BHAGAVAD GITA—A UNIVERSAL SCRIPTURE

BHAGAVAD GITA—A UNIVERSAL SCRIPTURE Bhagavad Gita which forms part of the Bhishma Parva of the great epic, the Mahabharata, contains the essence of all the basic scriptures of the Bharatiya philosophy. As the fundamental teachings of the Gita are suited to all times and all societies, it serves as the foundation of a Universal and Eternal religion, Sanatana Dharma. Bhagavad Gita etymologically means the ‘Song of the Lord’. The scripture consists of 18 chapters with 700 stanzas. Each chapter of the Gita is called an “Upanishad”.

The scripture is in the form of a dialogue between, Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The message of the Bhagavad Gita is indeed, the message of the Supreme Being to an individual soul trapped in the battlefield of worldly life and groping in darkness. The Central theme of the Bhagavad Gita is the Truth proclaimed by the Upanishads. The following stanza in the Gita dhyanasloka points out the greatness of the scripture.

Sarvopanishado gaavo dogdaa gopaalanandanah Parthovatsa sudheer bhoktaa dugdam gitaamritam mahat — “All the Upanishads are cows. Krishna is the one who milks the cows. Arjuna is the calf. The good people are the consumers of the milk and the nectarine milk is the Bhagavad Gita.”

Adi Sankara says, "From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures." From the beginning to the end the Bhagavad Gita presents the universal philosophy of Hinduism. As Mahayogi Sri Aurobindo has rightly pointed out, "The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race, a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization." Swami Vivekananda points out: "The secret of Karma Yoga which is to perform actions without any desires for fruit is taught

by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita."

Edwin Arnold, the foremost among those who translated the immortal poem into English verse under the title ‘The Song Celestial (The Bhagavad-Gita)’ points out in his introduction: “The poem has been turned into French by Burnouf, into Latin by Lassen, into Italian by Stanislav Gatti, into Greek by Galanos, and into English by Mr Thomson and Mr Davies, the prose transcript of the last-named being truly beyond praise for its fidelity and clearness.”

Bhagavad Gita’s first Russian translation came out in 1788. Gita was a favourite with Leo Tolstoy. Mrs Manninag, author of ‘Ancient and Mediaeval India’ says, “Bhagavad Gita is one of the most remarkable compositions in the Sanskrit language.” Juan Mascaro, eminent scholar who taught at Oxford University, remarks, “The greatness of Bhagavad Gita is the greatness of the universe, but even as the wonder of the stars in heaven only reveals itself in the silence of the night, the wonder of this poem only reveals itself in the silence of the soul.”

Albert Einstein says, "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous." Dr. Albert Schweizer opines, "The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions." According to Aldous Huxley, "The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity." Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "The Bhagavad-Gita is an empire of thought and in its philosophical teachings Krishna has all the attributes of the full-fledged monotheistic deity and at the same time the attributes of the Upanishadic absolute." Rudolph Steiner remarks, "In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to it." Henry David Thoreau, who exerted a tremendous influence on Mahatma Gandhi said, "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the

Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial." Herman Hesse commented: "The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion."

Such an immortal and eternal scripture which has influenced the thoughts of great western philosophers like Immanuel Kant has now been drawn to the court of law in Russia by a Christian group which seeks a ban on the holy book. The Bhagavad Gita trial in Russia is the trial of the Russian edition of Bhagavad Gita As It Is initiated in June 2011 by the state prosecutor's office in Tomsk, Russia, on charges of religious extremism. The case says the translation of the Bhagavad Gita is extremist because it insults non-believers. Based on an "expert testimony" by three Tomsk State University professors, who concluded that the Bhagavad Gita As It Is is an antiChristian teaching that fosters "social discord" and discrimination, the prosecutor's office requested the court to include the book in the Federal List of Extremist Materials, and to ban its printing, possession, and distribution. The trial is reportedly instigated by the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church along with the FSB in order to restrict the activity of Hare Krishna followers.

“Bhagavad Gita As It Is calls for hostile activities against different social and religious groups, among them women and people who don’t follow Krishna,” the Moscow Times quoted the complaint.

The move to ban Bhagavad Gita is not a trans-Russia sentiment at all. It is an outcome of the uneasy relations between ISKCON and the local Russian Orthodox establishment a property dispute appears to have been the complicating factor. In mid-December 2011 the trial caused a storm of highly critical publications in the Indian and international media and a consequent groundswell of multi-partisan political support in the Indian Parliament. “We will not tolerate an insult to Lord Krishna,” members of parliament shouted, until the house speaker adjourned parliament for several hours. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman K Rahman Khan said "the entire house agrees with this and joins in condemning this". Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj demanded in Lok Sabha that the government declare the Bhagavad Gita a "national book". Protesters gathered outside a Russian consulate forcing Russian officials to offer apologies and assurances that they will take all the necessary remedial measures to prevent the possible ban. Stating that it was the work of "misdirected and motivated individuals", External Affairs Minister SM Krishna sought to clarify the government's position in the Lok Sabha, "The officials of India in Moscow and our ambassador have been in regular touch with representatives of Iskcon. We have taken up the matter at highest levels with the Russian government."

As the controversy escalated, Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin said that he condemned the "madmen" seeking the ban, and underlined that Russia was a secular country.

"Russia is a secular and democratic country where all religions enjoy equal respect… Even more applicable it is to the holy scriptures of various faiths -- whether it is the Bible, the Holy Quran, Torah, Avesta and, of course, Bhagvad Gita -- the great source of wisdom for the people of India and the world… I consider it categorically inadmissible when any holy scripture is taken to the courts. For all believers these texts are sacred," he stressed.

Nelly Krechetova, Human Rights Ombudsman, Tomsk Region, says: “This book is considered sacred by more than a billion people the world over, and in Russia itself the book (translation by Swamy Prabhupada) has been in circulation for 20 years. A ban on the book would amount to violation of constitutional rights of citizens to freedom of conscience and faith.” A resolution adopted at a meet organized by Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets says: “There is no basis for conducting such a trial and the very fact of initiating a trial by the public prosecutor is an insult to the religious feelings of followers of

Vaishnavism in India and Russia and it will give a body blow to Indo-Russian relations.”

The newspaper Vechernyi Tomsk reported: “Trial of Indian book brings shame to Tomsk.”

The newspaper Gazeta.ru carried a satirical piece on how a work that was created 5,000 years ago has suddenly become an extremist document.

Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani, Vice-Chancellor, Islamic Seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, condemned the “Russian diktat against the holy scripture of Hindus” and said, “Allegation portraying Gita as extreme literature is totally baseless and highly objectionable”.

It is highly ridiculous and manifestation of total ignorance to call Bhagavad Gita a scripture pertaining to any particular sect or religion. Following the declaration of the Vedic seers, Ekam sat, vipraa bahudaa vadanti--´The Ultimate Reality is One, men of wisdom call It by different names”—Bhagavad Gita emphatically proclaims that all religions are different pathways to one Absolute, Universal and Supreme Consciousness which is adored and worshipped by the entire humanity in various names and forms.

Ye yathaa maam prapasyante taams tathaiva bhajaamyaham Mama vartmaanuvartante manyshyaa paartha sarvashah (B.G. IV-11) —“In whatever way men approach Me, even so do I reward them; My path do men tread in all ways, O son of Pritha.”

Yo yo yam yam tanum bhaktah shraddhayaarchitum icchati Tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham (B.G. VII, 21) —“Whatever form of manifestation of Divinity, any devotee wishes to adore with faith, I make his faith steadfast in that very form of Divinity.”

Even if some people out of ignorance and blind faith in and attachment to the name and form of divinity which they worship as their personal God, consider that to be Supreme and greater than the Gods worshipped by others, they will also ultimately reach Him, the nameless, formless, Absolute Reality or Brahman. They worship Him alone even though without realizing that He is beyond all names and forms.

Yepyanyadevataa bhaktaa yajante shraddhayaanvitaah Tepimaameva kaunteya yajantyavidhipoorvakam (B.G. IX-23) --“Even the devotees of other Shining Ones who worship full of faith, they also worship Me, O son of Kunti, though contrary to the ancient rule.”

Great philosophers like Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva who have founded different schools of philosophy like Advaita, Vishisthaadvaita and Dwaita and spiritual luminaries who have propagated different cults like Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shaakta, Gaanaaptya, Kaumaara and Shoura have all drunk the nectar of Bhagavad Gita and drawn inspiration from the spring of the Eterenal Wisdom.

In the tenth chapter called Vibhooti Yoga, Bhagavan declares that He is the Supreme Consciousness which manifests in various forms of divinities that are worshipped. “Neither the hosts of Gods nor the great Rishis know My birth or glory because in every respect, I am the source of Gods and of the great Rishis.” He then identifies Himself with each and every manifestation of divinity. There is no demi-god or quart-god. All are the One, Absolute, Omni-potent, Omniscient, Omni-present, Ultimate Reality seen in various names and forms.

In the ancient Vedic system of worship, there is what Max Mueller has called as

‘Henotheism’—elevating one form of God above others for a particular purpose and period of worship. Indra, Mitra or Varuna will become Supreme in turn in the Vedic rituals according to the need and purpose, but they are never different from each other. Sometimes Mitra-Varuna are jointly worshipped. Even in the Puranic forms of worship, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are none other than the three aspects of One Reality—the creative, sustaining and dissolving aspects—yet they are worshipped as different personal gods at different times and by different people.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa practised various forms of worship, like Hindu, Christian and Muslim and in his intuitive consciousness, realized the unity of Gods and all forms of worship. Mahatma Gandhi who had the recitation of Bible and Quran also in his prayer meetings had written commentary on Bhagavad Gita and declared: "When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day." Annie Besant, the leader of the Theosophical Movement, along with Bhagavan Das, gave an English translation of Bhagavad Gita. No court of law could sit in judgement of the merit of Bhagavad Gita as a universal scripture and no university could make its assessment on the claim of the scripture. It is time that Semitic religions give up their fanatic and fundamentalist outlook, tendency to suppress all other religions and desire to convert entire humanity to their chosen path. The whole world is today turning to Bharatavarsha which has presented to the world the universal, eternal and manmaking spiritual values propounded by the most ancient prophets of the world, the Vedic seers. Bharatamata is bound to become the Loka Guru, the preceptor of the entire world.

Vande Mataram!