Gita in South Africa!

The sacred book is not only a great stress-buster but also a source of prosperity, South Africans feel.

From busting stress to learning how to prosper South Africans are learning from the Bhagavad Gita, seen as the "handbook of life" by Hindus.

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A series of workshops held at the Lenasia School of Music (LSM) was the second phase of a two-part programme held annually.

The first phase a fortnight earlier comprised recitals of the Bhagavad Gita - the battlefield homilies delivered by Krishna to Arjuna in the Mahabharata epic - in Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil and English.

"This is the fifth year that we are having the workshops. This year it is slightly different," LSM spokesman Manesh Naran said.

"We had three workshops running - Gita and Stress Control by Mukesh Bhavan, the head of the School of Philosophy in Lenasia; Gita and Prosperity by Anil Vallabh, head of the Faculty at the School; and Gita and the Family by Gunwathie Kunwar.

"The principle behind this is that the Gita is the handbook of life despite it being such a vast scripture and people feeling it is esoteric. But it really has so much relevance in today's life.

Said Kunwar: "It's the scripture that gives you freedom from all ills if you live the life that Krishna expounded to Arjuna in the Gita."

Naran said the interest of the youth in the workshops was very encouraging. "They are keen to learn about the application of the Gita in practical issues which surround them."