Bhagavad Geeta: The source of inspiration for the various systems of philosophy

Bhagavad Geeta: The source of inspiration for the various systems of philosophy

Positive service is rendered by a wind that brings rain-bearing clouds; but a dust storm has only a nuisance value. There are not wanting people who classify the Gita with the dust-raising whirlwind. Conflicting commentaries, they say, have cropped up round this book. They have led to endless dissension and verbal warfare. Had Sri Krishna been precise in his pronouncement, this oft-recurring pettifogging could have been avoided. Interpretation of the Gita has resulted in purposeless and endless argumentation.

There is yet another charge brought against this book. It affords scope for reactionaries and revolutionaries to thrive and create dissension in a peace loving and law-abiding society. This book is like gunpowder to those who want to create an explosion. It encourages youth to revolt against respectable elders. That the killer is no sinner and that in no way he transgresses the moral law is the core of the teaching of the Gita. It states that man is not bound by his action. The worst of all of Krishna’s statements is that he is ‘the art of gambling among gamblers.’ Can there be a greater encouragement to perversion? Are these not sufficient clues to misguide the perverted ones in society? The seed of social disruption lies hidden in this so called scripture. Charges such as these have to be met and answered.

Really there is no room for confusion of issues in the Gita. Yoga Shastra that this book is, it does not countenance disruption and dissension of any kind. The commentators of the Gita were not men of empty talk and purposeless living. In their own way they have been pillars of society. The tree is known by its fruit. The contribution to social welfare and solidarity that the commentators have made through their personal lives is incalculable. They were the real lovers of society. No trace of self-seeking or exploitation could be found in them. On the other hand culture was enshrined in them, and codes of conduct found expression in and through them. When such sterling characters had drawn inspiration from the Gita, it cannot be easily disposed of, as a book of dissension. Each system of philosophy traces its origin to the Gita, thereby claiming sanctity for itself and adding to the glory of the Gita. Various systems of philosophy go to enrich man’s spiritual life. These systems supplement and complement one another. They are not empty wrangles as the thoughtless would have it. Even as Nature is the material for various branches of knowledge, Gita is the source of inspiration for the various systems of philosophy.

It is no fault of a sacred book if it happens to be misunderstood by the uninitiated. Ambrosia can be mishandled and turned into poison. Because of this possibility it is not proper to condemn it. If men of evil tendency resolve to read their meaning into the Gita it is no fault of that sacred book. It has been the source of inspiration to thousands of holy men in their path to perfection and it will continue to be so forever. Time will have no adverse effect on this book. It is an eternal and infallible spiritual guide. Persons bereft of sense-control, devotion, detachment, austerity, self-abnegation and a passion for service will not be able to draw the right inspiration from this book. In unmistakable terms the Gita proclaims the unity and sanctity of existence and exhorts man to resort to right action in order to realize this fundamental oneness.

Source: Srimad Bhagavad Geeta-Commentary by Swami Chidbhavananda