Senior IAS officer K Siva Prasad, who is Finance Commissioner, Rural Development and Panchayats, Punjab, launched his latest book, Gita Acharan – A Beginner’s Perspective, recently. Extensive research on the Bhagavad Gita and a deep understanding of the meaning of the teachings of Lord Krishna went into writing this book.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the officer shared all the details of this book-writing journey.
GITA ACHARAN – A BEGINNER’S PERSPECTIVE
Originally hailing from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Prasad did engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal in Computer Science. During his college days, his interest in learning and researching the teachings of Gita escalated. As he was interested in spirituality from an early age, he took up reading and understanding the Bhagavad Gita for two decades. Simultaneously, he was studying western thoughts relating to psychology and behavioral sciences.
His book is a compilation of weekly articles on the Bhagavad Gita published in The Daily World, an English newspaper. Each article is independent, containing an interpretation of various aspects of the Bhagavad Gita, and the seeker can pick any article randomly.
“The initial articles imparted general awareness about the Bhagavad Gita, and later on, I started writing verse by verse. I will publish my entire research in parts of the series. A Beginner’s Perspective is the first part of the series and the rest will follow soon. I have covered till the fifth chapter in this book and the rest will be taken up in the following books,” Mr. Prasad told Indian Masterminds.
THE ORIGINAL IDEA
Mr. Prasad’s original idea was to write and publish articles on the subject, and not a book. From his younger days, he was immersed in its teachings, lessons, meditation, yoga, etc. When he joined the service, all of this had to take a backseat for a few years as duty became his priority.
However, a few years down the line, from 2009-2010, the officer once again found himself immersing in decision-making and theories which were coming easily to him, owing to his vast knowledge of Gita teachings. He also got involved in western motivational theories, behavior economics, and psychology, among other things.
“I took a two-year leave to study behavioral economics and in doing so, I, once again, found myself on the doorsteps of the Bhagavad Gita. I worked on different interpretations, audios, videos, etc., on Gita for two years and I believe the book is a result of that,” he shared.
HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The officer also has a YouTube channel that goes by the name, ‘Gita Acharan’, where he uploads videos and podcasts related to his research and teachings of Bhagavad Gita.
“Around 10 years ago, it came to my mind to bring Indian Puranas, as it is, to our viewers and audience. So, we got Ramayana, Mahabharata, Durga verses, and Bhagavad Gita recorded professionally. These recordings are also uploaded on the channel. If somebody wishes to understand the knowledge of Puranas in detail, they can simply visit the channel and find everything there,” he told Indian Masterminds.
The officer believes that the teachings of the Gita can be used everywhere. “Bhagavad Gita deals with the roots of the issues we face in our daily lives whereas we tend to handle them at the level of the shoots. These include the transient nature of things, polarities, and dualities of the physical world, performing actions without anticipation of fruits of action, being witness, shedding the sense of doership, and many more. Essentially, it is about what we are and not about what we do and what we have.”
He further pointed out that the motto of the IAS also comes from Gita’s verse 2.50 – ‘योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्’, meaning ‘Excellence in Action.’ “It clearly indicates that if you perform your duties well, then everything is going to be harmonious for you. You just have to attain that,” he explained.
Currently, the officer is working on the seventh chapter of the Gita for his upcoming book. In total, there are 18 chapters in the book so he anticipates that it will take him another couple of years to finally publish all the editions.
