5 Arguments That Will Make You Start Reading Bhagavad-gita Now

We Should Have An Overall Idea Of What Bhagavad-gita Is, Before Going To The Main Discussion. Here it is~~

An Introduction To Bhagavad-gita

sarvopanis?ado g?vo

dogdh? gop?la-nandanah?

p?rtho vatsah? sudh?r bhokt?

dugdham? g?t?mr?tam? mahat (Gita Mahatmya, verse 6, by Adi Sankaracharya)

—–This Gitopanisad, Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanisads, is just like a cow, and Lord Krsna, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gita.

Then in the scriptures we find this glorification of Bhagavad-gita ~~

“If we think the Vedas to be a forest with beautiful mountains, rivers, trees, animals, birds etc. Then the 108 Upani?ads will be the best flowers of this forest or the best teachings of the Vedas.

Now if you make the most beautiful garland from those flowers, that garland will be the G?TOPANI?AD or BHAGAVAD-GITA.”

Bhagavad-gita is the transcendental dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, spoken on the battlefield of Kurushetra about 5158 years ago.

This theological and philosophical epic, Bhagavad-gita, is compiled in 18 chapters and contains 700 verses.

The Bhagavad-gita talks about Yoga, “the process of linking our activities and ourselves to The Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

“It answers the questions regarding body and the soul, material and spiritual world, the duties of man, and much more. And anyone who meditate on the Bhagavad-gita even a little daily, is sure to attain the ultimate spiritual goal.”

5 Basic Questions Answered, That Stops Us From Reading ‘Bhagavad-gita’

Starting with the common question of the so-called modern civilization —

1. “Why should we read a religious book like Bhagavad-gita in this scientific era?”

In this regard, we have to understand what religion is. The world religion itself does not convey the real meaning of the Vedic word ‘Dharma.’

The real meaning of the word ‘Dharma’ is ‘the fundamental quality.’ And the Bhagavad-gita as well as all the Vedic literature talks about the ‘Sanatana Dharma’ or ‘Varnasrama Dharma,’ which is the fundamental quality or occupation of any living being.

So if we say that the Bhagavad-gita is based on some religious faith and doesn’t have any scientific basis, we will be totally incorrect.

All the Vedic literature is coming ultimately from the highest authority of this cosmic creation through disciplic succession. And being the essence of all Vedic literature Bhagavad-gita is based on the topmost scientific knowledge.

Srila Prabhupada says in the purport of verse 23, chapter 4, canto 1, Srimad-Bhagavatam——

“The original source of knowledge is the Vedas. There are no branches of knowledge, either mundane or transcendental, which do not belong to the original text of the Vedas. They have simply been developed into different branches, They were originally rendered by great, respectable and learned professors. In other words, the Vedic knowledge, broken into different branches by different disciplic successions, has been distributed all over the world. No one, therefore, can claim independent knowledge beyond the Vedas.”

2. “Was Bhagavad-gita spoken to Arjuna Only five thousand years ago?”

Although it may seem to us that Krishna delivered the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna and that also only five thousand years ago but this was not the first time He gave this transcendental knowledge. As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita ~~

ima? vivasvate yoga?

proktav?n aham avyayam

vivasv?n manave pr?ha

manur ik?v?kave ’brav?t

—–The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasv?n, and Vivasv?n instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ik?v?ku.

In the purport of this verse(BG. 4.1), HDG Srila Prabhupada calculated that at least 120,400,000 years ago Krishna spoke this knowledge of Bhagavad-gita to the Sun-God Vivasv?n.

But even that’s also not the first advent of this transcendental knowledge. In the very first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, we find —

“….tene brahma h?d? ya ?di-kavaye muhyanti yat s?raya?….”

“-?—It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahm?j?, the original living being.”

“As the sun may rise in the morning and set in the evening but the sun is always there, so the sun of the Bhagavad-Gita may sometimes disappear from our imperfect senses, but it’s eternally existing for every inquisitive man regardlessof time, place, and circumstances.”

3. “How Can It Benefit Us In This Modern Age?”

When we buy a new gadget, we get a user manual. But have we ever searched for the user manual for this most sophisticated gadget, “Human form”?

If we don’t know how to operate this complex machine, how can we become happy and achieve the ultimate goal of life?

In the present age the so-called advanced, civilized society is going towards degradation by leaps and bounds. We, coming under the influence of Lust, Anger, Greed, Envy, etc., are doing everything for our own destruction.

We are in a civilization where scarce people lives 60-70 years(that too with various diseases); so many crimes, rapes are happening every few seconds; the youths are going towards intoxication, drugs, etc.; animals killed is becoming just a natural thing without considering the consequences.

Wars and conflicts are going on between countries continually, mother nature is in such a bad condition because of us, And even after so many attempts the authorities of the world are unsuccessful–why? I If we are making advancements, then the whole world’s happiness should increase. But that isn’t happening; why?

“All this is happening Because of lack of spiritual knowledge, the knowledgeof the self.”

ya? ??stra-vidhim uts?jyav

artate k?ma-k?rata?

na sa siddhim av?pnoti

na sukha? na par?? gatim (BG. 16.23)

—-He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.

Will All The Problems Be Finished?

Then there are some people who question that, ‘will all the problems in our lives be finished?’

The answer is no. The problem and miseries will come how much we may try to run away from them, but Bhagavad-gita will make us resistant to all the problems and miseries.

aho ahobhir na kaler vid?yate

sudh?-su-dh?r?-madhurm pade pade

dine dine candana-candra-??talam

ya?o ya?od?-tanayasya g?yate

Ah, how astonishing! One who regularly broadcasts the glories of Ya?od?-nandana, which are more cooling than the moon and sandal paste, will not be plagued by the inauspiciousness of Kali-yuga. At every step he is submerged in a flow of supreme sweetness, which is sweeter than the sweetest nectar. (Sri Padyavali, verse 41)

Now we can invent so many big big machines, weapons, vehicles etc but if we cannot control our mind, it will be like giving a machine gun in a monkey’s hand.

Our mind is like a monkey, and in Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that ‘if someone can control the mind, it will be his best. And if he fails to control the mind, the same mind will become his greatest enemy.’

Bhagavad-gita teaches us how to make this monkey mind under our control and make the best use of it.

4. “what if we renounce everything?”

Most people have this wrong conception that, they will renounce everything after reading Bhagavad-gita, but we know Krishna gave this knowledge to Arjuna, a family man and a Kshatriya and not to a brahmachari or a sannyasi. He was trying to leave everything, but the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita brought him back to his duties.

Yes, of course, after studying the Bhagavad-gita in the right way, we will have to leave lust, anger, pride, anxiety, stress, depression, hankering, etc.

And as mentioned above, the Bhagavad-gita is all about Yoga, which means to link, add everything, not to leave everything.

So after reading Bhagavad-gita you will be able to do your duties in the best possible way, without being touched by anxiety, stress, depression, hankering etc.

5. “why now?”

Then some say, ‘we will read Bhagavad-gita when we finish all the problems and responsibilities.’ But then do you have any surety that you will become old? And will you then have that strength, intelligence, and mood to read it?

?r?-prahr?da uv?ca

kaum?ra ?caret pr?j?o

dharm?n bh?gavat?n iha

durlabha? m?nu?a? janma

tad apy adhruvam arthadam

^{(SB. 7.6.1)}

—Prahl?da Mah?r?ja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life ? in other words, from the tender age of childhood ? to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.

“So the problems and difficulties will never end like the waves of the ocean; if we want to get rid of the problems of the material world, we have to start studying the Bhagavad-gita as soon as we come in contact with it.”

Conclusion

Eating, Sleeping, Mating and defending are the four common things between men and animals.

But curiosity about knowing what is this world, who we are, what is beyond etc. makes us superior.

“ath?to brahma-jij??s?”

—-?Now, therefore, one should inquire about Brahman.? [Ved?nta-sutra 1.1.1]

So if we really want to use this very valuable human form of life to its fullest, we should start learning Bhagavad-gita as soon as possible.

So this new year get get Bhagavad-gita for yourself and for relatives, friends and close ones, to make a new year resolution that will change your live forever. ??? ? ? ?