Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta

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Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-Gita, the essence of all vedic knowledge
VEDIC KNOWLEDGE
Revealed absolute Truth
Every word unchanged eternally
VEDAS
UPAVEDAS
Rg, Yajur,
Sama, Atharva
Dhanurveda
Ayurveda, etc.
SRUTI
VEDANGAS
Samhitas
Kalpa
mantras
ritual details
Brahmanas
ritual explanation
of mantras
Aranyakas
esoteric explanation
of mantras
Upanisads
Jnana-kanda
philosophy of Brahman
Siksa
Ritual Sutras
Tantras
Connected to
Kalpa-vedanga
Spoken by Lord
Siva to Parvati
Srauta Sutras
Puranas
Itihasas
Six Darshanas
18 Major
Grhya Sutras
explains
home yajnas
Vyakarana
Dharma Sutras
grammar
Law books
Nirukta
Pancaratras
Vaisnava
worship
explains
public yajnas
pronunciation
etymology
Composed by sages
Wording may change from age to age
SMRTI
18 Minor
Tamasic
Rajasic
Dharma Sastras
Sattvic
including Manusamhita and others
Chandas
meters
Jyotisa
astronomy-time
calculation
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Vedanta
(Vyasa)
(Metaphysics)
theology of
Upanisads
Mimamsa
Nyaya
(Gautama)
Vaisesika
(Jaimini)
(Epistemology, logic)
(Hermeneutics)
philosophy of
interpreting
knowledge
scriptural texts
including logic
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sisters
(Kanada)
(Metaphysics)
philosophy of
existence
sisters
Yoga
Sankhya
(Patanjali)
(Sadhana)
(Atheist Kapila)
(Metaphysics)
sisters 2
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Extraordinary personalities
reflect on the Gita
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948)
The Bhagavad-Gita calls on humanity
to dedicate body, mind and soul to
pure duty and not to become mental
voluptuaries at the mercy of random
desires and undisciplined impulses.
Albert Einstein
(1879 – 1955)
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When I read the BhagavadGita and reflect about how
God created this universe,
everything else seems so
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superfluous.
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Extraordinary Personalities
reflect on the Gita (cont.)
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 –
1882)
The Bhagavad Gita is an empire of
thought and in its philosophical
teachings Krishna has all the attributes
of the full-fledged monotheistic deity
and at the same time the attributes of
the Upanisadic absolute
Dr. Albert Schweitzer
(1875 – 1965)
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The Bhagavad-Gita has a
profound influence on the
spirit of mankind by its
devotion to God which is
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manifested by actions
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Bhagavad-Gita – India’s timeless
classic on all facets of spiritual
knowledge
• “Song of God”
• Put into written form – 5,000 years ago –
previously remembered
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Bhagavad Gita
Answers most fundamental questions of life
• Who am I ?
• Where to I come from ?
• Where do I go ?
• What is my relationship between me and things around me ?
• Why am I Happy some times and sad other times ?
• Why does bad things happen to good people ?
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Topics of the Bhagavad-Gita
• Describes:
– atma (the Soul)
– yogas and their purposes
– karma (duty or action)
– reincarnation (life after death)
– sanatana dharma (eternal duty of the
living entity)
– prakrti (material nature)
– isvara (the Supreme Lord)
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Five Major Topics in Bhagavad-Gita
2.Jiva
1. ISVARA
(Living Entity)
(GOD)
3. Prakriti
4.Kala
(Material
Nature)
5. Karma
(Time)
(Activity)
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BG chapters divided in three parts
• Chapter 1-6
describing Soul, Karma, Jnana, and Dhyana
Yoga.
• Chapter 7-12
Cream – describing Bhakti Yoga, Knowledge of
Supreme and His opulence, most confidential
knowledge, and also Universal form.
• Chapter 13-18
Knowledge of three modes, divine and
demoniac nature, division of faith, and ultimate
conculsion – the perfection of renunciation.
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Setting the scene / Why the
Gita was spoken?
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1. Mahabharata leading up to the Gita
2. Pandu’s death – Dhrtarastra in charge
of Pandavas, but favored own children
3. Pandavas poisoned/house burned/
wife insulted/cheated/exiled for 13
years
4. Kingdom refused/attempted peace
failed
5. Battlefield of Kuruksetra
6. Arjuna refuses to fight and turns to
Krishna for instructions.
7. Thus a conversation ensues between
Krishna
& Arjuna…
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Chapter 1
Observing the Armies
• Text 1
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre
samavetā yuyutsavaḥ
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva
kim akurvata sañjaya
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons
and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the
place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra,
desiring to fight, what did they do?
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Bhagavad-Gita chapter 1.1
• How to read
Bhagavad Gita
• Importance of word
Dharma-Ksetra
• Importance of Qn.
“What did they do?”
• Supreme Lord as
Gardner, uprooting
the weeds
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Text 2
• “Sañjaya said: O
King, after looking
over the army
arranged in military
formation by the sons
of Pāṇḍu, King
Duryodhana went to
his teacher and spoke
the following words.”
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• Sanjaya – also a
great devotee
• He understood
Dhrtarashtra’s mind.
• Thus starts telling the
situation on battlefield
which will give him
pleasure.
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