Bhagavad-Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita, the "song of God," is the best-known Hindu scripture in the world. Forming two chapters of the great epic Mahabharata, it is a spiritual treatise spoken by Krishna to Arjuna as they sat on a chariot between two armies poised for battle.

Blind King Dhritarashtra, sitting in his palace, was worried as to how the proposed battle site, Kurukshetra – even then a place of pilgrimage – might favor the righteous Pandavas standing opposite his own sons. Doubtful and perturbed, he confided in Sanjaya, his secretary. Sanjaya, by mystic vision, saw events unfolding in Kurukshetra and thus narrated to the blind king the entire Bhagavad-gita.

The king was pleased to hear of Arjuna's perplexity upon seeing friends and relatives on both sides. Arjuna dropped his bow, refused to fight and implored Krishna to become his teacher. Lord Krishna then explained how Arjuna's affection for his kinsmen was based on the bodily concept of life. Under this illusion, Arjuna considered the body to be the self and those connected with his body to be his kinsmen.

Upon hearing these instructions, Arjuna again took up his bow, determined to fight. In the final verse of the Gita, Sanjaya plunges Dhritarashtra back into despair, informing him that his sons, fighting opposite Krishna and Arjuna, had no chance of victory. The whole Gita is completed in 700 verses.

Krishna’s instructions

In the first six chapters, Krishna explains how the real self (soul) is different from the body and can be elevated to self-realization through different types of yoga, culminating in bhakti (devotion). The middle six chapters discuss the Supreme Lord, his service and his devotees. In the third six chapters, Krishna explains about the soul's entanglement within the three gunas, and how it can be liberated. Finally, Krishna instructs Arjun to become His devotee and surrender fully to Him abandoning all other religions (duties). In return, Krishna promises to protect Arjun from all sinful reactions.

Bhagavada Gita as it is

The Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, is the translation and commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is known amongst other translations of the Bhagavad-gita for its strong emphasis on the path of bhakti yoga above all others in line with the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

A.C. BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada explains the importance of reading and practicing the principles of Bhagavad-Gita as follows:

Human beings even in the lower statuses of life (a merchant, a woman or a laborer) can attain the Supreme. One does not need highly developed intelligence. The point is that anyone who accepts the principle of bhakti-yoga and accepts the Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, as the highest target, the ultimate goal, can approach the Lord in the spiritual sky. If one adopts the principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gita, he can make his life perfect and make a perfect solution to all the problems of life which arise out of the transient nature of material existence. This is the sum and substance of the entire Bhagavad-Gita.

In conclusion, Bhagavad-Gita is a transcendental literature which one should read very carefully. It is capable of saving one from all fear. If one reads Bhagavad-Gita sincerely and seriously (even one verse or a quarter of a verse everyday), then all of the reactions of his past misdeeds will not react upon him.

In the last portion of Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Sri Krishna proclaims: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja; aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma shucah - "Give up all varieties of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear." (Bg. 18.66) Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies all the reactions of sin.

Other Commentaries on Bhagavad-Gita

The Bhagavad-Gita is the best known and the most frequently translated of Vedic religious texts. It is considered by eastern and western scholars alike, to be among the greatest spiritual books the world has ever known. In a very clear and wonderful way the Supreme Lord Krishna describes the science of self-realization and the exact process by which a human being can re-establish their eternal relationship with God. In terms of pure, spiritual knowledge, the Bhagavad- Gita is incomparable. Its intrinsic beauty is that its knowledge applies to all human beings and does not postulate any sectarian ideology or secular view. It is approachable from the sanctified realms of all religions and is glorified as the epitome of all spiritual teachings. This is because proficiency in the Bhagavad-gita reveals the eternal principles which are fundamental and essential for spiritual life from all perspectives and allows one to perfectly understand the esoteric truths hidden within all religious scriptures. Many great thinkers from our times such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweizer as well as Madhvacarya, Sankara and Ramanuja from bygone ages have all contemplated and deliberated upon its timeless message. The primary purpose of the Bhagavad-Gita is to illuminate for all of humanity the realization of the true nature of divinity; for the highest spiritual conception and the greatest material perfection is to attain love of God, love of Krishna.