Dr. Vijay Kumar Mehta
On the Vadhya Paksh Ashtami of Bhadrapada Month, in 3228 BCE, Lord Sri Krishna, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born in the Yadava clan as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki in Mathura. With a beatific smile upon his face, Lord Krishna was born to reshape the spiritual and temporal destiny of mankind. The time out of joint, and Lord Krishna was ever born to set it right. Amma says, “Throughout his life, Lord Krishna had to face different crises that arose like waves, one after the other. Even then, not once was his countenance clouded by sorrow. He faced every difficulty under the sun, but there was no place for sorrow in Sri Krishna’s presence. He was the embodiment of bliss. In his company everyone rejoiced, forgetting all else. In his presence they tasted the bliss of the Self. Even now, after all this time, doesn’t the mere thought of him fill us with bliss?”
Shri Krishna’s Life was so full, it would be impossible to recount it in this article. It is told primarily through Shrimad Bhagavad, Garga Samhita, Visnu Purana, Brahmavaivarta Purana, Mahabharata, Harivamsa and several other puranas. Shrimad Bhagwad Gita means ‘The Eternal Song’ is contained in chapters 25 to 42 of the Bhishma Parva in the Mahabharata. It is an unusual text, amongst all religious works. It occurs in the thick of the warfield, where the almighty Lord Vishnu in His avatar as Lord Krishna advises a disillusioned Arjuna on the various facets of life and work.
Shrimad Bhagwad is in contrast to the other works, which are discussed in the more peaceful ambience of a penance, grove or amidst the glitter of the royal court or in the exalted forum of scholars and experts. Presented in the form of conversation between Lord Krishna and His disciple Arjuna, it envisages the message to people from all walks of life.
The philosophers delight in the description of the Karma yoga and the Samkhya yoga as well as in the mystic tree with its roots in the sky, and branches down under, while proponents of the Bhakti Cult extol the several manifestations of the Lord and His Almighty Visvarupa.
In the second Chapter of the Gita, Lord Krishna explains the Samkhya-Yoga. It deals with the union or the combination of a number of hidden realities, which manifest the existential reality. The Samkhya yoga is an ancient tradition, and one of the six major traditions of Hinduism. It is also one of the paths of yoga described in the yogic text, the Bhagavad Gita, where it is explained as the path of correctly discerning the principles or tattva of existence. As a philosophical tradition therefore, Samkhya, which means “number” or “to count” is concerned with the proper classification of elements of prakriti and purusha. The goal of Samkhya-Yoga is for practitioners to realize the difference between the spirit or purusha, and matter or prakriti.
In chapter third of the Gita, Lord Krishna explains the Karma yoga -Karma as action and Yoga means the state or the means. Karma Yoga refers to the spiritual practice in which actions are used by God’s devotees as the means to achieve self-transformation and liberation by escaping from the consequences of their actions. The Karma Yoga suggests the way to live in this world without getting your hands dirty with the sinful actions.
In twelfth chapter of The Gita, Lord Krishna explains the Bhakti yogas to Arjuna. Bhakti yoga is one of three yogas taught in Bhagavad Gita. Bhakti yoga is a devotee’s loving devotion to a personal god as the path for spirituality. The other two paths are jnana yoga, the path of wisdom where the individual pursues knowledge and introspective self-understanding as spiritual practice, while karma yoga is path of virtuous action (karma) neither expecting reward nor consequence for doing the right thing, or nishkama karma. Later, new movements within Hinduism added Raja yoga as the fourth spiritual path, but this is not universally accepted as distinct to other three
The description of the gunas (Sattva, Rajs and Tamas) can surprise even a hardcore psychologist. The ubiquitous common man finds solace in the concept of the equipoised soul to overcome his ever-increasing anxieties. Perhaps the greatest idea is focused on commitment to work, without getting excited about the reward. The portrait of a Karam yogi has made a many a scholar- from both the Occident and the Orient- to sit and take notice of the elegant truth behind all human endeavour.
Hence The Gita has universal appeal and it transcends the boundaries of time and space. It is not a book teaching you how to worship God. Many other texts do so. It focuses more on the eternal quest to reach Godhead itself. It edits the wisdom of the Upanishads and presents them in a more digestible format. It teaches the three basic parts to reach the almighty-namely, Bhakti, Karma and Jnana. It also paves the path for a householder to lead a more rewarding and meaningful life. It makes a forceful thrust on action and condemns inactivity in no uncertain terms. In fact, it combines the best aspects of both the Eastern and Western thought processes. It is, no wonder, revered by millions not only as a sacred text, but also as a guide for leading a better and fulfilling life.
The personality of Godhead, who is fully cognizant of everything in his creation informs us that it is in our best interest that we desire to get out of this miserable existence. We must detach ourselves from everything material. To make the best use of the bad bargain, our material existence must be completely spiritualized for our eternal bliss of happiness. Iron is not fire, but it can be turned into fire by constant association with fire. Similarly, detachment from the material activities can be affected by spiritual activities, not by material inertia. Material inertia is the negative side of the material action, but spiritual activity is not only the negation of material action, but the activation of our real life.
We must be anxious to search out the eternal life or spiritual existence in Brahman, the Absolute. The eternal kingdom of brahman is described in the Bhagwad Gita as that eternal country from which no one returns. That is the kingdom of god. And what is the nature of the kingdom of god? It is described in the Bhagwad Gita (15.6) as follows, “That abode of mine is not illumined by the Sun or the Moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches, he never returns to this material world.
“Lord Krishna’s teachings are suitable for everyone,” Amma says. “He didn’t come just for the sake of a particular section of society. He showed everyone-even prostitutes, robbers and murderers-the path toward spiritual progress. He urges us to live according to our true dharma, to remain steadfast in it, and thus advance in life toward the ultimate goal.”
Krishna’s instructions were not just for monks. He advised everyone to his capacity. His instruction to Arjuna, in fact, was to remain in the world, performing his dharma. “His life was a perfect example of how to remain unscorched in the midst of the worldly fire,” Amma says. “It is like keeping a piece of chocolate on your tongue without salivating. … He shows how to succeed in life while remaining in the midst of obstacles. The Lord doesn’t advise us to turn away from our relationships in order to attain Self-realization. He explains that we should be free from all attachments while still maintaining loving relationships and upholding our family responsibilities.”
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