JMVRI Issue Number 11
JMVRI Issue Number Eleven is a themed issue focusing on psychology and mental health with papers on Vedic psychology and the Bhagavad-Gita; a personal case study of motherhood considering the nurturing of mothers through Maharishi Ayur-Veda, and Maharishi Ayur-Veda and its expertise in preventive medicine, promotion of ideal health, including mental health, and the development of higher states of consciousness.
JMVRI Paper 11.1
The Bhagavad-Gītā: A case study in Maharishi’s Vedic Psychology
Author: Michael Dillbeck
This paper can be downloaded via the following link:
https://www.academia.edu/41015098/The_Bhagavad-Gītā_A_Case_Study_in_Maharishis_Vedic_Psychology
Citation: Dillbeck, M. (2019). The Bhagavad-Gītā: A case study in Maharishi’s Vedic Psychology. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 11, 11-61.
Introduction
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has described the many narrative accounts contained in the Vedic Literature as case studies in his Vedic Psychology. This article introduces the purpose of Vedic case studies and analyses the Bhagavad-Gītā as a model case study from the Vedic Literature. This case study provides knowledge of the full range of human development—from a state of complete ignorance, characterised by mistakes, suffering and mental ill-health, to the state of complete enlightenment characterised by unrestricted success and fulfillment. The case study is expressed in the form of an interaction between Lord Kṛishṇa and the warrior Arjuna who is seeking wisdom. The Bhagavad-Gītā points out that all forms of problems and suffering are due to lack of full integration of life, which in turn is due to individual consciousness not being fully established in the field of pure consciousness, identified by Maharishi as the unified field of Natural Law. The importance of both direct experience and intellectual understanding of the field of pure consciousness is emphasised by the Bhagavad-Gītā; the experience of pure consciousness is described as effortless and blissful. The Bhagavad-Gītā describes the experience of higher states of consciousness—stages of enlightenment—and identifies the quality of experience of these states. A description of the self-interacting dynamics of consciousness, at the basis of the creative process in nature, is also found in the Bhagavad-Gītā. The Bhagavad-Gītā thus contains the essence of Maharishi’s Vedic Psychology, expressed in a form that can be appreciated and applied by people of all walks of life.