[intro] For billions of people around the world, Bhagawad Gita is the biggest source of inspiration, wisdom and joy. What is the connection between the Gita and the Margasira month starting December 12th ? A message of great spiritual significance.[/intro]
All of us adore with reverence Lord Krishna.It is very difficult to comprehend and understand His multi-faceted personality. One simple reading of Mahabharata or Bhagawad Gita is not sufficient to understand his Maya and his divine power. In the great Bhagawad Gita he declared that Margasira Masaam is nothing but Him. Margasira month begins on 12th December 2015 and ends on 10th January 2016 in the current Telugu calendar year. Most of us spend our time in mundane affairs of the life and spend little on understanding our existence in spiritual context. This message is an attempt to bring the Lord Krishna to your hearts.
Let us understand the Gita, a great composition rendered by GOD himself for the benefit of human race. It explains in great detail the purpose of our existence. According to Swami Vivekananda, the message of Gita is
“BE FEARLESS ”
Klaibyam Masmagamiah Partha Naithatva upapadyate
Kshudram hridaya dourbalyam twakthothista parantapa
(Second Chapter 3rd sloka)
If one reads this one sloka he gets all the merits of reading the entire Gita: for this one sloka lies imbedded the whole message of Gita. Let us understand the feelings of saintly political leader Shri Mahatma Gandhiji on Bhagawad Gita.
“When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon I turn to Bhagawad Gita, and find a verse to comfort me and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of external tragedies and if they had not left any visible and indelible effect on me I owe it to the teachings of Bhagawad Gita.”
Swami Vivekananda further opined on Gita:
“Truths beautifully arranged together in their proper places like a fine garland or bouquet of choicest flowers.”
If you have not read Gita till now, the time has come that you should immediately buy Gita and start understanding its enormous spiritual power. Don’t lose any time. One life may not be adequate to comprehend Gita. Several international universities have included Gita as one of the key reading material to understand the nuances of life. We are born in a Karma Bhoomi and it is our bounden duty to read and try to follow the principles laid down by God Himself for the benefit of human race. It is your duty to make others who are ignorant of this great work to understand its importance.
The Gita is the record of Lord Krishna’s teaching to Arjuna at the beginning of the Mahabharata war. It deals with life as a whole and teaches the various principles and facts of the ultimate truth and all the practical methods of realizing that truth. The Lord describes the woes and worries of human life and points out the ways by which they can be transcended. He states the real goal of all beings and recommends all possible methods for individuals to choose a suitable one and achieve success.
The teaching of Dharma is not an isolated exercise. It involves all aspects of Dharma and they are so closely related to one another, that they can never be exclusively treated and understood. There is nothing compartmental in spiritual life. All aspects of truth to which dharma leads, are complimentary. That is why the Lord had to teach all aspects to make Arjuna understand his duty.
The Gita gives us saving knowledge, which is a natural synthesis of all points of view. Human life is both temporary and unhappy. Man is given birth here to afford him an opportunity to strive to acquire saving knowledge which removes his limitations and secures eternal life of joy and peace.
The Gita puts faith in God as the first condition, which informs, sustains feelings and emotions of a man. The seeker of eternal life has to sit at the feet of God realized souls and learn with humility and service, earnestness and determination, the meaning, nature and function of God. The more a man loves God, the more he knows about Him. This process goes on till perfection is reached. Therefore faith in and love of God is the first principle. But mere faith is not enough according to Gita. Action must show one’s faith. But action by itself has no sense. The motive behind the action is important. All actions give results which bind the doer; so long as action is binding, it cannot lead to God realization. The Lord Krishna gives the secret of action to Arjuna. If the secret is known, action and its results will not bind: on the other hand, it leads to the attainment of salvation. The action of the seeker of salvation must be based on Swadharma, one’s duty, and the doer has to dedicate the action to God with no desire for the fruit of action. Karma is blind action; and Karma Yoga is true service to God and hence secures freedom from all sorrow. Thus karma or action is bondage; Karma Yoga or action knowing its secret is salvation. This is the greatest art of living which directly leads to immortality.
Jnana yoga or the secret knowledge will give redemption from all sorrow. It is intimately connected with devotion and action. It is knowledge of God that unlocks the secret of action, as well as devotion. In devotion, faith is based on knowledge about the nature of God and again the secret of action is based on the knowledge of God to whom it has to be dedicated. Thus the Bhagawad Gita is a teaching which elevates all humans without any distinction of race, religion or nation. It saves humans from the sorrow of repeated suffering from the limitations and woes of birth and death in this world.
Lord Krishna declared that “whosoever seeks to worship me with single-minded devotion and maintain it in all conditions, I promise to accept their responsibility for their safety and welfare”. When our call is pure, the Lord’s response will ever be prompt. We have to do our part i.e. offering of our heart to God and there will never be failure of response from God.
It is open to all people to approach God, either for relief from any distress or for fulfillment of some earthly desires. There is nothing wrong to go to God for the help of any kind. The whole universe is under God’s government. God works according to a law of His own based upon his perfect and absolute wisdom in which there can never be a flaw. Therefore, whatever God does, must be just, though we may not know how or why it is so. God will manipulate things in such a way that his devotees are duly rewarded. For the welfare of his devotees there is nothing which God cannot or will not do.
Now let us understand : How do we make our life more joyful, peaceful, and meaningful?
• Try to speak truth to the extent possible. When you have difficulty in expressing truth under exceptional circumstances try to be silent.
• Don’t expect others to be like you as you are not like what others expect.
• Don’t postpone things what you can do today.
• Serving the needy will make humans dearer to GOD
• Be charitable to the extent possible from the beginning of your life. Don’t ever say that you will do it after you attain a particular age or particular level of income. Maya will never allow us to do good things unless we have extraordinary self determination.
• Try to give up habits which will not do any good to you
• Have discipline and conduct self imposed tests
• Try to control your “Indriyams” (senses)
• Don’t be arrogant by looking at your materialistic gains. Be pitiful for your spiritual failures.
• Do your duty. It may be to yourself, your family, friends, relatives or society in general
• Try to kill anger, jealousy, selfishness, vengeance and all other evil qualities. Don’t try to assume the role of a judge. God never allowed you to become a judge. Do your karma and results are his responsibility. Don’t even wait for results.
Conclusion:
As explained Margasira Masaam is an embodiment of Lord Krishna. Take this opportunity and read Bhagawad Gita at least once in this month. Try to visit as many times as possible temples of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations. Be kind to fellow humans. Help the needy and attain the pleasure of God. Every step of you in this direction will make you dearer to Almighty GOD. The purpose of your life will be achieved.
SARVE JANA SUKHINOBHAVANTU
