The Social Role of the Gītā

Book excerpt: The present work is a new perspective on the Bhagavad-Gita, supported by through research, for it focuses attention on the social relevance of this famous Hindu scripture. Part 1 provides a penetrating analysis of how new interpretations of the Gita palyed a significant role in the social history of India during the ninteenth and twentieth centuries. The illustrative material consists of five case studies relating to : Raja Rammohun Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurobindo Ghose and Mahatma Gandhi. Part II expalins how the social applications of the Gita are linked with its most important teaching for the modern age, viz.,Loksamgraha- the good of the society. Lokasamgraha is a sanskrit term occurring in the Gita but not in Upanishads and a modern interpretation of the lokasamgraha-approach is the inculcation of social values and a sense of social responsibility in each individual.