Utah County Scripture Chase, Bhagavad-Gita Mystery Cache
Utah County Scripture Chase, Bhagavad-Gita
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This cache is not located at the coordinates listed above.
This is a single stage puzzle cache that will require finding clues
in scriptures from the Hindu Bhagavad-Gita.
Completing the puzzle will entail "learning" about the
Bhagavad-Gita. Once complete, the puzzle will provide complete
coordinates to a micro container with a log book. The container
location is in the vicinity of the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in
Spanish Fork, Utah.
Over the past few years I have worked professionally with many
members of the Hindu faith. They have impressed me with their
strong values and devotion. So, the purpose of this cache is to
provide geocachers with a quick overview of one of the Hindu books
of scripture.
The answers to the puzzle questions are not meant to be difficult
nor tricky and do not delve deeply into the text. Given fifteen
minutes on the internet, they should be obtainable. Also, since
there are various English translations of the Bhagavad-Gita, I have
included all of the answers to the puzzle in the hints... so you
can check your work before venturing out.
Bhagavad-Gita Overview
The Bhagavad-Gita ("The Diving Song of God") is a Sanskrit text
that is one of the most important works of sacred Hindu scripture.
Sometimes called “The Gita,” it a very old text that scholars date
as being written between the fifth and second centuries B.C.
The speaker of The Gita is Krishna, “The Divine One.” The verses,
full of similies and metaphors, are written in poetic metered form
that are traditionally chanted.
The “storyline” of The Gita starts just before the climactic battle
of Kurukshetra. Prince Arjuna realizes that his enemies are
actually his own relatives, friends and teachers. Wrestling with
his own doubts on the battlefield, Arjuna asks Krishna, his guide
and charioteer, for help and advice.
Krishna teaches Arjuna about universal harmony and duty (dharma).
The soul is eternal, the body is temporary. Any death on the
battlefield would terminate the temporal body but the immortal soul
would continue. Arjuna's hesitation on the battlefield stems from
his lack of understanding of the “nature of things,” the
privileging of the unreal over the real.
Expounding on his point, Krishna proceeds to teach Arjuna the
various types of Yoga and the true nature of the universe. He
describes the yogic paths of devotional service, action,
meditation, and knowledge.
The Gita proposes that true enlightenment comes from learning how
to look beyond the temporal “ego”, the “False Self,” the ephemeral
world, and focus on the truth of the immortal soul. Through yoga,
or meditation, one is able to detach from the temporal material
world and enter the world of the divine.
Note that, theologically, Hare Krishna devotees are classified as
practitioners of Bhakti Yoga, a method of yoga taught by The Gita.
The central theme of Bhakti Yoga is "Love Is God and God Is Love."
Everything is but a manifestation of the Divine and all else is
meaningless. The search for the divine is the bhkata's sole
purpose, all other material and physical needs and wants are deemed
inconsequential.
The following personalities had the following to say about The
Gita:
Albert Einstein: "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect
about how God created this universe everything else seems so
superfluous."
Mahatma Gandhi: "When doubts haunt me, when disappointments
stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon,
I turn to Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I
immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow.
Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new
meanings from it every day."
Henry David Thoreau: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in
the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in
comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny
and trivial."
Dr. Albert Schweitzer: "The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound
influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is
manifested by actions."
The Puzzle
Using the numeric answers to the following questions, complete the
coordinates to the location of the cache. The partial coordinates
are:
N 40 0A.BC4
W 111 DE FG6
How many chapters are there in the Bhagavad-Gita? The answer
is a two digit number. Add two to the first digit and add one to
the second digit to get DE.
In the begining of which chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita does
Arjuna ask, "...why do You urge me to engage in this gastly
warfare, if You think that intelligence is better than fruitive
work?" Krishna answers that performing duties for the greater good,
but without attachment to results is the appropriate cause of
action. This philosophy is also known as the “Kharma Yoga.” Add
one to the answer to this question to get B.
In chapter seven, titled "Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth,"
Krishna gives concrete knowledge of the absolute reality of
divinity. He also talks about his material energies. Read the first
five verses of chapter seven. One of these verses enumerates
Krishna's "separated material energies." How many energies are
there?.” Add one to the answer to this question to get C.
Continuing on in chapter seven, Krishna describes the types of
people attracted to divinity and the types of people who are
opposed to divinty. In verse 16, how many types of people "render
devotional service" to Krishna?. The answer to this question is
A.
Continuing on in chapter seven, which verse contains Krishna
saying, “I know everything which has happened in the past, all that
is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to
come?” The answer is a two digit number. Add four to the first
digit and subtract one from the second digit to get FG.
Once you have completed the partial coordinates, goto the location
indicated by the coordinates, locate the micro container and sign
the log. If you are interested, take time to visit the Sri Sri
Radha Krishna Temple while you are there. They provide tours of the
temple room and the grounds from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. See the photo
gallery of this cache listing to see pictures of the interior of
the temple.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Beware Spoiler: Hint Contains Puzzle Answers!] rvtugrra puncgref, puncgre guerr, rvtug raretvrf, sbhe glcrf bs crbcyr, irefr gjragl fvk.
Treasures
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