Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita (Set of 3 Books)

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Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita
Discources On The Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita	Philosophy of The Bhagavad-Gita	Feeling-The Philosophy of Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is an unparalleled work that has something for everyone. On any life topic that one wants to understand, this book of seven hundred verses has the relevant answers.

Discourses on the Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita delves deeply into the philosophy underlying this great work. The author, the late Sri Mangal Charan, reveals an ex alted depth of insight and understanding of the Gita and its relevance to a meaningful life, taking the reader into the world of Sri Krishna's inspired teachings imparted to Arjuna over five thousand years ago. This text brings one closer to finding one's place in the world and living life harmoniously.

I have looked through the manuscript on the Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita by the late Sri Mangal Charan, BL. It struck me as a work of fundamental value. It contains the mature reflections of a mind steeped in the spirit of our ancient scriptures. A culture is said to be alive when it is able to produce individuals, who from their personal experience bear testimony to the validity of the thoughts enunciated in the scriptures embodying that culture. The Bhagavad Gita has been the motive power of many millions of lives in this country. The late Sri Mangal Charan has not merely studied the Gita, but has reflected on the principles enunciated in it and has given us in this volume not the comments of the acharyas, but his own independent reflections. I hope that the book will be read by many.

**Contents and Sample Pages**

The Bhagavad-gita, as it at present stands, is essentially practical in its character and teachings, but these teachings will not be understood unless their philosophical basis is constantly kept in view. The Bhagavad-gita presupposes certain premises which are not explained at length; they are simply alluded to. Here Subba Row presents an original explanation of the underlying philosophy of the Gita.

In studying the Bhagavad-gita it must not be treated as if isolated from the rest of the Mahabharata as it at present exists. It was inserted by Vyasa in the right place with special reference to some of the incidents in that book. One must first realize the real position of Arjuna and Krishna in order to appreciate the teaching of the latter. Among other appellations Arjuna has one very strange name-he is called at different times by ten or eleven names, most of which are explained by himself in Virataparva. One name is omitted from the list, i.e., Nara. This word simply means 'man'. But why a particular man should be called by this as a proper name may at first sight appear strange. Nevertheless herein lies a clue which enables us to understand not only the position of the Bhagavad-gita in the text and its connection with Arjuna and Krishna, but the entire current running through the whole of the Mahabharata, implying Vyasa's real views of the origin, trials and destiny of man. Vyasa looked upon Arjuna as man, or rather the real monad in man; and upon Krishna as the Logos, or the spirit that comes to save man. To some it appears strange that this highly philosophical teaching should have been inserted in a place apparently utterly unfitted for it. The discourse is alleged to have taken place between Arjuna and Krishna just before the battle began to rage. But when once you begin to appreciate the Mahabharata, you will see this was the fittest place for the Bhagavad-gita.

**Contents and Sample Pages**

The idea of God is not in philosophy. Psychology is not in the realm of philosophy. Philosophy has to present a course of wisdom that is recognisable from the point of view of common sense and palpable methods for the development of that wisdom for practical realisation. At the same time, the person who wants to become wiser has to overcome his psychological inclinations and he must feel sure or confident that there is such a power in him to overcome his limitations. That power to overcome the psychological limitations has to be identified to exist and whether that power is God or not in name is immaterial. The Bhagavadgita is that philosophy where Krishna, the preceptor, takes Arjuna into confidence and brings out proof of the existence of a pure consciousness distinctly free of psychological consciousness. That pure consciousness can not be called a God that man worships, but a power that can be felt. Therefore, feeling is sought to be explained, at different stages of its structure and purity. That is the message of philosophy here. The philosophy ends with the identification of consciousness and never enters into exploration of acts of consciousness, called mysteries of metaphysics. This is called the astikya - philosophy, meaning Philosophy of Existence. Existence is Feeling of Existence and not the Material Existence without feeling.

The legends of Bharat places the origin of Bhagavadgita between Krishna and Arjuna about 3200 B.C., some 2700 years before Buddha. Hill' says that Krishna is mentioned in Panini's works (350 B.C.) and there is internal evidence to show that the Bhagavadgita in its present form appeared about 200 B.C. When Vivekananda doubted the legends and the existence at any time of Krishna or Arjuna and put that as a question to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the latter said, "those who have been able to conceive of such ideas ought to be those ideas themselves"2. He meant that without living in that background, it is not possible to communicate so effectively, that the message has lived with the masses for centuries not depending on the variously interpreting scholars.