The document discusses the author's evolving understanding of the Bhagavad Gita over multiple readings. Initially, the author was put off by descriptions of war and struggled to see the relevance to everyday life. Through further study, the author came to see the Gita as addressing the inner war between higher and lower selves and providing techniques for spiritual development and liberation. The author eventually understood the Gita's role is not to provide specific solutions but to inspire universal development and welfare.

1. STUDY
OF
GITA 4TH FLOWER
November5, 2009
10:00 am
1st chapter
Dr.
Shriniwas
Kashalikar

2. November5, 2009
10:00 am
1st chapter
Initially when I began to read Gita, I felt
that I am reading a story of war. I was
rather put off by the list if names and the
description of conches they blew.
Later I read about the repulsion of
Arjuna about the idea of war and
violence and his arguments about the
disastrous effects of war. I felt that there
was nothing intellectual and it all seemed
to be too obvious to be stated.
But I kept on by hearting it as kind of
exercise of memory and probably also to
fill the void in me.

3. I did not quite understand the exact
meaning MOHA for long time.
Some said that Arjuna was afraid and
some said that it was his love for the
family members. Some felt Arjuna was
right and some said he was wrong. But I
never seem to understand how this was
related day to day life of a common man
and me.
Some said that the description of war
was symbolic and actually Gita relates to
the higher self in an individual with his
lower self.
This seemed impressive but could not
explain the relevance of Arjuna’s
arguments about VARNA SANKAR i.e.
haphazard and lawless marriages
amongst different strata and groups in
society and their ill effects.

4. It seems that Gita actually deals with the
individual, existence, universe, the time
and cosmic consciousness. It also deals
with different stages of human
development from SADHAKA i.e.
seeker and SIDDHA i.e. enlightened
individual. It also deals with the various
ways and techniques to attain the
ultimate state of liberation.
Initially I used to feel that Gita relates to
individual emancipation and hence felt
that there nothing in terms of solution for
the welfare of world. This could be
because of the passion and mission born
out of ego (not necessarily unjustified or
condemnable) that “I have to change the
world for better”! Since I was expecting
a kind blue print for the universal
welfare; and since I did not find it; I used

5. to feel that Gita is individualistic and
hence of no consequences for the global
welfare. Naturally I was not quite in love
with Gita. In fact I read and studied it
with reluctance and as if somebody was
pushing me from within to study it
persistently.
Due to my honest (though subjective)
concern; I was obsessed by global
welfare, of which I had faint sketch in
mind. But I was neither I was finding
any reflections of the sketch in reality; nr
I was completely convinced by it. I was
probably looking for clearer blueprint in
Gita. But since Gita does not give any
such blueprint, I was rather getting
depressed by reading Gita. However in
this turmoil gradually began to subside
when I started to realize that the role of
Gita is not to provide any blueprint but to

6. inspire a universal blueprint conducive to
blossoming of everyone in the world in a
most democratic way!
Some people thought Gita was produced
on battlefield, some felt that it was not a
creation of one individual. Some said
that many people have added different
verses out of context and relevance.
I felt that such criticism had nothing to
do what I was looking for in Gita and
hence did not bother. I was not
concerned whether it was created by one
or many and whether it was narrated on
battlefield or elsewhere!
Some people said that it was not proper
to read Gita at home as it leads to
conflicts in home and some people said
that it was inauspicious to read it because
it was read after some one’s demise.

7. All these things disturbed me while
studying Gita but not enough to deter me
from studying it!
I however felt that it was not very
peasant like a romantic poetry and did
not generate elation or ecstasy. It seemed
remind unwanted and unnecessary and
unrelated questions and problems such as
those related war and death.
Arguments that Gita preaches violence
and the opinion that it promotes
inequality and exploitation appeared too
superficial, highly prejudiced and hence
incorrect.
I gradually felt greater and greater need
to explore the heart of Gita. I started
getting as if haunted by a beautiful and
so far unapparent core of Gita.

8. The Gita begins with the description of
legions of Kauravas and Pandavas on the
Kurukshetra. Thus Gita directly begins
with the most crucial situation one can
have in life viz. the question of life and
death.
All conflicts in life are concentrated in
this situation.
Gita deals war of higher self with the
lower self in an individual, where there is
too much attachment about likes and
dislikes of the lower self. This
attachment is depicted in terms of
attachment (like that for suicidal and
destructive addiction) for the relatives
even if they were social psychopaths.
This attachment leads to despondent
retreat to lower self and passive

9. acceptance of and involvement in
degeneration and decay of one’s own
true self (and that of the universe). This
is MOHA of Arjuna, which I guess is
common to most people in the world
(which is why Gita is universal).
The Gita simultaneously deals with the
actual war also; because it looks at the
individual and society in a holistic way.
It conceives and teaches to appreciate
that the condition of war within and our
response to that war naturally manifest in
family and social life.
Arjuna’s response of MOHA is a
response to inner war; that which
manifests in the society! Such
despondent to the lower self of an
individual is also reflected in the form of
retreat to the lower self of the society i.e.

10. psychopathic and detrimental elements in
the society.
It not only depicts the individual and
global despondency; but it also depicts
an intellectual explanation and
justification of such despondency in the
form apparently sublime values and
concerns. Thus Arjuna is shown
dismissing the idea of killing teachers,
brothers and other loved ones;
forecasting the social holocaust in terms
of the ruining of families and the
exploitation of widows and mutilation of
social discipline and harmony leading to
ill effects on the departed souls and the
abyss thereof! Thus Gita creates a strong
case for individual and social mediocrity,
individualism, pettiness, gullibility,
defeatism, and despondency with
intellectual explanations, which span

11. from individual and social life and even
life after death!
Gita creates a ground for an eternal
discourse on individual, social and
universal tendencies to sink and decay
and the omnipresent omniscient solution
to such decay spanning from all eternity
to all eternity, with the backdrop of ever
provident cosmic consciousness that
rejuvenates the mankind time and again
from millennia to millennia!
It is after depicting the individual and
social despondence (represented by
ARJUNA VISHADA) that Gita enters
into 2nd chapter.