India. Arnold was inspired by the Gita in his
"Lays of Ind". The dedicatory verses are in Arnold's own translation:
"So have I read this wonderful and spirit-thrilling speech,
By Krishna and Prince Arjuna held, discoursing each with each;
So have I writ its wisdom here, its hidden mystery,
For England; O our India! as dear to me as she!
He wrote in his preface: "This famous and marvelous Sanskrit poem occurs as an
episode of the Mahabharata, in the sixth - or "Bhishma" - Parva of the great Hindu
epic. It enjoys immense popularity and authority in India, where it is reckoned as one
of the "Five Jewels" - pancharatnani - of Devanagari literature. In plain but noble
language it unfolds a philosophical system which remains to this day the prevailing
Brahmanic belief blending as it does the doctrine of Kapila, Patanjali, and the Vedas."
(source: Eminent Orientalists: Indian European American - Asian Educational Services.
p. 234-235).
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati.
Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism and Stotra Rathnas.
***
The Message of the Bhagavad Gita to Modern Man

1. Gita not only a Philosophy but a Code of Conduct

Gita consists of the teaching given to the pupil Arjuna by Lord Shri Krishna on the
battlefield of Kurukshetra when the pupil, at the critical moment when the war was
about to commence, was in doubt as to whether he was to follow the promptings of his
personal affection and reverence for those on the opposite side or follow the dictates of
duty.
In unequivocal terms the Lord asks Arjuna to fight the battle irrespective of his
personal ties with persons on the other side.
The occasion is utilized by the Lord to explain the whole purpose of Life, the meaning
of all the world process and the place of man in the scheme of things. As the colophon
at the end of every chapter puts it, the Gita is an Upanishad, it is a philosophical
treatise. But it is something more than that. It is a code of conduct for man applicable to
varying temperaments, various avocations and various levels of development. It is this
aspect that makes for the unique place which the Gita has among the scriptures of the
world.
2. Unity of Life and Consequent interdependence of everything in the world
The Lord stresses throughout the central idea of all Indian
philosophies, the Imminence of God and the
interdependence of man - not only man, but of all beings.
"The Lord dwelleth in the heart of all beings." 'Having
pervaded this whole universe with one fragment of Myself,
I remain." Everything in the universe partakes of one life;
the wise man realizes that the outer differences are
deceptive and illusionary, he looks beyond the veil and sees
the common basis of all beings.
3. Dedicated Action does not bind, it frees the Man
The most important contribution of the Gita to the religious
thought of India is the emphasis the Lord lays on action
(karma) in Sanskrit. The attitude of escapism is severely
condemned by the Lord. He says, "Nor can anyone, even
for an instant, remain really action-less." What binds a man
is not action but his attachment to the fruit of the action.
And so the lord repeatedly enjoins activity without
attachment to the fruit.

Lord Krishna playing his flute awakens devotion in the

hearts of Hindu devotees, because it reminds them of God
calling the soul to eternal wakefulness in Him.
***
4. Gita's message of Hope
Above all, Gita is a gospel of hope and optimism. Let no one despair. Weak as we are,
full of faults as we are, we can all reach the goal. We are Divine in essence, our
Divinity is only veiled; rend the veil and let the inner Divinity reveal itself. "Even if
the most sinful worship Me, with undivided heart, he too must be accounted righteous,
for he hath rightly resolved." The Lord further guarantees, "Speedily he becometh
dutiful and goeth to eternal peace."
5. The Theory of Avatar - Divine Manifestations
In the words of the Gita, the divine manifestations come to restore Righteousness when
it has been trampled under the foot by human selfishness and perversity.
(source: Facets of Indian Culture - By R. Srinivasan p. 240-244).
The theology of the Bhagavad Gita is attractive because it does not favor of any of the
path. Whatever works for you is the truth, a pragmatic attitude which is Hinduism's
great and old strength. The Gita is thus a product of mature Hinduism. The Gita boldly
asserts that dharma is possible without renunciation, and many reformers have seized
upon that to try and awaken Indians from a too comfortable 'spiritual' torpor. The atman
is regarded as deathless in a famous verse and it also undergoes - rebirth. If you find
the Lord who is Transcendant then you are saved from this futility of rebirth. This can
be done by your own striving or by your devotion to the Lord , both of which will call
forth His grace. Krishna's exhortation to fight may be likened to the motivation of
many a soldier or Resistance fighter who took up arms because his country needed his
participation in the fight for freedom. As a crowning touch - Krishna reveals his
Cosmic Form to Arjuna in some of the most impressive poetry ever written by the hand
of man. This poem has become the most important spiritual rite of passage of most
Hindus, and is the most beloved of Hindu scriptures of educated India.
The central gem in the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita. The first call in it is the call
to manly action. Sri Krishna then teaches Nishkama Karmayoga and Dhyanayoga and
Bhaktiyoga and Jananayoga. Devotion to God is the vital element in all of them. The
easiest and surest of all the paths is Bhakti for in it God comes to our aid and crowns
our effort with success. In short, the Gita reconciles and synthesizes all the apparently
irreconcilable schools of philosophic thought in India. The Gita is thus a world book, a
book for all humanity in all times and climes.
George Feuerstein says: "According to Hindu tradition the epic depicts the drama of the
human soul and its eternal struggle between the divine and the demonic forces,
between Good and Evil, Right and Wrong - Dharma and Adharma. The great figures of
the epic are believed to represent particular aspects of the human being. So Bhima is
identified with 'strength' Yuyudhana with 'success' Dhrtaketu with 'prosperity' Kasiraja
with 'purity' and so on. With the exception of a few scholars, the dry, academically
stilted approach of contemporary Indology, with little interest in the inner meaning of
its subject matter, becomes significantly apparent in the Gita which brimming with
significance."
(source: Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita - By George Feuerstein p. 61-62).
Throughout the past thousand years of the history of Hinduism, the popularity and
authority of the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of the Lord, has been, and still is, unrivaled.
Whoever reads it for the first time will be struck by the beauty and depth; countless
Hindus know it by heart and quote it at many occasions as an expression of their faith
and their own insights.
Hans Torwesten (1944 - ) a native of Germany, studied art in Vienna and Indian
philosophy, meditation, and yoga in England. A writer, lecturer, yoga teacher, and
painter, he now lives in Austria. He writes: "For all its maturity and roundedness the
Gita is no tired work of old age. It also goes far beyond mere artificial syncretism. If
besides its well-roundedness it did not also possess freshness and youthful vigor, it
would hardly still inspire us so much today....but indeed an organic whole the totally
universal perspective of which have saved many a reader who chanced upon this little
book from the narrow-mindedness and despair of an apparently meaningless life, luring
him on toward the immeasurable expanse of the realm of the divine."
(source: Vedanta: Heart of Hinduism - By Hans Torwesten p.77).
Charles Wilkins made the Gita known to
Europe through his English translation which
appeared in 1785. Notwithstanding the critical
approach of many Western Indologists, the
Bhagavad Gita has become a favorite book of
many Westerners.
Wilhelm von Humboldt 1767- 1835) Prussian
minister of education, a brilliant linguist and
the founder of the science of general
linguistics. He read this Latin version was so
enthusiastic that he declared "this episode of
the Mahabharata is the most beautiful, nay
perhaps even the only true philosophical poem
which we can find in all the literature known
to us."
The Gita is a book of crisis. A direct modern
Western reference to the Bhagavad Gita
occurred in a context that to call historical is
almost an understatement - it may better be
called apocalyptic.

Julius Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)

Scientist, philosopher, bohemian, and radical. A theoretical physicist and the
Supervising Scientist for the Manhattan Project, the developer of the atomic bomb,
described the thoughts that passed through his mind when he witnessed the first atomic
test explosion in the desert of New Mexico: "On the sight of the fire-ball two ancient
verses came to my mind. The one: "Of a thousand suns in the sky if suddenly should
burst forth the light, it would be like unto the light of that Exalted One." (BG XI, 12).
The other: "Death, am I, cause of destruction of the world, matured and set out to
gather in the worlds there." (BG XI, 32).
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American Philosopher, Unitarian, social critic,
transcendentalist and writer: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and
cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita in comparison with which our modern
world and its literature seems puny."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) author, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian
minister said this about the Gita: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It
was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene,
consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had
pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us." (for more quotes
refer to chapter on Quotes).
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) poet, author, philosopher, Nobel prize laureate,
proclaimed: "It feels me with great joy and a high hope for the future of humanity when
I realize that there was a time in the remote past when our poet, sages stood under the
lavish sunshine of an Indian sky and greeted the world with the glad recognition of
kindred. ...This is a noble heritage....it is not merely intellectual or emotional, it has an
ethical basis, and it must be translated into action. Upanishads say, 'The supreme being
is all pervading, therefore he is the innate good in all."

(source: Indianization - By Paramesh Chowdhury Calcutta: Globe Library, 1981 p.

109).
Herman Hesse (1877-1962) German poet and novelist, awarded the Nobel Prize for
literature in 1946 says: "The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful
revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."
Carl Jung (1875-1961), student of Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist think: "The idea that
man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link
with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states..." behold
we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant."
W. L. Wilmhurst says that the Gita is: "the climax at once for the religion, the
philosophy and the poetry of an eastern people."
(source: Hindu Culture and The Modern Age - By Dewan Bahadur K. S. Ramaswami
Sastri. p. 218-219).
"For the protection of the good and the destruction of the wicked...I am born in every
age."
- Bhagavad Gita IV. 8
Listen to The Bhagavad Gita podcast - By Michael Scherer - americanphonic.com.
Top of Page

All Matter is Nothing but energy

Dynamism is the great law of the universe. Change and movement occur eternally,
symbolized by Shiva's Dance. The recurring theme in Hindu mythology is the creation
of the world by the self-sacrifice of God - "sacrifice" in the original sense of "making
sacred" - whereby God becomes the world. Lila, the play of God, is the creative
activity of the Divine; and the world is the stage of the Divine play. Brahman is the
great magician Who transforms Himself into the world and He performs this feat with
His "magic creative power", which is the original meaning of maya in the Rig Veda.
Dr. Fritjof Capra has said:
 "As long as we confuse the myraid forms of the Divine lila with reality, without
preceiving the unity of Brahman underlying all these forms, we are under the spell of
maya...Maya is the illusion of taking these concepts for reality, of confusing the map
with the territory."
To the Rishis the divine play was the evolution of the cosmos through countless aeons.
There is an infinite number of creations in an infinite universe. The Rishis gave the
name kalpa to the unimaginable span of time between the beginning and the end of
creation.
They understood the staggering scale of the divine play.
Many centuries later the scientific mind still boggles at
the scale of creation which makes infinity intelligible. The
Rishis clearly perceived that the most fundamental
characteristic of this incomprehensible creation was that it
was in a perpetual state of movement, flow and change.
Lila is a rhythmic play which goes on in endless cycles,
the One becoming the many and the many returning to the
One.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna describes this
rhythmic play of creation in the following words:
"At the end of the night of time all things return to my
nature, and when the new day of time begins I bring them
again into light.
Thus through my nature I bring forth all creation and this
rolls around in the circles of time."

"But I am not bound by this vast work of creation. I am

and I watch the drama of works.
I watch and in its work of creation nature brings forth all
that moves and moves not; and thus the revolutions of the
world go round."

How uncanny is the identity of the ancient insights with

the latest conclusions of modern science which are well
summed up in the fascinating book, The Tao of Physics
by Fritjof Capra: "When we study the universe as a
whole, with its millions of galaxies, we have reached the
largest scale of space and time; and again, at that cosmic
level, we discover that the universe is not static - it is expanding!
Modern physics has come to the conclusion that mass is nothing but a form of energy.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the basis of the theory of relativity, and the
space-time character of the universe, were perceived by the old Indian Rishis in their
advanced stage of spiritual consciousness. In their state of higher consciousness they
realized that the ultimate constituents of the universe - energy and mass, particle and
wave, - were but different aspects of the same basic process, but the same Oneness
which pervaded the entire universe. Today science has relearned that lesson. In the
words of A. N. Whitehead: "Matter has been identified with energy, and energy is sheer
activity."
Thus, the vastest knowledge of today cannot transcend the buddhi of the Rishis; and
science, in its most advanced stage, is closer to Vedanta than ever before.
(source: India's Priceless Heritage - By Nani Palkhivala published by Bharati Vidya
Bhavan 1980 p. 17-21). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism. Refer toScience
and the Gita - By Dr. Alok K. Bohara
Top of Page

Brahman: The All- Pervading Reality

In the entire history of human knowledge there has been no concept greater or deeper
than the concept of Brahman evolved by ancient India. There is a unity underlying the
entire creation. All parts are related to and interdependent on one another. Brahman is
the ultimate and all-pervading reality: the inner essence of all things. Einstein worked
for decades on the Unified Theory, an aspect of Brahman.
Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose (1858-1937)A great biologist and the first Indian scientist
to have been knighted by the British king for his contributions in Botany. He said at
the opening of the Institute which bears his name, observed:
"I dedicate today this institute as not merely a laboratory but a temple...In time the
leading scientific societies of the world accepted my theories and results, and
recognized the importance of the Indian contribution to science. Can anything small
or circumscribed ever satisfy the mind of India? By a continuous living tradition and
a vital power of rejuvenescence, this land has readjusted itself through unnumbered
transformations. Indians have always arisen who, discarding the immediate and
absorbing prize of the honor, have sought for the realization of the highest ideals in
life - not through passive renunciation but through active struggle."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1817-1862) American Philosopher, Unitarian, social critic,
transcendentalist and writer was fascinate by the concept of Brahman:
"All science is transcendental or else passes away. Botany is now acquiring the right
theory - the avatars of Brahman will presently be the text-books of natural history."
The basic oneness of the universe which was a part of the mystical experience of the
Indian sages is one of the most important revelations of modern physics. Eminent
scientists like John Wheeler point out that in modern science the distinction between
observer and observed breaks down completely and instead of the "observer" we have
to "put in its place the new word "participator". In some strange sense the universe is a
participatory universe."
The Upanishads had taught the same lesson of the subject and the object fusing into a
unified un-differentiated whole:
"Where there is duality, as it were, there one sees another; there one smells another;
there one taste another...But where everything has become just one's own self, then
whereby and whom would one see? then whereby and whom would one smell? then
whereby and whom would one taste ?"
The intuition of Indian mystics led them to understand the multidimensional reality and
of space-time continuum which is the basis of the modern theory of relativity.
Vedanta taught the technique of self-development. The ultimate destiny of man is to
discover within himself the true Self as the changless behind the changing, the eternal
behind the ephemeral, and the infinite behind the finite. Greater wisdom was never
compressed into three words than by the Chandogya Upanishadwhich proclaimed the
true Self of man as part of the Infinite Spirit - tat twam asi: "That Thou Art".

Sanskrit, the language of Hindu

scriptures, is the oldest and the most
systematic language in the world. It
originated several thousand years
ago, yet is still used in India.
(image source: Eastern Wisdom: The
Philosophies and Rituals of the East -
By Michael Jordan p. 29).
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer
to Hindu Temple of Greater
Cincinnati.
***
In the beautiful words of Vedanta:
"Samvit or pure consciousness is one
and non-dual, ever self-luminous, and
does not rise or set in months and years and aeons, past or future."
(source: India's Priceless Heritage - By Nani Palkhivala published by Bharati Vidya
Bhavan 1980 p 8-11).
According to Mani Bhuamik an elected fellow of the American Physical Society as
well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers writes:
"The ancient Vedantic concepts that we all cut our spiritual teeth on are a part of the
grand reconciliation now going on between science and religion.
We find these concepts embodied in the extensive literature starting with the four Vedas
and their subsequent elaborations in the Upanishads. The recurring theme of these
perceptions is that, underlying all physical reality, there is one abstract entity, Brahman,
with the quality of consciousness. Having created the universe, Brahman remains
present everywhere today, administering basic aspects of everything in our cosmos.

Recent scientific discoveries seem to validate the concept of Brahman. Physicists and
cosmologists are close to proving that there is one source behind the physical universe,
and they call this source the unified field. In a profound sense, Brahman, the Vedantic
concept and the unified field of physics appear to be synonymous."
(source: Physics & Vedanta: So much in common - Mani Bhaumik Times of India
2/26/02). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism and Stotra Rathnas.
Top of Page

Itihasa: The Great Epics

An Epic is a long narrative poem. Its theme is grand and its style is in keeping with the
grandeur of the theme. Kings, queens, nobles, courts, forests, seas and wars are all
elaborately described. The two Indian epics - The Ramayana and Mahabharata have all
these characteristics and present a picture of society of the period. Mahabharata is the
longest poem written in any language of the world. The epics are literary compositions,
describing in glorious terms the heroic deeds and virtues of the Kshatriya princes of
ancient India. They are respected as sacred works and at the same time they tell us a lot
about the society and the people.
The Ramayana and Mahabharata have been a constant source of comfort, guidance,
and entertainment to millions down the ages. Whereas the Homeric Epics have never
been sacred books and have long since ceased to occupy a central position in Greek
culture, the Indian Epics are the most widely read and respected religious books of the
Hindus today.
Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) most original philosopher of modern India. In his analysis
of Mahabharata and Ramayana observes,
"It is notable that the two vast Indian epics have been considered as much as Dharma-
shastras as great historico-myth epic narratives, itihasas. They are, that is to say, noble,
vivid and puissant picture of life, but they utter and breathe throughout their course, the
law and ideal of a great and high ethical and religious spirit of life and aim in their
highest intention at the idea of the Divine and the say of the mounting soul in the action
of the world."
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna and a
world spokesperson for Vedanta. India's first spiritual and cultural ambassador to the
West, has said: In fact, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two encyclopedias
of ancient Aryan life and wisdom, portraying the ideal civilization, which humanity has
yet to aspire after.
Sir Monier-Williams (1860-1888) Indologist and head of the Oxford's Boden Chair
says,
"Although the Hindus, like the Greeks, have only two great epic poems, namely, the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, yet to compare these with the Illiad or the Odyssey is
to compare the Indus and the Ganga rising in the snows of the world's most colossal
ranges, swollen by numerous tributaries, spreading into vast shallows or branching into
deep divergent channels, with the streams of Attica or the mountainous torrents of
Thessaly." He continues, "There are many graphical passages in the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata which for beauty of description cannot be surpassed by anything in
Homer. The diction in the Indian epics is more polished, regular and cultivated and the
language is in an altogether advanced stage than that of Homer."
(source: The Soul of India - By Satyavrata R Patel p. 82-83).
Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren (1760-1842) in Historical Researches, says: "The
literature of the Hindus is rich in epic poetry."
Saint Hilaire Bartholemy thus speaks of the Mahabharata in the Journal Des Savantes
of September 1886: "When a century ago (1785) Mr. Charles Wilkins published in
Calcutta an extract from the grand poem (Mahabharata) and made it known through the
episode of the Bhagavad gita, the world was dazzled with its magnificence. Vyasa, the
reputed author of Mahabharata, appeared greater than Homer...It has not the less been
admitted that this prodigious Hindu epic is one of the grandest monuments of its kind
of human intelligence and genius."
(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda p. 237).
Francois Gautier (1950 - ) Paris-born, he has lived in India for 30 years, is a political
analyst for Le Figaro, one of France's largest circulation newspaper has written that:
"The Mahabharata and Ramayana are epical, in the spirit as well as the purpose. The
Mahabharata is on a vast scale, maybe unsurpassed even today, the epic of the soul and
tells a story of the ethics of India of that time, its social, political and cultural life."
(source: A New History of India - By Francois Gautier p. 40 - 42).
Itihasa, (history) is the collective term for the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, in the
western publications usually called the Great Epics. The two great epics of India,
Ramayana and Mahabharata, have inspired millions of devotees, down the more than
thirty-odd centuries that they have been in existence. The two epics are truly the soul of
ancient India and of Hindu society, even today. The Ramayana took place in the period
(4750 BCE) and the Mahabharata War took place on November 22, 3067 BCE. This
date has been calculated by astronomers on the basis of the planetary positions on that
day as recorded by Vyasa. (For more information please refer to Dating Mahabharata
War Two Eclipses in Thirteen Days) The immortal Bhagavad Gita is also enshrined in
the Mahabharata. It is a discourse on Duty and Right Action given by Lord Krishna to
Arjuna on the field of battle at Kurukshetra. An inspiration and guide to humanity in its
conduct through life, the Bhagavad Gita has few parallels in the world.
The greatest characters portrayed in these epics have become for all times the sources
of inspiration and emulation for the members of the Hindu society and, indeed for all
societies since their approach is human with no consideration of race or place. The
authors of these epics - Rishi Valmiki and Rishi Vyasa were the greatest teachers of our
thought in two different ages, who, through their creations, created ideal and practical
human beings struggling to solve problems of their times, and for all times indeed,
since those problems are universal. The Mahabharata contains the famous lecture
known as Shrimad Bhagvadgita which infact, is the essence of the Hindu thought
spoken through the mouth of Lord Krishna himself.

Valmiki: Aadikavi (foremost poet) composer of

Ramayana

Rishi Vyasa dictating the Mahabharata

to Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is also
known as Shoden in Japan.
For more refer to chapter on Greater
India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred
Angkor and Glimpses XVII
***
Tradition has it that Maharshi Vyasa,
gave to the world the epic of
Mahabharata. Vyasa is said to be an
ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas.
The story goes that, having resolved to write the Mahabharata, Vyasa meditated on
Lord Brahma the Creator, who manifested himself before him. Vyasa with folded hands
said: "Lord, I have decided to write the sacred story, but cannot think of anyone who
can take it down to my dictation." Lord Brahma approved and said,"O sage, pray to
Lord Ganapati and beg him to take it down for you." Saying which Brahma
disappeared. The sage Vyasa prayed to god Ganapati who appeared before him. Vyasa
received him with due respect and sought his aid: "Lord Ganapati, I shall dictate the
story of Mahabharata and I pray you to be so gracious as to write it down."
Ganapati replied, "Very well, I shall do as you wish. But my pen must not stop while I
am writing, so you must dictate without pause or hesitation."
Vyasa agreed, safeguarding himself, however, with a counter-condition: "Be it so, but
you must first grasp the meaning of what I say before writing it down." Ganapati
smiled and agreed to the condition. Then the sage began to sing the story of
Mahabharata. He would occasionally compose some complex stanzas which would
make Ganapati pause a while to
get at their meaning, and Vyasa
would avail of the interval to
compose many more stanzas in his
mind. Thus the Mahabharata came
to be written to the dictation of
Vyasa.

Lord Rama - 8th century, Kerala,

India.
***
The Ramayana and Mahabharata
are based on historical tradition
(itihasa), considerably
embellished, to be sure, but still
with a kernel of historicity: we
find depicted in these epics a
highly developed civilization
spanning millennia, and a Great
War waged around 3100 B.C. both
of which are incompatible with
semi primitive cattle-worshipping
Aryans coming into India.
***
Ramayana - 'Adikvaya' or
Primeval Poem
Jules Michelet, (1789-1874),
French writer, the greatest
historian of the romantic school
said about the Ramayana:
"There lies my great poem, as vast as the Indian ocean, blessed, gilded with the sun, the
book of divine harmony wherein is no dissonance. A serene peace reigns there, and in
the midst of conflict an infinite sweetness, a boundless fraternity, which spreads over
all living things, an ocean (without bottom or bound) of love, of pity, of clemency."

(source: Philosophy of Hinduism - An Introduction - By T. C. Galav ISBN:

0964237709 Universal Science-Religion. Pg 149).

The following passages about the Epics are noteworthy for their beauty and for their
insight:
Sir Monier Williams (1860-1888) Indologist and head of the Oxford's Boden Chaira
and Sanskritist wrote:
"There is not in the whole range of Sanskrit literature a more charming poem than the
Ramayana. The classical purity, clearness and simplicity of its style, the exquisite
touches of true poetic feeling with which it abounds, its graphic description of heroic
incidents, nature's grandest scenes, the deep acquaintance it displays with the
conflicting workings of the mind and most refined emotions of human heart, all entitle
it to rank among the most beautiful compositions, that have appeared at any period or
in any country."
(source: The Soul of India - By Satyavrata R Patel p. 83).
Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) most original philosopher of modern India. He has written
in his book The Foundations of Indian Culture,
" The Ramayana is a work of the same essential kind as the Mahabharata; it differs
only by a greater simplicity of plan, a more delicate ideal temperament and a finer glow
of poetic warmth and color. At the same time there is a like vastness of vision, an even
more wide-winged flight of epic sublimity in the conception and sustained richness of
minute execution in the detail. The poet makes us conscious of the immense forces that
are behind our life and sets his action in a magnificent epic scenery, the great imperial
city, the mountains and the ocean, the forest and wilderness, described with such a
largeness as to make us feel as if the whole world were the scenes of his poem and its
subject the whole divine and titanic possibility of man imaged in a few great or
monstrous figure."
(source: The Foundations of Indian Culture - By Sri Aurobindo p. 289 - 290).
Sir Monier Williams says: "Ramayana is undoubtedly one of the greatest treasure in
Sanskrit literature."
Sir William Jones (1746-1794) wrote: "The Ramayana is an epic poem on the story of
Rama, which, in unity of action, magnificence of imagery and elegance of style far
surpasses the learned and elaborate work of Nonnus."
Ralph T H Griffith (1826 -1906) author of The Hymns of Rig Veda, says: "Well may
the Ramayana challenge the literature of every age and country to produce a poem that
can boast of such perfect characters as a Rama and Sita." He adds, "Nowhere else are
poetry and morality so charmingly united, each elevating the other as in this really holy
poem."
(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda p. 232 - 235).
"It must be admitted, however, that, in exhibiting pictures of domestic life and
manners, the Sanskrit epics are even more true and real than the Greek and Roman. In
the delineation of women the Hindu poet thrown aside all exaggerated coloring and
drawn from nature - Kaikeyi, Kausalya, Mandodari (favorite wife of Ravana), and even
the humble-backed Manthara are all drawn to the very life. Sita, Draupadi, and
Damayanti engage our affections and our interest for more than Helen or even
Penelope. Indeed Hindu wives are generally perfect patterns of conjugal fidelity; can it
be doubted that, in these delightful portraits of the Pativrata or purity and simplicity of
Hindu domestic manners in early times."

Hanuman', son of Vayu (God of Wind),

a symbol of selfless service to God. It is
no accident that a monkey should be
accorded this honor: love transcends
social standing or even race or species.
***
The Ramayana is India's national epic.
The future of her nationhood depend on
how this epic lives in and through us.
The Ramayana is composed by Valmiki
in beautiful Sanskrit by assembling the
elements of a long oral tradition. It tells
of the infancy and youth of Rama, son
of King Dasaratha, and of his marriage
to Princess Sita, 'born from a furrow in
the ground.' He won her, by bending a
prodigious bow which his rivals could
not even lift. Here is the struggle
between Good and Evil. The jealously
of his father's favorite wife brings about
Rama's exile to the forest. Lakshmana
and Sita are permitted to go with him.
In the forest, Ravana kidnaps Sita by
trickery and carries her off to his
residence to Lanka. To deliver Sita,
Rama becomes the ally of the 'army of
monkeys' led by Hanuman. He kills
Ravana and his exile ends, he returns
triumphantly with Sita and Lakshman
to Ayodhya.
(source: Cultural Heritage of Ancient
India - By Sachindra Kumar Maity p 8-10). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism
Ramayana, meaning 'Rama's travels' is one of the greatest epics of all time. Packed
with action and romance, this more than 4,000 years old story of Rama's journey
through India and his spiritual voyage as man and god is also a holy text by which
millions of Hindus live their lives.
"Indeed, in depicting scenes of domestic affection, and expressing those universal
feelings and emotions which belong to human nature in all time and in all places,
Sanskrit epic poetry is unrivalled even by Greek Epics.....In the Indian epics, such
passages abound, and besides giving a very high idea of the purity and happiness of
domestic life in ancient India, indicate a capacity in Hindu woman for the discharge of
the most sacred and important social duties."
"Yet there are not wanting indications in the Indian Epics of a higher degree of
civilization than that represented in the Homeric poems. The battlefields of the
Ramayana and Mahabharata,......are not made barbarously
wanton cruelties; and the description of Ayodhya and
Lanka imply far greater luxury and refinement than those
of Sparta and Troy."
"He (Rama) is the type of a perfect husband, son, and
brother. Sita also rises in character far above Helen and
even above Penelope, both in her sublime devotion and
loyalty to her husband, and her indomitable patience and
endurance under suffering and temptation.....it may be
affirmed generally that the whole tone of the Ramayana is
certainly above that of the Illiad."

Lord Rama - the dark one with the bow.

***
The Ramayana has enjoyed the most extraordinary
circulation throughout India itself and the countries under
Indian influence. The beautiful language and the poetry
of the Ramayana would suffice to make it a favorite of the
Indians; as well as this, they also admire Rama's
obedience towards his father, his generosity towards
Kaikeyi, Sita's fidelity in following Rama into the jungle
and during her captivity. Bharata's and Laksmana's
brotherly loyalty and the greatness and strength of Rama.
If ever there was an ancient literary work that is alive in
our time, it is the Ramayana.! It is read and sung every
day by numberless Hindus, humble and high; it is
worshipped and held sacred and performed in Rama-Lilas
every year in small and big towns.
Jonah Blank, former editor of Asahi Evening News in
Tokyo, and author of Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God
observes:
" Imagine a story that is the Odyssey, Aesop's fables,
Romeo and Juliet, the Bible and Star Wars all at the same
time. Imagine a story that combines adventure and
aphorism, romance and religion, fantasy and philosophy.
Imagine a story that makes young children marvel, burly men weep, and old women
dream. Such a story exists in India, and it is called the Ramayana. This best beloved of
Indian epics was sung by nameless bards for ages before being written down by
Valmiki in the third century B.C. It chronicles Rama's physical voyage from one end of
the Indian subcontinent to the other, and his spiritual voyage from Man to God. "
(source: Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God: Retracing the Ramayana Through India - By
Jonah Blank p. ix).
The whole epic is a lesson in duty. This is as it should be:
every man and every woman must follow dharma, too
many people today forget this basic truth.
Ramayana means Rama's travels. Since the time of
Valmiki, other poets have made their translations and
adaptations of this epic, and Ramayana long ago
migrated across South East Asia (Suvarnabhumi) to
countries as Thailand and Indonesia, each of whom have
their own Ramayana literary traditions and have made it
a part of their culture. In Thailand, Ramayana dance-
drama is the national dance, an inheritance of the country
ancient Hindu past, and the Thai king traditionally
models himself on Rama. Indonesia is famous for its
shadow puppet theatre depicting Ramayana.
The Ramayana is shorter, more unified, more appealing
and even more popular than the Mahabharata. In its
present form it constitutes about one-quarter of the
volume of the Mahabharata, about 24,000 shokas. As
usual, good deal of textual criticism has been applied by
Western scholars to this work. The traditional Indian
view seems to emerge as historically substantially
correct: before being reduced to writing, the story of
Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya, was sung as a ballad by
wandering bards in the assemblies of kings. The
Ramayana itself says that the first recitation took place in the forest before a gathering
of sages, the second in the streets of Ayodhya, and the third and final one in the palace
of Rama, after his enthronement.
In its numerous reworkings in the vernaculars the Ramayana has become an inspiration
for millions of Hindus. Mahatma Gandhi praised the Ramacaritamanasa of the 16th
century poet Tulsidasa as the greatest work in the entire religious literature of the
world; countless Indian villagers know a large number of its dohas, summarizing not
only the story of Rama but also epigrammatically expressing the accumulated wisdom
of India. Scholars have hailed it as the "perfect example of the perfect book."
The Valmiki Ramayana, also called Adikavya or first epic poem. The Ramayana is
believed to have been divinely revealed: The story is supposed to have come to its
composer: Valmiki, while meditating upon the mantra "Ram" Legend has it that he
retired to the forest where during 1,000 years of meditation, he kept so motionless that
his body became covered by a valmiak (anthill) - hence his name, meaning "son of the
anthill."

Ram, Sita and Lakshman at Rishi Agastya's

ashram
***
"The Ramayana will be read in this country
of Bharata as long as its rivers continue to
flow and its mountains remain in their place"
reads one verse, from the Ramayana. Today,
Ramayana remains an essential part of
Mother India and the name of Rama echoes
on a million lips every day. In
Indian villages it is customary to
hear stories of Ramayana in the
evening. After sunset villagers
gather to hear the storyteller
bring the characters to life; they
cheer or cry as the story unfolds,
then go home to sleep and dream
of Ramayana.

Scene from Thai Ramayana,

Grand Palace, Bangkok.
Thailand.

Sita Devi, a Malay shadow

puppet.
For more refer to chapter on
Greater India: Suvarnabhumi
and Sacred Angkor and
Glimpses XVI
***
In India, the roots of this story
go back, thousands of years. It
has been told countless times, by
Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, and
early spread beyond India itself
to the countries of South east
Asia. Today, if you visit the
Grand Palace in Bangkok,
Thailand, you can see beautiful
carvings around the walls, telling
a Thai Buddhist version of the
story. In villages in Indonesia and Malaysia, professional puppeteers and musicians still
present the story thorough puppets or ordinary puppets, accompanied by the haunting
music of the gamelan.

(source: Sita's Story - By Jacqueline Suthren Hirst p. 6-9).

Moral of Ramayana
The Web of Karma: One great theme of Ramayana is the working out of Karma, the
consequence of past deeds. The basic plot of Ramayana is a simple struggle between
good and evil. But it is not allowed to remain simple. We discover that there are many
layers of karma involved and dilemmas to be faced, and the gap between good and evil
is not as clear as we might have thought, and that behind this simple story lies a cosmic
purpose to be fulfilled. At every step along the way, we are tested emotionally and
intellectually.
Freedom and Duty: A central theme of Ramayana is the sacrifice of freedom for the
sake of duty or honor. The Sanskrit word approximating "duty" is dharmawhich has no
equivalent in English. Roughly translated it means, ' the essential purpose of life.' In
Hindu society this manifests as a set of principles governing behavior, such as the duty
to obey one's father or to protect one's dependents.
In India, Ramayana passed into each of the regional languages, such as Assamese,
Bengali, Hindi, Kashmiri, Oriya, Kannada, Telugu, Malalylam, where it generated
separate literary and religious traditions. Each region of the country has its own style of
Ramayana drama, such as the famous Kathakali dancer of Kerala, and elaborate
dramatic productions are staged in the major cities. At festivals effigies of the demon
character Ravana and Kumbhkarna are burnt. Ramayana is a staple of Indian cinema
and the serialized Ramayana on television, broadcast for 78 weeks during 1987-88,
brought the nation to a standstill for an hour each Sunday.
In all these ways Rama has entered the subconscious of India. This is why, so long after
its creation, Ramayana remains an essential part of Mother India and the name echoes
on a million lips every day.
(source: Ramayana - A Journey - By Ranchor Prime p. 6-14).

Warrior Prince, The Legend of Ramayana - animated movie.

***
The Ramayana describes the ideal man and the ideal woman and may
be called the Epic of the Household. The sacrifice of one's personal
welfare in the interests of the general welfare and the supremacy of
Dharma are its primary lessons. Warrior Prince, The Legend of
Ramayana was awarded the "Best Animation film of the year" out of
60 competing entries at the Santa Clarita International festival, in Santa
Clarita, California. While accepting the award, Shah said, "This is not just an epic story
set in India. It presents a code by which millions upon millions live their lives. No
wonder George Lucas borrowed heavily from the epic and made a very universal film
out it called Star Wars!" (For more information, please refer to Jedi in the Lotus - By
Steven Rosen - Infinity Foundation).
Warrior Prince is a 12 million-dollar film based upon on Ramayana. It is a 95-minute
action packed, feature film that explores the animation style called "FUSION." which
consists of 3 different schools of animation. The picture is a true blend of art, romance,
music and stunning visual power of East and West melding--lifting the story out of it's
historic setting and delivering it slap-bang it into 21th Century. The film was directed
and conceived by Yugo Sako, a versatile documentary filmmaker from Japan. James
Earl Jones is the narrator.
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati.
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Mahabharata
Dr. Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar (1837-1919) Eminent Orientalist, has rated the
Mahabharata as "the greatest work of imagination that Asia has produced."
Sir Charles Elliot (1862-1931) British diplomat and colonial administrator, has called it
"a greater poem than the Iliad."
(source: Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage - By Will Durant MJF Books.1935
p. 561).
Barend Van Nooten author of the book - Rig Veda, a metrically restored text with an
introduction and notes, and The Mahabharata; Attributed to Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa,
writes:

"Borrowings by western scholars in the sphere of literature and philosophy are obvious
and well-known. There are near virtual; copies of plots, characters, episodes, situations
and time duration from the Mahabharata in Homer and Virgil."

(source: Philosophy of Hinduism - An Introduction - By T. C. Galav p. 18).

Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeran (1760-1842) says: "It will scarcely be possible to
deny the Mahabharata to be one of the richest compositions in Epic poetry that was
ever produced."
Alain Danielou (1907-1994), son of French aristocracy, author of numerous books on
philosophy, religion, history and arts of India has said: "The Mahabharata is a mine of
information about the science, customs, religion, and arts of India at various stages of
its history. Additions from very different sources have been made to the original,
turning it into a vast anthology of human knowledge.
Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) says: "The Mahabharata is not only the story of the
Bharatas, the epic of an early event which had become a national tradition but on a vast
scale the epic of the soul and religious and ethical mind and social and political ideas
and culture and life of India. The Mahabharata is the creation and expression not of a
single individual mind but on the mind of a nation; it is the poem of itself written by a
whole people....A vast temple unfolding slowly its immense and complex ideas from
chamber to chamber."
(source: The Vision of India - By Sisirkumar Mitra p. 58 and The Foundations of
Indian Culture - By Sri Aurobindo p. 42).
Sylvain Levi (1863-1935) French scholar, Orientalist who wrote on Eastern religion,
literature, and history.
"The Mahabharata is not only the largest, but also the grandest of all epics, as it
contains throughout a lively teaching of morals under a glorious garment of poetry."

(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda p. 236).

A
manuscript
illustration
of the
Battle of

Kurukshetra, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the
Mahabharata Epic.
(image source: Eastern Wisdom: The Philosophies and Rituals of the East - By Michael
Jordan p. 35).
***

The Mahabharata is one of the greatest works of Sanskrit literature, the longest poem in
world literature. The Mahabharata is a perceptive record of a great period of India's
history. The Mahabharata has been described as "the longest exposition on Dharma to
ever be written." The Mahabharata is not merely a historic work but it reflects the
dynamic culture of India. The first verse is:
"narayanam namaskrtya narain caiva narottamam
devim sarasvatim caiva tato jayam udiryer
Narayana and Nara, the divine and the human their personal encounters and discussions
of dharma, artha, kama and moksa, are to be found here. It is a veritable encyclopedia
and it carries this verse about its own scope. It is said that what is found here may be
found elsewhere but what is not found here cannot be found elsewhere. The poetic,
imaginative and questing spirit, the deeper thoughts and emotions, not easy sentiments,
find expression in this great epic. We come across characters, varied and many, who
have entered into the bloodstream of our history. They are known also in Indo-China,
Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and other places.
(source: Our Heritage - S. Radhakrishnan p. 39-41). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on
Hinduism
The Mahabharat is a Tangled Tale of Life:
The tangle nature of issues is clear from the fact that in the Mahabharat nobody wants a
war and yet nobody could avoid it. It came with all the killings and disaster. But the
Mahabharat is much more than a mere description of the blood-bath which was the
battle of Kurukshetra. The finest flower of the world chivalry and heroism perished in
the flames of war in a matter of eighteen days. The Mahabharat answers these vital
questions of life, which grows in complexity as it evolves as if driven by an inner,
inevitable logic of its own. The Mahabharat is a great and glorious epic poetry, but
even more than its liquid and lyrical quality is the force of its logic, and this is why it
overpowers the heart as well as the mind.
(source: Indian Culture: Its Triumphs and Tragedies - By H. L. Sharma Mansi
Prakashan Meerut. p. 122-123).

The Mahabharata is the longest

epic in the world and has been
retold for hundreds of years in
various media. The archers
above come from a 1990 movie
of a dramatic production by
British director Peter Brooks.
***
The Mahabharata is
undoubtedly one of the greatest
works of the world, unique in
many ways - unique for the
deepest philosophic truths, for
the wide range of human life
covered by the ethics and for
the high spiritual stimulus
provided in this epic. It is
sometimes called the fifth
Veda. The Mahabharata though not technically a revelation, is more than a revelation in
the nature of its contents. For one thing it contains the greatest spiritual treasure ever
known to the world, theBhagavad Gita, which may be rightly called the scripture of the
world. This alone will suffice to make the epic the greatest work of the world.
Apparently it is the story of a war between two rival sections of a dynasty, but its very
much more. It is the story of evolution of all life, it is a treatise on cosmogony, a code
of universal ethics; it is also a history of the human race in its most general sense. All
life is rooted in the One Life; the Devas, Rishis, men, beasts, flowers, rocks, why,
everything in this manifested universe are all evolved in that One Life. There is a Great
Plan in the mind of God (Ishwara Sankalpa) and everything that was, that is and that
shall be, happens in accordance with that plan. Human free will is part of that Plan.

(source: Facets of Indian Culture - R. Srinivasan Publisher: Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan p.

214-215).
The Mahabharata is the story of the war for the throne between the virtuous Pandavas
and their wicked cousins, the Kauravas. It is probably the longest of all the world's
epics.
The Mahabharata contains about 100,000 couplets, the subject is
borrowed from the heroic legend "The Great Bharata Story of War'.
Symbolic of the struggle between the Good and the Evil, it recounts
the inexorable rivalry between the two branches of the descendants of
Bharata. A terrible war took place, in which kings from all over India
and neighboring countries participated, opposing the one hundred
Kauravas and their cruel chiefs to the five Pandava brothers, allies of
Lord Krishna. For 18 days the battle raged with such violence that the
heavens seemed to have disappeared behind a veil of flying arrows.
The dead accumulated, the Kaurava leaders perished one after another.
Thus the five brothers completed their earthly mission; only
Yuddhisthira ascended the heaven alive but all others went there after
death. An epic with a sad ending but softened by the Hindu notion of
destiny.
The Mahabharata, one of the great sources of Hinduism, is an account
of its beliefs. It is, above all, a verse-chronicle of Krishna, the real hero
of the epic, an incarnation of god Vishnu, whose divine nature reveals
itself in magisterial interventions. There are hundreds of episodes
which fruitfully soften the horror of the Kurukshetra war, full of charm, interposed as a
form of digression; and they are based on high social ethics. For example, Damayanti's
devotion, tinged with unfailing fidelity, succeeds in saving her husband, king Nala,
from the demon of gambling. The deep love of Savitri and Satyavan, Behula and
Lakshindar persuades the god of death (Yama) to give back their husbands.
But the most admirable and notable is the Bhagavad Gita (the Song of the Lord). In it
Krishna, revealing Himself as Bhagavan (Supreme Lord), destroys Arjuna's fear at the
moment of going to the battle-field. He teaches him the philosophy of action without
attachment, leading to deliverance, by the way of Bhakti, the way of ardent love, of
union with the Blessed One, "participation with Him even in life"!
(source: Cultural Heritage of Ancient India - By Sachindra Kumar Maity p 6-8).
Star Wars the movie has similar themes like the Mahabharata. According to Cie Sharp,
Yoda (exact word "yoda" is found in Punjabi (sometimes presumed to be from Sanskrit
meaning "warrior") concealed himself in the forest, like a Rishi (the venerable sages of
Vedic society), or similar to how the Pandavas spent part of their time when they were
in exile from the Kauravas from the "Mahabharat", India's foremost epic which features
the "Bhagavad Gita".

(source: More Hindu Themes in the "Star Wars" Saga - By Cie Sharp).
Horace Hayman Wilson (1786-1860) Eminent Orientalist, in his introduction to
Mahabharata, he observed: "By these means, the merit, both poetical and historical, of
the Mahabharata are becoming more extensively known; but in the amplitude of it,
extant in the numerous traditions, legends and tales which it contains, and in its many
didactic and philosophical paragraphs, it offers an accumulation of materials adopted to
different tastes, and auxiliary to diverging researches, which must long advantageously
engage the attention, and reward the industry, of Sanskrit scholars."
(source: Eminent Orientalists: Indian European American - Asian Educational Services.
p. 77).
....

Bhima in the battle

A painting of Mahabharata war
***
The Mahabharata is a treasure house of information on ancient
India - it has history, statecraft, religion and mythology all
woven into a rich and glorious fabric.
Peter Brooks and his Paris-based theater company produced the
Mahabharata, three parts over nine hours in French in 1985.
Peter Brooks' Mahabharata at bringing Hinduism to a western
society increasingly searching for faddish oriental solutions to
life's eternal problems. warm reception to the Ramayana and
Mahabharata epics, are the European film and theater audiences.
Between 1985 and 1990, these epics have found their way to the
public in Europe. They have been top of the bill at the Avignon
theater festival. Peter Brooke's Mahabharata, though perhaps not
sufficiently true to the original for Indian purists, has been
applauded by the viewers, and has been shown on many TV
stations also. The BBC has even broadcast the Hindi TV serials.
The Mahabharata copies in China sold out, goes into second
edition - "There is a growing desire in China to learn about
India's culture and traditions." For a long time, Chinese scholars
paid too much attention to the West. Now, there is a growing
desire to know Indian civilisation and imbibe its wisdom,"
Huang Baosheng, who headed the five-member team of
translators at Beijing University.
(source: Mahabharata in Chinese sold out, goes into second edition - By Saibal
Dasgupta - timesofindia.com November 22, 2006).

Actors: Robert Langdon

Lloyd (as Vyasa) Velu
Viswanathan as a hermit and
Bruce Myers (as Ganesha)
in mini series of
Mahabharata (1989).

(image source: Philadelphia

Inquirer - March 23, 1991).
***
The Mahabharata describes
the ideal polity and culture
and religion and may be
called the Epic of Society
and State. It is called Jaya as
it describes the victory of
righteousness. There is
scarcely a single human
situation that it leaves untouched, and it covered most contingencies that mankind
could experience till about a few hundred years ago. The Mahabharata is so intensely
human, unlike the Ramayana, which deals with ideal types, that it still has a special
resonance in the Indian heart. It is a text that one grows with, revealing deeper
meanings as one's life unfolds, and a superlative guide to humans trying to work out
their entelechy. Its hold on the imagination will never diminish.

In 1987, theatre artist Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere

staged a spectacular 9 hour version of the Mahabharata. It
played throughout the world. Shown here a scene between
Krishna and Arjuna.
Watch Lost / Submerged city of Dwaraka The Learning
Channel video
***
The finale of Mahabharat are impressive. Rishi Vyasa
concludes: "Dharma is eternal; life, its joys and sorrow are not.
Do not give away the eternal for the temporal values of life."
Do not to others what ye do not wish
Done to yourself; and wish for others too
What ye desire and long for, for yourself This is the whole of
dharma heed it well.
Veda Vyasa, The Mahabharata.
Top of Page

Conclusion
According to Thomas Berry, "In quality, in quantity, in significance for man's
intellectual, cultural, and spiritual life, this literature in its totality is unsurpassed
among all other literary traditions of the world."
(source: Religions of India: Hinduism, Yoga, Buddhism - Thomas Berry p. 3-16).
Sir Monier Williams wrote: "There are many graphical passages in the Ramayana and
Mahabharata, which for beauty of description, cannot be surpassed by anything in
Homer....that the diction of Indian epics is more polished, regular and cultivated, and
the language altogther in a more advanced stage of development than that of Homer."
"Yet there are not wanting indications in the Indian epics of a higher degree of
cultivation than that represented in the Homeric poems. The battlefields of the
Ramayana and Mahabharata are not made barbarous by wanton cruelties, and the
description of Ayodhya and Lanka imply far greater luxury and refinement than those
of Sparta and troy." Ramayana and Mahabharata rise about the Homeric poems also in
the fact "that a deep religious meaning appears to underlie all the narrative, and that the
wildest allegory may be intended to conceal a sublime moral, symbolizing the conflict
between good and evil, teaching the hopelessness of victory in so terrible a contest with
purity of soul, self-abnegation and the subjugation of the passions."
(source: Hindu Superiority - By Har Bilas Sarda. p. 240 -242).
Chidambara Kulkarni has written about Vedic literature: "The size and quality of
literary works proclaim the greatness of ancient Hindus. Tenacity, hard-work, love of
nature, thirst for knowledge, clarity of thought are several features of the Aryas
reflected in the literature. The fact that the literary works were learnt and taught by oral
method speaks about their devotion to literature, learning and teaching. The Vedic
literature is very wide in scope and quite deep in insight and analysis."
(source: Ancient Indian History and Culture - By Chidambara Kulkarni Orient
Longman Ltd. 1974. p.56).
The beautiful literature of the Hindus took thousands of years to develop. It raised the
the status of Indian civilization and culture. Without knowing this one cannot know the
inner soul and glory of India.
Speaking only of the vast Vedic literature, the wonderful manifestation of human
genius through hearing alone, Maurice Winternitz says: "As the Veda, because of its
antiquity, stands at the head of Indian literature no one who has gained an insight into
the Vedic literature can understand the spiritual life and culture of the Indians." Rig
Vedic literature reveals an advanced civilization pointing to a description of settled
people, an organized society and a full grown civilization without
reference to a single allusion to migration.
(source: Ancient Indian Culture at a Glance - By Swami Tattwananda p.
94). Refer to Internet Sacred Texts on Hinduism
Hindu Scriptures tell us how ancient rishis (sages) experienced the divine
reality and how they responded with exuberant joy, confidence and a
feeling of intimacy. This literature is not primitive but highly developed
in its literary form, in its intellectual insight, and in its questioning attitude. The glory
of this literature is its imaginative and emotional qualities. There is a religious mood in
the longer hymns to Varuna, an awareness of divine might in the hymn to Indra, a
special radiance and loveliness in the hymns to Usha, the goddess of Dawn.
When these texts were translated they won admirers amongst some of the best minds of
Europe. In some cases, they even turned the Christian apple-cart. After reading them,
Schopenhauer found the Upanishads the "solace" of his life and death, and Kant found
the Hindus were "gentle", that "all nations are tolerated amongst them." These texts
won the admiration of Emerson, Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Tolstoy, Victor Hugo,
Romain Rolland, Hermann Hesse, Henrich Zimmer, Sir Edwin Arnold, Yeats, Carl
Jung, Toynbee and many others. The first harbinger of American religious freedom in
Masssachusetts, Henry David Thoreau is said to have come across a fresh translation of
the Gita by Burnouf but certainly the one by Charles Jones which had just been
published those days. In disillusionment of Christianity, he wanted to carry his new
religion to the end of the earth. His new religion was the Gita.
H. G. Wells has remarked: "The history of India for many centuries had been happier,
less fierce, and more dreamlike than any other history. In these favorable conditions,
they built a character - meditative and peaceful and a "nation of philosophers such as
could nowhere have existed except in India."
(source: The Outline of History - By H. G. Wells p. 855).
Alain Danielou observes that: "The sheer volume of Sanskrit literature is immense, and
it remains largely unexplored. Probably we shall never know well our own history over
the past five millennia until this immense reservoir of Sanskrit documents have been
tapped. Many text disappear every year, since the manuscripts are highly perishable in
India's extreme climate, and the teams of scholars who once used to recopy damaged
manuscripts for the libraries have almost entirely disappeared."
(source: Virtue, Success, Pleasure, Liberation - By Alain Danielou p. 16-17).
The Veda, taken as a whole, is the main source or the fountain-head of all Indian
culture. Its philosophical speculations lead to the Vedanta. Its forms of meditation and
prayer leas to the Bhakti doctrine, its rituals and sacrifices lead to to the Purava
Mimamsa school, its accounts of creation lead to the cosmology and pyschology of
samkhya, its descriptions of religious ecstasy lead to the Sadhanas of Yoga and its
metaphysical disquisitions lead to the reasoning of Nyaya and Vaiseshika.
Moreover, the Rishis and kings are the starting points of Itihasas and Puranas, and the
social customs that it mentions give rise to the Dharma Sastras. Thus all our secondary
scriptures - the Smritis, the Itihasas, the Puranas, the Agamas, the Darsanas - are only
developments of the 'Veda.'
And, just as all our scriptures have a common source, they have a common aim - to
make man a perfect being, god-like and one with him.
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati. Refer to
Stotra Rathnas.
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Did you Know?

Powerful Memory and Smart Drugs
The ancient bards and rishis of India didn't
need Smart Drugs. These vast epics, and the
four 'books' of the Vedas, were originally
transmitted by a phenomenal human chain
of memory, and only written down
centuries after their actual compilation. The
early phase of the Vedic tradition in India is
dated between 10,000 - 7,000 BCE. This
oral tradition still exists in India today.
The Rishis who recited the great and long
epics (The Ramayana and The
Mahabharata) did not need any "smart"
drugs to keep their memories powerful.
Their well-toned memories bespoke tomes:
The Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, among
thousands of hours of other recited epics.
(source: Seeking "Smart" Drugs - Exploring Intelligence - By Scientific American -
November 1999 issue p. 39-43).
To download Hindu Scriptures - refer to Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati.
Watch video - Brahmins in India have become a minority
The collection of hymns and the immense mass of literature were preserved by means
of oral tradition only. Vedic hymns are used today at Hindu wedding ceremonies, in an
astonishing example of continuous tradition. The feat of memorizing and handing
down a vast amount of oral literature is a hallmark of Hinduism.
The Vedas were handed down from mouth to mouth from a period of unknown
antiquity. When the Vedas were composed, there was probably no system of writing
prevalent in India. But such was the zeal of the Brahmins, who got the whole Vedic
literature by heart by hearing it from their preceptors, that it has been transmitted most
faithfully to us through the course of more than 4,000 years with little or no
interpolations. This is unique monument to their tremendous memory. One of the
conspicuous feature in ancient Indian education as it used to be, was the training of
memory. Education, was by means of oral instruction and the learning by heart of
classic literature. The learned men did not rely upon his library, but upon his memory
alone. The memory thus trained and relied upon was capable of marvelous feats; even
now there are men who know by heart hundreds and thousands of verses of Sanskrit
literature which they have learnt once and never forget.
(source: Essays on National Idealism - By Ananda K. Coomraswamy Munshiram
Manoharlal Publishers.1981 p.109).
Refer to Rig Veda among 38 new heritage items in UNESCO culture list - Thirty
manuscripts of the ancient Hindu text Rig Veda dating from 1800 to 1500 BC are
among 38 new items that have been added to the United Nations heritage list to help
preserve them for posterity.

For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor
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