The Bhagavad Gita is the divine word of Bhagwan Sri Krishna, the supreme Purusottama - God who is adored by the whole animate and inanimate kingdom, full of divinity, knowledge, bliss and consciousness. The scripture is a treasure - a gold mine of endless mysteries and divinity in a true sense. It is by the grace of divine Lord Krishna that its inner meaning can be partially understood. A worldly person who broods the Gita with supreme reverence and pure loving devotion and studies constantly can directly perceive the grace of the Lord and can begin to understand the real character of the Gita which is uniquely transcendent and supremely blissful. Each devotee devotes themselves, according to ones individual capacity, in pursuit of the lord's grace - to take care of us and nurture us unconditionally. When the seekers attain absolute purity of mind, they enjoy the exceptional grace of the Divine which is to realize God.

 

The scripture Bhagavad Gita summarizes the entire religious trinity, all Vedas (words of God to seekers), Vedantas, and Upanishads in 700 slokas through 18 chapters called 18 Yogas (Yoga means joining one with the Divine in a pure divine Sanskrit language which is explicit and direct. God held Gita to be the Supreme Abode - Gita is God.

 

Potentially all humans are capable of becoming Divine. To be free, liberated and become Divine - Gita teaches this theme of religion through all 18 Yogas reduced to four (Karma, Raja, Bhakti and Jnana) each evolving into the other three. Lord Krishna handles all four yogas with equal importance. Thus Krishna is called Yogeswara.

 

To attain absolute purity of mind and enjoy the exceptional grace of the Divine is to realize God.

 

Gita teaches us how the world is unreal and the Gunas (qualities of nature) are the product of Maya (illusion). They play within these qualities of nature. It teaches us to understand that the sense of doership should be lost to all activities of mind, speech and body and be established in identity with the all pervading God - the embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss. Total consciousness should be fixed and identified with God at all times. This practice is called Shankya (Knowledge of Self) Yoga.

 

Gita teaches us to regard everything as belonging to God, maintaining absolute equality in success or failure, renouncing all attachment and desire for the fruit of our actions, all happenings to be done to God's command or desire for the sake of God and with utmost faith and reverence, surrendering oneself to God through mind, speech and body, constant meditation on God with or without attributes and remembering God's true nature as Truth, Knowledge and Bliss. This practice is Action (Karma) Yoga.

 

Gita also teaches eight stages to attain Divinity and to realize God:

1. Yamas (Nonviolence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Continence and Expecting no gifts).

2. Niyamas (Purity, Contentment, Penance, study of scripture, longing for God).

3. Aasana (Sit in comfortable position - proper posture),

4. Pranayama (Controlled breathing exercises).

5. Pratyahara (Control of action and sense organs - withdrawal of the mind from sense objects).

6. Dharana (Concentration of mind to the part of the body or forcing the mind on a single subject).

7. Dhayana (Meditation or extended state of concentrated mind. Constant, longing for God).

8. Samadhi (Final stage where controlled concentrated mind is same with Self and is in the state of Bliss).

These eight steps are referred to as Astanga Yoga: the eightfold path to attain divinity and union with God.

 

Finally the Lord says "I take stand on Gita. Gita is my supreme abode. I maintain all three worlds on the strength of the wisdom contained in the Gita."

 

 

 

Mahen Panchal often comes to Power of Love Temple and leads chanting of the Gita in Sanskrit. Please check the schedule frequently to be assured of not missing one of his visits.