[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.

4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)

ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86

Social

DECODING THE BHAGAVAD GITA TO THE PRESENT CONTEXT

Dr. J.V. Jeeva *1, Mrs. L. Fenci Mary Grace 2
*1
Associate Professor & Head (Rtd), Research Guide, Department of English, Pioneer
Kumaraswamy College, Nagercoil-3, K.K. Dt., Tamilnadu, India
2
Research Scholar, Assistant Professor of English, Sun College of Engineering and Technology
Erachakulam, K.K.Dt., Tamilnadu, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.569370

Abstract
Mahabharata is a historical one. Studying Mahabharata is very interesting and great thing. The
Bhagavad Gita is the Gift of Lord Krishna. In this paper, the author presents The Bhagavad Gita
as per the present context.

Keywords: Bhagavad Gita; Mahabharata; Ethical; Human & Moral.

Cite This Article: Dr. J.V. Jeeva, and Mrs. L. Fenci Mary Grace. (2017). “DECODING THE
BHAGAVAD GITA TO THE PRESENT CONTEXT.” International Journal of Research -
Granthaalayah, 5(4)SE, 19-24. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.569370.

1. Introduction

The Mahabharata is venerated for its antiquity and also for being one of the inspiring
contributions to the world. It has been an integral part of the Indian culture and civilization and
over the years of existence it has been playing a crucial role in the lives of the people of India.
The grand narrative is constantly governed by ethical questions and its deep human concern has
conserved its universality through all the epochs. The epic conveys a relevant and redemptive
message for modern man through the teachings and its discussions. The whole text of The
Mahabharata is laden with teachings for human beings both to be successful in this world and
ways to reach the other world. The main story as well as the stories in The Mahabharata are
replete with wisdom. In it there are answers for all questions under the sun and how to react in
any kind of situation. None of the characters in the epic can claim himself or herself flawless.
They are humans with a blend of good and bad qualities. One can learn from them what is right
and what is wrong. Bimal Krishna Matilal in his essay “Moral Dilemmas: Insights from Indian
Epics” says that, “The moral dilemmas presented in the Mahabharata were in some sense
universal, for most of them can be effectively used even today to illustrate arguments in moral
philosophy” (5).

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [19]

[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)
ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86
The epic contains many lessons from which one can learn how to live and conduct one in various
situations. For several centuries it has been serving people well by inculcating in them a deep
sense of reverence, devotion, commitment to the path of righteousness and belief and lead them
to intense spiritual aspiration culminating in one’s salvation. C.P. Varkey in his A Pilgrimage
through the Mahabharata says thus:

The Mahabharata has succeeded in shaping the culture of India and her people in the past and
continues to do so now by its emphasis on the gospel of dharma. This gospel runs through the
ups and downs, twists and turns of the complex movements of the epic. Equally highlighted are
the lessons that hatred breeds hatred, the greed and violence lead inevitably to ruin that the
greatest victory for a man or a woman is the victory over self. (8)

The Bhagavad Gita which is a part of The Mahabharata is purely a spiritual document that
encompasses everything connected with human beings and life on earth and it helps humanity to
attain the goal of enlightenment and self-realization. The entire gist of The Bhagavad Gita can be
considered as an allegory to explain fundamental truths of life. It is the foremost of all spiritual
texts available on earth and the one and only one of its kind in explaining the real spirituality.
The Bhagavad Gita encapsulates many of the basic tenets of the scriptures. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
in his “Introductory Essay” of The Bhagavad Gita opines thus:

With a long history of spiritual power, it serves even today as a light to all who will
receive illumination from the profundity of its wisdom which insists on a world wider
and deeper than wars and revolutions can touch. It is a powerful shaping factor in the
renewal of spiritual life and has secured an assured place among the world’s great
scriptures. (2)

The Bhagavad Gita contains moral and philosophical teachings that are relevant even today.
Being an inexhaustible spiritual treasure, a fountain of knowledge and an ocean of bliss, it serves
as a guiding star to human life. Various spiritual tenets have been compressed within the 701
verses of The Gita and its each verse is like an aphorism. The Bhagavad Gita is an encyclopedia
of spirituality which has penetrated human consciousness so deeply. When referring to the
greatness of The Bhagavad Gita one cannot forget the words of realization recorded by Henry
David Thoreau in his Walden. After having read The Bhagavad Gita he states thus:

In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the
Bhagvad Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in
comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I
doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is
its sublimity from our conceptions. . . . The pure Walden water is mingled with the
sacred water of the Ganges. (192-93)

The Bhagavad Gita is a book which transcends all religions and reading it as a book of religion
does not quite explain its consistence, and is in fact limiting it to a narrow boundary. Roopa Pai
in her speech on “Decoding the Gita, India’s Book of Answers” expresses her belief that the The
Bhagavad Gita was written before any religion came into existence. She says “Gita predates
organised religion itself. It was written 500 years before Jesus Christ, 1000 years before

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [20]

[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)
ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86
Mohammed, the prophet and over 2000 years before Hinduism itself was a thing”. So The
Bhagavad Gita is not necessarily a religious book, but a moral guide to all the people around the
world. People refer to The Bhagavad Gita, generation after generation for moral guidance,
whenever they are in despair. The strength of The Gita lies in the fact that its tenets do not stop
with the metaphysical but with the physical, it deals not only with the other world but also with
this very world, not just with the afterlife but with this life itself.

The Mahabharata which has The Bhagavad Gita as a part of it is centered around the war
between two sets of cousins. The Bhagavad Gita is the conversation between prince Arjuna and
Lord Krishna before the commencement of the battle of Kurukshetra. When the great war is
about to begin Arjuna loses his nerve and it strikes him like a thunderbolt that he is assigned the
task of killing his own family members. When Arjuna lays down his arms and about to leave the
warfront, is counselled by Krishna. Nithyananda in his Bhagavad Gita Demystified Vol.I
explains the reason why The Bhagavad Gita is relevant even today, thus:

. . . the questions asked by Arjuna are the same questions that we ask today and the
answers of Krishna are relevant even today. The questions are the fundamental quest of
the individual and the answers are the eternal Truth. The Truth is neither old nor new; it
is eternal. . . . The doubt that Arjuna has raised is even more applicable to the modern
man. . . . We have become more complex than our forefathers. . . . (661)

Unlike many warriors and heroes, Arjuna thinks before he acts. He hesitates to kill and wants to
retreat from life and responsibility. Krishna tells him that as a warrior it is his dharma to fight.
He goes on to explain the samsaric cycle of birth and death. He says there is no true death of the
soul, but simply a sloughing of the body at the end of each round of birth and death. The
purpose of this cycle is to allow a person to work off his karma, accumulated through his actions.
Death is only a small step in the great and endless cycle of life. One neither kills nor is killed.
The soul merely casts off the old body and enters the new one, just as a person changing garment
and death is a mere illusion.

Krishna presents the main concepts for soul renunciation, selfless service and meditation.
Krishna says that a truly divine human never renounces all worldly possessions or simply gives
up actions, but rather finds place in completing action without attachment. A warrior can
perform his duty without doing wrong and polluting himself with the blood of his enemies. He
has to do his duty with detachment without concern about the personal consequences. One has
to act without reflecting on the fruits of the act, forgetting desire and seeking detachment. One
must always do what is right without desiring success or fearing defeat. Krishna tells Arjuna that
good deeds will not get one to heaven if the desire for the heaven is the sole motivation for doing
good.

The Gita ends with Krishna telling Arjuna that, it is his duty to fight the Kauravas for his
kingdom, and to offer his duties in the deepest form of selfless service. A selfless person never
falls for sensual pleasures and he is ever satisfied within himself. No misery can distract him,
nor any kind of material happiness. He is without attachment, fear and anger and remains always
aloof to the dualities of the world. As his mind is fixed upon the supreme, he is always peaceful.

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [21]

[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)
ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86
Arjuna argues and questions Krishna but throughout the conversation Krishna is neither
offensive nor aggressive. This makes Gita a primer for an art of civilized life which makes it a
book for essential reading. Krishna tells Arjuna to pick up his bow and fight. If he does not do
so he would be violating from his duty as a warrior, a king and a leader of his clan. Krishna, as a
true friend, points out Arjuna’s weaknesses and limitations. He chides, but maintains his poise
and patience. He gives recommendations and advice but he respects his friend enough, to let him
make the decision whether to fight or not. This may be considered as a best characteristic in a
friendship. Any skill can be mastered only through practice. When we do it again and again it
becomes a habit. One should constantly think and do right things, so that it may also become a
habit.

The Gita can be considered as the best manual of friendship. It is a moral guide which reiterates
the fact that one is rewarded for his hard work and commitment. Instead of wasting one’s energy
on transient matters one should spend his time in finding peace and contentment. The Bhagavad
Gita is a career guide which teaches that every action has consequences and so it is necessary for
a man to choose right actions and also one should think deeply before he acts. The Bhagavad
Gita which is the flowchart for life, teaches men to consider the entire world as his home and all
creatures as his family. This makes it the ultimate life manifesto, not only to individuals but also
to governments. The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to focus on our efforts and to forego the result
and one should play only for the sake of playing and not to win. Universe gives us everything
and we must give it back in equal measure. We should always question our intent before acting.

The sufferings of the Pandavas clearly explain to us the fact or hard truth that the goal of life or
perfection can be attained only through suffering. Pain is the means through which man is
moulded, disciplined and strengthened. Just as impure gold is turned into pure gold by melting it
in the crucible, so also the impure and imperfect weak man is rendered pure, perfect and strong,
by being melted in the crucible of pain and sufferings. They are blessings in disguise and also
silent teachers. They turn us towards god and instill mercy in the heart, strengthen the will and
develop patience and power of endurance which are the pre-requisites of God realization.

Many philosophers compare the battlefield of Kurukshetra to the battleground that lies within
each one of us. Gita touches on topics of concern that continue to trouble us even today like
confusion, stress, addiction, restlessness, depression, exploitation, greed, anger etc. Swami
Sadashiva Tirtha in his Bhagavad Gita for Modern Times: Secrets to Attaining Peace and
Harmony states thus:

Bhagavad Gita discusses the celebration of the Divine bliss of God as it applies to a
personal relationship with God in each person’s daily life. How does a sincere person
balance worldly and Divine spheres? How can one be a helpful servant in the midst of
obstacles and stresses? This is one of the great values of the teachings of the Bhagavad
Gita that remains as relevant today as in ancient times. (1-2)

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure house of eternal truths, and its precepts are completely
contemporary. It is universal and above all religions. Even western scholars have been
enamoured by The Bhagavad Gita and it has inspired western thinkers such as Thoreau, Emerson
and Eliot. It provides the teaching that can be applied in all walks of life even in the modern

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [22]

[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)
ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86
times. The Gita is the most logical scripture that connects man with God. It tells us how we
should conduct ourselves in our day to day life, keeping God at the centre of activities
performing our duties with a sense of detachment and as a way of sacrificial offering and
accepting God as the doer and facilitator and we as mere instrument engaged in the act of
liberation and self-realization. Those who read The Bhagavad Gita regularly and with sincerity
are apt to be benefitted in many ways physically, materially, mentally and spiritually. The
Bhagavad Gita is relevant today as it was centuries ago and in many ways perhaps it is more
relevant today than it was before as life has become more complex and challenging due to
pressures of modern life. Haresh Bakshi in his Shrimad – Bhagavad Gita rightly declares that:

Arjuna symbolizes the entire human race in conflict as to (i) the right action (ii) real
human nature and (iii) the means for perfection of action in life. These conflicts make
the Gita relevant in today’s world suffering from destructive forces of ego, lust, greed and
ignorance. These forces have become stronger over time, and so the relevance of Srimad
Bhagvad Gita has, in fact, increased with time. Through the themes of the Gita, Krishna
addresses the fundamental causes of human suffering, and methods of transformation.
He does so by expounding the eternal truths. At the time when the dialogue between
Krishna and Arjuna took place there were no religions per se. Therefore, the Gita is truly
relevant for everyone at all times. It is five thousand years old and yet quite
contemporary. (19)

There is no second opinion about the universality of Bhagavad Gita. Alexander P. Varghese
believes that, “The Bhagavad Gita reveals the path to perfection, the goal of life that everyone
has to attain at one stage or other in life. It is the universality of this truth, which enjoys
universal acceptance, exalts Gita to the status of a Scripture Universal” (200).

In the present society, success depends on one’s ability to make achievements. So people attach
less importance to self-satisfaction in job, and they believe that their success and failure depend
on how others view their work. Everyone feels convenient to follow the path paved by others
and is hesitant to create his own path due to the fear for criticism and non-acceptance from the
society. To tread on one’s own path, mental strength is required. In fact, a successful person is a
person who does not care for failure or success and he works for enjoyment and satisfaction.

The Bhagavad Gita gives clarity to life. One must train the mind to engage in worldly activities,
and at the same time must be able to withdraw the mind inwards whenever needed. Our
mainstream education does not give guidance to survive in times of difficulties and depression.
It only gives knowledge about the external factors in life. The Bhagavad Gita helps the seeker to
search the real treasure within himself. If one studies The Bhagavad Gita along with his
mainstream education, then surely it will transform him as an able and courageous person who
can help many others to reach that state.

References

[1] Bakshi, Haresh. Shrimad-Bhagavad-Gita. Bloomington, Indiana: Authorhouse, 2005. Print.

[2] Golden, S. A. R. (2017). Recent Research In Social Science & Humanities.

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [23]

[Jeeva et. al., Vol.5 (Iss.4: SE): April, 2017] ISSN- 2350-0530(O), ISSN- 2394-3629(P)
ICV (Index Copernicus Value) 2015: 71.21 IF: 4.321 (CosmosImpactFactor), 2.532 (I2OR)
InfoBase Index IBI Factor 3.86
[3] Matilal, Bimal Krishna. “Moral Dilemmas: Insights from Indian Epics.” Moral Dilemmas in the
Mahabharata. Ed. Bimal Krishna Matilal. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 2014.
Print.
[4] Nithyananda, Bhagavad Gita Demystified, Volume I. Bidadi: eN Publishers, 2011. Print.
[5] Pai, Roopa. “Decoding the Gita, India’s Book of Answers.” TEDxNMIMS, Bangalore, March
2017.
[6] Radhakrishnan, S. The Bhagavadgita. Noida: Harper Collins Publishers, 2014. Print.
[7] Thoreau, Henry David. Walden; or Life in the Woods. New York: Cosmo Publications, 2009.
Print.
[8] Tirtha, Swami Sadashiva. Bhagavad Gita for Modern Times: Secrets to Attaining Peace and
Harmony. New York: Sat Yuga Press, 2007. Print.
[9] Varkey, C.P. A Pilgrimage through the Mahabharata, Mumbai: ST PAULS, 2001. Print.

Http://www.granthaalayah.com ©International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH [24]