Rudolf Steiner on the Bhagavad Gita ☼

• A Post-Vedic Bhagavad Gita
• Bhagavad Gita self-lifting
• Swami Sivananda's Bhagavad Gita translation

1. Former developments influence artists, and artists influence others in turn - its' often like that.

The Western world owes much to Greek developments in ages gone by. We find the Greek influence in works by many artists, including Raphael, Micelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. ◇

2. Evolution should be understood in very favourable ways to be made useful.

Steiner holds:

Our age must in an organised way unite that which radiates across to us in three so sharply-defined spiritual streams from old India in the Veda-philosophy, the Sankhya philosophy, and Yoga. For that reason our age must study the wonderful poem of the Bhagavad Gita . . . Just as Krishna made clear to his pupil that behind all existence is the creative cosmic Word, so also he made clear to him that human knowledge can recognise the separate forms, and therefore can grasp the cosmic.

"In accepting the Veda-Word the best part of the all-mighty "Self" is taken in," Steiner also tells.

A Self that lives and moves . . . "this we breathe in when we yield ourselves to the contemplation of the spiritual Self of the World."

3. The appeal behind the stuff is of spiritual life.

In the Vedic Age, many ideas were formed in poetic ways that fairly often can be difficult to interpret. One should add: Yoga meditation helps higher insights, but not just any odd kind of yoga meditation.

And as Steiner tells, "Yoga . . . appeals directly to the soul-element itself and seeks ways and means of grasping the human soul in direct spiritual life." He refers to higher yoga, which is yoga-meditation. Moreover, people practice for many reasons. Some are content with getting in shape and looking good.

So

Artists understand the appeal of artists. It takes one to know one.