Life Lessons From The Bhagavad Gita

Taking the epic of Mahabharata as an allegory for the battle between the higher and lower natures of man, Charles Shahar elucidates that the Gita teaches the important lesson of moving beyond the duality of this transient world and being stationed in our unchangeable true Self

- Charles Shahar

As the reader is very likely aware, the Bhagavad Gita, or the Song of God, is a Hindu scriptural text known for the depth of its spiritual insights. It is part of a much larger epic, the Mahabharata, that describes in intricate detail, the events leading up to and including the climactic battle at Kurukshetra.

On one side is the army of the Pandavas, a family of virtuous and noble brothers. Arrayed against them is the army of their cousins, the Kauravas, a more ruthless and opportunistic family that seeks dominance and control over the surrounding kingdom of Hastinapura. The Gita itself describes the interactions between Arjuna, the Pandava general, and Shri Krishna, his advisor. In the period leading up to the battle, Shri Krishna offers assistance to both Arjuna and Duryodhana (The Kaurava leader)—specifically, and, the choice between Shri Krishna’s massive army and Shri Krishna Himself as counsel and charioteer. In a fateful decision, Arjuna chooses the latter.

On the face of it, the Mahabharata can be considered as a kind of morality play, but it is much more than that. It is a guide to the attainment of higher consciousness. The life lessons it imparts are meant for those seeking freedom from the bondage of their mind and senses, and who wish to ultimately realize the essential nature of their true being.

An allegory

The Mahabharata is actually an allegory, within which the Kauravas symbolise the lower nature of the human being, and the Pandavas represent the higher, more refined nature of the soul or