What is gist of Bhagwad Gita?
What is gist of Bhagwad Gita?
I am amazed at how many questions there are ABOUT the Bhagavad Gita - no one seems to want to actually read the book! I am also astonished at how many Indians living in India ask where to obtain a copy of the Gita!! Ye gods! Living by the river and asking for water! Now the final answers from my personal point of view.
The cheapest and lightest copy of the Gita is the Penguin edition.
Several Apps are available for down load to your smartphone.
The best classical commentaries are those of Ramanuja and Shankara which are really turgid and highly technical in discussion and argument and not advisable for the beginner.
For the beginner I would recommend the commentary of Swami Sivananda (Divine Life Society Rishikesh - available from their website for free). Or the commentary of Swami Chinmayananda.
For those who are time or IT skill poor, I herewith submit a summary of the Gita for your edification and delight — please use the copy and paste keys to insert it into a document on your desktop and read at your leisure.
Chapter 1
The Gītā is a section of the great Indian Epic — The Mahabharata. There is a dispute over the inheritance of the empire by two sets of cousins. The rightful heir to the throne is Prince Pandu who died prematurely, his blind brother Dhritarashtra ruled the kingdom in his stead. The sons of Pandu — the Pandavas led by Arjuna when coming of age requested the return of the kingdom. The sons of Dhritashtra — the Kauravas led by Duryodhana refused to surrender or even to share the empire.
Arjuna had sent Krishna as his ambassador to negotiate a peaceful settlement, and every diplomatic means had been employed to come to an agreement and to avoid the war, but the Kauravas were absolutely intransigent and pressed for resolution through armed conflict.
So after exhausting all viable options the two armies are assembled on the field of battle ready for battle. As they stand facing each other, Arjuna directed Krishna who is acting as his charioteer to station his chariot between the two armies so that he may look upon all those who are gathered to fight him. Among the opposition are cousins, uncles, nephews, friends and associates. Becoming despondent through misplaced sympathy Arjuna lays down his bow and refuses to fight. The Gītā is the discourse between him and Krishna as to the nature of one's professional duties and how one should conduct oneself in the world.
Arjuna’s Grief
When Arjuna saw all these kinsmen in array,he was filled with deep compassion and said these words in despair...
Arjuna said:—
O Krishna, seeing my kinsmen present here, eager for battle, my limbs go weak, my mouth dries up, my body trembles and my hair stands on end.
I desire not victory, nor empire, nor pleasures. Of what use to us is an empire, O Krishna, or enjoyment or even life itself? I will not fight!
Chapter 2. — Communion through Knowledge
The Blessed Lord said:—
11. You grieve for those who should not be grieved for; yet you speak words of apparent wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.
13. Just as the embodied Self passes through childhood, youth and old age [pertaining to that body], so [at death] it passes into another body. A wise man is not confused thereby.
16. The unreal can never come into being, the real never ceases to be. The conclusion about these two is discerned by the seers of truth.
20. The jīva is never born; it never dies; having been existent in the past, it will never cease to be [in the future]. Unborn, eternal, abiding and primeval, it is not slain when the body is slain.
22. As a person casts off worn-out garments and puts on others that are new, so does the embodied Self cast off its worn-out bodies and enter into others that are new.
24. It cannot be cut; it cannot be burnt; it cannot be wetted and it cannot be dried, it is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and primeval.
26. Or, if you consider this Self to be repeatedly born and repeatedly dying, even then, O Maha-bahu (Mighty-armed-one), it does not become you to feel grief.
27. For death is indeed certain for everything that is born, and re-birth is certain for that which has died; therefore you should not grieve for what is unavoidable.
28. O Arjuna! All beings [in the universe] have a beginning that is unknown, a known middle and an unknown end. Why should there be anguish in relation to any of them?
47. To work alone you have the right, and not to the fruits. Do not allow rewards to be your motive for action. Nor be attached to inaction.
48. Abandoning attachment and established in Yoga, perform works, viewing success and failure with an even mind. Equipoise is said to be Yoga.
49. Action with attachment [to results] is far inferior, O Arjuna, to action done with equanimity. Seek refuge in wisdom. Miserable are they, who act motived by reward.
50. Endowed with wisdom [equanimity] one discards here and now [the results] of good and evil deeds. Therefore devote yourself to Yoga — Yoga is skilful action.
62. When one deliberates upon sense-objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment is born desire, from desire arises anger;
63. From anger arises delusion; from delusion, the loss of memory; from the loss of memory, the destruction of discrimination; and with the destruction of discrimination, one is lost.
64. But one who is self-controlled, moving among the sense-objects with the senses under restraint, free from attraction and aversion, attains tranquillity.
65. In that state of serenity all sorrow is overcome; for in the case of one with a serene mind, the intellect soon becomes well established.
69. The self-controlled one is awake during what is night for all beings, when all beings are awake, that is the night to the enlightened one.
71. The individual who, abandoning all desires, perseveres without longing, devoid of the notion of possession and the sense of egoistic self-importance — he attains peace.
Chapter 3 — Communion through Action
Arjuna said:—
1. If, O Krishna you consider that Buddhi (mind-development) is superior to Karma (action), why do you urge me to engage in this terrible deed?
The Blessed Lord said:—
4. No one achieves freedom from activity (Naiś-karmyam) by abstaining from works; and no one ever attains success by mere renunciation of works.
5. Verily no one can remain even for a moment, without performing action; for everyone is forced to act, helplessly indeed, by the Material Modes [Gunas].
8. You must perform your obligatory duties; for action is superior to non-action (meditation). For not even the maintenance of the body is possible by inaction.
9. This world is bound by actions other than those performed as sacrifice. O Arjuna, you must perform work to this end [for sacrifice alone], free from attachment.
20. Verily, by Karma Yoga alone did Janaka and others reach perfection. Indeed, you should act, bearing in mind the welfare of the world.
25. Just as the ignorant act with attachment their work, so should the wise act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world.
26. The wise should not confuse the minds of the ignorant who are attached to work; rather himself performing work with devotion, he should inspire others to do likewise.
33. Even an enlightened person acts in conformity to his own nature; beings follow their nature; what will restraint do?
Arjuna said:—
36. But, impelled by what, O Krishna, does one err even against one's own will, constrained as it were, by force?
The Blessed Lord said:—
37. It is desire, it is anger, born of the Guna of Rajas; all-devouring, an impeller to sin. Know this to be the foe here.
39. Wisdom is obscured by this constant enemy of the wise, in the form of desire, which is as insatiable as fire.
Chapter 4 — Communion through Wisdom
The Blessed Lord said:—
19. He whose every undertaking is free from desire for personal gain and the delusive identification [of the body with the Self], whose karmas are burnt up in the fire of knowledge — him the wise describe as a sage.
20. Having renounced attachment to the fruits of one’s actions, ever contented with the eternal (Self), and dependent on none, one does not verily act, even though engaged in activity.
21. Free from expectation, with the mind controlled, relinquishing all notions of possessiveness, and merely doing physical activity, one does not incur blame.
22. Content with what comes without effort, transcending the pairs of opposites, free from ill-will, balanced in success and failure, though acting, one is not bound.
34. Know that by full prostration, by extensive questioning and by service, the wise, who have realised the truth, will instruct you in [that] teaching.
38. Verily, there is no purifier in this world equal to knowledge; one that is perfected in Karma Yoga discovers this (knowledge) spontaneously, in oneself in due time.
42. Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, cut asunder this doubt present in your heart, arising from ignorance concerning the Self. Arise and practise this [Karma] Yoga.
Chapter 5 — Communion through Renunciation
The Blessed Lord said:—
2. Renunciation of actions and Karma Yoga, both lead to the highest beatitude. But, of these two, Karma Yoga is superior to the renunciation of actions.
3. One who neither resents nor desires is to be known as a perpetual renunciate: verily one who is free from the pairs of opposites is easily liberated from bondage.
7. One who is devoted to the path of Action and is pure of mind, who is self-controlled, has conquered the senses and has realized identity with all beings, even while acting, remains untainted.
18. The sages regard with equality one well-endowed with learning and humility, a Brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater.
19. Even here and now Samsāra is overcome by those whose minds rest in equanimity. For the Brahman (individual Self), when uncontaminated by Prakrti, is the same everywhere, therefore they are established in Brahman.
23. One who is able, even here, before one is released from the body, to resist the impulses arising from desire and anger, is a Yogi (competent for Self-realization); and a happy person.
26. To those who are free from desire and anger, who aspire [for realisation] whose minds are controlled, and who have attained self-mastery — the Great Nirvana is close at hand.
Chapter 6 — Communion through Meditation
The Blessed Lord said:—
3. For the sage who seeks to ascend to the heights of Yoga, action is said to be the means; but when one has reached the summit of Yoga, quiescence is said to be the means.
5. One should raise one’s Self by one’s own mind and not allow one’s Self to sink; for the mind alone is the friend of the Self, and the mind alone is the adversary of the Self.
6. The mind is the friend of one who has conquered the mind. But for one whose mind is uncontrolled, the mind, like an adversary, remains hostile.
9. One who regards with equality, well-wishers, friends, foes, the indifferent, neutrals, the hateful, relatives, and even the righteous and the unrighteous — excels.
10. The Yogi should constantly apply the mind to Yoga, remaining alone in a solitary place, controlling discursive thinking, free from desire and the sense of possession,
11. In a clean place, having established for oneself a firm seat which is neither too high nor too low, and covering it with cloth, deer-skin and kusha grass one over the other,
12. there, sitting on the seat, focusing the mind in concentration, with the thoughts and the senses restrained, one should practice Yoga for the purification of the mind.
13. Holding the trunk, head and neck erect, motionless and steady, focusing [the attention] at the tip of the nose, and without looking around;
14. Serene and fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, holding the mind in check and fixing the thoughts on Me, one should sit in meditation, holding Me to be Supreme.
16. Yoga is not for one who over-eats, nor for one who fasts excessively; nor for one who sleeps too much, nor for one who stays awake for lengthy periods, O Arjuna.
17. Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow for one who is moderate in food and recreation, who is temperate in actions, who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.
19. The controlled mind of a Yogi who practices Yoga is compared to a lamp which does not flicker when placed in a windless spot.
20. When the mind, restrained by the practice of Yoga, attains that Infinite Bliss, and when seeing the Ātman by the mind, one is satisfied by the Ātman alone;
21. when one knows that intense joy which can be experienced by the intellect but is beyond the grasp of the senses, wherein established one departs not from that condition;
22. having gained which, one considers that there is no greater gain than it; wherein established, one is not moved even by the heaviest sorrow—
23. know this [state] of deliverance from association with suffering to be Yoga. This Yoga must be practiced with determination and with a mind free from despondency.
26. Wherever the fickle and unsteady mind wanders, one should subdue it then and there, and bring it back under the control of the Self alone.
29. With the mind harmonised by Yoga one sees equality everywhere; one sees one’s Self as abiding in all beings and all beings in one’s own Self.
30. He who sees Me everywhere and everything in Me; I am not separated from him and he is never separated from Me.
The Blessed Lord said:—
35. The mind is undoubtedly hard to subdue and fickle, O mighty-armed one, but by repeated practice and by the exercise of dispassion it can be brought under control.
36. In my opinion Yoga [harmony] is hard to attain by a person of unrestrained mind. However, it can be attained through skilful means by one, who strives for it and has a subdued mind.
The Blessed Lord said:—
40. Neither here [in this world] nor there [in the next], there destruction for him. For verily, no one who does good, ever comes to grief.
41. Having attained to the realms of the righteous and dwelt there for many long years, one who has fallen from Yoga is born again in the house of the pure and prosperous.
Chapter 12 — Communion Through Devotion
Arjuna said:—
1. Of those devotees, who, ever integrated with You, meditate on You thus, and of those again, who meditate on the imperishable and the unmanifest [i.e. ātman] — which of these have greater knowledge of Yoga?
The Blessed Lord said:—
5. But greater is the vexation of those whose minds are thus attached to the unmanifest. For the way of the unmanifest is onerous for embodied beings to follow.
12. Wisdom is far better than the practice [of mindfulness of the Lord]. Meditation is esteemed to be better than wisdom; and the renunciation of fruits of action is better than meditation — from such renunciation, peace ensues.
13. Not prejudiced towards any living being, friendly and compassionate to all, free from the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, and regarding all pain and pleasure with equanimity, and forbearing;
14. contented, constantly contemplating, self-restrained and firm in one’s convictions, dedicating the mind and intellect to Me — such a devotee is dear to Me.
15. He by whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world, who is free from joy and jealousy, fear and repulsion — he is dear to me.
16. One who is free from expectations, who is uncontaminated, skilled, impartial and free from anxiety, who has renounced every undertaking— is dear to Me.
17. One who is full of devotion to Me, who rejoices not, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, and who renounces both merit and demerit — such a devotee is dear to me.
18. He who is impartial to both foe and friend, honour and dishonour, who is indifferent to both cold and heat, pleasure and pain and who is free from all attachments;
19. to whom both censure and praise are equal, who is silent [when praised or abused] and content with any condition, who has no home, who is steady of mind, and who is devoted to Me — dear to Me is such a person.
20. But those devotees who adopt this ambrosial virtuous conduct (dharma) as taught above, who are full of faith and who regard Me as the Supreme — they are exceedingly dear to Me.
Chapter 14 — The Threefold Division of the Modes of Material Nature
The Blessed Lord said:—
5. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the Gunas that arise from Prakrti. They cause the bondage of the immutable Self to the body, O Arjuna.
6. Of these, Sattva, being pure is illuminating and free from morbidity. It causes bondage through attachment to pleasure and to learning.
7. Know that Rajas is of the nature of passion arising from craving and attachment, it causes the bondage of the embodied Self through attachment to action.
8. Know that Tamas is born of nescience and causes the delusion of all embodied Selves. It causes bondage, through negligence, indolence and sleep.
9. The Mode of Sattva generates attachment to pleasure, Rajas to action. But the Mode of Tamas, obscuring wisdom, generates attachment to negligence.
10. Prevailing over Rajas and Tamas, Sattva [sometimes] prevails. Overwhelming Tamas and Sattva, Rajas preponderates, overwhelming Rajas and Sattva, Tamas [sometimes] predominates.
11. When the light of wisdom radiates from all the gateways (senses) of the body, then, one should know that Sattva prevails.
12. Greed, activity, undertaking of projects, restlessness and craving — these arise, when Rajas is ascendant.
13. Non-illumination, inactivity, negligence and even delusion — these arise when Tamas prevails.
16. The result of a good deed, they say, is pure and is of the nature of Sattva, but the result of Rajas is suffering; and that of Tamas is ignorance.
17. From Sattva, wisdom arises, and from Rajas greed, from Tamas arise negligence and delusion, and indeed, ignorance.
18. Those who persist in Sattva rise upwards; those who abide in Rajas remain in the middle; and those, remaining in the lowest tendencies of Tamas go downwards.
23. He is said to transcended the Gunas, who remains like one indifferent, undisturbed by the Gunas; and who, knowing that it is the Gunas that are active, remains stable and does not act;
24. One who is poised in pleasure and pain, who focuses within, to whom a clod, a stone and piece of gold are of equal value, who remains the same towards the pleasant and the unpleasant and who is intelligent, and regards both censure and praise of himself as equal;
25. one who is the same in honour and dishonour, and the same to friend and foe, and who has abandoned all enterprises — such a person is said to have transcended the Gunas.
Chapter 16 — The Division between the Divine and the Non-Divine.
The Blessed Lord said:—
1. Fearlessness, purity of mind, consistent contemplation on wisdom, philanthropy, self-control, worship, study of Vedas, self-discipline, forthrightness,
2. Non-injury, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquillity, freedom from slandering, compassion to all beings, freedom from hankering, gentleness, modesty, freedom from whimsicality;
3. Refulgence, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from spite and humility these treasures, O Arjuna, belong to one who is born to a Divine Estate.
4. Religious hypocrisy, hubris, self-conceit, anger, rudeness and ignorance these, O Arjuna, belong to one who is born to a non-Divine estate.
5. The Divine Estate is deemed to lead to Liberation, the Non-divine to bondage. Grieve not, O Arjuna, you are born to a Divine Estate.
7. The Non-divine know neither the right action nor what to refrain from. Neither purity, nor right conduct nor truthfulness is found in them.
9. Holding this view, these embittered ruined people of deficient intellects commit many atrocities that lead to the destruction of the world.
l0. Filled with insatiable desires, grabbing through delusion unjustly acquired resources, and committed to vicious resolutions, they act, full of ostentation, pride and arrogance.
11. Subject to immeasurable anxieties, which extend to the very dissolution of the universe, regarding sense-gratification as their highest ideal, and convinced that this is all;
12. Bound by hundreds of fetters of hopes, preoccupied with desire and anger, they strive by unjust means to amass resources for the gratification of their desires.
21. Self-referent desire, anger and greed — this is the threefold gateway to Naraka (hell), ruinous to the Self. Therefore one should abandon these three.
Chapter 17 — The Three Classifications of Conviction.
The Blessed Lord said:—
3. The conviction (śraddha) of each person is in accordance with one's character. A person consists of conviction, and whatever one's conviction is, that verily one is.
The Threefold Classification of Food.
8. A diet which promotes longevity, intellectual alertness, energy, health, pleasure and cheerfulness and those that are succulent, nutritional, substantial and agreeable, are preferred by Sattvic people.
9. Foods that are bitter, sour, very salty, very hot, very sharp, astringent and heating, are all dear to Rajasic people, they produce pain, discomfort and disease.
10. Foods which are stale, tasteless, foul, putrid, left-over and impure, are loved by Tamasic people.
The Three Grades of Spiritual Practice.
11. The Sattvic yajña (sacrifice) is one that is offered by one without a desire for reward and with the conviction that it should be performed as enjoined in the Śāstras.
12. That yajña which is offered with an expectation of reward and for the sake of ostentation, know that to be Rajasic.
13. That yajña which is not based upon Scriptural authority, with unsanctioned offerings, devoid of the recitation of mantras, lacking in gifts of appreciation and faith—that is considered to be Tamasic.
The Threefold Division of Tapas (self-discipline)
14. Adoration of the gods, the twice-born, the preceptors, the enlightened ones, purity, rectitude, chastity and non-injury, these are said to be the physical disciplines.
15. Speech that does not cause distress and which is true, agreeable and beneficial, and also the recitation of the Vedas are called the verbal disciplines.
16. Peace of mind, benevolence, silence, self-restraint, perfect mindfulness — these are called mental disciplines.
17. This threefold self-discipline, practiced with firm conviction by those who desire no reward and are devoted — is called Sattvic self-discipline.
18. Discipline, practiced with ostentation for the sake of gaining respect, praise and reverence, is considered to be Rajasic. It is unstable and transient.
19. That self-discipline which is practiced with foolish obstinacy by means of self-torture or in order to injure another is declared to be Tamasic.
The Three Kinds of Charity
20. The charity that is dispensed from a sense of duty, to one who does not reciprocate, at the proper place and time to a deserving person — that is said to be Sattvic.
21. But that which is given as a consideration for something received or in expectation of future reward, or grudgingly, is considered to be Rajasic
22. That gift which is given at the wrong place and wrong time to unworthy recipients, without due respect and with derision, is considered to be Tamasic.
Chapter 18 — Liberation Through Renunciation
The Blessed Lord said:—
2. The enlightened ones understand that renunciation (Sannyāsa) means the giving up of all works which are motivated by desire. The wise declare relinquishment (Tyāga) to be the relinquishment of the fruits of all works.
3. Some learned ones say that all actions should be given up as defective; others declare that works such as yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline should not be given up.
5. The acts of yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline should not be relinquished; but should be performed. For yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline are the purifiers of the wise.
6. It is My considered and final opinion that even these [three] practices should be done relinquishing all attachment and the desire for reward.
10. The one who has renounced, being wise and imbued with Sattva, free from doubts neither hates disagreeable work nor clings to an agreeable one.
11. For, it is impossible for an embodied being to abandon work entirely. But one who foregoes the rewards of works, is called a renunciate.
The Threefold Division of Knowledge
20. That knowledge which reveals one immutable reality in all beings, and not as separate in the different bodies — know that knowledge to be Sattvic.
21. But that knowledge which sees various and distinctive (spiritual) entities in all the different (physical) beings — know that knowledge to be Rajasic.
22. But that which adheres to one single act as if it were the whole, which is not founded on reason, and which is untrue and trivial — that knowledge is declared to be Tamasic.
The Threefold Division of Acts
23. That obligatory work which is done without attachment, without desire or aversion, by one who desires no reward is said to be Sattvic.
24. But that act which is performed with great effort by one who longs to gratify desires and prompted by self-interest; is said to be Rajasic.
25. That task which is undertaken through delusion, disregarding the consequences, loss, injury and one's own capacity is said to be Tamasic
The Threefold Division of Agents
26. An agent who is free from attachment, and self-acclaim, who is endowed with perseverance and enthusiasm and is unaffected by success and failure, is said to be Sattvic.
27. That agent is known as Rajasic who is swayed by desire and motivated by gain, stingy, cruel, impure and overwhelmed by delight and grief.
28. That agent who is unqualified, vulgar, obstinate, unscrupulous, dishonest, lazy, morose and a procrastinator is said to be Tamasic
The Threefold Division of Rationalism (Buddhi) and Fortitude (Dhṛti)
30. That Rationalism is considered to be Sattvic, which discerns extroversion (pravṛtti— material goals) and introversion (nivṛtti — spiritual goals), what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and freedom from fear, bondage and liberation.
31. The Rationalism which produces a mistaken conception of Dharma and Adharma and also of what ought to be done and what ought not to be done is Rajasic.
32. That Rationalism, which, enveloped in darkness, regards Adharma as Dharma and which reverses every value is Tamasic.
33. That perseverance by which one, through steady application, maintains the consistent functioning of the mind and metabolism and the work of these sense-organs — that perseverance is of the nature of Sattva.
34. That perseverance by which, on account of attachment and desire for rewards, one adheres to [the pursuit of] Dharma, Kāma and Artha is Rajasic.
35. That perseverance by which a foolish person does not give up sleep, fear, grief, depression and passion is of the nature of Tamas.
The Threefold Division of Happiness
36. Now hear from Me the threefold division of happiness, in which one enjoys by continued practice and by which one is surely freed from suffering;
37. That joy which is like poison at first but eventually becomes like ambrosia, arising from the serene state of the mind focusing on the Atman — such joy is said to be Sattvic.
38. That pleasure which arises from contact of the sense organs with their objects, which at first is like ambrosia but in the end like poison — that is declared to be Rajasic.
39. That pleasure which is characterised by self-delusion both in the beginning and the sequel, arising from sleep, indolence and negligence is declared to be Tamasic.
51. Endowed with a purified intellect, subduing the mind by steadfastness, relinquishing sound and other objects of the senses and abandoning attraction and aversion;
52. Resorting to solitude, eating moderately, restraining speech, body and mind, perpetually engaged in the Yoga of meditation and practicing dispassion;
53. Forsaking self-affirmative ideation, power play, arrogance, desire, anger and property, free from the notion of possessiveness and tranquil — one becomes worthy of the state of Brahman.
63. Thus I have taught you that knowledge which is the greatest of all mysteries. Reflecting on it thoroughly, do what you will.
Arjuna said:—
73. Destroyed is my delusion and I have, by Your grace, O Krishna, gained insight (Smrti). Freed from doubts, I stand steadfast, I will act according to Your word.
I am amazed at how many questions there are ABOUT the Bhagavad Gita - no one seems to want to actually read the book! I am also astonished at how many Indians living in India ask where to obtain a copy of the Gita!! Ye gods! Living by the river and asking for water! Now the final answers from my personal point of view.
The cheapest and lightest copy of the Gita is the Penguin edition.
Several Apps are available for down load to your smartphone.
The best classical commentaries are those of Ramanuja and Shankara which are really turgid and highly technical in discussion and argument and not advisable for the beginner.
For the beginner I would recommend the commentary of Swami Sivananda (Divine Life Society Rishikesh - available from their website for free). Or the commentary of Swami Chinmayananda.
For those who are time or IT skill poor, I herewith submit a summary of the Gita for your edification and delight — please use the copy and paste keys to insert it into a document on your desktop and read at your leisure.
Chapter 1
The Gītā is a section of the great Indian Epic — The Mahabharata. There is a dispute over the inheritance of the empire by two sets of cousins. The rightful heir to the throne is Prince Pandu who died prematurely, his blind brother Dhritarashtra ruled the kingdom in his stead. The sons of Pandu — the Pandavas led by Arjuna when coming of age requested the return of the kingdom. The sons of Dhritashtra — the Kauravas led by Duryodhana refused to surrender or even to share the empire.
Arjuna had sent Krishna as his ambassador to negotiate a peaceful settlement, and every diplomatic means had been employed to come to an agreement and to avoid the war, but the Kauravas were absolutely intransigent and pressed for resolution through armed conflict.
So after exhausting all viable options the two armies are assembled on the field of battle ready for battle. As they stand facing each other, Arjuna directed Krishna who is acting as his charioteer to station his chariot between the two armies so that he may look upon all those who are gathered to fight him. Among the opposition are cousins, uncles, nephews, friends and associates. Becoming despondent through misplaced sympathy Arjuna lays down his bow and refuses to fight. The Gītā is the discourse between him and Krishna as to the nature of one's professional duties and how one should conduct oneself in the world.
Arjuna’s Grief
When Arjuna saw all these kinsmen in array,he was filled with deep compassion and said these words in despair...
Arjuna said:—
O Krishna, seeing my kinsmen present here, eager for battle, my limbs go weak, my mouth dries up, my body trembles and my hair stands on end.
I desire not victory, nor empire, nor pleasures. Of what use to us is an empire, O Krishna, or enjoyment or even life itself? I will not fight!
Chapter 2. — Communion through Knowledge
The Blessed Lord said:—
11. You grieve for those who should not be grieved for; yet you speak words of apparent wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.
13. Just as the embodied Self passes through childhood, youth and old age [pertaining to that body], so [at death] it passes into another body. A wise man is not confused thereby.
16. The unreal can never come into being, the real never ceases to be. The conclusion about these two is discerned by the seers of truth.
20. The jīva is never born; it never dies; having been existent in the past, it will never cease to be [in the future]. Unborn, eternal, abiding and primeval, it is not slain when the body is slain.
22. As a person casts off worn-out garments and puts on others that are new, so does the embodied Self cast off its worn-out bodies and enter into others that are new.
24. It cannot be cut; it cannot be burnt; it cannot be wetted and it cannot be dried, it is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and primeval.
26. Or, if you consider this Self to be repeatedly born and repeatedly dying, even then, O Maha-bahu (Mighty-armed-one), it does not become you to feel grief.
27. For death is indeed certain for everything that is born, and re-birth is certain for that which has died; therefore you should not grieve for what is unavoidable.
28. O Arjuna! All beings [in the universe] have a beginning that is unknown, a known middle and an unknown end. Why should there be anguish in relation to any of them?
47. To work alone you have the right, and not to the fruits. Do not allow rewards to be your motive for action. Nor be attached to inaction.
48. Abandoning attachment and established in Yoga, perform works, viewing success and failure with an even mind. Equipoise is said to be Yoga.
49. Action with attachment [to results] is far inferior, O Arjuna, to action done with equanimity. Seek refuge in wisdom. Miserable are they, who act motived by reward.
50. Endowed with wisdom [equanimity] one discards here and now [the results] of good and evil deeds. Therefore devote yourself to Yoga — Yoga is skilful action.
62. When one deliberates upon sense-objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment is born desire, from desire arises anger;
63. From anger arises delusion; from delusion, the loss of memory; from the loss of memory, the destruction of discrimination; and with the destruction of discrimination, one is lost.
64. But one who is self-controlled, moving among the sense-objects with the senses under restraint, free from attraction and aversion, attains tranquillity.
65. In that state of serenity all sorrow is overcome; for in the case of one with a serene mind, the intellect soon becomes well established.
69. The self-controlled one is awake during what is night for all beings, when all beings are awake, that is the night to the enlightened one.
71. The individual who, abandoning all desires, perseveres without longing, devoid of the notion of possession and the sense of egoistic self-importance — he attains peace.
Chapter 3 — Communion through Action
Arjuna said:—
1. If, O Krishna you consider that Buddhi (mind-development) is superior to Karma (action), why do you urge me to engage in this terrible deed?
The Blessed Lord said:—
4. No one achieves freedom from activity (Naiś-karmyam) by abstaining from works; and no one ever attains success by mere renunciation of works.
5. Verily no one can remain even for a moment, without performing action; for everyone is forced to act, helplessly indeed, by the Material Modes [Gunas].
8. You must perform your obligatory duties; for action is superior to non-action (meditation). For not even the maintenance of the body is possible by inaction.
9. This world is bound by actions other than those performed as sacrifice. O Arjuna, you must perform work to this end [for sacrifice alone], free from attachment.
20. Verily, by Karma Yoga alone did Janaka and others reach perfection. Indeed, you should act, bearing in mind the welfare of the world.
25. Just as the ignorant act with attachment their work, so should the wise act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world.
26. The wise should not confuse the minds of the ignorant who are attached to work; rather himself performing work with devotion, he should inspire others to do likewise.
33. Even an enlightened person acts in conformity to his own nature; beings follow their nature; what will restraint do?
Arjuna said:—
36. But, impelled by what, O Krishna, does one err even against one's own will, constrained as it were, by force?
The Blessed Lord said:—
37. It is desire, it is anger, born of the Guna of Rajas; all-devouring, an impeller to sin. Know this to be the foe here.
39. Wisdom is obscured by this constant enemy of the wise, in the form of desire, which is as insatiable as fire.
Chapter 4 — Communion through Wisdom
The Blessed Lord said:—
19. He whose every undertaking is free from desire for personal gain and the delusive identification [of the body with the Self], whose karmas are burnt up in the fire of knowledge — him the wise describe as a sage.
20. Having renounced attachment to the fruits of one’s actions, ever contented with the eternal (Self), and dependent on none, one does not verily act, even though engaged in activity.
21. Free from expectation, with the mind controlled, relinquishing all notions of possessiveness, and merely doing physical activity, one does not incur blame.
22. Content with what comes without effort, transcending the pairs of opposites, free from ill-will, balanced in success and failure, though acting, one is not bound.
34. Know that by full prostration, by extensive questioning and by service, the wise, who have realised the truth, will instruct you in [that] teaching.
38. Verily, there is no purifier in this world equal to knowledge; one that is perfected in Karma Yoga discovers this (knowledge) spontaneously, in oneself in due time.
42. Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, cut asunder this doubt present in your heart, arising from ignorance concerning the Self. Arise and practise this [Karma] Yoga.
Chapter 5 — Communion through Renunciation
The Blessed Lord said:—
2. Renunciation of actions and Karma Yoga, both lead to the highest beatitude. But, of these two, Karma Yoga is superior to the renunciation of actions.
3. One who neither resents nor desires is to be known as a perpetual renunciate: verily one who is free from the pairs of opposites is easily liberated from bondage.
7. One who is devoted to the path of Action and is pure of mind, who is self-controlled, has conquered the senses and has realized identity with all beings, even while acting, remains untainted.
18. The sages regard with equality one well-endowed with learning and humility, a Brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater.
19. Even here and now Samsāra is overcome by those whose minds rest in equanimity. For the Brahman (individual Self), when uncontaminated by Prakrti, is the same everywhere, therefore they are established in Brahman.
23. One who is able, even here, before one is released from the body, to resist the impulses arising from desire and anger, is a Yogi (competent for Self-realization); and a happy person.
26. To those who are free from desire and anger, who aspire [for realisation] whose minds are controlled, and who have attained self-mastery — the Great Nirvana is close at hand.
Chapter 6 — Communion through Meditation
The Blessed Lord said:—
3. For the sage who seeks to ascend to the heights of Yoga, action is said to be the means; but when one has reached the summit of Yoga, quiescence is said to be the means.
5. One should raise one’s Self by one’s own mind and not allow one’s Self to sink; for the mind alone is the friend of the Self, and the mind alone is the adversary of the Self.
6. The mind is the friend of one who has conquered the mind. But for one whose mind is uncontrolled, the mind, like an adversary, remains hostile.
9. One who regards with equality, well-wishers, friends, foes, the indifferent, neutrals, the hateful, relatives, and even the righteous and the unrighteous — excels.
10. The Yogi should constantly apply the mind to Yoga, remaining alone in a solitary place, controlling discursive thinking, free from desire and the sense of possession,
11. In a clean place, having established for oneself a firm seat which is neither too high nor too low, and covering it with cloth, deer-skin and kusha grass one over the other,
12. there, sitting on the seat, focusing the mind in concentration, with the thoughts and the senses restrained, one should practice Yoga for the purification of the mind.
13. Holding the trunk, head and neck erect, motionless and steady, focusing [the attention] at the tip of the nose, and without looking around;
14. Serene and fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, holding the mind in check and fixing the thoughts on Me, one should sit in meditation, holding Me to be Supreme.
16. Yoga is not for one who over-eats, nor for one who fasts excessively; nor for one who sleeps too much, nor for one who stays awake for lengthy periods, O Arjuna.
17. Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow for one who is moderate in food and recreation, who is temperate in actions, who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.
19. The controlled mind of a Yogi who practices Yoga is compared to a lamp which does not flicker when placed in a windless spot.
20. When the mind, restrained by the practice of Yoga, attains that Infinite Bliss, and when seeing the Ātman by the mind, one is satisfied by the Ātman alone;
21. when one knows that intense joy which can be experienced by the intellect but is beyond the grasp of the senses, wherein established one departs not from that condition;
22. having gained which, one considers that there is no greater gain than it; wherein established, one is not moved even by the heaviest sorrow—
23. know this [state] of deliverance from association with suffering to be Yoga. This Yoga must be practiced with determination and with a mind free from despondency.
26. Wherever the fickle and unsteady mind wanders, one should subdue it then and there, and bring it back under the control of the Self alone.
29. With the mind harmonised by Yoga one sees equality everywhere; one sees one’s Self as abiding in all beings and all beings in one’s own Self.
30. He who sees Me everywhere and everything in Me; I am not separated from him and he is never separated from Me.
The Blessed Lord said:—
35. The mind is undoubtedly hard to subdue and fickle, O mighty-armed one, but by repeated practice and by the exercise of dispassion it can be brought under control.
36. In my opinion Yoga [harmony] is hard to attain by a person of unrestrained mind. However, it can be attained through skilful means by one, who strives for it and has a subdued mind.
The Blessed Lord said:—
40. Neither here [in this world] nor there [in the next], there destruction for him. For verily, no one who does good, ever comes to grief.
41. Having attained to the realms of the righteous and dwelt there for many long years, one who has fallen from Yoga is born again in the house of the pure and prosperous.
Chapter 12 — Communion Through Devotion
Arjuna said:—
1. Of those devotees, who, ever integrated with You, meditate on You thus, and of those again, who meditate on the imperishable and the unmanifest [i.e. ātman] — which of these have greater knowledge of Yoga?
The Blessed Lord said:—
5. But greater is the vexation of those whose minds are thus attached to the unmanifest. For the way of the unmanifest is onerous for embodied beings to follow.
12. Wisdom is far better than the practice [of mindfulness of the Lord]. Meditation is esteemed to be better than wisdom; and the renunciation of fruits of action is better than meditation — from such renunciation, peace ensues.
13. Not prejudiced towards any living being, friendly and compassionate to all, free from the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, and regarding all pain and pleasure with equanimity, and forbearing;
14. contented, constantly contemplating, self-restrained and firm in one’s convictions, dedicating the mind and intellect to Me — such a devotee is dear to Me.
15. He by whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world, who is free from joy and jealousy, fear and repulsion — he is dear to me.
16. One who is free from expectations, who is uncontaminated, skilled, impartial and free from anxiety, who has renounced every undertaking— is dear to Me.
17. One who is full of devotion to Me, who rejoices not, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, and who renounces both merit and demerit — such a devotee is dear to me.
18. He who is impartial to both foe and friend, honour and dishonour, who is indifferent to both cold and heat, pleasure and pain and who is free from all attachments;
19. to whom both censure and praise are equal, who is silent [when praised or abused] and content with any condition, who has no home, who is steady of mind, and who is devoted to Me — dear to Me is such a person.
20. But those devotees who adopt this ambrosial virtuous conduct (dharma) as taught above, who are full of faith and who regard Me as the Supreme — they are exceedingly dear to Me.
Chapter 14 — The Threefold Division of the Modes of Material Nature
The Blessed Lord said:—
5. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the Gunas that arise from Prakrti. They cause the bondage of the immutable Self to the body, O Arjuna.
6. Of these, Sattva, being pure is illuminating and free from morbidity. It causes bondage through attachment to pleasure and to learning.
7. Know that Rajas is of the nature of passion arising from craving and attachment, it causes the bondage of the embodied Self through attachment to action.
8. Know that Tamas is born of nescience and causes the delusion of all embodied Selves. It causes bondage, through negligence, indolence and sleep.
9. The Mode of Sattva generates attachment to pleasure, Rajas to action. But the Mode of Tamas, obscuring wisdom, generates attachment to negligence.
10. Prevailing over Rajas and Tamas, Sattva [sometimes] prevails. Overwhelming Tamas and Sattva, Rajas preponderates, overwhelming Rajas and Sattva, Tamas [sometimes] predominates.
11. When the light of wisdom radiates from all the gateways (senses) of the body, then, one should know that Sattva prevails.
12. Greed, activity, undertaking of projects, restlessness and craving — these arise, when Rajas is ascendant.
13. Non-illumination, inactivity, negligence and even delusion — these arise when Tamas prevails.
16. The result of a good deed, they say, is pure and is of the nature of Sattva, but the result of Rajas is suffering; and that of Tamas is ignorance.
17. From Sattva, wisdom arises, and from Rajas greed, from Tamas arise negligence and delusion, and indeed, ignorance.
18. Those who persist in Sattva rise upwards; those who abide in Rajas remain in the middle; and those, remaining in the lowest tendencies of Tamas go downwards.
23. He is said to transcended the Gunas, who remains like one indifferent, undisturbed by the Gunas; and who, knowing that it is the Gunas that are active, remains stable and does not act;
24. One who is poised in pleasure and pain, who focuses within, to whom a clod, a stone and piece of gold are of equal value, who remains the same towards the pleasant and the unpleasant and who is intelligent, and regards both censure and praise of himself as equal;
25. one who is the same in honour and dishonour, and the same to friend and foe, and who has abandoned all enterprises — such a person is said to have transcended the Gunas.
Chapter 16 — The Division between the Divine and the Non-Divine.
The Blessed Lord said:—
1. Fearlessness, purity of mind, consistent contemplation on wisdom, philanthropy, self-control, worship, study of Vedas, self-discipline, forthrightness,
2. Non-injury, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquillity, freedom from slandering, compassion to all beings, freedom from hankering, gentleness, modesty, freedom from whimsicality;
3. Refulgence, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from spite and humility these treasures, O Arjuna, belong to one who is born to a Divine Estate.
4. Religious hypocrisy, hubris, self-conceit, anger, rudeness and ignorance these, O Arjuna, belong to one who is born to a non-Divine estate.
5. The Divine Estate is deemed to lead to Liberation, the Non-divine to bondage. Grieve not, O Arjuna, you are born to a Divine Estate.
7. The Non-divine know neither the right action nor what to refrain from. Neither purity, nor right conduct nor truthfulness is found in them.
9. Holding this view, these embittered ruined people of deficient intellects commit many atrocities that lead to the destruction of the world.
l0. Filled with insatiable desires, grabbing through delusion unjustly acquired resources, and committed to vicious resolutions, they act, full of ostentation, pride and arrogance.
11. Subject to immeasurable anxieties, which extend to the very dissolution of the universe, regarding sense-gratification as their highest ideal, and convinced that this is all;
12. Bound by hundreds of fetters of hopes, preoccupied with desire and anger, they strive by unjust means to amass resources for the gratification of their desires.
21. Self-referent desire, anger and greed — this is the threefold gateway to Naraka (hell), ruinous to the Self. Therefore one should abandon these three.
Chapter 17 — The Three Classifications of Conviction.
The Blessed Lord said:—
3. The conviction (śraddha) of each person is in accordance with one's character. A person consists of conviction, and whatever one's conviction is, that verily one is.
The Threefold Classification of Food.
8. A diet which promotes longevity, intellectual alertness, energy, health, pleasure and cheerfulness and those that are succulent, nutritional, substantial and agreeable, are preferred by Sattvic people.
9. Foods that are bitter, sour, very salty, very hot, very sharp, astringent and heating, are all dear to Rajasic people, they produce pain, discomfort and disease.
10. Foods which are stale, tasteless, foul, putrid, left-over and impure, are loved by Tamasic people.
The Three Grades of Spiritual Practice.
11. The Sattvic yajña (sacrifice) is one that is offered by one without a desire for reward and with the conviction that it should be performed as enjoined in the Śāstras.
12. That yajña which is offered with an expectation of reward and for the sake of ostentation, know that to be Rajasic.
13. That yajña which is not based upon Scriptural authority, with unsanctioned offerings, devoid of the recitation of mantras, lacking in gifts of appreciation and faith—that is considered to be Tamasic.
The Threefold Division of Tapas (self-discipline)
14. Adoration of the gods, the twice-born, the preceptors, the enlightened ones, purity, rectitude, chastity and non-injury, these are said to be the physical disciplines.
15. Speech that does not cause distress and which is true, agreeable and beneficial, and also the recitation of the Vedas are called the verbal disciplines.
16. Peace of mind, benevolence, silence, self-restraint, perfect mindfulness — these are called mental disciplines.
17. This threefold self-discipline, practiced with firm conviction by those who desire no reward and are devoted — is called Sattvic self-discipline.
18. Discipline, practiced with ostentation for the sake of gaining respect, praise and reverence, is considered to be Rajasic. It is unstable and transient.
19. That self-discipline which is practiced with foolish obstinacy by means of self-torture or in order to injure another is declared to be Tamasic.
The Three Kinds of Charity
20. The charity that is dispensed from a sense of duty, to one who does not reciprocate, at the proper place and time to a deserving person — that is said to be Sattvic.
21. But that which is given as a consideration for something received or in expectation of future reward, or grudgingly, is considered to be Rajasic
22. That gift which is given at the wrong place and wrong time to unworthy recipients, without due respect and with derision, is considered to be Tamasic.
Chapter 18 — Liberation Through Renunciation
The Blessed Lord said:—
2. The enlightened ones understand that renunciation (Sannyāsa) means the giving up of all works which are motivated by desire. The wise declare relinquishment (Tyāga) to be the relinquishment of the fruits of all works.
3. Some learned ones say that all actions should be given up as defective; others declare that works such as yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline should not be given up.
5. The acts of yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline should not be relinquished; but should be performed. For yajña, philanthropy and self-discipline are the purifiers of the wise.
6. It is My considered and final opinion that even these [three] practices should be done relinquishing all attachment and the desire for reward.
10. The one who has renounced, being wise and imbued with Sattva, free from doubts neither hates disagreeable work nor clings to an agreeable one.
11. For, it is impossible for an embodied being to abandon work entirely. But one who foregoes the rewards of works, is called a renunciate.
The Threefold Division of Knowledge
20. That knowledge which reveals one immutable reality in all beings, and not as separate in the different bodies — know that knowledge to be Sattvic.
21. But that knowledge which sees various and distinctive (spiritual) entities in all the different (physical) beings — know that knowledge to be Rajasic.
22. But that which adheres to one single act as if it were the whole, which is not founded on reason, and which is untrue and trivial — that knowledge is declared to be Tamasic.
The Threefold Division of Acts
23. That obligatory work which is done without attachment, without desire or aversion, by one who desires no reward is said to be Sattvic.
24. But that act which is performed with great effort by one who longs to gratify desires and prompted by self-interest; is said to be Rajasic.
25. That task which is undertaken through delusion, disregarding the consequences, loss, injury and one's own capacity is said to be Tamasic
The Threefold Division of Agents
26. An agent who is free from attachment, and self-acclaim, who is endowed with perseverance and enthusiasm and is unaffected by success and failure, is said to be Sattvic.
27. That agent is known as Rajasic who is swayed by desire and motivated by gain, stingy, cruel, impure and overwhelmed by delight and grief.
28. That agent who is unqualified, vulgar, obstinate, unscrupulous, dishonest, lazy, morose and a procrastinator is said to be Tamasic
The Threefold Division of Rationalism (Buddhi) and Fortitude (Dhṛti)
30. That Rationalism is considered to be Sattvic, which discerns extroversion (pravṛtti— material goals) and introversion (nivṛtti — spiritual goals), what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, fear and freedom from fear, bondage and liberation.
31. The Rationalism which produces a mistaken conception of Dharma and Adharma and also of what ought to be done and what ought not to be done is Rajasic.
32. That Rationalism, which, enveloped in darkness, regards Adharma as Dharma and which reverses every value is Tamasic.
33. That perseverance by which one, through steady application, maintains the consistent functioning of the mind and metabolism and the work of these sense-organs — that perseverance is of the nature of Sattva.
34. That perseverance by which, on account of attachment and desire for rewards, one adheres to [the pursuit of] Dharma, Kāma and Artha is Rajasic.
35. That perseverance by which a foolish person does not give up sleep, fear, grief, depression and passion is of the nature of Tamas.
The Threefold Division of Happiness
36. Now hear from Me the threefold division of happiness, in which one enjoys by continued practice and by which one is surely freed from suffering;
37. That joy which is like poison at first but eventually becomes like ambrosia, arising from the serene state of the mind focusing on the Atman — such joy is said to be Sattvic.
38. That pleasure which arises from contact of the sense organs with their objects, which at first is like ambrosia but in the end like poison — that is declared to be Rajasic.
39. That pleasure which is characterised by self-delusion both in the beginning and the sequel, arising from sleep, indolence and negligence is declared to be Tamasic.
51. Endowed with a purified intellect, subduing the mind by steadfastness, relinquishing sound and other objects of the senses and abandoning attraction and aversion;
52. Resorting to solitude, eating moderately, restraining speech, body and mind, perpetually engaged in the Yoga of meditation and practicing dispassion;
53. Forsaking self-affirmative ideation, power play, arrogance, desire, anger and property, free from the notion of possessiveness and tranquil — one becomes worthy of the state of Brahman.
63. Thus I have taught you that knowledge which is the greatest of all mysteries. Reflecting on it thoroughly, do what you will.
Arjuna said:—
73. Destroyed is my delusion and I have, by Your grace, O Krishna, gained insight (Smrti). Freed from doubts, I stand steadfast, I will act according to Your word.
Comments
Post a Comment