Bhagavad Gita Gives Freedom of Choice

Over 5,000 years ago Krishna instructed his confused friend Arjuna on the philosophy of human life — its purpose, goal and its attainment. Known as the Bhagavad Gita, the Song Divine, it is accepted as the quintessence of all the Vedas.
The Gita is unique because, unlike any other religious scripture, it is spoken by God (Krishna) Himself. If there appear to be any contradictions and inconsistencies, they are only in the differing interpretations of the text.
The Lord speaks the philosophy in the midst of the opposing armies of two closely related families ready to fight a fratricidal war. When Arjuna is reluctant to fight his kith and kin, whom he may have to kill, Krishna tells Arjuna that he should not shirk from svadharma or ordained duty which, as a kshatriya, is to fight. While most religions advocate compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and exhort to abjure war and killing, here God Himself urges Arjuna to fight and kill.
Krishna convinces Arjuna of where his duty lies, and the same Arjuna who in the beginning refuses to fight now promises to Krishna’s bidding. In no other scripture does God so unabashedly glorify Himself. To convince Arjuna that He is the master and controller of all that be, Krishna recounts His innumerable vibhutis or glories, opulences and powers and shows His virat-rupa or universal form in a brazen display of His majesty and powers. The Gita jolts us into contemplation when it tells us that we are not the body and mind that we believe we are, and that, in fact, we are pure spirit soul or atma, a tiny part or amsa of God, the Supreme Spirit, and we are eternal, indestructible and immutable. The realisation of this basic truth is a pre-requisite to any spiritual progress.
The Gita does not propose attainment of heaven and its sense pleasures as the goal of human life. Krishna warns that gratification of the sen-ses cannot bring happiness. The Gita describes the material world as dukhalayam, a place full of misery, wherein birth and death take place in a continuous cycle (samsara). It urges us to liberate ourselves from samsara and reunite with the Lord and thereby attain to His nature of sat-chit-ananda, the state of being eternally existent-completely knowledgeable-full of bliss, which is the goal of human life and which alone can bring eternal peace and happiness.
To achieve that goal the Gita elucidates four different paths: Raja Yoga or meditation, Karma Yoga or work, Jnana Yoga or knowledge and Bhakti Yoga or devotion — from which the aspirant may choose according to his temperament, capacity and inclination. In Bhakti Yoga, the Gita makes available to us an easy and effective means to reach Krishna. Bhakti Yoga requires neither elaborate paraphernalia nor cumbersome rituals, for Krishna says: “If a bhakta offers Me with love and devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, I will wholeheartedly accept it”.
The essence of the Gita is summed up in verses 65 and 66 of the co cluding chapter wherein Krishna asks Arjuna to simply abandon all religious practices and simply pay homage to Him, adore Him, worship Him and unconditionally surrender unto Him, after which Arjuna need have no fear, for Krishna would absolve him of all his sins and take complete care of him.
The Song of God or the Bhagavad Gita is unique because it is free from dogma. After explaining the most confidential spiritual know-ledge, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that now that he had heard everything, he was free to do what he thought fit. In essence, the Gita recognises the individual’s liberty and leaves the ultimate choice in the hands of the seeker. Libe-ral and without prejudice, the Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna’s gift to humankind, to help us deal with the turbulence of life in as rational a manner as is humanly possible.