The immortal teachings of Bagawat Gita!
Krishna teaching Arjuna in the battle field!
How to do our duties?
“Ananya Chinthayanthomam Ye Jana Parupasathe, Tesham Nityabi Yukthanam Yogakshemam Vahamyaham”. Thus promised Sri Krishna in the famous Bagawat Geetha to Arjuna in the battlefield! The verse is in Sanskrit language and the English meaning is roughly, whoever thinks about me alone, leaving all other thoughts, I look after his welfare here and hereafter! This promise he keeps irrespective of any other conditions. No other qualification is required. The mind attached to the Lord alone is sufficient to vouchsafe his protection forever! Do not think that this promise pertains to Krishna to Arjuna. This promise is for the entire mankind per se. In other words, whoever keeps his mind either in Jesus or Allah or Buddha or Zoroaster (here the form is immaterial-it is God worshipped by any name or form which alone matters). All the prayers, all the rituals reach the One God, whether he is called as Jesus or Allah or Jehovah or Buddha or Rama or Krishna or Sai!
The Bagawat Gita is more relevant in the present age. It has solutions to almost all the problems that confront mankind today. First of all, its teachings pertain to Action, Duty, Devotion and Wisdom! At what point, the Lord started teaching this great knowledge to Arjuna? It is when Arjuna was seeing his own people, his own kith and kin in the opposite side, ready to embark on the disastrous war! Yes, in every war lakhs of people perish on both sides. Arjuna was a mighty hero and warrior. He never entertained fear at any time before. But when he saw that his own grandfather, uncle, cousins, preceptor and thick friends on the opposite side, his mighty bow slid from his firm grip! Oh! What a sin I will incur after slaying my own people? What is the use of enjoying a kingdom smeared with bloodshed of relatives? I will better renounce the world and become renunciate. Krishna being the indweller of all beings could diagnose the ill that affect the mind of Arjuna. It is the strong body consciousness which made Arjuna to argue thus. This is known as ‘pure selfishness’. Krishna told him, ‘Arjuna! You have not sought the war. The war is thrust on you all by your wicked cousins. They are not ready to concede even five villages though you are all the rightful owner of the Kingdom!
Krishna taught him his legitimate duties as a warrior! Pick up the bow and fight! Keeping me in the mind, fight! You will not incur any sin. You feel that you are going to kill all your relatives. Remember that one day they have to die, whether you fight or not! Those who lay down their lives fighting go to heaven! Hence do not hinder the process! I myself went on a peace mission but the stubborn Kauravas refused peace and preferred war. Then, why should you back track?
The main thing conveyed by Krishna is “Do your duties without aspiring for the results! This is the highest teaching which is relevant even in the present age. We all embark on actions with an eye on the outcome. Krishna warns! You have got right only to perform actions and not hanker for the results! When we follow this dictum, our works will become more perfect. If we do some work with an eye on the result, the aim will distort our vision and we are bound to commit some mistakes. If you perform the work for work sake, no such weakness will arise!
