The Relevance of the Bhagavadgita to Humanity 1.5 Swami Krishnananda.

Chinmaya Mission :

The annual Jnana Yagna, led by Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, is a highly anticipated event, held from February 13th to 18th, 2024, at Chinmaya Mission Delhi. 

Decorated with pristine white canopies and illuminated with strings of lights, the Mission exuded a festive aura, setting the stage for spiritual enlightenment. 

Swamiji, accompanied by esteemed members, was ceremoniously welcomed, followed by the release of special souvenirs and texts for the event.

In his discourse, Swamiji delved into Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, emphasizing its significance as the heart of the scripture, where Bhagavan reveals the highest knowledge of the Self. 

With humor and anecdotes, he captivated the audience, elucidating the profound nuances of the chapter, particularly focusing on Bhakti.

The discourses concluded with Bhagwan's promise of reaching Him through worship and complete dependence. 

Additionally, "Arise Awake-Guided Meditation," conducted from February 14th to 18th, provided seekers with a tranquil environment conducive to meditation. 

Swamiji stressed the importance of inner peace and quietude for successful meditation, guiding participants into a relaxed state over the days.

Emphasizing dynamic quietude and the mastery of the mind as traits of a true yogi, Swamiji outlined the goals of achieving single-mindedness, contemplation on attained knowledge, and liberation from bodily preoccupations. 

Systematically exploring the beauty and wisdom of shlokas from Pratah-smarana-stotram, Swamiji elucidated the various techniques to prepare the mind for meditation, anchored by the principle of self-realization: "I am not this Body, this Mind, this Intellect but the Infinite, light-giving Consciousness. 

I am Poornam, Aham Brahmasmi!"

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Monday 26, Feb 2024 07:30.

The Relevance of the Bhagavadgita to Humanity-5.

The First Six Chapters of the Bhagavadgita: 

Chapter 1: Introduction-5.

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Now, the Bhagavadgita is supposed to be a recipe for the solution of the problems of every person. This is something unique about it. It is not intended for me or for you or for anybody; it is supposed to be a universally applicable recipe for the ills of mankind. This is a speciality about it, and that makes it very difficult to understand what its intentions are, because we have never heard that one recipe can be prescribed for every kind of difficulty. Yet, there is a norm that can be prescribed as a basic precondition for individual steps that we may have to take in detail for day-to-day engagement.

There is what is called medical science, for instance. We cannot say that there are many varieties of medical science. The basic philosophy behind the prescription of medicine is uniform. It takes into consideration the structure and the constituents of the human personality, the conditions that are necessary to cause health, and those conditions which bring about disease. There is a general philosophy of medicine, notwithstanding the fact that different medicines are prescribed for different kinds of illness. These varieties in the prescription of medicine under given conditions of illness do not mean that the basic philosophy of medical treatment is variegated.

In such a way, we may say there is a final word about the fundamentals of human behaviour and conduct, which norm is laid down in the Bhagavadgita. It is true that the Bhagavadgita does not tell us how we can cook our food, how we can take a bath, or how we can stitch our shirt; but it lays down certain fundamental, basic principles of human conduct under confrontations and difficulties which are the irreconcilable elements in human society. There were dharma sankatas, as we call them. Dharma sankata means a quandary in dharma. 'Quandary' means a difficult situation, where we cannot pass an immediate judgment. Sometimes we are in a dilemma. Either way it is a difficult thing. We cannot go that way, and we cannot go this way. Sometimes we find ourselves in that state of affairs, and that is a dharma sankata. 

It is a quandary, a helpless state, a difficult confrontation where it is hard to make out what is the proper step to be taken, because it is a terrible tangle. That tangle was the background of the whole Mahabharata story. It was a tangle, a network, a difficult knot which could not easily be broken through. Very many questions arose in the minds of people, and they were not able to easily decipher the background of the answers for these questions. It required a superior understanding to throw light on these problems. As a judge in a court is considered to have a wider form of understanding, transcending the understanding of the clients, similarly, the person, the personality, the figure that spoke the Bhagavadgita stood above humanity.

So a superman spoke a superhuman gospel. It is necessary that a superman should speak to solve human problems. Man's problems cannot be solved by man only, just as a patient cannot treat himself. He requires a doctor. Man cannot help another man, because all men usually think alike and they are in a similar state of difficulty. A superior hand which has an impartial judgment and knows all the pros and cons of the difficulties and problems is necessary. Such a figure was the personality of Sri Krishna in the Mahabharata. The role that he played in the whole epic is an outstanding example of a judicious superhuman intelligence operating in difficult situations.

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Continued

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