THE MESSAGE OF THE GEETA ... 2

THE MESSAGE OF THE GEETA ... 2

The martial spirit has to be brought back to the nation. This is the message of the Geeta. The spirit of implicit obedience to authority without slavish cringing -- as Swamiji said that the British had mastered as a race which is why they could muster power enough in coordinated effort, in collaborative enterprise, in exertion of combined will force to be the master of a vast mass of humanity the world over -- was to be cultivated by Indians en masse before the country could hope to rise again and occupy its due position in the comity of nations. And this is the eternal message of the Geeta -- self-control, self-discipline, mastery over the senses in order to engage freely in righteous action without thought of reward in return. This is the martial spirit, the spirit of sacrifice of the individual for the common weal which is the hallmark of the hero. Such heroism must the order of the day, the attitude of the average Indian, instead of cheap sensuality and indulgence which is antithetical to the martial spirit. The Geeta exhorts us to be brave in defence of our rights, to fight for justice and fairplay, and to do so in a focussed manner devoid of desirous distraction. Hence it is that the Geeta is still the gospel of the day.

Written by Sugata Bose