BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA, December 1, 2025: The Consulate General of India (CGI), Atlanta, hosted a profound and engaging Gita Mahotsav event, featuring speeches, chanting, and a dynamic panel discussion centered on the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita. The program began with an introduction by Emcee Smt. Ronak Chaudhary, followed by remarks from the Hon’ble Consul General Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, who highlighted the global significance of the Gita Mahotsav and the powerful role the text plays in shaping ethical living and cultural unity. The event aligned with celebrations taking place across the world and served as an important prelude to the 10th International Gita Mahotsav currently underway in Kurukshetra, India.
The Atlanta gathering brought together scholars, practitioners, youth participants, and community leaders. Throughout the program, speakers emphasized how the Gita offers lasting guidance for navigating modern challenges while elevating human consciousness. Its teachings on duty, clarity of mind, equality, devotion, and selfless action formed the thematic foundation of the day’s reflections.
The celebrations directly complemented the grand 10th International ongoing Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra from November 15 to December 5. The global festival features major spiritual and cultural programs, international delegations from more than 40 countries, the participation of Madhya Pradesh as partner state, an International Gita Seminar at Kurukshetra University, and large-scale devotional events such as the Saras and Crafts Mela, a Deepotsav across 182 pilgrimage sites, and the Gita Shobha Yatra.
The spiritual segment included impactful speeches and chanting, each illuminating a different dimension of the Bhagavad Gita.
Katha Vachak Smt. Jyothi delivered a five-minute talk offering a crisp yet profound introduction to essential Vedantic concepts. A graduate of the 17th batch of the Vedānta Course at Sandeepany Sādhanālaya, she now serves with Chinmaya Mission Atlanta, where she leads Satsangs, adult study groups, youth sessions, and Bala Vihar classes. Drawing on her classical training, she explained how understanding the self as the eternal Atman allows individuals to transcend superficial divisions and cultivate harmony and mutual respect, echoing the Gita’s call to see all beings with equal vision.
Smt. Mridul Kirti, a distinguished Hindi and Brij Bhasha scholar revered for her poetic and accessible translations of Hindu scriptures, spoke on Karma Yoga. She explored how selfless action, when anchored in clarity and devotion, becomes a transformative force for both individual growth and societal wellbeing. Her remarks reinforced how the principles of Karma Yoga can elevate daily life and help counter social fragmentation.
Young members of SGS then presented a five-minute chanting of Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga. Their disciplined and devotional recitation highlighted the Gita’s message that wholehearted devotion purifies the mind and aligns one’s actions with higher purpose.
Shri Bhalabadhra Prabhu followed with a compelling speech on Bhakti Yoga. Balabhadra Bhattacarya Dasa, also known as Benny J. Tillman, is a direct disciple of H. D. G. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and has served in leadership roles within the Hare Krishna Movement for more than five decades. He underscored that devotion offers a universal platform for unity, reminding attendees that viewing each person as a divine soul dissolves prejudice and fosters genuine compassion.
The segment also included brief insights into local Gita-inspired initiatives. Shri Dinesh Sthanki spoke about the SGS Gita Foundation initiated by Shri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji and its global mission to share the Gita’s teachings. Smt. Lalitha Burra explained how the Gita memorization program is conducted in Atlanta and how the discipline of learning verses by heart strengthens focus, character, and spiritual grounding.
A dynamic panel discussion, moderated by Shri G. V. Vijay, a veteran of the Indian Air Force and an engineer in the telecommunication industry. brought the teachings of the Gita into direct conversation with contemporary issues, especially racism and social division. Panelists emphasized that the Gita’s assertion of the spiritual oneness of all beings provides a foundational solution to prejudice. The discussion highlighted how internal transformation rooted in spiritual understanding can lead to external harmony and equitable interactions.
The discussion zoomed in on the urgent contemporary issue of racism, exploring it through the philosophical framework of the Bhagavad Gita. Speakers highlighted that the Gita identifies the true self as the eternal spirit, transcending the temporary material body. Racism, they explained, stems from misidentifying the self with physical form rather than recognizing the divine presence within every individual. When individuals learn to see others as spiritual beings first, mutual respect and compassion naturally follow, forming the foundation for a more harmonious society.
The discussion also emphasized the Gita’s teachings on Karma and reincarnation, noting that the soul takes birth in various forms across lifetimes. From this perspective, prejudice based on race or appearance becomes inherently irrational, since any soul could occupy any body at a different time.
Another perspective presented was that of Sanatana Dharma, or eternal righteousness, which views all beings as travelers on the same spiritual journey toward goodness and inner purity. Conflicts such as racism or religious intolerance arise, the panelists explained, when individuals misunderstand their true nature. Approaching others with compassion and awareness allows one to see them as seekers of the same universal truth.
Audience questions concluded the session, reflecting strong engagement with the Gita’s message as a powerful tool for addressing social divisions and fostering unity.
