The Significance of Bhagavad Gita:
One of the most important intellectual and literary works known to man is the Bhagavad-gita, a philosophical epic consisting of seven hundred Sanskrit verses. The Gita has received more commentators than any other intellectual or religious literature in history. As a timeless wisdom classic, it is the primary literary basis for the world's oldest surviving spiritual culture—Vedic India's civilization.
Not only has the Gita led the religious lives of many centuries of Hindus, but the Gita has also moulded India's social, ethical, cultural, and even political life due to the pervasive influence of religious principles in Vedic civilisation. Almost every sectarian cult and school of Hindu thought, representing a wide range of religious and philosophical viewpoints, acknowledges the Bhagavad-gita as the summum bonum guide to spiritual truth, attesting to India's nearly universal acceptance of the Gita. As a result, the Gita, more than any other single historical source, provides a comprehensive understanding of the metaphysical and psychological foundations of India's Vedic civilization, both ancient and modern.
A Chapter-By-Chapter Summary of The Bhagavad Gita:
Chapter 1: Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra: On the Battlefield of Kurukshetra, two armies, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, clash. Many signs point to the Pandavas' victory. Dhrtarashtra, the Pandavas' uncle and the Kauravas' father, is sceptical of his sons' triumph and asks his secretary, Sanjaya, to recount the scene on the battlefield.
Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers, had a crisis soon before the battle. He is overcome with compassion for his family and professors, whom he is supposed to murder. Arjuna, overcome with anguish, throws up his weapons after submitting to Krishna numerous noble and moral reasons why he does not wish to fight. Arjuna's unwillingness to fight demonstrates his gentle heart; such a person is qualified to attain transcendental knowledge.
Chapter 2: Summarization of Gita's Contents: Krishna does not agree with Arjuna's reasoning. Rather, He reminds Arjuna of his obligation to fight and urges him to conquer his heart's weakness. Arjuna is caught between his reluctance to kill his relatives and Krishna's wish for him to battle. Arjuna, enraged and perplexed, seeks Krishna's advice and becomes his student.
Krishna assumes the role of Arjuna's Spiritual Master, teaching him that the soul is immortal and cannot be killed. Arjuna should rejoice that those he is about to kill will have superior births because dying in battle elevates a fighter to the heavenly planets. A person is an individual for the rest of his or her life. Only his body dies. As a result, there is nothing to complain about.
Arjuna's decision not to fight is motivated by his desire to spend time with his kin, even if it means foregoing wisdom and duty. Such a mindset binds one to the material world. Krishna advises Arjuna to practise buddhi-yoga or work without regard for the outcome. Arjuna will be able to reach God's kingdom if he fights in this manner, breaking free from the cycle of birth and death.
Chapter 3: Karma – Yoga: Arjuna is still perplexed. He believes that buddhi-yoga entails retiring from active life and practising penance and austerities. "No," Krishna responds. Fight! But do it in a spirit of surrender, and devote the fruits of your labour to the Supreme. This is the most effective purifying method. Working without attachment leads to the Supreme."
Offering sacrifices for the Lord's delight ensures monetary success and freedom from sinful emotions. Even the most self-aware person will never abandon his responsibilities. He acts in order to educate others.
Arjuna then asks the Lord what motivates people to commit immoral acts. Krishna responds that lust is what drives people to sin. This lust perplexes and entangles one in the physical world. Lust manifests itself in the senses, cognition, and intelligence, but it may be overcome by self-control.
Chapter 4: Transcendental Knowledge: Krishna originally revealed the science of Bhagavad-gita to Vivasvan, the sun-god. Vivasvan passed on the science to his descendants, who then passed it on to humanity. This method of knowledge transmission is known as disciplic succession.
Whenever and wherever there is a drop in religion and an increase in irreligion, Krishna manifests Himself in His Original Transcendental Form, unaffected by material nature. At the time of death, one who comprehends the Lord's transcendental nature enters the Lord's eternal home.
Everyone, directly or indirectly, surrenders to Krishna, and Krishna responds in proportion to one's surrender.
Krishna devised a system known as varnasrama, which included divisions of social and spiritual life in order to engage individuals based on their psychophysical natures. People eventually advance to the platform of transcendental knowledge by dedicating the fruits of their labour to the Supreme. People who are ignorant and lack confidence in the revealed knowledge of the scriptures will never be happy or achieve God Consciousness.
Chapter 5: Karma – yoga – Action in Krishna Consciousness: Arjuna is still unsure whether renunciation of job or devotional work is preferable. Krishna teaches why devotional service is preferable. Nothing is one's own to renounce because everything belongs to Krishna. Thus, whatever one has should be put to use in Krishna's service. A person who works in such consciousness is shunned. This method, known as karma yoga, assists one in escaping the result of fruitful action—entanglement in rebirth.
One who works in devotion while controlling his mind and senses is in divine consciousness. Despite the fact that his senses are engaged with sense things, he is detached, situated in serenity and bliss.
Chapter 6: Dhyana – yoga: The practice of mystic yoga necessitates the abandonment of all material occupations. However, the true mystic is not one who does not execute any duties. A true yogi performs his or her duties without regard for the outcome or the desire for sense fulfilment. True yoga requires encountering the Supreme Soul within one's heart and obeying His commands. This is accomplished by the use of a focused mind.
One gets unaffected by the dualities of material life as a result of knowledge and realisation (heat and cold, honour and dishonour, etc.). The yogi achieves control over his body, mind, and behaviours by regulating his eating, sleeping, work, and recreation, and he becomes steadfast in his meditation on the transcendent self. Finally, he attains Samadhi, which is defined as the ability to enjoy transcendental pleasure through transcendental sensation. The ultimate yogi is one who is constantly thinking about Krishna, the Supreme Soul.
Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute: Krishna reveals Himself to be the source of all physical and spiritual forces. Krishna is not subject to material control, despite the fact that His energy exhibits material nature in three states of being (goodness, passion, and ignorance). Except for those who have surrendered to Him, everyone else is.
Krishna is the essence of everything: the taste of water, the heat of the fire, the sound of ether, the light of the sun and moon, man's capacity, the original smell of the ground, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the life of everything that lives.
There are four categories of men who surrender to Krishna and four types who do not. Those who do not surrender are protected by Krishna's illusory power and will never know Him, but virtuous individuals become suitable for submission to devotional service. Those who comprehend that Krishna is the cause of all causes devote themselves to devotional service with zeal and grow close to Krishna. These exceptional souls will undoubtedly find Him.
Chapter 8: Attaining the Supreme: Arjuna poses seven queries to Krishna: What exactly is Brahman? What exactly is self? What exactly are fruitful activities? What exactly is material manifestation? What exactly are demigods? What is the name of the Lord of Sacrifice? And how can individuals who devote their lives to Krishna know him when they die?
Krishna responds that "Brahman" refers to the indestructible living entity (jiva), "self" refers to the soul's inherent nature of service, and "fruitive activities" allude to actions that generate material bodies. The ever-changing physical nature is the material manifestation; the demigods and their planets are part of the Supreme Lord's global form, and the Lord of sacrifice is Krishna Himself as the Super soul.
Knowing Krishna at the time of death is dependent on one's level of consciousness. "Whatever state of being one recalls when he leaves his body, that state he shall attain without fail," says the principle.
"Whoever, at the end of life, loses his body remembering Me alone immediately attains My nature without a doubt," Krishna declares. As a result, My darling Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the guise of Krishna while carrying out your designated duty of battling. You will achieve Me without a doubt if you devote your efforts to Me and focus your intellect and brain on Me."
All living creatures manifest during Brahma's days and blend into the unmanifested nature during his nights. Although there are auspicious and inauspicious times to leave one's body, devotees of Krishna are unconcerned about them because by engaging in pure devotional service to Krishna, they automatically attain all of the benefits of studying the Vedas or engaging in sacrifice, charity, philosophical speculation, and so on. Such zealous worshippers attain the Lord's Supreme Eternal Abode.
Chapter 9: The Most Confidential Knowledge: According to Lord Krishna, the most private information, devotional knowledge, is the purest knowledge and the highest education. It is the pinnacle of religion since it provides a direct perception of oneself through realisation. It lasts forever and is gladly performed.
Krishna's unmanifested form pervades all, yet Krishna Himself remains separate from materiality. Material nature, under His guidance, creates all moving and non-moving beings.
Krishna's unmanifested form pervades all, yet Krishna Himself remains separate from materiality. Material nature, under His guidance, creates all moving and non-moving beings.
Different worshipers achieve various objectives. Men who aspire to reach the heavenly planets worship the demigods and subsequently take birth among them to enjoy godly delights; however, such men return to earth after exhausting their pious credits. Men who worship ancestors travel to ancestor planets, whereas those who worship ghosts become ghosts. One who worships Krishna with complete devotion, on the other hand, will be with Him forever.
Whatever a Krishna devotee does, eats, does, or distributes in charity, he does as an offering to the Lord. Krishna repays His follower by bearing what he lacks and maintaining what he has. Even lowborn persons can reach the Supreme goal by seeking Krishna's protection.
Chapter 10: the Opulence of the Absolute: Krishna is known to devotees as the unborn, the beginningless, the Supreme Lord of all worlds, the creator of the patriarchs from whom all living beings descend, and the source of all things.
Krishna creates all attributes, good and bad, including intelligence, knowledge, truthfulness, mental and sensory control, fearlessness, nonviolence, austerity, birth, death, fear, distress, and infamy. Devotional service aids in the development of all positive attributes.
Devotees who engage in loving devotional service have complete faith in Krishna's opulence, a mystic might, and sovereignty. Krishna is the repository of such followers' thoughts. Their lives are devoted to His service, and they find great joy and fulfilment in enlightening and discussing Him.
Even if they lack education or knowledge of Vedic concepts, devotees engaged in true devotional service are supported from within by Krishna, who personally eliminates the darkness born of ignorance.
Krishna's position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate dwelling and the Absolute Truth, the purest, transcendental, and original person, the unborn, the greatest, the origin, and the Lord of all has been clear to Arjuna. Arjuna now wants to know more. Lord Krishna continues, saying, "All sumptuous, gorgeous, and wondrous creations arise from simply a spark of My magnificence."
Chapter 11: The Universal Form: To safeguard innocent people from imposters, Arjuna requests that Krishna demonstrate His divinity by displaying His universal form - a form that anyone claiming to be God must be willing to show. Krishna grants Arjuna divine vision, allowing him to view the brilliant, glaring, limitless global form, which exposes everything that has ever been, is now or will be in one location.
Arjuna prostrates with folded palms and praises the Lord. Krishna then discloses that, with the exception of the five Pandavas, all of the troops gathered on the battlefield will be slaughtered. As a result, Krishna exhorts Arjuna to battle as His instrument and assures him of victory and a prosperous kingdom.
Arjuna demands that Krishna remove His terrifying aspect and reveal His true form. The Lord then appears in His four-armed form, followed by His original two-armed form. Arjuna is calmed when he sees the Lord in his gorgeous humanlike form. Such a shape can be seen by someone who is engaged in sincere devotional service.
Chapter 12: Devotional Service: "Who is more perfect, the devotee worshipping and serving the Lord's physical form or the transcendentalist meditating on the impersonal Brahman?" Arjuna wonders.
"The devotee who sets his mind on My personal form is most perfect," Krishna responds.
Because devotional service involves the mind and senses, it is the most natural and effortless approach for an embodied soul to accomplish the ultimate goal. The impersonal route is unnatural and laden with peril. Krishna advises against it.
At the pinnacle of devotional service, one's consciousness is completely focused on Krishna. The practice of regulative devotional service is a step-down. Lower than that is karma-yoga, which foregoes the fruits of one's actions. Meditation and knowledge cultivation are two indirect methods for obtaining the Supreme.
The Lord values a devotee who is pure, expert, tolerant, self-controlled, equipoised, non-envious, devoid of false ego, friendly to all living creatures, and equal to friends and adversaries.
Chapter 13: Nature, the Enjoyer and Consciousness: Arjuna is interested in prakriti (nature), purusa (the enjoyer), ksetra (the field), ksetra-jna (the field's knower), jnana (knowledge), and gnaya (the object of knowledge).
Krishna states that the ksetra is the body's arena of activity for the conditioned soul. It contains both the living being and the Supreme Lord, who is known as ksetra-jna, or field knowers. Jnana, or knowledge, refers to a comprehension of the body and those who know it. Humility, nonviolence, tolerance, cleanliness, self-control, the absence of false ego, and even-mindedness in the face of happy and bad events are all attributes associated with knowledge.
The Super soul is Jnaya, the object of knowledge. Nature, or Prakriti, is the source of all material causes and effects. The living creature and the Super soul are the two purusas, or enjoyers. A person who has the vision of eternity is someone who can perceive that the individual soul and the Super soul stay unchanged across the numerous types of material bodies they successfully occupy. The greatest aim is attained by comprehending the distinction between the body and the knower of the body, as well as comprehending the process of liberation from material bondage.
Chapter 14: The Three Modes of Material Nature: The complete material substance is the source of the three phases of material nature: kindness, passion, and ignorance. These modes vie for power over the conditioned psyche. By witnessing the modes at work, we can learn that they are active, not we and that we are separate. As a result, the effect of material nature progressively fades, and we reach Krishna's spiritual nature.
The mode of kindness shines brightly. It liberates one from all immoral reactions while conditioning one to a sense of happiness and wisdom. The upper planets are attained by those who die in a good manner.
A person motivated by the mode of passion is troubled by unending wants for limitless material pleasure, particularly sex pleasure. To satisfy those cravings, he is always compelled to engage in hard work, which bonds him to sinful reactions and sorrow. A person in the mode of passion is never pleased with his current situation. After death, he reincarnates on Earth amid people engaged in fruitful endeavours.
Delusion is the mode of ignorance. It promotes insanity, indolence, lethargy, and folly. If one dies in ignorance, he must reincarnate in the animal kingdom or the horrible kingdoms.
A person who transcends the three modes is consistent in his behaviour, detached from his temporary physical body, and equally disposed toward friends and adversaries. Such transcendental attributes can be attained through complete devotional service.
Chapter 15: The Yoga of the Supreme Person: This material world's "tree" is merely a reflection of the true "tree," the spiritual realm. The material reflection of the spiritual world is positioned on desire, just as a tree's reflection is situated on the water, and no one knows where it begins or ends. The three phases of material nature nourish this mirrored tree. Its leaves represent Vedic hymns, while its twigs represent sense things. To be free of this tree, one must cut it down with the weapon of detachment and seek refuge with the Supreme Lord.
Everyone in this world is faulty, but everyone in the spiritual realm is flawless. And, above everything, there is Krishna, the Supreme Person. Everyone in this world is faulty, but everyone in the spiritual realm is flawless. And, above everything, there is Krishna, the Supreme Person.
Chapter 16: The Divine and Demoniac Natures: The divine and demoniac kinds of created beings are endowed with different attributes. Charity, self-control, gentleness, modesty, forgiveness, cleanliness, austerity, simplicity, non-violence, truthfulness, tranquillity, fearlessness, freedom from anger, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, aversion to fault-finding, compassion for all living beings, freedom from covetousness, and steady determination characterise godly men like Arjuna.
Demoniac characteristics like as pride, rage, envy, harshness, arrogance, ignorance, impudence, uncleanliness, and improper behaviour bound people in a network of delusion that causes them to take birth to demoniac species of life over and over again. Because he is unable to approach Krishna, the demoniac gradually descends into hell.
Various types of action - regulated and unregulated – produce different outcomes. A person who disregards scriptural injunctions does not achieve perfection, happiness, or the ultimate goal. Scripture-governed people comprehend what obligation is and is not. They progressively arrive at the ultimate objective through performing acts that promote self–realization.
Chapter 17: The Divisions of Faith: Arjuna inquires. "What form of nature guides those who do not worship according to the principles of scripture but worship according to their own imagination?"
In response, Krishna examines the various types of faith, food, charity, austerity, sacrifice, and penance that distinguish the various aspects of material nature.
The three words "om tat" sat are symbols for the Supreme Absolute Truth. Om denotes the Supreme, tat denotes liberation from material entanglement and sat denotes that the Absolute Truth is the goal of devotional worship. Asat, impermanent, refers to any sacrifice, charity, or penance undertaken without faith in the Supreme.
Chapter 18: Conclusion: The Perfection of Renunciation: Arjuna inquires of Krishna about the meaning of tyaga (renunciation) and sannyasa (the renounced order of life). Krishna outlines them, as well as the five causes of action, the three motivators of action, and the three parts of the action. In addition, he describes action, comprehension, determination, happiness, and effort in terms of each of the three modes of material nature.
Perfection is attained through doing one's own task, not that of others because specified responsibilities are never impacted by sinful reactions. As a result, work should be done as a matter of duty, without connection or expectation of outcome. One should never abandon one's responsibilities.
Pure devotional service to Krishna is the highest level of self-realization. As a result, Krishna instructs Arjuna to always rely on Him, labour under His protection, and be aware of Him. Even if Arjuna declines to fight for Krishna, he will be dragged into battle because it is a Ksatriya's propensity to fight. Nonetheless, he is free to do anything he likes.
Arjuna's illusions and doubts dissipate as a result of Krishna's favour, and he chooses to fight in accordance with Krishna's instructions.
Conclusion:
The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna talked directly to the Bhagavad Gita. If one reads the Bhagavad-gita on a regular and careful basis, he will be able to surpass the study of all Vedic literature. In this day and age, it is extremely difficult to carry out the sacrifices prescribed in the Vedic scriptures; there are several obstacles to taking up vows; austerities and penances are difficult to carry out, and people are not particularly charitable. However, a devotional recitation of the Gita can please the Supreme Lord. If only this one text is studied, the study of the Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasas is comprehensive in every way.
We may perform sinful acts in this material realm, whether deliberately or unknowingly. Sins caused by objectionable behaviour or offensive words, consuming forbidden foods, and immoral behaviours prompted by the senses can all be removed by reciting the Gita with dedication. Even if we commit some heinous crime, we will not be held accountable. Of course, we must repent. Krishna promises to preserve us from the consequences of all wicked reactions: aham tvam sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami.
You can buy/read/listen to Bhagavad Gita As It Is from the given links below:
- For India: https://amzn.to/3EBWnZT
- For outside of India: https://amzn.to/389fXAy
- Read Online: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/
- Listen Online: https://vanisource.org/wiki/Category:Lectures_-_Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is
