The Bhagavad Gita, much like most religious texts, is a manual for life and how it should be lived. It was believed that human beings were able to gain their enlightenment from the wisdom contained within the Gita. In the end, people who obtained the knowledge of the Gita were said to gain spiritual growth as well as prosperity. Within the story, the Gita is given to Arjuna when his spirts become low due to the thought of having to kill his brothers in battle. The Hindu god Vishnu, who takes the form of Arjuna’s chariot driver, Krishna, introduces the idea of yoga. It is the words of Krishna that are able to help him keep strong through all his pain.
Having been raised by a longtime yoga teacher, my interest was instantly peaked by the true
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The word yoga is currently often defined as union or joining, as in linking mind (thought process) and body. This suggests that the true practice of yoga begins with a spiritual search within one’s self. In my mind I compare the Bhagavad Gita loosely to the Bible. While I’m not a Christian myself, it’s easier to comprehend in that way, as Christianity is more well known. In a sense I understand yoga to be almost a form of silent prayer; maybe even on a deeper level than prayer as it involves a connection to the entire body. As yoga has progressed through hundreds of years of teachings, it seems to have lost its …show more content…
Seeking happiness within “feeling” and not “having”. Krishna educates Arjuna on Bhakti, selfless devotional worship to the Divine and the Divine within us, and what is gained in doing so. The devotion offered through the practice of Bhakti is not the same kind of devotion encouraged in religions such as Christianity. Many religious devotional practices are done as an act of pleasing the Divine or receiving forgiveness from the Divine. Bhakti yoga's devotion is more of an expression of gratitude or acknowledging beauty in the world or the wonderfulness of an