Bhagavad Gita

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As the soul experiences in this body
childhood, youth, and old age,
so also it acquires another body;
the sage in this is not deluded.

The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit in Devanagari script: भगवद् गीता, in transliteration: Bhagavad Gītā), is a religious text within the Mahābhārata, located in the Bhishma-Parva chapters 23–40. A core text of Hinduism and Indian philosophy, often referred to simply as "the Gita", it is a summation of many aspects of the Vedic, Yogic, Vedantic and Tantric philosophies. The Bhagavad Gita, meaning "Song of the Lord", refers to itself as an 'Upanishad' and is sometimes called Gītopanişad. During the message of the Gita, Krishna proclaims that he is an Avatar, or a Bhagavat, a manifestation of the all-embracing God. To help Arjuna believe this, he reveals to him his divine form which is described as timeless and leaves Arjuna shaking with awe and fear.

Quotes [edit]

Thou seest Me as Time who kills, Time who brings all to doom,
The Slayer Time, Ancient of Days, come hither to consume;
Excepting thee, of all these hosts of hostile chiefs arrayed,
There shines not one shall leave alive the battlefield!
  • You grieve for those who should not be grieved for;
    yet you speak wise words.
    Neither for the dead nor those not dead do the wise grieve.
    Never was there a time when I did not exist
    nor you nor these lords of men.
    Neither will there be a time when we shall not exist;
    we all exist from now on.
    As the soul experiences in this body
    childhood, youth, and old age,
    so also it acquires another body;
    the sage in this is not deluded.
  • When one's mind dwells on the objects of Senses, fondness for them grows on him, from fondness comes desire, from desire anger.
    Anger leads to bewilderment, bewilderment to loss of memory of true Self, and by that intelligence is destroyed, and with the destruction of intelligence he perishes
    • Ch. II, 62-63
  • Of the Vrishnis, I am Vasudeva; of the sons of Pandu, Arjuna; of the sages, moreover, I am Vyasa; of poets, the poet Ushana.
  • Thou seest Me as Time who kills, Time who brings all to doom,
    The Slayer Time, Ancient of Days, come hither to consume;
    Excepting thee, of all these hosts of hostile chiefs arrayed,
    There shines not one shall leave alive the battlefield!     Dismayed
    No longer be! Arise! obtain renown! destroy thy foes!
    Fight for the kingdom waiting thee when thou hast vanquished those.
    By Me they fall—not thee! the stroke of death is dealt them now,
    Even as they stand thus gallantly; My instrument art thou!
    Strike, strong-armed Prince! at Drona! at Bhishma strike! deal death
    To Karna, Jyadratha; stay all this warlike breath!
    ’Tis I who bid them perish! Thou wilt but slay the slain.
    Fight! they must fall, and thou must live, victor upon this plain!

Quotes about the Bhagavad Gita [edit]

  • Strength founded on the Truth and the dharmic use of force are thus the Gita's answer to pacifism and non-violence. Rooted in the ancient Indian genius, this third way can only be practised by those who have risen above egoism, above asuric ambition or greed. The Gita certainly does not advocate war; what it advocates is the active and selfless defence of dharma. If sincerely followed, its teaching could have altered the course of human history. It can yet alter the course of Indian history.
  • We knew the world would not be the same. Few people laughed, few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.
    • Robert Oppenheimer, in an interview about the Trinity nuclear explosion, first broadcast as part of the television documentary The Decision to Drop the Bomb (1965), produced by Fred Freed, NBC White Paper; Oppenheimer is quoting from the 1944 Vivekananda - Isherwood translation of the Gita. The line is spoken to Arjuna by Krishna, who is revered in Hindu traditions as one of the major incarnations of Vishnu; some assert that the passage would be better translated "I am become Time, the destroyer of worlds."
  • In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagvat-Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! there I meet the servant of the Bramin, priest of Brahma and Vishnu and Indra, who still sits in his temple on the Ganges reading the Vedas, or dwells at the root of a tree with his crust and water jug. I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges.

External links [edit]

Wikipedia
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Commentaries

English translations and commentaries

  • Sowmya's Gitaaonline Bhagavad Gita verses in Real Audio, various discourses on Gita chapters, Summaries of different chapters and a unique FAQ. Includes Gita Dhyaanam (Invocation)in Real Audio, Downloads of Bhagavad Gita for Busy People and Gita Arati.
  • [1] Audio recitations of the Bhagavad-Gita in MP3 spoken in 15 languages and sung in Sanskrit, plus introductions of the Bhagavad-Gita from the four authorised samparadayas. Also articles on Bhagavad-Gita from the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya disciplic succession.
  • Gita Supersite Multilingual Bhagavadgita with translations, classical and contemporary commentaries and much more.
  • Bhagavad Gita As It Is by His Divine Grace Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
  • Online Bhagavad Gita by His Divine Grace Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Audio

Selections

Eknath Easwaran's poetic translation

Miscellaneous

Gujarati

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