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continued.... Krishna instructs Arjuna on the three ways to union with God. The first is Karma-Yoga (the Way of Action). Each person should do his or her duty according to caste, without hope of personal benefit or ambition, but with faith in God. Those who go through the motions of performing rituals without care or interest, or do their work only for profit, will never achieve release from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Only if a person acts with his or her mind fixed on Brahman (God) will he or she become free, at peace, and at one with God. Anyone in that state feels no disturbing desires. Where there is no desire there is no disappointment, and there are no competitive stirrings of ambition. In work one's sole ambition should be to serve as an example to others, so that they too may do their duty. The second way is Jnana-Yoga (the Way of Knowledge). By this means, the contemplative person can best seek union with God. Such a person should have great self-control and spend much of his or her time in meditation. Through God's grace, he or she will come to realize that Brahman and Atman are one. Arjuna asks which of these two paths is best. Krishna replies that the result will be the same whichever path is followed. The end means absorption in Brahman, the unchanging, the eternal. The entire universe exists in and because of Brahman, but few are sufficiently advanced to perceive this Being. Most people are absorbed with their own petty, temporary concerns, which are only maya (illusion), which cannot last but must pass away in time. The third way is Bhakti-Yoga (the Way of Devotion). This is one of the most important contributions made by the Bhagavad-Gita to the development of modern Hinduism. Krishna becomes the Ishvara (personal God), who may be worshipped as a spirit or as an image by his followers. He will accept any offering, however humble, as long as it is made with love. Every worshipper who approaches with a loving heart is welcomed. Union with God, and release from the suffering of birth and rebirth, is available to all through devotion to Krishna. Krishna then reveals himself to Arjuna as Vishnu. Arjuna is overwhelmed and bursts into a great hymn of praise. He is fearful and ashamed because he had addressed Krishna as "comrade" and "friend." But Krishna is merciful and returns to human form to comfort Arjuna, explaining that God in majesty is too great for human beings to behold. Krishna continues to teach Arjuna about the nature of man. He defines the qualities that bring people nearer to Brahman and those that tend to lead them astray. The individual nature of people decides what and how they worship. Some people look to God, others to worldly things. When people make an offering to God, it must be made in faith, otherwise it is unreal and cannot result in good. The Bhagavad-Gita provides a summary of Hindu religious thought and practice, much of it based on the Upanishads. These are part of the Vedas, the oldest sacred books of Hinduism. It points the way to developing belief, forging a personal relationship between deity and worshipper. It offers a new approach to the full perception of, and absorption in, Brahman. next page >> |
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