And when all the wisdom will be lost ... . Review on Bhagavadgita - S. Radhakrishnan

Bhagavad Gita literally translates into "The Song Divine" or the poem of the divine. Indeed that is true as this was recited to the great warrior Arjun by the Supreme Lord Himself.

Indian mythology is strewn with wisdom and aspects pertaining to well being of human beings. I was never spiritually that inclined, but my quest for knowledge led me to Quantum Physics. And it was Quantum Physics that led me to Bhagavad Gita. How? Well that would be probably digressing too much from the review at hand. Anyway, this is a book for all who are either interested in knowing or reading about Lord's teachings or just reading the book itself but have always thought that the language may be too abstruse or "heavy" to make any sense out of it. Or even for people who are looking for a good read where they can learn some very simple yet phenomenal lessons of life.

The setting of Bhagavada Gita was in the age of Dwapar, the age preceding the present age of Kali as followers of Hindu faith believe it. Kali being the age of spiritual darkness, Dwapar was the age with spiritual levels on a steep decline. Some of the established facts as per latest scientific developments suggest a date of around 17-18th Feb 3102 B.C. for the advent of Kaliyuga. The Mahabharata war was fought during the transition between these two great ages. Scholars have also suggested dates for the Mahabharata War based on planetary positions of the zodiac.

It was Arjun's reluctance to fight the war that led to divine intervention of Lord Krishna. The book has succinct description of verses from the epic and has a great commentary which at once makes it a master piece.

The verses have been translated in simple and elegant language without preaching. The author does great job by not delving into the topics in too much detail. The book offers insight into what probably would have been true Hinduism. There is a mention of caste and justification of castes in the book by Lord Krishna, but very few would know that the Lord also mentions that progeny of Brahmin is not necessarily a Brahmin again. It is all dependant on the kind of life one leads. It is all based on your Karma.

Another brilliant insight is when Lord mentions that there are only 3 means to reach Him.

1. By remembering him,

2. By talking about him,

3. By doing your own duty to the best of your ability without being attached to its results.

Notice there is no mention of building temples in His name here.

Apt translations have been done by the author of the much celebrated and popular verses such as "Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharat" or "Karmaneva adhikaraste ma faleshu ....".

One exemplary aspect of the book is the vast knowledge of the author of other religions. This helps him to draw excellent parallels of the teachings with other faiths. It also provides excellent insight into other Hindu mythological texts such as Puranas and Vedas. On a side note Mahatma Gandhi described this transaltion to be the best one done for the epic.

The stanzas describing that there is really is one God and means to reach him may differ is so applicable in today's context. Lord says that ascetics may not know Me, the best preachers may not reach Me but you as a simple person if you are performing your duties to the best of your abilities have already taken the first step towards Me. It is also very beautifully explained as to how God says that He Himself is also responsible for all evil albeit in an indirect manner. He portrays humans as free souls. Free to make their own decisions and choices, wherein God will not interfere with their free-will. In such a scenario evil is not only possible but also probable. It is when the spirituality is at its nadir and humans have all become totally devoid of any compassion, when God will manifest again. It is not Charles Darwin's "The survival of the fittest" any more then, it is "The arrival of the fittest!"

I have heard some great scholars of Gita mention that the book gives you different meaning depending on when and at what juncture of your life you read it. One of the most important ones I got at my age today is - "Do your duties with utmost dedication and forget about its results".

I would like to end with the stanzas which describe the God to Arjun. These are the ones with really epochal effect and I hope to do justice to them by summarizing them here (as I understood it) -

"I am the beginning of all this Universe and its dissolution as well

I am the light in sun and warmth in fire

I am the pure fragrance in earth

I am the weakness of the weak

I am the hidden strength in women

I am the austerity in the ascetics

I am the syllable Om in all the Vedas

I am the intelligence of the intelligent

And whatever state of being there may be - be it passionate, harmonious or slothful,

Know that they are from me and me alone.

Know me o' best of students to be the Divine Flame."

Truly when all the wisdom will be lost a great teacher will arise ...