Bhagavad Gita- The Divine Message (Set of 2 Volumes)

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The Bhagavad Gita contains the divine dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna-the Guru and the disciple.

In the Bhagavad Gita, we find the discussions of Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga etc., and the Gita represents the philosophical systems and spiritual sadhana of India.

Swami Abhedananda delivered the lectures on philosophy and religion of the Bhagavad Gita before the talented audiences of America, beginning from 1907. Those lectures are now offered to the reading public in book form. The lectures are new and scientific exposition of the Bhagavad Gita, carrying an original and special and scholastic stamp.

The universal teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, or the divine message of Sri Krishna, forns the part of the Bhishmaparva of the Mahabharata. The divine teachings of the Gita have been depicted in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and the warrior Arjuna. Arjuna faced the terrible and fierce battle of the dharmakshetra Kurukshetra and placed his chariot in between the Kaurava and Pandava soldiers, and Sri Krishna was his charioteer or Sarathi, friend and guide in the battle-field. Dr. Radhakrishnan says that Arjuna's cry or demand was simple yet tremendous and damaging one, "significant of the tragedy of man, which all, who can see beyond the actual drama of the hour, can recognize. The mood of despair, in which Arjuna is found in the first chapter of the Gita, is what the mystics call the dark night of the soul, an essential step in the upward path. Krishna stands for the voice of God, delivering his message in the thrilling notes, warning Arjuna against dejection of spirit. As the dialogue proceeds, the dramatic element disappears. The echoes of the battle-field die away, and we have only an interview between God and man".

The entire Bhagavad Gita has been divided into eighteen chapters and each chapter has been named with the titles ending with Yoga, such as, (1) arjuna-vishada-yoga, (2) sankhya-yoga, (3) karma-yoga, (4) jnana-yoga, (5) sannyasa-yoga, (6) dhyana- yoga, (7) jnana-vijnana-yoga, (8) akshara-brahma-yoga, (9 raja- yoga, (10) vibhuti-yoga, (11) visvarupa-darshana-yoga, (12) bhakti- yoga, (13) kshetra-kshetrajna-yoga, (14) gunatraya-vibhaga-yoga, (15) purushottama-yoga, (16) daivāsura-sampad- vibhaga -yoga, (17) shraddhatraya-vibhaga-yoga, (18) moksha-yoga. Now these eighteen chapters or Yogas can be classified into four main heads, karmayoga, bhaktiyoga, jnanayoga and rajayoga or spiritual practices of work as worship, devotion, concentration and medi tation, and knowledge.

Sri Krishna, the Christ of India, is regarded as a Saviour of mankind, and His teachings are known as the Bhagavad Gita or the 'Song-Celestial'. Those who have studied the Divine Ode or Dialogue, have often wondered at the vast wisdom of its Teacher, and have asked: "Who was Sri Krishna? When did he live, and what were His works?" Oriental scholars and Christian missionaries have often compared His life and teachings with those of Jesus the Christ. Some of them have denied the historical personality of Sri Krishna, as some of the Western scholars have denied that of Christ, while others have tried to prove that He was a mythical god of ancient India and that He did not exist at all. Again, after noticing the wonderful similarity that exists between the lives of Sri Krishna and Christ, quite a few have come to the conclusion that the whole story of Sri Krishna's life and teachings is based upon the life and sayings of Jesus the Christ, and that the Krishna-cult of the Hindus had not existed before the advent or arrival of the early Christian missionaries in that country. Further- more, some of the followers of Christ were so astonished at finding in India a religion so near to their own that they could only account for it by supposing that the Devil, foreseeing the advent of their saviour, originated a system of religion in advance of His and just like it. All these ingenious explanations of the Christian scholars and missionaries have not succeeded in quenching the fire of reverence, devotion and love, which was kindled upon the altar of the Hindu heart by the unparalled character and divine powers of Krishna, the God- Incarnate and Saviour of mankind.

Waves of conquest and religious fanaticism 'have come to India from the West, one after another, and have swept away by their tremendous on-rush millions and millions of lives and the most glorious spiritual monuments which this country had produced, but still the marvellous ideal and spiritual kingdom of Sri Krishna have remained for ages firm as the unshakable Himalayas, defying their strength and destructive powers. The fanatical Mohammedans invaded India, holding their scripture, the Koran, in one hand and a sword in the other, and brought terror and havoc into the heart of Hindu communities, ruined the temples of Sri Krishna, looted the country, massacred the innocent priests and priestesses, sages and saints, and converted many to their faith of Islam by mere brute force; notwithstanding all this, the illimitable powers of Divine Krishna have survived the ravages of time. He still reigns over the hearts of the Hindu people and will continue to reign for all time to come.

**Contents and Sample Pages**