YSG - Why Study the Geeta? 18 Compelling Reasons YSG

December 23, 2012.

There is a myth out there that the study of the Bhagavad Geeta must be deferred to old age or when there is a major crisis. If you are one of those who say YSG - Why Study the Geeta, on Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā Jayanti, I have 18 compelling reasons why everyone can and should study the Bhagavad Geeta. I hope to expand on each of these in future posts. Can you think of other answers to YSG? Please share with me in the comments column.

• YSG 1. Transform Yourself. Śrī Kṛṣṇa successfully transformed the warrior prince Arjuna from a weak-kneed, snivelling wreck to a highly motivated, effective warrior who was clear about his goals and course of action.
  Are you ready to transform your life?
• YSG 2. Śrī Kṛṣṇa - The Perfect Teacher for the Ages! Despite being raised in a family of cowherds, it is clear from the Mahābhārata that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is no mere mortal. He was revered by the greatest of the era, he slayed several monsters (rākshasās), advised the rich and mighty and conducted complex peace missions, yet He agreed to be the unarmed charioteer to Arjuna. As Arjuna’s teacher on the battlefield, Śrī Kṛṣṇa became the springboard for Arjuna’s transformation.
  Are you ready for your own journey?
• YSG 3. Follow the Giants: Throughout history, innumerable kings, saints and leaders have recognized and demonstrated the truth of the teaching and achieved great things. Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission, Lokamanya Tilak, an early educator, writer, teacher, orator and revolutionary, Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India’s struggle for freedom and Swami Chinmayananda all rode the chariot on Arjuna’s shoulders and became beacons of hope and light for several generations.
  What are you waiting for?
• YSG 4. The Geeta as Mother. We all secretly think that we are not good enough for the life giving message of the Bhagavad Geeta. Śrī Kṛṣṇa guarantees that the worst sinner will be purified by this teaching.
  Empty all the guilt and regrets in your heart. Drink deep the nectar of the Geeta.
• YSG 5. Get a Hold of yourSELF! The Real One. Śrī Kṛṣṇa kicks off his teaching in the Bhagavad Geeta by declaring emphatically that the sorrowful, miserable self that we hold on to is the false self - it is born of ignorance. Your true SELF is beyond time, changeless, infinite, immortal and beyond all grief (2:11-23).
  Wake up. Banish ignorance. Discover your Real SELF.
• YSG 6. Goodbye Death, Hello Immortality! Death, according Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is merely another type of change. Everyone changes clothes everyday without a second thought. We even discard some clothes because they are old or worn out or even if they are not, simply because we are tired of them. We do so without any regret. Likewise, all who are born must die, and all who die are reborn again (i.e. assume new bodies) to enjoy the results of all the unfructified actions from previous lives. (2:22)
  Stop being afraid of Death. Be free today.
• YSG 7. The Selfless Path to the Self. We instinctively know that to be selfish is bad, to be selfless is good. Śrī Kṛṣṇa presents selfless action as a deeply spiritual exercise. The simple act, of sharing generously what we have been blessed with, is the starting point of our journey to the Truth.
  Discover the spirit of sharing as taught in the Geeta.
• YSG 8. Cast away Inertia! Do You Know What Your Duty Is? Like Arjuna, there are moments in life when we are paralyzed by doubt and confusion. At such times, Śrī Kṛṣṇa advises that we must focus intensely on the duty at hand, as defined by one's role, position and responsibilities. There is no choice in this. This is the surest way to get back on the path to creative action. It appears counter-intuitive but Śrī Kṛṣṇa specifically warns us against being mislead by the glamour of someone else’s job or position.
  Do your duty. Always. It will set you free.
• YSG 9. Understand Action and Reaction. Break Free of the Hidden Traps. We have no choice but to act every moment that we live. Unfortunately, what we term as action is really an instinctive reaction based on our past experiences. The mob instinct is not just restricted to crowds but reflected in our possessions, in our relationships. Often, the very way we think, appears to merely follow the dictates of advertisers and celebrities.
  Overcome impulsive reactions. Respond intelligently to challenging situations at work, in the family or in society.
• YSG 10. Stop Thief! Don’t let Likes and Dislikes Steal Your Peace of Mind. Repeatedly, Śrī Kṛṣṇa warns us to beware of our likes and dislikes. They seem to be in control of our minds at all times. Our deepest likes and dislikes in the form of instinctive pursuit of sense pleasures constantly steal our peace of mind and leave us feeling incomplete and beggarly.
  Be alert. Stop these “highway robbers” in their tracks.
• YSG 11. Know the 3Gs. In the Geeta, Śrī Kṛṣṇa frequently refers to the gunas or moods. Sattva - noble values, Rajas - activity, passion, or ambition and Tamas - inertia. dullness, ignorance are to be found everywhere in the world. The three gunas (3Gs - get it?) power the Universe (ch 7-13). In fact, these Gunas color the mind at all times. Śrī Kṛṣṇa systematically unveils these gunas and helps us go from tamas (inertia) to rajas to sattva.
  Find the way smoothly from inertia, to ambition to nobility.
• YSG 12. Imbibe the Value of Noble Values. We may think we understand the meaning of honesty, humility, compassion, etc. We however live upto these values only when convenient. When we fear getting in trouble, we quickly revert to our usual fearful, confused selves. The Geeta declares that noble values are indispensable for a spiritual seeker. They form the cornerstone of mental purity that is a pre-condition for realizing our own true Self.
  Stand tall on the rock of noble values, purity and truth.
• YSG 13. Find the True LOYL! Love, according to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, must be unconditional. The Lord's love is his own true nature and hence He can love all equally. Just as the sun shines equally on the saint and the sinner, the air is available equally to the thief and the teacher, or water tastes the same to the believer and the bully, likewise Śrī Kṛṣṇa unconditionally blesses all equally. Can we find the same love in our own hearts?
  Yes. The true Love of Your Life (LOYL) is waiting with open arms!
• YSG 14. Glimpse the Glory of One God. We pay lip service to God's omnipresence and omnipotence. Yet, we look for Him (or Her) in temples, churches, books and legends. Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s directive is very simple. Wherever we see glory, beauty, power, wealth, in every one of those place you get an opportunity to glimpse the Divine.
  Change your perspective. Reach out NOW and touch the most glorious, powerful, divine force on earth.
• YSG 15. Do the 3M. The mind is our best friend, it can be our worst enemy. Deep rooted habits of the mind and erroneous notions cannot be resolved by a blog post, a book or a training session. Meditation is a process of slowly turning the direction of the mind, of the quality and quantity of the flow of thoughts over which we sometimes appear to have no control. Change the climate of the mind, one mental molecule at a time.
  Do the 3M. Meditate and Master the Mind.
• YSG 16. Know the Only Thing worth Knowing. Ignorance is the Original Sin according to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Kṛṣṇa reveals that eternal Truth, knowing which, we gain immortality. All else “is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
  Know the Truth today.
• YSG 17. Be like Śrī Kṛṣṇa Always! Śrī Kṛṣṇa is joyous and unshakeable at all times. Faced with the Gopis' infatuated love, Yashoda's maternal affection, Draupadi's devotion, Shishupala's hostility, Sudhama's friendship, Śrī Kṛṣṇa remained his eternal, ever-smiling self at all times. He is the hero who is not swayed by likes and dislikes, highs and lows, friend or foe, reverence or dishonor. The Geeta's clarion call is simply:
  Be joyously unshakeable. A tranquil mind is yours to gain.
• YSG 18. Win The Battle of Life. Our battles in life may be smaller than Arjuna's but they appear just as momentous at the time we face them.
  Come to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Put in your best effort at all times. Be victorious. (18-72)

Want to know more about how to study the Geeta? Click here.
For those in Singapore, Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayanandaji talks on "Geeta at a Glance" from March 30th - April 3rd, 2013. For those outside Singapore, please check out Pujya Guruji's itinerary.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

PS: The picture shown was taken by Arundhati Sundar and is of the outside wall of the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Singapore.