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In Defence
Some people study the Gita in order to find loopholes and criticise the teachings contained in it. The teachings of the Gita can only be understood if you approach it with a reverential attitude of mind and with intense faith.
Recently someone wrote a criticism in the newspaper: "The Gita is not a sacred book at all. It teaches violence. Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to kill even his dear relations and preceptors". It is clear that this critic obviously has no real knowledge or understanding of the Gita. He is like Virochana who received spiritual instructions from Prajapati and took the body as being the Self on account of his perverted intellect. He is obviously a follower of the philosophy of the flesh. He cannot comprehend the depths of the Gita philosophy as his mind is callous and impervious to the reception of its truths. He has read the Gita not to gain spiritual knowledge but to attack it.
The answer to his criticism lies in a proper understanding of the following verses: "He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks He is slain, neither of them knows. He slays not nor is He slain"—II.19; "Therefore, stand up and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled kingdom. Verily by Me have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Arjuna!"—XI.33; "He who is free from the egoistic notion, whose intellect is untainted (by good or evil), though he slays these people, he slayeth not, nor is he bound (by the action)"-XVIII.17.
Just as coloured dye stands out more clearly only when the original material is pure white, so also the instructions of a sage penetrate and settle down only in the hearts of aspirants whose minds are calm, who have no desire for enjoyments and whose impurities have been destroyed. For this reason an aspirant is expected to possess the qualifications of keen discrimination, dispassion, control of the mind and senses, and aversion to worldly attractions, before he can practise the threefold Sadhana of hearing the scriptures, reflecting upon them, and meditating upon their significance. Discipline and purification of the mind and the senses are the prerequisites for aspirants on the path of God-realisation.
Even when the nature of God is explained, those who have not been purged of their faults and impurities would either disbelieve or misbelieve it, as was the case with Indra and Virochana. Therefore, knowledge as inculcated arises only in him who has purified himself by austerity, performed either in this or in a previous birth.
The Upanishads declare: "To that high-souled man whose devotion to his preceptor is as great as that to the Lord, the secrets explained here become illumined”.
Some people catch fish in the Ganges river to satisfy their palate. Then they quote the Gita in support of their evil actions: "Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not”—II.23. Wonderful philosophy indeed! Devils can also quote scriptures. These people are the followers of the Virochana school. They are evil-doing, deluded and the vilest of men. They cannot hope to understand the teachings of the Gita as their wisdom has been destroyed by illusion and they have embraced the nature of demons. May the Lord grant them a subtle and pure intellect,
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