2017-06-08 Thu

It was said at the time of darkness, a single ray of hope can become your salvation. India at the height of the British rule wanted such a ray of hope to uncover the blanket of hopelessness. But to achieve this Indians did not need salvation, they needed action. To boost the spirit of Indian Freedom Struggle Lokmanya Tilak introduced the oldest and most profound philosophy of India ‘Bagvatgita' in the form of ‘Geetarashasya'.

It began in November 1910, Lokmanya Tilak was imprisoned in the Divisional Jail of Burma. During his imprisonment, he decided to write about Geeta. This Philosophy left a lasting effect on 16-year-old Tilak when his dying father narrated Geeta in Marathi

Srimad Bhagvat Geeta was explained by the critics as a path taking you to salvation after retirement, but Tilak did not agree with these statements. He could not believe that a text like Geeta only leads to salvation that this text only gives an appeal to leave this material world.

Tilak’s idea was to bring forth the real ideology of Geeta which circulated around the Karma. In a way, it was the demand of time. India was bent under the weight of slavery they just cannot think about salvation.

By compiling Geetarahasya, he represented the true essence of Bhagavata Geeta that human being should fulfill duties to the world and keep eyes on salvation. Geeta talks about the duty towards the society which one is born to fulfill and without doing it one cannot attain salvation.

Today in 1915 this great work of Lokmanya Tilak was published. He wrote this book in five months in the Burma Jail.

To celebrate and respect the life of this adorned son of India, India Post had issued a definitive and commemorative stamps.

Learn more about Lokmaniya Tilak.