Bhagavad-gita

नारायणं नमस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्

 देवीं सरस्वतीं चैव ततो जयम् उदीरयेत्

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

The king said to Vaishampayana, “Inspired by the humble brahmana Astika, you  have reminded us of the great deeds of my grandfather Arjuna and his brothers, the Pandavas. As the son of Veda Vyasa, you heard extensively from him the entire history of the Mahabharata, the great war, and of the Pandavas. Please tell me their story, that by understanding the causes of war I might better rule in peace”

     Janamejaya said, "How did the those heroes the Kurus, the Pandavas, and the Somakas together with various high-souled kings and princes meet on that great battlefield? Tell me of the deeds of my ancestors, the Pandavas, their exploits and their trials.  How did the armies enter into battle? Who were the allies of the Pandavas and who were the followers of the Kauravas. And tell me of the great conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, known as Bhagavad-gita. I have heard that this discourse struck deeply into the soul of my ancestor Arjuna and would hear the conversation from you, just as it was spoken."

     "How did that conversation unfold and what was its purport? What were the questions made by Dhananjaya and how were they answered by the Lord God Himself, Bhagavan Shree Krishna, so many years ago on that great battlefield? 

Why was Arjuna reluctant to fight, and what did Krishna say to soar his spirits? All these questions we have and we are eager to hear from you, Oh, Vaishampayana. You are not only the son of Vedavyasa, but you have heard all these things directly from him. Please enlighten us."

    And Vaishampayana said, "Many things have we heard directly from Vedavyasa, who left me also with a written record which I have studied. All these events and conversations I shall now reveal before this exalted assembly."

    And hearing Suta Goswami describe the events of the snake sacrifice and the conversations between the great king Janamejaya and Vaishampayana Rishi, the ten thousand sages gathered there for the twelve year sacrifice fell silent. Shaunaka who was the greatest among them said, "O Suta Goswami, please continue. What did Vaishampayana, the great disciple of Vyasa, say there at the snake sacrifice? How did he describe the battle of Kurukshetra and the conversation between Bhagavan Shree Krishna and Arjuna?"

  Suta Goswami continued, "When King Janamejaya questioned Vaishampayana thus, that great Rishi replied as follows:

    "Listen O King. Listen all you brahmanas. Listen you who have the good fortune to be gathered here today. I shall recite before you the story of the battle of Kurukshetra as it was told to me by my guru. I shall tell you of how Arjuna and his brothers led by King Yudhisthira confronted in battle the mighty champions of the Kurus: Bhishma himself, the great car warrior; Karna, the sun-born archer, Drona the kshatriya among brahmanas, and thousands of great heroes. And I shall narrate to you the message and the mystery of the Bhagavad-Gita, spoken by the Lord God Himself: Shree Krishna."  

And with this the sages of Naimisharanya again interrupted Suta Goswami, saying:  “ O Suta, the stories of martial might and the heroic deeds of the Pandavas are filled with useful lessons and wisdom teachings, and we would very much like to hear them recited by you, but  please kindly tell us more of the glory of the Gita, just as it was spoken long before at Narayana-ksetra by the great sage Srila Vyasadeva.”

 To which Suta Goswami replied:  “ O venerable ones, you have certainly asked the most glorious question. Who can describe the supreme glory of the Gita, the most hidden of all treasures?"

Suta said, "Certainly Lord Sri Krsna is in full knowledge of the glory of the Gita; Arjuna, the son of Kunti, knows something of its fruit; and Vyasadeva, Sukadeva, Yajnavalkya, and the saintly King Janaka-they are all somewhat conversant with it as well.  

"Apart from them, others who have heard from one another about it are engaged in singing the praises of a tiny fraction of its greatness.

    "All the Upanisads are the cow personified, and the cowherd boy Sri Krsna is their milker. The son of Prtha is the calf personified, this ambrosia of the Gita is the superexcellent milk, and the highly intelligent virtuous souls are its tasters. To begin with, I offer my obeisances unto Lord Sri Krsna who accepted the position of the chariot driver of Arjuna, just to distribute this ambrosia of the Gita for the benefit of all the three worlds. A person who wants to cross over the ghastly ocean of material suffering can do so very easily by taking shelter of the boat of the Bhagavad Gita."

    "That fool, who wants to attain liberation by constant yoga practice without hearing the wisdom of the Gita, is fit to be laughed at - even by a child. One who day and night hears and recites the Gita is never to be taken as a mere human being. Without a doubt, he is a veritable god. In order to enlighten Arjuna by the knowledge of the Gita, Lord Krsnacandra has sung the praises of the supreme principle of devotion, both relative and absolute."

    In this way, the heart is purified by the knowledge of the Gita, a ladder of eighteen chapters which refutes all doctrines propounding sense enjoyment and liberation (bhukti-mukti). Step by step, the qualification to practice loving devotional service is  Bathing in the pure waters of the Gita, the devotees are liberated from contamination of the mundane world. But such an attempt by faithless persons is utterly useless, just like the bath of an elephant who washes himself in the Ganges only to roll in the mud.  bathing 

    The Gita should be offered all respects at all times and in all places as the inaugurator of all religious wisdom and the spotless essence of all Holy Scriptures.

    Whoever with true faith sublime hears this deep, meaningful Gita - Song Divine, will profit greatly: his whole life will rise to the plane of all-pervading joy, sweetness, and charm."