The Bhagavad Gita is one of the holiest and most influential texts in Hinduism. Literally, it means ‘Song of God’. The Gita is actually a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. Gita Jayanti marks the day on which this dialogue is believed to have occurred. In other words, it was on this day that the Bhagavad Gita was born.
Gita Jayanti falls on Shukla Ekadasi (the 11th day of the waxing moon ) in Margashirsha month (Nov-Dec). Devotees of Krishna celebrate this day with great fervor.
Gita Jayanti is also known as Gita Mahotsav, Mokshada Ekadashi, or Matsya Dwadashi. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata epic. It has 18 chapters, comprising 700 Slokas or couplets.
The Gita is told in the third person, the narrator being Sanjaya, the scribe of the blind king Dhritarashtra (the father of the Kauravas). Sanjaya had a boon from Sage Veda Vyasa to see things that happened on the Kurukshetra battlefield, even if he was not physically present at the venue. This enabled him to narrate the Gita to the king as Krishna delivered his discourse to Arjuna.
What is the Bhagavad Gita?
The Mahabharata is about the feud between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. They were cousins, but destiny made them sworn enemies, and their hostility toward each other culminated in the great war at Kurukshetra.
Many people tried to effect a reconciliation between the warring camps, but all of them failed. Finally, the day of the war arrived. The 2 armies stood facing each other on the battlefield. When the battle was about to begin, Arjuna asked Krishna, his charioteer, to drive the chariot to the middle of the battlefield, as he wanted to look more closely at those who opposed him.
When he saw his relatives, teachers, and friends ranged on the enemy side, Arjuna lost his nerve. He found himself in an excruciating moral dilemma. He did not want to fight those who were dear to him and was ready to lay down his arms.
It was then that Krishna began to narrate the Gita in the form of advice, messages, and teachings. The Gita brings together the concepts expressed in the Vedas and Upanishads. Krishna reminds Arjuna that as a warrior, it is his Dharma or duty to fight and that everything in the world is an illusion. He also explains that his misgivings about killing loved ones are misplaced, as the soul or Atman is immortal and a part of Brahman or God with whom it seeks to merge, leading to Moksha or liberation. He also reveals his cosmic form to Arjuna. Eventually, Arjuna takes up his arms and goes into battle.
An unusual thing about the Bhagavad Gita is that it takes place on the battlefield. Scholars find this incongruous, as the Gita is essentially a spiritual text. But a popular explanation is that the battlefield is only a metaphor for the war that takes place within each human soul for overcoming ego and ignorance.
Gita Jayanti Celebrations
Hindus recite the Gita on this day and take part in Bhajans and Poojas. Stage plays are organized, and there will be Gita chanting contests for children. Spiritual gurus and holy men conduct public discourses on the Gita. Books and pamphlets related to the Gita are also distributed to the public to spread the timeless teachings of the Gita.
Rituals of Gita Jayanti
There will be special Poojas and prayers in Krishna temples.
Devotees visit Kurukshetra and take a dip in the holy rivers of Sannihit Sarovar and Brahma Sarovar.
Some devotees organize Bhagavad Gita Paath at their homes.
Reading the Gita helps people eliminate Pitru Dosha.
Being an Ekadasi day, people avoid eating grains like rice, wheat, barley, etc., and observe a fast.
Conclusion
The importance of the Gita can be best summarized in Mahatma Gandhi’s words:
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.
Gita Jayanti 2023 is on December 22.
Bhagavad Gita helps us in many ways.
It teaches not mere lessons, it teaches life lessons.
Human beings are caught between dichotomies in everyday life - pain & pleasure, ego & true self, and so on.
And Gita truly guides us in attaining the true self by shedding our ego.Gita is derived from the Great Epic, Mahabaratha.
The whole Gita centers around the teachings of Lord Krishna to the confused Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurushetra, where two families are preparing to battle.It's not easy to answer how Gita helps & the entire teachings of yoga in a quora question.
If you want to truly taste the nectar of the entire Gita, I would suggest you get this wonderful Vedic book online, Bhagavad Gita - The Transcendental Knowledge.
Spirituality What is Spirituality and How does it affect you?
Spirituality, as the word indicates is that which is connected with the spirit(the soul) and God which are all realities existing in the spiritual realm.
So spirituality refers to those processes, schools of thought and action that help one to come to the spiritual realm.
Bhagavad Gita explains clearly that spiritual learning begins with the understanding that we are actually not the body, but we are the soul.
dehino 'smin yath dehe kaumra yauvana jar tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati Translation: As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.
Read inspirational literature Doing mindful meditation or practice mindfulness Practice gratitude Enjoy nature Express yourself through music art and/or dance Be kind and help people Volunteer or donate to a cause Practice yoga and get connected to your own body Spiritual Gurus in India If United States is considered the "Land of Opportunity" then India is by default the "Land of Spirituality".
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