Hari Aum.
I am studying the Bhagavad Gita currently and thought it would be useful to summarise the key points in each chapter both for my own learning and also for any readers who might be interested.
As I'm sure many of you know, the Bhagavad Gita literally means the 'Song of God'. It is part of the great epic known as the Mahabharata, which was composed by the rishi and incarnation of Vishnu, Veda Vyasa.
I am going to provide a brief introduction to the Mahabharata and the Gita here before discussing various portions of the Gita in the coming weeks.
The Mahabharata is regarded as an 'Itihasa' (Sanskrit word for a historical text). It describes a number of historical events that took place a few thousand years ago on Earth during a different era (known as the Dwapara yuga). In each yuga (a very long period of time), Vishnu is said to incarnate to establish goodness and destroy evil. In the Dwapara yuga, He incarnated as Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna took on many roles during His lifetime. He was a wonderful son, brother, husband, father, friend, king and Guru. Various evil kings attacked Him during His time on Earth and were defeated by Him. One such evil individual was Prince Duryodhana, who was an embodiment of pride, anger, jealousy, deceit and every other unpleasant quality one can think of. Duryodhana persecuted his noble cousins, the Pandava princes, and robbed them of their kingdom, forcing them to live as refugees in a forest.
Krishna asked Duryodhana to restore the Pandavas' kingdom back to them and live peacefully together on Earth. Duryodhana refused and declared that he preferred to fight and kill them in a war. Thus, a great war took place in a place known as Kurukshetra (still called by this name; present in Northern India) between the Kauravas (headed by Prince Duryodhana), and the Pandavas (headed by the noble Prince Yudhishthira).
Once the Kauravas and Pandavas decided to fight a war, they went about soliciting support from their relatives and friends, including various other kings. Their relatives and close friends faced a painful decision to chose one side over the other. It was a terrible situation where relatives and friends would have to face each other in a war.
Krishna, who was the king of a place called Dwaraka (that existed in the Western portion of today's India) was also approached for help. The Pandava prince, Arjuna, who was his cousin, decided to pay Him a visit and so did the Kaurava prince, Duryodhana.
Arjuna and Duryodhana arrived at Krishna's palace at the same time to ask Him for help. As Krishna appeared to be sleeping when they came, they waited in the room for Him to wake up. Arjuna respectfully placed himself at Krishna's feet, while Duryodhana (who could not tolerate the idea of showing respect to anyone) proudly placed himself at Krishna's head. Thus, they waited for Krishna to wake up so that they could make their request to ask Him to join their side in the upcoming war.
When Krishna finally opened His eyes, He first saw Arjuna, who was positioned at His feet. He then looked up and saw Duryodhana who was at His head. When He asked them what had brought them to Him, they explained that they both wanted His help in the war.
Krishna said that He would help both of them. He declared that one of them could have Him, but He would not take-up any weapon or fight in the war. The other one, He said, could take His powerful army, known as the 'Narayana sena' (sena means army in Sanskrit).
He told Arjuna that, as He had seen him first, he could make the first choice. Arjuna, immediately said that he preferred to have Krishna on his side, even if He would not fight or take-up any weapon. He requested Krishna to be his charioteer in the war and He agreed. Duryodhana was delighted that Arjuna had made what he felt was a very foolish decision. He happily accepted the offer of Krishna's army and went home rejoicing at his good luck.
At long last, the moment when the battle was to begin arrived. Kings and soldiers, horses, elephants and chariots faced each other. The kings began to blow their conch shells, producing a extremely loud sound, signalling that the war was about to begin.
At this critical moment, Prince Arjuna, a master archer and greatly skilled warrior, asked Krishna, his cousin and charioteer, to position his chariot in between the two armies that were facing each other. He said that he wanted to take a good look at the enemy army that he was about to fight.
Krishna obligingly drove Arjuna's chariot forwards and placed it in between the armies. Arjuna looked at the enemy army, and saw his own cousins, teachers, friends and numerous family members. Seeing them, the terrible reality of the situation dawned upon him. He realised that he would have to kill his own beloved relatives and friends in this war.
The thought of having to kill his beloved family and friends made him feel extremely unwell, and the great warrior's eyes filled with tears of grief and he sat down upon his chariot trembling. He told Krishna in a shaking voice that he just couldn't do it. He could not kill. He did not want to fight this war.
He said that he preferred his relatives to rule the Earth and that he would live by begging as a monk. He declared he was not going to fight under any circumstances. Even if his cousins were extremely evil (and they certainly were!) and were wreaking havoc on Earth (they had been!), he declared that he simply did not have the courage to fight them as they were his own blood, his own family.
He then sat down on the chariot, putting down his divine bow, known as the Gandiva, and remained silent, feeling overwhelmed with grief. Never before had this great warrior shied from battle! This was an entirely unexpected turn of events!
This is how the Gita begins. The first chapter describes how both sides get ready for war, and how Prince Arjuna, a vitally important leader of the Pandava army, decides not to fight at this critical moment.
In great confusion and misery, Arjuna makes a smart move. He turns to his charioteer, cousin and dearest friend, Krishna, and asks Him for advice as to what to do. He feels terribly confused and says he needs help to work out what to do.
Should he fight the war (and maybe end up committing a sin as killing one's family is usually sinful!), or should he not fight (and let his exceedingly evil cousins rule the Earth-- which could also be sinful!), he asks. What should he do! What is right and what is wrong here?!
Note that Krishna does not offer Arjuna any advice until Arjuna asks for it (this follows the principle that one can only teach a person who wants to learn. There is no use in giving advice to those who do not want to listen. This is also why true Gurus never go searching for disciples. It is the disciple who, thirsting for knowledge, approaches the Guru and requests to be taught.)
Having been approached by Arjuna for help, Krishna provides it. He assumes the role of Guru (teacher) and Arjuna, the role of a disciple. They then have an extraordinary conversation, where Krishna reveals the secrets of the universe and all existence, the purpose of human life, and most importantly, the way to attain true peace, wisdom and bliss (those elusive goals that all human beings desire). This constitutes the beautiful, exquisitely poetic scripture known as the Bhagavad Gita, the song of God, the song of the Eternal.
I am studying the Bhagavad Gita currently and thought it would be useful to summarise the key points in each chapter both for my own learning and also for any readers who might be interested.
As I'm sure many of you know, the Bhagavad Gita literally means the 'Song of God'. It is part of the great epic known as the Mahabharata, which was composed by the rishi and incarnation of Vishnu, Veda Vyasa.
I am going to provide a brief introduction to the Mahabharata and the Gita here before discussing various portions of the Gita in the coming weeks.
The Mahabharata is regarded as an 'Itihasa' (Sanskrit word for a historical text). It describes a number of historical events that took place a few thousand years ago on Earth during a different era (known as the Dwapara yuga). In each yuga (a very long period of time), Vishnu is said to incarnate to establish goodness and destroy evil. In the Dwapara yuga, He incarnated as Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna took on many roles during His lifetime. He was a wonderful son, brother, husband, father, friend, king and Guru. Various evil kings attacked Him during His time on Earth and were defeated by Him. One such evil individual was Prince Duryodhana, who was an embodiment of pride, anger, jealousy, deceit and every other unpleasant quality one can think of. Duryodhana persecuted his noble cousins, the Pandava princes, and robbed them of their kingdom, forcing them to live as refugees in a forest.
Krishna asked Duryodhana to restore the Pandavas' kingdom back to them and live peacefully together on Earth. Duryodhana refused and declared that he preferred to fight and kill them in a war. Thus, a great war took place in a place known as Kurukshetra (still called by this name; present in Northern India) between the Kauravas (headed by Prince Duryodhana), and the Pandavas (headed by the noble Prince Yudhishthira).
Once the Kauravas and Pandavas decided to fight a war, they went about soliciting support from their relatives and friends, including various other kings. Their relatives and close friends faced a painful decision to chose one side over the other. It was a terrible situation where relatives and friends would have to face each other in a war.
Krishna, who was the king of a place called Dwaraka (that existed in the Western portion of today's India) was also approached for help. The Pandava prince, Arjuna, who was his cousin, decided to pay Him a visit and so did the Kaurava prince, Duryodhana.
Arjuna and Duryodhana arrived at Krishna's palace at the same time to ask Him for help. As Krishna appeared to be sleeping when they came, they waited in the room for Him to wake up. Arjuna respectfully placed himself at Krishna's feet, while Duryodhana (who could not tolerate the idea of showing respect to anyone) proudly placed himself at Krishna's head. Thus, they waited for Krishna to wake up so that they could make their request to ask Him to join their side in the upcoming war.
When Krishna finally opened His eyes, He first saw Arjuna, who was positioned at His feet. He then looked up and saw Duryodhana who was at His head. When He asked them what had brought them to Him, they explained that they both wanted His help in the war.
Krishna said that He would help both of them. He declared that one of them could have Him, but He would not take-up any weapon or fight in the war. The other one, He said, could take His powerful army, known as the 'Narayana sena' (sena means army in Sanskrit).
He told Arjuna that, as He had seen him first, he could make the first choice. Arjuna, immediately said that he preferred to have Krishna on his side, even if He would not fight or take-up any weapon. He requested Krishna to be his charioteer in the war and He agreed. Duryodhana was delighted that Arjuna had made what he felt was a very foolish decision. He happily accepted the offer of Krishna's army and went home rejoicing at his good luck.
At long last, the moment when the battle was to begin arrived. Kings and soldiers, horses, elephants and chariots faced each other. The kings began to blow their conch shells, producing a extremely loud sound, signalling that the war was about to begin.
At this critical moment, Prince Arjuna, a master archer and greatly skilled warrior, asked Krishna, his cousin and charioteer, to position his chariot in between the two armies that were facing each other. He said that he wanted to take a good look at the enemy army that he was about to fight.
Krishna obligingly drove Arjuna's chariot forwards and placed it in between the armies. Arjuna looked at the enemy army, and saw his own cousins, teachers, friends and numerous family members. Seeing them, the terrible reality of the situation dawned upon him. He realised that he would have to kill his own beloved relatives and friends in this war.
The thought of having to kill his beloved family and friends made him feel extremely unwell, and the great warrior's eyes filled with tears of grief and he sat down upon his chariot trembling. He told Krishna in a shaking voice that he just couldn't do it. He could not kill. He did not want to fight this war.
He said that he preferred his relatives to rule the Earth and that he would live by begging as a monk. He declared he was not going to fight under any circumstances. Even if his cousins were extremely evil (and they certainly were!) and were wreaking havoc on Earth (they had been!), he declared that he simply did not have the courage to fight them as they were his own blood, his own family.
He then sat down on the chariot, putting down his divine bow, known as the Gandiva, and remained silent, feeling overwhelmed with grief. Never before had this great warrior shied from battle! This was an entirely unexpected turn of events!
This is how the Gita begins. The first chapter describes how both sides get ready for war, and how Prince Arjuna, a vitally important leader of the Pandava army, decides not to fight at this critical moment.
In great confusion and misery, Arjuna makes a smart move. He turns to his charioteer, cousin and dearest friend, Krishna, and asks Him for advice as to what to do. He feels terribly confused and says he needs help to work out what to do.
Should he fight the war (and maybe end up committing a sin as killing one's family is usually sinful!), or should he not fight (and let his exceedingly evil cousins rule the Earth-- which could also be sinful!), he asks. What should he do! What is right and what is wrong here?!
Note that Krishna does not offer Arjuna any advice until Arjuna asks for it (this follows the principle that one can only teach a person who wants to learn. There is no use in giving advice to those who do not want to listen. This is also why true Gurus never go searching for disciples. It is the disciple who, thirsting for knowledge, approaches the Guru and requests to be taught.)
Having been approached by Arjuna for help, Krishna provides it. He assumes the role of Guru (teacher) and Arjuna, the role of a disciple. They then have an extraordinary conversation, where Krishna reveals the secrets of the universe and all existence, the purpose of human life, and most importantly, the way to attain true peace, wisdom and bliss (those elusive goals that all human beings desire). This constitutes the beautiful, exquisitely poetic scripture known as the Bhagavad Gita, the song of God, the song of the Eternal.
At the end of this conversation, Arjuna declares that all his confusion has been dispelled and that he knows exactly what he needs to do. He recognises that it is his dharma or duty to fight in this just war and expresses his gratitude to Krishna for His guidance. He thus becomes a key player in this great war of good against evil and helps to ensure victory of the former.
There are 18 chapters and 700 verses in the Gita. Lord Vishnu says, in the famous Gita Mahatmyam (the glory of the Gita), that those who study the Gita daily acquire great spiritual merit and attain freedom from samsara (the cycle of birth and death) and attain realisation of their own true immortal nature.
I am reading the translation and commentary on the Gita by my Guru, Swami Sivananda. He explains that the 18 chapters of the Gita are divided into three portions. The first six chapters describe karma yoga (the path of selfless action as a means to self-realisation/liberation). The middle six chapters describe bhakti yoga (the path of devotion as a means to liberation). The final six chapters describe jnana yoga (the path of enquiry as a means to liberation).
Sivananda says that the yogi should practice all three yogas for quick progress on the spiritual path. The head (jnana yoga), heart (bhakti yoga) and hand (karma yoga) must all be used to serve the Divine. This leads to rapid purification of the mind and attainment of liberation.
To be continued...
Om Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
Salutations to Krishna, the Guru of the universe
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
There are 18 chapters and 700 verses in the Gita. Lord Vishnu says, in the famous Gita Mahatmyam (the glory of the Gita), that those who study the Gita daily acquire great spiritual merit and attain freedom from samsara (the cycle of birth and death) and attain realisation of their own true immortal nature.
I am reading the translation and commentary on the Gita by my Guru, Swami Sivananda. He explains that the 18 chapters of the Gita are divided into three portions. The first six chapters describe karma yoga (the path of selfless action as a means to self-realisation/liberation). The middle six chapters describe bhakti yoga (the path of devotion as a means to liberation). The final six chapters describe jnana yoga (the path of enquiry as a means to liberation).
Sivananda says that the yogi should practice all three yogas for quick progress on the spiritual path. The head (jnana yoga), heart (bhakti yoga) and hand (karma yoga) must all be used to serve the Divine. This leads to rapid purification of the mind and attainment of liberation.
To be continued...
Om Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum
Salutations to Krishna, the Guru of the universe
Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
Someone is your guru only if he is alive and has accepted you as a guru. Otherwise, the right thing to say is that you follow Swami Sivananda's teachings. IF one of his successors has initiated you, then he becomes your guru and you can say what lineage you belong to.
ReplyDelete'Guru' represents the teaching principle of God which may or may not manifest as a physical person. Guru does not have to be physically present on Earth for one to be his/her disciple. If one accepts a Guru and follows his/her teachings, that Guru will guide one.
DeleteBest wishes