Bhagavad Gita

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The Bhagavad Gita begins with a dilemma. In the first chapter, as two armies prepare for battle, Arjuna, a warrior of the Pandavas, moves to a position between his army and that of his enemies, the Kauravas. There he sees relatives and teachers on both sides. Overwhelmed at the thought of killing his kin, Arjuna drops his weapon and says he will not fight. The rest of the book is a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna, Arjuna’s dear friend, his chariot driver, and an incarnation of the supreme God, Vishnu.

Arjuna’s dilemma is clear: Killing his kin would be wrong, but so would failing in his duty to fight a righteous war. Thus, he is torn between the choice to act and not to act. His concern is with the sinfulness of shedding the blood of his relations. Will this not result in bad karma, leading away from the path of enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of rebirth? Krishna’s response, which takes up most of the book, explains reincarnation, karma as the cause of rebirth, and paths to liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Multiple beliefs and practices are discussed. Each leads to success, according to Krishna, but only renunciation or loss of the ego-self will yield the ultimate reward—release from the cycle of birth and death. Although the three main yogas he discusses, the yogas of knowledge (jnana yoga), action (karma yoga), and devotion (bhakti yoga), differ in method, each entails selflessness. Karma yoga is action dedicated to God and performed without attachment to results, jnana yoga is discriminative knowledge of and absorption in God through meditation and withdrawal from the world, and bhakti yoga is total devotion and surrender to God. Krishna also discusses the nature of God and God’s relation to the human self and the larger universe, and he says that all prayers go to him, no matter which god one worships.

The Yoga of Knowledge

Krishna begins his response to the question posed in the previous chapter. He admonishes Arjuna; as a member of the warrior caste, it is Arjuna’s duty to maintain order and protect the kingdom. The battle is between good and evil, with Arjuna on the side of good. Arjuna’s cousins, the Kauravas, have usurped the throne and created disarray and corruption in the kingdom. Since justice demands impartiality, Arjuna should fight; had nonrelations committed such evil deeds, Arjuna would not fail to fight.

Arjuna asks how to recognize one who is illumined. Krishna responds that the illumined are free from the things of desire. Having renounced cravings—such as fear, anger, and lust—they experience “bliss in the Atman,” the true self or soul within each person, which is also identified with Brahman. This bliss is happiness beyond worldly pleasure and pain, gained through experience of the Atman within.

Those who practice the yoga of knowledge withdraw from the world, renounce all worldly desires, and become absorbed in God through meditation. They control the senses and are unaffected by them. They fix their thoughts on Brahman, or God, as the impersonal absolute, and seek happiness only through him. Freedom from worldly desires leads one to remain calm, whether faced with fortune or adversity. But those who merely abstain from the things of desire are only running away. Even though they do not act on their desires, they are still tortured by them. The true yogi leaves desire behind. The true yogi knows that the self is Atman and that desire keeps one within the cycle of birth and death. Even one who knows this, however, can have difficulty; the senses are strong and easily delude people. It takes practice to control the senses and focus attention on God. Merely thinking about sense objects is a slippery slope leading away from the path of enlightenment. When one is confused, one loses the ability to discriminate, or to see the Atman within.

Lust and hatred together contain the whole of human sense attachment. Lust represents all that a person might desire and become attached to, while hatred represents all that one might be averse to. It is only by letting go of these feelings that one can find true peace and happiness. Desire and hatred make it impossible to concentrate on the Atman within. The Atman is the true self, and this is referred to as the light. The senses are illusory, and these are referred to as the dark. Because the senses delude us, we can see the truth only when the senses are put to rest. The Atman is the true light, but it is invisible to the ignorant, who think light comes from the senses. Thus light and dark are referred to as truth and illusion. Although all embodied beings have desires, desire flows through the enlightened without affecting them. Thus, they know peace and are free of ego and pride. This is the “state of enlightenment in Brahman.”

Karma Yoga

Arjuna says he is confused. While Krishna has said that renouncing the world leads to release from rebirth, he has also told Arjuna to continue his dutiful actions. Krishna responds, explaining the nature of karma and release from karma. Karma refers to the law of karma, which says that for every action there is a reaction. Thus, action attached to the physical self leads to reaction that keeps one within the physical world through reincarnation. When one dies, the soul is born again in a new body. Karma also simply means action, and karma yoga is the path of liberation through dedicated action. By dedicating one’s actions to God and renouncing the desire for results, one acts selflessly, without attachment.

But, Arjuna wonders, since actions bind us to reincarnation through the law of karma, is not renunciation of the world the only way to release? Krishna affirms both paths, saying the yoga of knowledge is for those of a contemplative nature and the yoga of action is for those of an active nature, like Arjuna. Besides, no one can be free of activity—that is the nature of life in the body. Even jnana yogis are not free of action; they practice mental activity.

The conditioned physical world consists of the three gunas—sattwa, rajas, and tamas. These dispose us toward certain traits or activities, such as knowledge (sattwa), action (rajas), or stupor (tamas). What binds us to the wheel of life and death is not action but attachment to the results of one’s acts. When doing work, for example, if one seeks status and power, one will fear failure and desire success. Such attachment to the results of acts binds people to the cycle of birth and death. Even if one refrains from all actions but continues to think about the things of desire, one remains bound. Krishna says that Arjuna should continue in his duties but without attachment to results and that he should dedicate all his actions to God. One who does this engages in the yoga of action. The world is conditioned by action and reaction—thus imprisoned within its activity. But actions performed as sacrifices to God do not keep one imprisoned.

Krishna explains that each person is given duties by the Lord of Creation, and such duties involve sacrifice, by which humans flourish. These gods have power and live a very long time, but they too eventually die and are reborn. Those who perform their assigned duties of ritual sacrifice to the devas and who pray to the devas have their prayers answered by the devas. Giving thanks to the devas for what they give is also a duty. The devas are gods of heavenly realms that are also part of the conditioned world. Brahman ordained that people should perform these acts of sacrifice and thanks; one who fails to do so sins. These rites are revealed in the scriptures (the Vedas). But the yogi who knows bliss in the Atman is no longer bound to perform any action or ritual because he or she does not desire anything that can be attained through these acts. Instead, the yogi offers sacrifice of a different kind, which leads to a different reward.

Krishna says Arjuna should continue in his duties but without attachment to the results. Rather than concern for results, he should perform duties out of concern for others. By continuing in his duties even though he desires nothing that will result from this, Arjuna will set a proper example to others who are less enlightened. Krishna then uses himself as an example: As God, Krishna already possesses everything, yet he continues to work because whatever he does, others will follow. If he did not work, those who look to his example would fail to perform their duties, society would become disordered, and the world would be destroyed.

Krishna compares the ignorant and the wise. The former work for results while the latter work as an example to others. He says the wise should lead by example, showing the ignorant that work dedicated to God is holy. People are not the doers of actions, although egoism leads them to think they are. Actions consist of senses attaching themselves to objects. If Arjuna were to take his weapon and fight, this would not mean that he, Arjuna, acted. Instead, it would mean that gunas attached to other gunas. The true self is the Atman, which is eternal, unchanging, and unmoved; it does not act nor is it acted upon. The actor is the physical self.

Knowledge of this is obscured, and humans are deluded into thinking they are mind and matter rather than the Atman. This delusion makes them subject to the gunas. Since they identify themselves with the physical (and mental) self, they bind themselves to it. The wise know that acts are performed by the gunas and do not become attached to the results of these acts. Krishna tells Arjuna to go ahead and fight but to dedicate all actions to God. He also tells Arjuna to renounce the ego, focus on the Atman, and be detached from the results. This is the nature of right action, which leads to union with God rather than to worldly rewards. This teaching, if followed with complete faith, will lead to release from the bondage of karma.

Renunciation through Knowledge

Krishna names sages who lived thousands of years ago and says he taught this yoga to them. (Note that “Foe-consumer” refers to Arjuna.) This confuses Arjuna, who sees Krishna as a young man like himself. Arjuna knows Krishna is God incarnate, but he sometimes forgets, since this knowledge weighs heavily on him. Krishna replies that all are born and reborn over and over. Owing to the power of Prakriti, mortals do not remember their past lives. Prakriti is the power that brings the physical world into being and is the cause of illusion. (Note that Maya and Prakriti are interchangeable terms.) Since Krishna is not mortal but God incarnate, he is not subject to this illusion; he therefore remembers his past lives.

Krishna is one of many avatars of Vishnu, the god of preservation. He comes into the world to reestablish order whenever disorder increases. Knowledge of this truth ensures freedom from rebirth, and upon death the knower is united with God. One who takes refuge in Krishna gains freedom from desire, fear, and anger and is cleansed of sin. (Note that karma, which binds one to rebirth, is often referred to as sin or impurity.) Those who worship Krishna will have their wishes granted; whatever path they choose in seeking God, they will find him. Those who seek material success will attain it.

The four castes are Brahmins (scholars, priests), Kshatriyas (warriors, kings), Vaishyas (merchants, farmers), and Shudras (servants). These castes are said to correspond to the gunas as well. Although God authored this system, he is beyond it; God has no desires and so is not bound by the gunas, nor do any of his actions result in karmic reaction. Action without karmic reaction can also be engaged in by those who seek liberation if they act without desire for results.

Knowledge of action and inaction liberates one from attachment and the karma that results from it. Acting with desire creates karmic reaction, binding one to the gunas and to reincarnation. But one who is without desire is free of the binding effects of his or her acts. Free of the ego sense of “I” and “mine,” such a person’s acts do not result in karmic reaction. Desiring nothing, the person feels neither happiness when things are pleasant nor sorrow when there is loss but is simply contented with whatever comes. Such a person will be freed from all past karma and from future karma as well, as every action is made as a sacrifice to Brahman. When actions are dedicated to Brahman, Brahman is in the ritual, the offering, the one who offers, and the one who receives the offering; that is, Brahman is in all. Those who worship the devas in search of worldly rewards find what they seek, but those who renounce the self and make sacrifice to Brahman will find him.

Krishna lists many of the ways of renunciation, calling each a sacrifice. Each of these ways leads to union with Brahman/God. Each is a form of sacrificial worship that frees one from karma and rebirth. The scriptures prescribe all of these ways and more, and each involves action. Unlike ritual sacrifice of material offerings (to the devas), which leads only to material rewards, worship of Brahman with internal sacrifices leads to spiritual rewards.

The author supports the tradition of subordinating oneself to a guru for spiritual instruction. The enlightened see the whole world within the Atman and within God. This knowledge alone is enough to cleanse one of all past karma, even the worst. Devotion to God and mastery of the senses lead to enlightenment and knowledge of Brahman and union with God. This knowledge comes to those who master the senses through yoga practice. One who acts selflessly and knows Brahman through experience in the Atman is not bound by karma.

Krishna says Arjuna still has doubts and that delusion is the cause. He tells Arjuna to use his faculty of discrimination to destroy his doubts. Discrimination is a faculty of the higher intellect through which one can recognize that there is no “I” or “mine,” only the Atman.

The Yoga of Renunciation

Arjuna asks for a definite answer as to whether acting or renouncing action is better. Krishna replies that both are better than abstaining from action. One who renounces desire and aversion is on the path to true knowledge. Those who say jnana yoga and karma yoga differ are ignorant, for both lead to the same end, freedom from rebirth. The jnana yogi must also act rightly. Right action is action dedicated to God. The jnana yogi finds Brahman quickly when he or she is purified by the yoga of action.

Awake to the Atman, the yogi knows that he or she is one with all creatures; all share the same soul, and all exist within Brahman. One who is enlightened does not identify the self with the senses and therefore knows that he or she is not the doer of any act. The body senses and moves, eats, breathes, and excretes. But the true “I” is not the body; it is the Atman. Desiring nothing, the yogi offers all acts as a sacrifice to Brahman, and hence no karma results. The karma yogi knows the self that acts is simply an instrument. Knowing this, his actions do not create reactions, and his past karma eventually wears off (“his heart grows pure”). One who is joined with Brahman through knowledge of true Reality, who renounces desire for results, and who performs his own duties is free of karmic reaction. He finds peace. But those who desire results are slaves to action and reaction.

Discrimination is that higher faculty that enables one to recognize the Atman. The city of nine gates is the body (two eyes, two ears, and so forth). One who is enlightened is happy knowing that his or her Atman is unaffected by action and that he or she does nothing to affect the karma of others. The ignorant dream that they are the body and that they are the doers. This illusion is created by Maya; God does not create this illusion. God is perfect, God is everywhere. God has no desire one way or the other. We dream this illusion because darkness deludes us.

Atman is Brahman. Knowledge of Atman drives out the darkness, and the true self, Brahman, is revealed. To know and dwell with God/Brahman always is the true aim of the enlightened. Find God in your heart, dwell with God always, and you become free of sin from past deeds and thoughts. You will not be reborn.The enlightened see everything the same—all dwell in Brahman, and Atman is within all. Note that Brahmin refers to persons of the priestly class and not to God/Brahman.

Brahman never changes and is forever untouched by karma. Constant devotion to Brahman leads one beyond the limitations of physical life even while living in the body. Those who dwell in Brahman are unaffected by things pleasant or unpleasant. They are affected only by Brahman; their reward is happiness forever. Sensual pleasures result only in sorrow. Such pleasures are transient. The person who masters every impulse that derives from desire or anger will know Brahman and be happy, even while residing in the body. One whose only happiness derives from bliss in the Atman will unite with Brahman and finally know ultimate and eternal bliss after death. Such a person has complete faith and total mastery of the senses, acts only for the benefit of others, and desires nothing. Imperfections and past sins are washed away. Nirvana is to be found in this life and after death by those self-controlled, free of desire, and with knowledge of the Atman. The yogi who withdraws from the senses; sets aside desire, fear, and anger; and focuses on the Atman through meditation practice will find eternal freedom.

Here, Krishna identifies himself with Brahman, saying one who finds Brahman through concentration on Atman finds him. Krishna also says he is the “author of every offering and all austerity.” Thus, Krishna identifies himself with each devotee as well. Note that “son of Kunti” is a reference to Arjuna, whose mother was Kunti.

The Yoga of Devotion

In the chapter before “The Yoga of Devotion,” Krishna has revealed himself fully to Arjuna. This is an extraordinary passage, in which Arjuna experiences a theophany, or vision of God. The vision is so magnificent and terrifying that Arjuna asks Krishna to retake the comfortable human form he previously knew. “The Yoga of Devotion” follows the theophany with Krishna’s discourse on the third path to liberation, the yoga of devotion to God. Arjuna asks whether worshiping Krishna as a personal god versus worshiping Brahman as the impersonal absolute leads to greater understanding of yoga. Krishna says it is the former.

Devotees of the impersonal absolute will also unite with God, he says, but this is the harder task for embodied souls to attain. Those who offer selfless devotion to Krishna, offering every action as a sacrifice to him, take the easier and faster path to union with God. Krishna says he will save those who love him from repeated births and deaths. Krishna tells Arjuna to put his thoughts steadily on him, and, if Arjuna cannot do this, to seek God in meditation. If he cannot do this, he should surrender the self completely to God.

Concentration on God with wisdom is better than mechanical ritual or prayer, but devoting oneself to worship of God day and night is even better. Better still is renouncing the self by surrendering to God; it brings instant peace. Renunciation, then, is the quickest means to union with God. Krishna names the ways to endear oneself to him, such as not hating any living being; being a compassionate, forgiving friend to all; letting go of belief in “I” and “mine”; and so forth. He says the true wisdom of these words will lead to freedom from the cycle of life and death.