The Story of the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita's translation by Jack Hawley was an amazing piece of Hindu Literature. This translation of the Bhagavad Gita is no different from the original piece of literature. The Bhagavad is in the perspective of a prince named Arjuna. Arjuna is about to fight in a massive war against is own kin and because they are his own kin he is extremely scared and doubtful to fight them asking himself is it right to kill my own family to reclaim my kingdom. Arjuna's chariot that is carrying him into battle is being controlled by the deity, Krishna. "Now that Arjuna has submitted himself as a pupil, Krishna transforms into His true role as the Divine Teacher. He tightens the reins in His hand, looks long into the crestfallen warrior’s eyes, and begins to speak"(Hawley 32). Krishna can sense these emotions in the distraught Arjuna. Mid battle Krishna begins to lecture Arjuna about his current emotions and encourages him to fight the battle. Krishna begins to enlighten and explain why he must fight this battle. Krishna's teachings to Arjuna are extremely interesting, motivating, and entirely based on faith. While I don't completely agree with the teachings, there is a teaching that I love in the Bhagavad Gita.
The entire theme of the the Bhagavad Gita is to become your true self and to become your true self is to become Krishna. One the biggest religious teachings in the book that I like is about Karma. Karma is the spiritual practice of performing actions for the benefits of others. While the idea itself is not complicated to think about, as anyone can think about it, it is the most realistic teaching he has in my opinion. Sometimes the most important teachings can have the most basic idea. The idea of action is always important as Arjuna couldn't act upon an important event that was about to happen. Everyday we take action to complete goals we have set for ourselves each day and if we do not act upon these duties then no one else will tell else to and we will eventually get nothing productive done. Krishna's teaching takes this to the next level. Krishna talks about taking action for the benefits of others rather than themselves. I personally love this definition as sacrificing yourself for others is the best way to show your love or care for someone. "Now pay attention while I explain a practical spiritual discipline called karma yoga for living a more effective, happier life in this vexing, ever-changing world. This is the path of selfless, God dedicated action. By making this your path you can live a spiritual life and yet stay fully active in the world. You can remain a man of action, achieving your very best, and yet not be bound or caught by the worldly"(Hawley 37). It takes an insane amount of courage to do such a thing but when it is done it is praised upon a hundred times. Krishna also talks about how performing actions with nothing else in mind but to appease or become Krishna is the best way to perform to reach peace, or Krishna. I am constantly working as a worker, student, and brother. The thought of not doing anything and when I go through with something regret is not me and this lesson really resonated with me the most. Another lesson is about meditating and self control. "Those with agitated, uncontrolled minds cannot even guess that the Atma is present here within. Without quietness, where is meditation? Without meditation, where is peace? Without peace, where is happiness?"(Hawley 43). Self control is always important and maintaining self control can help perform better as having certain emotions can blind you from true thought or performing your action correctly.
The Bhagavad Gita is an extremely interesting piece of literature and has inspired many people like Ghandi who has helped other people and their community. I don't personally agree with it but I find it interesting and I find one of the lessons to really resonate with me and that is Karma. Besides that lesson there are lessons that might resonate with you. I'm not particularly fond of religion in general but the lesson and morals of most religions can be applied to real life and I find that intriguing as some of the lessons on the books can be used for everyday life.
Works Cited
Admin. “How Do I Lead My Life According to the Bhagavad Gita in the Current World?” Bhagvad Geeta, 15 Sept. 2020, https://gitasanjeevani.com/gita-articles/how-do-i-lead-my-life-according-to-the-bhagavad-gita-in-the-current-world/.
Bhagavatam, Srimad. “Krishna and Arjuna.” The Complete Lectures of Atmatattva Das: Discourses on Vedic Wisdom, 13 Apr. 2015, https://www.atmatattva.com/bhagavad-gita-study-course/krishna-arjuna/.
Hawley, Jack. The Bhagavad Gita A Walkthrough for Westerners. New World Library, 2011.
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