Babu's gita musings

 Ch.  1    Why Study the Gita ?

 

1.           Every nation plans to progress on its social, scientific, economic and political arena to make the standard living more livable, enjoyable and comfortable for its citizens. In this process, the Nation focuses more on materialistic improvement by concentrating on the scientific improvement, social standard and economic uplift of its people. There is nothing wrong in that.

 

2.           But such an improvement can also be brought about, possibly more effectively, if the Nation pays attention to personality build-up of individuals by focusing on the ancestral cultural aspect in order to impart, would and polish the character of the citizens involved. It is this aspect that our great Indian thinkers and philosophers have touched upon and have come up with focused individual enhancement programs. In their view, this is a more effective way of Nation building. Such a cultural evolution of individuals should be the basic building block which automatically gives the tempo and quality to the Nation building exercise.

 

3.           Man, by nature, wants to evolve, improve and progress as individuals. Thus, focusing on individual enhancement program is the sure, long lasting and permanent mode of enhancing the individual as well as community upbringing. Such a cultural evolution of individuals and community involves mental, intellectual, spiritual all round development and thus addresses the social upbringing, economic betterment of society at large, compared to purely limited materialistic approach that one tends to choose.

 

4.           Such a society consisting of all round developed individuals is the most comprehensive development that one can think of. Such an approach not only addresses the standard of living of individuals and community but the complete standard of life per se for the community at large. Thus, just like the quality of a building is decided by the quality of bricks deployed, the quality of a community or nation is dependent on the quality of its individuals. Thus, in individual development, lies the nation’s development.

 

5.           Bhagavad Gita is such a simple, non-ambiguous, universal philosophical document which gives simple means of unfolding of one’s individual personality. It is a scripture which integrates the individual personality and makes him capable of dynamically facing all the challenges that life imposes. By giving useful suggestions, it advises how a person can handle his restlessness, unending worldly desires through which he is subjected to disappointment and dejection in life. Thus, it paves a path for man to make his life more peaceful, happy and livable by helping him to keep a balanced mind even in adverse situations. In effect, Gita facilitates a man’s intellect to prevail over his mind and thus come up with constructive views to take realistic judgment in all situations in life.  

 

6.            It is this aspect of Bhagavad Gita which made the famous philosopher and author Aldous Huxley to state that “The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity”. Dr Annie Besant, Theosophist, supplemented stating that “The spiritual man need not be a recluse and union with the divine life may be achieved and maintained in the midst of worldly affairs and that the obstacles to the divine union does not lie outside us but within us”.

This is the central lesson of Gita which is truly applicable to normal human beings like us pursuing our life in this world