Gita Jayanti

THE GITA Jayanthi or the birthday of the Bhagavad-Gita is celebrated throughout India by all admirers and lovers of this sacred scripture on the 11th day (Ekadashi) of the bright half of the month of Margaseersha (December-January) according to the Hindu almanac. That was the day on which Sanjaya narrated the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, to King Dhritarashtra, and thus made the glorious teachings of the Lord available to us, to all the people of the world, and for all time.

The Gita Jayanthi marks one of the greatest days in the history of mankind. Nearly six thousand years ago on that day a dazzling flash of brilliant lightning lit up the firmament of human civilization. That spiritual effulgence, that flash, was the message of the Bhagavad Gita, given by the Lord Himself on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Unlike ordinary dashes of lightning which die away after dashing for 'a split-second, this brilliant dash of that memorable day continued to shine through the centuries and even now illumines the path of humanity on its onward march to perfection.

The Gita is the most beautiful and only truly philosophical song. It contains sublime lessons on wisdom and philosophy. It is the "Song Celestial'. It is the universal gospel. It contains the message of life that appeals to all, irrespective of race, creed, age or religion.

The Gita was given to us about six thousand years ago through Arjuna, an Indian prince, by Sri Krishna, the Lord incarnate. The teachings are based on the Upanishads, the ancient, revealed metaphysical classics of India. The Gita shows a way to rise above the world of duality and the pairs of opposites and to attain eternal bliss and immortality. It is a gospel of action. It teaches the rigid performance of one's duty in society, the life of active struggle, keeping one's inner being untouched by outer surroundings and renouncing all fruits of actions as offerings unto the Lord.

The Gita is a source of power and wisdom. It strengthens you when you are weak and inspires you when you are feeble. It teaches you to embrace righteousness and resist unrighteousness.

The Gita is not merely a book; it is not a mere scripture. It is a living voice carrying an eternally vital and indispensable message to mankind. Its verses embody words of wisdom, coming from the infinite ocean of knowledge, the Absolute Itself.

The voice of the Gita is the call of the Supreme. It is the divine sound explained. The mightiest primal source of all existence, all power, is the manifested sound, Om. This is the divine Word. It is the Nada Brahman whose unceasing can is: "Be ye all ever merged in the eternal unbroken continuous consciousness of the Supreme Truth". This is the sublime message that the great Gita elaborates and presents in all comprehensiveness and in a universally accepted form. It is verily this message of the Bhagavad Gita that I wish to recall and reproclaim with emphasis to you.

To be always conscious of the Divine, to ever feel the Divine presence, to live always in the awareness of the Supreme Being in the chambers of your heart and everywhere around you, is verily to live a life of fullness and divine perfection on earth itself Such constant remembrance of God and such attitude of mind will release you forever from the clutches of Maya and free you from all fear To forget the Supreme is to fall into Maya. To forget Him is to be assailed by fear To live in unbroken remembrance of the Supreme Truth is to remain always in the region of Light, far beyond Maya's reach.

Mark carefully how the Gita again and again stresses upon this lofty message. The Lord declares : "Keep thou thy mind in Me, in Me place thy reason".

In another verse, He says "Therefore, at all times remember Me and fight You will surely attain Me, thus having offered yourself'.

And yet again: "perform action remaining united with Me at heart".

Vaikunta Ekadesi

Ekadasi means 'the eleventh' in Sanskrit and refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month. Falling in the moon's waxing phase in the month of Dhanurmasa (December-January), Ekadasi is synonymous with fasting and abstinence. The Dhanurmasa sukla paksha ekadasi is called Vaikunta Ekadasi.

However, the austerity is associated with much deeper aspects. This is explained in the Padma Puranam (the second amongst the eighteen puranas), which tells us about the beginnings of Ekadasi with this legend. During the Krita Yuga, also termed the golden age, an asura called Muran harassed both devas and mortals. Unable to bear his tyranny, the devas sought refuge in Shiva. He directed them to approach Vishnu. Vishnu agreed to help the devas and went out to battle with Muran. During the long battle, which lasted one thousand celestial years, Vishnu needed to rest for a while. He entered a beautiful cave called Himavati in Badarikashrama to sleep. Muran wanted to strike Vishnu while he was sleeping. However, Shakti - Vishnu's female energy - emerged out of his body and assumed the form of a beautiful damsel who fought Muran and vanquished him. When Vishnu awoke he was very pleased and named this maiden as Ekadasi and granted her a boon. The maiden said, "O Lord, if You are pleased with me and wish to give me a boon, then give me the power to deliver people from the greatest sins if they fast of this day". Vishnu granted her the boon and declared that people worshipping her would reach Vaikunta. Thus, it is said, was born the first ekadasi, which was a Dhanurmasa sukla paksha ekadasi. Sages and devout people have been since, observing the ekadasi vrata regularly. Here, the demon Muran represents the tamasic and rajasic qualities in us. The import of the ekadasi vrata is that one can conquer rajasic and tamasic tendencies in us through fasting. This helps us reach our ultimate destination, Vaikuntha, which is the place or stage of no 'kuntitha' or dullness, stupidity and misery.

It is also said that on this day the ksheerasagara manthana (churning of the ocean) took place and the nectar of immortality (amritha) was distributed to the gods. This divine event is interpreted in the following manner. The ocean of milk is the human heart filled with satvic tendencies (kindness, purity and goodness). However, in all of us there exist both types of inclinations, good (devas) and bad (asuras). Only Sadhana or the churning process will throw out the poison in us and we can procure the sweet nectar, which will liberate us from the cycle of birth and death. Shaivaites call this day as Nanjunda Ekadasi, as it was on this day Shiva consumed nanju, the poison that emanated from the churning of the ocean. Some schools of thought believe that Sri Krishna gave the Gitopadesam to Arjuna on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi. For the Vaishnavas, it is a very holy day and should be ideally spent in fasting, prayer and meditation. Devotees look upon this austerity as a means to succeed in their spiritual endeavours. To them it is an activity which will increase their sankalpa (that which is beneficial to them), so as to avoid activities which are not beneficial to them (vikalpa). Such austerities make a student of spirituality enthusiastic, positive, serene and determined. They finally lead to the understanding that all activities must be only performed for the pleasure of the Lord. Austerity is indeed one of the four legs supporting religion, the other three being purity, mercy and truthfulness.

In his Gitopadesam to Arjuna, Sri Krishna describes the threefold path of austerity and says "deva -dvija-guru-praajna-pujanam-shauchanam-arvajanam-brahmacharyam-ahimsaa-cha-shariram-tapuchyate", which means one must worship the Supreme Lord, the Brahmans, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother. Cleanliness, simplicity, celibacy and nonviolence are also austerities of the body (Bhagvada Geeta 17.14). Truthful speech, which is not offensive to others and the regular recitation of scriptures, is austerity of speech (17.15). Serenity of thought, compassion, gravity, self-control, purity of purpose, are all austerity of the mind (17.16). This threefold path of austerity, practiced by men whose aim is not to benefit materially but to please the Supreme, leads to a nature of goodness. Sri Krishna finally says that penances and austerities which are performed foolishly, by means of obstinate self-torture, or by destroying or injuring others, are the approach of the ignorant. It is also recommended that one must not perform austerities beyond his capabilities, lest the austerities become mechanical or offensive.

The Padma Purana says: "ekadasi vrata samam vrata nasti jagattraye anicchaya'pi yat krtva gatir evam vidha'vayoh ekadasi vratam ye tu bhakti bhavena kurvate na jane kim bhavet tesam vasudeva anukampaya" , which translates as: In the three worlds, there is no kind of fasting which is even comparable to the Ekadasi fast. Even if one performs this fast without a proper attitude, he achieves the Supreme Abode. If one fasts on Ekadasi day, with full devotion, what happens to him by the mercy of the Supreme Lord, I cannot say (the merit he achieves cannot be described).

While Vaikunta Ekadasi is observed in all Vaishnava temples, the day is very special at the Sri Ranganatha temple at Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. On this auspicious day, Lord Ranganatha in all His glory and resplendence enters the Parama Padha Vaasal (the gateway to salvation) at the sacred precincts of the temple at Srirangam, and showers His blessings and grace on mankind.

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