Teachings of Veda and Epics are from
age old traditions. After the Epic Age we have passed on a span of thousands of
years. Are such age old teachings becoming irrelevant day by day? Is the
discussion on such teachings becoming useless in present day context?
If we start searching proper answer
to these questions then we have to rely on the fact of the exact relationship
with which the time and philosophy move on.
Actually Philosophy and Religion never take the
support of the confluence of time. Time can even repeat itself through predetermined
actions. Philosophy never intends to influence the normal cycle of the
confluence of time. Therefore, both of these aspects of our daily life are
independent of each other and reflect themselves independently.
What happened in Epic Age and the way Lord Rama
handled the situation during that time had a deeper impact in the society
during that time. It has exhibited the value system with which a State and a
family can define their role in society. Those values are still relevant.
Advent of any change in the material world has no power of influencing the
fundamental value system with which a community leader should work.
There are millions of books and
narratives with some noble initiative available for explaining and elaborating
the propositions of teachings of Gita. Gita is relevant for both learners and
teachers. It has something to say even to a layman having less knowledge about
the mysteries hidden amidst the conversations displayed in the holy book of
Gita.
The
term Gita directly links our thinking with the conversation that took place in
between Arjuna, a Warrior from the side of Pandavas, and his friendly guide
Krishna. It was going on amidst a critical situation in which Arjuna lost his
power of finalising something justifiable to have a sanction of war and
killings. A series of killing of such type in which his beloved ones were at a
threshold was not acceptable to the warrior. Krishna took the role of his
charioteer to normalise the situation and to let Arjuna understand his own
status in a better way. The agitation, as described in the holy book of
Mahabharata, was against the stand of his own family members having intention
of grabbing all the resources by taking advantage of some conspired game-fares.
The game-fare of such type with in infliction of opportunistic ideals was moved
on differently and both the segments of a single family took a stand against
each other.
Lord
Krishna defined his stand by putting himself in the side of Pandavas with a
sheer commitment of not to use his weapon at any instances. It was his stand
that made him free from direct indulgence of the warfare and made it possible
to guard Pandavas through delivering timely relevant instruction. In this way
he has secured his position similar to that of the brain in our body.
Conversation of Krishna and Arjuna amidst the battle field was also an act of
holy instructions duly issued for Arjuna to signify his timely need. It had
linked senses with duties, established correlation between rights and duties,
issued bands of things to be done and things not to be done, entangled a spirit
with its higher source, conferred the juxtaposition of creation and the creator
and finally re-established need of knowing the self.
Madbhagvad-Gita, as the
complete term coined for the holy book, had also defined the role of divine
power in infusing values within the intellect and senses of a fellow devotee.
It has also established a perfect correlation between knowledge and devotion.
None of the paired combination alone can succeed in bringing fame.
Through all the eighteen
chapters of the holy book, Godly propositions were incorporated by saints and
philosophers who have created it for commons. It has a perpetual compilation of
various combinations of practical aspects of Yoga and Meditation. It has also
narrated the true nature of Knowledge that often receive a confluence more
confluous than that of a stream. Attainment of such knowledge is a subject of
individual apprehension and resides solely on the purity of mind.
Our discussion up to this point
has made a point clear about the nature and proposition of knowledge confluence
remaining evident amongst us since centuries with a clear impetus of
facilitating its follower for gaining an ascent through divinity and
perfectness. There exist narratives in different forms and in different
languages meant primarily to make people aware of the eternal philosophical
aspects related to teachings of Gita.
Another effort of making Gita simple, easy to
understand, more confluous to attend aspirations of people, more perpetuated to
incorporate aspirations of millions and more conferred to actualise role of
senses. Efforts may be of varying kinds to satisfy aspirations of people in
different ways out. It may have some more relevant narratives that can efficiently
link up the need of fundamental values reflected by Gita at different
instances.
Effort is also made to curtail
unwanted explanations for maintaining the flow of the vibration of thought
process intact. Discussion on any philosophical aspects should not go in a
hurry and also it should not be too slow. It should have adequate stress of
combined segments of knowledge and information to keep things enlightened and
actualised.
It will be even more perfectly
balanced to contingent human efforts of ascent towards the state of the
unification of conscious mind with that of masterly guide. Effort is also made
to encompass the segregation of individual differences from the common
philosophical knowledge to make it more people friendly and more relevant, as well
as time tested one.
Gita, in its actual sense, stands for some
sort of compilation that people can sing. It can be discussed with some
beautiful rhythmic tunes. Collective recitation of Gita brings out a collective
wave in the form of auditory vibrations for the purpose of cleansing the
immediate surroundings. It also conferred essence of collective and community
level worship for making the entire effort possible and for keeping the
converged senses of cooperation and brotherhood alive.
To a compilation of prayers and
songs meant for the supreme lord the World Poet coined a term “Gitanjali” for
it. To align the practical aspects of life and mission of an individual with
the specified spiritual destiny, Saint Vinoba coined the term “Katha Gita (Gita
through a series of stories)” and incorporated all the teachings and narratives
of Gita in absolutely friendly way. Examples are in plenty. It had not diffused
the glory of the original compilation of Gita, also had not conferred replacing
the original poetic compilation with millions of narratives. Waves of
vibrations that the chanting of Gita creates is based on the assimilation of
collective vibrations of saintly senses that makes a way out through the
surrounding of the place of worship and gives birth to an essence of keeping
the collective vibrations of cooperation, brotherhood, divine omnipresence and
interlinkages of senses alive.
We, in the same manner, can
successfully create hundreds and thousands of such narratives duly inflicted
with fundamental human values to make the spark of Gita a confluous one, a
vibrant one and a strategic one. It has enormous power of accommodations for
incorporating all sorts of socially and culturally relevant directives within
the scope of its teaching related to individual refinement impregnated with
spiritual ascent. It also makes the relationship of creator and the creation a
vibrant one. We can specify any of the particular effort as an initiative
inflicted with divine power meant for accomplishing certain works. All such
Gita, duly compiled by saintly people, are not with us. In due course of time
we have lost many of such beautiful, relevant and time tested compilations due
to various reasons. Our mind kept on imbibing presence of such powers tradition
by tradition through many of our rituals. Those graceful efforts played a
significant role in keeping waves of community worship alive.
Gita was interpreted differently by different saints
since olden times. Still we have a lot to explore from it in the true sense.
The teachings and discourses duly incorporated by Saint Veda Vyasa reflect the
teachings of Upanishads put together. Saint Vyasa wanted to incorporate all the
fundamental value system and yoga based life in a compact compilation to
provide people an ease of access to the divine knowledge.
If we correlate different scriptures and Epics side by
side then the value system duly reflected through all the propositions of
saints will reflect each other’s presence in common. We can better understand
this aspect by taking an example of idol making. We use clay for shaping it
differently to reflect our imagination and art, similarly the case is there
with Philosophy of Yoga. We can correlate Yoga with all aspects of our life. In
that sense we can even say that, “All Life is Yoga.”
This extended philosophy and belief cannot cripple our
mind and intellect. We can even, for an example, consider the life of a beggar
as a manifestation on the basis of Yoga. The beggar prepares the mind for
begging something from any individual. In failing to get anything the fellow
beggar prefers to move on further to gain a living. Ultimately the fellow
beggar surrenders himself/herself at the disposal of the almighty. Time cannot
permit us to move as per our own wishes and willingness, but philosophy can do
so. We can even align to certain principles and propositions to express our
wishes and willingness to move through such doctrines.
People maintain faith on certain principles and
rituals in which they feel themselves properly secured. Such security feelings
will give birth to a communion having identical wishes and willingness. They
even come across certain rituals to accomplish the jointly with an affinity of
exhibiting a community feelings.
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