Commentary on 'The Bhagavad Geeta' by Swami Mukundananda

The Bhagavadgita is one phase of the Tripod of Indian philosophy and culture, the other two phases being the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras. While the Upanishads lay the foundation of the loftiest reach possible for humanity and the Brahmasutras logically elucidate the intricate issues involved in the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita blends together the Transcendent and the Immanent features of the Ultimate Reality, bringing together into an integrated whole knowledge and action, the inner and the outer, the individual and the society, man and God, all which are portrayed as facets of a universal Operation, presenting entire life and all life as a perfectly complete organic wholeness, leaving nothing unsaid and attempting to solve every problem of life.

This book attempts to provide a non-academic exposition of the Bhagavad Gita and Hinduism in simple and jargon-free language. Giving the background information about the basics of Hinduism and the Gita, it describes the essential messages that humankind can derive from them. Narrating how a Hindu mind is made up, it focuses on what everyone should know about Bhagavad Gita and Hinduism.

The Bhagavad Gita is a comprehensive spiritual guide of Hinduism, which includes the essence of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and all the other systems of Hindu philosophy. It therefore incorporates infinite wisdom in 700 verses. The Gita has noble philosophy, art and literature. The subject matter is in the form of a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. The thoughts expressed by Krishna are quite deep. Mahatma Gandhi said that when disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go to the Bhagavad Gita. I read a verse here and there, I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies - and my life has been full of tragedies - and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad-Gita, the "Song of God," is not only one of the most revered texts of Hinduism, but of world literature and spirituality in general. Its 700 verses make up a small part of the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, of which it can be said to be the heart. It consists of a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna, avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu, about action and nonaction, knowledge and love. The Gita is revered as a concise expression of Hindu philosophy, as a work of profound poetry, and as a guide to enlightened living. It is one of the most often translated of spiritual texts, and, as is the case with other texts of its stature, new translations tend to enhance rather than exhaust our understanding of it, revealing new facets of its wisdom with each iteration. This fresh translation stands out from the many others first of all in its careful faithfulness to the original language, but also for the extensive tools for understanding it provides. It is accompanied by detailed explanatory notes, as well as by the entire Sanskrit text on facing pages--both in the original Devanagri alphabet and in a romanized version that allows the reader to approximate the sounds of this work that began with oral recitation (a pronunciation guide is also provided). Also included is a literal, word-for-word translation for comparison; extensive material on the background, symbolism, and influence of the Gita; and an exhaustive glossary of terms. It's like a course on the Bhagavad-Gita in a book.

Education is the most important foundation of the society. On the base of education society can be structurized, built or rebuilt, molded or altered. Education should not be identified with degrees, labels, diplomas that an individual may attach to his/her sleeves in the course of development of his special skill and personality which help him to fit into a particular role in over all fabrics of the society. If one acquires efficiency in doing a particular job or he possesses adequate knowledge of producing a commodity can be called educated. Education should lead to the development of man in a well manner in the society in which he lives. As man insists on education should be linked with productive labour leading to the development of 'moral', spiritual' and 'physical' growth of man breaking the warriors of the towns and the villages, the poor and the rich. Here reasearcher has tried to study about education from the emerging philosophy of Pandurang Athvale.

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba wrote a series of articles under the Vahini series, for Sanathana Sarathi, a monthly magazine being published by Sri Sathya Sai Sadhana Trust, Publications Division, Prasanthi Nilayam. These precious articles are brought out now, under the title “Geeta Vahini”, in this book, for the benefit of readers. This is not a commentary or summary of the divine message that was given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. It conveys the same message in a simpler form to us, in order to remove our delusion and confer faith and strength on us, so that we may realise our own reality. Bhagawan says, “Drawing on the Divine that is inherent in us is the lesson of Geeta… Arjuna is the jiva and Krishna is the Deva. When both are in contact, impregnable might results… Krishna had to work in and through Arjuna, so that the reign of Dharma (righteousness) is re-established. Arjuna means white, pure, unblemished. Hence, he is the proper instrument.” We too can become proper instruments in restoring Dharma, if we follow the lessons that Bhagawan teaches through this book.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita has been a source of inspiration and enlightenment for generations. The message of the Gita is not merely a general spiritual philosophy or ethical doctrine but it has a bearing upon the practical aspects in the application of such principles in our day-to-day lives. It is indeed A Users Manual for the Practice of the Art of Right Living. Th e radiance of such Bhagavad Gita is being presented by the author to the readers of the modern generation covering the subject in an informal style with transliterated Sanskrit Verses, their lucid translation and explanatory notes. At the end of each chapter its Outline View has also been provided for a quick recapitulation. The author has steered clear off all the scholastic debates and intellectual controversies with a view to reach out to the average modern educated young people who require the strength of the Gita to wade through the current day troubled waters.

While the Bhagavad Gītā is an acknowledged treasure of world spiritual literature, few people know a parallel text, theĪśvara Gītā. This lesser-known work is also dedicated to a god, but in this case it is Śiva, rather than Kṛṣṇa, who is depicted as the omniscient creator of the world. Andrew J. Nicholson's Lord Śiva's Song makes this text available in English in an accessible new translation. A work of both poetry and philosophy, the Īśvara Gītā builds on the insights of Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra and foreshadows later developments in tantric yoga. It deals with the pluralistic religious environment of early medieval India through an exploration of the relationship between the gods Śiva and Viṣṇu. The work condemns sectarianism and violence and provides a strategy for accommodating conflicting religious claims in its own day and in our own.