| | JAI SIYA RAM | |
| | RADHEKRISHNA | |
Bhagwat Geeta - Adhyay 01 | Bhagwat Geeta In English |
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare
Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Foreign is dedicated
to his Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedan Swami Prabhupada, the
spiritual master and the founder and acharya of the worldwide
Hare Krishna movement. In this passage, we will be discussing
the fundamental mistake that we make in our attempt to
become happy.
The Aim for Happiness
We all work hard with just one aim in life, and that is happiness. We think that if we
become rich, knowledgeable, beautiful, have good family members and friends, we will
become very happy. However, this is a mistake. The richest person, the best CEO of all
times, the best celebrity of all times, the best of sportsmen, they are all unhappy,
anxious, and many times depressed for many years if not months.
The Mistake Everyone is Making
What is the mistake that everybody is committing? The same mistake happened with
Arjuna. Arjuna was a materially successful person, a great general, one of the greatest
fighters, had good looks, had a nice family, was a sharp moralist, and had a kind and
loving family. Despite all these achievements, which we think will make us happy,
Arjuna was not happy. So, we have to remember this example, which the shastras give,
that just like a moth jumps into fire and realizes another feature of fire, which is heat,
we realize another very painful feature of this material world, birth, death, old age,
disease, and unlimited anxieties and complexities.
The Standard Formula for Happiness
We cannot concoct our own formula for happiness. Just like H2 plus O2 is water, there
is a standard way for making water. We cannot create water out of anything else. In a
similar fashion, there is a standard formula for happiness. We cannot manufacture our
own way to become happy. So, if we want self-satisfaction and happiness in life, it is
essential to have knowledge about our own self. This knowledge is so important that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, had to come down and explain it to us
through the medium of Arjuna.
The Science of Self and Super Self
Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna that we are eternal and different from this body.
However, we work very hard just to satisfy the externals, not caring about our own self.
We have to understand that we are completely different from this body. This knowledge
, of the self-spirit soul, what is a spirit soul, and how to satisfy the spirit soul is explained
very beautifully in the scriptures. Nobody has this knowledge, even though some people
are able to understand that they are not the body but the spirit soul. But they do not
understand further what the origin of the spirit soul is, and how to satisfy the spirit soul.
The Message of Bhagavad Gita
The message of Bhagavad Gita is devotional service unto the supreme lord. So, who is
that supreme lord? Who is God? How do we understand that we are different from this
body, and what is the way of satisfying the supreme soul? This wonderful knowledge of
the science of self, the super self, this material creation, the purpose, and all the
connected categories is very beautifully explained in Bhagavad Gita. So, if all the
knowledge of the Upanishads is compared to a cow, the wonderful knowledge which all
the western scientists, Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Nicola Tesla, all of them were very
deeply studying, the essence of that knowledge is Bhagavad Gita.
The War between the Pandavas and Kauravas
The passage concludes with the discussion between Sanjay and Ritrashtra as explained
in the Bhagavad Gita. Years ago, there was a rift in the family of the gurus who were
the rulers of Hastinapur. Pandavas were the rightful heirs to the throne, but their uncle
who was ruling on their behalf wanted his sons to occupy the throne. When negotiations
failed, a war was declared between the Pandavas and Kauravas.
Understanding the Source of Knowledge in Bhagavad
Gita
The great historical epic Mahabharata forms the basis of all the philosophy of Bhagavad
Gita. Before delving into the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, it is essential to verify the
source carefully. The Vedas and other Vedic literatures have multiple interpretations,
and every edition conveys a unique meaning. Thus, it is crucial to understand the
original sense and what Krishna wanted to convey to Arjuna.
It is best to stick to one sampradaya or discipline succession to get the right knowledge.
The knowledge and spiritual potency are carefully preserved and passed on in the
succession of disciples in schools called parampara or sampraday. If we do not follow
this, it can create disaster in our spiritual life.
The original message and spiritual potency are passed down from guru to disciple
without any change in four sampradayas. The first sampradaya is Sri, followed by
Brahma, Rudra, Sanaka, and Kumara.
Kurukshetra and Dronacharya
Kurukshetra is a geographical location and not an allegorical narrative, as some popular
commentaries suggest. It is considered a place of pilgrimage and has a strong influence
on the activities and intentions of people living there.
Dronacharya, being a liberal Brahmana, did not hesitate to impart all the secrets of
military science to Drishta Yumna, who later arranged the phalanx or the army of the
Pandavas. Duryodhana points out this defect and advises Dronacharya not to show any
favoritism to his disciples anymore.
| | RADHEKRISHNA | |
Bhagwat Geeta - Adhyay 01 | Bhagwat Geeta In English |
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare
Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Foreign is dedicated
to his Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedan Swami Prabhupada, the
spiritual master and the founder and acharya of the worldwide
Hare Krishna movement. In this passage, we will be discussing
the fundamental mistake that we make in our attempt to
become happy.
The Aim for Happiness
We all work hard with just one aim in life, and that is happiness. We think that if we
become rich, knowledgeable, beautiful, have good family members and friends, we will
become very happy. However, this is a mistake. The richest person, the best CEO of all
times, the best celebrity of all times, the best of sportsmen, they are all unhappy,
anxious, and many times depressed for many years if not months.
The Mistake Everyone is Making
What is the mistake that everybody is committing? The same mistake happened with
Arjuna. Arjuna was a materially successful person, a great general, one of the greatest
fighters, had good looks, had a nice family, was a sharp moralist, and had a kind and
loving family. Despite all these achievements, which we think will make us happy,
Arjuna was not happy. So, we have to remember this example, which the shastras give,
that just like a moth jumps into fire and realizes another feature of fire, which is heat,
we realize another very painful feature of this material world, birth, death, old age,
disease, and unlimited anxieties and complexities.
The Standard Formula for Happiness
We cannot concoct our own formula for happiness. Just like H2 plus O2 is water, there
is a standard way for making water. We cannot create water out of anything else. In a
similar fashion, there is a standard formula for happiness. We cannot manufacture our
own way to become happy. So, if we want self-satisfaction and happiness in life, it is
essential to have knowledge about our own self. This knowledge is so important that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, had to come down and explain it to us
through the medium of Arjuna.
The Science of Self and Super Self
Lord Krishna explained to Arjuna that we are eternal and different from this body.
However, we work very hard just to satisfy the externals, not caring about our own self.
We have to understand that we are completely different from this body. This knowledge
, of the self-spirit soul, what is a spirit soul, and how to satisfy the spirit soul is explained
very beautifully in the scriptures. Nobody has this knowledge, even though some people
are able to understand that they are not the body but the spirit soul. But they do not
understand further what the origin of the spirit soul is, and how to satisfy the spirit soul.
The Message of Bhagavad Gita
The message of Bhagavad Gita is devotional service unto the supreme lord. So, who is
that supreme lord? Who is God? How do we understand that we are different from this
body, and what is the way of satisfying the supreme soul? This wonderful knowledge of
the science of self, the super self, this material creation, the purpose, and all the
connected categories is very beautifully explained in Bhagavad Gita. So, if all the
knowledge of the Upanishads is compared to a cow, the wonderful knowledge which all
the western scientists, Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Nicola Tesla, all of them were very
deeply studying, the essence of that knowledge is Bhagavad Gita.
The War between the Pandavas and Kauravas
The passage concludes with the discussion between Sanjay and Ritrashtra as explained
in the Bhagavad Gita. Years ago, there was a rift in the family of the gurus who were
the rulers of Hastinapur. Pandavas were the rightful heirs to the throne, but their uncle
who was ruling on their behalf wanted his sons to occupy the throne. When negotiations
failed, a war was declared between the Pandavas and Kauravas.
Understanding the Source of Knowledge in Bhagavad
Gita
The great historical epic Mahabharata forms the basis of all the philosophy of Bhagavad
Gita. Before delving into the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, it is essential to verify the
source carefully. The Vedas and other Vedic literatures have multiple interpretations,
and every edition conveys a unique meaning. Thus, it is crucial to understand the
original sense and what Krishna wanted to convey to Arjuna.
It is best to stick to one sampradaya or discipline succession to get the right knowledge.
The knowledge and spiritual potency are carefully preserved and passed on in the
succession of disciples in schools called parampara or sampraday. If we do not follow
this, it can create disaster in our spiritual life.
The original message and spiritual potency are passed down from guru to disciple
without any change in four sampradayas. The first sampradaya is Sri, followed by
Brahma, Rudra, Sanaka, and Kumara.
Kurukshetra and Dronacharya
Kurukshetra is a geographical location and not an allegorical narrative, as some popular
commentaries suggest. It is considered a place of pilgrimage and has a strong influence
on the activities and intentions of people living there.
Dronacharya, being a liberal Brahmana, did not hesitate to impart all the secrets of
military science to Drishta Yumna, who later arranged the phalanx or the army of the
Pandavas. Duryodhana points out this defect and advises Dronacharya not to show any
favoritism to his disciples anymore.
