Bhagavadgītā: The Celestial Song

by Vyāsa Vyāsa, Raphael Asram Vidya Order (Editor)

The Bhagavadgītā belongs to Book VI of the Mahābhārata, the great Indian epic attributed to the legendary Vyāsa. It is a poetic and philosophical work which in time is placed in the fifth century B.C. Together with the Brahmasūtra and the classical Upaniṣads it constitutes the Prasthānatraya, the ‘Threefold Science’ of Vedānta.The Bhagavadgītā came to light in a moment of both contrasts and new inner requirements of the Indian people. It contributed to the vitality of the Upaniṣadic flame of Knowledge, while it pacified the prevailing philosophical and spiritual debates of the times. The Gītā clarified the unity of Truth in its multifarious aspects, and in so doing it provided all, in a wise and enlightened way, with the opportunity of following without doctrinal conflicts the most appropriate path for each person.In the Preface to the book, Raphael indicates four points which are essential for an understanding of the text in the appropriate – Traditional understanding of the concept of the Divine.– Understanding of the moment and event that determined the birth of the Gītā.– Traditional understanding of the social orders.– Understanding of the right approach to the various ways leading to the Divine. The value of the Gītā is paramount, if one just thinks that it hinges on action, which is at the base of life and which cannot be avoided or relinquished by anyone, as it reveals, in a world permeated with movement and conflict, the secret of ‘actionless action.’ From this perspective it can be of fundamental importance to the Westerners, who are essentially more in favour of action than of contemplation. Raphael’s commentary unfolds along a psychological, philosophical and initiatory thread with specific reference to the initiation of the Kṣatriyas (the social order of lawmakers and warriors). Raphael points out that under certain aspects we are all Kṣatriyas, because we are all engaged in a struggle, at times unequal, between knowledge (vidyā) and ignorance (avidyā). The Bhagavadgītā, like all authentic traditional teachings, does not indicate quietistic or fatalistic attitudes, or possible flights, but it nails us down to our responsibilities (‘Forced by karma – inherent in your nature – despite your will, one day you will do that which, being now at a loss, you refuse to do,’ XVIII, 60) and to our unavoidable duty/ that of comprehending, transforming and transcending ourselves.For one who is on the plane of action not to become enslaved and dominated by activism, it is necessary to comprehend perfect action devoid of the imprisoning attachment / desire, and to transcend individual qualifications. In fact, where the individual, separating ego rules, there also are revealed its aberrant attributes which cause conflict and pain; and, sooner or later, the individual who places himself in such a condition cannot but find, as Arjuna did, his battlefield (kurukṣetra) or his field of discipline and energetic the re-education (tapahkṣetra).

454 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2020