Bathe the intellect with the uplifting teachings of the Bhagawad Gita

Gita Jayanti is one that holds huge significance and importance. It is the day Shri Krishna revealed Himself to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield. Before the Kurukshetra battle began, the brave warrior Arjuna was overwhelmed by the thought of fighting those he loved. There was Bheeshma Pitamah who had raised and mentored him since childhood. There were his Gurus, Guru Dronacharya and Guru Kripacharya. How could he raise his weapons against them? When Arjuna was distraught his friend Shri Krishna revealed to him his true magnificent form and imparted divine knowledge to him. To commemorate the sacred day when Shri Krishna imparted these teachings to his dear Arjuna, people celebrate Gita Jayanti. It is celebrated on Shukla Ekadashi, (meaning the 11th day of the waxing moon) of the Margashirsha (Agrahayan) month of the Hindu calendar. 

The knowledge is saved in 700 Sanskrit verses distributed in 18 chapters known as the Bhagavad Gita. They hold the essence of the four Vedas. The Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita is one of the most sacred scriptures of the Hindus. It comprises political, spiritual, psychological, practical and philosophical values; in short, it is also a handbook for life. 

The Bhagwad Gita teaches us to perform our duty (karma) but to not be attached to the fruits of our efforts. Our dharma is to focus on karma and not our success. Karma is explained to be of three types: prarabdha, sanchita, and kriyamana / agami. Prarabdha karma is experienced through the present body and is only a part of sanchita karma which is the sum of one's past karmas, and agami karma is the result of current decisions and actions. 

The Gita Mahotsav is also known as Gita Jayanti, Gita Utsav, and Mokshada Ekadashi.. People across the world for centuries have been besotted by the teachings of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita and the text has been translated into over eighty languages. 

Einstein said about the scripture, "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous." 

Henry David Thoreau said, "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial."

Swami Vivekananda said, "The secret of karma yoga which is to perform actions without any fruitive desires is taught by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita."

On the auspicious day of Gita Mahotsav, devotees recite or chant the entire scripture, which is followed by discussions and seminars by eminent scholars and Hindu priests - to throw light upon the various facets of the holy book and its perennial influence on humankind for generations.

>> Watch this space! Language Curry is launching a brand new course on the Bhagavad Gita!