10 Unknown facts about Srimad Bhagavad Gita- Part 1

1. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is for EVERYBODY (Young-old, In service-retired, Bachelor-family man, all)

    Lord Krishna was advising Arjuna, a family man with four wives and four sons. As per various life events of Arjuna, it was calculated that his age was 89 at the time of Kurukshetra's war (5480 BC). Unlike today, during Dwapara Yuga, life expectancy was 1000 years or more. Hence he was pretty young at the time of war.

2. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is only one historical Sacred text which is in Question and Answer (Q&A) form.  

Arjuna's questions/ doubts are getting clarified by Lord Krishna. 

3. Bhagavad Gita Wisdom at the battlefield. 

Arjuna represents a common man like us, to whom Lord Krishna was transferring great wisdom at the very battleground  of Kurukshetra.

4. Bhagavad Gita talks about inner peace, self realization.  

If peace prevails at home (our mind), we can concentrate on our duties for survival (outside world).   

5. Bhagavad Gita never advised Arjuna to leave battlefield.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna never advised Arjuna to leave battlefield and just devote himself to God but to fight and fight for right cause.

6. Srimad Bhagavad Gita means

The song of God. 

Here God is Lord Krishna. 

Srimad: Sri + Mad

Sri: 1) Wife of Krishna, Radhika, 2) Wealth

Mad (Mat): 1) Blessings, 2) belief, knowledge

Hence, Srimad means either 

1) with blessings of Radhika and/or 

2) wealth of knowledge (a holy book)

Bhagavad : God

Gita: Song 

Srimad Bhagavad Gita means 

• The Holy Song of God 

• The Song of God with blessings of Radhika

7. Caste System as per Bhagavad Gita

The classification of Brahman, Kshatriya, Baishya and Shudra is wrongly portrayed in India as caste system but actually were based upon work. In ancient times based upon astrology of the kid and their interest, they were assigned a particular types of education and based upon the education Brahman, Kshatriya, Baishya and Shudra classification used to get assigned. 

• Brahamans (Big Heart) are those who were supposed to teach or worship. 

• Khatrias (Ruler) are those who were good administration, 

• Baishyas (Businessman) were good at bussiness and 

• Shudras (Workers) were all working class. 

In today's society, all those, who earns by salary are shudras, let it be software engg, govt servents or a masson. Brahmins are those who teaches the society. 

The classification was neither a caste system nor used to get assigned by birth automatically. This classification was a classification of working class system.

8. Bhagavad Gita has 574 slokas by Lord Krishna

Out of 1 lakh slokas of Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita consists of only 700 slokas. 

Out of 700 slokas in Bhagavad Gita, 

• 1 is by Dhritarashtra (Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas),

• 41 is by Sanjay (Charioteer of Dhritarashtra)
  

• 84 is by Arjuna (One of the five Pandavas) and 

• 574 is by Lord Krishna (Charioteer of Arjuna).

9. Bhagavad Gita teaches qualities of a good Leader

• Actions speak louder than their words (leading by example)
  

Leaders needs to lead by example i.e. guide others through their behavior instead of your words. Hands of leaders are tied, their degrees of freedom is reduced and the whole world watches the action of a leader and followers blindly follow the leaders. If the leaders say something and do something else, the followers will not take the leader very seriously.  So, becoming a leader is not easy task.

• Developing a sense of equanimity (being composed and balanced)
  

Leader should be aware that life is journey with lot of successes and failures, hence should not be perturbed by both. It is duty of a leader to make his/her followers aware of the truth.

• Mutual Dependence (growing together)
  

A happy and successful married life is the result of mutual understanding and mutual dependence between the husband and the wife. A happy family is happy because of every bodies cooperation.  Similar way, people working with the leader are as important as the leader.  

World sustains because of Yajna, i.e. sacrifice, act of sharing with others whatever one has in excess. 

In order to achieve success and prosperity in whatever we do we need to honour the principle of mutual dependence: Lord Krishna to Arjuna. 

10. Bhagavad Gita, Best management book of Universe, truly Secular text

There is no mention of word Hindu or Hinduism or Sanatani in the Bhagavad Gita. It is not that Lord Krishna shown path to Arjuna in the battlefield of kurukshetra, because Arjuna was a hindu. Lord Krishna's advices are valid irrespective of religion. This sacred book talks about inner peace, gives life's advise. This makes the book truly Secular text. It is considered best management book of universe.

Bonus fact

11. Honorable PM of India Shri Narendra Damodar Das Modi on Srimad Bhagavad Gita 

"I have my own commitment and my own conviction that if I meet some great person of the world, I will give it (Gita) and that is why I brought it,"  "Today I went to the Maharaja of Japan, I have given one to him," "Because  

I don't think that I have anything more to give  and the world also does not have anything more to get than this (Gita) 

".  

Modi gifts Gita to Japanese emperor, Sep 2, 2014