The powerful support of life’s challenges – The message of the Gita
By: Ganga Prasad Yadav ‘Aatrey’
The conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna during a difficult moment of battle in the Mahabharata era is known as the Bhagavad Gita in Hinduism. Although the Srimad Bhagavad Gita is considered a Hindu religious text, it provides guidance for the welfare of all humanity and a suitable solution to every question related to life. This message is not only for Hindus but for all of humanity. Its message for humanity is so powerful that this text has been translated into more than 75 languages worldwide. Originally, this wonderful text was spoken in verse form in the Sanskrit language. There are seven hundred verses in this text. Since Sanskrit is no longer the language of the common man, I have tried to write a simple Hindi translation of these verses in the form of couplets.
On the auspicious occasion of Gita Jayanti, I am very happy to present this presentation to you all, especially for Hindi-speaking people, and particularly for the Indian community living abroad. The name of my book is:
“Srimad Bhagavad Gita as Transliterated Complete Couplet Edition”
This book is published by Madhushaala Prakashan Pvt Ltd, Bharatpur, Rajasthan and is available on Amazon (Amazon.in). This is the first and unique book of its kind in India written in the Doha style. It will be easy for all of you to read and, due to the simple language, the meaning will also be easy to understand.
How the most popular verses of the Gita have been transformed into couplets can be seen in the examples given below. I hope this humble effort of mine will make your Gita Jayanti even more meaningful. Here are some examples:
For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil, for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age. Couplet transformation For the salvation of the devotees, for the destruction of the wicked, I am born in every age, establishing righteous dharma.
You have a right only to action, but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction. Couplet transformation Only to actions are you entitled, never to their fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction. Do not consider yourself the cause of the results of your actions, nor be attached to not doing them.
The special attraction of this book is not only the presentation of the meaning of the Sanskrit verses of the Sri Gita in the true form of couplets, but also giving the essence of all the chapters in one couplet and dealing with the nine different mental states of a person – anger, ego, lust, greed, delusion, fear, despair, depression, and envy, as well as nine adverse mental states – pain caused by discrimination, guilt, death of a loved one, uncontrolled mind, laziness, confusion, forgiveness, loneliness, and the search for peace. Below are some examples so that every person can find a meaningful solution to the problems they face in their life path.
In this context, some verses related to the following disorders are noteworthy.
Anger: Chapter 2, verse 63 in couplet form
When anger arises, then delusion follows, and from delusion, memory is corrupted. When memory is corrupted, intelligence is automatically destroyed. Where intelligence is destroyed, the behavior of human beings becomes corrupt, understand all kinds.
Ego: Chapter 3, verse 27 in couplet form Possessed by ego, this living being is deluded, and calls itself the doer of all actions. Whereas all the actions of the world are subject to the natural qualities, this prakriti, the three-natured nature, is involved in the creation of the world.
Lust and Desire: Chapter 3, verses 39, 40 in couplet form Covered by knowledge-filled consciousness, lust is the enemy of the living being in the world, burning like fire, the mind is never satisfied. The senses, mind, and intellect are the dwelling place of lust, deluding the living being, covering the real knowledge.
Greed: Chapter 3, verse 17 in couplet form True knowledge is born only from sattva guna, greed arises from rajo guna, and tamas and delusion are ignorance.
Delusion: Chapter 16, verse 16 in couplet form Confused and agitated mind, bound in the net of delusion, attached to the enjoyment of the senses, falls into the hellish trap.
Fear: Chapter 4, verse 10 in couplet form Those who are free from anger, attachment, and fear, and are completely absorbed in me, become my devotees. Through the knowledge-form of tapasya, they become pure and my devotees, and attain my form, remaining absorbed in me.
Despair: Chapter 9, verse 34 in couplet form Always keep your mind meditating on me, offer salutations and worship, awaken devotion in your mind. Be completely absorbed and filled with me, you will certainly attain me in this way.
Depression: Chapter 2, verse 14 in couplet form Listen, O Bharata, happiness, sorrow, decay, and rise, are like cold and heat, similar to coming and going. They arise from the senses, understand this, O Arjuna, and bear these feelings with a steady mind, like a wise man.
Envy: Chapter 4, verse 22 in couplet form Be satisfied with whatever you get, be free from duality, be devoid of duality and envy, and be self-satisfied. Keep your mind the same in success and failure, while being engaged in action, do not be bound by the three threads.
Similarly, for adverse mental states, appropriate instructions have been given as follows:
Pain caused by discrimination: Chapter 9, verse 29 in couplet form I reside in all beings, I am always the same, I have no enemy or beloved, truly know this. But whoever loves me and meditates on me, I become in them and they become in me.
Guilt: Chapter 4, verse 36 in couplet form Let the greatest sinner be known as a sinner, even he will be given divine knowledge and will cross over birth.
Death of a loved one: Chapter 2, verse 27 in couplet form Whoever is born here, death is always certain, rebirth happens again, so why lose yourself? Perform your duty, which is inevitable, and why should you unnecessarily carry sorrow?
Uncontrolled mind: Chapter 6, verse 35 in couplet form It is indeed very difficult to keep the mind pure, but it is easy with the practice of detachment.
Laziness: Chapter 5, verse 6 in couplet form No one can be happy by abandoning all actions, but by doing the devotion of Bhagavan, one attains the supreme essence.
Confusion/Forgetfulness: Chapter 5, verse 25 in couplet form Those who remain free from duality and doubt, and are absorbed in the Self, keep their minds pure. Being free from sin and always engaged in the welfare of living beings, they attain the state of complete nirvana.
Forgiveness: Chapter 16, verse 3 in couplet form Patience, forgiveness, pure mind, free from hatred, no desire for honor, these are the qualities of Arjuna, divine and great, those who possess them forever are known as gods.
Loneliness: Chapter 13, verse 16 in couplet form I reside in all beings, both external and internal, although they are very far away, yet they are close. They are beyond perception and sight, those subtle qualities, because they are very subtle, keep the unique form.
Search for peace: Chapter 5, verse 12 in couplet form He who is a pure and steady devotee attains perfect peace, he donates all the fruits of his actions to me. But those who are not attached to Bhagavan, filled with the desire for the fruits of their own labor, become bound unknowingly.
Thus, it is clear that the Srimad Bhagavad Gita provides comprehensive guidance for a happy, contented, and peaceful life at every level of human life, by adopting which every individual can make life successful in the world. If my effort has benefited even one person, I will consider my life blessed.
