| INTRODUCTION Why Study Bhagavad Geeta? | GEETA DHYANAM Meaning and Chanting | |
| CHAPTER 1 Chanting Reflections | CHAPTER 2 Chanting Reflections | CHAPTER 3 Chanting Reflections |
| CHAPTER 4 Chanting Reflections | OTHER CHAPTERS To be added soon |
Chapter 1: The Yoga of Arjuna’s Dejection (arjuna-viṣāda-yoga)
The Bhagavad Geeta starts with Dhritarashtra (the blind King) asking his charioteer and advisor Sanjaya, to narrate the happenings at the battlefield.
The war officially starts with Bheeshma blowing conch and everyone else follows suit.
Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge (sāṅkhya-yoga)
Seeing Arjuna grief-stricken and overwhelmed with sorrow, Shri Krishna reprimands him. Arjuna accepts the confusion in his mind in regards to his duty.
Arjuna surrenders to the Lord with faith and humility to guide him by accepting him as a disciple.
Shri Krishna states that Self is not the body or mind which are constantly changing. Self is the changeless, eternal, indestructible substratum.
Shri Krishna continues to explain to Arjuna why there is no need to grieve irrespective of the standpoint from which he looks at Self.
Having explained that there is no need to grieve from the spiritual standpoint, Shri Krishna now explains from material standpoint.
In the second part of chapter 2, Shri Krishna introduces karma yoga as the means to purify the mind for enabling the direct experience of Self.
Shri Krishna continues the elaborate explanation of karma yoga and explains how one needs to perform work and what results are gained with equanimity.
The practice of karma yoga prepares one for meditation to establish oneself in Self-Knowledge.
Shri Krishna continues to explain the nature of the man of steady wisdom from verse 56 thru verse 63 in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Geeta.
Shri Krishna describes how a sage with a self-controlled mind attains peace and remains established permanently in a supreme state of consciousness.
Chapter 3: The Yoga of Action (karma-yoga)
Arjuna is confused about the path he should follow amongst the two paths (path of knowledge & path of action) that Shri Krishna revealed in Chapter 2.
Shri Krishna explains how one can make themselves ready for contemplation by doing their obligatory duties in yajña spirit.
Shri Krishna explains the wheel of action to explain how each individual’s action with the right attitude is important for the society to thrive.
Shri Krishna continues expounding why one should work tirelessly performing their obligatory duties.
How do we perform actions without ego and egocentric desires? What happens to those who do not follow Krishna’s teachings? How do we stay inspired?
Chapter 4: The Yoga of Renunciation of Action Through Knowledge (jñāna-karma-sannyāsa-yoga)
Shri Krishna glorifies the knowledge he gave to Arjuna by saying that it is the same knowledge he taught to Vivasvān, who taught to Manu, and so on.
Shri Krishna explains that those who realize his divine nature in the true sense are liberated. He reciprocates based on how ever he is invoked.
Shri Krishna in these verses sets the stage to explain how one should do action without being tainted by them.
These verses explain the difference between action and inaction from the Advaita Vedāntic perspective and how those established in Self-Knowledge act.
In these verses Shri Krishna explains the spiritual practices undertaken by various yogis.
This page will be updated with new links as the study of the Bhagavad Geeta continues in the coming months.
Other helpful references for your study:
Bluishmuse 