The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita

 Many in the public sphere who are not Hindu have spoken about the Bhagavad Gita, and for most non-Hindus this is the most famous Hindu scripture. I am happy that these folks have given our faith greater exposure, but I am not happy that they are spreading disinformation. That said, I will take this opportunity to provide some clarification.

 Many in the current space of what I can best describe as “alien speculation”, namely David Childress and others on the show ‘Ancient Aliens’ and Billy Carson refer to tales of supernatural beings using mind-blowing technology in seemingly magical ways in the Bhagavad Gita. Such stories do exist in broader Hinduism, however they are not in the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is a very small part of a larger epic called the Mahabharat, and the Gita is found in book six of eighteen.

 In the Mahabharat, a grand war rages in India, where royal cousins are pitted against each other, and our hero, Arjun, rides into battle with Lord Krishna as his charioteer. As he prepares for battle, he is seized with dread about killing his own cousins, evil though they may be. Krisna’s counsel to Arjun in the time of war, encouraging him to take a much more big picture view of human life, and to abandon petty and fickle desire for firm and fixed focus on worthy goals.

 Oppenheimer who said, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” quotes the Gita 11:32 which states,

 “I am the passage of time itself, which will destroy the world, and even without you, all of these warriors will cease to exist.”

 Based on the man’s rather haggard face and tone of voice when he said this, and the subsequent public framing of said quote, it is quite clear that neither Oppenheimer nor a lot of these loudmouths who like to talk about the Gita without being Hindu don’t know jack shit. So let us pull a Tamasomā Jyotir Gamaya and move from darkness into light.

 Ø  Note for the postcast version: I only include exact scriptural reference in the blog now, to optimize the flow of the podcast while maintaining authoritative references, when and where applicable.

 Duty and Self-Discipline

 The overarching theme of the Gita is emotional equanimity, duty, and self-discipline as a path to Supreme Consciousness.

 Contacts with matter make us feel heat and cold, pleasure and pain. You must learn to endure fleeting things – they come and go! When these cannot torment a man, when suffering and joy are equal for him and he has courage, he is fit for immortality. – 2:14-15

 This is not to say that we should become jaded and listless or not feel emotions. If not pleasure and pain, and we are to perform action, then what should be our motivating force? Sri Krishna goes on to explain that the focus of our action should be our duty, or Dharma:

 Perform actions, firm in discipline, relinquishing attachment; be impartial to failure and success – this equanimity is called discipline. – 2:48

 When your understanding turns from sacred lore to standing fixed, immovable in contemplation, then you will reach discipline. – 2:53

 Action imprisons the world unless it is done as sacrifice; freed from attachment, perform action as sacrifice! – 3:9

 Actions should be done by relinquishing to me attachment and the fruit of action – this is my decision. – 18:6

 If one performs prescribed action because it must be done, relinquishing attachment and the fruit, his relinquishment is a benefic act. He is equally willing to perform menial tasks and take on important roles; in his lucidity the releaser is wise and resolute. – 18:10

 When we perform actions, we should be in a firm, fixed, and resolute state, experiencing pain and pleasure and expressing emotion externally, while perfectly balanced and stable in body, mind, and emotion. Instead of focusing on our personal desires or aversions, the Lord advises us to focus our mind on our Duty alone and offer the time and energy we pour into our actions to Him. And how should we find the strength to be swayed neither by reward nor punishment? By connecting permanently to the bliss within:

 When a man finds delight within himself and feels inner joy and pure contentment in himself, there is nothing more to be done. – 3:17

 Since he knows that discipline means unbinding the bonds of suffering, he should practice it resolutely, without despair dulling his reason. – 6:23

 The man who [truly] knows my power and my discipline becomes armed [himself] with unwavering discipline; in this there is no doubt. – 10:7

 Sri Krishna describes discipline, the yoga practice of self-discipline, as the method to move from lasting suffering to lasting ecstasy. The same is symbolized by the Goddess Chamunda who destroys “Chanda” or excessive passion that leads to extreme indulgence, and “Munda”, or laziness, sadness, inertia, and apathy that prevent progress. The optimal path is one of balance and discipline.

 Take the Good with the Bad

 Seeing the fangs protruding from your mouths like the fires of time, I lose my bearings and I find no refuge. – 11:25

 You lick at the worlds around you, devouring them with flaming mouths, and your terrible fires scorch the entire universe, filling it with violent rays. – 11:30

 All of the bad and ugly things in the universe are here due to the Divine Will of Ishwara along with the good and beautiful ones, so while it is good to fight against them if you feel a natural inclination to do so, you should do it as an offering to the Supreme Lord, and accepting all creation with peace in your heart, even if there are things we have yet to comprehend.

 You Can Do it All by Yourself

Just as one sun illumines this entire world, so the master of the field illumines the entire field. – 13:33

 While we know that we as human beings are social animals by design, and that solitary confinement has been scientifically shown to break everyone eventually, beyond the basics of addressing your survival, you do not need any other human beings to advance yourself spiritually, gurus or otherwise. It is good to seek out teachers if you are thirsty for knowledge, and it is our custom to bow at or touch the feet of religious teachers, but you do not have worship other human beings, say what they will. Many have tried to push this false narrative because without it, they would have to get real jobs. Lord Krishna is fit for worship, jokers on earth who call themselves “Guru” are not. Big difference. Don’t be fooled by the jokers. Have faith in yourself, have faith in Sri Krishna, and move forward with confidence into success.

On Warfare

Your resolve is futile if a sense of individuality makes you think that you will not fight – in the end, your nature will compel you to. You are bound by your own action, intrinsic to your being; even against your will you must do what delusion now makes you refuse. – 18:59-60

 When one is free of individuality and his understanding pure, even if he kills the body of enemies, he knows that he does not kill the Immortal Soul within, and he is not bound. – 18:17

 People will tell of your undying shame, and for a man of honor shame is worse than death. – 2:34

 Meditation Technique

Keep the body, head, and neck aligned, immobile and steady. Gaze at the tip of your nose, and do not let your glance wander. Sit with discipline, thought fixed on me, intent on me. – 6:13