In Defence of Gita

Some people study the Gita in order to find loopholes and criticise the teachings contained in it. The teachings of the Gita can only be understood if you approach it with a reverential attitude of mind and with intense faith.

Recently someone wrote a criticism in the newspaper: “The Gita is not a sacred book at all.

It teaches violence. Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to kill even his dear relations and preceptors”. It is clear that this critic obviously has no real knowledge or understanding of the Gita. He is like Virochana who received spiritual instructions from Prajapati and took the body as being the Self on account of his perverted intellect. He is obviously a follower of the philosophy of the flesh. He cannot comprehend the depths of the Gita philosophy as his mind is callous and impervious to the reception of its truths. He has read the Gita not to gain spiritual knowledge but to attack it.

The answer to his criticism lies in a proper understanding of the following verses: “He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks He is slain, neither of them knows. He slays not nor is He slain”—II.19; “Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. Verily by Me have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna!”—XI.33; “He who is free from the egoistic notion, whose intellect is untainted (by good or evil), though he slays these people, he slayeth not, nor is he bound (by the action)”—XVIII.17.

Just as coloured dye stands out more clearly only when the original material is pure white, so also the instructions of a sage penetrate and settle down only in the hearts of aspirants whose minds are calm, who have no desire for enjoyments and whose impurities have been destroyed. For this reason an aspirant is expected to possess the qualifications of keen discrimination, dispassion, control of the mind and senses, and aversion to worldly attractions, before he can practise the threefold Sadhana of hearing the scriptures, reflecting upon them, and meditating upon their significance. Discipline and purification of the mind and the senses are the prerequisites for aspirants on the path of God-realisation.

Even when the nature of God is explained, those who have not been purged of their faults and impurities would either disbelieve or misbelieve it, as was the case with Indra and Virochana.

Therefore, knowledge as inculcated arises only in him who has purified himself by austerity, performed either in this or in a previous birth.

The Upanishads declare: “To that high-souled man whose devotion to his preceptor is as great as that to the Lord, the secrets explained here become illumined”.

Some people catch fish in the Ganges river to satisfy their palate. Then they quote the Gita in support of their evil actions: “Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not”—II.23. Wonderful philosophy indeed! Devils can also quote scriptures. These people are the followers of the Virochana school. They are evil-doing, deluded and the vilest of men. They cannot hope to understand the teachings of the Gita as their wisdom has been destroyed by illusion and they have embraced the nature of demons. May the Lord grant them a subtle and pure intellect, inner spiritual strength and right understanding to comprehend the teachings of the Gita in their proper light and live in their spirit!

Some ignorant people say: “Lord Krishna was not God. He was not an Avatara or Incarnation. He was a passionate cowherd who lustfully played with the Gopis”.

What was the age of Lord Krishna at that time? Was He not a boy of seven? Could there have been a tinge of passion in Him? Who can understand the secret of the Rasa Lila and Madhurya Bhava—the culmination of the highest state of devotion or total surrender to the Lord? It is only Narada, Sukadeva, Chaitanya, Mira, Ramananda and the Gopis who could understand the secret of the Rasa Lila. The Gopis only are qualified for this divine sport.

Did He not play miracles when He was a boy? Did He not show that He was the Avatara of Lord Hari? Did He not show His Cosmic Form to His mother when He was only a baby? Did He not subdue the serpent, Kaliya, by standing on its hood? Did He not multiply Himself as countless Krishnas for the satisfaction of the Gopis? Who were the Gopis? Were they not God-intoxicated beings who saw Krishna alone everywhere, even in themselves? The sound of the flute would throw them in a state of ecstasy or holy communion. They were above body-consciousness.

Just listen to the fate of such people who cavil and carp at the Lord: “The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, as having manifestation, knowing not My higher, immutable and most excellent form”—VII.24; “Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of all beings”; “Empty of hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings”—IX.11-12;

“These cruel haters—the worst among men in the world—I hurl these evil-doers into the womb of demons only”; “Entering into demoniacal wombs and deluded birth after birth, not attaining Me, they thus fall, O Arjuna, into a condition lower than that”-XVI.19-20.

Some thoughtless people begin to entertain a doubt and say: “How could the Gita have been taught to Arjuna on the battlefield in such a short time? It could not.” This is wrong. It was all a revelation to Arjuna. The Lord gave Arjuna the divine eye of intuition. He can do anything. His Grace can make the dumb man eloquent and the cripple a climber of mountains.

Harmony in the Gita

Man is a composite of three fundamental factors, namely, will, feeling and cognition. There are three kinds of temperament—the active, the emotional and the rational. Even so, there are three Yogas—Jnana Yoga for a person of enquiry and rational temperament, Bhakti Yoga for the emotional temperament, and Karma Yoga for a person of action. One Yoga is as efficacious as the other.

The Bhagavad Gita formulates the theories of the three paths without creating any conflict among them. It harmonises most wonderfully the philosophy of action, devotion and knowledge.

All three must be harmoniously blended if you wish to attain perfection. You should have the head of Sri Shankara, the heart of Lord Buddha and the hand of King Janaka. The three horses of this body-chariot—action, emotion and intellect—should work in perfect harmony. Only then will it move smoothly and reach the destination safely and quickly. Only then can you rejoice in the Self, sing the song of Soham, be in tune with the Infinite, hear the soundless voice of the Soul and enjoy the sweet music of the eternal Self.

The central teaching of the Gita is the attainment of the final beatitude of life—perfection or eternal freedom. This may be achieved by doing one’s prescribed duties of life. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: “Therefore, without attachment, constantly perform action which is duty, for, by performing action without attachment, man verily reaches the Supreme”.

The Gita is divided into three sections, illustrative of the three terms of the Mahavakya of the Sama Veda—“Tat Twam Asi—That Thou Art”. In accordance with this view, the first six discourses deal with the path of action or Karma Yoga, that is, the nature of “Thou”. It is called the Twam-pada. The next six discourses explain the path of devotion, the nature of “That”. This is called the Tat-pada. The concluding six discourses treat of the path of knowledge, the nature of the middle term “Art”. Hence, it is called the Asi-pada, which establishes the identity of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul.

The eighteen discourses are not woven in a discordant manner. Each one is intimately or vitally connected with its precedent.

Arjuna became very despondent. Lord Krishna’s opening remarks in the second discourse, which bespeak of the immortality of the soul, open his eyes and give him strength and courage. Arjuna then learns the technique of Karma Yoga and renunciation of the fruits of actions. He learns the methods of controlling the senses and the mind and practising concentration and meditation. This is followed by a description of the various manifestations of the Lord in order to prepare him for the vision of the Cosmic Form. Arjuna experiences the magnificent Cosmic Vision and understands the glorious nature of a liberated being. He is then given knowledge of the Field and the Knower of the Field, the three Gunas and the Purushottama. His knowledge is completed by an explanation of the divine attributes, the three kinds of faith and the essence of the Yoga of

renunciation.

Just as a student is coached in a university, Arjuna is coached by Krishna for the attainment of knowledge of the Self in the spiritual university. Arjuna had various kinds of doubts; Lord Krishna cleared them one by one. He pushed Arjuna up the ladder of Yoga from one rung to the next. Eventually, Arjuna placed his foot on the highest rung, attained the supreme knowledge of the Self and exclaimed in joy: “O my Lord! my delusion has been destroyed. I have attained knowledge through Thy Grace. I am firm. All my doubts have now vanished in toto. I will act according to Thy word”.

You can become a liberated sage by annihilating the ego and the currents of likes and dislikes; by annihilating desires and cravings and destroying their residual potencies. Thus, you can rest in your true essential nature as Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute and still be active in the affairs of the world. Now you will not be bound by your actions since the idea of doership has been destroyed by the attainment of knowledge of the Self. This is the keynote of the Gita.