A glimpse of
Bhagavad-gita
From
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakura’s Rasikaraïjana
&
Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gétä As It Is
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Chapter 1. Observing the armies on the battlefield of Kurukñetra
As the armies of both sides are standing ready, Arjuna, the mighty warrior sees his intimate friends and relatives, who are prepared to fight and ready to sacrifice their lives. Overwhelmed by grief, Arjuna becomes bewildered and thus, he gives up his determination to fight.
Bg. 1.1 – Dhåtaräñöra said to Saïjaya: After assembling in the holy place of Kurukñetra desiring to fight what did my sons and the sons of Päëòu do?
Bg. 1.2 – Saïjaya said to Dhåtaräñöra: The king Duryodhana after seeing the armies of the sons of Päëòu went to his teacher and spoke as follows.
Bg. 1.3 – O Äcärya! Please have a look over the armies of the sons of Päëòu, so expertly arranged by your intelligent disciple Dhåñöadyumna, the son of Drupada.
Bg. 1.4 – Here (in their army) there are many heroic mighty bowmen who are equivalent to Bhéma and Arjuna such as Yuyudhäna, Viräöa and Drupada.
Bg. 1.5, 6 – There are also powerful fighters like Dhåñöaketu, Cekitäna, Käçiräja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Çaibya. There are Yudhämanyu, the mighty-armed Uttamaujä, the powerful son of Subhadrä and the sons of Draupadé – who all are the great chariot fighters.
Bg. 1.7, 8 – O Dvija-uttama! For your kind understanding, let me tell you about the captains who are qualified to lead our army. There are powerful personalities like Yourself, Bhéñma, Karëa, Kåpa, Açvatthämä, Vikarëa and Bhüriçravä (the son of Somadatta) – who are ever victorious in battle.
Bg. 1.9 – Also, there are many powerful fighters who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake and all of them are well equipped with many kinds of weapons, and they are very much experienced in the military science.
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Bg. 1.10 – The strength of our army, perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhéñma is immeasurable whereas the strength of the army of the sons of Päëòu protected by Bhéma is very limited.
Bg. 1.11 – All of us must extend our full support to Grandfather Bhisma by safeguarding our strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
Bg. 1.12 – The great valiant revered grandsire of Kuru dynasty, Bhéñma, the grandfather of all fighters thereafter blew his conchshell loudly like the roar of a lion giving Duryodhana joy.
Bg. 1.13 – Thereafter, conchshells, kettledrums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all sounded together. The combined sound was tumultuous.
Bg. 1.14 – On the opposite side of the battle, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Mädhavaù (Kåñëa) and the mighty warrior, Päëòavaù (Arjuna), riding on a great chariot drawn by the white horses blew their transcendental conchshells.
- As the sun is known by many names (such as sunce, soleil, surya, etc.) and water is known by many names (such as acqua, jal, wasser, etc.), similarly the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known by many names (such as Kåñëa, Govinda, Madhava, Allah, Yahovah, Keshava, Håñékeça, Madhusüdana, Achyuta, etc.).
Bg. 1.15 – The Supreme Lord, Håñékeça (Kåñëa) blew His transcendental conchshell called Päïcajanya; Dhanaïjaya (Arjuna) blew his conchshell called Devadatta; the performer of herculean tasks and voracious eater, Bhémasena blew his conchshell called Pauëòra.
Bg. 1.16 – King Yudhiñöhira, who is the son of Kunté, blew his conchshell called Ananta-vijaya. Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conchshells called Sughoña and Maëipuñpaka.
Bg. 1.17-18 – The King of Käçé, the great archer Çikhaëòé, the great chariot fighters like Dhåñöadyumna and Viräöa, unconquerable Sätyaki, the King of Päïcäla (Drupada), the sons of Draupadé and the mighty-armed son of Subhadrä – all of them blew their respective conchshells.
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Bg. 1.19 – The cumulative vibrations of these conchshells became uproarious resounding in the sky and on the earth, shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhåtaräñöra.
Bg. 1.20 – Päëòavaù (Arjuna), thereafter, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumän took up his bow and arrows, and got prepared to fight. After seeing the sons of Dhåtaräñöra, Arjuna spoke to Lord Kåñëa as follows.
Bg. 1.21 to 23 – Please draw my chariot in between the two armies, O Achyuta, so that I may have a look upon who all are present here and with whom I should fight in this great trial of arms. Also, I want to see who all are present here to please the evil-minded son of Dhåtaräñöra.
Bg. 1.24, 25 – Håñékeça (Kåñëa), having thus been addressed by Arjuna, drew up his fine chariot in between the two armies. There, in the presence of Bhéñma, Droëa and all other cheiftains of the world, the Lord said, “O Pärtha, see all the Kauravas who are present here”.
Bg. 1.26 – Pärthaù (Arjuna), in the midst of both the armies, could see his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, friends, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandsons, fathers-in-law and many other well-wishers.
Bg. 1.27 – After seeing all these different grades of friends and relatives, Kaunteyaù (Arjuna) became overwhelmed with compassion and spoke thus.
Bg. 1.28, 29 – O Kåñëa! After seeing my friends and relatives assembled here in the spirit of fighting, my limbs are quivering, my mouth is drying up and my hair is standing on the end. My Gäëòéva (bow) is slipping from my hand and my skin is burning.
Bg. 1.30 – I am no longer able to stay here, O Keshava, and my mind is confused. I am forgetting myself and I can see only the sign of misfortune.
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Bg. 1.31 – I can neither foresee anything good in killing one’s own kinsmen nor I have any desire for victory, kingdom or happiness at their cost.
Bg. 1.32, 33 – O Govinda! What use the kingdom, happiness and life itself have, when the very people for whom we desire these things are arrayed on the battlefield.
Bg. 1.34, 35 – O Janärdana! What to speak of the earth even if I am awarded the three worlds in exchange for killing the sons of Dhåtaräñöra, I would not like to do so.
Bg. 1.36 to 38 – O Mädhava! If the sons of Dhåtaräñöra get killed, then sin will overcome us, though they are aggressors. Overtaken by greed they do not see any fault in killing one’s own kinsmen but why should we involve in such an act when we know the consequences?
Bg. 1.39 – O Mädhava! With the destruction of family members in battle, the eternal family traditions will also get destroyed and thus, the remaining family members will get involved in the act of irreligiosity.
Bg. 1.40 to 43 – When the act of irreligiosity become prominent in the society, O Kåñëa, women in the society become polluted. With the degradation of womanhood, there will be unwanted progeny, O Värñëeya.
- There is a common saying that only by the potency of three people’s purity, the rains are made possible.
- Honesty of king in his dealings.
- Selflessness of citizens in their performance of prescribed duties.
- Chastity of women towards their husband.
Bg. 1.44, 45 – Alas! just see how strange it is that we have decided to commit such an act of killing one’s own kinsmen. It would be better, if the sons of Dhåtaräñöra kill me unarmed and unresisting.
Bg. 1.46 – Saïjaya said: Speaking thus, Arjuna, cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down on the chariot, his mind overwhelmed with grief.
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Chapter 2. The Universal Teachings of Bhagavad Gétä
Thus, the mighty warrior, Arjuna becomes confused and surrenders unto the Supreme Lord as His disciple. Then, the Lord begins His teachings about the fundamental distinction between the eternal living being and the temporary material body. Thereafter, the Lord explains about the process of transmigration of eternal living being from one material body to another, the selfless activities performed in the form of prescribed duties for the pleasure of the Supreme and the characteristics of a self-realized person.
Bg. 2.1 – Seeing Arjuna become overwhelmed with compassion and his eyes filled with tears and mind overcome with grief, the Supreme Lord spoke the following words.
Bg. 2.2 – The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: In the hour of crisis, O Arjuna, from where these lamentations have come upon you? It does not befit a man who knows the actual goal of life nor it leads you to higher destination; but to infamy.
Bg. 2.3 – You never get inclined, O Pärtha, to this degrading impotence. Give up all such petty weakness of heart and stand-up and fight, O Parantapa.
Bg. 2.4, 5 – How can I counterattack, O Madhusüdana, my worshipable elders like Bhéñma and Droëa with my arrows? It would be better to earn my livelihood by begging than to live at the cost of their lives. Though they are yearning for worldly gains, they are our superiors. If they are killed, then everything we may enjoy will be tainted with blood.
- According to one’s consciousness acquired from the reactions of his past activities he gets a particular type of material body and gets inclined to a particular type of prescribed duty such as brähmaëa (the intelligent class), kñatriya (the administrative class), vaiçya (the productive class) or çüdra (the laborer class). When one performs his prescribed duties genuinely without any tinge of ulterior motivations by keeping the Supreme Lord at centre, he never incurs sin; rather, he progresses towards perfection.
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Bg. 2.6, 7 – I am unable to understand which one is better – conquering them or being conquered by them. Now, I am completely bewildered about my prescribed duties because of my miserly weakness and I have lost all of my composure. In this condition, I am asking You for certain which one is better. I am taking the complete shelter of You as a surrendered disciple, please instruct me.
Bg. 2.8 – I could not find any means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses and it cannot be dispeled even if I win a prosperous and unrivaled kingdom like demigods.
Bg. 2.9, 10 – Speaking thus, Guòäkeçaù (Arjuna) said, “O Govinda! I shall not fight”, and became silent. At that time, smiling in the midst of both the armies, the Supreme Lord spoke to grief-stricken Arjuna as follows.
Bg. 2.11 – The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: You are speaking learned words but you are lamenting for something not worthy of grief. One who is learned, laments neither for the living nor for the dead.
Bg. 2.12 – Certainly, never was there a time when I did not exist nor you, or all these kings and never in the future will any of us cease to be.
- Actually, the living being is imperishable and eternal (it never dies). Only the material body dies repeatedly.
Bg. 2.13 – As the conditioned living being transmigrates in the current material body from the boyhood to youth and to the old age, similarly at the time of death it transmigrates into another material body. One who is learned, does not get bewildered by such a change. [The term ’embodied’ means ‘that which is enwrapped by the body’.]
Bg. 2.14 – The nonpermanent appearance and disappearance of happiness and distress (due to the reactions of one’s past activities) are like the appearance and disappearance of summer and winter seasons, O Kaunteya. They are experienced only because of sense perception, O Bhärata. One should learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
- One good thing about the reactions of one’s past activities is that they appear in the form of prescribed duties. Therefore, the prescribed duties should be performed with utmost care to purify one’s existence. Otherwise, it is not so easy to get rid of the crocodile jaw of reactions of one’s past activities.
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Bg. 2.15 – One who does not get disturbed by the happiness and distress of this material existence and is steady in both, is certainly eligible for liberation, O Puruña-åñabha.
Bg. 2.16 to 18 – The consciousness of the living being pervades the entire material body (by which the material body seems to be alive); otherwise, the material body by itself is just dead matter. The temporary material body of the eternal living being is sure to come to an end, therefore, stand up and fight, O Bhärata.
Bg. 2.19 to 21 – For the indestructible eternal living being, there is neither birth nor death; only the material body takes birth and dies repeatedly.
Bg. 2.22 – As one gives up his old clothing by accepting a new one, similarly the conditioned living being gives up his current material body (at the time of death) by accepting a new one.
- The conditioned living being is forced to accept a temporary material body, one after another, until he achieves perfection. After achieving perfection, he goes back to his eternal home, the spiritual world. [The world which we are living now is like a school. which educates us through the process of repeated birth and death based on our own actions and its reactions. That is why this world (the material world) is called mrityu-loka.]
Bg. 2.23 to 30 – The eternal living being can never be cut by weapon nor burned by fire nor moistened by water nor withered by wind. However, O Mahä-bäho, even if you think that the living being takes birth and dies, still you have no reason to lament because one who has taken his birth is sure to die and after his death he is sure to take birth again.
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Bg. 2.31 to 36 – Considering your specific duty as a kñatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting (against adharma, the irreligious principles). If you fail to perform your prescribed duty, then certainly you will incur sin. People will always speak of your infamy and for a respectable person dishonor is worse than death. The great warriors who have highly honored your name & fame will think that you have left the battle out of fear. What can be more painful than this?
Bg. 2.37, 38 – Either you achieve victory and attain the kingdom or you achieve a glorious death and attain a higher destination, O Kaunteya. Therefore, with determination stand-up and fight without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat – thus, you never incur any sin.
Bg. 2.39 – Till now, I have described to you in terms of säìkhya-yoga, the analytical study of activities, O Pärtha. Now, I describe to you in terms of performing the activities without having any desires for fruitive results. If one performs his prescribed duties with the help of this knowledge, then he will certainly free himself from the bondage of work.
Bg. 2.40 – O Arjuna, on this path there is no loss or diminution even a little advancement can save oneself from the most dangerous fear of material existence.
Bg. 2.41 – Those who are fixed on this path, are resolute in their purpose but those who are not their intelligence is many-branched and contaminated with unlimited desires, O Kuru-nandana.
Bg. 2.42, 43 – Those who are less intelligent are very much attached to the flowery words of Vedas, O Pärtha, which generally recommend various fruitive activities for material accomplishments like elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power and so forth. Being overly attached to sense enjoyment one argues that there is nothing more than this.
- To encourage the people of lower stage, Vedas recommend materially motivated ritualistic worship to the demigods (so that they can gradually progress and achieve the ultimate goal, the pure devotional service).
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Bg. 2.44 – Those whose mind is too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, the firm determination for devotional service does not take place.
Bg. 2.45, 46 – Vedas in general deal with the subject matter of three modes of material nature (the subject matter of actions and its reactions), O Arjuna. You be transcendental to them and be always situated on the platform of devotional service and be always free from dualities and anxieties for gain and safety and thus, be established in the self.
- The three modes of material nature is nothing but a governing principle which governs us at every step of our life based on our past activities. Every action that we perform determines our consciousness, and at the end of our life whatever state of consciousness we may have accordingly we get our next body either it may be a higher or lower form of human life or any other form out of 84 lakhs species. [In the Padma Purana it is stated that there are 84 lakhs of varieties of material bodies out of which 9 lakhs varieties are the aquatic bodies, 20 lakhs varieties are the bodies of trees, 11 lakhs varieties are the insect bodies, 10 lakhs varieties are the bodies of birds, 30 lakhs varieties are the bodies of animals and 4 lakhs varieties are the human bodies.]
Bg. 2.47 – O Arjuna, you have the privileges to perform your prescribed duties but you do not have the privileges to enjoy the fruits of your labor (i.e. you can utilize them for your basic needs but not for sense enjoyments). Never become attached to the results of your activities, for they are stringently controlled by the three modes of material nature (based on the reactions of your past activities). Also, never become attached to not performing your prescribed duties.
- The conditioned living being bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself as the doer of the activities but actually those are performed by the three modes of material nature (based on the reactions of his past activities). – Bg. 3.27
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Bg. 2.48 to 50 – O Dhanaïjaya, keep all the materialistic fruitive activities at far distance by performing your prescribed duty devotedly (i.e. without any tinge of ulterior motivations). Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their labor are misers.
- The human form of life amongst 84 lakhs of species is especially meant to cross over this insurmountable material existence. But, unfortunately, those who do not utilize it for this purpose and waste it for enjoying the insignificant results of their labor are considered to be misers.
Bg. 2.51 to 53 – One whose intelligence does not get disturbed by the flowery words of Vedas and is uninterested in all kinds of Vedic rituals, is steadily fixed in the unflinching devotional service.
- For those who are fixed steadily on the path of pure devotional service, the path of Vedic rituals is not required.
Bg. 2.54 – Arjuna inquired: O Keshava! What are the behaviours of those whose mind and intelligence are thus fixed?
Bg. 2.55 – The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One who has given up his desires altogether for sense gratification and whose mind finds satisfaction in the self alone, O Pärtha, he is said to be in pure consciousness.
Bg. 2.56, 57 – As long as the conditioned living being possesses a material body, he is sure to experience the dualities of material existence like happiness and distress, good and bad, success and failure, etc., (based on the reactions of his past activities). One who is not affected by such dualities, neither praising them nor hating them, is said to be firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.
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Bg. 2.58 – As the tortoise withdraws its limbs within its shell, similarly one who is able to withdraw his senses from its objects, is said to be firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
- Çrémad-Bhägavatam declares that the most detestable sinful activities performed for one’s sense enjoyments are meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex (i.e. relationship outside marriage) and gambling (i.e. dishonest earnings).
Bg. 2.59 to 61 – Though the conditioned living being is kept away from the objects of senses, his taste for them remains. But, by experiencing a higher taste (through the process of devotional service) he can very easily cease all such inferior ones.
Bg. 2.62 to 68 – By contemplating the objects of senses, one develops attachment towards them. By such attachment lust develops and anger arises. From anger, one’s memory gets bewildered and thus, he looses his intelligence, and falls down into the material pool again.
Bg. 2.69 – What is considered to be the night for all the living beings is the time of awakening for a self-controlled, similarly what is considered to be the night for a self-controlled is the time of awakening for all the living beings.
- The conditioned living being gets awakened by the flickering happiness of sense enjoyment but it remains asleep towards the eternal happiness of spiritual life. But, for a self-controlled it is vice versa.
Bg. 2.70 – As the ever-full steady-ocean does not get disturbed by the incessant flow of rivers, similarly one who does not get disturbed by the incessant flow of his desires (which occur due to the reactions of his past activities) can alone attain peace; not one who strives to satisfy them.
Bg. 2.71, 72 – After giving up his desires for sense enjoyment, one who lives without any sense of proprietorship and false ego – he alone can attain real peace. When one is thus situated even at the time of death, he attains the kingdom of God.
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Conclusion:
The prescribed duties can be many, but still they can be categorised into three.
- The prescribed duties that are related to one’s occupation (Varna)
- As a Brähmaëa, Kñatriya, Vaiçya or Çüdra. [Doctor, Engineer, Farmer, Teacher, Administrator, Warrior, Lawyer, Laborer, etc.]
- The prescribed duties that are related to one’s family (Ashram)
- The prescribed duties that are related to parents, children, parents-in-law and others like saintly persons, dependent living beings (i.e. all the living beings), etc.
- The prescribed duties that are related to one’s spiritual-austerity (Sädhana)
- As per the state of one’s evolution sädhana varies : viräö-rüpa, säyujya, sälokya, särñöi, särüpya, sämépya, çänta, däsya, sakhya, vätsalya, çåìgära and çåìgära-audärya. [The recommended sädhana (for all) for this age, the kali-yuga, is singing congregationally the holy names of the Supreme Lord (with unlimited attachment like the inhabitants of Vrindavan).]
When these three catagories of prescribed duties are performed without any negligence, is said to be the devotional service. Eventually, when one’s devotional service gets matured and merges into love of God, is said to be the pure devotional service (which is discussed eloborately in Çrémad-Bhägavatam and Çré Chaitanya Charitamrita).
Çré Chaitanya Charitamrita (Madhya lila 128, 129) states,
sädhu-saìga, näma-kértana, bhägavata-çravaëa
mathurä-väsa, çré-mürtira çraddhäya sevana
sakala-sädhana-çreñöha ei païca aìga
kåñëa-prema janmäya ei päìcera alpa saìga
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When these five primary limbs of devotional service are performed (with great attachment like the inhabitants of Vrindavan) in any one of the four relationships with (the personal form of) Kåñëa namely çåìgära, vätsalya, sakhya or däsya, one will certainly transcend the bodily conception of life and achieve the pure love of Kåñëa in this very life time. This is the essence of Çré Chaitanya Charitamrita. – Adi 3.11
Important Verses:
O Pärtha, as I am the Supreme there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems. Neither I have a need to obtain anything nor I am in want of anything – yet I am engaged carefully in all of My prescribed duties. – Bg. 3.22
If I ever failed to perform My prescribed duties, then the whole world would be put to ruination (because everyone would follow My footsteps). I would become the cause of creating unwanted population and destroying the peace of all the living beings. – Bg. 3.24
Arjuna said: O Värñëeya! what actually is inducing one to indulge in sinful activities; even unwillingly as if he is engaged by force? – Bg. 3.36
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is certainly lust, O Arjuna, which is born out of mode of passion (which is acquired from the reactions of one’s past activities). Lust is the (all-devouring) greatest sinful enemy, which gets transformed into wrath later. Therefore, O Bharata-åñabha, you should curb this great symbol of sin by controlling your senses from the very beginning of life, and thus kill this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization. – Bg. 3. 37 & 41
Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners still when you get situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean of material existence. As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, similarly the fire of transcendental knowledge burns all the reactions of one’s past activities to ashes. – Bg. 4.36, 37
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The selfless activities (in the form of prescribed duties) that are executed for the pleasure of the Supreme are called Yajïa. All the activities other than Yajïa bind one to this material world, for they produce reactions. – Bg. 3.9
Act of sacrifice (through one’s occupation), charity (through one’s ashram) and spiritual-austerity (through one’s sädhana) are not to be given up. Infact, the act of sacrifice (yajïa), charity (däna) and spiritual-austerity (tapaù) purify even the great souls. But, O Pärtha, they must be performed without any expectation of result; as a matter of responsibility. That is My final opinion. – Bg. 18.5, 6
For anyone who explains this supreme secret to My devotees, the pure devotional service is guaranteed. At the end, he will come back to Me without doubt. – Bg. 18.68
O Pärtha, whether you have heard My words with an attentive mind? Whether your ignorance are now dispelled, O Dhanaïjaya? – Bg. 18.72
Arjuna said: O Achyuta, now my illusion has gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. Now, I am firmly fixed and free from all doubts, and prepared to act according to Your instructions. – Bg. 18.73
Wherever there is Yoga-éçvaraù (Kåñëa, the Supreme Lord) and wherever there is Dhanur-dharaù (Arjuna, the pure devotee), certainly there will be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, determination and morality. – Bg. 18.78
Çåìgära, Vätsalya, Sakhya and Däsya are the four transcendental relationships through which one can relish sweet intimate personal relationship with the personal form of Kåñëa, by which Kåñëa is subdued (by his love). – CC Adi 3.11