Bhagavad Gita Inquiry:

Meditationtime Forum Post

Date:  Posted 3 years before Dec 02, 2016

MiBeloved 3 years ago

From LinkedIn:

Gadadhara Pandit asked:

Why does the Bhagavad Gita, a text about finding inner peace and God, encourage the warrior, Arjuna, to engage in a fratricidal war? Thoughts please?

MiBeloved's Response:

I have a related question:

Why is the Bhagavad Gita, a text about engaging in a civil war, where the warrior Arjuna was motivated to combat, portrayed as a story about finding inner peace and God?

Opinions Please!!!!!

Alfredo 3 years ago

Very nice flip to the question.

However, I still believe that the Gita could be portrayed as a guide to find inner peace and God, among other things, entertained around the context of the civil war and the initial dejection of Arjuna, which gave Shri Krishna the opportunity to enlighten us on the path of yoga in relation to our individual dharma and in relation to the control that material nature has on our nature and dharma.

I base this conclusion on the statement chanted at the end of each chapter:

OM tatsaditi śrīmad bhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu

brahmavidyāyāṃ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde

Gita is here called the essence of the Upanishads, and an Upanishad itself, and the Upanishads are the science of the knowledge of the Atman and its relationship to the Paramatma or Brahman.

Then the Gita is called the greatest: brahmavidyāyāṃ, meaning the science of the Knowledge of God, Brahmavidya, the greatest science.

Finally, it is astounding, that it is also called "yogashastre", or the science of yoga par excellence.

All based on "śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṃvāde": A conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna.

I do not know of any other scripture of Sanatana Dharma that has been said to cover all these parameters at once.