GitHa Jayanthi
Gita Jayanti – Celebrating the Birth of the Bhagavad Gita
The Day Lord Krishna Bestowed Life Management Skills Upon the World
🔗 Register Now to participate and assign yourself chapters to chant:
🗓 Date: 11th December 2024
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM EST onwards
💻 Online Chanting link: https://bit.ly/jetmiGitaJayanthi
Githa Jayanti, A Glance at the 18 Chapters
A surgeon needs to stay focused on their task, even if the patient suffers initially. If the doctor gets emotional and gets ready to quit after the pre-surgery process has begun, he needs guidance from someone knowledgeable to correct his state of mind to be put him into proper direction and action.
This is the reason that triggered a dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna. Arjuna did not want to fight in war thinking that it would ‘harm’ everyone. Sri Krishna Himself paved way to this state of mind in Arjuna and set a stage to deliver the greatest upadesa (divine teaching) in history, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita to bestow the world with the ultimate gift. This is the supreme guide to leading one’s life.
The 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita are divided into 3 sections. The first section containing chapters 1 to 6 is named Atma Shaktam, that which describes the qualities of a soul and the body. The second section containing chapters 7 to 12 is named Bhakthi Shatkam, describing the greatness of devotion to God. The third section containing chapters from 13 to 18 is named Purva Sesham, that which clarifies and concludes the message from earlier, or Purva Paramarsa Shatkam, consolidating the two earlier sections.
۞ Atma shatkamu ۞
Lord Sri Krishna stirs a curiosity in Arjuna so that He can open the floor to the complete guide to eternal wisdom.
Sri Krishna talks about the difference between soul (oneself) and one’s body, the relation between the two and the reason for their union. He explains how one can elevate oneself from current state to a higher state with the help of proper knowledge. He gives the best solution to keeping oneself steady and focused, the state of sthitha prajnatha. He conveys how one should perform their duty submitting it to Him and thus remain detached from the results of all their duties. This chapter conveys the essence of the Githa. The remaining chapters only elaborate the essence of this chapter.
Sri Krishna mentions how a human birth is given to one only to perform one’s duty as a yajna, as a way of worshipping God through assigned duties.
Sri Krishna elaborates how to convert every activity, (including taking a breath or working a job) into a yajna, worship.
Sri Krishna explains that one must leave the result of all activities to Him. Arjuna wonders how is that fair when he is the one putting in all the effort.
Sri Krishna then answers Arjuna stating that it is the manas that makes one assume that he/she is the only reason for all that’s happening to or with him/her. He elaborates about how to keep the manas in control so that it becomes a viable tool to realise eternal truths.
۞ Bhakthi Shatkam ۞
Sri Krishna now reveals that there are many people who focus on duty and do it well with appropriate knowledge. But the ones who experience all the sreyas, (complete well-being) are those who know Him, who understand Him, and perform duties with Him as the focus of the mind.
8. Akshara para bramha yo:gaha
Sri Krishna speaks about His supremacy. He adds that attaining His abode is superior to anything else, including one who attained atma saksha:thka:ram, self-realisation.
9. Ra:ja vidya: ra:ja guhya yo:gaha
Sri Krishna declares that bhakthi, devotion towards God is practical to attain. He speaks greatly about those who are devoted to God clarifying that devotion alone is the king of all knowledge and that it is the king of all great secrets.
10. Vibhu:thi visthara yo:gaha
Sri Krishna talks about how a devotee looks at the entire world as His all-pervasive form. Arjuna expresses curiosity of the all-pervasive, all-powerful form.
11. Viswaru:pa sandarsana yo:gaha
Sri Krishna grants Arjuna the ability (an n-dimensional perspective) to see God. Arjuna is amazed at Lord’s viswa rupam, the magnificent omniverse form where He was seen controlling everything including dissolving all beings and giving them new bodies.
Sri Krishna understands that Arjuna now believes Him to be the supreme and that He would now listen with attention. He reiterates how devotion towards Him is the way to attain Him. He explains the ease of His accessibility. He adds that devotion towards Him is as natural and easy as loving one’s own mother.
۞ Purva Paramarsa Shatkamu or Purva Sesham ۞
13. Kshe:thra kshe:thrajna vibha:ga yo:gaha
Sri Krishna begins to recapitulate by stating the foundation of knowledge on body (kshetra – a field) and the soul (kshetrajna – the appointed farmer).
14. Guna thraya vibha:ga yo:gaha
Sri Krishna explains the reason for one’s bond with one’s body. He speaks about how to take control of the body that is made of sattva (accommodating), rajas (egoistic), thamas (lazy/passive) qualities.
15. Purusho:ththama pra:prthi yo:gaha
Sri Krishna then elaborates the ultimate purpose of knowing everything is to attain Him, the purushotthama, the supreme eternal reality. There is only one of such supreme being, God Himself. Others are either ones who have attained Him (utthara purusha) or ones who desire to attain Him (utth purusha), while the rest simply exists (uttha purusha).
16. Daiva:sura sampad vibha:ga yo:gaha
Sri Krishna talks about how one must work on enhancing dyvi pravrutthi, good/divine nature that can help attain Him.
17. Sraddha: thraya vibha:ga yo:gaha
Sri Krishna explains how sa:ttvika sraddha (a genuine interest) is essential to enhancing the dyvi pravrutthi, the divine qualities and nature. The other two types of sraddha are the tha:masika sraddha which develops a demonic nature and ra:jasika sraddha that develops a combination of divine and demonic nature.
Sri Krishna reveals the essence of the entire scripture in the 66th verse of this chapter, called Charama Sloka. He reveals the most essential truth that: everything including moksha, the liberation from karma and attainment of bliss, can be attained ONLY when one leaves the burden of the result to God Himself.
sarva dharma:n parithyajya
ma:m e:kam saranam vraja |
aham thva: sarva pa:pe:bhyo:
mo:kshayishya:mi ma: suchaha ||
Lead life as a service to God who revealed all these truths and experience your full potential and true freedom.
– From the discourse of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– Githa Jayanthi, 25 th Dec 2020
– Vijaya Kiladri, Vijayawada
Why is Bhagavad Gita Important to You?
If your answer is Yes to at least one of the below questions, then Bhagavad Gita is for you!
Do you want to lead a peaceful and happy life?
Do you want to see the Earth flourish with good flora and fauna?
Do you want nature to be clean and healthy?
Do you want to be loved by everyone?
Do you want to have good relations with everyone?
Are you looking to get out of temporal temptations and seeking permanent happiness?
Are you bored or unclear of your current situation in life?
Do you want to know the cause of all causes?
Do you believe that you are the owner of your life?
Do you not agree with the existence of God?
When you feel like you are the owner of your life and do not believe the existence of God, then you will surely be caught in the whirlpool of nature.
In the beginning, it will feel like you are directing your life. With time, you will realize that you are unable to get out of an eternal cycle that nature traps you into.
Trust in God’s existence within and around you. Serve your responsibilities with love, for they are assigned for your own good. Look at this entire creation as God’s beautiful abode.
God will then hold you and ensure that you are not influenced or trapped by nature.
The result is a protective shield that God builds around you. When everyone leads life as taught by Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, the breadth of this shield expands to the entire world and it then becomes a beautiful abode for each one of us.
Sanjaya tells Dhrutharastra how Sri Krishna’s viswarupam (the divine form) was highly amazing, enriching, blissful, astonishing and beautiful. He suggests Dhrutarastra to save his sons by calling off the war because victory for the Pandavas over the Kowravas was guaranteed:
Victory will be with them who trust in God and follow His guidelines – this is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita!
– From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– December 7 th 2019, Gita Jayanti
– Gantyada, Vijayanagaram