This Year we have decided to write about Bhagvad Geeta in the Bhajan newsletter every month instead of about festivals. We will be seeking help to include write ups about various passages from the Geeta in simple language from some of our more knowledgeable and articulate members. We must note that Bhagavad Gita was written at a time when society was not egalitarian. So when we read Bhagvad Gita we must try to apply that wisdom to our egalitarian and modern society. We need to interpret it to suit our present day that is simple and practical. That is the beauty of our faith which lets us evolve with time and wisdom.

We will include a write up on introduction to Bhagavad Geeta.

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita

Shrimad literally means 'beautiful, glorious'. Bhagavad means 'divine one' and Gita is 'song'. Shrimad Bhagavad Gita therefore means 'beautiful song of the divine one'.

Popularly known as the Gita, it is believed to be part of the smritis. The poem consists of 18 chapters divided into three sections of six chapters each, and contains about 700 verses. It is believed to have been composed around 300 AD by an unknown Brahmin <http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/brahmin.htm> . However, its authorship, or its revision, is sometimes ascribed to Shankaracharya.

Although now considered part of the Mahabharata, it was composed later, and therefore added to the epic later.

The poem is in the form of a dialogue between two major characters in the Mahabharata: Arjuna and Krishna. Just before the epic battle at Kurukshetra, Arjuna asks Krishna, his charioteer, to take his chariot forward to enable him to size up the opposition. When he looks at them, he sees that their army consists of his cousins, uncles, gurus, and others whom he reveres. Arjuna is suddenly struck with remorse at the thought of attempting to gain the kingdom by killing his kinsmen. He tells Krishna that he cannot fight them. Krishna tells him that a warrior's duty is to fight and not question the wisdom of war. Everyone born is destined to die, but it is God or destiny that destroys. The slayer is only an instrument in the hands of God or destiny. Krishna's advice and guidance to Arjuna constitute the text of the Gita.

The first section deals with Karma Yoga or the philosophy of action. Nishkama karma, or an action performed without thought for any compensation and without fear of the consequences, is the central teaching of this section. It explains that one must perform one's karma, which is decided at birth depending on which caste one is born into. A Brahmin's <http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/brahmin.htm> duty is upholding righteousness, a Kshatriya'</u></a>s is protection, a <http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/khatriya.htm> Vaishya's <http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/vaishya.htm> , agriculture and trade, and a Shudra's <http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/shudra.htm> , service.

*** (note: The above caste based distinction should not be relevant to our modern society and one must not get hung up on that, how ever the wisdom of doing one’s duty still holds)

The second section considers Gyana Yoga or the philosophy of knowledge. It teaches that although good work is important, most of one's time should be devoted to attaining knowledge of the Supreme. It says that knowledge dispels delusion, destroys sin, and purifies the one who attains it.

The third section, Bhakti Yoga

<http://www.gurjari.net/ico/mystica/html/yoga.htm> , explains the philosophy of devotion. This portion of the Gita teaches that every form of worship, even if apparently crude is a stepping stone towards a higher form and therefore should be respected. Different forms of worship are compared to different roads that lead to the same destination.

The philosophy behind the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, therefore, is:

not mere knowledge, nor mere action, but action with perfect knowledge, without any desire for its fruit and consecrated to God.

A philosophical work on the meaning of duty, the Gita has been translated into almost all the languages in the world, and is the second most-widely translated book after the Bible. Most literate families have a copy of the Gita at home, while those who are not formally educated are still well versed in this scripture and can quote liberally from it.