Why Study the Gita?
by Swami Dayananda SaraswatiGita-sugita kartavya
kim anyaih sastra-vistaraihPraising the Bhagavadgita, this verse says that the Gita has to be studied well, gita-sugita kartavya; what will you gain by studying other books in detail, kim anyaih sastra-vistaraih? This verse presents the Gita as a book to be studied, a book containing everything that one has to know through the scriptures [Vedas]. It doesn't belittle the efficacy or the necessity of studying other scriptural books; it only points out that the study of the Gita amounts to the study of other scriptures.
The source books of the spiritual wisdom [of India] are the four Vedas: rig-veda, yajur-veda, sama-veda, and atharva-veda. The vedas are fulfilled in the last portion called Vedanta or Upanishads. Another famous Sanskrit verse likens these Upanishads to a cow and the Gita becomes the cow's milk: sarvopanisadogavah, dogdha gopala-nandanah partho vatsah sudhibhokta dughdham gitamrtam mahat. The Gita, the milk, is milked by Lord Krishna himself, who is presented as an avatar of the Lord in the Mahabharata and in the Bhagavata. He is the one who is teaching the Gita to Arjuna. Arjuna serves as the calf to whom the milk, the message of the Gita, is given.
What Constitutes a Scripture?
A scripture is something that has a message with a lasting, universal value. What is relevant now, may not be relevant later; nor may it have been relevant before. A scripture's message should be relevant to me as an individual and to you; it should be relevant to anyone at any time and place. Only when a message addresses certain problems that are always there for a human deing does it have lasting relevance. Because the Vedas and the Gita have that kind of a message, they are a scripture.
The Gita Contains Two Main Topics
The Gita is recognized and highly respected by the scholars and the devoted lay public in India because of its two main topics: yoga-sastra and brahma-vidya. Together they form the body of knowledge which is very important for every individual.
Yoga-sastra
The knowledge meant to make a person mature as an individual is called yoga-sastra. A mature individual is one who is free from conflicts, fear, agitation, guilt, and hurt.
Brahma-vidya
Brahma-vidya is knowledge of the whole, the knowledge that liberates a person. A person who has become mature by yoga has something more to accomplish - total freedom, generally called moksha. To know Brahman is to know the truth of oneself as the whole, as complete. The discovery of this fact frees you from all sense of limitation and isolation.
So the first message of the Gita, yoga-sastra, helps you to gain maturity as a person, as an individual. It helps one to become relatively composed, tranquil, alert and free - in short, a cheerful person. You are then fit to gain brahma-vidya, knowledge that you are the whole, knowledge that frees you from the notion of being a small, limited, mortal being. These two topics of the Gita, which form the very essence of all four Vedas, make the Gita a scripture with a message that is relevant for everyone.
The Context of the Gita
The Gita itself is set in a battlefield, not in the Himalayas, or in a forest. Arjuna is face-to-face with a problem born of conflict between his familial affections and the call of duty. On one side, it seems to be necessary for him to perform his duty, which is to fight the war. Then, there is another equally powerful pull - his affection for his family and teachers and his own self respect, which conflict with the concept of duty. Caught betwen the horns of duty and affection, Arjuna is confused as he stands between the two forces on the battlefield.
The battle has been declared because Duryodhana has usurped the kingdom. The rightful rulers were the Pandavas, Arjuna and his four brothers, who had been in exile for thirteen years. When they returned to claim the kingdom back as it was promised, Duryodhana who had enjoyed absolute power didn't want to give up the kingdom.
The Pandavas had tried to avoid a war by asking Krishna to act as a mediator. Krishna went to Duryodhana to work out a solution that both parties would be happy with. Duryodhana wouldn't give the kingdom back nor even share the kingdom with the Pandavas. He would not give a district, a county, a village with five houses, nor a house with five rooms; not even a square inch of land would he give. He said, "Let them either go back into the forest or meet me in the battlefield." Thus, Krishna's attempt to negotiate had failed and there was no way of avoiding war. Arjuna and his brothers were supposed to be the rulers; Duryodhana, their cousin, was occupying the kingdom improperly. Arjuna, who was considered the greatest archer of the time, was now called upon to fight to uphold dharma.
Given this situation, the Gita opens. Arjuna is seated in a chariot driven by Lord Krishna and drawn by white horses. He has been waiting for this day to settle his account with Duryodhana. Duryodhana had wronged him in a number of incidents throughout his life, but he could do nothing. Now the day has come. Arjuna is a flame of fury and he wants to know, "In this battlefiled, who are the people with whom I should fight?" He asks Krishna to place the chariot between the two forces.
Arjuna's Conflict
When Arjuna looked, he found highly respected people like Drona, his own teacher, Bhishma, his grandfather, and many relatives and acquaintances with whom he had to fight. He said, "What is the use of fighting all these people? Without killing them, I'm not going to get the kingdom back. And what is the use of getting the kingdom back by destroying the people in whose company I would be happy?" Arjuna saw that in war nobody is a winner. "I don't care for the kingdom, nor am I interested in royal comforts. I don't see anything to be gained by the war. I see a black, dark future; therefore, I'm not interested in this fight." Arjuna gave up his bow and arrows. Then, Krishna spoke to Arjuna to enthuse him, urging him to do his duty.
Arjuna becomes a Sisya
While caught between the call of duty and his emotions, Arjuna begins to appreciate a fundamental problem, the problem of a human being. That problem takes posession of his mind and he wants to find a solution. Finding a teacher in Lord Krishna, he presents himself to Krishna as a Sisya, a disciple. Arjuna was always a devotee, but not a sisya; he finds himself a sisya on the battlefield. Lord Krishna accepts Arjuna as a disciple and teaches him in the succeeding 17 chapers of the Gita.
Throughout the Gita the yoga-sastra is given; telling one the ways and means to be a mature person free from conflicts, fear, hurt, and guilt. Along with the yoga message is the brahma-vidya, knowledge of the reality of yourself being the essence of everything, your being the whole. The Gita has all that is to be learned from the four Vedas, which are a vast literature. Therefore, the Gita has to be studied, and if it is understood well, everything is well understood.
Several Bhagavad Gita Home Study Groups are at present meeting at regular frequency and studying the teaching material prepared by Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati. To join an ongoing study group click here. If you are a member of a Bhagvad Gita Study group and would like to join an online forum click here.
In getting a group started, if you already have at least 4-5 people interested, that is a good start; 6-10 would be ideal. But even if only two of you want to start, consider it a good beginning. Let your friends know about your starting a group and ask them to spread the word.
By choice of the participants, the groups usually begin to meet every other week for one and a half to two hours. At some point you may choose to meet once a week.
Your group may decide to meet at one person’s home regularly or to rotate from home to home. Keep in mind it is best to meet at relatively convenient locations. If rotating from home to home, each host can be the moderator for that session. If you choose to meet in one home regularly, still the leadership can rotate amongst all of you. In the case that anyone is for any reason not comfortable to lead, then of course do not insist. There is no hard and fast rule about this.
It is easiest to make it clear to participants at the outset, even before they join the group, that the content and format of the meetings are based on The Gita Home Study Course authored by Swami Dayananda Saraswati and based on the Sankara’s Bhasya. Explain that it is a methodical class-like unfoldment of the material and not intended to be a comparative study where participants bring their own Gita.
It is highly recommended by Pujya Swamiji that each group start with the introduction when it meets for the first time. The introduction itself contains a wealth of insights about how the Gita is to be approached and how the study can best proceed.
In keeping with the tradition the group follows a format of beginning with prayers, usually the Gita Dhyana Slokas . The moderator, at the beginning of the class provides a brief summary of what was covered in the previous meeting. Each participant reads one topic or one page, and discussions as needed can take place in between. Ideally the group will blossom into a family-like support group where all will feel equally comfortable to question and discuss freely.
Gita is a pertinent text to be viewed in terms of life-problems and as such, discussions and questions including issues from people’s daily lives can be beneficial to all participants. However, to stay focused, it is best to have a sense of proportion in not letting the discussions wander off the theme at hand.
It is important to begin and end the study group meetings on time. Food can be served at the end of the class and should the meeting times necessitate people coming to the class straight from work, then light snacks can be provided before the class.
It is also highly beneficial to hold a simultaneous Vedic Heritage Program for the children if the need is there. One of the parents can teach the class with the help of the Vedic Heritage Teaching manuals. Having a babysitter who can keep the children constructively engaged during the duration of the sessions is also another option.
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