2017 GITA JAYANTI: How To Properly Observe?

Mahanidhi Swami

To celebrate the advent of the immortal song of surrender, devotion and perfection in bhakti, one should worship Bhagavan Sri Krishna in His eternal form as the Bhagavad Gita as follows:

** Place the Holy Scripture on a decorative cloth or asana on your altar or some other dedicated area. Then…

1. Perform acamana (offer all articles below to grantha Sri Bhagavad Gita)
2. Offer Tulasi manjaris with sandalwood paste
3. Offer fragrant flower garland
4. Offer milk sweet with Tulasi leaf
5. Offer arotika (incense, ghee lamp, conch water)
6. Do parikrama of Gita book
7. Glorify Gita with prayers
8. Chant each Gita sloka
9. Conclusion of 18 chapters, offer dandavats to Gita, Bhagavan Sri Krsna, Arjuna, Sanjaya & Sri Gurudeva, begging them to accept your Gita jayanti puja.
10. Also try to read or hear the Padma Purana “Gita Mahatmya” chapter which describes a lila and the benefits of chanting each chapter of Gita.

***NOTE: As suggested in # 7. One can chant the following prayers penned by Sripad Adi Shankaracharya and taken from the BBT Bhagavad-gita As It Is Introduction:

1

gita adhyaana-shilasya, pranayama-paraasya cha

naiva santi he paapani, purva janme kritani cha

If one reads Bhagavad Gita very sincerely and with all seriousness, then by the grace of Krsna, the reactions of his past misdeeds will not act upon him.

2

mala nirmochanam pumsam, jala snanam dine dine

sakrid gitambhaasi snanam, samsara mala nashanam

One may cleanse himself daily by taking a bath in water, but if one takes a bath even once in the sacred Ganges water of Bhagavad Gita, for him the dirt of material life is altogether vanquished.

3

gita sugita kartavya, kim anyaih shastra vistaraih

ya svyam padama nabhaayasa, mukha padmad vinih srita

Because Bhagavad Gita is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad Gita

4

bharat amrita sarvasam

vishnor vaktrad vini sritam

gita gangodakam pitva

punar janma na vidyate

One who drinks the Ganges water attains salvation, so what to speak of one who drinks the nectar of Bhagavad Gita? Gita is the essential nectar of Mahabharata and is spoken by Krsna Himself, the original Visnu.

5

sarvo panishado gavo

dogdha gopala nandanah

partho vatsah sudhir bhokta

dugdham gita amritam mahat

This Gitopanishad is just like a cow and Krsna is a famous cowherd boy, who is milking this cow. Arjuna is just like a calf and learned scholars and pure devotees are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad Gita.

6

ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam

eko devo devaki-putra eva

eko mantras tasya namani yani

karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva

Let there be one common scripture for the whole world—Bhagavad Gita. Let there be one God only—Sri Krsna; and one prayer only—chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra; and let there be one work only—Krishna bhakti.

Gita Jayanti ki jai! Srimad Bhagavad Gita ki jai! Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe!