...Bhagavad Gita : A Motivational Management Book by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner, to The Govt. of Kerala. Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita Old truths in a new context The source of the problem Utilisation of available resources Work commitment Motivation – self and self-transcendence Work culture Work results Manager's mental health Management needs those who practice what they preach In conclusion A note on the word "yoga". Abstract One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God. The spiritual philosophy and management lessons in this holy book were brought in to light of the world by many great Indian saint's effort and they call the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level." Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone. Your followers in your establishment are continuing the mission by keeping this lantern burning always knowing the wishes of the modern generations. Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.( Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad-Gita is preached in the battle...
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...Love in the Bhagvad Gita. In Hinduism, it is believed that the various major religions are alternate paths that will result in the same goal. In fact, within the religion itself, there are many sects with their own scriptures. Early on, the oldest and most sacred texts, the Vedas (meaning “knowledge”) declared Hinduism’s argument that “Truth (God) is one, wise men call Him by different names”. The Vedas were composed during the Vedic period (1500BC – 600BC). These texts are possibly the oldest documented literature available today. We will now review love in one of the most important Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita which was documented in the later Vedic period. This text comprises of 18 chapters and is translated literally as the “song of the beloved God” (Gita means song and Bhagavad means beloved God). Love is the primary theme in this text. In this scripture, God in the form of Krishna, speaks to his friend Arjuna on a battlefield in India. On a metaphorical level, it is suggested that when we overcome our inner struggles, we will be victorious in finding God. Topics include, loving God as well as God Himself, the soul and the goal of human existence; which in the Bhagavad Gita is to ultimately merge with God. Like any classic, the Bhagavad Gita is timeless and considered relevant even today. Many extraordinary individuals such as Gandhi and Einstein were inspired by its content. In Chapter 4, verse 11, of the Bhagavad Gita, it is stated that: However...
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...Hist 1110/Spring 2015/Dr. Laumann Second paper Bhagavad Gita paper The Bhagavad Gita is the most famous Hindu religious text in ancient history. The two main characters are Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna seeks guidance from the Lord Krishna for many reasons, mainly because he does not want to fight in the battle. The Gita is dialogue between these two characters after Arjuna calls for Krishna. The Gita is formed around the Hindu faith of Hinduism and is written in Sanskrit. This paper will discuss the historical context of the Bhagavad Gita and analyze some of the content. The Bhagavad Gita was written around 50 CE in India, it is the most famous Hindu religious text. Around 1000 and 700 B.C.E two of India’s great epics were written: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana (Spodek, 243). The Bhagavad Gita is an excerpt of the Mahabharata, which is the larger of the two epics. India’s main form of religion is Hinduism, which is the oldest leading religion. Hindu’s core beliefs are the caste, dharma, karma, life stages, samsara, and more (Spodek, 274). The introduction states that many “Hindu’s and non-Hindus use the Gita as a spiritual guide within their own lives, reading or hearing it regularly and bringing it to bear on their own situations by commenting on it to themselves” (Gita, Intro). Also, the Gita summarizes a few of the key doctrines of Hinduism. One of those is Karma. Karma is the set of activities of each creature and the effects that these activities have on its atman...
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...Ivyanne London Dr. Bryan English 2010 7 December 2012 The Bhagavad- Gita: Influence on Civil Disobedience Advocates Civil disobedience can be described as the nonviolent means of bringing about social change. The Bhagavad- Gita is a philosophical poem that attempts to ask difficult questions of universal issues that deal with the topic of civil disobedience. The messages that are told throughout the poem have had major influences on civil disobedience advocates such as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. This work offers explanations that can be applied to dilemmas that can’t be resolved with a simple form of action. According to the Theosophical Society of America, The Bhagavad- Gita, commonly known as the “Gita” has been passed back and forth between America and India through these civil disobedience activists. They each had influences on each other along with the Gita. Some reoccurring themes that may have influenced Thoreau, Gandhi, and King include questions about the right way to live, seeking higher knowledge, and how no action is still a form of action. The version of The Bhagavad- Gita that is told in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 3rd edition, begins with the moment of crisis in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna is the middle son of his five brothers who are apart of the Pandavas. He is apart of the warrior caste and is the most skilled and feared archer of his time. They are about to engage in war with their cousins, the Kauravas, because...
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...An Analysis of the Central Themes of The Bhagavad Gita and its Influence on Significant Historical Figures and Literature. Gavin McClung “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt The Bhagavad Gita has been estimated to have been in existence since about 500 BCE although the oldest known handwritten copy is in a museum in London and is dated to 1488. It predates the Bible, the Quran, and 50 Shades of Grey. As one of the oldest pieces of literature known to us it has gained a reputation as one of the most insightful tomes into the human condition and it’s philosophies and themes have influenced many of the most historically significant people and their actions. Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry David Thoreau, and even Albert Einstein all read the Gita and were deeply moved by it. These are not normal run of the mill people, but were great thinkers, people of action and world-changers. Surely, the world has been influenced by such a powerful text through the many people it has inspired and taught with it’s central themes of Yoga and Renunciation, and Dharma and Karma among others. Here we will take a look at some of the major themes of the Gita as well as some of the historically significant figures it has influenced and...
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...of this essay is to describe the role of Atman/Brahman and how they are related to one another in the Upanishads and then later re-appropriated in the Bhagavad Gita through the teaching of Krishna to Arjuna. Chapter ten in the Patterns of Religion textbook describe Hinduism as a religion of “many layers” on page 308. This analogy is further described on page 304 by likening Hinduism to a maze. “There is not a single straight line, but everything is connected.” The word Brahman is used in different context throughout the text. It is mentioned during the era of Vedism, when the Aryan migrants introduced the term for the pinnacle of the hierarchy in the caste system. An interesting note here is that rulers are placed below the Brahmans in the caste hierarchy. Later in Upanishads, Brahman is defined as “the One, which existed before the gods.” The Upanishads term atman as a distinguished self that is rebirthed throughout the journey through reincarnation. While reading the texts, I keep attempting to collaborate the information into theories that I am familiar with. The closest I am able to reach towards understanding is to liken atman to the soul, and the Atman/Brahman relationship to the path towards enlightenment and self-discovery. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna altered the relationship of Atman/Brahman from what was traditionally taught and established. Krishna taught that there is a path to moksha for everyone regardless of birth, caste, or gender. He urged...
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...What is Hinduism? It is the true culture of Indians in India. Many call it "A way of life." It is not an organized religion like Christianity or Islam. It has no founder. It has no Pope. It has no hierarchy. Just a lot of scriptures. In Hindu scriptures, you are actually studying about the history and culture of India, like in 66 books of the Holy Bible you are actually studying about the culture and history of the Jews. Hinduism and Judaism are mothers of all modern religions in the world. Buddhism, Sikhism and to some extent Jainism and Zoroastrianism came from Hinduism. Of course, Jainism existed during Rig Vedic Period. Statues of Rishabha, the first Thirthankara and founder of Jainism was found in the Mohenjadaro, Harappa excavations. Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. Judaism, Islam and Christianity have Abraham as the common father figure. All three have many common prophets. There is even mention about Jesus Christ many times in the Holy Koran. Coming back to Hinduism, C.S. Lewis, the great author and theologist wrote, finally it will come to two religions. Hinduism and Christianity. The first [Hinduism] will grow absorbing ideas and concepts from everywhere and later [Christianity] will keep away from everything that is foreign to it. What C.S. Lewis wrote is very true. Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every Hindu scripture and kill every Hindu theologian on earth. Hinduism or Hindu Culture is a very dynamic living, breathing Reality. Strength of Hinduism...
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...SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GEETA – HSS F334 ASSIGNMENT - 1 VIBHUTIES AND THEIR ROLE IN SPIRITUAL PURSUIT OF VARIOUS YOGIS Instructor: Dr.Aruna Lolla Name : Monica Adusumilli Id No :2014A7PS005H Date of Submission:30-October-2015 Introduction Bhagavad-Gita might have been delivered in the setting of a battle field, but illumined minds have found it very relevant in the past, present and future as well. "Here I am present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am the Supreme”, says Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita. Understanding, knowing and experiencing the supreme in total magnitude is beyond the capabilities of humans. In an attempt to advance as a spiritual being, it is essential that we understand the divine opulence. What is a Vibuthi? A Vibuthi might be a person, place or an object in which the divine manifests himself to a greater extent. The opulences (Vibuthies) of the Lord are infinite. Indeed, the Lord alone knows his internal potency and his manifestations are innumerable and countless. Only by the grace of the Supreme Person, origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, Lord of the universe, one can try and understand the opulences of the Lord. Role of Vibhuties in Spiritual Pursuit: Lord SriKrishna in Vibuthi Yoga of Gita elucidates about some of his Vibuthies knowing about which, the supreme absolute can be easily attained. A lot of Yogis have identified...
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...Swami Jf.C. GJJ!iak!;ivedanta . bWO �S'S'AYS GK[,isfina �eGJWservoir9['Pleasure � �fio Is Crazy? Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta was born Abhay Charan De in Calcutta, India, in 1896. Trained at the finest Indian universities, he was a successful young busi nessman when, in 1922, he met his Spiritual Master, Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati, Founder Acharya of the Goudiya Math Institutions. Just be fore the Master's departure from this world in 1936, Swami Bhaktivedanta was charged with the responsi bility of spreading the Samkirtan Movement to the English-speaking world. Shortlythereafter, anEng lish fortnightly was established and work was begun on a number of books and translations, the most am bitious of which is a proposed sixty volume transla tion with commentary ofthe Srimad Bhagwatam, still in progress. Finally, in 1959, he took up the life of a sanyasin, fully engaged in the duties ordered by his Spiritual Master, and in 1965 the seventy-year old Swami sailed to the West with the message en trusted to him nearlythree decades earlier: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE." KRI SHNA, THE RESERVOIR OF PLEASURE by Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Krishna-this sound is transcendental. Krishna means the highest pleasure. All of us, every living being, seeks pleasure. But we do not know how to seek pleasure perfectly. With a materialistic concept of life, we are frustrated at every step·in...
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... 1 What features of geography might have contributed to Hindu religious sensibilities? The river Ganges 2 Explain one of the analogies the author uses to understand Hinduism (a great river or a palace added to over centuries). Both convey the idea that nothing is ever lost in Hinduism. The religious life of India is something like the river Ganges. It has flowed along for thousands of years, swirling from its own power but also from the power of new streams that have added to its force. (Molloy 78) But the limitations of Hinduism may also be its strengths. It is like a palace that began as a two-room cottage. Over the centuries, wings have been built on to it, and now it has countless rooms, stairs, corridors, statues, fountains, and gardens. (Molloy 78) 3 What features have enabled Hinduism to develop freely in many directions? Many influences—early indigenous religion and influences from later immigrants—have added to its inherent momentum. It has no one identifiable founder, no strong organizational structure to defend it and spread its influence, nor any creed to define and stabilize its beliefs; and in a way that seems to defy reason, Hinduism unites the worship of many gods with a belief in a single divine reality. (Molloy 78) Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions, 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions, 2010. VitalBook file. The Earliest Stage of Indian Religion 1 What is noteworthy...
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...will be discussing the beliefs and principles that Gandhi lived by. Gandhi, was also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in Porbandar, in the modern state of Gujarat, on October 2, 1869, into a Hindu family. His parents belonged to the Vaisya caste of Hindu's. Gandhi was a shy and serious boy and grew up in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and acceptance of teachings of various Hindu sects. Gandhi was married at 13 years old, he married a girl named Kasturibhai. The wedding was arranged according to custom by his parents. The Gandhi's had four children. At the age of 19, Gandhi traveled to England to study law. During that time he began to develop his philosophy of life. He also studied the great Indian religious classic the Bhagavad-Gita and also turned to the New Testament of the Bible and to the teachings of Buddha. After finishing school, Gandhi returned to India to practice law but was unsuccessful. In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to do some legal work. South Africa was then under British rule. Almost immediately, he was abused because he was an Indian who claimed his rights as a British subject. He...
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...Jainism, and Hinduism (Deborah & Robert, 2007 ). Such human transformation is seen in different parts of the world where people came up with different ways farming and even religions. The need for better clothing made them domesticate the cotton plant, this lead to the domestication of this plant (cotton). Such activities were also found in other parts of the world like Egypt and Mesopotamia. Mud brick structures were constructed to store the harvested cereals (mostly wheat and barley) (Allan, Richard, Robert, Philip, Standish & Edward, 1997).They also started the domestication of animals like the. Goats, sheep, and cattle were among the first animals to be domesticated. The main problem addressed in the Bhagavad Gita The most fundamental concepts that Bhagavad Gita outlines in his scriptures includes; the nature of human existence, a righteous lifestyle that is divine centered, self-discovery and the purpose of living. The scriptures spell out how humankind differentiates the right from the wrong, and the relationship with God. It gives deeper meanings of life aspects, for example, knowledge (Mascrio, 1962); Arjuna receives a piece of advice from Krishna to gather knowledge and wisdom selectively. Action is also another life aspect; one should act without getting worried or entangled with the consequences and the outcomes of the actions. (Mascario, 1962), Krishna tells Arjuna to get a clear distinction...
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...Religions are formed because people want something to believe in. People follow the ways of religions because there is order that tells people how to live their life and how to achieve the perfect afterlife. Although religions tell us these things, each religion goes about it differently. Indian Salvation Religions and Classical Mediterranean Christianity want the same things for their followers but the path to achieving that goal is very different. The Bhagavad Gita, “Song of the Blessed Lord” (reader pg. 73), is a document of the Indian Salvation Religion which is a sacred text that involves a story that explains perfect detachment through one’s caste duties. The Last Judgement is a Christian text that explains how everyone must stand before...
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...The key point that I took away from looking at the Bhagavad Gita was the idea of oneness, that there is an underlying consciousness that connects all things. In the Gita, we see Arjuna battling with the idea of participating in fighting a battle with his family and friends on the opposing side. During his conversation with his charioteer, who happens to also be Krishna, he is told that he should do his duty as a warrior and to fight to help regain control of the kingdom. It is noted that physical death does not mean the ultimate ending of a life, that there will be rebirth or eventually moksha. The true struggle that Arjuna should be facing is not the turmoil over the killing, but should be over the act of going against his dharma. It is interesting to look at the Bhagavad Gita in relation to the caste system that played a major role in society and culture that has historically practiced Hinduism. While the system has been outlawed, it still has played a large part in shaping the society and the people in the region. The caste system is a stratification system that limited people into acting only within their assigned roles in society. Individuals are highly limited...
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...In Islamic religion, Muslims believe that there is only one God and Muhammad, his messenger. Hindus on the other hand, is a religion that was not founded by a certain individual. Even most writers of the sacred texts of Hinduism, remain unknown. The Islamic belief system includes 6 articles of faith which are fundamental beliefs that there is only one God (Allah), angels of God, prophets of God, revealed books of God, the day of judgment and the divine decree (sometimes shortened to 5 articles of faith leaving out the belief in the supremacy of God's will). Typically when people think of Hinduism, the first thing that comes to mind is multiple gods. I was told by my step grandfather, who had practiced Hinduism most of his life, that Hinduism can vary and not to think Hindus follow a set religion. He explained to me that it depends on the person and whether or not they think there is only one God or millions. Hinduism can actually span over many different belief systems including pantheism (God and the universe are the same) or henotheism (belief in one god but not denying the existence of others). Despite all of the talk about Hinduism being polytheistic, there is one universal "God" called Brahman (although simultaneously a triad of deities). This is up to the follower on whether they think Brahman is considered their one God worshipped among a million of others. If so, I would believe Hinduism might be recognized as henotheistic. Conversely in Islamic religion, Muslims simply...
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