A Message from U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard

[amritha varshini]

From: K. Guruvayurappan <gvk...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 3, 2014 at 8:19 AM
Subject: Fwd: Tulsi’s Gita Jayanti message
To: amritha varshini <amrithava...@gmail.com>

K. Guruvayurappan 

Begin forwarded message:

Dear All:

Namaste. I am happy to share with you Tulsi’s message in celebration of Gita Jayanti 2014.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDgPhuoRFTM

Wishing you all the best in the coming holiday season.

The text of her message is below.

Warm regards 

A Message from U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard in celebration of Gita Jayanti, December 2014

Namaste. Greetings and aloha from Hawaii to you all. All glories to Lord Krishna! I'm happy to again join you in this wonderful celebration of Gita Jayanti.

The Bhagavad Gita is non-different from God Himself. As such, the Bhagavad Gita is the Supreme treasure and the most wonderful property of all mankind.

No matter what our nationality, race, religion, gender, economic or education status, the message of the Bhagavad Gita is for all of us.

Simply by following Lord Krishna's instructions in the Bhagavad Gita, even an ordinary person can achieve inner peace, happiness, the highest state of enlightenment.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna makes it very clear that our true identity is spiritual, not material:

For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.
~ Bhagavad Gita 2.20

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
~ Bhagavad Gita 2.22

The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
~ Bhagavad Gita 2.23

Although we are spiritual in essence, we have material bodies and live in the material world. So the question is, how should we live in this world?

Krishna answers:

O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.
~ Bhagavad Gita 9.27

In this way you will be free from all reactions to good and evil deeds, and by this principle of renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me.
~ Bhagavad Gita 9.28

The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the results of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.
~ Bhagavad Gita 5.12

Krishna further instructs:

In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.
~ Bhagavad Gita 18.57

Krishna is not only the Supreme Lord, He is also the Supreme Friend. And out of His love for us, He has manifested as the Bhagavad Gita.

So by contemplating upon, following, and embracing the Bhagavad Gita, we are embracing the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Friend Himself.

Jai Sri Krishna!