Bhagavad Gita - Practical implementation in Life

The simple unassuming character of mind has changed with the march of time and has assumed a colorful disposition, and begun to shed its effect on everything in us, both outer and inner. Whatever, therefore, we take into our thought or action exhibits colorfulness in all its phases. Our excessive attachment to the environment, and surroundings of a similar nature, create in us heaviness and grossness. Subtleness is lost and everything that comes to our view is interpreted in the same light. This not only veils our understanding, but the heart and brain also get affected by it. It was the same tendency of mind, which displayed itself through all the writings of men of knowledge and learning. For thorough understanding of things, one must have practically attained the state of mind required, before one can come out to explain it to others. The same was the case with our sacred GITA. 

There are numerous commentaries and more are still being added. Almost everyone attempted it from his level of learning and reason for the people to understand it from the same level of thinking. But though their physical labour in this respect may be appreciable to some extent, the actual purpose is not served at all; and to be more frank, the commentaries have made the original text all the more complicated by putting the bare truth under coverings or misconceptions. In other words, we increase our own limitations by adding more and more complexities to it.

Similar is the case with the worship of God who is represented as physically similar to man, with the only difference that he is a superior being and has a bigger sphere in proportion to his bigness. It was in accordance with the need of the time that Lord Krishna revealed the truth depicted in the Gita to Arjuna. We must be highly indebted to him for all that he put forth for our benefit, which in course of time has become the guiding light for us all. It was not merely an idle discourse but the actual revelation of the very thing needed for a true pursuit of the Divine path. They relate directly to the various conditions which an abhyasi passes through during the course of his march. It related to the practical realization of those conditions which can be attained through proper Sadhana. There may however be elevated souls present in the world today who may be able to give you a glimpse of it, or to create instantly the same state in you by the application of their own inner powers.

Let us consider how much time Lord Krishna could have possibly required for speaking out the total text of the Gita as we find it today. The armies were standing face to face on the battlefield, and war trumpets were sounding loud, announcing the zero hour for action. How much time was there at the disposal of Lord Krishna to bring Arjuna round to the proper course by preaching a sermon to him? The recitation requires at least a few hours. How could that be possible at that critical moment? Evidently he could not have taken more than a few minutes, all those mental states necessary for the purpose at the time. 

Really, they were the very conditions which an abhyasi passes through during the course of his march. The process brought Arjuna instantly to a higher state of spiritual consciousness and purged out the feeling of undue attachment from his heart. This can as well be possible today if a personality of that caliber is there. But, as it is too commonly witnessed, people hear and recite Gita for the whole life without taking in the least effect thereof. None has so far ever turned round like Arjuna inspite of hearing the Gita for years together. The reason is that those who recite to others are not capable of transmitting its truth into their hearts, on account of which no effect is produced upon the hearers. For that purpose it is necessary that the reciter must have a practical approach up to the conditions related therein, and should possess a strong will and the spiritual force necessary for making his voice vibrant so as to carry the effect of the sound right into the hearts of the hearers through the process of transmission. Then alone can its recitation be useful to the hearers.

As for the teachings of the Gita, we are ever being told by teachers and preachers of high rank and reputation that man should never consider himself to be the actual doer of things. But at the same time it is quite evident that mere reading or hearing of it is of no avail unless we take up means to achieve it practically. But we are always in the dark about those means which are necessary for the purpose. Nowhere can the slightest hint to that effect be traced out in all their discourses. The result is that the hearers are wrongly led to the conclusion that only the frequent repetition of the words, ‘ I am not the doer’ is all and enough for them. It is in fact an inner state of mind in which the physical actions of the abhyasi do not create impressions upon his heart. Consequently, a feeling of being a doer does not arise in him. When impressions are not caused, the sanskaras are not formed, and consequently chances for Bhoga do not arise. The formation of Sanskaras is thus stopped. This is quite essential for those on the spiritual path. This was in fact the actual state which was transmitted into Arjuna, and by the effect of which he at once rose up to that level of higher consciousness. The oral expression given at the time constituted only seven slokas to offer brief hints to illustrate the condition acquired by Arjuna through transmission.

The state of Atman described in the Gita is a further clarification of the same point. When one has practically attained that state, he begins to feel the same all through. That is in fact the actual state of Realization. Great stress is laid in the Gita upon Nishkama Karma or desireless action. One may go on saying like that forever, still it may never crop up with him unless he adopts the means and practices for its achievement. This is in fact a kind of Layavastha (state of merging) without which the vision of Virat, as displayed to Arjuna, could never be possible, though proper capacity and advanced insight on the part of the abhyasi are also essential for the purpose. On witnessing the scene of Virat, even Arjuna cried out that he could not bear to see that dreadful sight. 

The reason was that the Layavastha which had been transmitted into him related only to the conditions of the Virat Desh, while the scene witnessed by him was the display of the full force of the Brahmanda Mandal, which is far beyond the region of Virat. It was in fact the sphere wherefrom everything comes down to the material plane. The entire plan of the battle of Mahabharata was there in an astral form. It was this vision that Lord Krishna brought to Arjuna’s view after pulling him up to that level . Some people may not however feel induced to believe it as it is, and they might have their own reasons for it. It is quite possible and practicable even today, provided there be a personality of such caliber, and provided the sadhaka too be capable of being lifted up to that level.

Collection by Sri B.E.Sampath kumar, abhyasi, Sri Ramachandra Maharaj Seva Trust, Kadapa from the Book ‘Voice Real’ written by Sri Ramachandraji Maharaj.