108 verses prabhupada

 

 
108 Imporant Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is
 
Arjuna and Krishna

This is the list of 108 of the most important slokas from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is (1972 Macmillan Edition) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The index to these verses was taken from the Bhakti-sastri Study Guide compiled by Atmatattva dasa as used by the Bhaktivedanta Academy in Mayapur. [*Note for this collection of slokas, we are using the Original Translations rather than the later re-vised Translations. These were the Translations that Srila Prabhupada approved and which were memorized by heart, by all of the early disciples of His Divine Grace.]

These are important verses for memorizing. Srila Prabhupada has said, that when you quote a verse, your argument becomes authoritative.

 
2.7

 

Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.

2.11


The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.

2.12
 
never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.

2.13
 
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.

2.14
 O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

2.20
 
For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

2.22

 

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

2.23
 
The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

2.27
 For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.

2.30
 O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body is eternal and can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any creature.

2.40
 In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.

2.41

 
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

2.44

 In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination of devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.

2.45
 
The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self.

2.46
 
All purposes that are served by the small pond can at once be served by the great reservoirs of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.

2.59
 The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

2.62

 While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.

2.63
 From anger, delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls down again into the material pool.

2.64
 One who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion.

2.69

 

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.

3.9
 
Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain unattached and free from bondage.

3.14

 All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.

3.21
 Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

3.27
 
The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.

3.37
 The Blessed Lord said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material modes of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring, sinful enemy of this world.

4.1
 The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.

4.2
 This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.

4.3
 That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.

4.6

 
Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.

4.7
 
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.

4.8

 
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.

4.9
 One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

4.10

 Being freed from attachment, fear and anger, being fully absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, many persons in the past became purifled by knowledge of Me—and thus they all attained transcendental love for Me.

4.11

 All of them—as they surrender unto Me—I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pṛthā.

4.13

 According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.

4.34
 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.

5.18

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

vidyā—education; vinaya—gentleness; sampanne—fully equipped; brāhmaṇe—in the brāhmaṇa; gavi—in the cow; hastini—in the elephant; śuni—in the dog; ca—and; eva—certainly; śvapāke—in the dog-eater (the outcaste); ca—respectively; paṇḍitāḥ—those who are so wise; sama-darśinaḥ—do see with equal vision.

The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] .

5.22

ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ

ye—those; hi—certainly; saṁsparśajāḥ—by contact with the material senses; bhogāḥ—enjoyment; duḥkha—distress; yonayaḥ—sources of; eva—certainly; te—they are; ādi—in the beginning; antavantaḥ—subject to; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; na—never; teṣu—in those; ramate—take delight; budhaḥ—the intelligent.

An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.

5.29

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

bhoktāram—beneficiary; yajña—sacrifices; tapasām—of penances and austerities; sarva-loka—all planets and the demigods thereof; maheśvaram—the Supreme Lord; suhṛdam—benefactor; sarva—all; bhūtānām—of the living entities; jñātvā—thus knowing; mām—Me (Lord Kṛṣṇa); śāntim—relief from material pangs; ṛcchati—achieves.

The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.

6.17

yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā

yukta—regulated; āhāra—eating; vihārasya—recreation; yukta—regulated; ceṣṭasya—of one who works for maintenance; karmasu—in discharging duties; yukta—regulated; svapna-avabodhasya—regulated sleep and wakefulness; yogaḥ—practice of yoga; bhavati—becomes; duḥkha-hā—diminishing pains.

He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

6.41

prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān
uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe
yoga-bhraṣṭo ’bhijāyate

prāpya—after achieving; puṇya-kṛtām—of those who performed pious activities; lokān—planets; uṣitvā—after dwelling; śāśvatīḥ—many; samāḥ—years; śucīnām—of the pious; śrīmatām—of the prosperous; gehe—in the house of; yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ—one who is fallen from the path of self-realization; abhijāyate—takes his birth.

The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.

6.47

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

yoginām—of all yogīs; api—also; sarveṣām—all types of; mat-gatena—abiding in Me; antaḥ-ātmanā—always thinking of Me within; śraddhāvān—in full faith; bhajate—renders transcendental loving service; yaḥ—one who; mām—Me (the Supreme Lord); saḥ—he; me—Mine; yuktatamaḥ—the greatest yogī; mataḥ—is considered.

And of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.

7.3

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ

manuṣyāṇām—of men; sahasreṣu—out of many thousands; kaścit—someone; yatati—endeavors; siddhaye—for perfection; yatatām—of those so endeavoring; api—indeed; siddhānām—of those who have achieved perfection; kaścit—someone; mām—Me; vetti—does know; tattvataḥ—in fact.

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

7.4

bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

bhūmiḥ—earth; āpaḥ—water; analaḥ—fire; vāyuḥ—air; kham—ether; manaḥ—mind; buddhiḥ—intelligence; eva—certainly; ca—and; ahaṅkāraḥ—false ego; iti—thus; iyam—all these; me—My; bhinnā—separated; prakṛtiḥ—energies; aṣṭadhā—total eight.

Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.

7.5

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

aparā—inferior; iyam—this; itaḥ—besides this; tu—but; anyām—another; prakṛtim—energy; viddhi—just try to understand; me—My; parām—superior; jīva-bhūtām—the living entities; mahā-bāho—O mighty-armed one; yayā—by whom; idam—this; dhāryate—being utilized or exploited; jagat—the material world.

Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.

7.7

mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva

mattaḥ—beyond Myself; parataram—superior; na—not; anyat—anything else; kiñcit—something; asti—there is; dhanañjaya—O conquerer of wealth; mayi—in Me; sarvam—all that be; idam—which we see; protam—strung; sūtre—on a thread; maṇi-gaṇāḥ—pearls; iva—likened.

O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.

7.14

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te

daivī—transcendental; hi—certainly; eṣā—this; guṇamayī—consisting of the three modes of material nature; mama—My; māyā—energy; duratyayā—very difficult to overcome; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; ye—those; prapadyante—surrender; māyām etām—this illusory energy; taranti—overcome; te—they.

This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

7.15

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

na—not; mām—unto Me; duṣkṛtinaḥ—miscreants; mūḍhāḥ—foolish; prapadyante—surrender; narādhamāḥ—lowest among mankind; māyayā—by the illusory energy; apahṛta—stolen by illusion; jñānāḥ—knowledge; asuram—demonic; bhāvam—nature; āśritāḥ—accepting.

Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.

7.16

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ’rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

catur-vidhāḥ—four kinds of; bhajante—render services; mām—unto Me; janāḥ—persons; sukṛtinaḥ—those who are pious; arjuna—O Arjuna; ārtaḥ—the distressed; jijñāsuḥ—the inquisitive; artha-arthī—one who desires material gain; jñānī—one who knows things as they are; ca—also; bharatarṣabha—O great one amongst the descendants of Bharata.

O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

7.19

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

bahūnām—many; janmanām—births; ante—after; jñānavān—he possessing knowledge; mām—unto Me; prapadyate—surrenders; vāsudevaḥ—cause of all causes; sarvam—all; iti—thus; saḥ—such; mahātmā—great soul; sudurlabhaḥ—very rare.

After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

7.25

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam

na—nor; aham—I; prakāśaḥ—manifest; sarvasya—to everyone; yoga-māyā—internal potency; samāvṛtaḥ—covered; mūḍhaḥ—foolish; ayam—this; na—not; abhijānāti—can understand; lokaḥ—such less intelligent persons; mām—Me; ajam—unborn; avyayam—inexhaustible.

I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.

7.26

vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

veda—know; aham—I; sama—equally; atītāni—past; vartamānāni—present; ca—and; arjuna—O Arjuna; bhaviṣyāṇi—future; ca—also; bhūtāni—living entities; mām—Me; tu—but; veda—knows; na—not; kaścana—anyone.

O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.

7.27

icchā-dveṣa-samutthena
dvandva-mohena bhārata
sarva-bhūtāni sammohaṁ
sarge yānti parantapa

icchā—desire; dveṣa—hate; samutthena—born; dvandva—duality; mohena—overcome; bhārata—O scion of Bharata; sarva—all; bhūtāni—living entities; sammoham—into delusion; sarge—in creation; yānti—go; parantapa—O conquerer of enemies.

O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conquerer of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate.

7.28

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

yeṣām—whose; tu—but; anta-gatam—completely eradicated; pāpam—sin; janānām—of the persons; puṇya—pious; karmaṇām—previous activities; te—they; dvandva—duality; moha—delusion; nirmuktāḥ—free from; bhajante—worship; mām—Me; dṛḍha-vratāḥ—with determination.

Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.

8.5

anta-kāle ca mām eva
smaran muktvā kalevaram
yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ

anta-kāle—at the end of life; ca—also; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; smaran—remembering; muktvā—quitting; kalevaram—the body; yaḥ—he who; prayāti—goes; saḥ—he; mad-bhāvam—My nature; yati—achieves; na—not; asti—there is; atra—here; saṁśayaḥ—doubt.

And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

8.6

yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ

yam yam—whatever; vā—either; api—also; smaran—remembering; bhāvam—nature; tyajati—give up; ante—at the end; kalevaram—this body; tam tam—similar; eva—certainly; eti—gets; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; sadā—always; tat—that; bhāva—state of being; bhāvitaḥ—remembering.

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.

8.7

 
Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

8.14
 
For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O son of Pṛthā, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.

8.15

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

mām—unto Me; upetya—achieving; punaḥ—again; janma—birth; duḥkha-ālayam—place of miseries; aśāśvatam—temporary; na—never; āpnuvanti—attain; mahātmānaḥ—the great souls; saṁsiddhim—perfection; paramām—ultimate; gatāḥ—achieved.

After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.

8.16

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ’rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

ābrahma—up to the Brahmaloka planet; bhuvanāt—from the planetary systems; lokāḥ—planets; punaḥ—again; āvartinaḥ—returning; arjuna—O Arjuna; mām—unto Me; upetya—arriving; tu—but; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; punaḥ janma—rebirth; na—never; vidyate—takes to.

From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.

8.28

vedeṣu yajñeṣu tapaḥsu caiva
dāneṣu yat puṇya-phalaṁ pradiṣṭam
atyeti tat sarvam idaṁ viditvā
yogī paraṁ sthānam upaiti cādyam

vedeṣu—in the study of the Vedas; yajñeṣu—in the performances of yajña, sacrifice; tapaḥsu—undergoing different types of austerities; ca—also; eva—certainly; dāneṣu—in giving charities; yat—that which; puṇya-phalam—the result of pious work; pradiṣṭam—directed; atyeti—surpasses; tat—all those; sarvam idam—all those described above; viditvā—knowing; yogī—the devotee; param—supreme; sthānam—abode; upaiti—achieved peace; ca—also; ādyam—original.

A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.

9.2

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam

rāja-vidyā—the king of education; rāja-guhyam—the king of confidential knowledge; pavitram—the purest; idam—this; uttamam—transcendental; pratyakṣa—directly experienced; avagamam—understood; dharmyam—the principle of religion; susukham—very happy; kartum—to execute; avyayam—everlasting.

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

9.4

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ

mayā—by Me; tatam—spread; idam—all these manifestations; sarvam—all; jagat—cosmic manifestation; avyakta-mūrtinā—unmanifested form; mat-sthāni—unto Me; sarva-bhūtāni—all living entities; na—not; ca—also; aham—I; teṣu—in them; avasthitaḥ—situated.

By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.

9.10

mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate

mayā—by Me; adhyakṣeṇa—by superintendence; prakṛtiḥ—material nature; sūyate—manifest; sa—with; carācaram—moving and nonmoving; hetunā—for this reason; anena—this; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; jagat—the cosmic manifestation; viparivartate—is working.

This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.

9.11

avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram

avajānanti—deride; mām—Me; mūḍhāḥ—foolish men; mānuṣīm—in a human form; tanum—body; āśritam—assuming; param—transcendental; bhāvam—nature; ajānantaḥ—not knowing; mama—Mine; bhūta—everything that be; maheśvaram—supreme proprietor.

Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.

9.12

moghāśā mogha-karmāṇo
mogha-jñānā vicetasaḥ
rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva
prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ

moghāśāḥ—baffled hope; mogha-karmāṇaḥ—baffled in fruitive activities; mogha-jñānāḥ—baffled in knowledge; vicetasaḥ—bewildered; rākṣasīm—demonic; āsurīm—atheistic; ca—and; eva—certainly; prakṛtim—nature; mohinīm—bewildering; śritāḥ—taking shelter of.

Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.

9.13

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

mahātmānaḥ—the great souls; tu—but; mām—unto Me; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; daivīm—divine; prakṛtim—nature; āśritāḥ—taken shelter of; bhajanti—render service; ananya-manasaḥ—without deviation of the mind; jñātvā—knowing; bhūta—creation; ādim—original; avyayam—inexhaustible.

O son of Pṛthā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.

9.14

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ
yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ
namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā
nitya-yuktā upāsate

satatam—always; kīrtayantaḥ—chanting; mām—Me; yatantaḥ ca—fully endeavoring also; dṛḍha-vratāḥ—with determination; namasyantaḥ ca—offering obeisances; mām—unto Me; bhaktyā—in devotion; nitya-yuktāḥ—perpetually engaged; upāsate—worship.

Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.

9.22

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

ananyāḥ—no other; cintayantaḥ—concentrating; mām—unto Me; ye—who; janāḥ—persons; paryupāsate—properly worship; teṣām—their; nitya—always abhiyuktānām—fixed in devotion; yoga-kṣemam—requirements; vahāmi—carry; aham—I.

But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.

9.25

yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām

yānti—achieve; deva-vratāḥ—worshipers of demigods; devān—to demigods; pitṝn—to ancestors; yānti—go; pitṛ-vratāḥ—worshipers of ancestors; bhūtāni—to ghosts and spirits; yānti—go; bhūtejyāḥ—worshipers of ghosts and spirits; yānti—go; mat—My; yājinaḥ—devotees; api—also; mām—unto Me.

Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with Me.

9.26

patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ

patram—a leaf; puṣpam—a flower; phalam—a fruit; toyam—water; yaḥ—whoever; me—unto Me; bhaktyā—with devotion; prayacchati—offers; tat—that; aham—I; bhakti-upahṛtam—offered in devotion; aśnāmi—accept; prayata-ātmanaḥ—of one in pure consciousness.

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.

9.27

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

yat—what; karoṣi—you do; yat—whatever; aśnāsi—you eat; yat—whatever; juhoṣi—you offer; dadāsi—you give away; yat—whatever; yat—whatever; tapasyasi—austerities you perform; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; tat—that; kuruṣva—make; mat—unto Me; arpaṇam—offering.

O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.

9.29

samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
mayi te teṣu cāpy aham

samaḥ—equally disposed; aham—I; sarva-bhūteṣu—to all living entities; na—no one; me—Mine; dveṣyaḥ—hateful; asti—is; na—nor; priyaḥ—dear; ye—those; bhajanti—render transcendental service; tu—yet; mām—unto Me; bhaktyā—in devotion; mayi—unto Me; te—such persons; teṣu—in them; ca—also; api—certainly; aham—I.

I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.

9.30

api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

api—in spite of; cet—although; sudurācāraḥ—one committing the most abominable actions; bhajate—engaged in devotional service; mām—unto Me; ananya-bhāk—without deviation; sādhuḥ—saint; eva—certainly; saḥ—he; mantavyaḥ—to be considered; samyak—completely; vyavasitaḥ—situated; hi—certainly; saḥ—he.

Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated.

9.32

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim

mām—unto Me; hi—certainly; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; vyapāśrītya—particularly taking shelter; ye—anyone; api—also; syuḥ—becomes; pāpa-yonayaḥ—born of a lower family; striyaḥ—women; vaiśyāḥ—mercantile people; tathā—also; śūdrāḥ—lower class men; te api—even they; yānti—go; parām—supreme; gatim—destination.

O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.

9.34

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam
ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

mat-manāḥ—always thinking of Me; bhava—become; mat—My; bhaktaḥ—devotee; mat—My; yājī—worshiper; mām—unto Me; namaskuru—offer obeisances; mām—unto Me; eva—completely; eṣyasi—come; yuktvā evam—being absorbed; ātmānam—your soul; mat-parāyaṇaḥ—devoted to Me.

Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

10.8

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

aham—I; sarvasya—of all; prabhavaḥ—source of generation; mattaḥ—from Me; sarvam—everything; pravartate—emanates; iti—thus; matvā—knowing; bhajante—becomes devoted; mām—unto Me; budhāḥ—learned; bhāva-samanvitāḥ—with great attention.

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

10.9

mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca

mat-cittāḥ—minds fully engaged in Me; mat-gata-prāṇāḥ—lives devoted to the service of Kṛṣṇa; bodhayantaḥ—preaching; parasparam—among themselves; kathayantaḥ ca—talking also; mām—about Me; nityam—perpetually; tuṣyanti—are pleased; ca—also; ramanti—enjoy transcendental bliss; ca—also.

The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.

10.10

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

teṣām—unto them; satata-yuktānām—always engaged; bhajatām—in devotional service; prīti-pūrvakam—in loving ecstasy; dadāmi—I give; buddhi-yogam—real intelligence; tam—that; yena—by which; mām—unto Me; upayānti—come; te—they.

To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

10.11

teṣām evānukampārtham
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā

teṣām—for them; eva—certainly; anukampā-artham—to show special mercy; aham—I; ajñāna-jam—due to ignorance; tamaḥ—darkness; nāśayāmi—dispel; ātma—within; bhāvasthaḥ—themselves; jñāna—of knowledge; dīpena—with the lamp; bhāsvatā—glowing.

Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

10.12-13

arjuna uvāca

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum

āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve
devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ
svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me

arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; param—supreme; brahma—truth; param—supreme; dhāma—sustenance; pavitram—purest; paramam—supreme; bhavān—Yourself; puruṣam—personality; śāśvatam—original; divyam—transcendental; ādi-devam—original Lord; ajam—unborn; vibhum—greatest; āhuḥ—say; tvām—unto You; ṛṣayaḥ—sages; sarve—all; devarṣiḥ—the sage among the demigods; nāradaḥ—Nārada; tathā—also; asitaḥ—Asita; devalaḥ—Devala; vyāsaḥ—Vyāsa; svayam—personally; ca—also; eva—certainly; bravīṣi—explaining; me—unto me.

Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.

10.41

yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ
śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ
mama tejo-’ṁśa-sambhavam

yat yat—whatever; vibhūti—opulences; mat—having; sattvam—existence; śrīmat—beautiful; ūrjitam—glorious; eva—certainly; vā—or; tat tat—all those; eva—certainly; avagaccha—you must know; tvam—you; mama—My; tejaḥ—splendor; aṁśa—partly; sambhavam—born of.

Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.

11.54

bhaktyā tv ananyayā śakya
aham evaṁ-vidho ’rjuna
jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena
praveṣṭuṁ ca parantapa

bhaktyā—by devotional service; tu—but; ananyayā—without being mixed with fruitive activities or speculative knowledge; śakyaḥ—possible; aham—I; evam-vidhaḥ—like this; arjuna—O Arjuna; jñātum—to know; draṣṭum—to see; tattvena—in fact; praveṣṭum—and to enter into; ca—also; parantapa—O mighty-armed one.

My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.

11.55

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu
yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

mat-karma-kṛt—engaged in doing My work; mat-paramaḥ—concerning Me, the Supreme; mat-bhaktaḥ—engaged in My devotional service; saṅga-varjitaḥ—freed from the contamination of previous activities and mental speculation; nirvairaḥ—without an enemy; sarva-bhūteṣu—to every living entity; yaḥ—one who; saḥ—he; mām—unto Me; eti—comes; pāṇḍava—O son of Pāṇḍu.

My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me.

12.5

kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām
avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ
dehavadbhir avāpyate

kleśaḥ—trouble; adhikataraḥ—more troublesome; teṣām—of them; avyakta—unmanifested; āsakta—being attached; cetasām—of those whose minds; avyaktā—unmanifested; hi—certainly; gatiḥ duḥkham—progress is troublesome; dehavadbhiḥ—of the embodiments; avāpyate—achieve.

For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progrese in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

12.8

mayy eva mana ādhatsva
mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva
ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ

mayi—unto Me; eva—certainly; manaḥ—mind; ādhatsva—fix; mayi—upon Me; buddhim—intelligence; niveśaya—apply; nivasiṣyasi—you lead; mayi—unto Me; eva—certainly; ataḥ—therefore; ūrdhvam—up; na—never; saṁśayaḥ—doubt.

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

12.9

atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ
na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram
abhyāsa-yogena tato
mām icchāptuṁ dhanañjaya

atha—if, therefore; cittam—mind; samādhātam—fixing; na—not; śaknoṣi—able; mayi—upon Me; sthiram—fixed; abhyāsa—practice; yogena—by devotional service; tataḥ—therefore; mām—Me; icchā—desire; āptum—to get; dhanañjaya—O Arjuna.

My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulated principles of bhakti-yoga In this way you will develop a desire to attain to Me.

12.10

abhyāse ’py asamartho ’si
mat-karma-paramo bhava
mad-artham api karmāṇi
kurvan siddhim avāpsyasi

abhyāse—in the practice of; api—even; asamarthaḥ—unable; asi—you are; mat-karma—My work; paramaḥ—supreme; bhava—you become; mat-artham—for My sake; api—even though; karmāṇi—what; kurvan—performing; siddhim—perfection; avāpsyasi—achieve.

If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

14.4

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

sarva-yoniṣu—in all species of life; kaunteya—O son of Kuntī; mūrtayaḥ—forms; sambhavanti—as they appear; yāḥ—which; tāsām—all of them; brahma—supreme; mahat yoniḥ—the source of birth in the material substance; aham—Myself; bīja-pradaḥ—seed-giving; pitā—father.

It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.

14.26

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

mām—unto Me; ca—also; yaḥ—person; avyabhicāreṇa—without fail; bhakti-yogena—by devotional service; sevate—renders service; saḥ—he; guṇān—all the modes of material nature; samatītya—transcending; etān—all this; brahma-bhūyāya—to be elevated on the Brahman platform; kalpate—is considered.

One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.

14.27

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham
amṛtasyāvyayasya ca
śāśvatasya ca dharmasya
sukhasyaikāntikasya ca

brahmaṇaḥ—of the impersonal brahmajyoti; hi—certainly; pratiṣṭhā—the rest; aham—I am; amṛtasya—of the imperishable; avyayasya—immortal; ca—also; śāśvatasya—of eternal; ca—and; dharmasya—of the constitutional position; sukhasya—happiness; aikāntikasya—ultimate; ca—also.

And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal.

15.5

 One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.

15.6
 
That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.

15.7

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

mama—My; eva—certainly; aṁśaḥ—fragmental particles; jīva-loke—world of conditional life; jīva-bhūtaḥ—the conditioned living entities; sanātanaḥ—eternal; manaḥ—mind; ṣaṣṭhāni—six; indriyāṇi—senses; prakṛti—material nature; sthāni—situated; karṣati—struggling hard.

The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.

15.15

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham

sarvasya—of all living beings; ca—and; aham—I; hṛdi—in the heart; sanniviṣṭaḥ—being situated; mattaḥ—from Me; smṛtiḥ—remembrance; jñānam—knowledge; apohanam ca—and forgetfulness; vedaiḥ—by the Vedas; ca—also; sarvaiḥ—all; aham—I am; eva—certainly; vedyaḥ—knowable; vedānta-kṛt—the compiler of the Vedānta; veda-vit—the knower of the Vedas; eva—certainly; ca—and; aham—I.

I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.

15.19

yo mām evam asammūḍho
jānāti puruṣottamam
sa sarva-vid bhajati māṁ
sarva-bhāvena bhārata

yaḥ—anyone; mām—unto Me; evam—certainly; asammūḍhaḥ—without a doubt; jānāti—knows; puruṣottamam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saḥ—he; sarva-vit—knower of everything; bhajati—renders devotional service; mām—unto Me; sarva-bhāvena—in all respects; bhārata—O son of Bharata.

Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata

18.42

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

śamaḥ—peacefulness; damaḥ—self-control; tapaḥ—austerity; śaucam—purity; kṣāntiḥ—tolerance; ārjavam—honesty; eva—certainly; ca—and; jñānam—wisdom; vijñānam—knowledge; āstikyam—religiousness; brahma—of a brāhmaṇa; karma—duty; svabhāva-jam—born of his own nature.

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.

18.54

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

brahma-bhūtaḥ—being one with the Absolute; prasanna-ātmā—fully joyful; na—never; śocati—laments; na—never; kāṅkṣati—desires; samaḥ—equally disposed; sarveṣu—all; bhūteṣu—living entity; mat-bhaktim—My devotional service; labhate—gains; parām—transcendental.

One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

18.55

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram

bhaktyā—by pure devotional service; mām—Me; abhijānāti—one can know; yāvān—as much as; yaḥ ca asmi—as I am; tattvataḥ—in truth; tataḥ—thereafter; mām—Me; tattvataḥ—by truth; jñātvā—knowing; viśate—enters; tat—thereafter; anantaram—after

One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

18.58

mac-cittaḥ sarva-durgāṇi
mat-prasādāt tariṣyasi
atha cet tvam ahaṅkārān
na śroṣyasi vinaṅkṣyasi

mat—My; cittaḥ—consciousness; sarva—all; durgāṇi—impediments; mat—My; prasādāt—My mercy; tariṣyasi—you will overcome; atha—therefore; cet—if; tvam—you; ahaṅkārāt—by false ego; na—not; śroṣyasi—do not hear; vinaṅkṣyasi—then lose yourself.

If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.

18.61

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

īśvaraḥ—the Supreme Lord; sarva-bhūtānām—of all living entities; hṛd-deśe—in the location of the heart; arjuna—O Arjuna; tiṣṭhati—resides; bhrāmayan—causing to travel; sarva-bhūtāni—all living entities; yantra—machine; ārūḍhāni—being so placed; māyayā—under the spell of material energy.

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

18.65

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me

man-manāḥ—thinking of Me; bhava—just become; mat-bhaktaḥ—My devotee; mat-yājī—My worshiper; mām—unto Me; namaskuru—offer your obeisances; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; eṣyasi—come; satyam—truly; te—to you; pratijāne—I promise; prijaḥ—dear; asi—you are; me—My.

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

18.66

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

sarva-dharmān—all varieties of religion; parityajya—abandoning; mām—unto Me; ekam—only; śaraṇam—surrender; vraja—go; aham—I; tvām—you; sarva—all; pāpebhyaḥ—from sinful reactions; mokṣayiṣyāmi—deliver; mā—not; śucaḥ—worry.

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.

18.68

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

yaḥ—anyone; idam—this; paramam—most; guhyam—confidential; mat—Mine; bhakteṣu—amongst devotees of; abhidhāsyati—explains; bhaktim—devotional service; mayi—unto Me; parām—transcendental; kṛtvā—having done; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; eṣyati—comes; asaṁśayaḥ—without doubt.

For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

18.69

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priyataro bhuvi

na—never; ca—and; tasmāt—therefore; manuṣyeṣu—among mankind; kaścit—anyone; me—My; priya-kṛttamaḥ—more dear; bhavitā—will become; na—no; ca—and; me—My; tasmāt—than him; anyaḥ—other; priyataraḥ—dearer; bhuvi—in this world.

There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

18.78

yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo
yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ
tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir
dhruvā nītir matir mama

yatra—where; yogeśvaraḥ—the master of mysticism; kṛṣṇaḥ—Lord Krṣna; yatra—where; pārthaḥ—the son of Pṛthā; dhanur-dharaḥ—the carrier of the bow and arrow; tatra—there; śrīḥ—opulence; vijayaḥ—victory; bhūtiḥ—exceptional power; dhruvā—certainly; nītiḥ—morality; matiḥ mama—is my opinion.

Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion.



(c) 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pasted from; The Hare Krishna Movement

 

TV BG CHAP 2 SUMMARY

 Chapter II
When Arjuna, who had sought refuge in the Lord, asked about the certain means of driving away his grief, the Lord described the truth about the Self upto  30 in this chapter.

In the practice of the Yoga of Knowledge, the primary emphasis is laid on hearing as well as reflection   constant meditation on the truth about the Self.
Although after the thirtieth , through a dissertation on Arjunaís own duty, the character of the Yoga of Action has also been dealt with in this chapter, nevertheless the teachings of the chapter commence with a description of the Yoga of Knowledge or Sankhyayoga,   the character of the Self has been described in it in greater detail than in other chapters; hence it has been given the name of  the Yoga of Knowledge.

In the first  of this chapter Sanjaya gives a description of Arjuna's state of dejection.
In the second   third   K  reproaches Arjuna for his dejection accompanied by infatuation   faint-heartedness   encourages him to fight.
 In   4   5 Arjuna states that he would rather live on alms than slay noble elders like Bhima   Drona.
  6   7 are devoted by Arjuna to an expression of his doubt as to whether he should fight or not, to a description of his weakness in the form of faint-heartedness   perplexity   to a prayer to the Lord, in a spirit of surrender, for proper guidance about his duty.

In  8 declaring that undisputed sovereignty over the three worlds would not drive away his grief, he shows indifference to worldly aspiration.

Then, in   9   10 Sanjaya describes how expressing his unwillingness to fight- Arjuna became silent,   how  K smiled at this   addressed Arjuna.

In  11 the lord begins His teaching.

  12   13 are devoted to a description of the eternal   immutable character of the soul;
  14 speaks of the transitory nature of sense-enjoyments with emphasis on the necessity of ignoring both pleasure   pain;  
15 shows that the capacity to treat pleasure   pain alike leads to immortality.  
16 defines what is real   what is unreal;  
17 reveals the true character of the ërealí,
 18 the true character of the ëunrealí, ending with a clear exhortation for Arjuna to fight.
 19 declares those as ignorant, who hold the soul as subject to death or capable of killing;
 20 is devoted to characterization of the soul as free from the six forms of transformation.
In  21 it is shown that the knower of the Self neither kills anyone
nor causes anyone to be killed.  
In  22 the passing of the soul from one body to another has been explained by showing its similarity to the discarding of worn-out clothes   taking new ones,     
23 to 25 declare that the soul can neither be cut, nor burnt, nor drenched, nor dried; that it is eternal, omnipresent, immovable, constant, everlasting, unmanifest, unthinkable   immutable, so one should not grieve for it.

 In     26   27 it is shown that even if the soul is regarded as constanly taking birth
  constantly dying, one should not lament for it;  
 in  28 it has been declared unwise to lament over the loss of bodies, because they are perishable.  29 shows that the perceiver of the soul,   the speaker   hearer of the truth about it are alike rare,    
30 proves that inasmuch as the soul can never be slain it is not in the fitness of things to grieve for any being.  

 31 to 36 are devoted to a consideration of Arjunaís duty as a Kshatriya,   show that it would be improper for Arjuna, from any point of view, to desist from battle.  
37 declares that participation in battle is advantageous, both from the point of view of this world as well as of the next,   ends with an exhortation to Arjuna to prepare himself for the fight. Evenness of mind in pleasure   pain, gain   loss, etc., has been shown in  
38 as the secret of remaining untouched by sin in such deeds as participation in war.
In  39 the subject of Karmayoga (the Yoga of selfless action) has been introduced as a means of throwing off the shackles of Karma.
 40 is devoted to praising the greatness of Karmayoga   
 41 to showing the difference between the determinate   one-pointed intellect   the scattered intellect of ignorant men moved by desires.   
42 to 44 describe the character of those who are obsessed by desire   look upon heaven as the supreme goal of life. In   45 Arjuna is advised to be free from desires, to rise above pairs of opposites like pleasure   pain etc., to be established in the Eternal Existance   to remain unconcerned about the supply of wants   the preservation of worldly possessions,   keep the mind under control. Then, pointing out
in  46 that happiness accruing as the fruit of Vedic rituals has no attraction for a Brµahmaƒa who has obtained enlightenment,  
47 is devoted to a definition of Karmayoga in a nutshell.
In  48 equanimity is described as synonymous with Yoga.
 49 says that action with a selfish motive is far inferior to equanimity   that the seeker of the fruit of action is extremely poor   wretched.
  50   51 are in praise of a Karmayog?, possessing equanimity,   exhort Arjuna to apply himself to Karmayoga, making it perfectly clear that equanimity leads to the attainment of the blissful Supreme State. Then,
 in   52   53 the Lord states that when growing indifferent to the world, the mind becomes pure, clear   steadfast, it succeeds in realizing God.
In  54 Arjuna puts four questions about the person possessed of a stable mind. His first question is briefly answered
in  55, the second question in   56   57   the third in  58.

These   describe the marks of one possessed of a stable mind by saying that he has no cravings   desires, is satisfied in the self, requiring no eternal means of enjoyment, remains unperturbed in sorrows, is devoid of thirst for pleasures, is absolutely free from passion, fear   anger, remains unattached to everything   neither rejoices nor recoils when meeting with good   evil,   withdrawing his senses from sense-objects keeps them under complete control.
In  59 saying that sense-objects may cease when they are not enjoyed by the senses, but the relish for them persists   this relish disappears through God-realization, the Lord shows
in  60 the turbulent nature of the senses,   urges
in  61 the necessity of controlling the mind   senses   devoting oneself to God,   ends the  with the praise of one who has conquered the senses.  
 62   63 show the gradual process of manís fall   degradation through indulgence in thoughts of sense-objects   
  64   65 show how placidity of mind is attained by one who acts remaining free from likes   dislikes, how his sorrows come to an end   his intellect soon becomes firmly established in God. Then,
in  66 showing that he who has no control over his mind can have no determinate reason, thoughts of God, peace   happiness, the illustration of the wind   boat has been cited
in  67 to demonstrate how discrimination is taken away by the sense which has the mind joined to it;   finally,
   68 is intended to establish that in reality the man of stable mind is he who has complete control over his senses. Then,  69 shows how Brahmic Bliss is night to the generality of men, even as worldly enjoyment is night to the seer.  
70 is devoted to the praise of the exalted soul who has attained wisdom   compares him with the ocean;  
  71 declares that supreme peace is attained by him who moves in the world free from all forms of desire, attachment, egoism   thirst for enjoyment. The chapter is concluded
 in  72 with a description of the glory of this Brahmic state. 

TV bg 5-23-29

 gita tatva vivechani

5.23   before you die- develop skills to withstand urges of deisre and anger [since another opportunity ie human birth may not come soon]

He alone, who is able to withstand in this very life, before casting off this body,
the urges of lust and anger is a Yogi, and he alone is a happy man.

Everybody in the world seeks happiness. But very few know what is real happiness and how to attain it. Due to this ignorance they run away with the wrong idea that happiness consists only in enjoying the objects of senses. That is why they hanker after them and strive to attain them. And when they find themselves balked in their efforts, they are seized with anger.

 But as a rule one who is habitually under the sway of lust and anger can never be happy. One who is under the sway of desire and the one who is under the sway of anger, both betake themselves to all sorts of mischiefs and vices  of the former for the sake of a wife, progeny, wealth and honour, etc. and the latter with view to harming others.

 They thereby expose themselves to illness, grief, ignominy, infamy, perturbation, unrest, anxiety and various kinds of agonies in this world and have to undergo tortures in hell and sufferings of various kinds in the lower species of animals, such as birds and, beasts, insects and reptiles, when born hereafter (XVI.18-20). 

In this way they never attain happiness, and always suffer pain.

 Those, on the other hand, who having realized that enjoyments breed misery and are ephemeral in nature have fully subdued their enemies in the form of lust and anger and have completely extricated themselves from their grip, are always happy. 
___________________________________________________________
                                                                            
5,27

the Lord now proceeds to describe in brief the Yoga of Meditation (Dhyånayoga) with its
fruit:

Shutting out all thoughts of external enjoyments, with the gaze fixed on the space
between the eye-brows, having regulated the Prana (outgoing) and the Apana
(in-going) breaths flowing within the nostrils; he who has brought his senses, mind
and intellect under control,such a contemplative soul intent on liberation and free
from desire, fear and anger, is ever liberated.
(27,28)

Each individual has been in contact with external objects from time without beginning; his mind is, therefore crowded with impressions left by them, which are countless in number. 

Regarding sense-objects as charming and delightful, man ever goes on dwelling on them, with the result that old impressions, stored up in the mind, get revived one after another and continue to stir the fire of attachment and desire burning in his heart. 

His mind is, therefore, never at rest. Nay, memories of past experiences keep haunting his mind even when he occasionally sits down to meditate on God in some secluded corner, renouncing sense-objects externally. The result is that he is unable to meditate upon God. Constant thoughts of sense-objects are the main obstacle in his way. 

And this chain does not end so long as one regards these objects as delightful. It is, therefore, that the Lord asks us to realize by dint of reason and dispassion all external objects as ephemeral, transient, full of sorrow and a source of suffering, and wipe off all their impressions from our mind. Then and then alone will the mind be tranquil and steady

If we keep our eyes wide open and go on gazing all round, our attention will be naturally diverted and we shall not be able to collect and concentrate our mind; if, on the other hand, we close our eyes, we are apt to fall an easy prey to sloth and drowsiness. That is why we have been asked to keep the gaze fixed on the space between the eye- brows.

 The next step  is to regulate the flow of the outgoing and in-going breaths. Let us remember in this connection that the natural flow of the outgoing and in-going breaths is uneven. Sometimes they flow through the left nostril and sometimes through the right. When flowing through the left, they are said to be flowing through the passage of Ida, and when flowing through the right, they are said to be flowing through the passage of Pingala In such a state, man's mind remains unsteady.regulating their flow means maintaining an even flow of the Prana and the Apana breaths through both the nostrils .

In this state the unsteadiness and restlessness of the mind automatically disappear, and it gets easily concentrated on God. In order to maintain an even flow of the two breaths, the Apåna breath should be inhaled through the left nostril, and the Prana breath exhaled through the right. The order should be changed alternately. 

Mental repetition of Godís Name should continue side by side with this process and an endeavour should be made to see to it that the processes of exhalation and inhalation take an equal amount of time, and to make their flow even and thinner.

 Through continuous practice  the flow of both becomes even, gentle and thin and they cease to be felt outside the nose and within the throat . it should then be understood that the prana and Apana breaths have become regulated and thin. The adjective abhyantara  has been used just to indicate that the processes of exhalation and inhalation have to be regulated and made even, and not to be suspended in this practice.

The senses are noted for their waywardness; they run after any object they like and any time they please, of their own free will. The mind too is ever unsteady and loath to give up its habits; and the intellect does not firmly adhere to one supreme conviction. To reduce them to orderliness and submission and turn them inwards or God-wards by regular training with the help of reason and dispassion is what is meant by bringing them under control.

 This being done, the senses will not wantonly indulge in their respective objects but will tamely follow our will and remain tied down to where we direct them to be; the mind will get concentrated according to our will, and the intellect will firmly and resolutely adhere to one conclusion of our choice.

 It is believed, and rightly so, that the fifth limb of the e Yoga of eight limb  consists in withdrawing the senses from their objects) is easily accomplished through control of the senses; the next limb,   (focusing the mind on a particular spot) becomes easy through subjugation of mind; and control over the intellect makes the seventh limb, viz., Dhyåna or meditation (fastening the intellect to one conclusion) easy. Therefore, in the practice of meditation subjugation of all these three is essential
                                                                        
                                                                                 
   5,29
Having known Me in reality as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the
supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the disinterested friend of all beings, My devotee
attains peace. (29)

Practice of virtues like non-violence, truth etc., service and adoration of parents and other elders, of gods as well as the Brahmanas, affording relief to the afflicted, and distressed, the poor and the oppressed, with love and regard, the adequate means adopted for alleviating their suffering, and all other virtuous actions such as the performance of a sacrifice, charity etc., are included in sacrifice and austerities. God is the soul of all beings (X.20).

Therefore, it is God Himself existing in the form of gods, the Bråhmaƒas, the afflicted and the distressed, who receives all services and worship. Therefore, truly speaking, He is the only enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities (IX.24).

  Not knowing the reality and power of God, men regard the gods and men whom they serve and adore as the recipients of their sacrifices and service etc; hence the reward which they get in lieu thereof is only finite and perishable (VII.23). 

 They do not attain real peace. But the man who knows the reality and glory of God sees God Himself seated in all as their very self. Therefore, conscious of His presence in all beings, when he serves them he feels that in the form of gods, the Brahmanas, the afflicted and the distressed, etc., he is serving none else than the all-pervading Lord, the highest object of his worship and love. A man finds excessive joy and a unique mental peace in the service of him whom he regards as deserving of honour and regard, for whom he has reverence and respect, or for whom he cherishes an iota  of true love in his heart.

 Does a devoted son feel any fatigue in the service of his father, an affectionate mother in looking after her son and a loving wife in attending on her lord?

 Does a true disciple or follower evade on any account the service of his venerable preceptor or spiritual guide? 

One feels ever inspired with new vigour in serving the object of oneís esteem, veneration or love, and will never be fed up with his or her service. Such a man will never think that he is in any way obliging the object of his service nor will he attach any importance to his services.

On the other hand he will take such an opportunity of service as a proud privilege. The more he is able to serve, the greater is the degree of modesty and true humility he manifests. Far from feeling that he is doing an obligation to the object of his service he is afraid every moment lest he be deprived of that privilege. He takes to this service only because it fills his mind with unique peace. But this peace does not deter him from the path of service, because his heart is ever brimming with excessive joy and not satiated with it he feels inclined to serve more and more

When service evoked by worldly esteem, veneration and love is so sincere, so earnest and so peace-giving, no one can tell how much and what kind of transcendent joy and unique and heavenly peace a devotee must be experiencing, who perceives in all his most beloved Lord, 

the highest object of worship for the whole world, 

the Supreme Deity of all deities,  

Omnipotent, and

 the Eternal Abode of the highest glory and unthinkable majesty, 

 

and worships Him with a sincerity full of genuine faith and intense love continuously flowing towards Him in a stream of the purest and sweetest nectar.

 Those alone who enjoy this rare privilege through the Grace of God can realize this.  

 To realize God as the enjoy-er of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the disinterested friend of all creatures, and to realize His Nature, glory, reality and attributes, one should cultivate devout and loving association with exalted souls, hear and ponder over the teachings of the scriptures and should fervently pray to Him throwing oneself completely at His mercy, so that through His Grace everything will be revealed and the seeker will develop exclusive devotion to Him.


pre qualify for aspiring

 The four-fold qualifications are:
(1) Discriminative understanding of the difference between the permanent and impermanent,
What is the discriminative understanding between the (nitya) and the time-bound (anitya)?
(a) The permanent is one Brahman (limitless).
(b) All else other than that is timebound (finite).
This alone is the discriminative understanding between the permanent and impermanent.

(2) dispassion for the results of experiences here and afterlife,
 
(3) the six-fold accomplishments (inner wealth, etc), and
(a) sama? (b) dama? (c) uparama (d) tistitik?a (e) sraddha (f) samadhana?  
 management of mind, control of senses,observance of one’s own duties, persistence, faith (trust), and single-pointedness.
(4) desire for freedom from becoming

What is a mumuk?u? “Let me attain Liberation”. This intense desire.

This is the fourfold qualification. Thereafter, they become fit for the enquiry into the Truth.

What is the discriminative knowledge of truth? Atma, (I) is the truth; all else other than that is mithya (apparent).

What Self is NOT (Intro):

The one who is distinct from the gross, subtle and causal bodies, who is beyond the five levels of experience, being
the witness of the three states (of experience), that which remains in the form of existence, consciousness and
fullness, he (is) the self, atma.

gross body.
That which is made up of the five great elements that have undergone the process of pañcikara?a, born as a result of
the good actions of the past, the counter of experiences like joy, sorrow and so on and subject to the six
modifications namely – to exist, to be born, to grow, to mature, to decay and to die –  

subtle body
That which is composed of the five great elements which have not undergone grossification, born of the good actions of the past, the instrument for the experience of joy, sorrow and so on, constituted of seventeen items (the five sense organs, the five organs of action, the five physiological functions, the mind and the intellect) is the subtle body.

The five organs of perception are the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose. The presiding deities of the organs of
perception are Space of the ears, Air of the skin, the Sun of the eyes, Water of the tongue and the two Asvini
Kumaras of the nose. The fields of experience for the organs of perception are, cognition of sound for the ear;
cognition of touch for the skin, cognition of form for the eyes; cognition of taste for the tongue and cognition of smell
for the nose

The five organs of action are: speech, hands, legs, anus and the genitals. The presiding deities of the organs of action
are: Agni (Fire) of speech, Indra of the hands, Vi??u of the legs, Yama of the anus and Prajapati of the genitals. The
function of speech is to speak, that of the hands is to grasp things, of the legs is locomotion, of the anus is the
elimination of waste and of the genitals is pleasure (procreation).

causal

That which is inexplicable, beginningless, in the form of ignorance, the sole cause of the two bodies (gross and
subtle), the cause of ignorance of one’s own true nature, and is free from duality.

e the three states? They are the waking, dream and deep sleep states.

e waking state? That (in which state) the objects, of cognition beginning with sound, etc., are cognised by
the organs of perception such as the ear, etc., that is the waking state. ‘I’ (atma) identifying with the gross body is
called visva.
(If it is asked) what is the dream state? (It is) the world which is experienced while in sleep, (projected) by the
impression born of what was seen, what was heard in the waking state. ‘I’ atman identifying with the subtle body is
called taijasa, the effulgent one.
‘I do not know anything. Happily the sleep is experienced by me.’ Thus, (this is) the deep sleep state. The Self
identified with the causal body is called Prajña.

What are the five ‘sheaths’?
The food (modified) sheath,
the vital air sheath (the physiological functions),
 the mind sheath (the mental states),
 the intellect sheath, and
the sheath of happiness.

s the food sheath? That which is born from the essence of food, grows by the essence of food and merges into
the earth, which is the nature of food is called the food sheath or the gross body.

What is pra?amaya sheath? Pra?amaya, the sheath that is a modification of air, is the five physiological functions
beginning with respiration etc., and the five organs of action beginning with speech and so on.

Mental Sheath
 What is mental sheath? The mind and the five organs of perception together form the mental sheath.

What is intellectual sheath? The intellect and the five organs of perception together, is the intellectual sheath.

Bliss Sheath
 What is bliss sheath? Established in ignorance, which is of the form of the causal body, of impure sattva, united with
thoughts like priya (pleasure) and so on, is the bliss sheath. These are the five sheaths.

beyond
Just as bangles, earrings, a house and so on, are known as ‘mine’ are all other than the knower ‘me’. So too, the five
sheaths and so on, are known by oneself as ‘my body’, ‘my mind’, ‘my intellect’, and ‘my ignorance’ - are different
from me and are therefore not the Self.

_____________________________________________________





 

BG summary

  Krishnananda 

our duty in regard to our self.

austerity, self-control, restraint of the senses, mind and the intellect, 

  Charity is our duty in regard to the world outside. 

Sacrifice is our duty towards God. 


These three duties are incapable of abandonment under any circumstance.


 Every event is the cumulative effect of the collaboration of many factors, not caused by any particular individual.

 many factors contribute to the causation of a particular event or the performance of any single action. 

 body, of course, is one of the instruments of action.

 sense of individuality, or the principle of the ‘I' is also a contributory factor. 

 sense organs also contribute enough in the performance of an action. 

 intention behind any kind of enterprise is also an important contributory factor.


When one is able to recognise the presence of a single, uniform, common denominator behind every event and every form, or object, one is supposed to be endowed with the highest kind of knowledge. The recognition of a common principle in the midst of the varieties of sense perception is the supreme form of knowledge. 


Though many things are seen by the senses, Ultimately there is only one thing appearing as many things. When we are convinced of this fact that we are able to view things in this light, we are blessed with the loftiest form of wisdom. 


the lowest kind of knowledge is that whereby one clings to a particular object only, as if it is everything. We cling to money, we cling to status, we cling to name and fame and power of various types, attach ourselves vehemently to some point which we identify with the entirety of the values of life. A passionate clinging to any particular thing is the lowest type of understanding. And most people in the world are of this type; 

 

When our will power is able to decide upon the supreme value of life and maintain this consciousness continuously, in a state of self-restraint through Yoga, we are endowed with the most powerful form of will, the sattvika 

form of volition.



chap 15 summary

 

Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 15 Summary

With imagery taken from the Katha Upanishad, Krsna portrays the entire universe as the Asvattha or pipal tree with root above and branches below. The root is Brahman, God, the branches are the manifestations in the world. The secondary roots that emerge from the main root are the vasanas, ignorance. The branches are activities that go upward, take you toward evolution, or downward to degradation. In this chapter, Krsna urges you to cut apart this firmly rooted tree of the material world with the weapon of detachment.

In this short yet immensely deep chapter, Krsna expounds the nature of Brahman and how It pervades the manifested world. Brahman is self-effulgent and is not illumined by the sun, moon or fire. He describes Brahman as a trinity of ksaraaksara and Uttama Purusa – perishable, imperishable and the Supreme Spirit.

Krsna begins with the ksara, perishable aspect of Brahman. The ksara consists of the external universe and the individual. Brahman is the very core of both the universe and the individual, you. He reinforces the thought that you are the Spirit acting through matter equipments. When Spirit identifies with matter, prakrti, an individual is born. It attracts to itself the senses and mind and gets clothed in a physical body. When it enters and leaves the physical body it carries the vasanas, dormant desires, as well as the subtle body, mind and intellect. The ignorant fail to perceive the Truth and get tossed by the material changes in the world. Only the wise who see the underlying Reality experience lasting peace.

To dispel any false notions of Brahman being perishable, Krsna goes on to describe It as aksara, imperishable. Brahman is the imperishable foundation of the perishable world. As Brahman personified, Krsna says He is the splendour of the sun, the moon and fire. He sustains all beings with energy. He enters the earth and nourishes vegetationHe is the fire that digests the food eaten by all beings. “I am installed in the hearts of all” declares Krsna. Memory, knowledge and their loss arise from Me. The sorrow and pain of separation is mitigated by forgetfulness. This loss of memory is partial during our lifetime and complete on death. It is a great blessing as it lightens the burden of life which would otherwise be impossible to bear. It enables us to start afresh on the journey of life and discover the truths that lie hidden. Thus He sustains both the macrocosm, the universe, as well as the microcosm, the individual. In this portion, Krsna asserts that Brahman is the aksara, imperishable supporter of the perishable world.

Finally, Krsna destroys any limitations you may have imposed on Brahman by saying It is not confined to the finite world. It is the Uttama Purusa, Supreme Being, far beyond the universe that we visualise. When you want to point out gold to a person who has never seen it how do you go about it? You show a gold ornament and say this is gold. The person’s understanding is restricted to the shape and size of the ornament. So you melt the piece and say the imperishable material with which the perishable ornament is made is gold. But he still has not understood gold for his perception of gold is only that little portion that has gone into the ornament. Gold exists beyond the ornament in its pure form. Thus it is necessary to bring in the third entity beyond the ornament and the gold that goes into its making.

The universe with its millions of galaxies is ksara, the perishable aspect of Brahman. The imperishable substratum of the perishable world is aksara. But the universe is still the reference point. The vast cosmos is only an infinitesimal disturbance in the immeasurable expanse of Brahman. Krsna thus has to bring in a third concept, that of Uttama Purusa or highest Self, to complete the picture. Beyond the ksara and aksara is the Uttama Purusa that pervades the three worlds of waking, dream and deep sleep and exists beyond, in Its pristine glory. With this Krsna completes the description of Brahman.

In essence Krsna says I am beyond the transient world and above the eternal foundation too. I am celebrated in the world and in the Vedas as Purusottama, supreme Being. The wise aspire for Me, setting aside the entire world and its fascinations. They worship Me whole-heartedly and become truly fulfilled. And it is they who become the Spirit.

 

chap 10

 இந்த அத்தியாயம் அர்ஜுனன் கடவுளை தியானிக்க உதவுவதற்காக பகவான் கிருஷ்ணரால் விவரிக்கப்பட்டது

chapter 10


gita 3.11 humans and deities

 BG 3.11: By your sacrifices, the celestial gods will be pleased, and by cooperation between humans and the celestial gods, great prosperity will reign for all.


Commentary

The celestial gods, or devatās, are in-charge of the administration of the universe.

 The Supreme Lord does his work of managing the universe through them. 

These devatās live within this material universe, in the higher planes of existence, called swarg, or the celestial abodes. The devatās are not God; they are souls like us. They occupy specific posts in the affairs of running the world. Consider the Federal government of a country. There is a Secretary of State, a Secretary of the Treasury, a Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, and so on. These are posts, and chosen people occupy those posts for a limited tenure. At the end of the tenure, the government changes and all the post-holders change too. 

Similarly, in administering the affairs of the world, there are posts such as Agni   (the god of fire), Vāyu  (the god of the wind), Varuṇa   (the god of the ocean), Indra   (the king of the celestial gods), etc. Souls selected by virtue of their deeds in past lives occupy these seats for a fixed number of ages, and administer the affairs of the universe. These are the devatās (celestial gods).

The Vedas mention various ceremonies and processes for the satisfaction of the celestial gods, and in turn these devatās bestow material prosperity.  

 the performance of yajña is naturally pleasing to the devatās, who then create prosperity for living beings by favorably adjusting the elements of material nature.

gita introduction

  

Bhagavad Gita

भगवद्गीता


Bhagavad Gita's revelation: 

Krishna tells the Gita to Arjuna xxxxxxxx century BCE, forms part of the epic poem Mahabharata.


 The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Indian religious thought, including the Vedic concept of dharma (duty, rightful action); Sankhya-based yoga and jnana (knowledge); and bhakti (devotion).


 Among the Hindu traditions, the Gita holds a unique pan-Hindu influence as the most prominent sacred text and is a central text in the Vedanta and Vaishnava traditions.


While traditionally attributed to the sage Veda Vyasa, the Gita is historiographically regarded as a composite work by multiple authors.Incorporating teachings from the Upanishads and the samkhya yoga philosophy, the Gita is set in a narrative framework of dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and his charioteer guide Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, at the onset of the Kurukshetra War.


Though the Gita praises the benefits of yoga in releasing man's inner essence from the bounds of desire and the wheel of rebirth,the text propagates the Brahmanic idea of living according to one's duty or dharma, in contrast to the ascetic ideal of seeking liberation by avoiding all karma.

 Facing the perils of war, Arjuna hesitates to perform his duty (dharma) as a warrior. Krishna persuades him to commence in battle, arguing that while following one's dharma, one should not consider oneself to be the agent of action, but attribute all of one's actions to God (bhakti) 


The Gita posits the existence of an individual self (mind/ego) and the higher Godself (Krishna, Atman/Brahman) in every being;[c] the Krishna–Arjuna dialogue has been interpreted as a metaphor for an everlasting dialogue between the two.

 

 In the Gita's Chapter XIII, verses 24–25, four pathways to self-realization are described, which later became known as the four yogas: meditation (raja yoga), insight and intuition (jnana yoga), righteous action (karma yoga), and loving devotion (bhakti yoga).  


dating

  

A manuscript illustration of the battle of Kurukshetra, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, recorded in the Mahabharata. c. 1700 – c. 1800 CE

Winthrop Sargeant linguistically categorizes the Bhagavad Gita as Epic-Puranic Sanskrit, a language that succeeds Vedic Sanskrit and precedes classical Sanskrit. This suggests that the text was composed after the Pāṇini era, but before classical Sanskrit became the norm. This would date the text as transmitted by the oral tradition to the later centuries of the 1st-millennium BCE, and the first written version probably to the 2nd or 3rd century CE.


Kashi Nath Upadhyaya dates it a bit earlier, but after the rise of Buddhism, as the Mahabharata contains references to the Buddha and Buddhist references. He states that the Gita was always a part of the Mahabharata and that dating the latter suffices in dating the Gita. Based on the estimated dates of the Mahabharata as evidenced by exact quotes of it in the Buddhist literature by Asvaghosa (c. 100 CE), Upadhyaya states that the Mahabharata, and therefore the Gita, must have been well known by then for a Buddhist to be quoting it.


 


Authorship

In the Indian tradition, the Bhagavad Gita, as well as the epic Mahabharata of which it is a part, is attributed to the sage Vyasa,  also known as Krishna Dvaipayana and as Veda-Vyasa.A Hindu legend narrates that Vyasa composed it, and Ganesha, who broke one of his tusks, used this tusk to write down the Mahabharata along with the Bhagavad Gita. 


Scholars consider Vyasa to be a mythical or symbolic author, in part because Vyasa is also a title or generic name for the compiler of a text, and Vyasa is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the Vedas and the Puranas, texts dated with a time-difference of circa two millennia.


According to Alexus McLeod, a scholar of Philosophy and Asian Studies, it is "impossible to link the Bhagavad Gita to a single author", and it may be the work of many authors. This view is shared by the Indologist Arthur Basham, who states that there were three or more authors or compilers of Bhagavad Gita. This is evidenced by the discontinuous intermixing of philosophical verses with theistic or passionately theistic verses, according to Basham 


J. A. B. van Buitenen, an Indologist known for his translations and scholarship on Mahabharata, finds that the Gita is so contextually and philosophically well-knit within the Mahabharata that it was not an independent text that "somehow wandered into the epic".The Gita, states van Buitenen, was conceived and developed by the Mahabharata authors to "bring to a climax and solution the dharmic dilemma of a war".


Vāsudeva-Krishna roots

According to Dennis Hudson, there is an overlap between Vedic and Tantric rituals within the teachings found in the Bhagavad Gita.[46] Dennis Hudson places the Pancaratra Agama in the last three or four centuries of 1st-millennium BCE, and proposes that both the tantric and vedic, the Agama and the Gita share the same Vāsudeva-Krishna roots.


According to Hudson, a story in this Vedic text highlights the meaning of the name Vāsudeva as the 'shining one (deva) who dwells (Vasu) in all things and in whom all things dwell', and the meaning of Vishnu to be the 'pervading actor'. In the Bhagavad Gita, similarly, 'Krishna identified himself both with Vāsudeva, Vishnu and their meanings'. The ideas at the centre of Vedic rituals in Shatapatha Brahmana and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita revolve around this absolute Person, the primordial genderless absolute, which is the same as the goal of Pancaratra Agama and Tantra.


 

The Bhagavad Gita manuscript is found in the sixth book of the Mahabharata manuscripts – the Bhisma-parvan. Therein, in the third section, the Gita forms chapters 23–40, that is 6.3.23 to 6.3.40.[51] The Bhagavad Gita is often preserved and studied on its own, as an independent text with its chapters renumbered from 1 to 18.    


Adi Shankara, in his 8th-century commentary, explicitly states that the Gita has 700 verses, which was likely a deliberate declaration to prevent further insertions and changes to the Gita. Since Shankara's time, "700 verses" has been the standard benchmark for the critical edition of the Bhagavad Gita.


  Chapters and content

 

The original Bhagavad Gita has no chapter titles. Some Sanskrit editions that separate the Gita from the epic as an independent text, as well as translators, however, add chapter titles. For example, Swami Chidbhavananda describes each of the eighteen chapters as a separate yoga because each chapter, like yoga, "trains the body and the mind". He labels the first chapter "Arjuna Vishada Yogam" or the "Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection".Sir Edwin Arnold titled this chapter in his 1885 translation as "The Distress of Arjuna".


The chapters are:


Chapter Name of Chapter Total Verses

1 Arjuna Vishada Yoga 47

2 Samkhya Yoga 72

3 Karma Yoga 43

4 Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga 42

5 Karma Sanyasa Yoga 29

6 Atma Samyama Yoga 47

7 Jnana Vijnana Yoga 30

8 Akshara Brahma Yoga 28

9 Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga 34

10 Vibhuti Yoga 42

11 Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga 55

12 Bhakti Yoga 20

13 Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga 35

14 Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga 27

15 Purushottama Yoga 20

16 Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga 24

17 Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga 28

18 Moksha Sanyasa Yoga 78

Total 701




 

chap 18-63 end of advice

 In this manner, I have declared that knowledge to you which is most secret among all secrets. Reflect on this fully, then do as you desire.

read on..

18.61

 Ishvara is seated in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, spinning all beings mounted on a machine by maaya.

the universe is like a gigantic video game set in motion by Ishvara. This video game is maayaa, also known as Prakriti, which is comprised of the three gunaas. By itself, maaya is insentient, it cannot do anything on its own. The eternal essence reflected in maaya adds sentience to maaya, it injects life into maaya by becoming the individual soul, the jeeva. In this way, each jeeva loses its connection with the eternal essence, and is stuck in this massive machine, this massive video game known as maaya.
 
So then, how can the jeeva liberate itself from this never ending video game of maaya? Does the jeeva have a chance? Is there any such thing as free will, or are we just slaves of maaya? The clue lies in the fact that maaya is subservient to Ishvara. If we only rely on maaya, if we only spend our lives attached to the material world, we will never have a chance at liberation. But if we direct our efforts towards knowing the true nature of Ishvara, towards contacting Ishvara, there may be a shot at liberation. Fortunately, he is not in some remote heaven, he is seated within us.  

Bg 6.16_17

 



நாத்யச்னதஸ்து யோகோsஸ்தி ந சைகாந்தமனச்னத: 1 யுக்தாஹார விஹாரஸ்ய யுக்த சேஷ்டஸ்ய கர்மஸு | 16

ந சாதி ஸ்வப்ன சீலஸ்ய ஜாக்ரதோ நைவ சார்ஜூன யுக்த ஸ்வப்னாவபோதஸ்ய யோகோ பவதி து:க்கஹா N 17


அர்ஜுனா! அதிகமாய் உண்பவனுக்கு யோகம் இல்லை; ஒன்றும் உண்ணாதவனுக்கும் இல்லை; மேலும் தூக்கத்தில் அதிக விருப்பம் உடையவனுக்கும் இல்லை; தூங்காமலே விழிப்பவனுக்கும் இல்லை.


மிதமான ஊணும் உலாவுதலும் உடையவ னுக்கும், கர்மங்களில் மிதமாக உழைப்பு உடையவ னுக்கும், மிதமான உறக்கமும் விழிப்பும் உடையவ னுக்கும் யோகமானது துன்பம் துடைப்பதாக ஆகிறது.


எப்போது நன்கு அடங்கிய சித்தமானது  ஆத்மாவிலேயே ஊன்றி நிற்கிறதோ அப்போது எல்லா ஆசைகளினின்றும் பற்று நீங்கிய அவன் யுக்தன் என்று சொல்லப்படுகிறான்.


எவ்வாறு காற்றில்லாத இடத்தில் வைக்கப் பட்ட விளக்குச்சுடர் அசைவதில்லையோ, அது ஆத்மாவினிடத்தில் யோகத்தை அப்பியசிக்கும் யோகியின் அடங்கிய சித்தத்துக்கு உவமையாக அறிஞர்களால்

சிந்திக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

uddhava gita

 24 mastera krishna

earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Pi?gala, the kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp.


1. From the earth he had learned how to be sober, 

2. and from the two manifestations of earth, namely the mountain and the tree, he had learned, respectively, how to serve others and how to dedicate one’s whole life to the benefit of others. 

3. From the wind, manifesting in the form of the vital air within the body, he had learned how to be satisfied with merely keeping oneself alive, and 

4. from the external wind he had learned how to remain uncontaminated by the body and the objects of the senses. 

5. From the sky he had learned how the soul, which pervades all material substances, is both indivisible and imperceptible, and 

6. from the water he had learned how to be naturally clear and purifying. 

7. From the fire he had learned how to devour all things without becoming dirtied and how to destroy all the inauspicious desires of those who make offerings to him. He had also learned from fire how the Supreme Soul enters into every body and appears to assume the identity of each. 

8. From the moon he had learned how the various phases the material body undergoes — birth, growth, dwindling and death — do not affect the embodied soul. 

9. From the sun he had learned how to avoid entanglement even while coming into contact with sense objects, and he had also learned about the two different modes of perception based on seeing the real form of the soul and seeing false designative coverings. 

10. From the pigeon he had learned how too much affection and excessive attachment are not good for one. This human body is the open door to liberation, but if one becomes attached to family life like the pigeon, one is compared to a person who has climbed up to a high place just to fall down again.






    in Kali-yuga the people will be addicted to all types of sinful activities; therefore do not stay here.


Text 6:

    Now you should completely give up all attachment to your personal friends and relatives and fix your mind on Me. Thus being always conscious of Me, you should observe all things with equal vision and wander throughout the earth.


Text 7:

    My dear Uddhava, the material universe that you perceive through your mind, speech, eyes, ears and other senses is an illusory creation that one imagines to be real due to the influence of maya. In fact, you should know that all of the objects of the material senses are temporary.


Text 8:

    One whose consciousness is bewildered by illusion perceives many differences in value and meaning among material objects. Thus one engages constantly on the platform of material good and evil and is bound by such conceptions. Absorbed in material duality, such a person contemplates the performance of compulsory duties, nonperformance of such duties and performance of forbidden activities


bringing all your senses under control and thus subduing the mind, you should see the entire world as situated within the self, who is expanded everywhere, and you should also see this individual self within Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.



Text 19:

    The Supreme Lord replied: Generally those human beings who can expertly analyze the actual situation of the material world are able to raise themselves beyond the inauspicious life of gross material gratification.


Text 20:

    An intelligent person, expert in perceiving the world around him and in applying sound logic, can achieve real benefit through his own intelligence. Thus sometimes one acts as one’s own instructing spiritual master.


Text 21:

    In the human form of life, those who are self-controlled and expert in the spiritual science of Sa?khya can directly see Me along with all of My potencies.


Text 22:

    In this world there are many kinds of created bodies — some with one leg, others with two, three, four or more legs, and still others with no legs — but of all these, the human form is actually dear to Me.


Text 23:

    Although I, the Supreme Lord, can never be captured by ordinary sense perception, those situated in human life may use their intelligence and other faculties of perception to directly search for Me through both apparent and indirectly ascertained symptoms.


Text 24:

    In this regard, sages cite a historical narration concerning the conversation between the greatly powerful King Yadu and an avadhuta.