Page 20 - Metaphysical questions of life
P. 20
Why did Lord Krishna speak the Bhagavad‐gita?
Lord Krishna’s purpose in speaking the Bhagavad-gita 5000 years ago
was to enlighten people about the art of work by which they can be-
come free from the cycle of birth and death (the karma cycle). Krishna
taught Arjuna how to work without incurring any karmic reac on.
Work in devo on for Krishna will liberate a person from the entangle-
ment of the cycle of karma and elevate him to eternal life with an im-
perishable body.
There is an evolu on of consciousness from the lower forms up to the
human form. In the human form there is the possibility to understand
how to become free of the nefarious karma cycle and go back to the
eternal spiritual world. This is the real des ny of every living being.
Success depends on having enlightened human intelligence to under-
stand the instruc ons of God as given in scripture for salva on.
The Lord explains His purpose for speaking the Bhagavad-gita:
mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi / sannyasyādhyātma‐cetasā
nirāśīr nirmamo bhūtvā /yudhyasva vigata‐jvaraḥ
“Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full
knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprie-
torship, and free from lethargy, fight.” (Bg 3.30)
“This verse clearly indicates the purpose of the Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord
instructs that one has to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious to discharge du-
es, as if in military discipline. Such an injunc on may make things a
li le difficult; nevertheless, du es must be carried out, with depend-
ence on Kṛṣṇa, because that is the cons tu onal posi on of the living
en ty. The living en ty cannot be happy independent of the coopera-
on of the Supreme Lord, because the eternal cons tu onal posi on of
the living en ty is to become subordinate to the desires of the Lord. Ar-
juna was therefore ordered by Śrī Kṛṣṇa to fight as if the Lord were his
military commander. One has to sacrifice everything for the good will
20