The Gita and Lord Krishna’s teachings — Babul Tamuli

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

The Gita and Lord Krishna’s  teachings
— Babul  Tamuli

The advent  of Lord Krishna as an incarnated person about 5,000 years ago was the most  significant event in the socio-religious history of the country. Krishna was the  legendary hero of Indian culture and literature. His affectionate behaviour,  adventurous acts, magnetic personality and lovable nature attracted thousands of  people since the time of the Mahabharata. He was the nerve of the spiritual life  of every Indian. A thinker, philosopher and social reformer, he was a symbol of  peace and harmony. A scholar par excellence, his valuable teachings called the  Srimadbhagavat Gita is now regarded as one of the greatest epics in world  literature.

Gita is a classic in Vedantic philosophy that explains the  meaning of life and its transitoriness. The teachings of Lord Krishna to his  desperate friend Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra were collected in the form  of the Gita. Every verse of the book gives clue to the path of complete  salvation. According to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘it is a poem of crisis, of  political and social crisis and even more so, of crisis in the spirit of  man.’

Lord Krishna was the focal point in the great battle of Kurukshetra  fought between the Kaurava and the Pandava brothers. Though he did not hold arms  in the war, ut he played a pivotal role in the great war of of Mahabharata.  Assisting Arjuna, the third Pandava brother as his charioteer, he led them to  the path of victory. Facing his enemies who were his brothers, uncles,  relatives, forefather and even his respected teacher, Arjuna broke down and  threw away his arms. He requested his charioteer Krishna to pull away his  chariot from the battlefield. Lord Krishna then encouraged depressed Arjuna and  convinced him to take up arms against his enemies. Citing examples from the  Vedas, the Upanisadas and the Puranas, he explained that the people standing  against him were not his relatives but enemies as he met them at the  battlefield. So as a warrior it was his primary duty to fight against them and  kill his enemies to establish truth in the world.

Lord Krishna was an  epitome of knowledge, truth, beauty and peace. In the Gita, he explained various  aspects of life, duty and responsibility of man and divinity of soul. He  reminded Arjuna about the hollowness of human life. According to him, dutiful  life is a meaningful life. Therefore, he advised Arjuna to do his duty without  any attachment to the fruits.

The Gita is a part of the Mahabharata  included in the ‘Bhishma Parva’ of the great Indian epic. But it has its own  identity directly, not related to the main story of the Mahabharata. Many  scholars regard it as a supplementary addition to the Mahabharata added later  part of its composition. It is an epic within an epic with its own style of  diction and narration. It is a spontaneous syncretisation of Vedantic philosophy  giving detail of human character and existentialism. Divided into 18 chapters,  the Gita contains 700 verses in Sanskrit. Each chapter of the book is called  ‘yoga’ meaning meditation.

A great scholar, poet and philosopher, the  teachings of Lord Krishna gave man the path of ultimate peace. Every verses of  the Gita in its lyrical form bring the message of peace to a troubled soul. In  the second chapter of the Gita called ‘Sankhya Yoga’, Lord Krishna explained the  morality of human body and divinity of soul. When a man dies, soul which is  immortal changes a body as we change old clothes when they are torn. So, not  bothering about killing his kith and kin, Krishna advised Arjuna to kill all who  thronged Kurukshetra against him.

Krishna was the architect of ‘dharma’  and savior of mankind. He is considered to be the eighth incarnation of Lord  Vishnu. He had come to this world to establish peace and truth. In fourth  chapter of the Gita called ‘Jnana Yoja’, Krishna told Arjuna that when truth is  in peril, he takes birth in this world to defend it by punishing the blasphemy.  He is the supreme power and root of this materialistic world. He is omnipotent  and omnipresent. He is the vital force behind all energies. The universe  comprising the sun, the moon, the sky, air, water and earth all follow his  dictate. He is the creator of all creatures and also their destroyer. At last  Lord Krishna showed Arjuna his universal image called ‘Vishwaroopa’. The port  gave a vivid description of this mystic image of Lord Krishna in the 11th  chapter of the Srimadbhagavat Gita.

The Gita is a classic composition in  Indian literature. Spreading the message of peace since the day of inception, it  established the supremacy of truth. It provides succour to a restless soul and  peace to a troubled mind. It is a source of abundant joy shrouded in mystery and  light. Lucid explanation of its verses often solve many complicated problems of  human life. Praising its beauty and deep sense of philosophy, Mahatma Gandhi  wrote, ‘When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I  see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavat Gita and find a verse  to comfort me and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming  sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meaning  from it everyday’.
       
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