Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre Samaveta Yuyutsavaha…
The opening word of the magnificent scripture Gita is dharma, the great word of ancient India. Just as beauty was dear to Greece and power was dear to Rome, dharma was close to the soul of India. Our ancient rishis exhorted us to ‘build our life in dharma’.
Dharma is derived from dhru which means ‘hold’. Dharma is the power, the force, the jivan shakti which holds life. Kshetra means ‘field’. Let us therefore, ask ourselves: “What am I sowing in the field of life, dharma or adharma?” If you are one of the blessed souls who are sowing the seeds of dharma, your life becomes a song, a Gita of the Lord!
In this Kaliyuga, which is characterised by the degeneration of dharma, it becomes imperative for each of us, as individuals, to adhere to dharma in the measure that is possible to us. And, it is my firm conviction that the Gita can be our leading light, our beacon of hope in this endeavour.
I believe too, that it is necessary and desirable for all Indians, especially the youth, professionals and young parents to cultivate familiarity with this precious scripture which is our great heritage. Knowing the essence of its teachings and putting into practise its practical precepts is the best way of escaping the dominant dark forces of this age.
Sri Adi Shankara himself wrote one of the most respected and authoritative commentaries on the Gita. Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhavacharya, Sri Vallabhacharya and Sri Jnaneshwar have added valuable insights to their respective bhashyas. In modern times Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo have written on the Gita. As for me, I was privileged to be the disciple of a great-souled saint, whom many regarded as a “living Gita” – Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani. The Gita is the core strength of every Hindu – indeed, the universal guide to every thinking, sensitive human being who realises that life does not stop at the physical and material level.
The message of the Gita is affirmative; the message of the Gita is dynamic. It is a message that we all need to affirm and internalise in our daily lives.
(Dada J.P. Vaswani is humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader.)
