Of all the sacred texts of Hinduism, the Bhagavad Gita commands a pre-eminence. Hence we can boldly and emphatically assert that it is “ the heart of Hinduism”.

The Gita is the crest-jewel of the Mahabharatha. The Gita is a scripture which tries to integrate the personality of the individual student and make him capable of facing dynamically all the challenges in his life.

Man is an “ intelligent animal”. His physical comforts and security form the materialistic aspect of his life. But he has a mind and an intellect and as a highly developed psychological being, he is restless and impatient with all his imperfections. It is here that the process of total satisfaction revealed in the Gita shines out as a Beacon Light for all lovers of “mankind and its destiny”.

From the materialistic point of view, man seeks a higher standard of living. But the scriptures and the rational philosophers clearly indicate that the happiness and glory of the world depend upon the standard of life of the individual.

The Gita not only indicates theories of the Hindu way of life but she reveals certain definite schemes by which every individual can work out his own self-improvement. The philosophical theories are given in simple language and the suggested schemes for self-improvement are unique in their variety and effectiveness.

In the Gita, we see the most successful mentoring relationship between Krishna and Arjuna. On seeing close relatives and friends in the Kaurava army, Arjuna became depressed and got into a trauma.

Arjuna stands for the younger generation. Their mental problems such as their restlessness, impossible aspirations, unending desires, utter disillusionments, suffocating despairs, depressing dejections and self-deluding sense of materialism in life are all depicted in Arjuna.

Krishna reminded Arjuna of his role. He was the leader, manipulator, motivator, mentor and influencer, all rolled into one. Krishna’s psychological treatment for him is the main theme of the Gita.

The Gita trains the younger generation to study the problems of life and to evaluate each of them correctly. This calls for good mental balance and intellectual application. Then the youth will be able to arrive at potentially creative judgements and constructive conclusions. The know-how is explained in the Gita. Thus the Gita is helpful in the ultimate development and growth of our young nation.

A reverential study of the Gita is bound to enrich one’s mind and culminate in the dawn of transcendental wisdom.

There are many occasions in our lives when we are caught up in the rat race and we do wonder about its relevance in the grand scheme of things. The Gita helps us perform our duties irrespective of the grand scheme of things.

I here repeat Swami Dayananda’s words
“The strategy of invoking the Higher Being of Intelligence that lurks in each one of us and of defeating the dark forces of the ego and its dangerous henchmen is the “Discovery of Life” chalked out in the Bhagavad Gita”.