Nainam chindanti shastrani nainam dahati pavakah |
Na cainam kledayanty apo na sosayati marutah |

Bhagwat Gita & Our Life

VishwarupaThe Bhagavad Gita begins before the start of the climactic battle at Kurukshetra, with the Pandava prince Arjuna becoming filled with doubt on the battlefield. Realizing that his enemies are his own relatives, beloved friends, and revered teachers, he turns to his charioteer and guide, Krishna, for advice.

In summary the main philosophical subject matter of the Bhagavad Gita is the explanation of five basic concepts or "truths".

  1. Ishvara (The Supreme Controller)
  2. Jiva (Living beings/the individualized soul)
  3. Prakrti (Nature/Matter)
  4. Dharma (Duty in accordance with Divine law)
  5. Kaala (Time)

Overview of chapters

Krishna displays his Vishvarupa (Universal Form) to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.The Gita consists of eighteen chapters in total

  1. Arjuna requests Krishna to move his chariot between the two armies. When Arjuna sees his relatives on the opposing army side of the Kurus, he loses morale and decides not to fight.
  2. After asking Krishna for help, Arjuna is instructed that only the body may be killed as he was worried if it would become a sin to kill people (including his gurus and relatives), while the eternal self is immortal. Krishna appeals to Arjuna that, as a warrior, he has a duty to uphold the path of dharma through warfare.
  3. Arjuna asks why he should engage in fighting if knowledge is more important than action. Krishna stresses to Arjuna that performing his duties for the greater good, but without attachment to results, is the appropriate course of action.
  4. Krishna reveals that he has lived through many births, always teaching Yoga for the protection of the pious and the destruction of the impious and stresses the importance of accepting a guru.
  5. Arjuna asks Krishna if it is better to forgo action or to act. Krishna answers that both ways may be beneficent, but that acting in Karma Yoga is superior.
  6. Krishna describes the correct posture for meditation and the process of how to achieve Samadhi.
  7. Krishna teaches the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga).
  8. Krishna defines the terms brahman, adhyatma, karma, atman, adhibhuta and adhidaiva and explains how one can remember him at the time of death and attain his supreme abode.
  9. Krishna explains panentheism, "all beings are in me" as a way of remembering him in all circumstances.
  10. Krishna describes how he is the ultimate source of all material and spiritual worlds. Arjuna accepts Krishna as the Supreme Being, quoting great sages who have also done so.
  11. On Arjuna's request, Krishna displays his "universal form" (Visvarupa), a theophany of a being facing every way and emitting the radiance of a thousand suns, containing all other beings and material in existence.
  12. Krishna describes the process of devotional service (Bhakti Yoga).
  13. Krishna describes nature (prakrti), the enjoyer (purusha) and consciousness.
  14. Krishna explains the three modes (gunas) of material nature.
  15. Krishna describes a symbolic tree (representing material existence), its roots in the heavens and its foliage on earth. Krishna explains that this tree should be felled with the "axe of detachment", after which one can go beyond to his supreme abode.
  16. Krishna tells of the human traits of the divine and the demonic natures. He counsels that to attain the supreme destination one must give up lust, anger and greed, discern between right and wrong action by evidence from scripture and thus act rightly.
  17. Krishna tells of three divisions of faith and the thoughts, deeds and even eating habits corresponding to the three gunas.
  18. In conclusion, Krishna asks Arjuna to abandon all forms of dharma and simply surrender unto him. He describes this as the ultimate perfection of life

Krishna tells of three divisions of faith and the thoughts, deeds and even eating habits corresponding to the three gunas.
In conclusion, Krishna asks Arjuna to abandon all forms of dharma and simply surrender unto him. He describes this as the ultimate perfection of life

There are 6 Arishadvargas, or evils that the Gita says one should avoid:

  1. Kama (Lust)
  2. Krodha (Anger)
  3. Lobh (Greed)
  4. Moha (Delusion)
  5. Matsarya (Jealousy)

VishwarupaThese are the negative characteristics which prevent man from attaining moksha (liberation from the birth and death cycle).

Lord Sri Krishna said: "There are three gates leading to the hell — Lust, Anger and Greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the Soul."

Vishwarupa1) Kama (Lust) :- Ruins man's happiness, health, mind, intelligence, memory, and discriminative judgment (Bibeka). A good example of such a man sought in the is Duryodhan - or Duryodhana - who did not want to give even an inch of territory to his cousins Paandavas and thus became the cause of the war of Mahaabhaarata

Vishwarupa2) Krodha (Anger) :- How does anger arise in us?.

Sri Krishna said: "O Arjuna, One develops attachment for the sense objects by thinking about the sense objects. Desire for sense objects comes from attachment to them, and anger comes from unfulfilled desires."

First, the false ego begets lust (Kaama) - the compelling, coercive materialistic desire to indulge in sensory temptations. In turn, lust clouds our understanding of life. Consequently we end up living false values: external looks, wealth, name, fame, material success, popularity, irrational expectations, false concepts, fantasies and brooding on the past. Frustrated or unfulfilled lust results in anger (Krodha).

To overcome the spell of anger along with its root-cause, the false ego, the Bhagwat Gita asks engaging in selfless service (Sevaa), meditation

Vishwarupa3) Lobh (Greed):- A desire to acquire possessions far in access to ones basis needs is called Lobh. For example Duryodhana whose wits were blinded by greed do not experience guilt in destroying a family line or in the sin of treason to friends. Nothing would satisfy Duryodhana's inordinate greed which became the cause of the war of Mahaabhaarata

Vishwarupa4) Moha (Delusion) :- Moha is emotional attachment of the false ego to delusion (Avidiya), causing the mind to become dense (darkened or ignorant), unable to perceive what is Truth and Reality. Thus, Moha simply means delusion, attachment, illusion, ignorance, bewilderment, infatuation, etc. This fault of physical ego suppresses the evolution and manifestation of the Soul; for it obstructs the Soul's potentially omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent power.

"In egotism, people are continually lured by corruption, greed, emotional attachment to their children and spouse".

For example Arjuna saw all this relatives and loved ones in front of him in battlefield he was shaken up and said to Lord Krishna that i can't kill them.

Krishna says: Arjuna, do not get attached, in moha, with attachment. Those who are standing in front of you, they and me and you have come in this world several times. It is not that you are killing them. It is a cycle that comes and goes. Your duty is to establish law and order. The Atman never dies, it is ever free, ever pure, ever wise. No one can kill Atman, so who are you killing? Why are you sad? Perform your actions and do not seek the fruit. Perform your actions and surrender them to me. I am the way; I take you to the final path. All actions that are done for selfishness will bind you

Vishwarupa5) Mada or Ahankar (pride) :- makes the mind narrow and limited. It's the love for the "I-ness" and "my-ness" (false ego-self) that is always on the move to support and promote the selfish interests. Krishna humbled Arjuna's pride during the war in an interesting manner. About the end of the war, one evening, Arjuna felt proud that Krishna was his charioteer and his 'servant'. He felt that as master, he should get down from the chariot after Krishna and not before Him. So, that day he insisted that Krishna should get down first. But, Krishna was adamant: Arjuna must come down first, He said. After wasting a long time, pleading and protesting and praying, Arjuna got down, very unwillingly, swallowing his pride. Krishna then came down, and, immediately the chariot went up in flames! Krishna explained the reason. The incendiary arrows and missiles that had struck on the chariot were powerless so long as He was on it; but, when His presence was no longer there, they set the chariot on fire. Thus, Krishna showed that every act and word of the Lord had significance and a purpose, which mortals cannot gauge. Egoism is a tough enemy and it requires constant vigilance to conquer it.

6) Matsarya (Jealousy) :- Jealous persons are often resentful. Hence jealousy is the root cause of conflicts between individuals, groups, religions, communities, and countries. It grows in one's heart by stages and ultimately turns into hatred, which burns his entire life and leads to his downfall. Thus, it ends up in calamities and destruction. One in jealousy always plans to pull down the other. Inflicted with such envy, people do not hesitate wounding the sentiments of others by ridiculing their behaviour or uttering harsh words (ill speaking, badmouthing, gossiping, backbiting, etc.).

How can this blot be removed from our mind? How can we cure ourselves from such vicious instinct?

  1. Become a Spiritual Being
  2. Associate with those souls who possess saintly qualities.
  3. Practice humility.
  4. Do not consider yourself faultless and others full of faults.
  5. Do good to those who are evil persons without harboring wrath in mind for them.
  6. Share good qualities of others, ignore their faults.
  7. Think others as friends, not enemies.
  8. Engage in selfless devotional service.
  9. Do not turn around and hurt those who have hurt you. Why do evil deeds for which one has to suffer for?
  10. Be aware that we can not hide anything from the Lord.
  11. Analyze your own-self, do not get angry with others.
  12. Forgive and forget.