Bhagavad Gita As It Is - Book Review

I cannot Teach Anybody Anything. I can make them think – Socrates

I have visited dozens of Spiritual Ashrams and read hundreds of Spiritual books to get answers for the below Questions :

   Why me?
   Who am I?
   What is the Soul?
   Why there are sufferings in this World?
   How to live a happy life forever?
   How to get Liberated from the repeated cycle of Birth and Death?

Even though, I got answers for most of my burning questions during my spiritual journey, I was not convinced a hundred percent.

Recently, I have read the book “Bhagavad Gita - As It Is” written by Srila Prabhupad ( Founder of ISKCON ). This single book has answered all the above questions clearly, which my logical brain can agree without any doubt.

There are multiple Spiritual schools of thoughts all over the World. In most of the Spiritual School of Thought, a Spiritual Master will get enlightened and explain the Secrets and Mysteries of Life-based on his Own Self-realization. However, What makes this book [ Bhagavad Gita – As It Is ] unique when compared to the other Self-realisation books is that Bhagavad Gita is Spoken by GOD HIMSELF.

Bhagavad means God, Gita means Song. It is the Song of God. In the Bhagavad Gita, God explains the most confidential Knowledge to Arjuna, who is in a state of confusion and anxiety. After hearing the Bhagavad GITA Arjuna will be in peace and harmony, ready to face the challenges.

Bhagavad Gita 9.1

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ

pravakṣyāmy anasūyave

jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ

yaj jñātvā mokṣyase 'śubhāt

Translation :

The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.

You are Blessed Soul :

If you are reading this blog, please be informed that you are one of the blessed souls in this materialistic world. What you assume as suffering currently is not at all a Suffering. If you count your blessings, it will be a very big list when compared to your sufferings. If you have food on your plate, beautiful clothes on your wardrobe and roof on your top, you are truly blessed.  A statistical report says that almost 19 crores of the Indian population goes to bed hungry. A person who doesn’t know whether he gets the next meal is the person, who is in real suffering. You can also add those persons who are suffering due to pain of Chronic illness.

I hope now you will be convinced that you are one of the blessed souls in this materialistic world, who have a little suffering. However, all the souls that have been descended to this materialistic world need to suffer. However, the degree of suffering depends on one’s KARMA. Lord Krishna explains that this Materialistic World is Dukhalayam, which means it is a place of Suffering. Birth, Death, Old Age, and Disease are the major attributes of this materialistic world and no one can escape from it until liberation. 

Otto Bismarck once beautifully quoted as "Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of Others". A Wise person will learn from other experiences or sufferings. If you are a Wise person, you should ask the Question like Buddha “Why there is suffering in this materialistic world ?”  “How to get rid of sufferings in this materialistic world ?”

We need to get the answers for these questions from the Supreme Personality, who has created this materialistic World. Bhagavad Gita is the User Manual to the Human Beings to get out of the repeated cycle of Birth and Death in this Materialistic world and reach the Spiritual World.

Bhagavad Gita 9.7

sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya

prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām

kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni

kalpādau visṛjāmy aham

TRANSLATION

O son of Kuntī, at the end of the millennium every material manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency I again create.

When to read?

Buy the book “Bhagavad Gita – As It Is” and keep in your Home. Read the book when you are feeling that you are at the edge of the World when you ask the question “why am I Suffering ?”  “Why Me ?”. You will understand the contents of the books crystal clearly. If you are a wise person like me, start reading the book as soon as you buy it [ I am one of the Many thousands among Men J  ]

Bhagavd Gita Chapter7 Verse-3

manusyanam sahasresu

kascid yatati siddhaye

yatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

Translation

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

Sri Ramana Maharishi once beautifully Quoted that “It is by God’s grace that you think of God”

Gift a Book :

If you know someone is suffering in this materialistic world, please gift “Bhagavad Gita – As It Is”. It will help them to get answers for their current sufferings.

I have gifted this book to my friend, who is in the Ocean of Suffering. After reading this book, he got clarity like Arjuna and lives a peaceful and blissful life.

You can also gift it to your Parents/relatives who have crossed the age of Fifty. I have read somewhere that in ancient India, the parents who cross above 50 will go inside Forest to live a simple life and seek Self Realisation. You are also welcome to gift it to your Family / Friends as a Birthday Gift to help them to unravel the mysteries of life in the Young age and to seek the Spiritual Truth.

Final Words :

I strongly BELIEVE and ACCEPT the contents of Bhagavad GITA and try to follow it as much as possible. Based on my fourteen Years search, I personally feel that BHATI YOGA is the simplest and easiest way to attain Liberation or Moksha or Mukthi in this Kali Yuga.

However, I give FREEWILL and FREEDOM to you to follow any Spiritual School of Thought that your consciousness BELIEVES it as RIGHT.

Let the Mercy of Lord bestow on you. 

Courtesy - Srila Prabhupad 

Amazon Link : 
https://www.amazon.in/Bhagvad-gita-as-english-new/dp/9384564192/ref=sr_1_3?crid=RPRS050F0F4M&keywords=bhagavad+gita+as+it+is&qid=1570175216&sprefix=Bhagavad+gita+as+%2Caps%2C525&sr=8-3