Beacon Yoga Centre

Dear Friend,

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The Path to Self Enquiry by Shri Ramana Maharshi – 42 Verses from Bhagavat Geeta

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Shri Ramana Maharshi was once asked to talk about Bhagavat Geeta (The Song Celestial) of Shri Krishna.  

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Out of a total of 700 verses, Shri Ramana picked 42 verses, representing the crux and the core message of Bhagavat Geeta. The first verse Shri Ramana picked was from Chapter 2 when  

“Arjuna despondent, troubled and his eyes filled with tears (as he sat at the feet of Shri Krishna); to him, overwhelmed with compassion, Shri Krishna, the slayer of Madhu thus spoke.”

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This is a familiar picture on the covers of many editions of the Song Celestial and the message it conveys is what Shri Ramana too picked as the starting point of one’s spiritual journey. Each Sanskrit word in this verse translated above is filled with a pregnant message that ‘Our journey to Self Knowledge requires earnestness, sincerity and humility born of despair to learn (Mumukshtwam – Intense Longing for Liberation). All scriptures demand such commitment to the path without which God’s Grace or Guru’s Grace is not possible. Arjuna is a disciplined high achiever and one of the best warriors of his generation and yet he comes unstuck when confronted with a choice between duty and attachment to his elders and relatives, between life and death, in a fratricidal war. He lacks Self Knowledge.    

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In the next 4 weeks we will together go through the 42 verses from Bhagavat Geeta that Shri Ramana picked for us in his moment of deep compassion for us.

Regards

Shanker