The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is more than five thousand years old, being a record of an immortal conversation between God and man. Old the Gita might be in terms of passage of time; yet it has survived, having been published a countless number of times, and translated into hundreds of languages. It has also been extensively commented upon and written about for centuries, while in recent times, there have also been many films as well as television serials. You might therefore wonder whether one more book on the Gita is at all required, and if so, what is new or different about this book.
There are indeed a few important differences where this book is concerned. The first is that the Gita is presented as a SIMPLE conversation between God and man, and in the language of the day. It is almost like the conversation we might have with God freely raising our doubts and so on, if He were to appear before us. Many might wonder whether taking such a liberty would not diminish the sanctity of the original Gita, held in great reverence by millions for thousands of years; there is some merit in such an argument. However, after listening to countless discourses of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, I have come to the conclusion that the ESSENCE of the Gita is more important to humanity today than ever before in human history. As a result, I strongly believe that every effort must be made to get across that message in as simple and effective a manner as possible, which is why I have taken a huge liberty in presenting the Gita the way I have done; I sincerely hope that the result is worth the risk I have taken.
The Gita is not, as is commonly imagined, merely about Krishna giving advice to Arjuna to shed his doubts and get on with the fight. Nor is it specific to any particular religion or school of Spiritual philosophy, as many seem to believe, Rather, it is all about a LIFE BOAT, which, if availed of, can save individuals, entire communities and indeed the whole of humanity, from being drowned by the innumerable difficulties that plague today's Society at the macro as well as the micro level.
To some, this might appear like a tall claim; however, I request you to suspend your disbelief until you have gone through the book thoroughly, and also read the detailed reflections I offer at the end, after the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna comes to a close. You would then appreciate [I hope!] how the Message of the Gita is Universal, Timeless, and exactly what we need to tackle the huge and massive problems humanity faces today, all the way from global terrorism to climate change, with many other complex issues thrown in between. Hopefully, you would also get some idea of how, over the ages, saints, seers and noble souls in all lands, each in their own particular way, have intuitively cognised the Divine Nature of the Individual Soul and given expression to it via Love and Compassion, bringing cheer to the miserable and hope to those feeling abandoned. If, as Sage Aurobindo once dreamt, the Pure Love that resides in every Heart can get connected, and humanity as a whole rises in a huge Tsunami of Pure Love, all our problems would, without any doubt, get swept away! It is to bring home this crucial fact that I have adopted a novel approach in preparing and offering this book.
A few words now about how the Gita actually came to be taught to Arjuna on the eve of the epic war fought thousands of years ago in the battlefield in Kurukshetra, between the Kauravas and Pandavas. Briefly, the facts are as follows:
The starting point of it all was the greed and jealousy of the Kauravas, which led them to trick the Pandavas, grab their kingdom, and banish the latter to fourteen years of exile; the understanding was that at the end of the exile period, the kingdom would be returned to the Pandavas. However, the Kauravas did not honour their promise. War then seemed inevitable, and Krishna went as an emissary to the court of the Kauravas to work out a peace deal; that attempt failed.
It was time for war, and both Pandavas as well as Kauravas sought help from Krishna. Krishna offered the two parties a choice: Either His armies or Himself, but only as an advisor. The Kauravas opted for the armies, while Arjuna who went to Krishna on behalf of the Pandavas sought only Krishna, even though Krishna would not bear arms. Thus it was that Krishna became the Charioteer of Arjuna.
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