Mystifying Secrets Of The Gita

Just like the big book of encyclopedia which gives us the knowledge of various phenomena that take place in the world, the book of Gita gives us the knowledge of life. This knowledge not only changes the way we think and perceive but also the way we live our lives.

Bhagavad Gita: The Essence Of Life; Source: Yogi Approved

Being an Indian, samskara and Vedas have always been those two household words that either come through our grandma’s bedtime stories or spiritual shows on Doordarshan. A book covered with red cloth always finds its way near our temples or places of worship. It is not just because of its holiness but also because of the importance that it carries in the life of every human being. And as an Indian, it is nearly impossible to have never heard of this book of knowledge called Bhagavad Gita. With more than 700 verses beautifully packed in those hard-bound covers, Gita is not only a book but a way of life.

The beautiful history of Bhagavad Gita started thousands of years ago when Sage Vyasa came up to Lord Ganesha to help him write the greatest literature piece of the world. Broken tusk and unstoppable dictation are what it took to produce the Gita.

Deemed to be one of the holiest books for Hindus, Srimad Bhagavad Gita has many secrets buried underneath its beautifully written pages. The famous war of righteousness, the war of Pandavas and Kauravas, the Mahabharata - holds the secret of dharma, the path of the truth.

A confused Arjuna stood in the middle of the war, with a thought of whether he should kill his very own relatives or not. Arjuna was confused and tensed, broken, divided - which dharma should he follow? What would be the right thing to do? Kill his kins on the battlefield and be a true Kshatriya? But just then, Krishna who was pulling his chariot decided to give the confused Kshatriya who was torn and in vain, the biggest lesson of life. The lesson to not to run away from our problems but to face them with determination. This lesson, later on, formed the very essence of Arjuna’s life and Bhagavad Gita. It was not only the skills and bravery of the Pandavas that helped them win the war. It was this very lesson of Krishna that aroused a sense of confidence in them to win over every astra and shastra that came across their path.

Time flew just like the flowing wind. Satyayuga had finally come to an end and Kalyuga had entered the arena. Perhaps it was already time to make ourselves familiar with the secrets of the holy book. A realization dawned upon us that maybe we too were as frustrated and confused as the Kshatriya prince. Running away from our problems and disappointed with religion, our final peace rests with Gita.

Translations and easy-to-understand versions of Gita came up with time. Pocket-friendly Gita, audiobooks, apps, and illustrated videos, with every alternative that comes up in the market, we feel our life gets even easier.

It was the year 1908 when a famous freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak was put behind the bars. Spending six years in a caged room is quite unimaginable. But everything is possible for Tilak. While spending his at Mandalay, Burma, he decided to unravel the mysteries of Gita. With a pencil and notebook in his hand, Gangadhar started his journey towards writing one of the most complicated books of the era which later came to be known as Shrimadh Bhagavad Gita Rahasya.

The 400+ pages book written in less than four months was an in-depth analysis of Karma Yoga, which is one of the three paths in Hinduism which finds its origin from the mystifying book of Bhagavad Gita. Karma Marg is said to be the path of unselfish action, a path which is not easy to follow, but if followed, it makes your life similar to the ecstatic experience in heaven.

Gangadhar believed that the real message behind Gita is Nishkam Karmayoga or selfless action rather than Karma Sanyasa or renouncing of actions. This concept had transformed into a popular belief of Gita after Adi Shankaracharya. Tilak followed the rule of Mimamsa or critical investigation to write his book.

Little did he know back then that his book would gain so much popularity among the masses who found their path after reading the book. Many famous translations also came up which included Gita Rahasya in Bengali by Jyotirindranath Tagore and Gita Rahasya in Gujarati by Uttamlal Trivedi.

In a speech on his Gita Rahasya, Tilak said "Various commentators have put as many interpretations on the book, and surely the writer or composer could not have written or composed the book for so many interpretations being put on it. He must have but one meaning and one purpose running through the book, and that I have tried to find out".

A man in jail with a pencil and notebook in his hands could write the truth of the world. This shows that zindagi mein kuch bhi ho sakta hai. The trick lies in identifying that moment of change and then settling on a journey that would ultimately change the world.