Is the Bhagavad Gita still a relevant text for today's reader?
- Emily Zarza
- Jun 4
- 5 min read
The Bhagavad Gita is a segment of the epic Indian poem The Mahabharata. It is over 2,000 years old, but it has prevailed as one of the most influential texts of all time, with notable figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Aldous Huxley and William Blake as its readers. The Gita describes a conversation between the warrior Arjuna and his friend and counsellor Krishna, on the eve of a bitter successionary war. Krishna, upon revealing himself to in fact be the God of all things, argues for Arjuna to take action and fight the battle before him, and in doing so, imparts wisdom on how life should be led in a meaningful, peaceful, spiritual way. The story is considered to be a metaphor for the battle we must all wage within ourselves to do what we know is right, even if it is a challenge.
But are the Bhagavad Gita’s teachings still relevant today? It could be argued that with an increasing reliance on technology, pervasive advertising and unsustainable consumerism, its lessons are more applicable now than the time in which it was written. “It asks and answers the questions that you or I might ask,” notes Eknath Easwaran. “Questions not about philosophy or mysticism, but how to live life effectively in a world of challenge and change.” This is part of its purpose; the Bhagavad Gita was written at a time when living spiritually meant closing oneself off from society. It “makes yoga compatible with everyday life,” by championing action over inaction through Dharma (one’s duty), self-sacrifice, and compassion for others.
One of the Gita’s most universal attributes and perhaps a key reason why it has persisted into the modern age is its refusal to be affiliated with any particular religion. Although it is considered an ancient Hindu text and “belongs to the culture of ancient India,” it can be read alongside and applied to any religion, even the absence of one. “Such truth does not pertain just to India,” writes Sri Swami Satchidananda in his preface to The Living Gita, “because truth has no limitation; it is cosmic.” Even the most sceptical reader can find spiritual meaning in its pages. At a time when atheists have begun to outnumber theists in the UK, this holds significant value. There is an uncomfortable truth for atheists to spiritually grapple with: without a God the universe is a bleak, cynical place in which humans have thrived only by chance. Some atheists wear this nihilistic attitude like a badge of honour, but for those who feel that this grim outlook is not only unhelpful, but unhealthy, the Bhagavad Gita can provide an alternative.
It is enough, the Bhagavad Gita implies, to be awed by the world as it is. To worship “the unmanifest condition - beyond name and form, infinite and indescribable (12:3),” rather than a supreme being. Those who cannot reconcile themselves with a faith can still “quiet their senses, become even-minded, and naturally think of the welfare of all other creatures (12:4).” Krishna goes on to tell the reader to worship him, but who is Krishna? “I am the taste in pure water, the radiance in the sun and moon (7:8),” Krishna says. “I am the fragrance of the earth, the brilliance in fire, the life in all beings and the purifying force in austerity.” For the purposes of the story, Krishna appears as a person, but the non-religious reader can see him as something more abstract. In other words, Krishna is the beauty in the world. He is life, love, peace, and the goodness in people. And this, he tells Arjuna, is worth worshipping.
In Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna warns Arjuna that “People are deluded by attraction and aversion, which spawn all the pairs of opposites (7:27).” It is in our nature to wish for things, and modern life makes this all the more easy. Every day we are bombarded with advertising. Social media gives us a glimpse into other people’s lives in a way that we have simply been unable to access until now. We are constantly being asked to compare ourselves to our peers, and being promised that a certain lifestyle can be achieved through purchasing, which is now as simple as clicking a button. This is not sustainable. According to a study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), “more than a third of Earth’s natural resources have been destroyed by humans in just thirty years.” Our lifestyles are the driving factor behind this; two thirds of global emissions can be attributed to consumer habits.
The solution, Krishna tells Arjuna, is to simply renounce these things. “By abstaining from sense-objects,” he says, “they will drop away. Longing for them will also disappear.” (2:59) It’s such an obvious, but crucial, piece of advice. Simply don’t look. Switch off your phone. Don’t allow yourself to be only a culmination of your desires. But Krishna goes one step further and promises Arjuna that: “By steadily and continuously practising yoga in this way, the yogi wins over his or her mind and realises the peace that is my nature (6:15).” Krishna tells Arjuna that true peace and happiness can only be found within ourselves, and that “serving others helps us to follow our hearts.” “By considering the welfare of the world,” Krishna says, “you should be inspired to act.” Krishna is telling us not only to renounce unsustainable lifestyles, but also to take action and help the world to heal. Only through renunciation and self-sacrifice can we access the true happiness that already lives inside us.
“A person stands supreme who has equal regard for friends, companions, enemies, neutral arbiters, hateful people, relatives, saints and sinners,” Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita (6:9). This, he explains, is because we are all made up of the same thing: the ‘Self,’ or Atman. This can be whatever the reader chooses to believe it is; God, a supreme consciousness, or simply the atoms that make up the universe. “Those who have realised the Self,” Krishna says, “see the same Self equally in a humble scholar, a cow, a dog, or a dog-eater.” (5:18) In an increasingly polarised world we are often asked to take a side, whether it be an election campaign, a political view or a sports team. But the Gita asks us instead to see ourselves within all things, to understand that we are all the same, and that the petty differences we concern ourselves with are superfluous. “The clue here is to know your Self and then see your Self in your neighbours,” Sri Swami Satchidananda elaborates. “True harmony can be experienced only by realising the spirit and seeing that spirit in everybody.” Cultivating compassion to those who may be different to us in culture and language is key to a peaceful society. Only this year have we witnessed the unfortunate results of not doing so in the form of widespread immigration riots.
There are a myriad more lessons that the modern reader can take from the Bhagavad Gita. Understanding one’s Dharma, and applying it to their own lives. Using the three qualities of nature, the Gunas, to understand and interrogate their own faults and attributes. Learning to do what is right, without any expectation of reward or benefit to themselves. But even the most shallow understanding of the Gita’s offerings can provide profound benefits to the modern reader. On the surface its advice is simple and applicable to the everyday. “Learn [the slokas] by heart and apply them in your life,” advises Sri Swami Satchidananda. “You don’t even need a whole sentence, not even half a sentence.” For the modern reader who typically reads only 28% of the words on a webpage, this is perhaps the most sound advice of all.”
References:
Foreword, The Living Gita, Father Bede Griffiths
The Truth of Yoga, Daniel Simpson
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