The universal message of the Gita

The Gita speaks about the four types of devotees and their characteristics in its seventh chapter and emphasises that the fourth type – the Gnani or the realised one – is the most exalted one among them and also the dearest to the Lord, because he is free from all worldly desires, his only goal being to reach the blessed state of union with the divine. But, the Gita says, reaching such a state requires efforts across countless lives, each life a step forward in achieving inner purification, the essential prerequisite for the final goal. Here, the Gita makes an important observation. “When the aspirant reaches this supreme state, he realises that everything that is seen in the world, both sentient and insentient, is a manifestation of the supreme power. Rare indeed are those who reach such a realised state."

When this statement is read in conjunction with the earlier declaration in the same chapter that not many in this world are spiritually inclined, those among them who make efforts to acquire spiritual knowledge are rarer still, and among them, those who succeed in making progress are even rarer, and among these, hardly one or two reach the final goal, the significance of this statement becomes clear.

But why does this realisation not dawn on all humans, that this universe in all its variegated appearance is but the manifestation of the divine? "It is because man’s mind and discretionary power are occluded by the veil of desires, which makes him lose his powers of discrimination between right and wrong, good and bad. His chase of material gains is his worship (the worship of mammon). They are his anya devatas, which he mistakenly believes will grant him happiness and mental peace, but which ultimately only land him in sorrow."

Desires by themselves are harmless, as natural as the waves in the ocean. The trouble starts when desires overpower man into the wrong path. The Gita now makes the explicit declaration. “It is immaterial in which form men worship the Lord. If they are sincere in their approach with hearts purified by jettisoning all greed and excessive desire, their wishes will be granted. The Lord will confer the mental strength to progress on this path, and, through the deity they prefer to worship, he will confer his grace." Religion, caste, language, nationality – none of them matter. 

Indeed, a prescient, much-wanted message in these fractious times! 

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.