Commentary On The Bhagavadgita - Swami Krishnananda
PREFACEOm Namo Bhagavate VasudevayaGlory to Lord Krishna, the World Teacher, who gave theimmortal teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna in themiddle of a battlefield.The Bhagavad Gita is a universal gospel which has beentranslated into many modern languages. It is a “Song Celestial”in seven hundred verses. Numerous commentaries have beenwritten on this book, which are studied all over the world.The teachings are practical. They can be applied in all circumstances in one’s life.Bharatavarsha is held in high esteem the world over due tothe Bhagavad Gita. Mahatma Gandhi once asked the librarianin one of the biggest libraries in London: “What spiritual bookdo you most often issue?” The librarian replied, “The Gita.”Mahatma Gandhi himself said, “I lost my mother whenI was young, but the Gita has been a mother to me. In allmoments of sorrow and dejection, whenever I opened theGita and read one or two verses here or there, it consoled me.”Worshipful Sri Swami Krishnanandaji, who was a leadingdisciple of His Holiness Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji, servedGurudev’s institution as General Secretary for almost fortyyears. Originally he gave a series of talks on the Gita in theearly seventies, some of which I had the privilege of attending.Then in 1989, at the request of many devotees from both theEast and West, Pujya Swamiji gave the 51 discourses includedin this book.
Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj expounded this GreatBook in a very easy way that even a layman can understand.In his discourses he gave numerous interesting incidents andbrief stories which created great interest among the listeners.This wonderful book throws a flood of light on the subject andillumines our path. When the path is illumined you can walksteadily towards the goal. Therefore, study these discoursesregularly and make your life sublime.It is my sincere hope that this book has a wide circulationand that a large number of people will read these discourses ofPujya Swami Krishnanandaji and derive immense benefit.May the choicest blessings of Lord Krishna ever be uponall.Sri Krishna JanmashtamiAugust 17, 2014Swami VimalanandaPresident,The Divine Life Society Hqs.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSAnu Gita.Bilvashtaka Stotra .Brahma Sutra .Brahma Vaivarta PuranaBrihadaranyaka UpanishadIsavasya Upanishad .Katha Upanishad.Mahabharata .Mandukya UpanishadMunduka Upanishad .Patanjali’s Yoga SutrasPurusha Sukta.Rigveda.Siksastakam .Sri Caitanya CaritamrtaSrimad Bhagavata .Taittiriya Upanishad .Yoga .Y.S.P.S.R.V.SiksaC.C.S.B.T.U.Y.V.Unless otherwise specified, all the verses quoted in this bookare from the Bhagavadgita.
TABLE OF CONTENTSPreface. 7List of Abbreviations.9Discourse 1: The Colophon of the Bhagavadgita. 17Discourse 2: The First ChapterVisada Yoga, the Yoga of the Dejection of the Spirit.24Discourse 3: The Second Chapter BeginsSankhya Yoga.37Discourse 4: The Second Chapter ContinuesHow to Live in the World.51Discourse 5: The Second Chapter ConcludesThe Establishment of the Soul in Universality.63Discourse 6: The Third Chapter BeginsThe Relation Between Sankhya and Yoga.78Discourse 7: The Third Chapter ConcludesThe Knower of Reality.96Discourse 8: The Fourth Chapter BeginsThe Avataras of God.108Discourse 9: The Fourth Chapter ContinuesThe Performance of Action as a Sacrifice. 118Discourse 10: The Fourth Chapter ConcludesMethods of Worship and of Self-Control. 129Discourse 11: The Fifth Chapter BeginsKnowledge and Action are One. 143
Discourse 12: The Fifth Chapter ContinuesThe Characteristics of a Perfected Person. 150Discourse 13: The Fifth Chapter ConcludesThe Characteristics of the Sage Who isEstablished in Brahman. 160Discourse 14: The Sixth Chapter BeginsThe Characteristics of a Sannyasi and a Yogi. 171Discourse 15: The Sixth Chapter ContinuesRequirements for the Practice of Meditation. 185Discourse 16: The Sixth Chapter ContinuesMeditation on the Ishta Devata. 195Discourse 17: The Sixth Chapter ConcludesGod’s Great Promise to Us. 206Discourse 18: A Summary of the First Six Chapters. 217Discourse 19: The Seventh Chapter BeginsTranscending the Sankhya. 229Discourse 20: The Seventh Chapter ContinuesThe Glory of God and His Creation. 240Discourse 21: The Seventh Chapter ContinuesThe Gospel of Universal Religion. 252Discourse 22: The Seventh Chapter ConcludesWorshipping Deities. 264Discourse 23: The Eighth Chapter BeginsThe Different Facets of the Supreme Being. 279Discourse 24: The Eighth Chapter ContinuesThe Thought at the Time of Death. 288Discourse 25: The Eighth Chapter ContinuesTypes of Liberation. 300Discourse 26: The Eighth Chapter ConcludesThe Journey of the Soul After Death. 313
Discourse 27: The Ninth Chapter BeginsThe Kingly Knowledge and the Greatness of God. 321Discourse 28: The Ninth Chapter ConcludesUndivided Devotion to God. 336Discourse 29: A Summary of the First Nine Chapters. 349Discourse 30: The Tenth Chapter BeginsThe Glories of God. 356Discourse 31: The Tenth Chapter ConcludesGod’s Special Manifestations. 371Discourse 32: The Eleventh Chapter BeginsIntroduction to the Visvarupa Darshana. 386Discourse 33: The Eleventh Chapter ContinuesThe Visvarupa Darshana. 393Discourse 34: The Eleventh Chapter ContinuesThe Visvarupa Darshana Continues. 406Discourse 35: The Eleventh Chapter ConcludesWhole-souled Devotion to God. 419Discourse 36: The Twelfth Chapter BeginsThe Best of Yogins. 428Discourse 37: The Twelfth Chapter ConcludesThe Supreme Devotee of God. 437Discourse 38: The Thirteenth Chapter BeginsConsciousness and Matter. 444Discourse 39: The Thirteenth Chapter ContinuesThe Field and the Knower of the Field. 451Discourse 40: The Thirteenth Chapter ConcludesUnderstanding Purusha and Prakriti. 462Discourse 41: The Fourteenth ChapterRising Above the Three Gunas . 480
Discourse 42: The Fifteenth Chapter BeginsThe World as an Inverted Tree. 492Discourse 43: The Fifteenth Chapter ConcludesThe Greatest Secret Revealed. 506Discourse 44: The Sixteenth Chapter BeginsDivine and Undivine Qualities. 517Discourse 45: The Sixteenth Chapter ConcludesWhat is Proper and What is Improper in Our Life. 530Discourse 46: The Seventeenth Chapter BeginsThe Threefold Character of Faith. 537Discourse 47: The Seventeenth Chapter ConcludesThe Meaning of Om Tat Sat. 553Discourse 48: The Eighteenth Chapter BeginsRenunciation, and Types of Action. 559Discourse 49: The Eighteenth Chapter ContinuesTypes of Understanding, Determinationand Happiness. 573Discourse 50: The Eighteenth Chapter ContinuesKnowing One’s Duty. 584Discourse 51: The Eighteenth Chapter ConcludesThe Bhagavadgita Concludes. 598Appendix: Sri Krishna—The Guru of All Gurus. 610
Discourse 1THE COLOPHON OF THE BHAGAVADGITABrahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. Thesewords occur at the end of each chapter of the Bhagavadgita.Those who do not know Sanskrit might not have even noticedthis. Those who know Sanskrit just take it for granted andbypass it as something that needs to be recited at the end ofeach chapter, whatever the reason may be. But there is noredundant word in the Bhagavadgita. There is nothing that canbe bypassed or considered as introductory, just to be glossedover. Even if there is a well-known apostrophe—śrībhagavānuvāca—that also has a meaning by itself.What does the Bhagavadgita teach? It teaches threethings: brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. Itis repeatedly dinned into our ears what the Gita teaches. Thecommentaries on the Gita say that it teaches karma yoga, rajayoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, a synthesis of yoga, the art ofliving, and whatnot. But the Gita itself tells us what it teachesby a colophon, which is in three words only: brahmavidyāyāṁyogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde. Actually, these three wordsmean theory, practice, and realisation.There is theoretical physics, practical physics, and there isthe technological implementation of it. Theoretical physics isthe advanced conceptualisation of the fundamental structureof physical reality, in whatever form. Then, with this insightgained through a methodological, systematic study of theconstituents of matter, matter becomes more amenable and17
18COMMENTARY ON THE BHAGAVADGITAone can handle it more easily. An unknown object is fearsome.The more we know it and the more we become intimate withit, the easier it is for us to handle it for any given purpose.Brahma-vidya is the science of the Absolute—that systemof thinking which is enabled to comprehend within itself at anytime the total structure of things. To conceive the Absolute isto at once take into consideration, in our processes of thought,all things connected with the object of thought—not only theinner constituents of the object as such, but also the relationsthat the object bears to other objects. The reality of a particular thing is not only in itself; it is also in that which determinesit, restricts it, influences it, conditions it, defines it, and makesit what it is.Every individual is an entity by itself. But this ‘being anentity by itself ’ is not so simple a matter as it appears on thesurface. As human individuals, we appear to be totally isolatedpersons, and we stand by ourselves, unrelated to things outside.We can be in our own rooms, unnoticed and unconnected tothings. But, we are not unconnected to things. The physicalatmosphere, the social atmosphere, the political atmosphere,and the psychological atmosphere determine us. So even if weare alone in our rooms, we do not forget that our individuality is conditioned by the presence of these laws of society, ofgovernment, of physical nature, and of the thoughts of peoplein general. Hence, our individuality is only a chimera, andtotal individuality by itself is not a possibility.There is a relation of ‘A’ to ‘B’. If ‘A’ was not related to ‘B’, wewould not be conscious that ‘A’ is independent of ‘B’. If we sayan object is red in colour, it is not an independent perceptionof the redness of the object. It is, at the same time, a distinction that we draw between the redness and the other colourswhich are not red. If there was only redness everywhere, wewould not be able to perceive the redness of things. There is
The Colophon of the Bhagavadgita19a distinction in the characteristic of a particular object whichis red. That distinction lies in the fact that it is not what is notred. It is red, and it is not what is not red. The not-ness is anegative influence exerted on this object.We are human beings, and we are not animals. Our notbeing animals is a conditioning factor even if we are individual human beings. The existences that are outside us are notactually outside us. They influence us. What I mean finallyis that in the concept of this Total, or the Absolute, it is notenough if we just look at it as if it is clear to us. We have toprobe into the structural pattern of the object in its relationto atmospheric conditions outside also, which determines it inquality as well as in quantity, so that to think in an Absolutefashion would be to recognise the total structure of theuniverse even in an atom, and to see the whole governmentin a single official. We can summon the entire government,if necessary, though no official can be called the government.In a similar manner, any object can draw sustenance fromeverything in the universe.Brahma-vidya is the art and the science of educatingoneself in the manner of correctly perceiving the world assuch, including one’s own self, in the totality of relations, sothat no partial vision of things can be regarded as a passportto the concept of the Absolute. Mostly—or always, I maysay—our perceptions are partial. They are limited to certainconditions. It is a condition related to a marketplace, a railwaystation, a bus stand, an office, a factory or a house. These arethe things that limit our thoughts, but we do not rise above theapparent outwardness of these conditions and go inside to therelationship of these things to other things.This is a very difficult thing to maintain in the mind,because the human mind is sensorily restricted. It is externalised in its nature, and total perception is neither externalised
20COMMENTARY ON THE BHAGAVADGITAnor internalised. It is a blend of the external and the internal,so that we stand in the middle, between our perceiving capacity and the object that is perceived. In a total perception ofthings, we are not in ourselves; we have transcended ourselves.Nor are we in the object; we have transcended the object. Weare in the middle as the blend—a blending consciousnesswhich brings about a harmony between the seer and the seen,or between any two faces of reality. In all situations, there aretwo aspects: the cause, or the causative factor, and the effectupon which the cause seems to have an impact. It is very difficult for us to see the relation between cause and effect. Mostlywe see the cause as one thing and the effect as another.Brahma-vidya is an intricate subject. It is not just repeating some words of the Upanishads or the Brahma Sutras oreven the Gita. It is the entry of the consciousness into the veryimport of the teaching, which is suggested in many of theverses of the Bhagavadgita itself. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyatkiñcid asti (7.7); aham ātmā guḍākeśa sarvabhūtāśayasthitaḥ(10.20); paśya me pārtha rūpāṇi śataśo’tha sahastraśaḥ (11.5);divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ paśya me yogam aiśvaram (11.8);jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛtam aśnute, anādimat paraṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad ucyate (13.12); sarvataḥpāṇipādaṁ tat sarvato’kṣiśiromukham, sarvataḥśrutimalloke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati (13.13): The Total has eyes every-where, has feet everywhere, has hands everywhere, because itis neither a subject nor an object. In the total perception ofthings, we are not ourselves, nor are we other than what weare. We are something beyond both what we are and what isother than what we are. This is the final import, as it were, ofthe Brahma-vidya aspect of the Bhagavadgita.But, as I mentioned, theoretical physics has to lead toapplied physics. What is the use of merely knowing things?This knowledge has to be applied in practical life. In a similar
The Colophon of the Bhagavadgita21manner, this Brahma-vidya, which is the knowledge of theintegrality of things, has to be put into daily implementationin our teacups, in our fountain pens, in our angry gestures, inour prejudices, in our desires, in our attractions, in our repulsions. In every situation, this Brahma-vidya has to be there.We have to be total and whole persons always. We cannot bewhole only at some time, and a fraction at some other time.Will we be whole persons in our offices, and only a percentage in our houses? We are whole everywhere, but if we behavein different ways at different times, and convert ourselves intofractions of human personality, as it were, we are not living awholesome life. It is not a holistic approach to things.Brahma-vidya is to be applied in the Yoga Shastra, whichis the daily application of our consciousness, our mind, ourattitude, to anything in the world in terms of the lesson thatwe have learnt through Brahma-vidya. What is the purposeof this practice of yoga in terms of the wisdom that we gainthrough Brahma-vidya? It is kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda: the conversation of the soul with God. Kṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāda is the conversation of the soul with the Absolute. The soul speaks to theAbsolute. Arjuna’s envisaging the mighty Krishna is symbolicof the soul envisaging the Cosmic Being in its daily life.Who can encounter the Absolute? Who can talk withGod, unless we are flaming and blazing forth in the purity ofour spirit as God Himself is? Unless we have transcended thelimitations of flesh and bone and the limitations of the psychewhich are conditioned socially, politically, etc., unless we areable to lift our consciousness above these limitations, how willwe converse with God? Who can dare approach God, whenthere is no communicating medium between ourselves andGod? The wavelength of our individuality and the wavelengthof God are in such contrast that there is no mingling of thesetwo factors. The radio station of God is sending messages.
22COMMENTARY ON THE BHAGAVADGITAWe are unable to receive any message from God because ourreceiving sets here have a very feeble wavelength and, therefore, no message is received. The Yoga Shastra, or the practiceof yoga, is nothing but the tuning of the wavelength of ourreceiving sets to the wavelength of the message that comesfrom God’s broadcasting station.This is Yoga Shastra; and the purpose of this is to contactGod directly. There is no use of thinking God, praying to God,feeling God, and imagining that one day we will realise God.It is necessary to confront Him every day, if it is true thatHe is present in every atom, as they say. In every atom He isvibrating, as the sun is vibrating in the solar system. If that isthe case, He is to be contacted just now. God is a here and anow, and not an afterwards or a somewhere or a someone. Heis without these limitations of the concept of space and time.Contact with God is contact with timelessness, with eternity,with just-ness, now-ness and here-ness. Such is the importof the final teaching of the Bhagavadgita, where the soulcommunes with God in its realisation of the perfection thatit has to achieve finally through the Yoga Shastra. This is thepractice of the discipline necessary in this world in the lightof the knowledge of Brahma-vidya, which is the theoreticaleducation that we receive of how the world is made, finally.First we have to know, then we have to do, and then wehave to realise. A similar reference is made in the EleventhChapter of the Bhagavadgita. It is not enough if we merely seeand know, but we have to enter into it. It is necessary for usto enter into Go
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