Abstract
One of the greatest contributions
of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God.
The management lessons in this holy book were brought in to light of the world by divine Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and the spiritual philosophy
by Sr. Srila Prabhupada Swami and
humanism by Mata Amritanandamayi Devi and Satya Sai Baba. Maharishi calls the Bhagavad Gita
the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is
needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible
level." Maharishi reveals the deep,
universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone. Arjuna got mentally
depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight. (Mental health has become a major
international public health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad Gita is preached in the
battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as counseling to do his duty while multitudes of
men stood by waiting. It has got all the management tactics to achieve the mental equilibrium
and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita can be experienced as a powerful
catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad Gita means song of the Spirit,
song of the Lord. The Holy Gita has
become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of one's life.
In the days of doubt this divine
book will support all spiritual searches. This divine book will
contribute to self reflection, finer feeling
and deepen one's inner process. Then life in the world can become a real education—dynamic, full and
joyful—no matter what the circumstance. May the wisdom of loving consciousness ever guide
us on our journey? What makes the Holy Gita a practical psychology of transformation is that it
offers us the tools to connect with our deepest intangible essence
and we must learn to participate in the
battle of life with right knowledge? The Holy Gita is the essence of
the Vedas, Upanishads. It is a universal scripture applicable to
people of all temperaments and for all
times. It is a book with sublime thoughts and practical instructions
on Yoga, Devotion, Vedanta and
Action. It is profound in thought and sublime in heights of vision.
It brings peace and solace to souls
that are afflicted by the three fires of mortal existence, namely, afflictions caused by one's own
body (disease etc), those caused by beings around one (e.g. wild animals, snakes etc.), and those
caused by the gods (natural disasters, earth‐quakes, floods etc). Mind can be one's friend or
enemy. Mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. The word mind is derived from man to think
and the word man derived from Manu (Sanskrit word for man). "The Supreme Lord is situated in
everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated
as on a machine, made of the material energy." There is no theory to be
internalized and applied in this psychology. Ancient practices
spontaneously induce what each person needs as
the individual and the universal coincide. The work proceeds through intellectual knowledge of
the playing field (jnana yoga), emotional devotion to the ideal (bhakti yoga) and right action
that includes both feeling and knowledge (karma yoga). With ongoing purification we approach wisdom.
The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and every human individual to help him or
her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and progressing towards a bright
future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This
is the experience of everyone in
this world, the drama of the ascent of man from a state of utter dejection, sorrow and total
breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding,
clarity, renewed strength and triumph. Mind is very restless, forceful
and strong, O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind than
to control the wind ~ Arjuna to Sri
Krishna
Introduction
In this modern world the art of
Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at home, in the office or factory
and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human beings assemble for a common
purpose irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, management principles come into play through
the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities, policies and practice. Management
is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of human effort. Its task is to make people
capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant,
says the Management Guru Peter
Drucker. It creates harmony in working together ‐ equilibrium in thoughts and actions, goals and
achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It resolves situations of scarcity,
be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum utilization with the minimum
available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes disorder, confusion, wastage,
delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and materials in the best possible
way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most important and essential factor
for a successful management. It should literally transform how
people think and help them finally
realize the potential of a truly universal knowledge that is wisdom.
Management
guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita
• There is an important
distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
• Effectiveness is doing the
right things.
• Efficiency is doing things
right.
• The general principles of
effective management can be applied in every field, the differences being more in application than in
principle. The Manager's functions can be summed up as:
• Forming a vision
• Planning the strategy to
realize the vision.
• Cultivating the art of
leadership.
• Establishing institutional
excellence.
• Building an innovative
organization.
• Developing human resources.
• Building teams and teamwork.
• Delegation, motivation, and
communication. Reviewing performance and taking
corrective steps when called for. Thus, management is a process of
aligning people and getting them committed to work for a common goal to the maximum social
benefit ‐ in search of excellence.The critical question in all
managers' minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to
this fundamental question is found in
the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that "you must try to manage yourself." The reason
is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, he or she will be
merely a face in the crowd.
Old truths in a new
context
The Bhagavad Gita, written
thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial techniques leading us towards a harmonious
and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions,
poor productivity, absence of
motivation and so on, common in most of Indian enterprises today –
and probably in enterprises in many
other countries. The modern (Western) management
concepts of vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work, achieving goals, giving work
meaning, decision making and planning, are all discussed in the Bhagavad Gita. There is one major
difference. While Western management thought too often deals with problems at material,
external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues
from the grass roots level of human
thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved, it will automatically enhance the quality
of his actions and their results. The management philosophy
emanating from the West is based on the lure of materialism and on a perennial thirst for profit,
irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that
goal. This phenomenon has its source in the
abundant wealth of the West and so 'management by materialism' has caught the fancy
of all the countries the world over, India being no exception to
this trend. My country, India, has
been in the forefront in importing these ideas mainly because of its centuries old indoctrination by
colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything Western is good and anything
Indian, is inferior. The result is that, while huge
funds have been invested in building temples of modem management education, no perceptible changes
are visible in the improvement of the general quality of life ‐ although the standards of living
of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all sectors
of the economy, criminalization of
institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen deep in the body politic.
The source of the
problem
The reasons for this sorry state
of affairs are not far to seek. The Western idea of management centers on making the worker (and
the manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies offer workers more to work more,
produce more, sell more and to stick to the organization without looking for alternatives. The
sole aim of extracting better and more work from the worker is to improve the bottom‐line of the
enterprise. The worker has become a hirable commodity, which can be used, replaced and discarded
at will. Thus, workers have been reduced
to the state of a mercantile product. In such a state, it should come as no surprise to us that
workers start using strikes (gheraos) sit‐ins, (dharnas) go‐slows,
work‐ to‐rule etc. to get maximum
benefit for themselves from the organizations. Society‐at‐large is damaged. Thus we reach a
situation in which management and workers become separate and contradictory entities with
conflicting interests. There is no common goal or understanding.
This, predictably, leads to suspicion,
friction, disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at
cross purposes. The absence of human
values and erosion of human touch in the organizational structure has resulted in a crisis of
confidence. Western management philosophy may
have created prosperity – for some people some of the time at least ‐ but it has failed in
the aim of ensuring betterment of individual life and social
welfare. It has remained by and large a soulless
edifice and an oasis of plenty for a few in the midst of poor
quality of life for many. Hence, there is an urgent need to
re‐examine prevailing management disciplines ‐ their objectives, scope and content. Management
should be redefined to underline the development of the worker as a person, as a human being,
and not as a mere wage‐earner. With this changed perspective, management can become an
instrument in the process of social, and indeed national,
development. Now let us re‐examine some of the
modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad Gita which is a primer of
management‐by‐values.
Utilization of
available resources
The first lesson of management
science is to choose wisely and utilize scarce resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before
the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna's large army for his help while Arjuna
selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support. This episode gives us
a clue as to the nature of the effective
manager ‐ the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.
Work commitment
A popular verse of the Gita
advises "detachment" from the fruits or results of actions performed
in the course of one's duty. Being
dedicated work has to mean "working for the sake of work, generating excellence for its own
sake." If we are always calculating the date of promotion or the rate of commission before putting
in our efforts, then such work is not detached. It is not "generating excellence for its
own sake" but working only for the extrinsic reward that may (or may not) result. Working only with an eye to the
anticipated benefits, means that the quality of performance of the current job or duty suffers
‐ through mental agitation of anxiety for the future. In fact, the
way the world works means that events do
not always respond positively to our calculations and hence expected fruits may not always be
forthcoming. So, the Gita tells us not to mortgage present commitment to an uncertain
future. Some people might argue that not
seeking the business result of work and actions makes one unaccountable. In fact, the
Bhagavad Gita is full of advice on the theory of cause and effect,
making the doer responsible for the
consequences of his deeds. While advising detachment from the
avarice of selfish gains in discharging
one's accepted duty, the Gita does not absolve anybody of the consequences arising from
discharge of his or her responsibilities. Thus the best means of effective
performance management is the work itself. Attaining this state of mind (called "nishkama karma") is
the right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind, from dissipation of attention
through speculation on future gains or losses.
Motivation – self
and self transcendence
It has been presumed for many
years that satisfying lower order needs of workers ‐ adequate food, clothing and shelter, etc. are
key factors in motivation. However, it is a common experience that
thedissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is
identical ‐ only their scales and composition vary. It should be true that once the
lower‐order needs are more than satisfied, the Director should have little problem in optimizing his
contribution to the organization and society. But more often than not, it does not happen like
that. ("The eagle soars high but keeps its eyes firmly fixed on the
dead animal below.") On the contrary,
a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a self‐employed artisan, may well demonstrate higher levels of
self‐actualization despite poorer satisfaction of their lower‐order needs. This situation is explained by
the theory of self‐transcendence propounded in the Gita. Self‐ transcendence involves renouncing
egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasizing team work, dignity, co‐operation, harmony
and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for
higher goals, the opposite of Maslow. "Work must be done with
detachment." It is the ego that spoils work and the ego is the
centerpiece of most theories of motivation.
We need not merely a theory of motivation but a theory of inspiration. The Great Indian poet,
Rabindranath Tagore (1861‐1941, known as "Gurudev") says working for
love is freedom in action. A concept
which is described as "disinterested work" in the Gita where Sri Krishna says, "He who shares the wealth
generated only after serving the people, through work done as a
sacrifice for them, is freed from all sins.
On the contrary those who earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins that lead to frustration and
failure." Disinterested work finds
expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are psychological while the third is
determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic (usually taken
to mean "materialistic") pulls of
daily experiences. Detached involvement in work is the key to mental equanimity or the state of "nirdwanda."
This attitude leads to a stage where the worker begins to feel the presence of the Supreme
Intelligence guiding the embodied individual intelligence. Such de‐ personified intelligence is best
suited for those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of organizational goals as compared
to narrow personal success and achievement.
Work culture
An effective work culture is
about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen
tasks. Sri Krishna elaborates on two
types of work culture – "daivi sampat" or divine work culture and "asuri sampat" or demonic work
culture. Daivi work culture ‐ involves
fearlessness, purity, self‐control, sacrifice, straightforwardness,
self‐ denial, calmness, absence of
fault‐finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of
envy and pride. Asuri work culture ‐ involves
egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service. Mere work ethic is not enough.
The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work ethic. What is needed is a work ethic
conditioned by ethics in work. It is in this light that the
counsel, "yogah karmasu kausalam" should be understood. "Kausalam" means skill or technique of work
which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah"
isdefined in the Gita itself as "samatvam yogah uchyate" meaning an
unchanging equipoise of mind (detachment.) Tilak tells us that
acting with an equable mind is Yoga. (Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1856‐1920,
the precursor of Gandhiji, hailed by the people of India as "Lokmanya," probably the most
learned among the country's political leaders. For a description of the meanings of the word "Yoga",
see foot of this page.) By making the equable mind the
bed‐rock of all actions, the Gita evolved the goal of unification of work ethic with ethics in work,
for without ethical process no mind can attain equipoise. The guru, Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD),
says that the skill necessary in the performance of one's duty is
that of maintaining an evenness of
mind in face of success and failure. The calm mind in the face of failure will lead to deeper
introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that corrective steps could be taken
to avoid shortcomings in future. The principle of reducing our
attachment to personal gains from the work done is the Gita's prescription for attaining
equanimity. It has been held that this principle leads to lack of
incentive for effort, striking at the very root
of work ethic. To the contrary, concentration on the task for its
own sake leads to the achievement of
excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the worker. Thus, while commonplace
theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita's
principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed
moral, satisfaction.
Work results
The Gita further explains the
theory of "detachment" from the extrinsic rewards of work in saying: If the result of sincere effort
is a success, the entire credit should not be appropriated by the
doer alone. If the result of sincere effort
is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to the doer. The former attitude mollifies
arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive despondency, de‐motivation and
self‐pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer against psychological vulnerability, the
cause of the modem managers' companions of diabetes, high blood pressure and ulcers. Assimilation of the ideas of the
Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of "lokasamgraha" (general welfare) but there is also
another dimension to the work ethic ‐ if the "karmayoga" (service)
is blended with "bhaktiyoga"
(devotion), then the work itself becomes worship, a "sevayoga"
(service for its own sake.) Along with bhakti yoga as a means
of liberation, the Gita espouses the doctrine of nishkamya karma or pure action untainted by
hankering after the fruits resulting from that action. Modern
scientists have now understood the intuitive
wisdom of that action in a new light. Scientists at the US National
Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda found that laboratory monkeys that started out as
procrastinators became efficient workers after they received brain
injections that suppressed a gene linked to their
ability to anticipate a reward. The scientists reported that the
work ethic of rhesus macaques wasn't
all that different from that of many people: "If the reward is not immediate, you procrastinate", Dr
Richmond told LA Times.(This may sound a peculiarly religious idea
but it has a wider application. It could be taken to mean doing something because it is
worthwhile, to serve others, to make the world a better place – Ed.)
Manager's mental
health
Sound mental health is the very
goal of any human activity ‐ more so management. Sound mental health is that state of mind
which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when
unsettled, in the midst of all the external
vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and
peace are the pre‐requisites for a
healthy stress‐free mind. Some of the impediments to sound
mental health are: • Greed ‐ for power, position,
prestige and money. • Envy ‐ regarding others'
achievements, success, rewards. • Egotism ‐ about one's own
accomplishments. • Suspicion, anger and
frustration. • Anguish through comparisons. The driving forces in today's
businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger
that these forces cause erosion of the
moral fiber, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral means ‐ tax evasion,
illegitimate financial holdings, being "economical with the truth",
deliberate oversight in the audit,
too‐clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be
called as "yayati syndrome". In the book, the Mahabharata, we
come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in the endless enjoyment of flesh
exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son
for a thousand years. However, he
found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and came back to his son pleading him
to take back his youth. This "yayati syndrome" shows the conflict between externally directed
acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience (intrinsic motivation.)
Management needs
those who practice what they preach
"Whatever the excellent and best
ones do, the commoners follow," says Sri Krishna in the Gita. The visionary leader must be a
missionary, extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable of translating dreams into reality.
This dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an inspired and spontaneous motivation to
help others. "I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal desire and attachment. O Arjuna,
I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to righteousness," says Sri Krishna
in the 10th Chapter of the Gita.
In conclusion
The despondency of Arjuna in the
first chapter of the Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer power of his inspiring words,
changes Arjuna's mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous action, from the state of what
the French philosophers call "anomie" or even alienation, to a state
of self‐confidence in the ultimate
victory of "dharma" (ethical action.)When Arjuna got over his
despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of
the purpose of his new‐found spirit
of intense action ‐ not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his
own greed and desire, but for the
good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics over
unethical actions and of truth over
untruth. Sri Krishna's advice with regard
to temporary failures is, "No doer of good ever ends in misery." Every action should produce
results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing
but evil. Therefore, always act well
and be rewarded. My purport is not to suggest
discarding of the Western model of efficiency, dynamism and striving for excellence but to tune these
ideals to India's holistic attitude of "lokasangraha" ‐ for the
welfare of many, for the good of many.
There is indeed a moral dimension to business life. What we do in business is no different, in this
regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not
justify the ends. Pursuit of results for
their own sake is ultimately self‐defeating. ("Profit," said
Matsushita‐ san in another tradition "is the
reward of correct behavior." – Ed.)
A note on the word
"yoga"
Yoga has two different
meanings ‐ a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general
meaning is the joining together or union
of any two or more things. The technical meaning is "a state of stability and peace and the means
or practices which lead to that state." The Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings.
M.P.Bhattathiri.
Let us go through what scholars
say about Holy Gita. "No work in all Indian literature
is more quoted, because none is better loved, in the West, than the Bhagavad‐Gita. Translation of
such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward sympathy with the theme and a
verbal artistry. For the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in all things. . . . The Swami does
a real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic
with fresh meaning. Whatever our
outlook may be, we should all be grateful for the labor that has
lead to this illuminating work."
Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy University of Southern
California
"The Gita can be seen as the main
literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the
world. The present translation and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent
living importance of the Gita."
Thomas Merton, Theologian
"I am most impressed with A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad‐Gita. It is a
most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great utility as a reference book
as well as a textbook. I promptly recommend this edition to my students. It is a beautifully
done book."
Dr. Samuel D. Atkins Professor
of Sanskrit, Princeton University
"As a successor in direct line
from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad‐Gita As It Is entitled,
according to Indian custom, to the majestic
title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The great interest that his
reading of the Bhagavad‐Gita holds for us is that it offers us an
authorized interpretation according to the
principles of the Caitanya tradition."
Olivier Lacombe Professor of
Sanskrit and Indology, Sorbonne University, Paris
"I have had the opportunity of
examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and have found them to be
of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes
on Indian religions. This is
particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the
Bhagavad‐Gita."
Dr. Frederick B. Underwood
Professor of Religion, Columbia University
"If truth is what works, as
Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in
the Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is, since
those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually
missing in the bleak and strident lives
of contemporary people."
Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor
of Sociology State University of New York, Buffalo
"There is little question that
this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and
devotion. Prabhupada's translation is an
ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight."
Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins
Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall College
"The Bhagavad‐Gita, one of the
great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural milieu. This is probably less
because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind
of close interpretative commentary
upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a commentary written from not only
a scholar's but a practitioner's, a dedicated lifelong devotee's point of view."
Denise Levertov, Poet
"The increasing numbers of
Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done
a service by Swami Bhaktivedanta.
By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already known to many, he has increased
our understanding many fold."
Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr.
Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization University of
Chicago "The scholarly world is again
indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although Bhagavad‐Gita has been translated
many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular importance with his commentary."
Dr. J. Stillson Judah,
Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries
Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley,
California "Srila Prabhupada's edition thus
fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar with traditional Indian thought,
beyond the commercial East‐West hodgepodge that has arisen since the time Europeans first
penetrated India.”Whether the reader be an adept of Indian
spiritualism or not, a reading of the
Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this
will be the first contact with the true India, the
ancient India, and the eternal India."
Francois Chenique, Professor
of Religious Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France
"It was as if an empire spoke to
us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence
which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of
the same questions which exercise us"
Emerson's reaction to the Gita
"As a native of India now living
in the West, it has given me much grief to see so many of my fellow countrymen coming to the West in
the role of gurus and spiritual leaders. For this reason, I am very excited to see the publication of
Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It will help to stop the terrible
cheating of false and unauthorized 'gurus' and 'yogis' and will give
an opportunity to all people to
understand the actual meaning of Oriental culture."
Dr. Kailash Vajpeye, Director
of Indian Studies Center for Oriental Studies, The University of
Mexico "The Gita is one of the clearest
and most comprehensive one, of the summaries and systematic spiritual statements of the
perennial philosophy ever to have been done"
Aldous Huxley
"It is a deeply felt, powerfully
conceived and beautifully explained work. I don't know whether to praise more this translation of
the Bhagavad‐Gita, its daring method of explanation, or the endless fertility of its ideas. I have
never seen any other work on the Gita with such an important voice
and style. . . . It will occupy a
significant place in the intellectual and ethical life of modern man
for a long time to come."
Dr. Shaligram Shukla Professor
of Linguistics, Georgetown University
"I can say that in the
Bhagavad‐Gita As It Is I have found explanations and answers to
questions I had always posed regarding the
interpretations of this sacred work, whose spiritual discipline I
greatly admire. If the asceticism and
ideal of the apostles which form the message of the Bhagavad‐Gita as
It Is were more widespread and more
respected, the world in which we live would be transformed into a better, more fraternal place."
Dr. Paul Lesourd, Author
Professeur Honoraire, Catholic University of Paris
"When I read the Bhagavad‐Gita
and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."
Albert Einstein
"When doubts haunt me, when
disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to
Bhagavad‐Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately
begin to smile in the midst of
overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive
fresh joy and new meanings from it every day."
Mahatma Gandhi
"In the morning I bathe my
intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the
Bhagavad‐ Gita, in comparison with which
our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."Henry
David Thoreau "The Bhagavad‐Gita has a profound
influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions."
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
"The Bhagavad‐Gita is a true
scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book,
with a new message for every age and a
new meaning for every civilization."
Sri Aurobindo
"The idea that man is like unto
an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The
link with Vedic conceptions is
provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are
not an earthly but a heavenly plant.'
This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in
chapter 15 of Bhagavad‐Gita."
Carl Jung
"The Bhagavad‐Gita deals
essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is
a call of action to meet the obligations
and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and
grander purpose of the universe."
Prime Minister Nehru
"The marvel of the Bhagavad‐Gita
is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into
religion."
Herman Hesse
"I owed a magnificent day to the
Bhagavad‐Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or
unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old
intelligence which in another age and climate
had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In order to approach a creation
as sublime as the Bhagavad‐Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune our soul to
it."
Rudolph Steiner
"From a clear knowledge of the
Bhagavad‐Gita all the goals of human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad‐Gita is the manifest
quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures."
Adi Shankara
"The Bhagavad‐Gita is the most
systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most
clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring
value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity."
Aldous Huxley
"The Bhagavad‐Gita was spoken by
Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is the essence of all spiritual
knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending and incarnating is to relieve the
world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are opposed to spiritual development,
yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be perpetually within reach of all
humanity."
Ramanuja
The Bhagavad‐Gita is not separate
from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully reveals the true import of this
doctrine which is transmigration of the soul. On perusal of the
first chapter of Bhagavad‐Gita one may
think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the second chapter has been read it
can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the ultimate goal to be attained. On
studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness are also of high priority. If we
continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad‐Gita and try to ascertain the truth of
its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to relinquish all the conceptualized
ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto the Supreme Lord.
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
"The Mahabharata has all the
essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and that within it the Bhagavad‐Gita
is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of milk and pollen is the essence of
flowers."
Madhvacarya
Yoga has two different
meanings ‐ a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general
meaning is the joining together or union
of any two or more things. The technical meaning is "a state of stability and peace and the means
or practices which lead to that state." The Bhagavad Gita uses the word with both meanings. Lord
Krishna is real Yogi who can maintain a peaceful mind in the midst
of any crisis."
Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.
Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but
three paths to this end. And common to all the three is renunciation. Renounce the
desires, even of going to heaven, for every desire related with body
and mind creates bondage. Our focus
of action is neither to save the humanity nor to engage in social reforms, not to seek personal
gains, but to realize the indwelling Self itself.
Swami Vivekananda (England,
London; 1895‐96)
"Science describes the structures
and processes; philosophy attempts at their explanation. When such a perfect combination of
both science and philosophy is sung to perfection that Krishna was, we have in this piece of work an
appeal both to the head and heart."
Swami Chinmayanand on Gita
I seek that Divine Knowledge by
knowing which nothing remains to be known!' For such a person knowledge and ignorance has only
one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! Ifnot,
you are ignorant. As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of
Self, observing everywhere the object of true Knowledge i.e.
God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is contrary to this is ignorance."
Sri Ramakrishna
Maharishi calls the Bhagavad‐Gita
the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is
needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible
level." Maharishi reveals the deep,
universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
The Gita was preached as a
preparatory lesson for living worldly life with an eye to Release,
Nirvana. My last prayer to everyone,
therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this ancient science of worldly life
as early as possible in one's life.
Lokmanya Tilak
I believe that in all the living
languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge,
and yet so handy. It teaches
self‐control, austerity, non‐violence, compassion, obedience to the
call of duty for the sake of duty, and
putting up a fight against unrighteousness (Adharma). To my knowledge, there is no book in
the whole range of the world's literature as high above as the Bhagavad‐Gita, which is the
treasure‐house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus but foe all
mankind.
M. M. Malaviy
