The Bhagavad-Gita Gita is the most important scripture in Hinduism. We cannot reach god without knowing the scripture. This is why all religion in the world has scriptures. As you may know that the Vedas is the foundation of Hinduism. However, the language of the Vedas is very difficult to understand because the Sanskrit language written in the Vedas is different from today’s Sanskrit. This is why Sri Veda Vyas Ji reveals the Upanishad, which is the essence of the Vedas.
Also Synopsis content of the Vedas is called Vedanta & is also called Brahma Sutra, which is also written by Sri Veda Vyas Ji. Sarvo Upanishado-Gavoe Dug-dha Gopaul-Ah-Nandana.
The Upanishad is compared with the cow, Lord Krishna is the milkier of the cow & Arjuna is the enjoyer of the milk & Sri Mad Bhagavad-Gita is the milk.
Mahabhaarata is one of the greatest Indian epics . It was written by sage Vyasa . It contains Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, in the battlefield wherein Krishna helps to resolve Arjuna's mental conflicts and urges him to fight the war. This is narrated by Sanjaya to the blind king Dhritarashtra and begins with a question by Dhritarashtra seeking to know how Arjuna who had laid down his arms, was convinced to fight.
Arjuna's doubts are doubts that face every generation and so the lessons of the Gita are as applicable in this day and age as they were centuries ago. The Gita unfolds a way of life that helps us to be socially more productive and individually more balanced and tranquil and following which we can pursue life at peace with ourselves. It is a scriptural guide that can give direction to our lives irrespective of us whoever we are and whatever our problem is and transcends the man made, self imposed boundaries of caste, creed and religion.
What is the greatness of the Gita ?
The Mahabharata says "sarva shaastramayii giitaa" meaning that the Gita comprises all the scriptures. Sage Vyaasa has said that the Gita alone should be sung, heard and assimilated and there is no use of any other scripture when one has the Gita because it has originated from the lips of the Lord Himself in the following words.
giitaa sugiitaa kartavyaa kimanyaiH shaastrasaMgrahaiH
yaa svayaM padmanaabhasya mukhapadmaadvinissR^itaa
Gita mahaatmyam or the Glory of Gita is hence unlimited and beyond description. It contains the essence of all the four vedas and yet its style is so simple that after a little study, anyone can easily follow the structure of the words. Yet.. it is so profound that even a life long study may not reveal the depth of meaning. As a reader grows in maturity, the same words reveal more and more facets of thought and hence the Gita remains eternally new.The Lord Himself says in the varaahapuraaNaa,
giitaashraye.ahaM tishhThaami giitaa me chottamaM gR^iham.h
giitaaGYaanamupaashritya trii.nllokaan.h paalayaamyaham.h
In this Sloka, the Lord says that He has made Gita his abode and maintains the three worlds on the strength of the wisdom contained in the Gita.
The Bhagavad Gita has lessons for the young and old of any caste, creed and religion and teaches the technique of perfect living.
In Essence:
All is one and one is all.
Himself as in all beings,
And all beings in himself
Sees he whose self is disciplined in discipline,
Who sees the same in all things.
Who sees Me in all,
And sees all in Me,
For him I am not lost,
And he is not lost for me.
Whoso reveres me as abiding in all things,
adopting the belief in oneness,
though abiding in any possible condition,
that disciplined man abides in Me.
[vi. 29-31]
God is indescribable radiance and power.
If the light of a thousand suns
should suddenly burst forth in the sky
it would be like the light
of that exalted one.
The whole world there united,
And divided many-fold,
the son of Pandu then
beheld in the God of Gods' body
"A mass of radiance, glowing on all sides,
I see Thee, hard to look at, on every side
With the glory of flaming fire and sun, immeasurable.
"Without beginning, middle or end, of infinite power,
of infinite arms, whose eyes are the moon and sun,
I see thee, whose face is flaming fire,
Burning this whole universe with Thy radiance."
[xi.12-19]
God is source, and maintainer of the universe.
My higher nature know:
It is the Life, great-armed one,
By which this world is maintained.
Beings spring from it,
All of them, be assured,
Of the whole world I am
The origin and dissolution too.
On Me all this (universe) is strung,
Like heaps of pearls on a string.
[vii.5-7]
Taking as base my own material-nature
I send forth again and again
This whole host of beings.
[ix.8]
Whatsoever of all beings
Is the seed, that am I, Arjuna;
There is none such as could be without
Me, no being moving or unmoving.
[x.39]
God is the beginning and end. Cosmic cycles.
I am death that carries off all,
And the origin of things that are to be.
[x.34]
All beings, son of Kunti,
Pass into my material nature
At the end of a world-aeon; them again
I send forth at the beginning of a new world-aeon.
[ix.7]
God is in everything. God is the central quality in all objects.
I am taste in water, son of Kunti,
I am light in the moon and sun.
The sacred syllable Om of all the Vedas,
Sound in ether, manliness in men.
I am the goodly odor in earth,
And brilliance in fire am I,
Life in all beings,
And austerity in ascetics am I.
Know me as the eternal seed of all beings.
I am intelligence of the intelligent.
Majesty of the majestic am I.
[vii.8-10]
I am the soul, Gudakesa,
that abides in the heart of all beings.
[vii.20]
God also transcends the world:
By me is pervaded all this universe,
by me in the form of the unmanifest.
All beings rest in me,
And I do not rest in them.
[ix.4]
Whatsoever being possesses lordliness or majesty or greatness, know thou that every such being springs from a fraction of my glory
I support this entire world with a single fraction of myself.
[x.41-42.]
Foolish men conceive me, the unmanifest, as having become manifest. They do not know my higher nature, everlasting and supreme.
[7.24]
For Instance Christianity has the bible & Muslims have the Quran.
But, Hinduism has so many scriptures, sometimes we may raise the question that all the religion of the world have only one scripture; But Hinduism has so many & furthermore we may not know which one to choose.
The essence of the Vedas, Upanishad & Vedanta à could be obtained in one small book called Sri-Mad Bhagavad-Gita Gita.
When we read Gita there are three things to consider, we are not suppose to read Gita like a Novel, as we sometime do, we just open Gita, read few verses without knowing the meaning, and if we do know the meaning, we do not bother to follow it.
The three things to be consider when reading Gita is that it is from a Divine Source, Contemplate to what we have read to and follow it.
When we read Gita in this way, there is no need to read any other scripture.
Why?
Because the Gita is coming directly from the Lotus lips of Lord Krishna,
This is why Gita is so sweet, and furthermore Lord Krishna is the Friend of Arjuna, the Philosopher, the Guru, the Father, the Mother and the everything to Arjuna.
Plus Lord Krishna is speaking like a Mother to Arjuna, like when a child is confused, the mother speaks lovingly and calmly, so that Arjuna can understand.
This is why each and every word of Gita is Simple & Sweet.
www.bhagavad-gita.org