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Questions tagged [bhagavad-gita]

Srimad Bhagavad Gita or Gitopanishad is considered to be the essence of all Upanishads instructed to Arjuna by Shri Krishna on the battle field of Kurukshetra during the Mahabharata war.

The narration is present in the Bhishma Parva of the epic written by Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa famously known as or veda-vyasa. It is accepted as a smriti and scholars use it as smriti praman while deriving philosophical conclusions. The Bhagavad Gita is the most popular sacred text in Hinduism and has the same status in Hinduism as Bible has in Christianity.

The most essential of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita is that we are all eternal spirit souls and not this body, and there is a transcendental spiritual sky where we all belong and not this material world. It delineates the path of karma-yoga, bhakti-yoga and jnana-yoga.

The Bhagavad Gita as a stand alone text comprises of eighteen chapters with 700 verses dealing with five essential topics and their relationship with each other -

  1. īśvara (controllers and supremen-controller)
  2. jīva (the tiny spirit soul or living entity)
  3. prakṛti (material nature)
  4. kāla (eternal time)
  5. karma (actions of living entity)

In only 700 verses it sheds light on almost all the important aspects of spiritualism. Hence, it is the most concise and definitive source of spiritual knowledge for a common man.

The popularity and the usefulness of Bhagava-gita can be seen by the sheer number of commentaries ancient and present written on it by the acharyas of different vedic school of thought. Some of them are given below:

  1. Advaita Bhashya by Sri , The most famous commentary on Bhagavad Gita
  2. 11 different commentaries with sanskrit text, which includes:
    1. Adi Shankaracharya's Gita Bhashya
    2. Anandagiri's Subcommentary on Adi-Shankaracharya's Bhashya
    3. Sri Ramanujacharya's Vishishtadvaita Bhashya
    4. Sri Vedanta Deshika's Tatparya Chandrika
    5. Madhvacharya's Dvaita Bhashya
    6. Sri Jayatirtha's Prameya Dipika
    7. Sri Hanumat Acharya's Paishach Bhashya
    8. Sri Venkatanatha's BrahmanandaGiri Bhashya
    9. Sri Vallabhacharya's Tattva-Dipika
    10. Sri Purushottama's Ananda-Tarangini
    11. Sri Nilakantha's Bhava-deepa
  3. Vishishtadvaita bhashya of Sri Ramanujacharya, translation
  4. Bhagavad Gita As It Is, translation & commentary with word-for-word and sanskrit text
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How do I know what is the right kind of work for me?

I'm reading the Bhagavad Gita. As far as I understand, in chapter 3, the importance of right action / good work is highlighted. Krishna says something along the lines of, whatever great people do, others will follow them, so, one ought to work in…
Zanna
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Does Lord Krishna approve propagation of the Gita worldwide?

In the Gita, Sri Krishna orders Arjuna : 18.67 This (Gita) you should NEVER teach to one who is devoid of austerities, NOR to one who is not a devotee. Also, NEITHER to one who does not render service to Me, NOR to one who has any dislike for…
user17294
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Why is the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita secret and confidential?

The first and second verses in chapter 9 are as follows: First verse chapter nine: The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of…
Ketan
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Understanding Bhagavad Gita 2.46, 2.47

Bhagwad Gita in Chapter-2 Verse-46,47 says ... You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, But you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to…
Atinesh
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Is Bhagavad Gita misogynist from the interpretation of A. C. Bhaktivedanta's Version 'As it is'?

I found some misogynist interpretations of Bhagavad Gita in the commentary section from A. C. Bhakti' Prabhupada. Observation 1 For example, in Verse 1:40 he writes, "Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. As…
banikr
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Is it necessary to follow all the instructions from Gita?

In bhagvad Gita, God has given so many instructions, is it necessary for one to follow each and every one of them? Or just follow only a few of them?
Kartik
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How many prominent and most accepted commentaries are there on the Bhagavad-Gita?

How many prominent and most accepted commentaries on the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita are there? Which sects or schools of thought are those? Please mention the Vedantic and non-Vedantic schools of thought as well.
D. Chatterjee
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Does the gita say that the individual essence of who we are is eternal or that only the universal aspect of the self never dies?

What does Lord Krishna mean when He says in Bhagavad Gita 2.12 that never was there a time when He did not exist, neither Arjuna nor the assembled Kings? Does it mean that Krishna and we all are eternal individuals? Obviously it doesn't mean that…
Puppet master
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Is it necessary to read the Mahatmya in Bhagavad-Gita?

I read the Bhagavad-Gita every day. There are stories at the beginning of each chapter named "Mahatmya" from the book I have. I skip the story before any chapter of Bhagavad-Gita. My question is that is it necessary to read those stories related to…
Ravindra Kushwaha
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What is the meaning and interpretation of Bhagavad Gita 4.11?

One English translation of this verse (by Swami Adidevananda) is as follows Whoever resort to me in any manner, in the same manner do I favour them; men experience Me alone in different ways, O Arjuna. Another translation (by Swami Sivananda) goes…
user15740
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Can I write or highlight verses from scriptures?

I just started to read the Gita and I was wondering if I could write or highlight important verses,slokhas and more in it. Can anyone help me please ? Thanks.
Rashika
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What about the different interpretations of Bhagavad Gita?

I came to know that there are around 1500+ interpretations of Bhagavad Gita. Each one is different from the other. Is it important to read each and every interpretation of Bhagavad Gita? And why it is important for many of us to interpret any…
jitin
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Dyana Yog Vs Karma/Bhakti Yog

Upanishads tell us that knowledge alone leads to Mukti. Not true, says Gita...Karma and Bhakti are also valid. If Upanishads are Shruti, and Gita is Smruti, and, if Shruti trumps Smruti, should we ignore this Gita teaching? As Shankaracharya did,…
Ajit Damle
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What happens to the soul that attained liberation? Is it ever reborn again?

For example, let us assume a soul that attained liberation at the end of 99 Brahma Years. Now, what happens to soul at the end of a Brahma day? What happens to that soul at the end of 100 years of Brahma which is Mahapralaya? If the answer is that…
poirot herculr
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What is the most confidential knowledge in Bhagavad-Gita spoken in BG 18.64?

BG 18.62 reads as tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. Bg 18.63 iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more…
Krishna Varna
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