THE GLORIES OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA.

(1) gita sastram idam punyam, yah pathet prayatah pumanvisnoh padam avapnoti, bhaya sokadi varjitahOne who, with a regulated mind,recites with devotion this Bhagavad-gita scripturewhich is the bestower of all virtue,will attain to a holy abode such as Vaikuntha,the residence of Lord Visnu,which is always free from the mundane qualitiesbased on fear and lamentation.(2) gitadhyayana-silasya, pranayama parasya canaiva santi hi papani, purva janma krtani caFor a self-controlled person who seriously studiesthis Bhagavad-gita scripture,not a trace of sin remains -either from the previous or present life -since all his sins are burnt to ashes.(3) malanir mocanam pumsam, jala-snanam dine dinesakrd-gitambhasi snanam, samsara-mala-nasanamAs a person bathes every day with water to cleanse his body,similarly, by bathing only once in the waters of the Bhagavad-gita,all the dirt of painful material existence is dissolved.That is, by devotedly reading the Gita only once,all material contamination is vanquished.(4) gita sugita kartavya, kim anyaih sastra vistaraihya svayam padmanabhasya, mukha-padmad vinihsrtaOne should always very nicely sing with devotion this Gita,the divine song which has emanated from the holy lotus mouthof the Supreme Lord Himself, Lord Sri Krsna.What then is the benefit of studying many other scriptures?(5) bharatamrta sarvasvam, visnor vaktrad-vinihsrtamgita-gangodakam pitva, punar janma na vidyateBy dringing the Ganges waters of the Gita,the divine quintessence of the Mahabharataemanating from the lotus mouth of Lord Visnu,one will never take rebirth in the material world again.In other words, by devotionally reciting the Gita,the cycle of birth and death is terminated.(6) sarvopanisado gavo, dogdha gopala-nandanahpartho vatsah sudhir bhokta, dugdham gitamrtam mahatAll the Upanisads are like a cow,and the milker of the cow is Sri Krsna,the son of Nanda. Arjuna is the calf,the beautiful nectar of the Gita is the milk,and the fortunate devotees of fine theistic intellectare the drinkers and enjoyers of that milk.(7) ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam, eko devo devaki-putra evaeko mantras tasya namani yani, karmapy ekam tasya devasya sevaThere need only be one holy scripture -the divine Gita sung by Lord Sri Krsna;only one worshipable Lord - Lord Sri Krsna;only one mantra - His holy names;and only one duty -devotional serviceunto that Supreme worshipable Lord, Sri Krsna.