The purpose of introducing “The Bhagavad Gita” on your own Meditation Affinity is a humble effort by the team to spread awareness of the spiritual teachings of Lord Krishna for attaining practical life wisdom. Through this simplified version of the Gita, we aim to reach a vast audience comprising of children, youth, and elderly who wish to enlighten themselves by the most striking, inspiring, and impactful teachings of Lord Krishna.
Let’s begin our journey by understanding what exactly is ”The Bhagavad Gita”
The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Indian scripture taken from the Mahabharata epic poetry. With over 700 verses, this poem has held the record for being the longest poem ever written. The Bhagavad Gita is undoubtedly one of the most important and beloved yogic writings ever written.
The Gita is a discussion between Arjuna, the warrior-prince, and Krishna, his charioteer, during the Battle of Kurukshetra, which pitted (the Pandavas) Arjuna’s family and allies against prince Duryodhana and his family (the Kauravas) and their supporters.
This speech is recounted by Sanjaya, a Kauravan counsellor, to his blind king Dhritarashtra (both far from the combat), because Krishna has given Sanjaya supernatural sight so that he might witness and report the war to the king.
Both the Kauravas and the Pandavas are linked, and mutual acquaintances and family members are vying for dominance of rule on both sides. As a result, when Arjuna sees all of his old friends and companions fighting on the other side, he loses heart and refuses to fight in a war that will result in their deaths, as well as the deaths of many more.
The remainder of the poem is a debate between prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna about what constitutes correct behaviour, comprehension, and, ultimately, the meaning of existence and the Divine essence.
The Gita is said to have been written in the second century BCE, but its philosophy has stood the test of time as a religious work, a historical account, and a source of inspiration for how to live.
Now let’s understand, how we can apply the Bhagavad Gita in our daily lives…
The Bhagavad Gita speaks to everybody who has ever felt like their mind is a war, whether from the perspective of an ancient Yogi or a modern-day practitioner. For millennia, it has been quoted by writers, poets, scientists, theologians, and philosophers, among others.
We have a choice every day when we wake up: who will we choose to listen to today…? Is it our ego or our genuine and greater self? The days we choose to listen to our inner Self are usually the ones when we feel as if we’re living our mission and abiding in our true nature; the days we choose to listen to our ego are usually the ones when we have the greatest difficulties, and life can feel like a battle.
The Bhagavad Gita, or “Song of the Lord,” appears to be ageless in the sense that it is applicable whether we live a thousand years ago or today. We look at what happens when Arjuna has to make life-changing decisions, such as whether or not to fight against his family members in a struggle of ‘good’ vs. ‘evil,’ and the necessity of living a life of truth and purpose…
The entire text is a reflection of the conflict that goes on in our thoughts and is an excellent tool to learn how we may overcome difficulty, self-doubt, and, finally, how to live a life of truth and purpose. The Bhagavad Gita delves into the concept of ‘Dharma,’ which translates to ‘that which supports’ and is commonly referred to as ‘life purpose.’
The text explains how to raise one’s mind and soul to see beyond appearances – which deceive one into believing in duality and multiplicity – and recognize that these are illusions; all humans and aspects of existence are a unified extension of the Divine, which one will recognize once the trappings of illusion are removed.
Whatever our ‘life purpose’ may be, we all have one goal: to experience life fully, to discover everything there is to explore both within and without ourselves. When we look at life as a battlefield, we can question ourselves, “Am I doing my role fully?” ”Are we each giving our all to our lives and our worlds, and living our lives with intention?
To find our purpose and live it fully, the Bhagavad Gita teaches us to live our lives with purity, strength, discipline, honesty, kindness, and integrity. We can apply the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita to tackle our troubles and decisions with fearlessness and honesty, learning to live life authentically, just as Krishna teaches Arjuna to cast aside all doubts and believe in his ultimate Self.
To know why we need to learn and practice Bhagavad Gita… Check for our next feature article on Meditation Affinity….
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…