By TLB Contributor: Ken LaRive.
As the world changes, we must remember who we are…
We Americans lament about what negative Obama changes have wrought on our country, and at a loss about what to do next. Liberty, so cherished in America, is disintegrating by a dominant and controlling fascist government along with our constitution. The controls of a top-heavy leftist government is wreaking our society from the inside out, and without a fire being shot.
Socialism, long known for its long term effects on the psychology of men, go hand in hand with Nationalism, and the destruction of free thought and speech. With constant induced trauma from every side, our nation is suffering from a very severe frustration, bordering on psychosis. So overwhelmed, we are collectively at a loss of what to do to take back our country, as even the newly elected soon fit into the same mode of thought as any seasoned incumbent, and our efforts at representation are thwarted.
Though India might seem to most Westerners physically poor, it is indeed spiritually rich. No other place on earth do people strive to coexist, with a diversity steeped and rich with both new ideas and old tradition. Surrounded by conquering and abject enemies, the essence of India is alive in spite of it, absorbing every threat into a oneness of collectivity unparalleled on the planet.
Perhaps we can learn this technique, and find a way to move forward, not only to Coexist, but to deal with enemies both outside our borders, but from our own government as well. Solace comes from knowing what to do, a consistent and embracing will that will not be denied. This can be attained by looking at what we once were as a nation, and what loss we find today.
As some see no recourse but war and promote that, there is still a continuing effort by some to find a path to peace. The following is my continuing effort, by information supplied by Hindu friends of like mind, and the faith of Christian morals and ethics being absorbed and confused by secularism, pours forth with Love, our only salvation on this earth.
The effort to read the rest of this is worth the five minute moment.
Firstly, the concept of Maya, must be understood. It is the idea that what we perceive the world to be is mostly an illusion. Understanding this, we will see first-hand that what is presented to us by media and advertising are mostly bogus and false hype. Knowing this frees one to think with an open mind, and not to be so trusting.
Under maya’s influence, the atman, (the soul) mistakenly identifies with the body. We accept such thoughts as “I am liberal, and I am a black woman,” or “This is my car, my life, and my religion,” as truth. The illusioned soul identifies with the temporary body and everything connected to it, such as race, gender, family, nation, bank balance, and sectarian religion. Ego, well needed, suffers from a false identity as the soul aspires to dominate and take pleasure. Without an understanding of the prevailing, mind-controlling illusions, we are enslaved into continuously serving lust, greed, and anger, and many other negatives. In frustration and apathy we most often redouble our negative efforts based on lies, and as we compound mistake upon mistake, fall deeper into illusion.
The Bhagavad Gita, which is commonly referred to as The Gita for short, is one of the most important of all Hindu scriptures. It is honored as a sacred text, and considered as one of the most important religious classics of the world. Comprised of 700 verses, Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata.
Spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead to his intimate disciple Arjuna, the Gita’s seven hundred concise verses, all provide a definitive guide to the science and philosophy of self realization. Krishna, the teacher of the Bhagavad Gita, is regarded by the Hindus as the supreme manifestation of the Lord Himself, and is referred to within the text as Bhagavan—the divine one.
My favorite quote from Bhagvad Gita is below, followed by The Bhagawad Gita simplified. After that a short history of how these thoughts originated on the battlefield…
“Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart. “ Lord Kristna
An excerpt from The Bhagawad Gita
The Divine Song of God Why do you worry without cause? Whom do you fear without reason? Who can kill you? The soul is neither born, nor does it die.
What ever happened, happened for the good; Whatever is happening, is happening for the good; Whatever will happen, will also happen for the good only.
You need not have any regrets for the past. You need not worry for the future.
The present is happening… What did you lose that you cry about?
What did you bring with you, which you think you have lost?
What did you produce, which you think got destroyed?
You did not bring anything, whatever you have, you received from here. Whatever you have given, you have given only here.
Whatever you took, you took from God. Whatever you gave, you gave to Him. You came empty handed, you will leave empty handed.
What is yours today, belonged to someone else yesterday, and will belong to someone else the day after tomorrow. You are mistakenly enjoying the thought that this is yours.
It is this false happiness that is the cause of your sorrows.
Change is the law of the universe. What you think of as death, is indeed life.
In one instance you can be a millionaire, and in the other instance you can be steeped in poverty.
A short history…
There was a king ruling Hastinapura, now known as Delhi. He had two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Dhritarashtra was born blind. Therefore, Pandu became the King. Pandu had five sons. They were called the Pandavas. Dhritarshtra had one hundred sons. They were called the Kauravas.
After the death of king Pandu, his eldest son, Yudhisthira was to be the Ruler. But the Kauravas disaproved. The eldest of Kauravas, Dhuryodhana, wanted the whole kingdom for himself. Through trickery and treachery, he made many attempts even to kill the Pandavas. All peace talks by Pandava Ambassador, Sri Krishna, also failed. So the war between Pandavas and Kauravas could not be avoided.
Both Pandavas and Kauravas belonged to the same family and therefore many family elders were also part of this war. Arjuna, the Pandava Prince had disliked the idea of fighting against the family elders, Gurus and close relatives. Lord Krishna was the Charioteer to Arjuna on the battle field, and as Arjuna communicated his hesitation to get on with the war, Lord Krishna respond. This is what we now call The Bhagavad Gita. This response, given by Lord Kishna to Arjuna was very long, and is codified in 18 chapters.
Who reported this talk taking place at the battle field? King Dhritarashtra was curious to know what was happening before the fighting began. As he was blind, he asked Sanjay, his Charioteer to tell him about it, and it was he who reported the entire talk verbatim to Dhritarashtra.
And so, The Bhagvat Gita is the actual talk between the confused Arjuna and his Charioteer Lord Krishna while waiting on the battle field. This talk was basically a spiritual oration encompassing real truth about the psychology of human life, and the needs of men. The 18 Chapters of Bhagvat Gita can be broadly divided into three parts, each dwelling about Gyana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga.
There may be difficulty in understanding the concepts of Gyana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga until Bhagvat Gita is studied. It is an amazingly precise Hindu Scripture that emphatically clarifies many aspects of our daily lives, and as human nature is constant, the ideas are obvious to everyone even today.
Mahatma Gandhi stated: “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to guide me.”
Aldous Huxley, English Novelist and Critic said: “The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed.”
Henry David Thoreau, American Writer & Philosopher remarked: “In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.”
Albert Einstein replied: “When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect, everything else seems so superfluous.”
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stated: “The Bhagavad-Gita is a call for action to meet the obligations and duties of life.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet and Philosopher said: “I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was the first of books, It was as if an empire spoke to us. Nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent. The voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and disposed of the same questions which exercise us.'”
Such is the indelible impression Bhagavad-Gita had left in the minds of some very well known thinkers, and it may be a tool for us overwhelmed by Government wanting to dominate every aspect of our lives, and enemies at our gates. If mentally manipulated, we no longer have free will; our very soul is dominated. Taking individual responsibility, and regaining control of our lives is the very salvation of mankind. We can hope again to take back this country, and the lost dreams of freedom and liberty will again be ours.
We will get our country back when we take responsibility for our own lives, and stand up together. God bless America.
Beautiful. It gives me hope.