English
Bhagavad-gītā, the topmost knowledgeable book
Hare Krishna
As Maharaja mentioned, we are celebrating Bhagavad-gītā Marathon worldwide from November 15 to January 15. In India the distribution went up to 3 million Bhagavad-gītās out of which we distributed 250 thousand.
While on distribution a person inquisitively asked me, "What is the benefit of reading Bhagavad-gītā?" To which I answered, "Reading Bhagavad-gītā gives the reader association of the Lord.” In the book of Gita Mahatmya which is the compilation of verses of Varaha Purana and also the conversation between Lord Vishnu and Mother Earth. One of the verses of this conversation describes:
Sahayo jayathe seegram yatra Gita pravarthathe
Yatra Gita vicharascha patanam srutham,
Tatraaham nischitham prithvi nivasami sadaiva hi
Translation
Help will reach quickly where Gita is, and Oh earth, in the places where Gita is read or heard, I would definitely be there always. [Gita Mahatmya from Varaha Purana]
Here, as we read about the importance of reading Bhagavad-gītā, we know that the Lord personally resides at whichever place it is read or heard. To have the association of the Lord we simply need to read Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord is present in His name, form, and scripture, if we wish to see Him, then we should be doing these 3 things. People wish to see the Lord. We must guide them to read Bhagavad-gītā and chant His holy name. This is a simple condition to see the Lord. As we see an advertisement on pamphlets or bill boards, we hurriedly do the needful to get it. But we miss the important part written in the corner *conditions apply * to which we get doomed. Similarly if you wish to see Lord Krsna then must follow certain conditions.
Generally Bhagavad-gītā is respected as a pious and pure book, but it is literally an expansion of the Lord which can be seen by pure devotees only. In Srimad Bhagavatam there is a beautiful verse describing the Lord's disappearance from the material world.
kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha
kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa
purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ
Translation
This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa. [ŚB 1.3.43]
The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He is not visible to the material eyes. Material senses cannot have any estimation of the Supreme Lord. However by His inconceivable power the Lord can incarnate Himself to the sense perception of the conditioned souls in a suitable manner through the agency of matter. This is also another form of the Lord’s manifested energy. Thus the Bhagavad-gītā, or any authentic scriptural sound representation of the Lord, is also the incarnation of the Lord. There is no difference between the sound representation of the Lord and the Lord Himself.
One can derive the same benefit from the Bhagavad-gītā as Arjuna did in the personal presence of the Lord. We too can derive the same benefit which Arjuna got while on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, by reading and hearing the Bhagavad-gītā. As Sant Tukarama has said,
Apuliya hita jo ase jagata, dhanya matapita tayachiya
Kuli kanyaputra hoti ji saatvik, tayacha harikh wate deva
Geeta Bhagwat kariti shravan, akhand chintan Vithobache
Tuka mahne maj ghado tyachi seva, tari mazya daiva paar naahi
Translation
Parents of a person, who know what is in his best interest, are really blessed (by having given birth to him), Even God is overjoyed about those persons in whose clan children of pious thoughts are born.Where there is unceasing reading of Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavat and contemplation of Lord Vitthala, If people in such place are served by me, then I will consider my fortune as unparalleled. [Sant Tukaram Gatha Abhanga 4]
Sant Tukaram is happy and grateful to the devotees of the Lord and to their parents who have given birth to such devotees.
People wake up from their sleep, but they are still sleeping in their spiritual consciousness. They don't understand the goal of life. The purpose of their human birth is unknown. Some people know the purpose, but do not know how to utilise the opportunity. We have to travel towards the Lord, but do not know the gateway. People have the mindset of enjoying and exploiting the material world.
Yavat jivet sukham jivet, rinam kritva ghritam pibet,
bhasmi bhutasya dehasya punaragamanam kutah
Translation
As long as you live, live happily. Take debt and drink ghee. Once the body is reduced to ashes, how can it come back. [Charvaka]
By earning money one can beat poverty. By chanting the holy name one's sins are destroyed and by remaining silent one's fights can be avoided. Srila Prabhupada gives an example in Nectar of Instruction. When one talks unnecessarily, they are inviting their death. A toad makes a noise unconsciously to which a snake is attracted - as its prey. One who is wide awake to make life purposeful, is not scared by death. There is no use of putting oil in the unlit lamp, similarly our life should be utilised in the service of the Lord.
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
Translation
One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament. [BG 2.27]
People close their eyes to the funeral ceremony in order to avoid the feeling of sadness. For example while drinking milk the cat closes its eyes assuming that nobody notices. Similarly, death will approach us irrespective of whether our eyes are open or closed. Saint Shankarcarya said, “One who wants to be successful in life should not be bothered about death. Only then will his efforts be paid off.” Devotees too should have the attitude of fully surrender to the Lord, fearing that death can arrive at the next moment. Only then can one get serious in devotional service. A devotee does not die, but gets promoted to the spiritual planet. A devotee’s death illicits mixed feelings of happiness and distress.
Swami Vivekananda had visited Chicago. There he saw people were commenting on his clothes. He said, “In your country, people are considered gentleman by their clothes. But in our country they are known by their culture and values.” Moving further he saw religious books were put on display and the Bhagavad-gītā was beneath all the other books, denoting that it is the foundation of all other religious books.
The topmost love in the material world is of a mother towards the child, the perfect wife is Sita and the topmost knowledgeable book is in Bhagavad-gītā.
ekaḿ śāstraḿ devakī-putra-gītam
eko devo devakī-putra eva
eko mantras tasya nāmāni yāni
karmāpy ekaḿ tasya devasya sevā
Translation
Let there be one scripture only, one common scripture for the whole world — Bhagavad-gita. Let there be one God for the whole world — Śri Krsna. Let there be only one hymn, one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Let there be one work only — the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. [Verse 7 Gita Mahatmya by Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa, Padma Purana]
Bhagavad-gītā teaches us how to live our life and Srimad Bhagavatam teaches us how to depart from the world.
