A Unique Masterpiece

A Unique Masterpiece

#SwamiTejomayananda

(part 1)

After the Mahabharata war, Arjuna approached Sri Krishna, “O Bhagavan, you taught wonderful things on the battlefield. Can you please tell them again?”

Arjuna wanted a repeat performance!

The Lord responded “Arjuna, a masterpiece can never be repeated. The Gita was given out when I was in yoga avastha, in the highest state of meditation. O Arjuna, the Gita is My very heart.” 

Gita me hrdayam partha (Srimad Bhagavad-gita-mahatmyam from Sri Vaisnaviya-tantra-sara : 44)

If one wishes to know, understand and appreciate the Lord and what is in His heart, the best place to find it is in the Gita. The Bhagavad-gita is an incomparable masterpiece; it is Bhagwan’s heart; it is a direct introduction to Him; it is a direct initiation to the Supreme. This is another speciality of the Gita.

A Unique Masterpiece

#SwamiTejomayananda

(part 2)

Even though, it was taught to Arjuna thousands of years ago, the Gita continues to retain its popularity and appeal - especially in today’s fast-paced, nerve-racking and challenging world. Why is this so?

The Bhagavad-gita is considered to be the essence of all the Upanishads. The background, setting and atmosphere of the Upanishads were very different. Therein, we find the wise rishis, sitting in the calm and serene surroundings of their ashram or on the banks of a river, far away from the din and roar of the market place. Moreover, the supreme Truth was expounded to highly evolved and eager disciples – intelligent men and women who had examined and understood the limitations and hollowness of worldly life.

In contrast, Arjuna, the student of the Gita, was a person of the world. If you read the Mahabharata, you find that he was an ambitious, noble and heroic man of action. He had undergone numerous trials and tribulations; abundant experiences, good and bad. However, when confronted with the prospect of fighting his own kith and kin, he was overwhelmed and became confused and confounded. He wished to run away from the battlefield.