23 October,2009 08:47 AM IST | | Jaya Row
The Bhagavad Gita maybe a text that is well spoken of and written about, but it is also the least understood. It is not too difficult to teach the message of the Bhagavad Gita but what is almost impossible, is to remove the preconceived wrong notions we have about it. Most people shy away from the Gita because they believe it offers a post-mortem benefit that only the old and infirm need as insurance for the after-life. The very backdrop of the Gita refutes this. The Gita was dictated by Krishna to Arjuna, a young warrior on the brink of a battle, not to people in an old-age home. The Gita is a prescription for a dynamic, prosperous, successful life meant for the young and ambitious.
The young are afraid that the Gita will take away their enjoyment. In fact, it restores the excitement and enthusiasm that you have already lost. Today, the young seem bored and disillusioned. The Gita says there is no room for sorrow or depression in life. You must be full of cheer, exhilaration and mischief at every moment of your life in spite of the problems and upheaval around. Krishna's life demonstrates this. He was born in a prison and had to protect himself from enemies even as a child. Yet, never was he dejected or low. He was always the embodiment of joy and mirth.
The young believe that the Gita asks you to leave your family and home to retire to the forest. It was Arjuna who wanted to leave the scene and go to the Himalayas. Krishna tells him emphatically that he should not be a coward and run away from the challenge. Spiritual life is not about changing one's position but one's disposition. With a changed attitude, one's home becomes the greatest ashram.
People are under the wrong impression that the Gita makes you a cold, unfeeling philosopher. It only changes the nature of your emotions from selfish to selfless, individual to universal, from weakness to a pillar of strength. The greatest of leaders loved deeply and truly and were adored in return.
People dismiss the Gita as ancient and irrelevant in our modern fast-paced lives. It is certainly ancient but is also timeless. It is a science that applies to all humans at all periods of time. The Gita may have been given out at a time and place far removed from us, but the inner space of doubt, uncertainty and confusion is one we are all only too familiar with. The Gita reaches out to every seeker of excellence, happiness and fulfillment with facts of life and transcends all barriers of caste, race, status and religion to help humanity soar into the heights of perfection. This is our priceless heritage.
We would do well to set aside our preconceived notions and approach the Gita with humility and a genuine desire to learn and excel.
Jaya Row is one of the best speakers on Vedanta, Indian philosophy. She has spoken at prestigious events like the World Economic Forum, Davos.
