Gita script characteristics and usage

Gita

Most of us think of the "self," the individual person, as fully self-contained and autonomous. How does the author of the Gita delineate "the self"? That is, when this author says "I" or "you," what does he apparently mean?

Usually the word "I" denotes me, myself, the person who is making the statement and "you" is another entity with whom I am having a direct discourse. However, the Gita makes no distinction between the individual self and another human being. A perfect example of this is in Arjun's dilemma. In this passage, Arjun witnesses armed forces all going off into battle to protect him. But, of course, the soldiers are not only going to battle to protect Arjun, but all people who are like him. When the narrator states: "I do not wish to kill teachers, uncles, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives who are about to kill us," he is referring to the fact that many of his countrymen are commanded if not encouraged to join their camps and commit violence. For some beings, the only chance of survival may be related to the misery of others. To this end, the words "I" and "you" become really everyone; every person within the community. Everyone who is involved with a nation currently involved in armed forces, has to ask him or herself whether the reasons for taking up this occupation are justified by law when they are no longer up against the majority opinion.

2. We tend to see our life as a perpetual quest for authentic experience -- we want to be "fully present" in the here and now, and we are driven to gratify (now or in some projected future) our various devices. How would the author of the Bhagavad respond to such an outlook -- what is the proper way to conceptualize "experience"? Should we think of our life path as a linear journey to some goal?

In the Bhagavad, the author is trying to relate to the reader that the body is not a concrete entity, but rather a vessel for the spirit which is eternal. Every action that is performed will affect the body in the present moment, but will affect the spirit forever. Therefore, a person should not focus on their immediate desires (Gita 4). What the body wants at the moment can often be counterproductive to what will benefit the spirit. Experiences in the current life all have lasting effects on how the spirit will live when it is placed in the next vessel. With this concept of existence, the person should realize that life is not a linear journey or a single path. Instead, existence is more of a circle. We live in one body and die, but are then reborn in another vessel.

3. We identify our actions (good ones and bad ones alike) with ourselves, and insist that we and others "take responsibility" for what we do. Deeds, we say, entail consequences and reveal character. What does the Bhagavad say about such a viewpoint? How should we consider the relation between the person who performs an action and the action that is performed?

The Bhagavad stresses that all of existence is about intellect and the attainment of self-actualization and self-knowledge (Gita 5). Actions, whether good or bad, are all the result of individual choices. No one is responsible for anyone else's actions; only their own. Instead of feeling angry at others who do not take responsibility for their choices, we should understand that the person has not achieved self-knowledge.

4. What advice are we offered about the way or ways to attain true enlightenment, a genuine understanding of Krishna? Is this enlightenment available to everyone, or to only a few? How hard or how easy is it to succeed -- that is, to escape the cycle of death and rebirth in this world?