The great
epic Mahabharata has many versions to it. It has been told and retold throughout the
history of mankind. Similarly, decoding Bhagavadgita too has been attempted by
a numerous people. It was told by Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield. Sanjay
through his divine sight told what he saw to Dritharashtra. Since this is part
of Mahabharata, Vyasa told this to all. Or Lord Ganesha put it in written format
as he heard from Vyasa. This can go on but what is important is the message of
the Gita. The circumstance was the highly skilled warrior Arjuna had got into a dilemma in the middle of the battlefield. Krishna succeeded in convincing him to pursue the war
through his message which became a foundation stone for survival and revival of the Hindu religion since time unknown. From Adi Shankara to Swami Vivekananda have
their own interpretations of the Gita. So is author of this book too, so he
names this book “My Gita”. This is not a verse to verse translation or
commentary like the majority of the books handle the subject but to explain the
underlying themes to modern audience who do not have a deeper understanding of
Hinduism and Vedanta or similar subject lines.
It has
eighteen chapters to cover, each explaining a theme in a simple language with
lots of charts, figures, decision tree, and flow diagrams etc. which help the reader
to get the concept and logic right. I am giving the names of the first five
chapters here which would help the reader to understand how it is arranged.
Chapters:
- You and I do not have to judge
- You and I have been here before
- You and I experience life differently
- You and I seek meaning
- You and I have to face consequences
So goes the
flow. There are enough examples (mostly taken from Mahabharata, Ramayana and
Purana) to explain each theme in detail. For those who agree with the Gita, it
can offer a great relief from mental trauma. Since we do not have to judge, and
cannot control the outcome of our actions, we are neither the cause or the
source of grief. We are responsible only for our actions but not the results. It
also restricts from taking the wrong path too. Since it says we have to face
the consequences of our actions in this life or next (though we may not remember
of our previous life in the next birth), one needs to acquire good Karma
through their actions to earn a better life. Until the soul is cleansed clean, birth-death cycle continues. It can be viewed either as a great philosophy or as a
nice brain wash. I am not sure if this is a message of the God or creation of a
human intellect, but I see great efforts in putting this together in explaining
the whole life and things beyond it, in a logical way. Hindu’s believe this the
rock bed of their religion and for right reasons. Earlier I was thinking it does
not matter if you have read Gita or not but not anymore. Now I believe and
suggest everyone to read Gita, irrespective of whether they are Hindu’s or
Indians. This is meant for those seeking the meaning of the life.
Gita would answer most (or all) of your questions and take away the burden of
emotional stress, if you had any. You neither brought any thing to this world
nor take it away. You can make cosmetic changes in this world but the spiritual
aspects would never alter and is not affected by time. So the message of the Gita
had remained same from time immemorial and would remain so forever, though interpretations may acquire different forms.
Devdutt
Pattnaik is a popular author and a columnist. He demystifies mythology and
brings forward the message hidden in them in an appreciable manner. I have been
reading his columns for many years and reading this book of his did really help
to improve my understanding of the Gita. Now I believe synthesis of two great
epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata along with the Gita would open the doors to
the spiritual world. They are the essence of all Veda and Upanishads but in the
form of stories.
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