Gita Gita Gita Gitasarm! Sarm! Sarm! Sarm!

gIta gIta gIta gItasarm! sarm! sarm! sarm!
- -- - gtsram
Essence of the Gita

A selection of verses from the Bhagavad G

ram
Gita
avad Gita

l6lBlP - gtsram - Essence of the Gita

1
Preface

Bhagavad Gita is known world over as one of the holy books of
Hinduism. However, if a typical Hindu is asked what is
mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, the person would mostly say,
I know it says Do your duty without expecting the results.
But, I do not know how it is possible or practical. I do not know
what else it says. This small booklet is aimed to bring the
essence of the Bhagavad Gita, so that such people can know
more about what it says.

Bhagavad Gita has about 700 verses. It takes about 2 hours to
chant the whole Gita. There have been a number of short
selections from the Gita that can be used for regular chanting.

This booklet is another such attempt. This selection has about 35
verses. They are rearranged in an order to make a logical flow.
Elaborate meanings of the verses are given. In several cases, the
meaning given is a combination of several related verses in the
same context. So usually, the meaning is much more elaborate
than what is directly conveyed in the words of the verse.

Deciphering the meaning of several verses in the Bhagavad Gita
is difficult. This is because of three reasons:
1. The Gita presents a gradual development of the human
being. Different verses of the Gita are meant for the person
in different levels of development. So sometimes, two verses
picked from different places can apparently convey opposite
ideas. So, before studying a verse, one should first fix the
state of the person who is talked about in that verse.
2. The same word is used the Gita to mean different thing in
different contexts. For example, the word tma can mean

2
body, mind, intellect, individual or Consciousness. There are
some verses where in the same verse, different occurences of
the word mean different things. Similarly, whenever Krishna
says I or me, it can mean Krishna, the son of Vasudeva
and Devaki, God, the ruler of the world or a wise man.
In such cases, one has to be very careful to take the right
meaning. The commentators come to our help here to reason
out the best possible meaning in the context. However,
different commentators differ in the meaning that they take,
and that changes the entire message of the Gita.
3. There are a lot of allegories used. The allegories should be
cracked to get the meaning. This is almost impossible
without the guidance of a traditional teacher, who learnt
from his teacher, and so on.
The interpretation in this booklet is very close to that of Swami
Paramarthanandaji, whose interpretation is very close to that of
Shankara.

This booklet can be used as a primer to get a birds eye view of
the Gita. This can be a starting point for a deeper study of the
Gita. This booklet can also be used for chanting while thinking
about its meaning.

I hope this booklet helps people who are interested in the
message of the Gita.

Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy,
April 1
st
, 2012, Rama Navami.

3
\4l+ \4l+ \4l+ \4l+ Vl Vl Vl VllTl- lTl- lTl- lTl- - dhyna lok - Prayer Verses
999l|=l6l4 6l4T9lT4
l+Pl4 T!Tl4 l6lP6( +P-+
prapannaprijtya totravetraikapaye |
jnamudrya kya gtmtaduhe nama ||

Salutations to Sri Krishna, the bestower of boons to His
devotees, who holds a whip in one hand (as a charioteer), who
shows the jnana mudra on the other hand, who has extracted and
given us the Gita nectar.

B4l9|+9(l l4l (ll l9l +-(+-
9ll 4tB- Blll l6lP6 P(6+
sarvopaniado gvo dogdh gopla nandana |
prtho vatsa sudhrbhokt dugdha gtmta mahat ||

All the Upanishads are cows. Arjuna is the calf. Sri Krishna, the
son of the cowherd, is the milker. The milk is the great nectar of
Gita. Just as a milkman uses the pretext of the calf and extracts
the milk from the cow, Sri Krishna has given us the Gita
keeping Arjuna as an instrument. All seekers of spiritual
wisdom are the enjoyers. Thus the teaching of the Gita is the
same as the teaching of the Upanishads, which are the essence
of the Vedas.


4
Background

After a life-long training and preparation as a warrior, Arjuna is
called to fight a great battle on the side of righteousness against
unrighteousness. He, his brothers and their allies were fighting
on the righteous side. His cousins and their allies were fighting
on the other side. Unfortunately, Arjunas revered teacher and
beloved grand uncle were fighting for his cousins. Arjunas
attachment to them made him refuse to fight the war, for which
he had prepared so much for a long time. The attachment
created a great sorrow and depression in him. He forgot the real
reason for which the war is being fought to establish
righteousness. He started thinking that the war was being fought
to regain his kingdom. This made him confused between right
and wrong. Instead of doing his duty as a warrior, he wanted to
leave the battlefield and live a life of mendicancy. Krishna takes
this opportunity to teach Arjuna the message of the Vedas, by
which Arjuna regains his discrimination and does his duty.

This problem of attachment, which creates elation or sorrow,
which clouds the discrimination and makes one make wrong
decisions, is the main cause of human misery.

Gitas Teaching

We cannot avoid possession and action. Bad action gives
sorrowful results. Good action gives good results (see the
appendix on Law of Karma). But, one has to undergo some
Gitas teaching is about how to live in the
world without being touched by sorrow.

5
temporary inconvenience to do a good action. Also, nothing
gained in this world is permanent. So the good results have to be
given up. They also will cause sorrow. In fact, usually the
sorrow of losing a convenience that we are used to, is much
greater than not having had it at all. Also, however much a
person possesses, there will always be scope for more. There
will always be someone else who has more. These will cause
sorrow in various forms like depression, greed, jealousy and
anger. Thus, all possessions and actions are tainted by sorrow.

Wise men do not grieve over the arrival or departure of people,
objects and situations in life. The real nature of a person is not
the body and the mind. It is pure Consciousness, which is
eternal and of the nature of unconditional happiness. A persons
sense of security, peace and happiness does not depend on any
external entity. He is really free from all emotional
dependencies. It is the ignorance of this fact that causes all the
sorrow in life. The only permanent solution to sorrow is to gain
this knowledge of ones own true nature.

Strong likes and dislikes, attachment to the sense pleasure and
uncontrolled mind are hindrances to gaining this knowledge. So
he has to first become free from these. Then he should gain the
right knowledge from a qualified teacher in a systematic
manner. Right understanding and conviction of this truth is the
only way to complete and permanent freedom from sorrow.

Gita takes the person from wherever he is, gradually and
systematically to this freedom.


6
~l 4l+ 74l -
r bhagavn uvca -

God said:

9TVlTl 9TVlTl 9TVlTl 9TVlTl l6l l6l l6l l6l - ekalok gt - Gita in One Verse
4l4l |4H&ltPl |4|=6ltPl |=6|-4-
B46ltP6ltPl T4|9 + |-46+ --+
yogayukto viuddhtm vijittm jitendriya |
sarvabhttmabhttm kurvannapi na lipyate || 5-7 ||

These are the stages of development:
1. Doing right actions as offering to God and accept the results
as gift from God
2. Becoming free from likes and dislikes, and their effects like
greed, anger, jealousy and arrogance
3. Controlling your mind by not perpetuating unwanted
thoughts and by entertaining good thoughts
4. Subduing your senses by removing all value attached to
enjoyment of sense objects
5. Gaining the right understanding by which you see your own
Self in all beings and all beings in your own Self
Having gone through all these stages in sequence, even if you
work in this world you will not get tainted by the action.


7
l6l PlP l6l PlP l6l PlP l6l PlP - gt mrgam - The Way of the Gita
Hl66lP+4l TP TlTP46
4ll-7F4 6F44 HP- TlTP46+ \-(+
rurukormuneryoga karma kraamucyate |
yogrhasya tasyaiva ama kraamucyate || 6-3 ||

The path to the goal is broadly divided into two parts. The first
part is aimed at attaining renunciation, which consists of
detachment from the fruits of action, detachment from sense
objects, control of the mind and giving up of worldly pursuits.
The means to this is Karma yoga (consisting of performance of
duty, charity, austerity, devotion and meditation). The second
part is aimed at attaining Knowledge and getting established in
Knowledge. The means to this is listening to and assimilating
the Knowledge revealed by the Upanishads.

TP 4l- TP 4l- TP 4l- TP 4l- - karma yoga - The Discipline of Action
Karma yoga is right action with right attitude. Right action is
that which is done as one of the following:
paying back what has been taken from environment,
other living beings, people, parents, teachers, etc.
ones duty in the current position in life
selfless service for the welfare of others
practices to make oneself a better person with lesser
affliction due to psychological defects like anger,
jealousy, arrogance, greed, lust, etc.


8
Karma yoga is a way of life where, what I am is more
important than what I have, which is implemented as
maximum contribution and minimum consumption.

Right attitude towards work is as a gift to God. Right attitude
towards the results is as a gift from God.

7&(ltP+ltPl+ +ltPl+P4Bl(46
HltP4 GltP+l 4-- HltP4 |9ltP+-+ \--+
uddharedtmantmna ntmnamavasdayet |
tmaiva hytmano bandhu tmaiva ripurtmana
|| 6-5 ||

Only you have to develop yourself. Others can only try to help
you. Never lower yourself below what you want to be. The
body, senses and mind are instruments. Just as any instrument
(like knife, fire, electricity, nuclear energy, etc), they will do
good to you if they are under your control. They will cause harm
to you if they are not under your control. Also, all of them
should be aligned towards the same objective.

4(l+69-TP + t4l74 Tl4P4 66
4l (l+ 694 9l4+l|+ P+l|9TlP+ {<--+
yajadnatapakarma na tyjya kryameva tat |
yajo dna tapacaiva pvanni manim || 18-5 ||


9
The acts of duty, charity and austerity should be always
performed because they purify man. You should do your five-
fold duty:
to natural environment conserve water, do not pollute,
etc
to other creatures take care of animals and plants, be
kind to them, plant more trees, preseve bio-diversity, etc
to lineage take care of parents, grandparents, children
and grandchildren, pray for their welfare after their
death, donate and volunteer to orphanages and old-age
homes
to society respect all jobs in society, treat people with
fairness and kindness, donate and volunteer for social
service work, calamity relief, etc.
to culture respect teachers and cultured people, learn,
develop and propagate science, culture, arts, philosophy,
religion, etc
and also the specific duty based on your role in the society.

HltPl94+ B4 BP 974|6 4l5=+
BG 4l 4|( 4l -G B 4ll 9Pl P6-+ \-(-+
tmaupamyena sarvatra sama payati yo'rjuna |
sukha v yadi v dukha sa yog paramo mata
|| 6-32 ||

The world is governed by the law of Karma that as you sow, so
shall you reap. For every action done by you, you have to face
the appropriate result in this or future life. So, consider others
like yourself. Do to others what you would like others to do to

10
you. Do not do to others what you would not like others do to
you. Judge what is right and what is wrong by the same
standards that you would apply to yourself.

(l6-4|P|6 4l+ (l465+9Tl|T
(H Tl 9l 6l+ Bl|x4T FP6P+ {--+
dtavyamiti yaddna dyate'nupakrie |
dee kle ca ptre ca taddna sttvika smtam
|| 17-20 ||

Charity should be given with humility. It should be given to
people without expecting back in any form. It should be given at
the most needed place and time, to the most needy person. Such
charity is considered the noblest.

(4|=69l 9=+ HlPl=4P
O4P|(Bl Hll 69 746+ {-{v+
devadvijaguruprja pjana aucamrjavam |
brahmacaryamahis ca rra tapa ucyate || 17-14 ||

Bow down before God, cultured people, teachers and wise
people. Maintain everything neat and tidy. There should be
perfect alignment between your thoughts, words and actions.
Maintain decent and appropriate attitude towards people of the
other gender. Consider everyone as thinking and feeling people,
and not as objects of enjoyment or exploitation. Do not cause
any injury to others. These are called physical austerities.

11

H+T 4l14 Bt4 |94|(6 46
F4l\4l4l-4B+ 4 4l=P4 69 746+ {-{-+
anudvegakara vkya satya priyahita ca yat |
svdhyybhyasana caiva vmaya tapa ucyate
|| 17-15 ||

Speak softly. Speak only what is truthful, pleasant and useful.
Maintain a habit of studying good books. These are called
verbal austerities.

P+- 9Bl(- Bl4t4 Pl+PltP|4|+(-
l4BH|&|t466 69l Pl+BP46+ {-{\+
mana prasda saumyatva maunamtmavinigraha |
bhvasauddhirityetat tapo mnasamucyate || 17-16 ||

Be free from stress in the form of anxiety about future and
brooding over the past. Have pleasant and gentle thoughts. This
will keep you calm and cheerful. Be silent for sometime
everyday. Do not perpetuate unhealthy thoughts. Nourish good
thoughts. Have noble intentions. Do not have any hidden
agenda. These are called mental austerities.

TP'44l|TlF6 Pl T9 T(l+
Pl TPT(6- Pl 6 Bql5Ft4TP|T+ --v+

12
karmayevdhikraste m phaleu kadcana |
m karmaphalaheturbh m te sago'stvakarmai
|| 2-47 ||

You have control over only your current contribution to the
work. The result depends on several other factors also, which
are the effects of your past actions. So you do not have full
control over the current result. External result should not be
your motivating factor. Internal development (freedom from
anger, arrogance, jealousy, greed, etc.) should be your
motivating factor. Do not shun away from work. If you do not
work, there is no chance of success, and you will not develop
also.

4lF- T6 TPl|T Bq t44l +V4
|B&|B&l- BPl t4l BPt4 4l 746+ --v<+
yogastha kuru karmi saga tyaktv dhanajaya |
siddhyasiddhyo samo bhtv samatva yoga ucyate
|| 2-48 ||

Perform all your work without attachment to the external results.
Be balanced in success and failure. Face success with humility
and failure with dignity. This evenness of mind is called Yoga.
You will be able to achieve this by doing all actions as gift to
God, and accepting all the results as gift from God. With this
evenness of mind, you will learn from both success and failure,
and thus develop internally.


13
| 4l- | 4l- | 4l- | 4l- - -- - bhakti yoga The Discipline of
Devotion
Bhakti yoga helps the spiritual aspirant to easily go through the
entire process of spiritual development in a smooth manner.
Instead of considering the Law of Karma as a heartless
inviolable dry law, it helps to consider the impartial omniscient
compassionate Lord as the bestower of the results of all actions.
Instead of considering the whole of existence as dull insentient
matter, it helps to consider the whole of existence as God.

God is beyond all forms, attributes and individuality. But for the
sake of worship, He can assume all of these for the devotee. The
devotee goes through three stages of conception of God:
1. God as an individual having attributes and optionally a
form related to the attributes. Here are some of the
means by which God can be worshipped thus:
deities like Vishnu, Shiva
symbols like Shivalinga, Srichakra, Meru
places and natural elements like Kashi, Prayag,
Ganga
incarnations of God like Rama, Krishna
devotees and saints like Hanuman, Adi Sankara
formless and with attributes like compassion and
justice
2. God as the infinite existence manifesting as everything
in this world. He is the bestower of the fruits of all
action. The entire physical universe is His body. The
cosmic order and cosmic mind is His mind. There is
nothing that exists apart from Him.

14
3. God as the formless, attributeless, infinite, partless
Consciousness.
Thus gradually, the spiritual aspirant develops through Bhakti
yoga. You can see the appendix on God for a more elaborate
discussion.

|96l(PF4 =6l Pl6l l6l |96lP(-
4H 9|4PlTl +1BlP 4=4 + -{+
pithamasya jagato mt dht pitmaha |
vedya pavitramokra ksma yajureva ca || 9-17 ||

I am the father (intelligent cause, like potter for a pot), mother
(material cause, like clay for a pot) and grandfather (first cause)
of this Universe. I am the dispenser of the fruits of all action. I
am the one to be known. I am the pure and auspicious one. I am
the holy word Om. I am the Rik, Saama and Yajur Vedas. (Here,
Om represents the Unmanifested Existence, because in Om, all
the possible sounds are in their potential form. Rik (poetry),
Saama (music) and Yajur (prose) Vedas represent the
Manifested Existence in all its diversity.)

4l 4l 4l 4l 6+ - ~&4l|6|P7|6
6F4 6F4ll ~&l 6lP4 |4(l4(P+ --{+
yo yo y y tanu bhakta raddhayrcitumicchati |
tasya tasycal raddh tmeva vidadhmyaham
|| 7-21 ||


15
Whoever worships me with devotion in whichever form, based
on his faith and understanding, I respond to the devotee through
that very form and stabilize the faith of that devotee.

9 9!9 T 6l4 4l P 4l 947|6
6(( 496P+l|P 946ltP+-+ --\+
patra pupa phala toya yo me bhakty prayacchati
tadaha bhaktyupahtamanmi prayattmana
|| 9-26 ||

With devotion whoever offers Me even a simple offering like a
leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I accept that devout offering of
the pure-minded one. Purity and devotion alone are important. A
costlier offering does not make the offering better. Whatever
you offer is already mine only. The offering is only a gesture to
express your devotion.

4tTl|9 4(+l|B 4=(l|9 ((l|B 46
49F4|B Tl-64 6tT6!4 P(9TP+ --+
yatkaroi yadansi yajjuhoi dadsi yat |
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkuruva madarpaam || 9-27 ||

By that practice, you should learn to offer everything to Me.
Whatever you contribute, offer to Me, who manifests in the
form of the world and its living beings. Whatever you consume,
offer to Me residing in your own innermost being. Whatever
you do as duty, charity or austerity, do that as an offering to Me.

16

P|4 B4l|T TPl|T B-4F4l\4ltP6Bl
|+lHl|+PPl t4l 4\4F4 |4674-+ (-(+
mayi sarvi karmi sannyasydhytmacetas |
nirrnirmamo bhtv yudhyasva vigatajvara || 3-30 ||

Offering all actions unto me with a devoted mind, do your duty
without worldly expectations, without possessiveness and
without anxiety.

HlHT4 Pl4B TP4-+-
B-4lB4l4ltPl |4Pl PlP9!4|B+ --<+
ubhubhaphalaireva mokyase karmabandhanai |
sannysayogayukttm vimukto mmupaiyasi || 9-28 ||

Thus you shall be freed from the good and evil bonds of action.
With your mind free from all claims of identity, ownership and
controllership, you will attain Me.

H+-4l|-64-6l Pl 4 =+l- 949lB6
69l |+t4l|4l+l 4lP 4(l4(P+ ---+
ananycintayanto m ye jan paryupsate |
te nitybhiyuktn yogakema vahmyaham
|| 9-22 ||


17
To those who worship Me without expecting any worldly gain,
and practice self-control, I personally carry to them all that they
need and also maintain whatever they have.

P-P+l 4 Pl PHl=l Pl +PFT6
PlP4!4|B 444P HltPl+ Pt9l4T-+ -(v+
manman bhava madbhakto madyj m namaskuru |
mmevaiyasi yuktvaivam tmna matparyaa
|| 9-34 ||

Think of Me. Love Me. Give up lower pursuits. Bow down to
Me. Have Me as your Supreme Goal of life. Having thus united
your whole being and life with Me, you will attain Me.

\4l+ 4l- \4l+ 4l- \4l+ 4l- \4l+ 4l- - -- - dhyna yoga The Discipline of
Meditation
Meditation is a means to calm the mind, deeply think of a
particular topic or to assimilate what one has understood
intellectually. Meditation helps to assimilate an idea that has
been understood by the conscious mind. Meditation converts
intellectual understanding into emotional strength.

As meditation enhances the power of the mind, it should be
practised only after sufficient purification of the mind. Some
extent of freedom from likes and dislikes is essential before
starting meditation. Without leading a life of values and sense
control, it is not possible to meditate. Without these, even if

18
some success is achieved in meditation, it will only create more
conflicts and problems in life.

Meditation is the flow of similar thoughts without any
distraction by unrelated thoughts. There are various ways of
meditation like the following:
Thinking of the actions of manifestations of God through
stories of saints and incarnations of God.
Mentally worshipping God with various items like
flowers, incense, light, food offerings, etc.
Thinking of the form of a saint, deity or incarnation of
God.
Mentally chanting a hymn or a philosophical work like
Gita.
Mentally repeating a particular name of God or a mantra.
Thinking of the vastness and greatness of this universe
and the insignificance of the physical existence of man.
Recollecting a talk on a spiritual topic.
Recollecting the contents of a spiritual book.
Thinking of spiritual teachings.
Thinking of values like truthfulness, non-violence, etc.
and the benefits of following them.
Thinking of the meaning of some verses from the
scriptures.

After understanding the teaching of the scriptures about the true
nature of the self as pure Consciousness, meditation helps to
assimilate the knowledge so that the knowledge manifests in
everyday life.

You can see the appendix on Meditation for instructions of a
simple mental worship.

19
9Hl-6ltPl |46lOl|6 |F6-
P+- B44 P|l 4 HlBl6 Pt9-+ \-{v+
pranttm vigatabhrbrahmacrivrate sthita |
mana sayamya maccitto yukta sta matpara || 6-14 ||

With a serene mind free from anxiety, free from fear, firm in the
vow of sense-control, with the mind under control, sit and
mediate on Me, with Me as the Supreme Goal. A sitting posture
in which one can remain comfortably for at least twenty minutes
is the recommended posture. The back should be straight.
Breathing must be free flowing. The seat should be stable. It
should neither be too hard to create discomfort nor be too soft to
make the back bent. The arms should be gently rested on the lap.

B-994l-TlPlFt44l B4l+H96-
P+B4|-4lP |4|+44 BP-66-+ \--v+
sakalpaprabhavnkmstyaktv sarvnaeata |
manasaivendriyagrma viniyamya samantata || 6-24 ||

First give up all desires born out of fancies. Then restrain the
group of sense organs from all directions using the mind. Close
the eyes gently to keep away visual distractions. Cover with a
sheet to avoid distrations from insects, wind, cold, etc. Be in a
secluded place to avoid distracting smells and sounds. There are
several ways to withdraw the mind from the senses like
observing the breathing, mental worship of God in any form,
mentally chanting any prayer, mentally repeating a mantra, etc.

20

H+- H+69P( 4&l |6(l64l
HltPBF P+- Tt4l + |T|(|9 |-646+ \---+
anai anairuparamed buddhy dhtightay |
tmasastha mana ktv na kicidapi cintayet
|| 6-25 ||

Withdraw the mind gradually using the intellect, which
manifests as will. Focussing the mind on the Self within, do not
think of anything else. Keep aside all worldly roles like father,
mother, son, daughter, employer, employee, businessman,
labourer, etc. Take up spiritual roles like devotee of God, seeker
of knowledge of the Self, disciple of a Guru, etc. This is called
temporary mental renunciation. This is necessary before any
meditation can be attempted. Then disidentify with anything can
be an object to the senses or the mind. By rejecting every object
of perception and thought, remain as the pure Subject.

46l 46l |+|6 P+P|FP
66F66l |+446(ltP-44 4H +46+ \--\+
yato yato nicarati manacacalamasthiram |
tatastato niyamyaitadtmanyeva vaa nayet || 6-26 ||

From every object of distraction towards which the unsteady
mind goes, bring it back under the control. It is normal for the
mind to get distracted. Whenever you find that the mind is
thinking of something else, gently bring back the mind to the

21
meditation. It is the nature of the mind to wander. It will take a
long time to train the mind to remain continously in meditation
even for a short period of time.

9Hl-6P+B G+ 4l|+ BGPPP
79|6 Hl-6=B O6PT-P9P+ \--+
prantamanasa hyena yogina sukhamuttamam |
upaiti ntarajasa brahmabhtamakalmaam || 6-27 ||

The person, who has attained the Supreme, whose mind is
tranquil, free from impurities and free from agitation enjoys
great happiness. Meditation will give the conviction that
happiness does not depend on external people, objects or
situations. In the absence of attachment to them, the natural state
of the mind is to be happy. The knowledge of the Atman will
give a strong intellectual foundation to this conviction.

l+ 4l- l+ 4l- l+ 4l- l+ 4l- - jna yoga - The Discipline of
Knowledge
The goal that every creature is seeking in life is unconditional
happiness. No process can lead to this unconditional happiness.
What is needed is only to recognize that the happiness has been
always with the person as his essential nature. There is no other
way to the goal other than this Knowledge of ones own true
nature. This Knowledge is beyond the reach of the senses and
the mind. The senses and mind are designed only to know about
objects. So the only way to this Knowledge is by the words of

22
the Guru expounding the Vedantic scriptures. All action and
meditation serve only to prepare the mind for this Knowledge.

~4l--4P4lHl7l+4- 9-69
B4 TPl|G 9l l+ 9|BPl-46+ v-((+
reyndravyamaydyajjjnayaja parantapa |
sarva karmkhila prtha jne parisampyate
|| 4-33 ||

Higher (next) to the way of action (first half of the way) is the
way of Knowledge (second half of the way). All actions without
exception attain their consummation in Knowledge only. The
spiritual journey is incomplete without attainment of
Knowledge.

6||& 9|T9l6+ 9|9++ B44l
79(4|-6 6 l+ l|++F6x4(|H+-+ v-(v+
tadviddhi praiptena paripranena sevay |
upadekyanti te jna jninastattvadarina || 4-34 ||

To get that Knowledge, seek out the wise one, who has realized
the Truth. Prostrate to him, serve him and question him. He will
instruct you in that Knowledge. The mind does not have the
capability to judge the Truth. The Truth has to be accepted as an
axiom as revealed by the words of the Guru. To be able to
accept the words of the Guru, the disciple should have
developed sufficient faith in the Guru. This can be attained only

23
by moving closely with the Guru and understanding that the
Guru is absolutely truthful and is free from all seeking of
personal gain.

~&l4l6 l+ 6t9- B46|-4-
l+ -\4l 9l Hl|-6P|Tl|7|6+ v-(+
raddhvllabhate jna tatpara sayatendriya |
jna labdhv par ntimaciredhigacchati
|| 4-39 ||

The person who is full of faith, dedicated to the attainment of
Knowledge and who has subdued the senses only attains the
Knowledge. Attainment of the Knowledge is quickly followed
by great peace.

6&4F6(ltPl+F6|UlF6t9l4Tl-
7-t49+l4| l+|+6T-P9l-+ --{+
tadbuddhayastadtmnastannihstatparya |
gacchantyapunarvtti jnanirdhtakalma || 5-17 ||

These are the stages of Knowledge:
1. determination that Knowledge is the Supreme Goal
2. attainment of the Knowledge of Brahman
3. identification of oneself with the Brahman
4. establishment in the Knowledge fully
5. destruction of all impurities completely by the Knowledge

24
The person who has gone through all these stages does not take
birth after the death of the body.

l+P l+P l+P l+P - jnam - The Knowledge
Man consists of three broad entities the physical body, the
subtle mind and the pure Consciousness. All sorrow is rooted in
identification with the body and mind. First he has to disidentify
with the physical body by identifying with the mind. Then
finally he has to disidentify with the mind also and identify with
the pure Consciousness, which is his true identity. The true
nature of the person is as pure partless Conscious Blissful
Infinite Existence, which can never be an object of perception to
the senses nor be an object of conception of the mind. When a
person knows, understands and assimilates this truth about
himself, he realizes himself to be free from all limitations, and
thus free from sorrow.

l|4Pl 969l lT l 94
- B4l|T 6l|+ TFl5 746+ {--{\+
dvvimau puruau loke karackara eva ca |
kara sarvi bhtni kastho'kara ucyate || 15-16 ||

All creatures have two parts - the perishable body (made of
physical matter) and the imperishable soul (consisting of the
inner senses, mind, intellect and ego). The perishable is the
physical body of all beings. The imperishable soul is not
destroyed when the physical body is destroyed.


25
(|(+l5|FP-4l (( TlPl 4l4+ =l
6l ((l-69l|8lF6 + PG|6+ --{(+
dehino'sminyath dehe kaumra yauvana jar |
tath dehntaraprptirdhrastatra na muhyati || 2-13 ||

Just as in the perishable body, the imperishable soul passes
through childhood, youth and old age, after death of the body,
the soul passes into another body.

7P- 969Ft4-4- 9PltPt4l6-
4l lT4Pl|474 |4t4-44 H-+ {--{+
uttama puruastvanya paramtmetyudhhta |
yo lokatrayamviya bibhartyavyaya vara || 15-17 ||

Separate from these two is the Consciousness principle, which is
Me, the Supreme Lord, which transcends, pervades and supports
the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

H(PltPl 7lTH B46lH4|F6-
H(Pl|( P\4 6l+lP-6 94 + {--+
ahamtm gukea sarvabhtayasthita |
ahamdica madhya ca bhtnmanta eva ca || 10-20 ||

I, the Supreme Lord, am the Self, seated in the hearts of all
beings; I am the origin, the support and also the end of all

26
beings. Thus, I am both the immanent and transcendent
principle of all creation. I am the material of which the world is
made and also I am the Consciousness principle.

4(l 69l4PTFP+974|6
66 94 |4F6l O B9H6 6(l+ {(-({+
yad bhtapthagbhvamekasthamanupayati |
tata eva ca vistra brahma sampadyate tad || 13-31 ||

When the person sees the whole variety of beings as emerging
from the One Consciousness and also resting in the
Consciousness, then he becomes identified with the Me, the
Brahman.

H+l|(t4l|Tt4lt9PltPl4P-44-
HlFl5|9 Tl-64 + Tl|6 + |-46+ {(-(-+
anditvnnirguatvtparamtmyamavyaya |
arrastho'pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate || 13-32 ||

Being without beginning and devoid of qualities, this changeless
Supreme Self, though dwelling in the body, does not identify
with any doer-ship and does not get tainted by the results of
action.


27
l+l l+l l+l l+l T TT TP P P P - jn lakaam Characteristics of
the Wise Man
9=(l|6 4(l TlPl+ B4l-9l P+l6l+
HltP-44ltP+l 67- |F69F6(l46+ ----+
prajahti yad kmn sarvnprtha manogatn |
tmanyevtman tua sthitaprajastadocyate || 2-55 ||

When a man is completely free from all desires of the mind, and
is satisfied in the Self by the knowledge, then is he said to be a
man of firm wisdom.

-G!4+|PP+l- BG9 |46F9(-
4l6l44l- |F6lP|+646+ ---\+
dukhevanudvignaman sukheu vigataspha |
vtargabhayakrodha sthitadhrmunirucyate || 2-56 ||

He, whose mind is not shaken by adversity, and who does not
hanker after pleasures in prosperity, who is free from
attachment, fear and anger, is called a man of firm wisdom.

|4(l4 TlPl-4- B4l+ 9Pl|6 |+-F9(-
|+PPl |+(l- B Hl|-6P|7|6+ --{+
vihya kmnya sarvn pumcarati nispha |
nirmamo nirahakra sa ntimadhigacchati || 2-71 ||

28

The wise man lives an active life free from all desires and
without any longing. He does not have any claims of identity or
ownership. He enjoys peace.

\4l+ \4l+ \4l+ \4l+ Vl Vl Vl VllT- lT- lT- lT- - dhyna lokah - Prayer Verse
999l|=l6l4 6l4T9lT4
l+Pl4 T!Tl4 l6lP6( +P-+
prapannaprijtya totravetraikapaye |
jnamudrya kya gtmtaduhe nama ||

Sri Krishna has extracted from the Vedas and given us this Gita
nectar. He has explained the three-staged path to liberation and
He helps us at each step of the path.
1. He takes care of the peace and prosperity of His devotees
who do everything as an offering to Him and accept
everything as gift from Him
2. He holds a stick in one hand to discipline the senses and the
mind, and thus helps in controlling the senses and mind of
the devotees who meditate on Him
3. He shows the jnana mudra on the other hand to indicate the
knowledge that when separated from the three gunas
(serenity, activity and dullness), when disidentified with the
three bodies (physical, subtle and causal) and when being a
witness to the three states (waking, dream and deep sleep),
the individual Self and the supreme Self are identical
Salutations to Sri Krishna, the Universal Teacher.

29
Appendix: Law of Karma

Freewill is the foundation of all actions of man and the
possibility of man to improve himself. Exercise of freewill is in
the context of a cause-and-effect system in the world. Every
result should be appropriate to the action causing it. Otherwise
there can be no basis to exercise the freewill.

Any given sitation in life is the result of the fructification of the
effects of past actions. The situation is analyzed by the intellect
as regards to what is right and what is wrong. Past tendencies try
to influence the action by proposing what is desirable and what
is not. Memory provides input about past similar situations, the
action taken and the result attained. Using all these information,
the person takes an independent decision on what to do in the
current situation.

The result is the effect of the situation, the action and the
influence of the effects of the past actions. Not all the current
Store of
unfructified
effects
Results
Situation
Action
Tendencies Memory Intellect Freewill
Analysis

30
action fructifies as the current result. A part of it is stored as
unfructified effect, which will contribute towards future
situations and results.

The individual is the holder of this store, freewill, tendencies,
memory and intellect. He continues to exist and play this part
across multiple lives. When the body dies, the individual takes
on a new body (which is also a situation) and continues. The
new body can be of a human being or an animal or a plant. The
body can be strong or weak to be able to manifest the various
faculties like memory, intellect and tendencies to various
degrees.

The freewill becomes stronger if decisions are made more
towards the way shown by the intellect as right than towards the
way shown by the tendencies as desirable. This is the way to
improvement of the individual.

Using this model, Hinduism answers most of the questions that
arise about the world that we see like:
Why do we see good people facing bad situations in life?
Why are some children born in rich families and some in
poor families?
What will happen to me after death?
When a person dies, what will happen to all the good and
bad things done by a person?
Why should we be good?
What is wrong in cheating others and harming others?

This explains only the current link in the chain. Questions like
how did the whole process start? are not answered by this

31
model. However, this model is a good working model for all
day-to-day activities.

The final goal, however, is to realize that ones own
individuality is only a relative one. To drop the individuality and
thus to get out of this cycle is the ultimate goal of life. It need
not be done immediately. As the person evolves by repeatedly
choosing the good over the desirable, he becomes purer and
purer. This can take several lifetimes.

At one point of the evolution, he becomes pure enough to start
the quest on the real nature of himself. Then he gets the
knowledge from the exposition of the scriptures by a teacher. By
assimilating the knowledge, he becomes free.

Appendix: God
Each of our bodies consists of innumerable cells, each of which
is a living being by itself. Still, we identify it as our body.
Similarly, what we call our ideas and thoughts are based on the
ideas and thoughts that we have learnt and picked from various
sources during our life. Still, we identify it as our mind. Thus,
the concept of our individuality is only notional.

Similarly, we have the concepts of groups of people like city,
state, country, continent, etc. They all have a physical
component, of which each of us is a part, and a mental
component, of which each of us is a part. Similarly, the whole of
the earth with all its living beings, geological features and
oceans can be considered as a single living entity.


32
When we extend this concept to cover the whole of existence,
we come to the idea of God. God is the person to whom, the
whole of physical existence is the physical body, and the whole
cosmic dynamics is the mind. Thus, there is nothing that exists
other than God.

From this idea comes the concept in Hinduism, that whatever
we do is an offering to God and whatever results we get is a gift
from God. Doing our duty sincerely with this attitude is worship
of God. Also, serving the world and the living beings in the
world is worship of God.

Also, God is the material cause of the world, just like clay is the
material cause of a pot. God, being the sentient being, is also the
sentient cause of the world, just like a potter is the sentient cause
of a pot.

God creates the world for the benefit of the individuals to take a
body so that they can experience and express themselves. This
will give them maturity to finally realize their real nature. God is
the bestower of the fruits of action. The sum total of all natural
laws, including the physical and moral laws is the will of God.

God has knowledge of everything in the world and has the
capacity to create and destroy everything in the world. However,
the knowledge and power of God is limited by the freewill of
individuals. God has control over the situation presented to the
individuals, but God does not have control over the freewill of
the individuals. Every individual has the freedom to choose to
do what he wants, and God gives the result of the action
according to the Law of Karma as an impartial judge. Thus,

33
though God is the bestower of the fruits of action, the individual
alone is responsible for his situations and actions.
Thus, God is a formless, genderless, compassionate, impartial,
eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, sentient person, to whom the
whole of physical existence is the physical body, the whole of
cosmic laws is the mind.

As the human mind can only think in terms of forms and names,
God can be worshipped through forms and names. As God
knows the innermost thoughts and intentions of every
individual, God can be worshipped through any form and name.
Depending on the taste of the individual, he can choose any
form and name that is to his liking.

Prayer is an action. It is in the form of asking God to help in a
tough situation, thanking God for favorable situation or asking
God for strength to go through all situations in life. This action
can fully or partly counter balance any weak undesirable effects
of our own past actions.

As time goes by, the Law of Karma becomes sluggish because
of accumulation of actions that are yet to be fructified. The time
gap between the action and the result increases naturally. This
creates a situation where some individuals seem to be living
well off even though they do a lot of bad actions. Also, people
lose faith in the Law of Karma because they are not able to see
the action and the result side by side. At such times, God comes
in the garb of an individual into the world and cleans up the
system, like a fast-track court being setup by the government for
special and serious cases. God speeds up the Law of Karma by
clearing of the backlogs personally. Also, God teaches the
people about the nature of the individual, world and God, and

34
about the Law of Karma, to instill back the faith in the system.
These special manifestations of God are called incarnations. The
incarnations are effective means to worship God through.

God is also the Consciousness that powers the individual. Just as
different electrical appliances are powered by the same
electricity running through them, God is the light of
Consciousness in each individual. Just as depending on the
nature of the electrical appliance, it can create wind, heat, light
or coolness, depending on the nature, an individual thinks and
behaves in his own manner, powered by the same
Consciousness, which is God.
Appendix: Meditation
Meditation is an important discipline to develop a personal
relationship with God, imbibe a moral value that is understood
and to deeply think about the nature of the self.

Though there are several types of meditation, one sequence of
steps is presented here for the benefit of the reader. You can
spend about 5 to 10 seconds at each step, unless a longer
procedure is mentioned. Read through all the steps carefully and
understand them before attempting to follow them. Before you
start, decide your favorite form of God and the name or mantra
that you want to chant.

1. Sit in a comfortable posture, with body and head straight
without any strain. Let the hands rest together on the lap.
2. Gently close the eyes.
3. Be aware of the sounds outside.
4. Be aware of the form of your body.

35
5. Relax all the muscles of the body. Be aware of the
different parts of the body and relax them feet, calf
muscles, thigh, hip, abdomen, chest, shoulders, upper
arms, lower arms, hands, neck, face, jaw, forehead and
ears.
6. Be aware of the movements of the body due to
breathing.
7. Be aware of the breathing, without changing the
breathing pattern.
8. Mentally wish good to everyone in this world. Forgive
everyone for everything bad that they might have done.
Thank everyone for everything good that they might
have done. Wish everyone in this world with peace and
prosperity in life.
9. Mentally detach yourself from all worldly roles like
father, son, mother, daughter, brother, sister, student,
teacher, employer, employee, neighbor, etc. Take on
roles like a devotee of God, disciple of your Guru,
aspirant after peace, pursuer of spiritual knowledge, etc.
10. Visualize the forms of your spiritual teachers and thank
them for the inspiration, knowledge and guidance that
they have given you.
11. Visualize a fully bloomed lotus at the center of your
chest. Visualize the infinite all-pervasive God slowly
condensing into a golden yellow luminous form of your
favorite form of God seated in the lotus.
12. Let the deity slowly turn into live natural color.
13. Offer your salutations to the deity. Visualize the deity to
gracefully accept your salutations with a slight
compassionate smile.

36
14. Offer some welcome drink to the deity to refresh
Himself/Herself. Enjoy the deity enjoying the taste of the
drink.
15. Offer sandal paste on the forehead, hands and legs.
Enjoy the deity feeling pleasant by the touch.
16. Offer a garland of flowers. Offer various flowers of
different colors, shapes and sizes. Enjoy the deity being
happy at the colors and forms.
17. Offer incense of mild sweet fragrance. Enjoy the deity
being happy at the nice fragrance.
18. Offer light. As you wave the light in front of the deity
watch the beautiful play of shadows on the form of the
deity. Enjoy the smile on the face of the deity.
19. Offer various kinds of fruits, sweets and other tasty food
items. Enjoy the deity tasting a bit of each of the items.
20. Chant the name of the deity or a short mantra of the deity
108 times or for 10 minutes. Offer each utterance to the
deity, being aware that the deity is accepting your
gesture of love.
21. Sit for sometime enjoying the peaceful presence of the
deity.
22. Mentally prostrate before the deity and offer the fruits of
your worship to the deity.
23. Let the form of the deity turn golden yellow light and
merge with the infinite world in all directions. Now the
whole world is the form of the deity.
24. Be aware of the breathing.
25. Be aware of the form of your body.
26. Be aware of the sounds around.
27. Slowly open your eyes. See your deity in the form of the
world, including the various objects, people and
creatures.

37
28. Bow down to the deity and get up slowly. Maintain the
worshipful attitude towards the entire world for the rest
of the day, and eventually for the rest of your life.

This simple mental worship will help establish a personal
relationship with God. It will help improve the willpower to
stick to morality and ethics. It will improve the judgment of
what is right and what is wrong. It will give forbearance to
face the ups and downs of life with poise. It will lead to a
more peaceful life.

(|- V 66 B6 ~l T!Tl9TPF6 (|- V 66 B6 ~l T!Tl9TPF6 (|- V 66 B6 ~l T!Tl9TPF6 (|- V 66 B6 ~l T!Tl9TPF6+ ++ +
hari om tat sat | r krpaamastu ||


38
Acknowledgements
All my knowledge and inspiration comes from my teachers Sri
V. Ramamurthy, Swami Swayambodhanandaji, Rev. Swami
Gahananandaji Maharaj, Swami Paramarthanandaji and Swami
Paramasukhanandaji. I am thankful to the inspiring discussions
at Vivekananda Study Circle, IIT Chennai, Vivekananda Yuvak
Sangha, Ramakrishna Math, Ulsoor, Bangalore and
Vivekananda Study Circle, IISc Bangalore. These discussions
helped me to organize these ideas with clarity.
About the author
I am a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. Most of my understanding
of religious, spiritual and philosophical ideas comes from the
tradition Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. The
traditional foundation in Vedanta comes from the tradition of
Swami Paramarthanandaji. You can visit the website
http://www.practicalphilosophy.in for more details.
Copyright
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full, for commercial or non-commercial purposes. You can also
translate this into other languages. You can distribute it online
or in printed form. You need not even attribute it to the author.
The only restriction is that when parts of this document are used,
the sense of the original should be preserved. It should be made
sure that parts of this document are not quoted to mean
something different from what is intended here.

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