The revelation of timeless spiritual message of Lord Krishna is dramatically set in a battlefield, though it happened to be the only place where such a message had its poignance. Through its brilliant casting and superb plots the subtle difference between the ego and the spirit, between myth and reality becomes apparent. Thus the Geeta is a prenote to faciliate the seeker to recognize truth from untruth. It directs the Spirit`s ascent through winding mind alleys of conditioning, concepts and projections into the threshold of Absolute Truth. Rejecting the path of self-torture or escapism it suggests the Divine union in the market place--even in the mundane task of household chores. In the new light thrown by Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi on the subject, Yogi Mahajan gathers the dried-up leaves of the text so far burried under the weight of priesthood and brings them back to life for the seeker of Truth.
From Publisher's Weekly: "[Abbot George] Burke enthusiastically explores the story as a means for knowing oneself, the cosmos, and one's calling within it. His plainspoken insights often distill complex lessons with simplicity and sagacity. Those with a deep interest in the Gita will find much wisdom here." Several thousand years ago in north-central India, two people sat in a chariot in the midpoint of a great battlefield. One of them, the yogi Arjuna, knew that it would be not be long before the conflict would begin. So he asked Krishna, the Master of Yoga (Yogeshwara), what should be his attitude and perspective in this moment. And above all: What should he do?There was no time to spare in empty words. In a brief discourse, later turned into seven hundred Sanskrit verses by the sage Vyasa, Krishna outlined to Arjuna the way to live one’s entire life so as to gain perfect self-knowledge and self-mastery. The Bhagavad Gita tells us that we can attain a Knowing beyond even what it tells us. And it shows us the way. With penetrating insight, Abbot George Burke illumines the Bhagavad Gita's practical value for spiritual seekers, and the timelessness of India's most beloved scripture. With a unique perspective of a lifetime of study and practice of both Eastern and Western spirituality, Abbot George mines the treasures of the Gita and presents them in an easily intelligible fashion for those wishing to put these priceless teachings into practice. Drawing from the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Jesus, Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, Papa Ramdas, and other spiritual masters and teachers, as well as his own experiences, Abbot Burke illustrates the teachings of the Gita with stories which make the teachings of Krishna in the Gita vibrant and living. While Yogananda in his commentary on the Gita, “God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita,” focuses on the valuable symbolism contained in the Gita, Abbot Burke dwells primarily on the practical aspects, and what aspirants can put into practice here and now on a daily basis. Any student of the Bhagavad Gita will find “The Bhagavad Gita for Awakening” an essential companion in their studies. At times general principles found in the Gita are illumined, and in other places the deeper meanings found in the Sanskrit text are explained word by word so that seekers will have and in-depth understanding of the religion, practices, and culture that those familiar with Indian religion and philosophy take for granted. "A must read for anyone on a spiritual quest for the truth!” —Sailaja Kuruvadi
The third chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita deals with karma, or action. In this chapter the importance of right action as yagya is explained by Lord Krishna and His action for the sake of maintaining the worlds is described. Arjuna asks about wrong action and what compels men to commit it. Krishna answers that it is desire and the resultant anger that arises when desire cannot be fulfilled that is the cause of wrong action. Many commentators on the Gita have blamed desire for all problems in life and have advocated shunning desire, but that is a faulty interpretation. Desire is necessary for life to progress and evolve. The understanding that desires must not be shunned, but rather must be fulfilled is explained in the book, ‘Thirty Years Around The World. Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment. Volume One. 1957-1964’ in which Maharishi states: “If spirituality is to help the man of the 20th century, it must appear in a new garb to attract the modern eye and not frighten material life. If a spiritual technique of living the elevated material life is evolved, the modern taste would go for it. If the glories of the soul could be lived and enjoyed in the midst of the material glories of life, modern taste would love to have it...." Many aspire to be Karma Yogis, so they engage in the various activities (karmas) prescribed for that style of living. But to be a Karma Yogi one must first gain the state of Yoga by transcending relativity to arrive at Absolute Bliss Consciousness. The state of Yoga is easily attained through Maharishi Bhavatit Dhyan (Transcendental Meditation). See: https://www.indiatm.org/
Chapter two of the Bhagavad-Gita deals with knowledge. Knowledge has two aspects: theoretical understanding and practical experience. To resolve Arjuna’s quandary described in chapter one Lord Krishna first gives Arjuna understanding from Sankhya, the Vedic system dealing with scientific inquiry into the temporal body and the subtle body that survives death. In verse 39 of this chapter Krishna turns to the practical knowledge of Yoga, dealing with the union of the lower self and the Higher Self. The exposition of Yoga found in the Gita makes it one of the three pillars of Yoga, along with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Shiva Sutras. Knowledge is the greatest purifier. The understanding through Sankhya and the experience through Yoga given in this chapter is sufficient to purify all of life. The mediation Lord Krishna describes to Arjuna is known today as Transcendental Meditation (see www.tm.org), which takes the mind from the surface of life to the depth of our Being, thus transcending the field of activity to arrive at the silent source of dynamism. Regular experience of the Transcendent results in its stabilization during activity. Action supported by the Transcendent is effortless and has support of the enormous intelligence of Nature that organizes the tremendous dynamism of the universe without a problem. Please share and leave a review.
Among the several modern commentaries on the Gita, this one is unique in the sense it is both down to earth and fascinatingly erudite. In explaining every verse, the author, the 13th President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, relates its real connotation and significance to not only what Shankaracharya said in his introduction to the Gita, or how Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda interpreted it in terms of practical Vedanta, but also how it conforms to the thinking of some of the greatest Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.The author also takes the readers on an enlightening voyage of discovery, where they meet Buddha, Mahavir, Tao, Christ and most of the thinkers in the West and he relates their thought by an ingenious interaction with the message of Sri Krishna. Even scientists like Einstein, famous neurologists like Charles Sherrington and poets like Wordsworth and Shelley and philosophers like Julian Huxley and Bertrand Russell are brought in by the author to give the readers an in-depth understanding of this great scripture. The author weaves every verse into the requirements of modern life and throws light on how man should lead his life while involved in his daily chores and fulfil his duties in accordance with the philosophy of action as taught by Sri Krishna. The book contains the Sanskrit slokas in Devanagari script, their English transliteration, simple meaning in English followed by explanation in English.
A new translation and visual commentary to fulfil the need of our time. Here is an easy to read, illustrated version of the Bhagavad-Gita, based on the classic work of Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das. It combines traditional and modern images illustrating the timely message of this revived classic, which is derived from one of India's two great epics, the Mahabharata. The first chapter introduces Arjuna, the highly evolved hero of the Gita, and shows his plight as the leading warrior of his age who must enter into a battle that will destroy his family and much of his society. As a seeker of truth, Arjuna finds himself stationed between the forces of good and evil on the battlefield of life. Fortunately for mankind his charioteer and guide, Lord Krishna, provides the principles of a simple, practical form of meditation that will deliver Arjuna from the binding influence of his duty-bound actions while purifying his environment to remove the cause of future wars. The skillful resolution of Arjuna’s situation by Lord Krishna is presented in succeeding chapters soon to be published. The knowledge Arjuna received has as much significance today as it did 5,000 years ago for solving all problems and bringing enlightenment and fulfilment to individuals and to society as a whole. This chapter is 105 pages in length with large, easy to read English verses and relevant images. The Illustrated Bhagavad-Gita is an ideal introduction to the timeless Vedic literature. It contains the wisdom of how to live perfection in life, knowledge that is beneficial for everyone in every age and is easily put into practice. Please share and leave a review. Thank you.
