Several thousand years ago in north-central India, two people sat in a chariot in the midpoint of a great battlefield. One of them, the yogi Arjuna, knew that it would be not be long before the conflict would begin. So he asked Krishna, the Master of Yoga, what should be his attitude and perspective in this moment. And above all: What should he do?
There was no time to spare in empty words. In a brief discourse, later turned into seven hundred Sanskrit verses by the sage Vyasa, Krishna outlined to Arjuna the way to live an entire life so as to gain perfect self-knowledge and self-mastery.
The battle was ferocious and–as always with war–everyone lost. But when Vyasa wrote his epic poem, the Mahabharata, he put Krishna’s inspired words into it as a precious jewel. Instantly they were extracted, named The Song of God (Bhagavad Gita), and circulated throughout the subcontinent.
The Bhagavad Gita today
That was several thousand years ago, and today the Gita is found in every household in India and has been translated into every major language of the world. Literally billions of copies have been handwritten and printed. (A few years ago a spiritual organization in South Africa printed one million copies for free distribution!)
What is the appeal of the Gita? First of all, it is totally practical, free of any vague or abstract philosophy. During my first trip to India over forty years ago, I heard about a yogi who lived in a small houseboat on the Ganges river in the holy city of Benares (Varanasi). He never spoke or wrote; yet every day for many years people came to him for advice. How did he manage? He had a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, and after he was told the problem or question he would open the book and point to a portion. And the inquirer would have a perfect and complete solution to the trouble.
My own spiritual awakening began by kicking me out of the nest of comfortable religion into a vast world of realities I had no idea how to cope with. I floundered around in the sea of my new horizons until one day I bought a paperback edition of the Bhagavad Gita. I did not read it, I inhaled it. I was not reading the words of a long-dead teacher: my own Self was talking to me in the pages of that little book. Nor did I learn anything from the Gita–I remembered that which I had always known. Eternal Self spoke Eternal Truth. The Bhagavad Gita changed my life by giving me Life. Life that has never ended.
Nothing has ever arisen in my life, internal or external, that the Gita has not made clear and enabled me to deal with or understand. Yet is it not dogmatic. At the very end Krishna says to Arjuna: “Now I have taught you that wisdom which is the secret of secrets. Ponder it carefully. Then act as you think best.” No threats, no promises, no coercion. It is all in the reader’s hands. Even better: the Bhagavad Gita tells us that we can attain a Knowing beyond even what it tells us. And it shows us the way.
The Bhagavad Gita is a lifetime study, and it is extremely beneficial to read at least one chapter a day. Its meanings are virtually infinite, so that new things will be continually found within its seven hundred verses. Equally important is the Gita’s ability to continually point us in the right direction spiritually. Further, it conveys to us the necessary perspective for success in spiritual life. Although it presents the clearest philosophical principles, even more it provides us with the practical means for cultivation of higher consciousness.
However, we who are English-speaking have a problem: we only have access to the Gita in translations. And, translators being human, none have produced a completely perfect English version. For this reason we are planning to post several of the best English translations for your study.
The Bhagavad-Gita
INTRODUCTION
The Gita is a doctrine of universal truth. Its message is universal, sublime, and non-sectarian although it is a part of the scriptural trinity of Sanaatan Dharm, commonly known as Hinduism. The Gita is very easy to understand in any language for a mature mind. A repeated reading with faith will reveal all the sublime ideas contained in it. A few abstruse statements are interspersed here and there, but they have no direct bearing on practical issues or the central theme of Gita. The Gita deals with the most sacred metaphysical science. It imparts the knowledge of the Self and answers two universal questions: Who am I, and how can I lead a happy and peaceful life in this world of dualities. It is a book of yog, the moral and spiritual growth for mankind based on the cardinal principles of Hindu religion.
The message of the Gita came to humanity because of Arjun’s unwillingness to do his duty as a warrior because fighting involved destruction and killing. Nonviolence or Ahimsaa is one of the most fundamental tenets of Hinduism. All lives, human or non-human, are sacred. This immortal discourse between the Supreme Lord, Krishn, and His devotee-friend, Arjun, occurs not in a temple, a secluded forest, or on a mountain top but on a battlefield on the eve of a war and is recorded in the great epic, Mahaabhaarat. In the Gita Lord Krishn advises Arjun to get up and fight. This may create a misunderstanding of the principles of Ahimsaa if the background of the war of Mahaabhaarat is not kept in mind. Therefore, a brief historical description is in order.
In ancient times there was a king who had two sons, Dhritaraashtr and Paandu. The former was born blind; therefore, Paandu inherited the kingdom. Paandu had five sons. They were called the Paandavs. Dhritaraashtr had one hundred sons. They were called the Kauravs. Duryodhan was the eldest of the Kauravs.
After the death of king Paandu the Paandavs became the lawful king. Duryodhan was a very jealous person. He also wanted the kingdom. The kingdom was divided into two halves between the Paandavs and the Kauravs. Duryodhan was not satisfied with his share of the kingdom. He wanted the entire kingdom for himself. He unsuccessfully planned several foul plays to kill the Paandavs and take away their kingdom. He unlawfully took possession of the entire kingdom of the Paandavs and refused to give back even an acre of land without a war. All mediation by Lord Krishn and others failed. The big war of Mahaabhaarat was thus inevitable. The Paandavs were unwilling participants. They had only two choices: Fight for their right as a matter of duty or run away from war and accept defeat in the name of peace and nonviolence. Arjun, one of the five Paandav brothers, faced the dilemma in the battlefield whether to fight or run away from war for the sake of peace.
Arjun’s dilemma is, in reality, the universal dilemma. Every human being faces dilemmas, big and small, in their everyday life when performing their duties. Arjun’s dilemma was the biggest of all. He had to make a choice between fighting the war and killing his most revered guru, very dear friends, close relatives, and many innocent warriors, or running away from the battlefield for the sake of preserving the peace and nonviolence. The entire seven hundred verses of the Gita is a discourse between Lord Krishn and the confused Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetr near New Delhi, India, in about 3,100 years BCE. This discourse was narrated to the blind king, Dhritaraashtr, by his charioteer, Sanjay, as an eye-witness war report.
The central teaching of the Gita is the attainment of freedom or happiness from the bondage of life by doing one’s duty. Always remember the glory and greatness of the creator, and do your duty efficiently without being attached to or affected by the results, even if that duty may at times demand unavoidable violence. Some people neglect or give up their duty in life for the sake of a spiritual life while others excuse themselves from spiritual practices because they believe that they have no time. The Lord’s message is to sanctify the entire living process itself. Whatever a person does or thinks ought to be done for the glory and satisfaction of the Maker. No effort or cost is necessary for this process. Do your duty as a service to the Lord and humanity and see God alone in everything in a spiritual frame of mind. In order to gain such a spiritual frame of mind, personal discipline, austerity, penance, good conduct, selfless service, yogic practices, meditation, worship, prayer, rituals, and study of scriptures, as well as the company of holy persons, pilgrimage, chanting of the holy names of God, and Self-inquiry are needed to purify the body, mind, and intellect. One must learn to give up lust, anger, greed, and establish mastery over the six senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell, and mind) by the purified intellect. One should always remember that all works are done by the energy of nature and that he or she is not the doer but only an instrument. One must strive for excellence in all undertakings but remain calm in success and failure, gain and loss, and pain and pleasure.
The ignorance of metaphysical knowledge is humanity’s greatest predicament. A scripture, being the voice of transcendence, cannot be translated. Language is incapable and translations are defective to clearly impart the knowledge of the Absolute. In this rendering, an attempt has been made to keep the style as close as possible to the original Sanskrit poetry and yet make it easy to read and understand. An attempt has been made to improve the clarity by adding words or phrases within parentheses in the English translation of the verses. The translations of one hundred and thirty-three (133) key verses are printed in bold for the convenience of beginners. We suggest that all our readers ponder, contemplate, and act upon these verses. The beginners and the busy executives should first read and understand the meaning of these key verses before delving deep into the bottomless ocean of transcendental knowledge of the Gita. It is said that there is no human mind that cannot be purified by the repeated study of the Gita — just one Chapter a day.
This book is dedicated to all the gurus whose blessings, grace, and teachings have been invaluable. It is offered to the greatest guru, Lord Krishn, with love and devotion. May the Lord accept it and bless those who repeatedly read this with peace, happiness, and the true knowledge of the Self. This publication has been revised since it was first published in 1988.
OM TAT SAT
BHAGAVAD GITA
CHAPTER 1
Arjun Vishad Yog
Arjun Vishad Yog
Dhritarashtra said:
O Sanjaya, assembled at the holy-field and place of pilgrimage of Kurukshetra,
raring to fight, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do?
Sanjaya said:
O Dhrtarastra! After seeing the army of the Pandavas arranged in a military array,
overwhelmed King Duryodhana went to Dronacharya and spoke these words:
O My Respected Preceptor! Behold the enormous army of the sons of Pandu,
arrayed by your wise pupil Dhrstadyumna, the son of Drupada
In the army of Pandavas are many mighty bowmen skilled in warfare alike Bhima
and Arjuna such as great chariot warrior Satyaki, Virata and Drupada
Dhrshtaketu, Cekitana, the powerful king of Kasi, Purujit,
Kuntibhoja and Saibya, the Best of men, are there
There are the extremely powerful Yudhamanyu, vigorous Uttamauja, Abhimanyu,
the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these are great chariot warriors
and commanders of large armies
O Best of the Brahmana!
Know the main commanders and warriors of my army.
For your information, I tell you the names of them
Yourself, Bhishma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama,
Vikarna and the son of Soumadatti (Bhurisrava) are always victorious in battle
There are many other heroes in my army
who are ready to sacrifice their lives for my sake, who are well equipped with varied
weapons and missiles, and all are skilled in warfare
The strength of our army is lacking as we are protected by Bhishma who is aged and is well-wisher of both sides whereas the strength of Pandavas being mobilised by Bhima,
who is the principal supporter of his side, is adequate
Now all of you stand in your respective points on all fronts,
must guard Bhishma from all sides
Then Bhishma,
the great old and glorious man of the Kuru dynasty and the grandfather of the army, cheering Duryodhana, blew his conch very loudly, sounding like the roar of a lion
Then, the conch, drums, tabors, trumpets and cow-horns were all suddenly sounded,
and the combined sound was tumultuous
Lord Krishna (Hrsikesa) blew His conch, called Pancajanya, Arjuna (Dhananjaya) blew his conch called Devadatta and Bhima (Vrkodara), of terrific deeds, blew his conchshell the Paundra
King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conch Anantavijaya while Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conch Sughosa and Manipuspaka respectively
Great archer the King of Kasi, great warrior Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna and Virata, invincible Satyaki, King Drupada, as well as five sons of Draupadi and the Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra blew their respective conchs
The sound of the conches became terrible. The noice echoing through the sky and the earth shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra
Now, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu who was seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanuman took up his bow and prepared to shoot. O King, after looking at Dhritarashtra’s sons placed in their positions infront of him, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Krishna these words
Arjuna said:
Let me watch those, the well wisher’s of evil minded Duryodhana, who have assembled here along with their armies and are ready to fight
Sanjay said:
"O Bharata (Son of Bharat)!" Having addressed by Arjuna (Gudakesa), Lord Krishna (Hrsikesa) placed the marvelous chariot in the middle of the two armies.O Infallible One! Please draw my chariot between the two armies and hold it there, till I see who are present and who desire to fight, and with whom I must wage this war.
Sanjaya said:
O Dhrtarastra! After seeing the army of the Pandavas arranged in a military array,
overwhelmed King Duryodhana went to Dronacharya and spoke these words:
O My Respected Preceptor! Behold the enormous army of the sons of Pandu,
arrayed by your wise pupil Dhrstadyumna, the son of Drupada
In the army of Pandavas are many mighty bowmen skilled in warfare alike Bhima
and Arjuna such as great chariot warrior Satyaki, Virata and Drupada
Dhrshtaketu, Cekitana, the powerful king of Kasi, Purujit,
Kuntibhoja and Saibya, the Best of men, are there
There are the extremely powerful Yudhamanyu, vigorous Uttamauja, Abhimanyu,
the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. All these are great chariot warriors
and commanders of large armies
O Best of the Brahmana!
Know the main commanders and warriors of my army.
For your information, I tell you the names of them
Yourself, Bhishma, Karna, Krpa, Asvatthama,
Vikarna and the son of Soumadatti (Bhurisrava) are always victorious in battle
There are many other heroes in my army
who are ready to sacrifice their lives for my sake, who are well equipped with varied
weapons and missiles, and all are skilled in warfare
The strength of our army is lacking as we are protected by Bhishma who is aged and is well-wisher of both sides whereas the strength of Pandavas being mobilised by Bhima,
who is the principal supporter of his side, is adequate
Now all of you stand in your respective points on all fronts,
must guard Bhishma from all sides
Then Bhishma,
the great old and glorious man of the Kuru dynasty and the grandfather of the army, cheering Duryodhana, blew his conch very loudly, sounding like the roar of a lion
Then, the conch, drums, tabors, trumpets and cow-horns were all suddenly sounded,
and the combined sound was tumultuous
Lord Krishna (Hrsikesa) blew His conch, called Pancajanya, Arjuna (Dhananjaya) blew his conch called Devadatta and Bhima (Vrkodara), of terrific deeds, blew his conchshell the Paundra
King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conch Anantavijaya while Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conch Sughosa and Manipuspaka respectively
Great archer the King of Kasi, great warrior Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna and Virata, invincible Satyaki, King Drupada, as well as five sons of Draupadi and the Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra blew their respective conchs
The sound of the conches became terrible. The noice echoing through the sky and the earth shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra
Now, at that time Arjuna, the son of Pandu who was seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanuman took up his bow and prepared to shoot. O King, after looking at Dhritarashtra’s sons placed in their positions infront of him, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Krishna these words
Arjuna said:
Let me watch those, the well wisher’s of evil minded Duryodhana, who have assembled here along with their armies and are ready to fight
Sanjay said:
"O Bharata (Son of Bharat)!" Having addressed by Arjuna (Gudakesa), Lord Krishna (Hrsikesa) placed the marvelous chariot in the middle of the two armies.O Infallible One! Please draw my chariot between the two armies and hold it there, till I see who are present and who desire to fight, and with whom I must wage this war.
