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Sunrays: Celebrating the Song Celestial
We may focus on and prioritise work, earnings, fun, travel, love, philanthropy, service, family, children, friends. Some focus on God.
Did you ever ask yourself what the focus of your life is? What do you want? We may focus on and prioritise work, earnings, fun, travel, love, philanthropy, service, family, children, friends. Some focus on God. Their world revolves around Him.
Before the Mahabharata war, Arjuna and Duryodhana went to Krishna to seek His help.
Krishna was asleep. After waking up, He first saw Arjuna, sitting at His feet. Arjuna got up and offered namaskar. Duryodhana was sitting behind Him. Krishna asked Arjuna, “What do you want?” Duryodhana interrupted saying, “Krishna, I came before Arjuna.” Krishna said, “I am not going to wield any weapon in the war. One of you can have my army of 10 million soldiers and the other can have Me.” Duryodhana opted for the army. Arjuna said, “Krishna, I do not need anything except You.” And well, we all know how the Mahabharata war ended.
In a discourse, Sri Sathya Sai Baba said, “The Pandavas placed God first, the world next and the ‘I’ last. Hence they were successful. The Kauravas placed ‘I’ (the ego) first, the world next and God last. Hence, they lost everything!”
The Kauravas focussed their thoughts, words and deeds on themselves. Second place in their lives was given to others and God was given a poor third.
The Pandavas stood firmly for truth, righteousness, peace, love and non-violence. They had Krishna as the focus of their lives, others in second and themselves last. Krishna too stood by them like a rock.
Speaking of today’s world, what is the mindset of people? What does the media propagate? What is the focus of our lives? All the focus is being directed to, ‘I, me and myself!’ We are encouraged to think like, “What are you doing for yourself?”, “Find time for yourself!”, “Get away and pamper yourself!” “You are the most important …” Everything is about self-gratification! Does this resonate with the Kaurava mindset or that of the Pandavas?
There can be no circle without a centre. Ask yourself this – “What/Who is the centre of your circle?”
The Bhagavad Gita was delivered by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Krishna said, “Karmanye Vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadhachana (Perform your duty without any expectation).” He goaded Arjuna to prioritise justice over injustice, dharma over adharma, detachment over attachment. The Lord chose Arjuna as a medium to give the message of the Gita to all of humanity.
Thousands of years later, the Bhagavad Gita has still not lost its profundity. Strangely it is more relevant now. December 3 was Gita Jayanti. It is celebrated as the day when Lord Krishna sang the Song Celestial to Arjuna.
Practically speaking, if there is any one shloka of the 700 in the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita or thought in any sacred text of your religion that appeals to you; and if you can make it your life mantra, that’s enough!
What is the essence of the Gita?
The first stanza reads,
‘Dharma-kṣhetre kuru-kṣhetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāśhchaiva kimakurvata sañjaya’
While the last reads,
‘Yatra yogeśhvaraḥ kṛiṣhṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śhrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama’
When you combine the last word of the last stanza, with the first word of the first stanza, what do you get? “Mama Dharma” — the real essence of the Gita! Leading our life while feeling God’s presence and performing our Dharma, wherever and whatever we may be, without any expectation of returns, is performing Mama Dharma.
