Arjuna's questions and Krishna's answers as given in Bhagavad Gita
(in plain English)
Introduction:
Bhagavad Gita is the most well known among the Hindu texts and is the most widely translated and quoted Indian book all over the world. The Gita revolves around two characters mainly Krishna, the Lord and Arjuna , the warrior and the disciple of the Lord. (The commentator Sanjaya is the third person but he need not be counted). The eighteen chapters deal with many subjects and many chapters contain explanations given in the context of the questions apparently posed by Arjuna, the warrior to Lord Krishna, the charioteer who answers the questions.
Bhagavad Gita has been translated into many languages and hundreds of spiritual masters and others have written commentaries for it. It is not my wish to add one nor I think that I am competent to execute such a task.
I wish to confine myself to the questions posed by Arjuna and the answers given by Lord Krishna in a way that it introduces a person to Gita and encourages him or her to get to know more. Obviously, this cannot claim to capture the whole of Bhagavad Gita or what all is said in it. It is only an attempt to capture the essence of the real life questions which prompted the Lord to expound the approach to life in such situations.There are many interpretations to Gita and it is possible to find an interpretation very much different from what I have given here.
Background:
In Kurukshtra, the battle ground is full of armies form the two warring sides, Kauravas and Pandavas. Krishna is the charioteer for Arjuna who is one of the five Pandava brothers. Duryodhana who leads the other side is getting ready to begin the fight, which would eventually end in the complete destruction of Kauravas and inflict a heavy damage on the Pandavas's side.
The Gita opens with Arjuna asking the Charioteer Lord Krishna to take the chariot to the fore front so that he can have a complete view of the enemy lines. Lord Krishna does so but the momnet Arjuna sees all the relatives on the other side, his mind gets unsettled. He sits crestfallen and drops his bow indicating that he is not ready to fight. He tells Krishna that it is not correct for him to kill his own brothers and friends and he does not want such a kingdom won over the killing of dear ones. At the social level, he talks of the ill effects of war and the amount of misery it will create. Lord Krishna asks him to avoid "scholarly" talk as he is supposed to do his duty and that is to protect his honour and his fight for his values. He says " Arjuna, you have only one option and that is to your duty. You do not have to think about what people will say or what will come out of it. Do your duty devoid of attachments. That I call yoga. Many Rishis have been living in that state. you too can achieve the state of performing duty without attachments and fix your intellect on what is to be done now without getting distracted by what was said by somebody." Here comes the first question of Arjuna.
Arjuna's question no 1:
Oh, Kesava (another name for the Lord) What is the mark of the man whose understanding is secure and who is steadfast in concentration? How does he talk and how does he sit and how does he move?
Lord Krishna's answer:
A person who is not attached to good or bad, who is not affected by pleasure and pain, He avoids fear and anger and stays away from the objects much like the tortoise which draws its head inside its shell on seeing its enemies. Senses are not likely to get controlled and they may drag any one even a wise man who knows good and bad. so, if a person controls his senses and meditates on me one can say he is such a person whose understanding is secure and stable.
As a man thinks about an object with certain amount of involvement, he develops an attachment for it.. As attachment grows, craving for the object starts. This leads to anger (either because you cannot get the object or because you may not get it anymore). Anger leads to confusion. confusion leads to loss of memory and when one loses memory he gets destroyed.
But, a person who is humble lives peacefully even though he lives among the same objects. It is peace which makes the intellect stable. But the person who does not know this wanders and peace is not obtained by him. Where is happiness when a person has no peace ?
It is natural that desires will enter one's mind. But if a person keeps on the tasks of satisfying every desire which enters his mind, then he can have no peace. So many rivers fall into the ocean but the ocean is peaceful. Even if all sorts of desires enter, the person who is steadfast and doe snot deviate from his normal behaviour can only attain peace.
Arjuna's question no 2 :
You stated that intellect should be steadfast and stable and this is the supreme state. If so, then why are you asking me to enter into this task of the war ? If intellect is superior to performing task, then why do you encourage me to fight this cruel war (which by no stretch of imagination is an intellectual exercise?) Why do you want to confuse me with your words? Please guide me clearly what is good for me.
Lord Krishna's answer:
Among people, you will find there are two types. Some want to reach the destination and strive through the path of Knowledge and some want to the same destination through work.By renouncing alone, a person cannot achieve anything nor .
(in plain English)
Introduction:
Bhagavad Gita is the most well known among the Hindu texts and is the most widely translated and quoted Indian book all over the world. The Gita revolves around two characters mainly Krishna, the Lord and Arjuna , the warrior and the disciple of the Lord. (The commentator Sanjaya is the third person but he need not be counted). The eighteen chapters deal with many subjects and many chapters contain explanations given in the context of the questions apparently posed by Arjuna, the warrior to Lord Krishna, the charioteer who answers the questions.
Bhagavad Gita has been translated into many languages and hundreds of spiritual masters and others have written commentaries for it. It is not my wish to add one nor I think that I am competent to execute such a task.
I wish to confine myself to the questions posed by Arjuna and the answers given by Lord Krishna in a way that it introduces a person to Gita and encourages him or her to get to know more. Obviously, this cannot claim to capture the whole of Bhagavad Gita or what all is said in it. It is only an attempt to capture the essence of the real life questions which prompted the Lord to expound the approach to life in such situations.There are many interpretations to Gita and it is possible to find an interpretation very much different from what I have given here.
Background:
In Kurukshtra, the battle ground is full of armies form the two warring sides, Kauravas and Pandavas. Krishna is the charioteer for Arjuna who is one of the five Pandava brothers. Duryodhana who leads the other side is getting ready to begin the fight, which would eventually end in the complete destruction of Kauravas and inflict a heavy damage on the Pandavas's side.
The Gita opens with Arjuna asking the Charioteer Lord Krishna to take the chariot to the fore front so that he can have a complete view of the enemy lines. Lord Krishna does so but the momnet Arjuna sees all the relatives on the other side, his mind gets unsettled. He sits crestfallen and drops his bow indicating that he is not ready to fight. He tells Krishna that it is not correct for him to kill his own brothers and friends and he does not want such a kingdom won over the killing of dear ones. At the social level, he talks of the ill effects of war and the amount of misery it will create. Lord Krishna asks him to avoid "scholarly" talk as he is supposed to do his duty and that is to protect his honour and his fight for his values. He says " Arjuna, you have only one option and that is to your duty. You do not have to think about what people will say or what will come out of it. Do your duty devoid of attachments. That I call yoga. Many Rishis have been living in that state. you too can achieve the state of performing duty without attachments and fix your intellect on what is to be done now without getting distracted by what was said by somebody." Here comes the first question of Arjuna.
Arjuna's question no 1:
Oh, Kesava (another name for the Lord) What is the mark of the man whose understanding is secure and who is steadfast in concentration? How does he talk and how does he sit and how does he move?
Lord Krishna's answer:
A person who is not attached to good or bad, who is not affected by pleasure and pain, He avoids fear and anger and stays away from the objects much like the tortoise which draws its head inside its shell on seeing its enemies. Senses are not likely to get controlled and they may drag any one even a wise man who knows good and bad. so, if a person controls his senses and meditates on me one can say he is such a person whose understanding is secure and stable.
As a man thinks about an object with certain amount of involvement, he develops an attachment for it.. As attachment grows, craving for the object starts. This leads to anger (either because you cannot get the object or because you may not get it anymore). Anger leads to confusion. confusion leads to loss of memory and when one loses memory he gets destroyed.
But, a person who is humble lives peacefully even though he lives among the same objects. It is peace which makes the intellect stable. But the person who does not know this wanders and peace is not obtained by him. Where is happiness when a person has no peace ?
It is natural that desires will enter one's mind. But if a person keeps on the tasks of satisfying every desire which enters his mind, then he can have no peace. So many rivers fall into the ocean but the ocean is peaceful. Even if all sorts of desires enter, the person who is steadfast and doe snot deviate from his normal behaviour can only attain peace.
Arjuna's question no 2 :
You stated that intellect should be steadfast and stable and this is the supreme state. If so, then why are you asking me to enter into this task of the war ? If intellect is superior to performing task, then why do you encourage me to fight this cruel war (which by no stretch of imagination is an intellectual exercise?) Why do you want to confuse me with your words? Please guide me clearly what is good for me.
Lord Krishna's answer:
Among people, you will find there are two types. Some want to reach the destination and strive through the path of Knowledge and some want to the same destination through work.By renouncing alone, a person cannot achieve anything nor .
