Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Essence (eBook)

The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture written in the Sanskrit language. It is presented in the form of a dialogue between Lord Krishna –, the Supreme Being incarnated in human form, an avatar of Lord Vishnu –, and the warrior prince Arjun. It is set in the battlefield of Kurukshetra at the very outset of the Mahabharata war. As we all know, the Mahabharata is one of the two great epics of the Hindus, the other being the Ramayana. As such, the Gita is an intrinsic part of the Mahabharata. Lord Krishna assumes the role of Arjun's charioteer, and is also his friend, philosopher and guide. Arjun, along with his four Pandava brothers, had to fight this war against their cousins (the Kauravas) to regain their usurped lands and titles. The righteous war was forced on them, even though the five Pandavas settled for just five villages instead of half the kingdom that was their rightful share. The Kauravas refused to part with even five villages: thus precipitating internecine war between the two rival camps. When Lord Krishna positions the horse-drawn chariot at a point midway between the two armies arrayed on either side, right in the middle of the battlefield, Arjun becomes despondent, he does not wish to lead the battle as the commander. He sees his own kinsmen among the ranks of the enemy, his spirit quails and the resolve to fight goes out of him. He sees his own teachers and preceptors, his acharyas, including Dronacharya, the maestro who taught him archery, in the opposite camp. He knows that he would be forced to kill many of them in the ensuing battle. His heart is greatly troubled. There is a storm of doubts in his mind about the apparent conflict between duty and ethics. How can he kill those venerable teachers? In anguish, Arjun throws down his great bow, Gandeeva, and laments to Krishna, 'I cannot fight. I will renounce this world. I don't need this property.' Lord Krishna explains the situation in simple, direct terms: 'This is a righteous war. You have to destroy the wrong doers. You are a warrior. You cannot run away from your duty. As a warrior, it is your duty to fight such a war. It does not ultimately matter who gets killed, for all die...and yet the essence of all is immortal and imperishable. It is all a divine maya.' The scripture is written in such a way that the confusion in Arjun's mind is laid bare. He wants to know why he should fight, what exactly his duty is, what happens when someone dies and so on. The battlefield situation serves as the ideal backdrop for the Lord to share the spiritual knowledge according to Hindu philosophy—,in terms of soul or Atman and the Imperishable Being or Brahman who pervades the Universe. Sublime knowledge is thus imparted to humanity through the Lord's dialogue with Arjun. The Bhagavad Gita contains 700 verses and is divided into 18 chapters. Each chapter is given a title as 'Yoga of —,—,'. Yoga means 'path'. Yoga also means union (with the Supreme). Thus, the word 'yoga' denotes both the method and the goal.