The
Bhagavad Gîtâ Sung
Selected shlokas set to music by Vanraj
Bhatia.
Introduction
The
Bhagavad Gîtâ has been published in over two
thousand editions, and translated into at least seventy
five languages. Its eighteen chapters and seven hundred
shlokas have been analyzed, commented upon, and
interpreted from innumerable philosophical and orthodox
viewpoints, with footnotes to match. These are daunting
facts - and the lay reader might well wonder whether he
can at all connect with the text.
Yes,
indeed yes. For the core messages of God to man are
simply and directly addressed, almost as if He is
speaking to you and me; and even though this is one of
the great cornerstones of Hinduism, its basic credo has
an unmistakable universality that goes beyond religious
doctrine. Now more than ever, in the tumult of our
stressed lives, it is both relevant and contemporary. For
the Gîtâ is about living, not having; it
is about love, not hate; it is about the joy of harmony,
not the bleakness of despair.
This
most serene and sublime of texts has as its setting the
most violent of places - a field of war ... Kurukshetra,
which is also Dharmakshetra, the field of righteousness,
where the battle between good and evil is about to take
place. In the poem the dialogue is between
Krishna
and Arjuna, and reported by
Sanjaya to the blind Kaurava king
Dhritarashtra.
But
in a larger metaphor, the words flow between God and man
in a very personal manner. Arjuna's anguish
is that of us all when we feel crushed, desolate and
paralyzed by despondency. And in the healing verses of
the Gîtâ lie the solution to our every day
conflicts, and solace for our troubled minds.
Whatever
kind of person you are, says God, you too can achieve
your Self and be one with Me. There are those who will
follow the path of knowledge, the Jnana yogis; those who
will set the course of action, the Karma yogis, and those
who will dedicate themselves to the love of God, the
Bhakti yogis; and the promise of the Gîtâ is
that they will all attain salvation. And even if you
cannot follow any of these paths, your faith and love for
God will take you to Him. Over and over again throughout
the Gîtâ,
Krishna
reminds us of this bond of love between God and man, and
its power to transcend the pain of everyday
existence.
Above
all, the Gîtâ is about a love that is
universal because it is the love of God Who is
everywhere. "God dwells in the heart of all beings", says
the Gîtâ, reminding us that we are all His
children, and that there is an underlying unity in all of
creation. To understand the nature of this love, we have
to see Him in all things, and all things in Him. And when
we have thus seen Him, it is no longer possible to hate
or wish evil upon others. The harmony that is inherent in
all creations of God becomes visible to us, and leads to
our own inner harmony, free from the overdrives of our
egos and empty desires.
But
whatever path you follow, whether that of knowledge or
action or love, do your duty you must, and act you must.
"Without action, the very life in thy body could not be",
says
Krishna
to Arjuna. The Gîtâ does not
ask you to withdraw from the world; its verses are
addressed to you and me, who must face the tasks and
responsibilities of everyday life. But it is how
you act that is important, the difference
between a serene or stressful existence. When you begin
to understand the nature of your own Soul, and its
intertwined elements of light, passion and darkness; when
you can see how greed, anger and unbridled indulgence of
the senses cause you to lose control; when you perceive
the folly of slavish attachment to momentary rewards -
that is the start of enlightenment and liberation. And
when the senses, the ego and wanton desires are
conquered, then we can achieve the serene balance that
allows us to live in this world without being held in
bondage to it.
The
(one hundred and sixty eight) shlokas presented here
reflect this essence of the Gîtâ, and its
relevance to our life in the here and now. The context of
the dialogue is set with the opening chapter, and
Arjuna's
anguished dilemma - withdraw or fight? The glorious voice
of God, calm and healing, is heard from the second
chapter onwards, with messages of hope and
love.
The
musical treatment is varied, sometimes simple and
straightforward, sometimes almost operatic, but always in
keeping with the thought it portrays. Solo voices are
interspersed with chorus, and repetition reinforces the
sound and meaning of the verses. A roman rendition and
English translation of the shlokas is given, so that all
of us can connect with the Gîtâ in the
original Sanskrit, allowing us to get to know its verses
better, and giving us access to the radiance of its
divine power.
Listen
to it in moments of contemplation or silent communion.
Let the words flow through your mind, or, if you wish,
sing or chant along with the shlokas. This, we hope, will
be the beginning of your discovery of the sublime glory
of the whole work, with its culminating promise of
salvation:
'Leave
all else behind, come thou to Me for shelter.
I shall deliver thee from all sins. Grieve thou no
more'.
Appreciation
by the webmaster
The
word 'Bhagavad Gîtâ'
means - the Song of God. Here, please find parts
of Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15
and 18 of the Gîtâ
[**]
sung by Indian artists (The vocals are by Ravindra
Sathe as
Krishna
and Hridaya Merchant as
Arjuna). The inspired, accompanying music
is composed by Vanraj Bhatia. I received
this 'treasure' some time back and felt like sharing this
with you on Internet. The Gîtâ can be read,
looked at and listened to. It will stay ever new and
fresh.
The
'Bhagavad Gîtâ', the Song
of the Lord, is an afterwards by avatâra
Vyâsa-deva recorded dialogue between
Krishna
and His devoted friend Arjuna. It expounds
on the knowledge of the absolute truth, the natural and
eternal state of being of all living beings, the material
nature, the time and the activity. It constitutes the
kernel of all Vedic texts and prepares for the study of
the Srîmad
Bhâgavatam,
also called Krishna Bible or Bhâgavatha
Purâna.
I
feel it not necessary to say more about the contents of
this famous Song uttered by our dear Lord
Krishna
then what can be heard and read here. Sanskrit shlokas
and in English translated verses can be read while
listening to the devoted voices of the interpreters. It
touches the heart and captivates the intellect.
All Glories to our dear Lord! Jaya Jay!
Cakra:
term in bhakti used for the totality of the celestial
sky, or the disc of stars that is our Milky Way, that as
a wheel or disc apparently revolves around the polar star
but in fact revolves about the center of the
galaxy.
Also
disc of Krishna or Sudarsana, the acute of His presence
or supreme vision of Him; time as the weapon of Vishnu. A
breach with the order of time or the cakra is a
fall-down, a betrayal of niyama, or regulation.
Consequence: a punishment of the fire of unbound energy
released from the cakra-order, the broken order is the
lust that leads to anger and ultimately madness: the head
is cut off by the cakra when one remains in
offense with Krishna [see 6.8:
23
and 9.5,
see also the
Cakra-order].
[**]
(unfortunately, chapters 7, 10, 13, 16 and 17 have not
been included by the composer)
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