Friday, June 12th, 2009
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The 18 Chapters of the Bhagavad-Gita:
- Arjuna requests Krishna to move his chariot between the two armies. When Arjuna sees his relatives on the opposing side, he loses courage and decides not to fight.
- After asking Krishna for help, Arjuna learns that only the body may be killed, while the eternal self is immortal. Arjuna is told that as a warrior, he has a duty to fulfill.
- Arjuna asks why he should engage in fighting if knowledge supersedes action. Krishna stresses to Arjuna that performing his duties for the greater good – without attachment – is the appropriate course of action.
- Krishna reveals that he has lived through many births, teaching yoga for the protection of the pious and the destruction of the impious and stresses the importance of having a guru.
- Arjuna asks Krishna if it is better to forgo action or to act. Krishna answers that both ways may have their benefits, but that acting in Karma Yoga is superior.
- Krishna describes the correct posture for meditation and the process to reach samadhi.
- Krishna teaches the path of knowledge – Jnana Yoga.
- Krishna defines the terms brahman1, adhyatma2, karma, atman, adhibhuta3 and adhidaiva4 and explains how one can remember him at the time of death.
- Krishna explains Panentheism.5
- Krishna describes how he is the ultimate source of all material and spiritual worlds; Arjuna accepts Krishna as the Supreme Being.
- On Arjuna’s request, Krishna displays His “universal form” (Visvarupa)6.
- Krishna describes the process of devotional service – Bhakti Yoga.
- Krishna describes nature (prakrti), the enjoyer (purusha) and consciousness.
- Krishna explains the three modes (gunas) of material nature.
- Krishna describes a symbolic tree7, its roots in the heavens and its foliage on earth. He explains that this tree should be felled with the “axe of detachment”.
- Krishna tells of the human traits of the divine and the demonic and counsels that to attain emancipation, one give up lust, anger and greed, discern between right and wrong.
- Krishna tells of three divisions of faith and the thoughts, deeds and even eating habits corresponding to the three gunas.
- Krishna asks Arjuna to abandon all forms of dharma and simply surrender unto him; the ultimate perfection of life.
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1 The unchanging transcendent reality
2 The study of the inner self
3 The principle of objective existence
4 The principle of subjective existence
5 God exists and is in every part of nature
6 The cosmic vision of Krishna
7 Represents material existence
Tags: The Bhagavad-Gita
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