Gita Mahatmya Glories of Bhagavad Gita

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Srila Prabhupada: The Lord says that even a human being in the lowest status of life, lowest status of life, or even a fallen woman, or a mercantile man, or a laborer class of man… The mercantile class of men, the laborer class of men, and the woman class, they are counted in the same category because their intelligence is not so developed. But the Lord says, they also, or even lower than them, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ‘pi syuḥ (BG 9.32), not only they or lower than them, or anyone, it does not matter who is he, or who is she, anyone who accepts this principle of bhakti-yoga and accepts the Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, the highest target, highest goal of life, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ‘pi syuḥ, te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim, that parāṁ gatim in the spiritual kingdom and the spiritual sky, everyone can approach. Simply one has to practice the system. That system is hinted in the Bhagavad-gītā very nicely and one can adopt it and make his life perfect and make a permanent solution of life. That is the sum and substance of the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, the conclusion is that Bhagavad-gītā is a transcendental literature which one should read very carefully. Gītā-śāstram idaṁ puṇyaṁ yaḥ paṭhet prayataḥ pumān. And the result will be, if he properly follows the instruction, then he can be freed from all miseries of life, all anxieties of life. Bhaya-śokādi-varjitaḥ. (Gītā-māhātmya 1) All fears of life, in this life, as well as he’ll get a spiritual life in the next life. 660219-20 – Lecture BG Introduction – New York

   Sri Gita-Mahatmya

The Glory of the Gita                                                                                                gita sastram idam punyam,

yah pathet prayatah puman

visnoh padam avapnoti,

bhaya sokadi varjitah

One who, with a regulated mind, recites with devotion this Bhagavad-gita scripture which is the bestower of all virtue, will attain to a holy abode such as Vaikuntha, the residence of Lord Visnu, which is always free from the mundane qualities based on fear and lamentation.

                                  Gita dhyayana-silasya,

pranayama parasya ca

naiva santi hi papani,

purva janma krtani ca

For a self-controlled person who seriously studies this Bhagavad-gita scripture, not a trace of sin remains – either from the previous or present life -since all his sins are burnt to ashes.

malanir mocanam pumsam,

jala-snanam dine dine

sakrd-gitambhasi snanam,

samsara-mala-nasanam

As a person bathes every day with water to cleanse his body, similarly, by bathing only once in the waters of the Bhagavad-gita, all the dirt of painful material existence is dissolved. That is, by devotedly reading the Gita only once, all material contamination is vanquished.

gita sugita kartavya,

kim anyaih sastra vistaraih

ya svayam padmanabhasya

mukha-padmad vinihsrta

One should always very nicely sing with devotion this Gita, the divine song which has emanated from the holy lotus mouth of the Supreme Lord Himself, Lord Sri Krsna. What then is the benefit of studying many other scriptures?

bharatamrta sarvasvam

visnor vaktrad-vinihsrtam

gita-gangodakam pitva,

punar janma na vidyate

By dringing the Ganges waters of the Gita, the divine quintessence of the Mahabharata emanating from the lotus mouth of Lord Visnu, one will never take rebirth in the material world again. In other words, by devotionally reciting the Gita, the cycle of birth and death is terminated.

sarvopanisado gavo

dogdha gopala-nandanahpartho

vatsah sudhir bhokta,

dugdham gitamrtam mahat

All the Upanisads are like a cow, and the milker of the cow is Sri Krsna, the son of Nanda. Arjuna is the calf, the beautiful nectar of the Gita is the milk, and the fortunate devotees of fine theistic intellect are the drinkers and enjoyers of that milk.

ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam

eko devo devaki-putra eva

eko mantras tasya namani yani,

karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva

There need only be one holy scripture – the divine Gita sung by Lord Sri Krsna; only one worshipable Lord – Lord Sri Krsna; only one mantra – His holy names; and only one duty -devotional service unto that supreme worshipable Lord, Sri Krsna.

Gita Mahatmya of the Padma Purana – Lord Siva’s Glorification of the Bhagavad Gita