Gita Jayanti rituals and celebration

‘Bhagvada Gita’ is considered as one of the most auspicious religious literature which, if used properly, can change the entire thinking of a human being and lead him on the path of good ‘Karma’. Gita Jayanti marks the birth of this great book of all times. It is celebrated to commemorate the day when Lord Krishna rendered his teachings to the great warrior Arjuna before the great war of ‘Mahabharata’ began on the battlefield of ‘Kurukshetra’. His teachings have been immortalized in the ‘Gita’ written by the famous sage ‘Ved Vyasa’. This festival is celebrated worldwide by Lord Krishna’s followers. It is celebrated every year on the ‘Shukla Ekadashi’ of the ‘Margashirsha’ month according to the Hindu calendar. Many people follow the rituals of a usual ‘Ekadashi’ on this day.

This day is considered to be one of the greatest days that provided the world with the Bhagavad Gita, the most auspicious religious literature containing the message given by Lord Vishnu himself. Bhagavad Gita is the literature that is illuminating the path of humanity since years and enabling the people to move forward on the path of perfection. It provides the world with great lessons of philosophy and wisdom irrespective of caste and creed or religion. This literature teaches the importance of duty in one’s life and shows the path to attain immortality and eternal bliss. The supreme voice of Bhagavad Gita teaches to follow the correct path and leave the incorrect path. This occasion of Gita Jayanti is celebrated for the presence of the supreme call present in the form of Bhagavad Gita.

The message that is provided by this supreme literature is that one has to fight for truth and live in the region of light, away from darkness. One should always feel the presence of the divine with himself and remain free from any kind of fear. It provides the humanity with the message that the supreme divine power is always there with everyone and its presence must keep them from away from every kind of problem and fear. This also prevents a person from indulging in any wrong deed and helps him to remain away from the clutches of Maya. It is believed that the message provided in Bhagavad Gita is able to completely transform the life of a person and lead him towards the path of eternity. Bhagavad Gita is considered to be the ultimate source of wisdom and power that provides strength to the person in the situation where he feels week and helpless. People used to read the Bhagvad Gita on the occasion of Gita jayanti and this helps them to learn the indispensable message of mankind that is provided in the literature.

It is believed that all kinds of miseries and sufferings could be eliminated from the life a person if he came to know the ultimate truth of life. This supreme message of mankind is provided in the literature of Bhagvad Gita that leads a person towards the path of humanity and mankind. The occasion of Gita jayanti is celebrated to remember the message provided by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battle field of Mahabharatathat enable him to understand the importance of action (Karma) over personal relations and  other material things of life.

In the ‘Dwapar Yug’ Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Krishna and took birth. When the great war of ‘Mahabharata’ or the war between ‘Dharma’ and ‘Adharma’ became inevitable, Lord Krishna choose to become the charioteer of Arjuna, one of the five ‘Pandavas’. They were fighting against the ‘Kauravas’. Since they were all cousins, brothers and family members, the ‘Pandavas’ were a little anxious to fight against their own family. Before the war which carried on for 18 days was about to start, Arjuna asked Lord Krishna to take him in between the battle field. When he reached the spot, he saw his brothers, his teachers his ‘gurus’ standing on the enemy side and got perplexed as should he even participate in the war as he cannot himself kill his own family members.

What is the history behind ‘Gita Jayanti’?

Lord Krishna then enlightened him with his teachings about life, death and ‘karma’. It is said that Lord stopped time during the recitation of 700 ‘shlokas’ of Bhagavada Gita. Their conversation was told to the blind king of ‘Hastinapur’, Dhrishtrashtra by his servant ‘Sanjay’ who was blessed by a sage that he could see an event happening far away. ‘Gita’ is therefore written by a third person and is the most ancient script which has all answers to any question a person can possibly have in their human form. It is not merely a religious literature, but a guidebook that describes the truth of life and gives knowledge regarding the hacks and miseries of life.

What are the rituals one has to follow on the eve of ‘Gita Jayanti’?

• The most important ritual is to recite the 700 verses of ‘Gita’ on this day.
• Lord Krishna followers used to observe strict fasting this day so as to be blessed with the enlightenment of real knowledge.
• One who is seeking spirituality has to abstain from consuming rice, grains and lentils as it is celebrated on the holy day of ‘Ekadashi’.
• Devotees sing and chant various ‘bhajans’ and ‘mantras’ dedicated to the deity Lord Vishnu. They also do various stage plays depicting the teachings of ‘Gita’.
• Many people call philosophers, thinkers and ‘Yogis’/’Sanyasis’ to ponder on the sacred literature and give talks about the understandings and teachings of the same into simpler versions which can prove to be useful for the layman.
• It is considered auspicious to distribute ‘Gita’ to as many people as possible and visit the nearest Vishnu temple.