Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 5

"If truth is what works, as Pierce and the pragmatists insist, there must be a kind of truth in the
Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing
in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people."

Dr. Elwin H. Powell Professor of Sociology State University of New York, Buffalo


"There is little question that this edition is one of the best books available on the Gita and devotion.
Prabhupada's translation is an ideal blend of literal accuracy and religious insight."

Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Professor of Religion, Franklin and Marshall College


"The Bhagavad‐Gita, one of the great spiritual texts, is not as yet a common part of our cultural
milieu. This is probably less because it is alien per se than because we have lacked just the kind of
close interpretative commentary upon it that Swami Bhaktivedanta has here provided, a
commentary written from not only a scholar's but a practitioner's, a dedicated lifelong devotee's
point of view."

Denise Levertov, Poet


"The increasing numbers of Western readers interested in classical Vedic thought have been done a
service by Swami Bhaktivedanta. By bringing us a new and living interpretation of a text already
known to many, he has increased our understanding many fold."

Dr. Edward C Dimock, Jr. Department of South Asian Languages and Civilization University of Chicago


"The scholarly world is again indebted to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Although
Bhagavad‐Gita has been translated many times, Prabhupada adds a translation of singular
importance with his commentary."

Dr. J. Stillson Judah, Professor of the History of Religions and Director of Libraries Graduate
Theological Union, Berkeley, California


"Srila Prabhupada's edition thus fills a sensitive gap in France, where many hope to become familiar
with traditional Indian thought, beyond the commercial East‐West hodgepodge that has arisen since
the time Europeans first penetrated India.”Whether the reader be an adept of Indian spiritualism or
not, a reading of the Bhagavad‐Gita as It Is will be extremely profitable. For many this will be the first
contact with the true India, the ancient India, and the eternal India."

Francois Chenique, Professor of Religious Sciences Institute of Political Studies, Paris, France

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 4

"No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is better loved, in the West, than the
Bhagavad‐Gita. Translation of such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward
sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry. For the poem is a symphony in which God is seen in
all things. . . . The Swami does a real service for students by investing the beloved Indian epic with
fresh meaning. Whatever our outlook may be, we should all be grateful for the labor that has lead to
this illuminating work."

Dr. Geddes MacGregor, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy University of Southern
California


"The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the
oldest surviving culture in the world. The present translation and commentary is another
manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita."

Thomas Merton, Theologian


"I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's scholarly and authoritative
edition of Bhagavad‐Gita. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of
great utility as a reference book as well as a textbook. I promptly recommend this edition to my
students. It is a beautifully done book."

Dr. Samuel D. Atkins Professor of Sanskrit, Princeton University


"As a successor in direct line from Caitanya, the author of Bhagavad‐Gita As It Is entitled, according
to Indian custom, to the majestic title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The great interest that his reading of the Bhagavad‐Gita holds for us is that it offers us an authorized
interpretation according to the principles of the Caitanya tradition."

Olivier Lacombe Professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Sorbonne University, Paris


"I have had the opportunity of examining several volumes published by the Bhaktivedanta Book
Trust and have found them to be of excellent quality and of great value for use in college classes on
Indian religions. This is particularly true of the BBT edition and translation of the Bhagavad‐Gita."

Dr. Frederick B. Underwood Professor of Religion, Columbia University

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 3

"When I read the Bhagavad‐Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else
seems so superfluous."

Albert Einstein


"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad‐
Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial."

Henry David Thoreau


"The Bhagavad‐Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which
is manifested by actions."

Dr. Albert Schweitzer


"The idea that man is like unto an inverted tree seems to have been current in by gone ages. The link
with Vedic conceptions is provided by Plato in his Timaeus in which it states 'behold we are not an
earthly but a heavenly plant.' This correlation can be discerned by what Krishna expresses in chapter
15 of Bhagavad‐Gita."

Carl Jung


"The Bhagavad‐Gita deals essentially with the spiritual foundation of human existence. It is a call of
action to meet the obligations and duties of life; yet keeping in view the spiritual nature and grander
purpose of the universe."

Prime Minister Nehru


"The marvel of the Bhagavad‐Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life's wisdom which enables
philosophy to blossom into religion."

Herman Hesse


"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 thus disposed of the same questions which
exercise us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 2

"The Bhagavad‐Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna to reveal the science of devotion to God which is
the essence of all spiritual knowledge. The Supreme Lord Krishna's primary purpose for descending
and incarnating is to relieve the world of any demoniac and negative, undesirable influences that are
opposed to spiritual development, yet simultaneously it is His incomparable intention to be
perpetually within reach of all humanity."

Ramanuja


The Bhagavad‐Gita is not separate from the Vaishnava philosophy and the Srimad Bhagavatam fully
reveals the true import of this doctrine which is transmigration of the soul. On perusal of the first
chapter of Bhagavad‐Gita one may think that they are advised to engage in warfare. When the
second chapter has been read it can be clearly understood that knowledge and the soul is the
ultimate goal to be attained. On studying the third chapter it is apparent that acts of righteousness
are also of high priority. If we continue and patiently take the time to complete the Bhagavad‐Gita
and try to ascertain the truth of its closing chapter we can see that the ultimate conclusion is to
relinquish all the conceptualized ideas of religion which we possess and fully surrender directly unto
the Supreme Lord.

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati



I seek that Divine Knowledge by knowing which nothing remains to be known!' For such a person
knowledge and ignorance has only one meaning: Have you knowledge of God? If yes, you a Jnani! If
not, you are ignorant. As said in the Gita, chapter XIII/11, knowledge of Self, observing everywhere
the object of true Knowledge i.e. God, all this is declared to be true Knowledge (wisdom); what is
contrary to this is ignorance."

Sri Ramakrishna


Maharishi calls the Bhagavad‐Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical
life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."
Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of
everyone.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi


The Gita was preached as a preparatory lesson for living worldly life with an eye to Release, Nirvana.
My last prayer to everyone, therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this
ancient science of worldly life as early as possible in one's life.

Lokmanya Tilak


I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge, and
yet so handy. It teaches self‐control, austerity, non‐violence, compassion, obedience to the call of
duty for the sake of duty, and putting up a fight against unrighteousness (Adharma). To my
knowledge, there is no book in the whole range of the world's literature as high above as the
Bhagavad‐Gita, which is the treasure‐house of Dharma nor only for the Hindus but foe all mankind.

M. M. Malaviya

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Let us go through what scholars say about Holy Gita - 1

"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 comfort me; and I immediately begin to
smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and
new meanings from it every day."

Mahatma Gandhi


"The Bhagavad‐Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a
new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization."

Sri Aurobindo



"The Mahabharata has all the essential ingredients necessary to evolve and protect humanity and
that within it the Bhagavad‐Gita is the epitome of the Mahabharata just as ghee is the essence of
milk and pollen is the essence of flowers."

Madhvacharya


Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana are but three paths to this end. And common to all the three is
renunciation. Renounce the desires, even of going to heaven, for every desire related with body and
mind creates bondage. Our focus of action is neither to save the humanity nor to engage in social
reforms, not to seek personal gains, but to realize the indwelling Self itself.

Swami Vivekananda (England, London; 1895-96)


"Science describes the structures and processes; philosophy attempts at their explanation. When
such a perfect combination of both science and philosophy is sung to perfection that Krishna was,
we have in this piece of work an appeal both to the head and heart."

Swami Chinmayanand on Gita

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A note on the word "YOGA"

Yoga has two different meanings ‐ a general meaning and a technical meaning. The general meaning
is the joining together or union of any two or more things. The technical meaning is "a state of
stability and peace and the means or practices which lead to that state." The Bhagavad Gita uses the
word with both meanings.

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Management needs those who practice what they preach

"Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the commoners follow," says Sri Krishna in the Gita. The
visionary leader must be a missionary, extremely practical, intensively dynamic and capable of
translating dreams into reality. This dynamism and strength of a true leader flows from an inspired
and spontaneous motivation to help others. "I am the strength of those who are devoid of personal
desire and attachment. O Arjuna, I am the legitimate desire in those, who are not opposed to
righteousness," says Sri Krishna in the 10th Chapter of the Gita.

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Manager's Mental Health

Sound mental health is the very goal of any human activity ‐ more so management. Sound mental
health is that state of mind which can maintain a calm, positive poise, or regain it when unsettled, in
the midst of all the external vagaries of work life and social existence. Internal constancy and peace
are the pre‐requisites for a healthy stress‐free mind.
Some of the impediments to sound mental health are:
• Greed ‐ for power, position, prestige and money.
• Envy ‐ regarding others' achievements, success, rewards.
• Egotism ‐ about one's own accomplishments.
• Suspicion, anger and frustration.
• Anguish through comparisons.
The driving forces in today's businesses are speed and competition. There is a distinct danger that
these forces cause erosion of the moral fiber, that in seeking the end, one permits oneself immoral
means ‐ tax evasion, illegitimate financial holdings, being "economical with the truth", deliberate
oversight in the audit, too‐clever financial reporting and so on. This phenomenon may be called as
"yayati syndrome".
In the book, the Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati who, in order to revel in
the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for
a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments ultimately unsatisfying and
came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This "yayati syndrome" shows the conflict
between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and inner value and conscience
(intrinsic motivation.)

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Work Results

The Gita further explains the theory of "detachment" from the extrinsic rewards of work in saying:
If the result of sincere effort is a success, the entire credit should not be appropriated by the doer
alone.
If the result of sincere effort is a failure, then too the entire blame does not accrue to the doer.
The former attitude mollifies arrogance and conceit while the latter prevents excessive
despondency, de‐motivation and self‐pity. Thus both these dispositions safeguard the doer against
psychological vulnerability, the cause of the modem managers' companions of diabetes, high blood
pressure and ulcers.
Assimilation of the ideas of the Gita leads us to the wider spectrum of "lokasamgraha" (general
welfare) but there is also another dimension to the work ethic ‐ if the "karmayoga" (service) is
blended with "bhaktiyoga" (devotion), then the work itself becomes worship, a "sevayoga" (service
for its own sake.)
Along with bhakti yoga as a means of liberation, the Gita espouses the doctrine of nishkamya karma
or pure action untainted by hankering after the fruits resulting from that action. Modern scientists
have now understood the intuitive wisdom of that action in a new light.
Scientists at the US National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda found that laboratory monkeys
that started out as procrastinators became efficient workers after they received brain injections that
suppressed a gene linked to their ability to anticipate a reward. The scientists reported that the work
ethic of rhesus macaques wasn't all that different from that of many people: "If the reward is not
immediate, you procrastinate", Dr Richmond told LA Times.
(This may sound a peculiarly religious idea but it has a wider application. It could be taken to mean
doing something because it is worthwhile, to serve others, to make the world a better place – Ed.)

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Motivation – Self and Selftranscendence

It has been presumed for many years that satisfying lower order needs of workers ‐ adequate food,
clothing and shelter, etc. are key factors in motivation. However, it is a common experience that the
dissatisfaction of the clerk and of the Director is identical ‐ only their scales and composition vary. It
should be true that once the lower‐order needs are more than satisfied, the Director should have
little problem in optimizing his contribution to the organization and society. But more often than
not, it does not happen like that. ("The eagle soars high but keeps its eyes firmly fixed on the dead
animal below.") On the contrary, a lowly paid schoolteacher, or a self‐employed artisan, may well
demonstrate higher levels of self‐actualization despite poorer satisfaction of their lower‐order
needs.
This situation is explained by the theory of self‐transcendence propounded in the Gita. Selftranscendence
involves renouncing egoism, putting others before oneself, emphasizing team work,
dignity, co‐operation, harmony and trust – and, indeed potentially sacrificing lower needs for higher
goals, the opposite of Maslow.
"Work must be done with detachment." It is the ego that spoils work and the ego is the centerpiece
of most theories of motivation. We need not merely a theory of motivation but a theory of
inspiration.
The Great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore (1861‐1941, known as "Gurudev") says working for love
is freedom in action. A concept which is described as "disinterested work" in the Gita where Sri
Krishna says,
"He who shares the wealth generated only after serving the people, through work done as a sacrifice
for them, is freed from all sins. On the contrary those who earn wealth only for themselves, eat sins
that lead to frustration and failure."
Disinterested work finds expression in devotion, surrender and equipoise. The former two are
psychological while the third is determination to keep the mind free of the dualistic (usually taken to
mean "materialistic") pulls of daily experiences. Detached involvement in work is the key to mental
equanimity or the state of "nirdwanda." This attitude leads to a stage where the worker begins to
feel the presence of the Supreme Intelligence guiding the embodied individual intelligence. Such depersonified
intelligence is best suited for those who sincerely believe in the supremacy of
organizational goals as compared to narrow personal success and achievement.

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Utilization of available resources

The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilize scarce resources optimally.
During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna's large army
for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support. This episode gives us a clue as
to the nature of the effective manager ‐ the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.

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Work Culture

An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks.
Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture – "daivi sampat" or divine work culture and
"asuri sampat" or demonic work culture.
Daivi work culture ‐ involves fearlessness, purity, self‐control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, selfdenial,
calmness, absence of fault‐finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy
and pride.
Asuri work culture ‐ involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not
oriented towards service.
Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work ethic. What is
needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.
It is in this light that the counsel, "yogah karmasu kaushalam" should be understood. "Kaushalam"
means skill or technique of work which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah" is
defined in the Gita itself as "samatvam yogah uchyate" meaning an unchanging equipoise of mind
(detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an equable mind is Yoga.
(Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1856‐1920, the precursor of Gandhiji, hailed by the people of India as
"Lokmanya," probably the most learned among the country's political leaders. For a description of
the meanings of the word "Yoga".)
By making the equable mind the bed‐rock of all actions, the Gita evolved the goal of unification of
work ethic with ethics in work, for without ethical process no mind can attain equipoise. The guru,
Adi Sankara (born circa 800 AD), says that the skill necessary in the performance of one's duty is that
of maintaining an evenness of mind in face of success and failure. The calm mind in the face of
failure will lead to deeper introspection and see clearly where the process went wrong so that
corrective steps could be taken to avoid shortcomings in future.
The principle of reducing our attachment to personal gains from the work done is the Gita's
prescription for attaining equanimity. It has been held that this principle leads to lack of incentive for
effort, striking at the very root of work ethic. To the contrary, concentration on the task for its own
sake leads to the achievement of excellence – and indeed to the true mental happiness of the
worker. Thus, while commonplace theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or
extrinsic rewards, the Gita's principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral,
satisfaction.

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