The teachings embodied in the Bhagavad Gita possess eternal value and are universal in their applicability. This is the only philosophical work that enjoys the widest currency. It has been translated and annotated into several Indian and Western languages Its message continues to be as fresh and inspiring today, as it was when the Lord delivered it to Arjuna Though there are other equally elevating teachings, some of which have also the suffix Gita, why is that the Celestial Song, the message of true knowledge delivered to Arjuna by Sri Krishna, has come to occupy a supreme place? The answer is to be found in the setting in which this Divine message was given to the world.

The setting of the Gitopadesa is the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the two intending armies, the armies of the pandavas and of the Kauravas, are arrayed in the battle formation and poised to go into action at the given signal. Arjuna is the central figure in this interesting drama. He is seated in his chariot and Lord Krishna Himself is the charioteer. Arjuna, who, a little while ago, more or less directed Sri Krishna to spur the horses forward and station his chariot in between the opposing armies, has humbled himself into the position of a pupil at the feet of the Divine Charioteer, whom he has raised to the pedestral of the teacher. Arjuna surrenders himself unreservedly to the mercy of Krishna and implores him to guide him. The situation is so tense that Arjuna is not sure whether the next moment his head will be standing intact on his shoulders, or will be rolling in the dust soaked with the blood of the fighting men. In actual life, we see that a passing shower is enough to melt an audience listening to a discourse on Truth. People are more concerned with saving their clothes than hearing advice, however ennobling it may be. But here is a case where a man in the jaws of death is wanting to learn and Lord is willing to teach. It is this setting that has endowed the Bhagavad Gita with eternal value and supremacy over all other teachings.

There is also another aspect to the situation. Arjuna has proved himself fit to receive any advice or direction the Lord may choose to give. Hostilities are about to commence and there is no knowing how many and who all will lose their lives. Arjuna is no coward and does not want to run away from the battlefield, though he has expressed his unwillingness to fight. His only objection to fight is that the war will entail his killing those whom he regards as his elders and relations. He does not mind being killed by the opponents, without himself raising even his little finger to harm those arrayed in the opposite camp. In fact, he desires this to happen, so that the slaughter inherent in a war may be avoided. That means, Arjuna has overcome all desires and attachment to life. He has attained the state of mind which is fit to receive true knowledge. There can be no better touchstone to test the complete detachment of a person than the battlefield. Arjuna is desirous to learn the only thing that matters -Jnana or Truth. Seeing that Arjuna has come out successful in the qualifying test and made himself fit to receive knowledge, the Lord teaches him. That is also how the message of the Gita has come to possess eternal and lasting value.

Incidentally, Arjuna has made out a good case for banning all wars. He says that any war is wrong and if one side is foolish enough to resort to arms, it is better to ward off aggression by refusing to retaliate, and thereby bringing about unilateral disarmament. In that case, the casualty will be low. The violence of war is different from the violence of punishment imposed by a Judge for a crime. A Judge is a disinterested person and punishment is intended to act as a deterrent, to ~heck the tendency to commit crimes or evil deeds. The disgrace attached to imprisonment and the hardship inside jails make people afraid to commit crimes.

But war stands on a different footing. It wipes out elders from society, leaving children and women without any guidance. Consequently there is disruption of family life, leading to deterioration of Dharma and the loss of chastity. When women lose their chastity, Varna Sankara is the consequence. Varna sankara results in suffering Naraka, eternal misery. In the general interest of Dharma, it is far better to submit bravely and without retaliating to extermination than to retaliate and suffer greater human loss. After expressing this view, Arjuna remains heart-broken.

But how does Krishna meet the argument? His reply contains a touch of admonition. "Cast off your mental weakness and arise," says Krishna. "If you decide to refrain from fighting, it must not be from a sense of grief over the deaths that will result from it. Your weeping implies that you are affected by egoism and attachment, the sense of the 'I' and the 'mine. Fighting is the action that you should do as a Kshatriya. In your present state of mind, you have not attained the qualification to abjure all actions. Activity ceases only in the case of an unattached person. You are attached to your relatives, elders and teachers and bemoan their sure death in the battle. And so, inactivity is not yours now. You have no yet acquired the Siddhi which will justify that inactivity. To attain that Siddhi, you should do the karma ordained by your Svadharma, " says the Lord. Therefore, Krishna wants Arjuna to achieve personal perfection before he can qualify for this humanitarian attitude of absence from fighting.

The Lord's teachings embodied in the Gita contain the answer to the question often posed, namely, which should have preference, individual salvation or Lokakshema. The Gita makes it plain that unless one is perfect oneself, one is not qualified to engage oneself in acts of public good, Lokakshema. A person who weeps or is angry, that is, a person who is himself subject to grief or anger cannot succeed in removing the like ills of others. The man who is subject to delusion is not qualified to rid the world of its delusions.

And if there is a person who has overcome grief and other infirmities that subvert the soul, then his very existence in this world will contribute to public weal. He need not go out to reform the world, he need not strive for Lokakshema; the world will learn to reform itself by his example and its consequent conduct will, of its own accord, lead to Lokakshema.

The only way to overcome grief and other infirmities is through Jnana. That is why the Lord proceeds to gradually instruct Arjuna in the truths of Atma Jnana, which ultimately dispels his delusions. The Gita begins with the grief of Arjuna. The Lord chided him for it at the commencement of His Gitopadesa, but towards the close tells him, "Do not grieve". The command to fight, shows that even at the cost of the death of many warriors on both sides, one should perform one's Svadharma as a Kshatriya. For, the practice of Svadharma, without attachment and with resignation, will alone make for Chittasuddhi so necessary for Jnana Praapti. Such a Jnani becomes perfect soul, who, by his very presence, brings about Lokasangraha in the truest sense of the term, and in the most effective manner. Individual elevation will enable one to lift others.

Money has always been a master, never a slave. With enormous riches at their command, those in authority are able to influence even men known for their detachment. At the commencement of the Kurukshetra battle, Yudhishtirar went to his grandfather Bhishma, who was guiding the Kauravas and sought his blessings. A symbol of supreme sacrifice, Bhishma told him that having fallen in to the clutches of Duryodhana and enjoyed the comforts provided by him, he had the moral obligation to fight on his side, but he had always felt, being righteous, that the Pandavas would definitely win, admitting that he too was no exception to the lure of office.

In his discourse Sri T. Ramakrishna Iyengar said when the war was about to start, Arjuna became nervous and refused to fight, arguing that he would not commit fratricide and genocide. Sri Krishna then spelt out the Divine Message, Bhagavad Gita, to serve as an eternal beacon for mankind. It explains the greatness of the path of devotion for God-realisation and the link between the human being and the Paramatma, pointing out that the acts of an individual are guided by the Unseen and that he has no independence. Once he expresses his utter inability to save himself and pleads his helplessness, God will protect him. If it is difficult to remember the philosophic contents of the Gita, the lecturer said, it is enough if one retained in his mind the picture of the Almighty, as charioteer, extending His advice to Arjuna.

Surrender to God and a keen desire to see Him face to face are the prime requisites of a devotee. But unless God Himself chooses to grant us the Divine insight, it is not possible to see Him. God's world is "Paravak" but it has to find expression among men in different times, places and situations and hence this communication in terms of language (vaikhari) became diverse: different traditions arose but all of them stemmed from and led to the one and the same Ultimate, in whatever terminology one may refer to it, personal or impersonal. The diversity of traditions in a sacred text even within a single religion like Christianity and Hinduism resulted in the growth of scriptures and schools of interpretations. A seeker of Truth should dive deep into the lines of the basic work, ponder and meditate on the teachings therein.

In a lecture Fr. Ignatius Hirudayam said it was beside the point whether Lord Krishna and Arjuna and the discussions were historical; it was the dialogue of the Supreme Self to the individual soul (Jivatma). The second sloka of the prayer of Arjuna witnessing the awe-inspiring form (Viswarupa) of the Lord formed part of his (the lecturer's) own daily puja. When Yudhistirar went to heaven, he saw Duryodhana there, already enjoying a regal status, according to the belief called "Veera Swargam" "while the battle of Kurukshetra was fought to establish Dharma against Adharma as Duryodhana was portrayed as the symbol of evil and unrighteousness. Such ideas, the speaker said, should be understood by taking the whole matter into consideration and the basic principles such as what was declared by the Lord in the Gita ("Urdhavam gacchanti,) -those established in Satwa ascended high and those of reprehensible activity (Tamas) went down to the depths. Different schools of religion and philosophy posit each its own Tatwas or categories. The more one propounded, the greater perhaps was his view that his philosophy was more significant. But the real Tatwa is one -it should be sought by meditation, with the resolve (of Arjuna -"Drashtum icchami te rupam") -"I desire to see you face to face".