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EDITORIAL July 3, 1999 VNN4221 Comment on this story Bhagavad-gita Course At The University Of Siena BY BHAKTA FABIO PIANIGIANI EDITORIAL, Jul 3 (VNN) — Bhagavad-gita Course at the University of Siena completes third year. The extremely successful course on the 'The Wisdom of the Bhagavad-Gita' at the University of Siena rounded out its year on May 21. Throughout the entire academic year a great number of participants, including a number of lecturers and professors, demonstrated an active interest in the lectures. Both the lecturers, Marco Ferrini (Matsya Avatara Prabhu), founder and president of the C.S.B (Bhaktivedanta Research Center) and Giuseppe Cognetti, professor of Philosophy of Religions, analyzed the psychological, philosophical, religious and eschatological content of the Bhagavad-gita, proposing two different slants on the text, thereby stimulating an interesting dialectical tension. Given the extremely positive results of this initiative, which was acknowledged with praise by the Rector, the collaboration between the two lecturers will continue throughout the next academic year, which will be the lecture series' fourth consecultive year. The two are, in fact, planning a course of lectures comparing the philosophy of Hindu bhakti and Christian devotion. In their concluding lectures, Matsya Avatara Prabhu and Prof. Cognetti, expounded a synthesis of the key concepts expressed in the Bhagavad-Gita, giving a final, overall comment on the text while leaving ample space for questions and answers. Matsya Avatara Prabhu developed the following topics: -- The five main objects of study in the Bhagavad-gita: Ishvara (God), jiva (living beings), prakrti (Nature), kala (time) and karman (action). -- The characterization of the divine figure of Krsna, supreme Person, Origin of all creatures and of the entire cosmic manifestation. -- Yamunacharya's exegetic comment and his division of the Bhagavad-gita into three parts. -- Arjuna's existential dilemma, the journey into his consciousness and his progressive evolution as a result of Krsna's instructions. -- Acceptance of a guru as the decisive and unavoidable turning point on the path of spiritual realization. -- The relationship between psychology and spirituality in the Bhagavad-gita: the science of the mind as a hinge between the physical and spiritual worlds. -- The three levels with which to percieve reality according to the individual level of consciousness: adhibhautika, adhidaivika and adhyatmika. -- The Bhagavad-gita's relevance within the epic Mahabharata. -- The traditional method for transmitting the sacred science: conditions, modality and prerequisites. -- The transcendental message of the Bhagavad-gitaa: full self-realization, consciousness of the Abolute and service, offered with loving devotion to the supreme Being (bhakti). -- Rather than encourage Arjuna to abandon his worldly affairs, Krsna instructs His disciple to balance his immanent (sva-dharma) and transcendental (sanatana-dharma) duties, urging him to an active participation and simultaneous detachment from the fruits of his action. -- The gunas and the ways in which to overcome their influences. -- The art of detachment: not a total denial of the world, but abstention from that which hinders spiritual realization. -- The distorted perception of self and the consequent attachment to sense objects , the main cause of suffering. -- Transcending the existential duality, integrating subconscious elements on the conscious plane, the perfect balance between the ego and the self, the dynamic balance between the different anthropological levels of being: fundamental stages on the path of liberation (moksha). -- The acquisition of virtue as a natural consequence in an authentic process of self-realization. -- The harmonious integration of the concepts of tyaga (detachment) and karman (action). -- The wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita as a perfect synthesis of all of the paths to self-realization indicated in the vedic texts: karma, jnana and bhakti marga. During this lecture Matsya Avatara Prabhu underlined the universal, timeless value of the Bhagavad-gita which, like all authentic sacred texts, answers one's deepest requests and contains eternal wisdom in its essence, expressed with different languages and communicative strategies according to the different time periods and circumstances. These indispensible exegetical works, which do not in any way deplete the original and inestimable substance of the Scripture's teachings, are capable of satisfying the psychologies of diverse generations and can only be composed by one who has realized and lives according to sacred knowledge. One who limits himself to merely assimilating the content in a strictly theoretical sense would not be capable of reproposing the message to others without invalidating its substance. Knowledge of the sacred texts, affirmed Matsya Avatara, does not therefore constitute a limited, static knowledge at the mercy of progress. It entails a vital wisdom, highly profitable for any individual in any time period. The practical, daily application of this knowledge in every day life is a neccessary condition to assure that one grasps its highest values, leading to a true evolution of one's consciousness. Sacred knowledge, situated on a superior level of consciousness than the logical plane, is not accessible solely with the aid of human intellect and logic:an experience of realization is neccessary. The fundamental importance of this concept, Matsya Avatara Prabhu stressed, is repeatedly asserted by Krsna during the captivating dialogue with His friend and disciple Arjuna. Prof. Cognetti, during his initial exposition and in answer to numerous questions, summarized some of the main themes expressed in the text, pointing out their similarities and differences with the Christian religious tradition, western philosophy and contemporary psychology. He underlined the notable historical and philosophical value of the Bhagavad-gita which, characterized by ingenious intuitions wisely elaborated on the philosophical plane, constitutes an admirable and innovative synthesis of otherwise opposing or diverging doctrines. The author of the Bhagavad-gita, Prof. Cognetti commented, is therefore a prophet, a philosopher who was capable of gathering the practical, intellectual and spiritual requests of his era and suggesting , through highly symbolic language, new paths and prospectives for the future. The following are the main topics covered by prof. Cognetti: -- Radhakrsna and his interpretation of the Bhagavad-gita: polymorphous monotheism, sacrifice and its authentic significance, detachment and the spirit of renunciation. -- Overcoming a dualistic vision and the synthesis of purusha and prakrti: spirit and matter as different manifestations of the Divine. -- Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita: master of yoga (Yogeshvara), supreme Person (Purusottama), cosmic totality indescribable in rational terms, situated beyond the opposing forces of immanence/transcendence, nature/spirit, impersonalism/personalism. -- The fundamental role of dharma and morality in the path of bhakti. Ethical norms are not considered to be ends in themselves, but stepping stones in order to attain a transcendental goal: unity and harmony with the Divine. -- Different levels of analysis present in the Bhagavad-gita: the existential, regarding the principal paths of self realization: karma, jnana and bhakti marga, and the doctrinal, consisting of a tradition of illuminated intuitions based on philosophical schemes and concepts. -- Comprehension of the Divine: an excess of sense inaccessible to human logic. -- The wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita as an ingenious synthesis between two opposing methods of spiritual realization: the path of renunciation and complete detachment from the world, and the ritualistic path based on sacrificial activity. -- The universal experience of suffering: each human being experiments on himself as a battlefield between conflicting tendencies. -- Jung's dialectic of instinct-spirit. -- The authority of the Bhagavad-gita as sacred text capable of revealing the path to self-transcendence. -- Krsna as archetype of the human evolutionary impulse encouraging Arjuna to overcome his limits. -- The traditional myth of the four eras and the innate desire to return to a state of original happiness. -- References to Augustine's philosophy: the fall in sinful activity as a painful but necessary stage in order to attain a renewed consciousness. -- The yoga technique and the progressive capacity to transcend impulses dictated by our inferior nature. For more detailed information please contact the secretary of the Bhaktivedanta Research Center or the University of Siena's Liberal Arts Faculty, Philosophy of Religions. Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta Via Livornese Est 172 56030 Perignano di Lari (PI) Italy Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
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