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—Swami Sivananda—
The Gita (also called the Bhagavadgita) is the most sacred book. It contains the essence of the Upanishads. It contains 700 Slokas (verses) and 18 chapters.
Lord Krishna taught the Gita to his devoted disciple Arjuna in the battlefield at Kurukshetra.
Maharshi Vyasa wrote this book. Get by heart one Sloka daily. Study the Gita daily. You will prosper gloriously. Keep a handbook of the Gita always in your pocket.
Arjuna was to fight with the Kauravas in the Mahabharata war. He had Lord Krishna as his war-charioteer. Arjuna saw all his relatives facing him in the war. He said to Krishna, "O Krishna! All these opponents are my dear kinsmen. I cannot commit sin. I do not want to fight with them. I cannot kill them."
Lord Krishna said, "O Arjuna! You must fight. There is no sin. It is your Dharma as a Kshatriya. Do not neglect your duty. It is a mistake. You must follow your own Dharma till death. Think that gain and loss, happiness and sorrow are equal.
"You must work alone. Do not think what you will get from that work. See, I am here. I am God. I am by your side. Wake up. Be cheerful. Worship Me. I am the Lord of all the worlds."
Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, "O Hero! Offer everything that you do to Me alone. Because I am God Myself. Do not have any mental fever. You must do the work that ought to be done. You should not have any desire for its fruits. It is real law. Then you will become a real Yogi. To leave off worship of God through flowers and water or fire is not good. He who does not do anything is not a real Yogi. Do your prescribed duty but do not look for its fruits.
"All the warriors are already killed by Me through My Divine Power. I can destroy the whole world Myself. I do not require you. You are only an instrument ."
"Fix your mind on Me. Renounce egoism. God is in your heart and all others' hearts. Take refuge in Him. I am that God. Leave all Dharmas. Come unto Me. I will give you liberation and help."
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