The scope of the Gita is quite broad. [110][web 3] 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". [199] The chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita is dedicated to the general exposition of jnana yoga. With Arjuna is Krishna, not as a participant in the war, but only as his charioteer and counsel. The entire libretto of the opera consists of sayings from the Gita sung in the original Sanskrit. Bhagavad Gita 6.1Eknath Easwaran[130][note 14], Translators title the sixth chapter as Dhyana yoga, Religion by Self-Restraint, The Practice of Meditation, or The Yoga of Meditation. "[391] He deduced from the Gita the doctrine that "the functions of a man ought to be determined by his natural turn, gift, and capacities",[391] that the individual should "develop freely"[391] and thereby would be best able to serve society. by The Bhagavad Gita - a question of ethics The Bhagavad Gita is considered one of the keystone texts of Hindu religion and moral philosophy. Krishna discusses the nature of God, according to Easwaran, wherein Krishna not only transcends the impermanent body (matter) but also transcends the atman (Self) in every being. "[158], Translators title the chapter as DaivasuraSampadVibhaga yoga, The Separateness of the Divine and Undivine, Two Paths, or The Yoga of the Division between the Divine and the Demonic. It remains a popular text for commentators belonging to various philosophical schools. B. van Buitenen, was published by mile Senart in 1922. For Gandhi, the Gita is teaching that people should fight for justice and righteous values, that they should never meekly suffer injustice to avoid a war. If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one[366]. Skip to content Main Menu Bhagavad Gita MoreMenu Toggle About Hanuman Chalisa [73][74][75] It states that the dharmic householder can achieve the same goals as the renouncing monk through "inner renunciation" or "motiveless action". As the Gita suggests, Hinduism is a way of live -- a philosophy -- that parents are expected to teach their . The Bhagavad Gita (/bvd it/; Sanskrit: , romanized:rmadbhagavadgt, lit. 'The Song by God' [a] ), [1] often referred to as the Gita ( IAST: gt ), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. Kosambi writes that in the Gita, "the high god repeatedly emphasizes the great virtue of non-killing (ahimsa), yet the entire discourse is an incentive to war. [198] The text states that this is the path that intellectuals tend to prefer. Krishna reminds him that everyone is in the cycle of rebirths, and while Arjuna does not remember his previous births, he does. "[255], Mahatma Gandhi credited his commitment for ahimsa to the Gita. The Gita disapproves of these, stating that not only is it against tradition but against Krishna himself, because "Krishna dwells within all beings, in torturing the body the ascetic would be torturing him", states Flood. Arjuna's Despair Dhritarashtra said: 1:1. [38][42][43] The word Vyasa literally means "arranger, compiler", and is a surname in India. [18][114][115] The chapter starts by presenting the tension in the Indian tradition between the life of sannyasa (monks who have renounced their household and worldly attachments) and the life of grihastha (householder). The movie, however, uses the plot but glosses over the teachings unlike in the novel. [157] According to Franklin Edgerton, the verses in this chapter, in association with select verses in other chapters, make the metaphysics of the Gita to be dualistic. [note 13] Every time he returns, he teaches about the inner Self in all beings. [122][123] According to Flood and Martin, chapter 3 and onwards develops "a theological response to Arjuna's dilemma". Vision Of The Cosmic Form Of God. [303][304] Many of these commentators state that the Gita is "meant to be a moksa-shastra (moksasatra), and not a dharmasastra, an arthasastra or a kamasastra". Millions of people actually witnessed the glory of God in person, with their own eyes. It is not denied that, like the other portions of the Epic and like some of the Upaniads, the Gt probably suffered occasional interpolations or that it existed in different recensions; . [165][166], Like some of the Upanishads, the Gita does not limit itself to the nirguna Brahman. [209][210], According to Edwin Bryant, the Indologist with publications on Krishna-related Hindu traditions, the Gita rejects "actionless behavior" found in some Indic monastic traditions. [154][155][156], Translators title the chapter as Purushottama yoga, Religion by Attaining the Supreme Krishna, The Supreme Self, or The Yoga of the Supreme Purusha. [224], The first reference to dharma in the Bhagavad Gita occurs in its first verse, where Dhritarashtra refers to the Kurukshetra, the location of the battlefield, as the Field of Dharma, "The Field of Righteousness or Truth". For B.G. A child builds structures with his toys during the day and pulls them apart before going to bed at night. [379], In his Myth and Reality, D.D. Bhakti is the most important means of attaining liberation. . Abhinavagupta's commentary is notable for its citations of more ancient scholars, in a style similar to Adi Shankara. According to Edwin Bryant and Maria Ekstrand, this school incorporates and integrates aspects of "qualified monism, dualism, monistic dualism, and pure nondualism". [383], Neo-Hindus such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, states Hacker, have preferred to not translate it in those terms, or "dharma" as religion, but leave Gita's message as "everyone must follow his sva-dharma". I suppose we all thought that, one way or another. [103][note 11] Two massive armies have gathered to destroy each other. These are: Translators have variously titled the first chapter as Arjuna vishada yoga, Prathama Adhyaya, The Distress of Arjuna, The War Within, or Arjuna's Sorrow. [54] The Brahma sutras constitute the Nyya prasthna or the "starting point of reasoning canonical base", while the principal Upanishads constitute the Sruti prasthna or the "starting point of heard scriptures", and the Bhagavad Gita constitutes the Smriti prasthna or the "starting point of remembered canonical base". [1] They are: Karma Yoga or the Path of Action ( Karma -mrga) Bhakti Yoga or the Path of Devotion ( Bhakti -mrga) to Ishvar (God) Jnana Yoga or the Path of Knowledge ( Jna -mrga) A "fourth yoga" is sometimes . The chapter recommends devotional worship of Krishna. [400] Through the message of the Gita, Vivekananda sought to energise the people of India to reclaim their dormant but strong identity. It re-emphasizes the karma-phala-tyaga teaching ("act while renouncing the fruits of your action"). [237] Bal Gangadhar Tilak saw the Gita as defending killing when necessary for the betterment of society, such as, for example, the killing of Afzal Khan. [99] While the shloka is the principal meter in the Gita, it does deploy other elements of Sanskrit prosody (which refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic statues). The book is significant in that unlike other commentaries of the Bhagavad Gita, which focus on karma yoga, jnana yoga, and bhakti yoga in relation to the Gita, Yogananda's work stresses the training of one's mind, or raja yoga. [31] The text has occasional pre-classical elements of the Sanskrit language, such as the aorist and the prohibitive m instead of the expected na (not) of classical Sanskrit. They state that the authors of the Bhagavad Gita must have seen the appeal of the soteriologies found in "the heterodox traditions of Buddhism and Jainism" as well as those found in " the orthodox Hindu traditions of Samkhya and Yoga". [235][236], Indian independence leaders like Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak saw the Gita as a text which defended war when necessary and used it to promote armed rebellion against colonial rule. Hindu cosmology is the description of the universe and its states of matter, cycles within time, physical structure, and effects on living entities according to Hindu texts. Krishna is simultaneously one and all. Arjuna requests Krishna to move the chariot between the two armies so he can see those "eager for this war". [240][241][242] In 1944, Isherwood worked with Swami Prabhavananda of the Vedanta Society of Southern California to translate the Bhagavad Gita into English. Religion & Spirituality Dive into the soul-nourishing stream of timeless wisdom for the spiritually awakened life. [124], Translators title the fourth chapter as JnaKarma-Sanyasa yoga, The Religion of Knowledge, Wisdom in Action, or The Yoga of Renunciation of Action through Knowledge. [18][114][115] The chapter opens with Krishna continuing his discourse. For me, this was one of the best moments f. [18][114][115] When Arjuna asks of the opulences (Vibhuti) of Krishna, he explains how all the entities are his forms. It's just a recognition of the way things ultimately are, which is what Einstein meant by "God." The . [275][note 19], The translations and interpretations of the Gita have been so diverse that these have been used to support apparently contradictory political and philosophical values. John C. Plott et al. 55. These are the three starting points for the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. According to Upadhyaya, the Gita states that none of these paths to spiritual realization is "intrinsically superior or inferior", rather they "converge in one and lead to the same goal". The term dharma has a number of meanings. [288] In 1808, passages from the Gita were part of the first direct translation of Sanskrit into German, appearing in a book through which Friedrich Schlegel became known as the founder of Indian philology in Germany. He saw the main message as the bravery and courage of Arjuna to fight as a warrior. The Bhagavad Gita ( / bvd it /; Sanskrit: , romanized : rmadbhagavadgt, lit. 20 episodes. [84] It then presents different spiritual paths for each personality type respectively: the path of knowledge (jnana yoga), the path of devotion (bhakti yoga), the path of action (karma yoga), and the path of meditation (raja yoga). nor those who refrain from action, [179], The Gita considers the world to be transient, all bodies and matter as impermanent. [164], The Gita adopts the Upanishadic concept of Absolute Reality (Brahman), a shift from the earlier ritual-driven Vedic religion to one abstracting and internalizing spiritual experiences. It has 18 chapters in total. Page 2 of 14 . [35], 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,[36] whose full name was Krishna Dvaipayana, also called Veda-Vyasa. According to Hudson, a story in this Vedic text highlights the meaning of the name Vsudeva 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'. [165][166] According to Jeaneane Fowler, the Gita builds on the Upanishadic Brahman theme, conceptualized to be that which is everywhere, unaffected, constant Absolute, indescribable and nirguna (abstract, without features). [384], Nadkarni and Zelliot present the opposite view, citing early Bhakti saints of the Krishna-tradition such as the 13th-century saint Dnyaneshwar. This dharma has "resonances at many different levels". For Vivekananda, the Gita was an egalitarian scripture that rejected caste and other hierarchies because of its verses such as 13.2728, which states "He who sees the Supreme Lord dwelling equally in all beings, the Imperishable in things that perish, he sees verily. Like his Vedanta peers, Ramanuja wrote a bhashya (commentary) on the Gita - Gita Bhashya. It has been quoted by writers, poets, scientists, theologians, and philosophers - among others - for centuries and is often the introductory text to Hinduism for a Western audience. Krishna is presented as a teacher who "drives Arjuna and the reader beyond initial preconceptions". [181], The Upanishads developed the equation "Atman = Brahman", states Fowler, and this belief is central to the Gita. [15][16], The gita in the title of the Bhagavad Gita means "song." When logic fails, Krishna apparently resorts to divine magic. [234][note 17], Other scholars such as Steven Rosen, Laurie L. Patton and Stephen Mitchell have seen in the Gita a religious defense of the warrior class' (Kshatriya Varna) duty (svadharma), which is to wage war with courage. [139] This chapter contains eschatology of the Bhagavad Gita. "[203] The influential commentator Madhusudana Sarasvati divided the Gita's eighteen chapters into three sections with six chapters each. [128][129] Chapter 5 shows signs of interpolations and internal contradictions. [28][note 4] According to Arthur Basham, the context of the Bhagavad Gita suggests that it was composed in an era when the ethics of war were being questioned and renunciation to monastic life was becoming popular. [218], According to Malinar, "Arjuna's crisis and some of the arguments put forward to call him to action are connected to the debates on war and peace in the Udyoga Parva. Arjuna asks Krishna which path is better. The cosmos, physical, astral, and causal, is rooted above in the Supreme Consciousness, in Brahman. [125][126], Translators title this chapter as KarmaSanyasa yoga, Religion by Renouncing Fruits of Works, Renounce and Rejoice, or The Yoga of Renunciation. A. [147][148], Translators title this chapter as KsetraKsetrajna Vibhaga yoga, Religion by Separation of Matter and Spirit, The Field and the Knower, or The Yoga of Difference between the Field and Field-Knower. [404] Their attempt was to present their "universalist religion". That which is "below" is a manifestation of Brahman. Thus, the first version of the Bhagavad Gita may have been composed in or after the 3rd century BCE. 22: Cosmic Inheritance - Reciprocity & Selfless Action. Nevertheless, at Arjuna's behest, Krishna says the following are his major opulences. This page was last edited on 22 June 2023, at 04:31. [221][222][223], According to the Indologist Barbara Miller, the text frames heroism not in terms of physical abilities, but instead in terms of effort and inner commitment to fulfill a warrior's dharma in the battlefield. Arjuna questions how Krishna could do this, when those sages lived so long ago, and Krishna was born more recently. Ambedkar wrote that "to say that killing is no killing because what is killed is the body and not the soul is an unheard of defense of murderIf Krishna were to appear as a lawyer acting for a client who is being tried for murder and pleaded the defense set out by him in the Bhagvat Gita there is not the slightest doubt that he would be sent to the lunatic asylum. "[254], In his introduction to his translation of the Gita, Purushottama Lal argues that while Arjuna appears as a pacifist, concerned with ahimsa, Krishna "is the militarist" who convinces him to kill. I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies and my life has been full of external tragedies and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of Bhagavadgt.[359]. It forms the chapters 23-40 of book 6 of the Mahabharata called the Bhishma Parva. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' [15][53] Gerald James Larson an Indologist and scholar of classical Hindu philosophy, states that "if there is any one text that comes near to embodying the totality of what it is to be a Hindu, it would be the Bhagavad Gita. [100] At dramatic moments, it uses the tristubh meter found in the Vedas, where each line of the couplet has two quarter verses with exactly eleven syllables. [122] Krishna states that Arjuna has an obligation to understand and perform his duty (dharma), because everything is connected by the law of cause and effect. [283][284][285] Some translations by Indians, with or without Western co-translators, have "orientalist", "apologetic", "Neo-Vedantic" or "guru phenomenon" biases. Bhagavad Gita 11.3 View commentary O Supreme Lord, You are precisely what You declare yourself to be. [69] Aurobindo described the text as a synthesis of various Yogas. [web 1][4][note 1] The KrishnaArjuna dialogues cover a broad range of spiritual topics, touching upon ethical dilemmas and philosophical issues that go far beyond the war that Arjuna faces. He does not want to fight to kill them and is thus filled with doubt and despair on the battlefield. Top: Bhagavad Gita and related commentary literature exists in numerous Indian languages. The work is dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE. The Gita, while including impersonal Nirguna Brahman as the goal, mainly revolves around the relationship between the Self and a personal God or Saguna Brahman. [270]:525530, According to the exegesis scholar Robert Minor, the Gita is "probably the most translated of any Asian text", but many modern versions heavily reflect the views of the organization or person who does the translating and distribution. Patton, Laurie L.; The Failure of Allegory in, Bhagavad Gita The Song of God, 2023 Edition, The Gita and War, page 149. [140] According to theologian Christopher Southgate, verses of this chapter of the Gita are panentheistic,[141] while German physicist and philosopher Max Bernhard Weinstein deems the work pandeistic. Arjuna accepts Krishna as the purushottama (Supreme Being). He now shows in his form: deities and the demi-gods, twelve Aadityaas, eight Vasus, eleven Rudraas, two Ashvini Kumars, and forty-nine Maruts. Vishwa Shanti Ashram While Duryodhana presents it as a matter of status, social norms, and fate, Vidura states that the heroic warrior never submits, knows no fear and has the duty to protect people. Translators title the chapter as VibhutiVistarayoga, Religion by the Heavenly Perfections, Divine Splendor, or The Yoga of Divine Manifestations. According to him, the true Self is the Supreme Brahman. [290] More recently, a new French translation was produced by the Indologist Alain Porte in 2004. Prakriti cosmic matter (in the collective sense). [224] The Gita's message emphasizes that personal moral ambivalence must be addressed, the warrior needs to rise above "personal and social values" and understand what is at stake and "why he must fight". He states that truthfulness, self-restraint, sincerity, love for others, desire to serve others, being detached, avoiding anger, avoiding harm to all living creatures, fairness, compassion and patience are marks of the divine nature. Krishna states that he is everywhere and in everything in an unmanifested form, yet he is not in any way limited by them. [312] Ramanuja's commentary disagreed with Adi Shankara's interpretation of the Gita as a text on nondualism (Self and Brahman are identical), and instead interpreted it as a form of dualistic and qualified monism (Vishishtadvaita). The setting of the Gita in a battlefield has been interpreted as an allegory for the ethical and moral struggles of human life.
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