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Embodiments
of Love!
"The
Bhagavad Gîtâ deals with the basic
facts of the gross material world and the subtle
spiritual world; human society and the human mind.
The Gîtâ is a mirror of the mind of the
total, integral and universal man. It elevates man
from the intellectual to the spiritual level and
illumines his pathway to the
Paramâtmâ. It elucidates the
secret of total self surrender. It is an aid to the
integral and total transformation of man. It is an
epitome of the spiritual verities revealed by Lord
Krishna."
"The
Bhagavad Gîtâ expounds the secret of
creation and the essence of divinity. It explains
the theory and practice of all spiritual knowledge
based on individual experience. We must try and
understand its true significance and practical
relevance to human destiny. The sun is the source
of light on the earth. Without the sun, the entire
world will be plunged in darkness. Similarly, Lord
Krishna is the source of intellectual
illumination and spiritual enlightenment." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p.
12
"To
understand the meaning of the Gîtâ, the
reverential approach is necessary.... The
Gîtâ is a text for spiritual
practitioners, for it emphasizes
sâdhana, and spiritual attitudes, more
than anything else. Every chapter lays down means
and methods of reaching the goal of peace and
harmony. Now sâdhana is the product of
keen and steady yearning for progress. The aspirant
must aspire, not despair. He must persevere, not
clamor for quick success. The Gîtâ is
like a boat, which takes man across from the
self-imposed state of bondage to the freedom that
is his nature. He is taken from darkness to light,
from lusterlessness to splendor. The
Gîtâ ordains for man disciplines and
duties that are free from the taints of
vasanas (tendencies and impulses) that tie
him to the relentless wheel of birth and death.
Really speaking, man has come to this
karmakshetra (field of activity) only to
engage himself in activity, not in order to earn
the fruit of such activity. That is the teaching of
the Gîtâ, its fundamental lesson. The
Gîtâ is the quintessence of the meaning
of all the Vedas.... The Gîtâ is
the very voice of Lord Krishna. The fact
that it has provided consolation and liberation to
millions of men is evidence of its divine origin. A
lesser person could not have given it that
authenticity." -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp.
1-3
"Krishna
is Purushottama, the greatest being. We can
offer our faults and foibles, and sins and sorrows,
at Krishna's feet and enjoy the highest
treasure of pure, unalloyed bliss. We must enshrine
the teachings of Krishna in our hearts and
practice these precepts in our daily lives. The
slokas of the Bhagavad Gîtâ will
banish the soka (sorrow) in our hearts and
give us abiding peace and joy." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p.
16
"The
divine annunciations of the Gîtâ enable
man to transcend the barriers of the world and
acquire divine power and spiritual energy. All
creatures are equally exposed to the celestial
radiance of sat-chit-ânanda ...
However, man is so preoccupied with the external
world of sensations that he has become unconscious
of his own divinity and his natural identity with
Godhead." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 13
"Ekam
Sat - the One is Real. Truth is one and its
manifestations are many. This is the central
doctrine of the Bhagavad Gîtâ."
- Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p.
145
"For
many millenia the Bhagavad Gîtâ has
been propagating the high ideals of the life
divine. It is a peerless spiritual text that has
brought great fame to Bharat. It has been the
special privilege of Bharat to have received the
Bhagavad Gîtâ. The Gîtâ is
a unique scriptural poem, unsurpassed in
meta-physical content by the texts of any other
country ... The Gîtâ does not observe
any distinctions on the basis of caste, creed,
community or nationality, or as between men or
women. It is an eclectic and catholic scripture,
transcending all man-made barriers, and of
universal relevance. It reveals the importance of
one's own dharma or duty (sva-dharma)
to all those who study it in a spirit of
adoration." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, pp.
161-2
"Krishna
taught the Gîtâ to Arjuna. But
He intended it for the whole of humanity. Arjuna
was just an excuse. That very Gîtâ is
today correcting all mankind. It is not for any
particular caste, religion or nation. It is the
very breath for humans everywhere." -
Dharma Vahini, p. 8
"The
Gîtâ prompts you to seek the answers
and directs you to experience them. It helps you to
control the chitta, the agitations of the
mind; it destroys delusion; it develops true
knowledge; it makes you glimpse the splendor of the
Lord and confirms your faith."
- Sathya Sai Speaks I, p.
174
"The
Gîtâ is the greatest harmonizer of all
yogas. As a matter of fact, once the
Gîtâ is made the guiding star of your
life, the way you act will be karma yoga,
the way you feel will be bhakti yoga, the
way you reason will be jñâna
yoga. It will become automatically so. What you
do, will be in line with dharma; what you
feel will foster prema; what you think must
reveal sathyam." -
Sathya Sai Speaks II, pp.
53-4
"You
must all study the Gîtâ, daily.
Read a few slokas and meditate on the
meaning yourself; it will dawn on you in the
silence of your heart. You need not read elaborate
commentaries. Each word in the Gîtâ is
a gem. No more do you need gemstones for the ear,
the nose, and the neck; have the gem of the
Gîtâslokas in your heart; let
them activate your intellect and your hands."
- Sathya Sai Speaks VIII, p.
53
"Nothing
that is experienced will go to waste. It will shape
the course of events; it will change attitudes and
habits; it will purify and clarify situations and
outlooks. That is why I want you to read the
Gîtâ; it is like learning eetha
(swimming), this learning of the Gîtâ.
Eetha saves you from drowning.
Gîtâ saves you from drowning in the
treacherous flood of worldly desire. The
Gîtâ is the real purpose for which the
Avatâra of Krishna was undertaken." -
Sathya Sai Speaks IV. p.
348
"Sing
the Gîtâ ... We are asked to sing the
Gîtâ. By singing the Gîtâ
we will be turning our minds from the material
desires and mitigating our restlessness.
Gîtâ, being the essence of
Vedanta, is the Royal road to salvation. It
is the word of Sai as well." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1973, p.
250
"Bhagavad
Gîtâ means 'The song of God',
words that have come to us as His flowers, as His
'prasad'. Vyâsa has woven these
flowers, the words of God, into a beautiful garland
and gifted it to us. God is the basis of this
world. Bhagavad Gîtâ consists
essentially of three parts, namely karma kanda,
upasana kanda and jnana kanda. These are being
referred to as the six-chapter contents in each
case. People say that through these three parts,
Bhagavad Gîtâ has been teaching us
various spiritual aspects, such as bhakti or
devotion, jñâna or knowledge,
yoga or meditation, and so on and so forth.
But Bhagavad Gîtâ, in addition to
these, has really also given us the great saying
TAT TWAM ASI, meaning 'That Thou
Art'. This is the essence or the keynote of
Bhagavad Gîtâ. The first six chapters
teach us about the jîva or the soul that
resides in this body and, through that, the nature
of jîva. The next six chapters, while
teaching us the path of bhakti, also show us
the nature and content of what we call tat
or 'THAT'. The last six chapters,
while giving us the content and meaning of the
third word asi, also tell us about how to
realize the identity of the self, the
jîvatma, with 'THAT', the
Paramâtmâ, and also teach us how
to give up things, how to sacrifice and reach
moksha or liberation. If we study
Bhagavad Gîtâ in the proper way and
inquire into its contents, then we will understand
the true nature of the saying TAT TWAM
ASI."-
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1972, pp.
100-1
"All
people do not derive the same benefit from the
Gîtâ. It depends on the deservedness
and purity of the individual. Ultimately, the
individual is responsible for everything that he
does. Human beings may not be able to even imagine
the sublime bliss of spirituality as long as they
prefer to wallow in the mire of slothfulness.
"The
Bhagavad Gîtâ that we read today has
been embellished by Vyâsa's poetic
genius. One need not memorize all its
'slokas' to achieve the inner tranquility of
spirituality. A single sloka from the
Gîtâ is enough to transform our lives.
Steadfastness (sraddha) is necessary for
acquiring the knowledge of spirituality. The
Bhagavad Gîtâ exhorts us to become
fitting instruments of God. It should be repeatedly
read for intellectual illumination and spiritual
enlightenment." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p.
27
"The
Bhagavad Gîtâ contains the quintessence
of all scriptures. It should be studied assiduously
by every spiritual aspirant. It should also be
regarded as a book of great practical value in our
daily lives. It has given solace to many, and it
will help you also in your spiritual progress." -
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 29
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