Mahatma Gandhi on Gita Rahasya, a commentary on Gita by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

The Shrimad Bhagwad Gita represents the dilemma, the Pandava warrior, Arjuna faces at the beginning of the war of Mahabharata at the field of Kurukshetra. Seeing his near and dear ones in the opposite camp and ready to fight, Arjuna surrenders to Shri Krishna, the charioteer and says that that he sees no point in killing his own relatives in the battle for the kingdom. Krishna through the Gita dialogue leads Arjuna to perform his righteous duty to uphold the dharma and fight the holy war.

Gita is also considered a metaphor of the eternal battle going within the human mind between the right tendencies and wrong tendencies since time eternal. By using the power of discrimination, one has to choose the righteous path at any cost. Many spiritual masters and philosophers have penned down their commentaries on the Hindu epic, Shrimadbhagwad Gita in many languages. Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Rahasya, popularly known as Gita Rahasya is one of such commentaries written in Marathi language by the great Indian social reformer and freedom fighter, Bal Gangadhar Tilak while imprisoned in Mandalay jail in the erstwhile Burma or Brahma Desh (present day Myanmar). It was first published in 1915 after his release from the Madalay jail and thereafter, many editions in Marathi and other languages have been published. The Gita Rahasya by Bal Gangadhar Tilak stands out exceptionally among various commentaries by renowned authors through which Tilak conveys the real message behind the war of Mahabharata that is to perform one’s own duty. This path is called the Karma Yoga in Shrimad Bhagwad Gita.

Tilak PIC: http://vskbharat.com/

Many great personalities like Babu Arbindo Ghosh, Mahatma Gandhi and many others have put forward amazing introductory remarks on the Tilak’s great work. Here are some excerpts of the remarks put forth by Mahatma Gandhi from which one can gauge the depth of the message conveyed by Tilak through his Gita Rahasya.

Mahtma Gandi said;

“I remember that during my childhood when I was growing and was going through inner battle to chose between the illusory attachments and duty and pass the test of time, I needed a guide to put me on the right path. I had read somewhere that the Bhagwad Gita encompassed in its 700 Shlokas (verses), the entire essence of Vedas and Upanishads. That time I decided that I must study Gita and therefore learnt Sanskrit language to absorb it fully. Today, the Gita is not only my Bible and Quran but more than that. It has in reality become my mother. I had lost my biological mother long time back but Gita Ma has substituted the place of my real mother. Whenever I go through crisis in life, I take shelter in the Gita. Through Gita Rahasya I am blessed to receive the purest of pure wisdom and knowledge from the great thinker Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He marvelously captured the entire store-house of truth in the Gita Rahasya. This great Gita commentary by Tilak is the eternal memorial of Tilak. This is going to last for ages even after winning the war of freedom of India. The Gita Rahasya will remain as an inspirational work of Tilak reflecting purity of his character and he will always remain alive through it. It will be difficult to find any other work greater than what Tilak has accomplished through his commentary. There is no greater authoritative commentary ever on the Gita like Gita Rahasya and is very unlikely to find in the near future too. Nobody has ever done the systematic research like Tilak has through Gita Rahasya on the multitude of questions raised in the Bhagwad Gita and Vedas. Tilak has acquired an exceptional place in the hearts and minds of common men through his extra ordinary wisdom, limitless sacrifice and lifelong service to the nation.”

Gandhi PIC: thefamouspeople.com

This are excerpts of the speech Gandhi delivered on Gita Rahasya (translated from Marathi).