The Bhagavad Gita
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The Bhagavad-Gita
As I witness the fluid spectrum of human emotion drain into the materialistic cesspool of modern society, I ask myself: “Is a book such as the Bhagavad-Gita relevant?” I conclude within my interpretation of society that the answer is no; however, I deem it greatly necessary to cut through the sewage of self-obsession. The Bhagavad-Gita encourages us to pursue our own individual duties without concern for the reward. It also promotes the full dedication of our lives to our duties. Beyond selflessly and tenaciously fulfilling our roles, the Gita instructs us to devote ourselves and all that we do to the Supreme Being, Krishna. The fulfillment of duty with disregard for reward, as well as the humbling rejection of the self for the sake of true enlightenment, is a value that I wish were more prominent in modern society.
According to Krishna, the three activities to achieve yoga are renunciation, selfless service, and meditation. When you find yourself capable of renouncing your own ego, thus rejecting selfish motives, and centering your focus on the divinity of your actions, you have reached the pinnacle of meditation. Whoever is manages to ascend to such a level of meditation is considered to be free from samsara, the endless cycle of birth and death. The immortal soul continues to be rejuvenated time after time until karma is worked off and the soul is dissipated. This dissipation leads to enlightenment and vijnana, and breaks the cycle of samsara.
As interesting as these concepts are, they don’t matter; at least not to the average hustling and bustling citizen of America. Many people may consider the reality or possibility of karma, but I would expect very few to concern themselves with the knowledge of the samsaric cycle. Furthermore, if breaking free of samsara means killing one’s ego and serving others before one’s own self, I doubt the likelihood of most people to consider it a worthy cause. Besides, wouldn’t selfless service for the sole sake of breaking samsara be considered a selfish act? Perhaps the entire concept is a paradox altogether.
Paradox or not, there is no doubt that the Bhagavad Gita teaches and encourages idealistic values that could lead to a much more efficient and compassionate world. If people were to find it within themselves both to read and to apply the Gita, there would never be another war. Poverty would be abolished. Perhaps even wealth and lavishness would cease to exist, but that wouldn’t be a bother. I believe this because people’s sights would be set on rewards beyond the physical realm. Possessions and self-image would no longer matter.
The Bhagavad-Gita