The Importance of Bhagavadgita by Swami Sivananda
The Gita is
the most beautiful and the only truly philosophical song. It contains sublime
lessons on wisdom and philosophy. It is the "Song Celestial". It is
the universal gospel. It contains the message of life that appeals to all,
irrespective of race, creed, age or religion.
The Gita was
given to us about six thousand years ago by Sri Krishna, the Lord incarnate,
through His most devoted disciple, Arjuna. Its teachings are based on the
sacred Upanishads, the ancient, revealed metaphysical classics of India.
The Gita shows
a way to rise above the world of duality and the pairs of opposites, and to
acquire eternal bliss and immortality. It is a gospel of action. It teaches the
rigid performance of one's duty in society, and a life of active struggle,
keeping the inner being untouched by outer surroundings, and renouncing the
fruits of actions as offerings unto the Lord.
Live in the spirit
of the teachings of the Gita. Mere talks or lectures will not help you
in any way. Put into practice the teachings of this most sacred scripture and
attain eternal bliss and peace.
The Gita may
be summarized in the following seven verses:
1. "Uttering
the one-syllabled Om, the Brahman, and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving
the body thus, attains the Supreme Goal".
2. "It is, O
Lord, that the world delights and rejoices in Thy praise; the demons fly in
fear to all quarters, and all the hosts of Siddhas bow to Thee!"
3. "With
hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears
everywhere, He exists in the world, enveloping all".
4. "Whosoever
meditates on the omniscient, ancient ruler of the whole world, minuter than an
atom, the supporter of all, of form inconceivable, effulgent like the sun, such
a one goeth beyond the darkness of ignorance".
5. "They, the
wise, speak of the indestructible Asvattha, having its roots above and branches
below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the
Vedas".
6. "And I am
seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory and knowledge, as well as their
absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am
indeed the author of Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas am I".
7. "Fix thy
mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me; having thus
united thy whole Self with Me, taking Me as the Supreme Lord, thou shalt verily
come to Me".
Read the whole of
the Gita on Sundays and other holidays. Study carefully again and again
the verses in the second discourse, which deal with the state of the
Sthitaprajna (a perfected Yogi and sage). Also study the eight nectarine verses
in the twelfth discourse.
The study of the Gita
alone is sufficient for the purpose of scriptural study. You will find in
it a solution to all your problems. The more you study it with devotion and
faith, the deeper will your knowledge become, the more penetrative would be
your insight, and the clearer your thinking. Even if you live in the spirit of
one verse of the Gita, all your miseries will come to an end and you
will attain the goal of life—immortality and eternal peace.
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