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发帖数: 8336 | 1 http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/summary-of-the-bhagavad-gita/
The Bhagavad-gita opens with blind King Dhritarashtra requesting his
secretary, Sanjaya, to narrate the battle between his sons, the Kauravas,
and their cousins, the Pandavas. Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, out of affection for His devotee, the Pandava prince Arjuna, has
agreed to drive his chariot. As Arjuna takes up his bow and prepares to
fight, he sees the sons of Dhritarashtra drawn in military array and
requests infallible Krishna to draw his chariot between the two fighting
forces. There in the midst of both armies, Arjuna’s mind reels as he
foresees the imminent death of his teacher, relatives, and friends. He
throws down his bow and arrows and decides not to fight.
In Chapter One and in the beginning of Chapter Two, Arjuna presents his
arguments for refusing to fight. Basically, he fears the sinful reactions of
killing. But after Arjuna surrenders to Lord Krishna and requests the Lord
to instruct him, the Lord begins countering Arjuna’s objections. First,
Krishna analytically explains that fighting in His service is transcendental
and will bring no sinful reaction. Krishna also explains the Vedas’
purpose as to gradually elevate souls to Krishna consciousness. Krishna thus
encourages Arjuna to remain fixed in His service – fight – and ignore his
mind’s desires.
As Krishna’s explanations why Arjuna should fight were only a summary, and
since Krishna glorifies both ‘buddhi-yoga’, intelligence used in spiritual
advancement of knowledge (2.45, 2.49-50), and ‘karma’, work (2.47-48, 2.
50), Arjuna becomes confused and wishes to use Krishna’s instruction to
perform ‘buddhi-yoga’ as an excuse to retire the battlefield for a life of
contemplation. Arjuna therefore opens Chapter Three asking Krishna why He
is encouraging fighting if intelligence is better than fruitive work.
Krishna then explains ‘karma-yoga’, reaction-free devotional work, and
clears up Arjuna’s mistaken idea that all work is fruitive and leads to
bondage. Krishna explains that Arjuna should fight, for avoiding sinful
reactions though devotional work is better than attempting to escape
reactions though renouncing work. Krishna also instructs Arjuna to fight to
set the proper example of duty. Krishna therefore tells Arjuna to fight, but
with knowledge and detachment (3.29-30), without falling victim to his own
attractions and aversions.
Then, in answer to Arjuna’s question on the cause of a soul’s being
impelled to improper action or neglect of duty, Krishna names the enemy:
lust. He then recommends Arjuna to regulate his senses, become fixed in his
pure identity as a servant of Krishna, and thereby avoid lust’s control.
Then, with spiritual strength and deliberate intelligence, he should conquer
that forceful enemy – lust.
Since in Chapter Three, Krishna has recommended that Arjuna fight in full
knowledge of Him (3.30), the Lord, in Chapter Four, explain different
aspects of transcendental knowledge. First Krishna explains attaining
knowledge through the disciplic succession. Then after successively
explaining Hi appearance and then His mission, the Lord explains His
devotional service as the goal of (Krishna had already referred to the
importance of performing ‘yajna’, sacrifice, in 3.9 Krishna next explains
the soul’s relationship with Him as eternal His part and parcel, which one
must approach a bonafide spiritual master to learn. Chapter Four ends with
Krishna glorifying transcendental knowledge and requesting Arjuna to arm
himself with this knowledge – which burns all sinfull reactions to ashes –
and fight!
After Arjuna has been impressed with the importance of both work (which
requires activity) and seeking knowledge (which tends to be inactive),
Arjuna is perplexed. His determination is confused, and he sees fighting and
knowledge as contradic Therefore Arjuna opens Chapter Five by asking
Krishna to definitivelly explain whether the renunciation of work (
speculation, ‘sankhya, jnana’, inaction-in-knowledge) or work in devotion
is superior. Krishna answers that one who is detached from his work’s
results is the one who is truly renounced. Such a person knows that while
the body acts, he, the soul, actually does nothing. Arjuna should therefore,
do his duty steadily act for the satisfaction of Krishna. Impartially
viewing the external world, he should reside in his body aloof from bodily
activities. By fixing his consciousness on the Supreme and knowing that
Krishna is the true enjoyer, the goal of sacrifice and austerity, and the
Lord of all planets, he, the pure soul, will find true peace beyond this
material world.
In the first five chapters, Krishna has explained ‘buddhi-yoga’, working
with consciousness focused on Krishna without fruitive desires. The Lord has
also explained ‘sankhya’, ‘karma-yoga’,and ‘jnana-yoga’ to obtain
liberation and as steppingstones to Krishna consciousness. Now, at the end
of the Fifth Chapter (5. 27-28) and continuing on to the Sixth Chapter (
wherein Krishna explains practical points for a practicioner), Krishna
explains ‘dhyana- yoga’ concluding that ‘dhyana’, or meditation upon
Krishna, is meditation’s final goal.
Krishna begins the Sixth Chapter by explaining that the neophyte yogi
engages in fruitive sitting postures while the advanced yogi, the true ‘
sannyasi’, works without attachment. Such a yogi liberates, not degrades,
himself by his mind’s activities. Carefully controlling his mind and
engaging it body, and his self in Krishna’s service, the yogi strictly
practices ‘dhyana- yoga’ in a secluded place. Fixing his mind on the self
and on Krishna, he attains transcendental happiness in the kingdom of God.
Arjuna then points out the main difficulty in practicing yoga is controlling
the mind. Krishna responds by saying that one can overcome the obstinate
mind through constant practice and determination. In responding to Arjuna’s
about the fate of an unsuccessful yogi, Krishna answers that one
unsuccessful in his practice will still take birth in a family of wise
transcendentalists and automatically become attract yogic principles.
Krishna finally states in the last two verses of the chapter that the yogi
is greater than the ascetic, the jnani and the karmi. And the greatest of
all yogis is he who always thinks of Krishna and with grest faith worships
Him in loving service.
Knowing Krishna’s instruction at the end of Chapter Six, one should
initiate his practice of yoga from the point of concentrating of the mind
upon Krishna. Chapter Seven thus opens with Krishna explaining knowledge of
Himself and His opulent energies. Thus Arjuna can fully worship Krishna, as
described at the end of Chapter Six, and think of Him with devotion as he
fights.
Krishna first explains that as He is the Supreme Truth, everything in
existence is a combination of His material and spiritual energies. He is the
active principle within all and is all- pervasive through His diverse
material and spiritual energies. Because the world’s activities are
conducted by the three modes of nature which emanate from Him, (Although
Krishna is independent and above them) only those who surrender to Krishna
can cross beyond these modes to know Him. Four kinds of impious souls never
surrender to Krishna while four kinds of pious souls do surrender. Krishna
also covers Himself from the impersonalists, who are less intelligent, and
from those who surrender to the demigods. But those who are truly pious, the
undeluded, serve Krishna as the governor of the material manifestation, the
demigods, and sacrifice, can know and understand Krishna – ev the time of
death.
Chapter Eight begins by Arjuna asking Krishna about Brahmam, karma, the
demigods, the material world, and knowing Krishna at the time of death.
Krishna first briefly answers Arjuna’s first five questions and then begins
explaining in detail how to know Krishna at the time of death. Since one
attains what one remembers at the time of death, if one remembers Krishna,
one goes to Him. Krishna then explains how He can be constantly thought of
as the transcendental person who knows everything, the oldest controller,
the smallest, the maintainer. Thus by pract yoga and remembering Krishna,
Krishna explains, one will go to the eternal spiritual world and never again
to return to this temporary, miserable material world. Then, after
describing the different yogic ways in which one may leave this world,
Krishna advises Arjuna not worry about other paths – either Vedic study,
yoga, austere sacrifices, charity, jnana, or karma – for the results of
these will all be obtained through performing devotional service. And in the
end, such a yogi in devotion, reaches the supreme eternal abode.
After Krishna answered Arjuna’s questions in Chapter Eight, He continues
speaking, in Chapter Nine, the knowledge about Himself that He had begun
explaining in Chapter Seven. Krishna thus prefaces Chapter Nine by stating
that the knowledge He’ll now reveal is most confidential, for it is about
His actual position, which only the non-envious and faithful can understand.
Krishna continues explaining that although independent and aloof, He
pervades, creates and anihilates the entire cosmos through His material
energy. Those mahatmas who know Krishna as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead take shelter of Him and serve Him as the only enjoyer and the
supreme object of worship.
Krishna then explains the fortunate position of such devotees: If one
worships Krishna, Krishna cares, compensates for his deficiencies, and
preserves his strengths. And all Krishna asks for is an offering of a leaf,
a flower, or some water – if it is offered with devotion. Thus His devotee
comes to Him. Even if a devotee unintentionally commits a horrendous act, he
will be rectified, for Krishna promises that His devotee will never perish.
In Chapters Seven and Nine, Krishna has explained knowledge of His energies.
In Chapter Ten, Krishna explains His opulences more specifically and
thereby reveals Himself the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of
all. Krishna also tells how His pure devotees know that He is the unborn
Supreme Lord, the source of all sages, the source of the material and
spiritual worlds, and the source of all qualities and attitudes. Thus pure
and wise devotees worship Krishna, converse about Him, and with thoughts
dwelling in Him, undeluded and free from sin, engage in His service. Out of
compassion, Krishna within their hearts destroys any remaining ignorance.
After hearing of Krishna’s opulences, Arjuna confirms Krishna as the
Supreme Lord by quoting authorities and explains that only Krishna can truly
know Himself. Krishna then tells of His divine manifestations within this
world – as the Supersoul, the ocean, the Himalayas – which merely indicate
His limitless opulences, for a single fragment of Krishna’s energy
pervades and supports this entire universe!
Arjuna, although acknowledging that Krishna in the two-armed form that he
now sees before him is Supreme, still requests Krishna to reveal that all-
pervading Universal Form that supports the Universe. Thus, in Chapter Eleven
, Krishna proves Himself as the Supreme Lord and He establishes the criteria
that anyone who claims to be God must also show a Universal Form. Krishna
then reveals to Arjuna His wondrous effulgent, all-expansive form, and
Arjuna sees all soldiers on both sides dying within it. Krishna explains His
form as time, the destroyer of all world, and requests that Arjuna, knowing
in advance the inevitable d of all the warriors, become His instrument. In
answer to Arjuna’s fearful prayers, Krishna first shows His four-armed form
before again returning to His original two-armed form. Krishna then states
that his two-armed form can only be seen by pure devotees, and such pure
devotees, working for Krishna, free from desiring fruitive activities, and
who make Krishna the su goal of their lives, certainly come to Him.
In Chapter Twelve, Arjuna, after witnessing Krishna’s awesome Universal
Form, wishes to clarify his own position as a devotee, the highest worshiper
of the Supreme. He thus asks whether worshiping Krishna through devotional
service or worshiping the impersonal is superior. Krishna immediatly
responds saying that one engaged in His personal service is the topmost. One
should therefore engage in Krishna’s service and fix his mind solely upon
Krishna, and, if that cannot be done, one should follow the rules and
regulations of ‘bhakti-yoga’, which purify one so he is later able to do
so. Krishna then describes other processes that eventually lead to His pure
devotional service.
Then qualities that endear a devotee to Krishna, which Krishna next mentions
, such as equality in both happiness and distress, independence from the
ordinary course of activities, satisfaction, and the faithful following of
the path of devotional service, are also part of the process of worshiping
Krishna in devotional service.
Arjuna opens Chapter Thirteen by inquiring about the field of activities and
the knower of that field. Krishna answers that the conditioned soul’s body
and that body’s interactions within the material world are His limited
field of activities. By understanding the difference between the body, the
soul, and the Supersoul and by following the process of knowledge, the soul
can transcend the good and the bad he meets, realize his eternal
subordination to Krishna, and attain the supreme destination.
The Thirteenth Chapter clearly explained that by humbly developing knowledge
one can become free from material entanglement. It is also explained that
the living entity’s entanglement within the material world due to his
association with the modes of material nature (13. 20-22). Now, in Chapter
Fourteen, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in detail, explains the three
modes – goodness, passion and ignorance – those forces that bind and
control all conditioned souls within this world. A soul can, however,
transcend these modes through devotional service (All other processes are
contaminated by the modes). Thus the limitations imposed by his field of
activities can be overthrown and the soul can be elevated to the Brahman
platform, the constitutional position of purity and happiness – a platform
of which Krishna is the basis.
As one must be detached from the modes and their results in order to be
attached to the service of the Lord, Krishna describes in Chapter Fifteen
the process of freeing oneself from matter’s grip. He begins by comparing
the material world to a gigantic, upside-down banyan tree, invoking Arjuna
to detach himself from it through surrender. Thus, the soul can end his
transmigrations and return to Him in the spiritual world.
Although the foolish cannot understand that the soul transmigrates, quitting
one body to obtain a new body based on his mind’s desires,
transcendentalists see this clearly. The foolish can learn to see properly
by understanding that it is Krishna who is the splendor of the sun, moon,
and fire, as the one keeping the planets in orbit and making vegetables
succulent. They can see Krishna as the fire of digestion; as the Paramatma
in everyone’s heart; as the giver of remembrance, knowledge, and
forgetfulness; and as the goal of the Vedas and the compiler of Vedanta.
Krishna then reveals that knowing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and engaging in His service is the ultimate purpose of the Vedanta and the
most confidential part of the Vedas.
In Chapter Fifteen, auspicious, elevating activities were described as part
of the banyan tree. In Chapter Sixteen, after mentioning twenty-six godly
qualities, Krishna explains the demoniac nature which degrades the soul
through arrogant, ignorant, and conceited pursuits of sense gratification
and power.
Krishna explains the demonic mentality as follows: The world is unreal and
is produced only of sex desire. Taking shelter of lust, they think of sense
gratification as the goal of life and scheme to illegally increase their
wealth. While plotting to kill their ‘competitor’ enemies, they think
themselves powerful and happy, and they, surrounded by their relatives, use
sacrifices and charity only to further increase their happiness. Perplexed
by illusory anxieties, bewildered by self-complacency, impudency, and wealth
; and envying the Supersoul within their own bodies and within the bodies of
others, demons blaspheme real religion. These mischievous, lowest amongst
men are repeatedly cast by Krishna into demonic species to gradually sink to
the most abominable forms of existence.
Krishna ends the chapter by explaining that because lust, anger and greed
are the beginnings of demonic life, all sane men should therefore give them
up and understand their duty through faithfully following the scriptures.
Krishna has concluded Chapter Sixteen by declaring that the ultimate
difference between the divine and the demoniac is that the divine follow the
scriptures while the demons do not. In the beginning of Chapter Seventeen,
Arjuna inquires more about those who don’t follow scriptures, but who
worship according to their imaginations. Krishna answers by describing how
the combination of the modes of material nature that control a particular
person will dictate a person’s faith, worship, eating, sacrifices, charity
and austerity. The chapter ends with Krishna explaining the syllables ‘om
tat sat’ and how these syllables indicate that any sacrifice, austerity, or
charity dictated by the modes and performed without devotional service is
useless in this lif the next. One should therefore directly take to Krishna
’s service in Krishna consciousnes.
The entire Bhagavad-gita is concluded in seventeen chapters, and in the
Eighteen Chapter, Krishna reviews the knowledge already presented. In this
chapter Krishna concludes, as He has done througout the Bhagavad-gita, that
one should practice devotional service – Krishna conciousness.
Since Arjuna’s basic desire to renounce his duty of fighting was fear of
sinful reaction, Krishna explains true renunciation and how to transcend
sinful reactions through (1) becoming renounced from the fruits of
activities,(2) abiding by the order of the Supersoul, and (3) worshiping the
Lord through one’s fruits of work by acting either as ‘brahmana’,’
ksatryia’,’vaisya’, or ‘sudra’ according to one’s mode of nature. (
Each leads Arjuna to fight) Thus, one can achieve the self-realized position
of ‘brahma-bhuta’ and that position, detached from all material things,
one can practice pure devotional service.
Krishna can only be known through surrendering to Him in devotional service,
and by this direct process – free from karma or jnana, Arjuna should need
not fear any sinful reactions. Under Krishna’s protection, such a pure
devotee will reach “Krishna-loka”. Krishna instructs Arjuna that he should
surrender to the Supreme Lord within his heart and thus attain peace in His
supreme, eternal abode. The most confidential knowledge is then explained
by Krishna: “Become My devotee, always think of Me, act for Me, worship Me,
and offer all homage unto Me. Surrender unto Me alone. Do not fear sinful
reactions.”
After hearing the instructions of Sri Krishna, Arjuna is fixed and ready to
fight. Sanjaya, after narrating this conversation to Dhritarashtra,
ecstatically thinks of the wondrous two-armed form of Krishna and predicts
victory for Arjuna, the supreme archer, for he is surrendered to Krishna,
the master of all mystics. | n********n
发帖数: 8336 | 2 Intelligence/knowledge vs. work
Therefore Arjuna opens Chapter Five by asking
Krishna to definitivelly explain whether the renunciation of work (
speculation, ‘sankhya, jnana’, inaction-in-knowledge) or work in devotion
is superior. Krishna answers that one who is detached from his work’s
results is the one who is truly renounced. Such a person knows that while
the body acts, he, the soul, actually does nothing. | n********n
发帖数: 8336 | 3 Fixing his mind on the self and on Krishna, he attains transcendental
happiness in the kingdom of God.
And the greatest of all yogis is he who always thinks of Krishna and with
grest faith worships Him in loving service. | n********n
发帖数: 8336 | 4 He thus asks whether worshiping Krishna through devotional
service or worshiping the impersonal is superior. Krishna immediatly
responds saying that one engaged in His personal service is the topmost.
Krishna then describes other processes that eventually lead to His pure
devotional service. | n********n
发帖数: 8336 | 5 Krishna explains the demonic mentality as follows: The world is unreal and
is produced only of sex desire. Taking shelter of lust, they think of sense
gratification as the goal of life and scheme to illegally increase their
wealth. While plotting to kill their ‘competitor’ enemies, they think
themselves powerful and happy, and they, surrounded by their relatives, use
sacrifices and charity only to further increase their happiness. Perplexed
by illusory anxieties, bewildered by self-complacency, impudency, and
wealth
; and envying the Supersoul within their own bodies and within the bodies
of
others, demons blaspheme real religion. These mischievous, lowest amongst
men are repeatedly cast by Krishna into demonic species to gradually sink
to
the most abominable forms of existence.
Krishna ends the chapter by explaining that because lust, anger and greed
are the beginnings of demonic life, all sane men should therefore give them
up and understand their duty through faithfully following the scriptures. |
|
