Bhagavad Gita Interpretations
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Commentaries, discussions, polls, quizzes & links about the English version of the epic poem Bhagavad-Gita
I like how the chapters, texts and commentaries are arranged in this version of the "Epic Poem of All Time."
Join me in taking some quizzes, polls, and commentaries to share and test our knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita Truth.
Host: Darcie French, Chronic Scribe
Author of Karma's Story
The Mystic Reality
What Is Consciousness?
Discuss Dr David R Hawkins Work
The Epic Poem of All Time
Setting the Scene
Do you love the Bhagavad Gita as much as I do? When I read this text it was a transcendental experience and it is my joy to dedicate a lens to it."Although widely published and read by itself, Bhagavad-gita originally appears as an episode in the Mahabharata, the epic Sanskrit history of the ancient world. The Mahabharata tells of events leading up to the Age of Kali. It was the beginning of this age, some fifty centuries ago, that Lord Krsna spoke Bhagavad-gita to His friend and devotee Arjuna. Their discourse- one of the greatest philosophical and religious dialogues known to man- took place just before the onset of war, a great fratricidal conflict between the hundred sons of Dhrtarastra and the opposing side their cousins the Pandava, or sons of Pandu." ~A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
"I was born in the darkest ignorance,
and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."
~A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Bhagavad Gita As It Is
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
Amazon Price: $4.08 (as of 05/30/2012)
This is the version of the Gita I am working with
Chapter 1 Summary
Chapter 1 Comments & Discussion
Observing the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
Chapter One: Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra:
"As the opposing armies stand poised for battle, Arjuna, the mighty warrior, sees his intimate relatives, teachers and friends in both armies ready to fight and sacrifice their lives. Overcome by grief and pity, Arjuna fails in strength, his mind becomes bewildered, and he gives up his determination to fight."
Commentary: At the outset of the great battle, Arjuna the warrior, and his friend the chariotieer who is actually Lord Krishna, share a transcendental moment where all time comes to a stand still for eternity. Arjuna asks Lord Krishna for help, to help him understand the difference between the material modes of nature and The Supreme, and to guide him in making his decision on the battle field.
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Tipi
Sep 9, 2011 @ 11:33 pm | delete
- I think I'm at the kindergarten level here, I can't say as I've read the Bhagavad Gita.
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MaxReily
Jun 11, 2011 @ 6:02 pm | delete
- I own a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, but I've never delved into it deeply enough to make an intelligent comment here. Have to make time to do that!
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reasonablerobinson
Jun 3, 2011 @ 10:32 pm | delete
- It has recently been the discussion topic on the BBC radio 4 program called In Our Time hosted by Melvyn Bragg and which you can sometimes 'listen again' on their website.
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Vijay Kumar Jain
Mar 23, 2011 @ 9:07 am | delete
- The gist of Bhagavad Gita could never be understood literally! The moment mankind succeeded in assimilating pearls of wisdom contained in 700 shlokas verses of Bhagavad Gita... one finally reached stage of enlightenment (kaivalya)... and finally salvation (moksha)!
The original teachings of Bhagavad Gita with English transliteration is available for mere $.60 (rupees 30/=) at most railway stations of India or directly from Gita press, Gorakhpur, India... still, people wondered what Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism was all about!
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darciefrench
Mar 23, 2011 @ 2:14 pm | delete
- Yes, it's very mysterious yet simple- the true sage was the poet Sanjay, describing to his beloved blind king the '700 verses'. It can be taken literally, in a sense that one can 'pursue' enlightenment by following the ways to live as described. Understanding that the God is the Supreme Enjoyer/Controller, swallowing up the universe here and there as if breathing in and out, and surrendering to that Power in love is all that is 'necessary' for salvation.
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Asking for Help
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 2 Comments & Discussion
Contents of the Gita summarized
Chapter Two: Contents of the Gita summarized:
"Arjuna submits to Lord Krsna as His disciple, and Krishna begins His teachings to Arjuna by explaining the fundamental distinction between the temporary material body and the eternal spiritual soul. The Lord explains the process of transmigration, the nature of selfless service to the Supreme, and the characteristics of a self-realized person."
*Note: Krsna and Krishna are both commonly used spellings
Commentary:
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Tipi
Sep 9, 2011 @ 11:35 pm | delete
- I did get the quiz right!
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Chapter 3 Comments & Quiz
Karma-yoga
Chapter Three: Karma-yoga
"Everyone must engage in some sort of activity in this material world. But actions can either bind one to this world, or liberate one from it. By acting for the pleasure of the Supreme, without selfish motives, one can be liberated from the law of karma (action and reaction) and attain transcendental knowledge of the self and the Supreme."
Commentary:
Chapter 4 Comments & Featured Lenses
Transcendental Knowledge
"Transcendental knowledge- the spiritual knowledge of the soul, of God, and their relationship- is both purifying and liberating. Such knowledge is the fruit of selfless devotional action (karma-yoga). The Lord explains the remote history of the Gita, the purpose and significance of His periodic descents to the material world, and the necessity of approaching a guru, a realized teacher."
Commentaries:
In the fourth chapter, the Lord explains to Arjuna that he is the head of the disciplic succession of the system of yoga that comes down from the original system, which is the Bhagavad-gita.
Chapters 5 & 6 Comments & Discussion
Karma-yoga & Dhyana-yoga
Chapter Five: Karma-yoga- Action in Krsna Consciousness
"Outwardly performing all actions but inwardly renouncing their fruits, the wise man, purified by the fire of transcendental knowledge, attains peace, detachment, forbearance, spiritual vision and bliss."
Chapter Six: Dhyana-yoga
"Astanga-yoga, a mechanical meditative practice, controls the mind and senses and focuses concentration on the Paramatma (the Supersoul, the form of the Lord situated in the heart). This practice culminates in samahdi, full consciousness of the Supreme."
Commentary:
Chapter 7 Comments & Featured Lenses
Knowledge of the Absolute
"Lord Krsna is the Supreme Truth, the supreme cause and sustaining force of everything, both material and spiritual. Advanced souls surrender unto Him in devotion, whereas impious souls divert their minds to other objects of worship."
Commentaries:
Chapter 8 Comments & Discussion
Attaining the Supreme (Seeking of Enlightenment)
Chapter Eight: Attaining the Supreme
"By remembering Lord Krishna in devotion throughout one's life, and especially at the time of death, one can attain to His supreme abode, beyond the material world."
Commentary:
This is an important point made. To "remember Lord Krishna" is not meant to be taken literally, as to recall his physical form (although it a the first step), but to be in the transcendental state that is not subject to the ego and its programming that is attached to the material plane of existence. Recalling Arjuna's grief at the beginning of the poem, we can see the difference- the transcendental state is not subject to grief or any other emotion. To die in a state of grief, one remains in a state of grief after leaving the physical. To leave the body while in a transcendental state, one 'attains His Supreme Abode' - which simply means, one abides in the Presence of God, freed from ego/karma for eternity. Jesus Christ lives evermore in this transcendental state, for instance. Yogananda Paramhansa is another example of one who left the body while in the transcendental state. We can help those who die in a state of grief by going to them in meditation and assuring them it's ok to enter the Light of God, that God's Love is available to everyone, no matter the karma they believe to deny them. It is always the choice of the separated self to rejoin Source; there is no 'judgment day'- but every day spent outside of God's eternal love.
Chapter 9 Comments & Poll
The Most Confidential Knowledge
Chapter Nine: The Most Confidential Knowledge
"Lord Krsna is the Supreme Godhead and the supreme object of worship. The soul is eternally related to Him through transcendental devotional service (bhakti). By reviving one's pure devotion one returns to Krsna in the spiritual realm."
Commentary:
Chapter 10 Comments & Featured Lenses
The Opulence of the Absolute
"All wondrous phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, eith in the material world or in the spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krsna's divine energies and opulence. As the supreme cause of all causes and the support and essence of everything, Krsna is the supreme object of worship for all beings."
Commentary:
Chapter 11 Comments & Video
The Universal Form
"Lord Krsna grants Arjuna divine vision and reveals His spectacular unlimited form as the cosmic universe. Thus he conclusively establishes His divinity. Krsna explains that his own all-beautiful human like form is the original form of the Godhead. One can perceive this form only by pure devotional service."
*Video coming soon
Chapter 13 Comments & Related Blog
Nature, the Enjoyer and Consciousness
"One who understands the difference between the body, the soul and the Supersoul beyond them both attains liberation from this material world."
Commentaries:
Chapter 14 Comments & Discussion
The Three Modes of Material Nature
Chapter Fourteen: The Three Modes of Material Nature
"All embodied souls are under the control of the three modes, or qualities, of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Lord Krsna explains what these modes are, how they act upon us, how one transcends them, and the symptoms of one who has attained the transcendental state."
Commentary:
Chapter 15 Comments & Discussion
The Yoga of the Supreme Person
Chapter Fifteen: The Yoga of the Supreme Person
"The ultimate purpose of Vedic knowledge is to detach oneself from the entanglement of the material world and to understand Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who understands Krsna's supreme identity surrenders unto Him and engages in His devotional service."
Commentary:
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Thrinsdream
Jan 7, 2012 @ 2:50 pm | delete
- Me again! Once in a very crowded market town there were a group of Harri Krishna. They were quite far away from my partner then he noticed some sort of commotion and one of their members ran through the crowd, around a bandstand stood in front of him, proffered him the Bhagavad Gita, Rob (my partner) accepted then the man bowed and walked away. I just thought you would like that story (once again 100% true) especially after reading your LOTD.
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Tipi
Sep 9, 2011 @ 11:37 pm | delete
- Somehow I managed to get the quizzes right, but then you helped!
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Jul 6, 2011 @ 5:37 am | delete
- Nice Lens on a wonderful epic. You can make it more beautiful by adding pics from the Mahabharata.
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Chapter 16 Discussion & Featured Lenses
The Divine & Demoniac Natures
"Those who possess demoniac qualities and who live whimsically, without following the regulations of scripture, attain lower births and further material bondage. But those who possess divine qualities and live regulated lives,a biding by scriptural authority, gradually attain spiritual perfection."
Commentaries:
Lenses about the dual nature of the material world
Sinner and Saint
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Chapter 17 Comments & Quiz
The Divisions of Faith
Chapter Seventeen: The Divisions of Faith
"There are three types of faith, corresponding to and evolving from the three modes of material nature. Acts performed by those whose faith is in passion and ignorance yield only impermanent, material results, whereas acts performed in goodness, in accord with scriptural injunctions, purify the heart and lead to pure faith in Lord Krsna and devotion to Him."
Commentary:
Chapter 18 Comments
The Perfection of Renunciation
"Krsna explains the meaning of renunciation and the effects of the modes of natures on human consciousness and activity. He explains Brahman realization, the glories of the Bhagavad-gita, and the ultimate conclusion of the Gita: the highest path of religion is absolute, unconditional loving surrender unto Lord Krsna, which frees one from all sins, brings one to complete enlightenment, and enables one to return to Krsna's eternal spiritual abode.
Commentary:
My Lenses On Consciousness
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. Bhagavad Gita
by darciefrench
I have read and reread the Bhagavad Gita more than once. It is one of my favorite spiritual text books of all time. It's truly and epic poem for nonli... more »
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