By

Of all the stories that the children of India have heard while growing up, the tale of the Mahabharata has fascinated them the most, across the centuries. Yet, through the varied complexities of the plot, sub plots, characters and the shenanigans that dot the pages of the Mahabharata, the essence of it lies in the message of the Gita. The timeless, epochal and eternal divine sermon that the Lord Himself delivered to his devotee, the great Pandava warrior, Arjuna, finds brilliant encapsulation in the form of the Bhagavad Gita, the song celestial.

It is rightly said that the Gita sheds light on whichever part of the spiritual journey a devotee may be situated at any given time.

Gita Jayanti is celebrated across the world in December every year and the nuances of this great scripture are highlighted by the experts, especially during this period.

Lord Krishna uttered the ultimate Truth with His transformative and inspiring words to Arjuna, upon the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in response to the latter’s despondent unwillingness to fight against his own ‘relatives.’ ‘God Talks with Arjuna’ authored by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, is a deeply spiritual interpretation of the Gita and its intrinsic message. Yoganandaji also authored the global best seller, ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ and several other highly inspirational spiritual books.

In ‘God talks with Arjuna’ across two volumes, Yoganandaji analyses, in detail, the true significance of the 700 shlokas which comprise the Gita. The essence of the divine sermon of Lord Krishna to Arjuna, is that each one of us is a soul, not the body, and that the Pandavas within us must eventually conquer the Kauravas within, to enable the soul to attain liberation from endless cycles of birth and death.

Just as the Lord advised his disciple, Arjuna, to fight the supreme battle, so also must each human being strive to conquer his own ego, habits, anger, evil, lust and material desires, in order to attain ultimate salvation. Each character in the Mahabharata, as Yoganandaji explains, exemplifies a unique quality that we must either vanquish or nurture, depending on whether it represents the evil Kauravas within us or the good Pandavas.

The ‘Kriya Yoga’ teachings of Yoganandaji revolve around the essential message of the Gita. Yoganandaji’s home study lessons, published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS), contain step by step instructions about the techniques of ‘Kriya Yoga’ meditation, which is the highest route to self-realization. These YSS lessons are available to all truth seekers and they have already enabled lakhs of devotees to accelerate their spiritual quest.

This exalted scientific technique of meditation ‘Kriya Yoga’ is twice referred to in the Gita itself. It was rediscovered in the nineteenth century by mankind through the ‘Leela’ played out by Mahavatar Babaji who imparted knowledge of it to Lahiri Mahasaya, his disciple, and the param guru of Yoganandaji. Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, who was initiated into ‘Kriya Yoga’ by Lahiri Mahasaya, in turn, initiated Yoganandaji, his principal disciple.

There is a saying in India, “Where Krishna is, there is Victory!” Fortunate indeed are those, who have aligned their lives to follow the teachings of the Gita