Bhagavad Gita - A Must Read For The Entire Student Community
- In Religion
- 08:55 AM, Jul 19, 2018
- Nithesh Satish
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most authoritative sources of Hindu doctrine and ethics, and is accepted as such by Hindus of all denominations. A study of even selections from it, strengthened by earnest meditation, will enable young men and women to understand the religion of our fathers, which is the background of all noble philosophy, art, literature and civilization that we have inherited.
~ C Rajagopalachari, The Bhagavad Gita: Abridged And Explained, Setting Forth The Hindu, Creed, Discipline And Ideals
Recently, the decision of Maharashtra government to allow distribution of Bhagavad Gita (hereafter referred to as the Gita) copies in 100 colleges of Mumbai had sparked off a political controversy. The decision was labelled as an attempt to 'mislead' students based on religion by Abu Azmi of the Samajwadi Party. The government later said that it had no involvement in the matter and it had only provided the list of colleges to the Bhakti Vedanta Trust. Vinod Tawde, a minister in the government later clarified that they would have allowed distribution of Bible or Quran as well. Reports suggested that the government may issue a fresh circular ordering colleges to stop distribution of the Gita after protests by opposition parties.
This hasty retreat under the pressure of the so called secular parties not only demonstrates the unwillingness of BJP governments to infuse Hindu values in academia, but also the asymmetry in the debate the over 'freedom of religion'. If Christian missionaries indulge in conversion, it is termed as freedom to propagate religion as per constitution. But any attempt to instill Hindu values is seen as an attempt to 'mislead' students. I strongly believe that the Gita must be included as part of college and school syllabus because the loss of culture from one generation to other is as perilous as foreign assault on Hindu faith. In addition to this, detachment from Hindu philosophy is leading to a rootless generation which simply doesn't know much about the religion into which they are born.
In an era where lack of emotional intelligence is driving a wedge within families; despair leading to suicide; ignorance leading people to frauds who pose themselves as Gurujis, the study of a simple yet powerful scripture like the Gita is likely to provide the moral fibre for a generation which is facing several challenges in the professional and personal spheres. We have reached a situation where people are confused about Hinduism and resort to absurdities like "all religions are the same", which by any reasonable analysis proves to be false.
The Gita, therefore is a mandatory reading for those who seek to understand Hinduism and the world which seems to be hell bent on defaming a religion that is rooted in liberalism and righteousness. The great scripture tacitly conveys that a battle on the ground can be won only after winning the battle of ideas and beliefs.
Lord Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra doubles up as a Guru and philosopher who guides a confused Arjuna. Something similar can be said about students, who are often confused, indecisive and often muddled in the face of innumerable distractions. Without going into the territory of moral policing, the Gita can serve as a tool for moral priming for the youth. As someone who is often indecisive when it comes to making important choices, I have personally felt that the philosophy of the Gita expressed in the below verse can be a source of inspiration.
Hato va prapsyasi svargam, jitva va bhoksyase mahim
Tasmad uttistha kaunteya, yuddhaya krta-niscayah
O son of Kunti, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore get up and fight with determination. (Chapter 2 , Verse 37, Translation and Transliteration from asitis.com)
Every individual/ student/ entrepreneur comes across situations where self-doubt clouds one's judgement and forces one to make a safer choice. However, the courage to go ahead with one's plan, being aware of the possibility of failure opens up many opportunities for an individual. "Believe in yourself" sermons of modern day motivational speakers is nothing but a paraphrased version of the Gita. When such a rich heritage is bestowed upon us, why should we go behind western spin-offs of our own philosophy? Why are we made to feel ashamed of our heritage?
Some so called Dalit activists and parties highlight that the Gita perpetuates casteism in some of its verses. But, this may not be the intent of the original verses which were framed in a society where social mobility was accepted based on the abilities of the individual and not birth. The fact that it go perverted into an oppressive system is a tragedy for which the verses cannot be held responsible. Hindus need not feel ashamed of the Gita for any verse contained in it. C Rajagopalachari, in his book 'The Bhagavad Gita'articulates this thought as below:
Undoubtedly, personal and class interests have perverted religion as they have perverted other institutions. But to confuse the latter with the earlier and to impute fraud to the source is an unscientific attitude of mind in the investigation of truth.
In the era where rights, activism and personal freedom are being eulogised by the state and media, the concept of dharma (which translates to responsibilities) is dying. It is this ideal that has drowned the world into an age of endless desire and environmental crises like global warming. Had we seen economic growth through the prism of dharma, we would not be staring at a crisis for basic resources like clean air and water in many Indian cities. Transmitting the values of dharma to the future generations through scriptures like The Gita could probably lead to solutions inspired by Hindu dharmic philosophy.
We are stepping in to an era of an all-out ideological war. Though one may frame it as a battle of ideologies, it must be remembered that it is a battle for survival. In such a battle of ideas, we need to arm the next generation with the philosophy of the Gita. There must be no hesitation or apologia regarding preservation of one's own culture. The display of weakness on part of the Maharashtra BJP government must serve as a reminder to instill pride in our philosophy and cultural heritage.
A movement to ensure that every kid learns the essence or key verses of Gita would be a great starter for a dharmic revolution. Instead of producing kids with the ideology of our colonial masters, we must ensure that highly refined Indian ethos is infused into the minds and hearts of our next generation. The movement to spread the message of The Gita must start from homes, neighborhoods and schools of every nook and corner of India.
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