Gīta Bhāshya Introduction
devaṁ nārāyaṇaṁ natvā sarvadoṣavivarjitam। paripūrṇaṁ gurūṁścān gītārthaṁ vakṣyāmi leśataḥ॥
I bow to Lord Narayana, who is devoid of all defects, and to the perfect Guru, and I shall explain the meaning of the Gita in brief.
Summary
The essence of Vedic knowledge was difficult to understand for common people in the olden days. Also, it was inaccessible to the working class and women. Kind-hearted dēvas seeing the suffering of the ignorant people, prayed to the Godhead. The merciful Lord appeared as sage Vyasa and composed the Mahabharata to impart transcendental knowledge. It shows the nature of both impediments and enablement, the way to overcome accumulated sins and the means to realise reality. It also shows how to get liberation through the knowledge of dharma. By studying it, one can gain kēvala-jnāna, the transcendental knowledge that results in liberation. The significance of the Mahabharata and the divinity of Vyasa as an incarnation of the Godhead is established by providing various testimonials. These testimonials are drawn from various traditional texts (smritis) and statements coming down through disciple succession (risi-sampradāya). Within the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad-Gita, in the form of a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna, contains its essence. Hence, one should study the same.
~~~~~~
naṣṭadharmajñānalokakṛpālubhirbrahmarudrendrādibhirarthito jñānapradarśanāya bhagavān vyāso'vatatāra।
When righteousness and knowledge were lost in the world, the revered Vyasa descended to impart knowledge, as requested by the compassionate deities like Brahma, Rudra, and Indra.
tataśceṣṭāniṣṭaprāptiparihārasādhanādarśanād vedārthājñānācca saṃsāre kliśyamānānāṃ vedānadhikāriṇāṃ strīśūdrādīnāṃ ca dharmajñānadvārā mokṣo bhavediti kṛpāluḥ sarvavedārthopabṛṃhitāṃ tadanuktakevaleśvarajñānadṛṣṭārthayuktāṃ ca sarvaprāṇinām avagāhyānavagāhyarūpāṃ kevalabhagavatsvarūpaparāṃ parokṣārthāṃ mahābhāratasaṃhitām acīkḷpat ‖ taccoktam –
The merciful (Vēdavyāsa) composed Mahābhārata text for the sake of all beings:
- to impart the difficult to understand knowledge of the Vēdas in this cycle of worldly existence
- for the sake of women and the working class, who were not entitled to study the Vedas
- to show the way to overcome accumulated sins
- to show the means of realise reality
- to explain the nature of impediments and enablement; and to achieve the world beyond
- to show how to get liberation through the knowledge of dharma
- it conveys the essence of the entire Vēdas.
- by studying Gīta one gains insight into the transcendental knowledge (kēvala-jnāna) of God.
Therefore, it is said:
"lokeśā brahmarudrādyāḥ saṃsāre kleśinaṃ janam। vedārthājñamadhikāravarjitaṃ ca striyādikam॥"
"Sustainers of the universe, the lord Brahma, Rudra and others saw people in the world who are afflicted, ignorant of the Vedic meanings, lacking authority, including women and others."
"avekṣya prārthayāmāsur deveśaṃ puruṣottamam। tataḥ prasanno bhagavān vyāso bhūtvā ca tena ca॥"
"Having observed, they prayed to the Lord of gods, the supreme person. Then, pleased, the divine being appeared as Vyasa."
"anyāvatārarūpaiśca vedānuktārthabhūṣitam। kevalenātmabodhena dr̥ṣṭaṁ vedārthasaṁyutam॥"
"Adorned with meanings not spoken in the Vedas through forms of other incarnations, perceived through pure self-knowledge pertaining to ‘atman’, united with the essence of the Vedas."
"vedādapi paraṃ cakre pañcamaṃ vedamuttamam। bhārataṃ pañcarātraṃ ca mūlarāmāyaṇaṃ tathā॥ purāṇaṃ bhāgavataṃ ceti sambhinnaḥ śāstrapuṅgavaḥ॥"
"The eminent sage created a fifth Veda, superior to the traditional Vedas, which includes the Mahabharata, Pancaratra, and the original Ramayana. Additionally, the Purana and Bhagavata were distinguished by him."
iti nārāyaṇāṣṭākṣarakalpe।
- stated thus in the Narayana Ashtaksharakalpa.
"brahmāpi tanna jānāti īṣat sarvopi jānate। bahvarthamṛṣayastattu bhārataṃ pravadanti hi॥"
"Even the most intelligent, Brahma, does not fully comprehend it; everyone knows a little. The sages indeed declare that the Bhārata has many meanings."
ityupanārādīye
- states Upanaradiya.
"brahmādyaiḥ prārthito viṣṇurbhārataṃ sa cakāra ha। yasmin daśārthāḥ sarvatra na jñeyāḥ sarvajantubhiḥ॥"
"Requested by Brahma and others, Lord Vishnu indeed composed the Mahabharata, in which ten meanings are not known everywhere by all beings."
iti nāradīye।
- states Naradīya.
"bhārataṃ cāpi kṛtavān pañcamaṃ vedamuttamam। daśāvarārthaṃ sarvatra kevalaṃ viṣṇubodhakam। parokṣārthaṃ tu sarvatra vedādapyuttamaṃ tu yat॥"
"He (Vyāsa) composed the Mahabharata as the fifth and excellent Veda, which serves the ten purposes and solely reveals Lord Vishnu everywhere. However, its indirect meanings are considered superior even to the Vedas."
iti skānde।
- stated thus in the Skanda Purana.
"yadi vidyāc caturvedān sāṅgopaniṣadān dvijaḥ। na cet purāṇaṃ saṃvidyānnaiva sa syād vicakṣaṇaḥ॥"
"Even if a learned person knows the four Vedas along with their limbs and the Upanishads, without the knowledge of the Puranas, he cannot be considered truly wise."
(ma.bhā..1.1.268)
- (Mahābhārata 1.1.268)
"itihāsapurāṇābhyāṃ vedaṃ samupabṛṃhayet। bibhetyalpaśrutād vedo māmayaṃ pracaliṣyati।"
"The Veda should be supplemented by history and the Puranas. The Veda fears that it will vanish because of people with little knowledge."
-ma.bhā.ādi..293
-Mahābhārata 1.1.293
"manvādi kecid bruvate hyāstīkādi tathāpare। tathoparicarādyanye bhārataṃ paricakṣate।"
"Some say from Manu onwards, others from Āstīka onwards. Thus, others describe the Mahabharata from Uparicara onwards."
ma.bhā.ādi.1.66
- Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter 1, Verse 66.
"bhārataṁ sarvavedāśca tulāmāropitāḥ purā। devairbrahmādibhiḥ sarvaiḥ ṛṣibhiśca samanvitaiḥ। vyāsasyaivājñayā tatra tvatyaricyata bhāratam॥"
"In ancient times, the gods, including Brahma and others, weighed the Mahabharata and all the Vedas in the balance, along with all the sages. There indeed, the Mahabharat composed by Vyasa was commanded to be heavier."
-brahmāṇḍapurāṇe
- stated thus in the Brahmanda Purana.
"mahattvād bhāravattvāc ca mahābhāratam ucyate। niruktam asya yo veda sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate।"
"The Mahabharata is so named due to its greatness and heaviness. Understanding its etymology frees one from all sin."
(ma.bhā.1.300)
- Mahabharata, 1.1.300
"yadihāsti tadanyatra yannehāsti na kutracit॥"
"Whatever is present here (in the Mahabharata) only exists elsewhere; what is not present here is not to be found anywhere."
ma.bhā.ādi 5.50
- Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter 5, Verse 50.
"virāṭodyogasāravān"
"The Virāta canto and the Udyōga cantos are the essence."
-ma bhā.1.89
-Mahabharata 1.89.
ityāditadvākyaparyālocanayā, ṛṣisampradāyāt,
Thus, by examining the above statements, and also looking at the content that has come through the disciple succession of sages (risi-sampradaya), the following sentence:
"ko hyanyaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣānmahābhāratakṛd bhavet"
"Who else but Puṇḍarīkākṣa could have composed the Mahābhārata?"
-vāyu-prokta-vacanam
- the message conveyed by the wind god.
ityādipurāṇagranthāntaragatavākyānyathānupapattyā, nāradādhyayanādiliṅgaiścāvasīyate।
The sentences referred to so far within the Purana texts, concluded by analysing inconsistencies, and by the study of Narada, can't be insignificant.
"kathamanyathā bhāratanirukti-jñānamātreṇa sarvapāpakṣayaḥ?"
"How else can all sins be destroyed merely by knowing the interpretation of the Mahābhārata?"
prasiddhaśca sorthaḥ।
- is famous and is the implied meaning.
kathaṁ cānyasya na kartuṁ śakyate। nthāntaragatatvācca nāvidyamānastutiḥ। na ca kartureva। itaratrāpi sāmyāt।
How is it not possible for others (other than Vyasa) to create (the Mahabharata)? The praise for the author (of the Mahabharata) is coming from other smriti texts as well. It is not just for the scholarship displayed by the author, or for the instrumentality of his composing (Mahabharata, but for him being the supreme God, Pundarikaksha). Narration of similar facts is present in other texts as well.
tatra ca sarvabhāratārthasaṅgrahāṃ vāsudevārjunasaṃvādarūpāṃ bhāratapārijātamadhubhūtāṃ gītāmupanibandhaḥ। taccoktam–
Within the Mahabharata, it is said that the Gita is a composition that encapsulates all the meanings of the Mahabharata, in the form of a dialogue between Vasudeva and Arjuna, and is considered the nectar of the parijata flower, that is the Mahabharata. Therefore, it is said–
"bhārataṁ sarvaśāstreṣu bhārate gītikā varā। viṣṇoḥ sahasranāmāpi jñeyaṁ pāṭhyaṁ ca tad dvayam॥"
"One should study and understand the excellent Mahabharata among all the scriptures. Within the Mahabharata, study both the Gīta and the Vishnu-Sahasranama."
iti mahākaurme।
- stated thus in the great Kaurma Purana.
"sa hi dharmaḥ suparyāpto brahmaṇaḥ padavedane"
"Indeed, this duty (as shown in Gīta) is well-accomplished in understanding the position of Brahman."
ma.bhā.13.16.12. ।
- Mahabharata, 13.16.12.
ityādi ca।
We find other such statements as well.
