As much as the humanity reads and studies it, there is always more wisdom it finds. It is of transcendental nature.
The Bhagavad-gita holds a new message with fresh meanings for every new generation, because Lord Krishna has not spoken his eternal message only to one certain man in a certain time, but to the entire humanity in all times, nations, ages and generations.
This book contains the wisdom and teachings of Lord Krishna, the eighth divine incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu, to his disciple and devotee Arjuna, the legendary warrior. The Bhagavad—gita, in its 700 Sanskrit verses, forms a part of the Bhishma Parva, chapters 25 to 42, of the Mahabharata, one of the principal classical epics of the Vedic literature. However, the Gita is an authorized and respected holy book by itself for all the different lines and schools within Hinduism.
Bhagavan is a denominative for God in Hinduism. Bhaga means riches or opulence, and vat means he who possesses. Bhagavan therefore means "The Opulent One". Bhagavad—gita means then — "The Divine Song" or "The Song of God".
In the text we find the basic principles and fundamentals of the sanatana—dharma religion, such as devotion, the law of karma, yoga, meditation, dharma, the cyclic concept of time, God and the true nature and essence that palpitates behind the world of names and forms.
The Bhagavad—gita is also called Gitopanishad, that is, it has been granted the level of an Upani?ad in the Vedic literature. This is a very exceptional case, because, although it is technically considered as a sm?ti it has been elevated within Hinduism to the level of shruti, or the scripture that presents revealed wisdom. This book has been accepted as authoritative for all the different sects, schools and lines within Hinduism, which is in itself a very unique fact.
The Arya rsis have glorified the sacred Bhagavad-gita calling it Upanishad cudamani, or the supreme jewel of all the sacred Upanishads. In the verses of the Gita-mahatmya, in which the glories of the sacred Gita are chanted, it is described as the very essence of all the Upanishads.
sarvopanisado gavo
dogdha gopala-nandana
partho vatsah su-dhir bhokta
dugdham gitamrtam mahat
"This Gitopanishad is the very essence of all the Upani?ads, it is like a cow, and Lord Krishna, who is the famous cowherd, is milking this cow. Arjuna is like a calf, and the sages and pure devotees drink the nectarous milk of the sacred Bhagavad-gita." (Gita-magatmya 6)
We should not be surprised at all by the great admiration that the Gita has provoked in great personalities in the various fields of western knowledge.
Some of these examples are made by not less than Arthur Schopenhauer, who said:
"The most elevated and educative reading one can find in this world"...
Also the great Wilhelm Von Humboldt, who said:
"This is the most profound and exalted that the world can show us. I thank God that he has permitted me to live the necessary time in order to read the Bhagavad-gita"...
"Esto es lo más profundo y elevado que el mundo es capaz de mostrarnos. Agradezco a Dios que me permitió vivir el tiempo necesario como para leer el Bhagavad-gita" ...
It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said:
"I owe a marvelous day to the Bhagavad-gita; it was the first of all books; it was as if an empire speaks to us; nothing small or unworthy, but quite the contrary, majestic, serene, consistent. The sound of an antique intelligence that has, in other times and climates, examined and solved the same questions that move us nowadays"...
Albert Einstein referred to the gita saying:
"When I read the Bhagavad-gita and reflect about how God created this universe, all the rest seems so superfluous"...
Henry David Thoreau showed his respect to this book in his personal diary, writing the following words:
Every morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonic philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, comparing with which our civilization and culture seem small and trivial"...
Carl Jung referred to the Gita by saying:
"The idea that man is like an inverted tree seems to have been known in past ages. The connection with the Vedic concepts is provided by Plato in his "Timaeus", in which he indicates that... "Contemplate that we are not an earthly plant but a Divine one"...
And of course, in India, great Acharyas and spiritual masters glorify this great work...
Mahatma Gandhi said:
"The Bhagavad-gita has always been a source of solace for me. In moments when I do not see any consoling perspective in the horizon, I would open the Gita and find that verse which will give me new hopes"...
Sri Aurobindo said:
"The Bhagavad-gita is a scripture of the human race, a living creation more than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization".
Swami Ramakrishnananda
To read more of Swami Ramakrishnananda Swami's writtings click here
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