Bhagawad Gita is the third vedic prasthana with more a practical application aspect of vedanta. It is in essence a guide for living a peaceful life. This is a dialogue between Sri Krishna as a teacher and Arjuna as a student, or a dialogue between a driver (charioteer) and a passenger ready for action, right in the middle of a battle field. When Arjuna is confused and despondent, Sri Krishna clarifies his doubts and enlightens him.
The true meaning of this scenario is that every human mind is a constant battle field trying to figure out right and wrong. In Gita Lord Krishna emphasizes the performance of selfless action. To attain permanent peace various paths are prescribed like Karmayoga (the Yoga of action), Bhaktiyoga (the Yoga of devotion), and Jyanayoga (the Yoga of knowledge). The Gita later explains that ultimately all these three paths are also intertwined.
The core purpose of the Livermore Temple has been to teach the youth to honor their religious traditions and customs, and to provide the Hindu community a place to worship. It is with this in mind that two Youth and Education functional committee members, Dr. Kamala Shankar (teacher) and Rohan Ghanta (a youth coordinator) have started the Srimad Bhagvad Gita class. The classes started about a month back. Approximately five slokas or stanzas are taught every class. The teacher has assiduously taught every connected philosophical meaning and important morals. The students for their part, are making good progress and have completed Gita Dhyanam. They have now reached the half way point in chapter one. Each week starts with a review of the slokas taught in the previous class and then the class progresses to the next five or six slokas with their meanings. As we move towards chapter 2, we also plan to get professional Gita teachers as guest speakers like Dr. Satyavati Kandala, Prabha Duneja and others to teach lessons on this Holy Book and its philosophical meaning and discussion.
This class is for beginners. There is no fee. For more information about the program or to enroll, please contact Dr. Kamala Shankar at kshankar27@comcast.net or Rohan Ghanta at rohanghanta@yahoo.com.