The Bhagavad Gītā - The Song of the Divine

The Context

The Setting: A Battlefield

Where: The field of Kurukṣetra (literally “field of dharma”)
When: Just before the great war between the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas
Who: Arjuna (warrior prince) and Krishna (his charioteer and friend)

The scene: Two armies face each other. Arjuna asks Krishna to drive his chariot between the armies so he can see who he’ll be fighting. He looks out and sees teachers, friends, cousins, uncles—his own family on both sides.

Arjuna’s crisis:

न योत्स्य इति गोविन्दम्
Na yotsya iti govindam
”I will not fight,” he tells Krishna

Overcome with grief and confusion, Arjuna’s bow (Gāṇḍīva) slips from his hand. He sits down in his chariot, refusing to fight.

And thus begins the teaching…

The Structure

Eighteen Chapters

The Gītā is organized as:

Chapters 1-6: Karma Yoga (Path of Action)

Chapter 1: Arjuna’s Despair
Chapter 2: Sāṅkhya Yoga (Knowledge) and Karma Yoga
Chapter 3: Karma Yoga (Selfless Action)
Chapter 4: Jñāna-Karma-Sannyāsa Yoga (Knowledge and Renunciation)
Chapter 5: Karma-Sannyāsa Yoga (True Renunciation)
Chapter 6: Dhyāna Yoga (Meditation)

Chapters 7-12: Bhakti Yoga (Path of Devotion)

Chapter 7: Jñāna-Vijñāna Yoga (Knowledge and Wisdom)
Chapter 8: Akṣara-Brahma Yoga (The Imperishable Absolute)
Chapter 9: Rāja-Vidyā-Rāja-Guhya Yoga (Royal Knowledge)
Chapter 10: Vibhūti Yoga (Divine Manifestations)
Chapter 11: Viśvarūpa-Darśana Yoga (Vision of Universal Form)
Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga (Path of Devotion)

Chapters 13-18: Jñāna Yoga (Path of Knowledge)

Chapter 13: Kṣetra-Kṣetrajña-Vibhāga Yoga (Field and Knower)
Chapter 14: Guṇa-Traya-Vibhāga Yoga (Three Qualities)
Chapter 15: Puruṣottama Yoga (Supreme Person)
Chapter 16: Daivāsura-Sampad-Vibhāga Yoga (Divine and Demoniac)
Chapter 17: Śraddhā-Traya-Vibhāga Yoga (Three Types of Faith)
Chapter 18: Mokṣa-Sannyāsa Yoga (Liberation Through Renunciation)

Multiple Yogas, One Teaching

The beauty: The Gītā doesn’t present just one path. It integrates:

Karma Yoga - Action without attachment
Bhakti Yoga - Devotion and love
Jñāna Yoga - Knowledge and discrimination
Dhyāna Yoga - Meditation and contemplation

All woven together in a practical teaching for living in the world while realizing the transcendent.

Core Teachings

1. Dharma - Your Sacred Duty

Arjuna’s dilemma:

He doesn’t want to kill his relatives
But his dharma as a warrior is to fight for justice
What should he do?

Krishna’s teaching:

स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः
Sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
”Better to die in your own dharma than to follow another’s, which brings fear”

The principle:

Each person has their unique role (sva-dharma)
Based on nature (svabhāva) and circumstance
Better to fulfill your role imperfectly than another’s perfectly
Dharma is not about comfort—it’s about truth and duty

For Arjuna: His dharma as a kṣatriya (warrior) is to fight for righteousness. Avoiding battle would be abandoning his sacred duty.

Universal application: What is YOUR dharma? Your unique role in the world? Don’t compare with others. Find and fulfill your calling.

2. Karma Yoga - Action Without Attachment

The famous teaching:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन
Karmaṇy-evādhikāras-te mā phaleṣu kadācana
”You have right to action alone, never to its fruits” (2.47)

What it means:

Do your duty
Give your best effort
But let go of attachment to results
Offer actions to the Divine

Why it works:

Ego needs results to survive
Attachment to results creates suffering
Freedom in action itself, not outcome
Reduces anxiety and stress

Not passivity: This is NOT about not caring or being lazy. It’s about:

Full engagement in action
Excellence in performance
But inner freedom from outcome

The fruit:

योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्
Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
”Yoga is skill in action” (2.50)

When you act without attachment, you actually perform better—no anxiety, no second-guessing, just pure action.

3. The Eternal Self (Ātman)

The opening teaching (Chapter 2):

Bodies are temporary:

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि
Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro’parāṇi
”Just as a person casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters new ones” (2.22)

The Self is immortal:

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्
Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
”It is never born, nor does it die” (2.20)

Weapons cannot cut it, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it

The teaching:

You are not the body
You are the eternal Self (ātman)
Birth and death affect the body, not you
Realizing this brings fearlessness

For Arjuna: Krishna is addressing his fear of killing: You cannot actually kill anyone. You can only destroy bodies. The eternal Self cannot be killed.

For us: Recognizing our immortal nature brings:

Freedom from fear of death
Peace in life’s changes
Understanding of who we really are

4. The Three Guṇas

The three qualities of nature:

Sattva (सत्त्व) - Purity, Light, Harmony

Qualities: Peace, clarity, wisdom, joy
When dominant: Understanding, compassion, self-control
In food: Fresh, pure, life-giving
In action: Selfless, dharmic, wise

Rajas (रजस्) - Activity, Passion, Energy

Qualities: Desire, attachment, restlessness
When dominant: Ambition, greed, activity for personal gain
In food: Spicy, stimulating, exciting
In action: Motivated by results, ego-driven

Tamas (तमस्) - Darkness, Inertia, Ignorance

Qualities: Dullness, laziness, confusion, depression
When dominant: Negligence, delusion, sleep, inaction
In food: Stale, tasteless, impure
In action: Harmful, deluded, or avoided

The teaching:

All of prakṛti (nature) is made of these three
They’re always in flux
Cultivate sattva
Ultimately transcend all three

Going beyond:

गुणातीत (Guṇātīta) - Beyond the qualities

The enlightened person transcends even sattva. They are established in pure consciousness, untouched by any quality of nature.

5. Equanimity (Samatva)

The essence of yoga:

समत्वं योग उच्यते
Samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
”Equanimity is called yoga” (2.48)

What is equanimity?

Same in success and failure
Pleasure and pain
Praise and blame
Heat and cold

Not indifference: This is not about not caring. It’s about:

Deep peace underneath experiences
Not being tossed by circumstances
Responding appropriately without reactivity
Inner stability

How to develop:

Practice karma yoga (action without attachment)
Meditate on the Self (unchanging witness)
Cultivate sama (evenness of mind)
See Divine in all experiences

6. Bhakti - The Path of Love

Krishna reveals himself:

Chapter 9:

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु
Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
”Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, bow to Me” (9.34)

The promise:

Total devotion leads to union
Even the “worst sinner” can reach the highest
Bhakti is open to all
Grace supersedes qualification

Types of devotees (7.16):

Ārta - The distressed (come seeking relief)
Jijñāsu - The seeker of knowledge
Arthārthī - One seeking material gain
Jñānī - The wise one

All are precious, but the jñānī is dear to Krishna because they see no separation.

Chapter 11: The Universal Form: Krishna shows Arjuna his cosmic form (viśvarūpa):

Terrifying and beautiful
All worlds contained
Time itself devouring all
Beyond comprehension

Arjuna is overwhelmed, begs Krishna to return to friendly form. Krishna does, teaching that this universal form is hard even for gods to see, but through pure devotion, it can be known.

7. Knowledge and Ignorance

The field and the knower:

Chapter 13 distinguishes:

Kṣetra (क्षेत्र) - The field (body, mind, matter)
Kṣetrajña (क्षेत्रज्ञ) - The knower of the field (consciousness, Self)

The field includes:

Body, senses, mind, intellect
Elements, ego, impressions
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain

The knower:

Pure consciousness
Witness of the field
Unchanging
Your true nature

The wisdom: Knowing the difference between field and knower is liberating knowledge.

Avidyā (ignorance):

Mistaking the field for the knower
Identifying with body-mind
Thinking “I am this person”
Source of all suffering

Vidyā (knowledge):

Recognizing you are the knower, not the field
Pure awareness
Unborn, undying
Always free

8. Detachment and Renunciation

Two types:

Sannyāsa (संन्यास) - External renunciation

Giving up actions themselves
Renouncing the world physically
Path of the monk

Tyāga (त्याग) - Internal renunciation

Giving up attachment to fruits
Remaining in the world
Path of the householder

Krishna’s teaching:

त्याग better than sannyāsa

Why? Because:

You can’t actually give up action (body acts)
True renunciation is internal
Living in the world while free is higher
Easier for most people

The synthesis: Remain active in the world, fulfill your dharma, but with inner detachment. This is karma yoga. This is the Gītā’s essential teaching.

Practical Applications

For Daily Life

Morning:

Remember your dharma
Offer the day to Divine
Set intention for karma yoga

During work:

Full attention and effort
Excellence in performance
Let go of results
See work as worship

In relationships:

Act from duty and love
Don’t expect specific returns
Give without keeping accounts
See Divine in others

Facing challenges:

Remember equanimity teaching
This too shall pass
You are not the body experiencing this
Opportunity for growth

Evening:

Reflect on day
Release attachment to what happened
Gratitude for experiences
Offer results to Divine

For Spiritual Practice

The Gītā recommends:

Meditation

ध्यानात् पश्यति आत्मानम्
Dhyānāt paśyati ātmānam
”Through meditation, one sees the Self” (13.24)

Study

Read the Gītā regularly
Contemplate its teachings
Apply to your life
Make it living wisdom

Devotion

Cultivate love for the Divine
See Krishna/Divine in all
Surrender ego
Trust in grace

Service

Selfless action
Helping others
Fulfilling duty
World as temple

The Culmination

Chapter 18: The Final Teaching

After 17 chapters, Krishna’s ultimate teaching:

सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज
Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
”Abandoning all dharmas, take refuge in Me alone” (18.66)

What this means:

Superficially:

Give up everything
Just surrender to God
Nothing else needed

Deeply:

After understanding all teachings
After practicing all paths
Finally, even let go of practices
Rest in the Divine

Not for beginners: This teaching comes AFTER the entire Gītā. You must first understand dharma to transcend it, practice karma yoga to go beyond it, develop devotion before final surrender.

The promise:

मोक्षयिष्यामि (Mokṣayiṣyāmi)
“I will liberate you”

Complete trust. Total surrender. Ultimate freedom.

Why the Gītā Endures

Universal Relevance

The Gītā speaks to:

Warriors facing battle (literal and metaphorical)
Workers facing daily tasks
Seekers facing spiritual questions
Humans facing mortality

Its beauty:

Not abstract philosophy
Practical guidance for life
Addresses real dilemmas
Integrates multiple paths
Accessible to all

The Modern Context

Our battlefield:

Not Kurukṣetra but daily life
Not bows and arrows but decisions and actions
Same questions: What is my duty? How should I act? Who am I really?

The Gītā’s answer:

Know your Self (ātman)
Do your dharma (duty)
Act without attachment (karma yoga)
See Divine everywhere (bhakti)
Maintain equanimity (samatva)
Ultimately, surrender completely (śaraṇāgati)

Commentaries Through Ages

Major commentators:

Śaṅkarācārya (8th century) - Advaita interpretation (non-dual)
Rāmānuja (11th century) - Viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified non-dualism)
Madhva (13th century) - Dvaita (dualistic)
Modern: Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Sivananda, Eknath Easwaran

Each tradition finds its teaching in the Gītā—testament to its depth.

Living the Gītā

Not Just Reading

The Gītā must be:

Lived, not just studied
Applied, not just understood
Practiced, not just believed

Krishna’s final words to Arjuna:

यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु
Yathe-cchasi tathā kuru
”As you wish, so act” (18.63)

After all teaching, Krishna leaves choice to Arjuna. He must decide. He must act.

And Arjuna’s response:

करिष्ये वचनं तव
Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava
”I will do as you say” (18.73)

His delusion is destroyed. He will fight—not from anger or duty alone, but from understanding.

Contemplation

*On a battlefield,
Between two armies,
A teaching emerges—

Not escape from action,
But freedom within it.
Not renunciation of the world,
But transcendence through engagement.

You are the eternal,
Playing at being mortal.
You are the infinite,
Acting in the finite.

Your battlefield is here—
Not Kurukṣetra but now.
Your dharma is yours—
Not Arjuna’s but yours.

Act fully,
But don’t be bound.
Love completely,
But know your Self.

The chariot is your body,
The horses your senses,
The charioteer is Krishna—
Your own higher Self.

Where is this dialogue happening?
Not 5,000 years ago,
But right now,
In your own heart.

Listen.
The song of the Divine
Is singing in you,
Has always been singing.

Will you fight your battle?
Will you live your dharma?
Will you act without attachment?
Will you surrender completely?*

May the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā guide you in action, illuminate your understanding, and lead you to the recognition of your true nature. 📖🙏

ॐ तत्सत् (Om Tat Sat) - That which Is