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Beyond Scriptures

There are millions of scriptures and millions of books on planet Earth. From time immemorial, human beings have created scriptures and still continue to create spiritual books. But Bhagavad Gita is incomparable. We cannot compare this book with any other because no other book has penetrated human consciousness so deeply. No other book has contributed to the preparation of so many enlightened beings on planet earth like Bhagavad Gita. No other book is a complete encyclopedia of spirituality. Bhagavad Gita is the unabridged dictionary and encyclopedia of spirituality.

Spiritual literature can be classified into three categories. First we have Sastras: Sastras give us clarity about the aim of life, the goal of human life. They teach us how to live life, the purpose of life, and the goal of life. They give intellectual understanding about the ultimate truth of man and God.

Sastras logically and intellectually answer all major questions. Through them, we can be logically convinced to follow the ultimate path. Sastras guide us in life. These books give us regulations, do’s and dont’s, what should be done and what should not be done. There are many examples. The Ten Commandments are Sastras. The Sruti and smrti of Hindu religion, the sacred scriptures such as the Vedas and Upanishads, and the guidelines such as the Manusmriti and epics such as Ramayana, are Sastras. The Bible, Koran, Dhammapada of Buddha, Zend Avesta of Zoroaster, and Jewish Kabbalah are Sastras.

The second category of literature is stotras. It is the expression of someone who has realized the ultimate truth; a person who has had the glimpse of divine love. When such a person expresses his joy, the expression is stotras. When we worship and surrender ourselves to the Divine, the form of expression is stotras, devotional compositions. The literature from the heart is stotras; literature from the head is Sastras.

The third type of literature called Sutras gives us techniques to realize the state of uniting with the Divine.

Sastras give us intellectual understanding, stotras give emotional feeling, Sutras give the being level experience.

Sastras are like signboards, intellectual scriptures that explain the basics of life. Stotras help us surrender to the Divine. The glory of the Divine is expounded on by the stotras. Sutras give us techniques to achieve devotion or enlightenment. Sastras alone cannot lead us to enlightenment, although they can be a good support; they can take us to an enlightened master. Until that point, it is a great help. Stotras are spoken from the level of emotion, feeling. When we have a deep feeling, we just express it. It just flows through us. Our whole being is flowing; that is stotras. Sutras means the technique that helps us achieve the goal of the Sastras and the stotras.

The goal of Sastra is the soul, divinity within; the goal of stotras is God. Of course, both are one and the same, but they have two different paths.
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Bhagavad Gita - Demystified Vol. 1