index page index pageHISTORY OF THE PAST AGES The age which existed before this current age (the Kaliyuga) was one in which the mind of man did not suffer from the moral weakness and lack of control which is now prevalent. According to Indian tradition the Kaliyuga began on a date equivalent to midnight between the 17th and 18th of February 3102 years BC. It is the fourth and lowest age of a series in which the physical and moral decline of man reaches its lowest. This means that the age prior to this current one may have had conditions in which the Art of Devotion to Self Knowledge was not so difficult. So it seems that around 5100 years ago there were wise people who had a degree of care for all of us with the difficult task to control the mind and the desires in life.
It is most likely that in the previous age wisdom was only handed on by word of mouth. The Vedas and Upanishads were used in those times as guides to those who were seekers of union with the True Self, which lives in the hearts of all. Indian tradition states that the Vedas and Upanishads were written down at a time when this became a requirement for their preservation. (i.e. when the mind of man was unable to be sure to remember them truly.)
The Lord Shri Krishna came during those ancient times and gave his most blessed teaching to his beloved disciples Arjuna and Uddhava. These were later written and formed part of a greater body of Vedic scripture and legend. The Bhagavad Gita (to Arjuna) and the Uddhava Gita (to Uddhava) contain the systematic approach to self development which Lord Krishna recommended.
Here follows Shri Swami Chidbhavananda's description of the Bhagavad Gita. The words in brackets are explanatory commentary.
THE VALUE OF BHAGAVAD GITA The Upanishads have their origin in the Vedas. The belief is that the Vedas are without a beginning. For this reason great sanctity is attached to them. But the Bhagavad Gita is an integral part of the Mahabharata, an epic that came into being only the other day (relatively). Notwithstanding its recency, the Gita occupies a place on a par with the Upanishads.
The reason is not far to seek. The essence of all the Upanishads is contained in the Gita. If those ancient books are cows, the Gita is their milk. Cows are of various hues and of differing stature. But the milk yielded by them is the same. Maintaining cows may not be possible for all. The laborious art of milking is not also commonly known to all. But to partake of milk is the privilege of one and all.
The choice of converting this milk into curds (yoghurt), butter and ghee is again in the hands of all. In similar manner, the Gita may be treated as an easily available guide for life here and hereafter (reincarnation). Besides, the cow cannot be taken wherever one chooses to go. In a preserved form milk may be transported anywhere. The idea is that one who has imbibed the teachings of the Gita need not take the trouble of probing into the rather terse contents of the Upanishads.
Sri Krishna was gracious enough to clarify the abstract teachings of the Upanishads. Arjuna's craving for enlightenment was the immediate cause of this gracious clarification. Love of the calf induces the cow to secrete and yield milk in plenty. That bounteous supply goes to benefit many other parched mouths. This is the case with the Bhagavad Gita also.
Milk may be consumed in proportion to one's digestive power. From the athlete down to the ailing, all can have recourse to it as a wholesome food. The utility of the Gita is equally all ranging. It is an indispensable guide to a novice who has just commenced his spiritual career. Even to an adept who is at the proximity to the goal it has a message to deliver.
Life both in its secular and sacred aspects gets abundantly enriched by the application of the tenets of the Gita. For these reasons a status is conferred on the Bhagavad Gita equal to that of the ancient Upanishads.
THE TEACHING OF BHAGAVAD GITA All the happenings, great and small, magnificent and minute, taking place in the universe are verily the doings of Ishwara (the Creator). The universe itself is the revelation of the glory of Ishwara.
Among all these manifestations and revelations, the Bhagavad Gita occupies a unique position. It explains the working of the universe and the divinity inherent in it. It expounds the laws governing human life.
The Substratum which is the Source of the universe and the beings in it, is lucidly presented by it. Knowledge pertaining to the Divine and the mundane (the worldly) is all contained in it.
To put it in another way, the ways and the means of attaining Godhood and also of making earthly life prosperous and fruitful, are all convincingly conveyed through it. The follower of the Gita would very soon become a yogi (self developed).
For all these reasons the carrying of the message of this great book to the prospective sadhakas (seekers of Truth) is a benign work. No other service is equal to this spiritual mission.
SARASWATI SOCIETY The wisdom of Shri Krishna is a central part of the study of the Satsang group of the Society. Also the teaching and right guidance received by members of the Society, from the Advaita Vedanta tradition in India, is available to all those who seek Truth .
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