Seeking divine intervention

From giving solutions to relationship problems to solving professional tribulations, it is one of the best known and frequently translated Vedic texts – Bhagavad Gita – that is becoming a part of drawing room chats.

Be it the religious or the not so religious, Gita is slowly gaining the mind space of many who have now put aside Alchemist or Chicken Soup to take lessons and attend special sessions of this Vedic literature.

“Now, Gita appeals to not just those who are religious but also professionals who come from different walks of life,” says engineer-turned-Gita teacher Lakshmi Narayanan.

Lakshmi, who has been conducting Gita classes for the last 12 years using powerpoint presentations to explain different chapters, gets students from varied disciplines – doctors, engineers and even foreign clientele. “I teach my students about ancient wisdom in contemporary context.

Especially, after incidences like 9/11 and tsunami, people have realised the importance of being spiritual,” he says. The reason: Lack of correct literature that is not only spiritual but also motivating. With a batch of 70-80 students, Vedanta Institute conducts classes free of cost.

Nilofer Diwan, freelance copywriter who has attended Gita lessons for last two years claims that she has started feeling the difference. “I have started questioning many things that I avoided earlier and the answers to these questions gives me inner peace,” she says. And life changed for Malchand Tiwari too.

“I would have been an angry man had it not been for the soothing effect Bhagavad Gita had on my life,” says this executive member of Sahitya Academy, who has been conducting Gita classes for the last many years.

However, Nikhilananda Saraswati, who has been teaching Gita at the Chinmaya Mission for the last 22 years, says the transformation has to be of the personality and not of the outward being. Like Lakshmi, Nikhilananda also applies Gita gyaan in the modern context.

“In the last two years I have noticed that those in the age group of 25-35 years are taking keen interest in the teachings of Gita,” he says.  ISKCON has taken special efforts to popularise Gita.

“In order to appeal to youngsters, we have gone high-tech with power point presentations of every chapter, a museum and a robotic show that explains Gita through sound and light show with the narration of Krishna and Arjuna in the background,” says Mohan Rupa Das, president of ISKCON, Delhi Temple and Gita teacher.

There is also an increase in the number of books being sold on Gita. Full Circle publisher Priyanka Malhotra says five years ago they launched their own version of Gita. “In the last one year issues of Bhagavada Gita for Busy People by Swami Sivananda and Search the Gita by Swami Prabhupada have sold like hot cakes,” she says. Rupa too has launched a version of Bhagavad Gita by Ramesh Menon.