Bhagavad Gita Essay

The Vedas themselves say that what we see of them is only "the disclosed Veda," and that one should strive to get above this word.It is here clearly implied that the undisclosed Vedas must be hidden or contained in that which is apparent to the outer senses.Did we not have this privilege, then surely would we be reduced to obtaining true knowledge solely from the facts of experience as suffered by the mortal frame, and fall into the gross error of the materialists who claim that mind is only an effect produced by the physical brain-molecules coming into motion.

The Vedas themselves say that what we see of them is only "the disclosed Veda," and that one should strive to get above this word.It is here clearly implied that the undisclosed Vedas must be hidden or contained in that which is apparent to the outer senses.Did we not have this privilege, then surely would we be reduced to obtaining true knowledge solely from the facts of experience as suffered by the mortal frame, and fall into the gross error of the materialists who claim that mind is only an effect produced by the physical brain-molecules coming into motion.

The composition of this poem is attributed to Vyasa and, as he is also said to have given the Vedas to men, a discussion about dates would not be profitable and can well stand over until some other occasion. Its more definite object, however, is to give an account of the wars of the Kurus and Pandus, two great branches of the family.

And that portion included in our poem is the sublime philosophical and metaphysical dialogue held by Krishna with Arjuna, on the eve of a battle between the two aspirants for dominion.

And as equally needful to be understood, or at least guessed at, are the names of the respective princes.

The very place in the in which this episode is inserted has deep significance, and we cannot afford to ignore anything whatever that is connected with the events. I do not intend to go into those commentaries, because on the one hand I am not a Sanskrit scholar, and on the other it would not tend to great profit.

GITA means song, and BHAGAVAD is one of the names of Krishna. According to the views of the Brahmins, we are now in Kali-yuga, which began about the time of Krishna's appearance.

He is said to have descended in order to start among men those moral and philosophical ideas which were necessary to be known during the revolution of the Age, at the end of which — after a brief period of darkness — a better Age will begin.So we see, here and there, Western minds wondering why such a highly tuned metaphysical discussion should be "disfigured by a warfare of savages." Such is the materializing influence of Western culture that it is hardly able to admit any higher meaning in a portion of the poem which confessedly it has not yet come to fully understand.Before the Upanishads can be properly rendered, the Indian psychological system must be understood; and even when its existence is admitted, the English speaking person will meet the great difficulty arising from an absence of words in that language which correspond to the ideas so frequently found in the Sanskrit.Such at least is the promise by Krishna in the — the "Song Celestial." - - - - - In the few introductory lines with which I took up this subject, it was stated that not being a Sanskrit scholar I did not intend to go into the commentaries upon the poem in that language.The great mass of those commentaries have looked at the dialogue from various standpoints.Thus we have to wait until a new set of words has been born to express the new ideas not yet existing in the civilization of the West.The location of the plain on which this battle was fought is important, as well as are also the very rivers and mountains by which it is bounded.No doubt such a conflict did take place, for man is continually imitating the higher spiritual planes; and a great sage could easily adopt a human event in order to erect a noble philosophical system upon such an allegorical foundation.In one aspect history gives us merely the small or great occurrences of man's progress; but in another, any one great historical epoch will give us a picture of the evolution in man, in the mass, of any corresponding faculty of the Individual Soul.(1) The Christian commentators all allow that in studying their Bible the spirit must be attended to and not the letter.This Veda which must be looked for between the lines.