Jai: Grandma, I havea hard time understanding the teachingsof the Bhagavad-Gita. Would you helpme?Grandma:Of course, Jai, I will be gladto. You should know that this holy bookteaches us how to live happily in theworld. It is an ancient holy book ofHindu Dharma (also known as SanatanaDharma or Hinduism), but it can be understoodand followed by people of any faith.The Bhagavad-Gita has eighteen (18) chaptersand a total of only 700 verses. Anyonecan be helped by daily practice of onlya few of its teachings.The word ‘Bhagavad’means God or The Supreme Lord, Bhagavanin Sanskrit. ‘Gita’ meanssong. Thus The Bhagavad-Gitameans the Song of God or the SacredSong, because it was sung by BhagavanShri Krishna himself.Here is the introductionto the Gita:In ancient times there wasa king who had two sons, Dhritarashtraand Pandu.

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The former was born blind;therefore, Pandu inherited the kingdom.Pandu had five sons. They were calledthe Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra had onehundred sons. They were called the Kauravas.Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravas.After the death of king Pandu, hiseldest son, Yudhisthira, became thelawful King. Duryodhana was very jealous.He also wanted the kingdom. The kingdomwas divided into two halves betweenthe Pandavas and the Kauravas. Duryodhanawas not satisfied with his share.

The Bhagavad-Gita,' of which a translation is here given, occurs as an episode in the Mahabharata, and is regarded as one of the gems of Hindu literature. The poem is a dialogue between Prince Arjuna, the brother of King Yudhisthira, and Vishnu, the Supreme God, incarnated as Krishna, and wearing the disguise of a charioteer. The conversation takes place in a war-chariot, stationed between the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas, who are about to engage in battle. The Bhagavad Gita is the word of God. The Bhagavad Gita is an episode in the epic Mahabharata written by Sage Vyasa more than 5000 years ago. It is the divine conversation between Arjuna and God. There is no shortcut to this process as Bhagavad Gita is itself a short cut given by the Lord. It is the essence of all Vedas and the Lord has mercifully given that so that one need not go through the brain-breaking Upanishads and Vedic mantras to understand the truth.”.

Hewanted the entire kingdom for himself.He tried several evil plots to killthe Pandavas and take away their kingdom.Somehow he took over the entire kingdomof the Pandavas and refused to giveit back without a war. All peace talksby Lord Krishna and others failed, sothe big war of Mahabharata could notbe avoided.The Pandavas didn’t want tofight, but they had only two choices:fight for their right because it wastheir duty or run away from war andaccept defeat for the sake of peaceand nonviolence. Arjuna, oneof the five Pandava brothers, facedthis choice in the battlefield.He had to choose between fighting thewar and killing his most revered guru,who was on the other side; his verydear friends, close relatives, and manyinnocent warriors; or running away fromthe battlefield to be peaceful and nonviolent.The entire eighteen chapters of theGita are the talk between confused Arjunaand his best friend, mentor and cousin,Lord Krishna - an incarnation of God- on the battlefield of Kurukshetranear New Delhi, India, about 5,100 yearsago. This conversation was reportedto the blind king, Dhritarashtra, byhis charioteer, Sanjay.

It is recordedin the great epic, Mahabharata.All lives, human or nonhuman, aresacred, and nonviolence or Ahimsa isone of the most basic principles ofHinduism. So when Lord Krishna advisesArjuna to get up and fight, this mayconfuse you about the principle of Ahimsaif you don’t keep in mind thebackground of the war of Mahabharata.This spiritual talk betweenthe Supreme Lord, Krishna, and His devotee-friend,Arjuna, occurs not in a temple, a lonelyforest, or on a mountain top, but ona battlefield on the eve of a war.Jai: This is an interestingstory, Grandma. Can you tell me more?Grandma: If you come to whereI sit every evening, Jai, I will tellyou the whole story, one chapter eachday.

Just make sure your homework isdone and you have time to listen. Ifyou agree, let’s start tomorrow.Jai: Thank you, Grandma.I’ll be there to hear more.

The Gita is a doctrine of universal truth. Its message is uni­ver­sal, sublime, and non-sectarian although it is a part of the scrip­tural trinity of Sanaatana Dharma, commonly known as Hinduism. The Gita is very easy to understand in any language for a mature mind. A repeated reading with faith will reveal all the sublime ideas con­tained in it. A few abstruse statements are interspersed here and there but they have no direct bearing on practical issues or the central theme of Gita.

The Gita deals with the most sacred metaphysi­cal science. It imparts the knowledge of the Self and answers two universal questions: Who am I, and how can I lead a happy and peaceful life in this world of dualities. It is a book of yoga, the moral and spiri­tual growth, for mankind based on the cardinal principles of the Hindu religion.The message of the Gita came to humanity because of Arjuna’s unwill­ingness to do his duty as a warrior because fighting in­volved destr­uction and killing. Nonviolence or Ahimsa is one of the most fundamen­tal tenets of Hinduism.

All lives, human or non-human, are sacred. This immortal discourse between the Supreme Lord, Krishna, and His devotee-friend, Arjuna, occurs not in a temple, a secluded forest, or on a mountain top but on a battlefield on the eve of a war and is recorded in the great epic, Mahaabhaarata. In the Gita Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to get up and fight. This may create a misunderstanding of the prin­ciples of Ahimsa if the background of the war of Mahaabhaarata is not kept in mind. Therefore, a brief historical description is in order.In ancient times there was a king who had two sons, Dhritaraashtra and Paandu. The former was born blind, therefore, Paandu in­herited the kingdom. Paandu had five sons.

They were called the Paandavs. Movie triva people removed today. Dhritaraashtra had one hundred sons. They were called the Kauravs. Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravs.After the death of king Paandu, the eldest son of Paandu became the lawful King. Duryodhana was a very jealous person. He also wanted the king­dom.

The kingdom was divided into two halves between the Paandavs and the Kauravs. Duryodhana was not satisfied with his share of the king­dom. He wanted the entire kingdom for himself. He unsuccessfully planned several foul plots to kill the Paandavs and take away their kingdom. He unlawfully took possession of the entire kingdom of the Paandavs and refused to give back even an acre of land without a war. All mediation by Lord Krishna and others failed. The big war of Mahaabhaarata was thus in­evitable.

The Paandavs were unwilling par­ticipants. They had only two choices: Fight for their right as a matter of duty or run away from war and accept defeat in the name of peace and nonviolence.

Arjuna, one of the five Paandava brothers, faced the dilemma in the battlefield whether to fight, or run away from war for the sake of peace.Arjuna’s dilemma is, in reality, the universal dilemma. Every human being faces dilemmas, big and small, in their everyday life when performing their duties. Arjuna’s dilemma was a big one.

He had to make a choice between fighting the war and killing his most revered guru who was on the other side, very dear friends, close relatives, and many innocent warriors; or run­ning away from the battlefield for the sake of preser­ving the peace and nonviolence. The entire seven hundred verses of the Gita is a discourse between Lord Krishna and the confused Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra near New Delhi, India, in about 3,100 years BCE. This discourse was narrated to the blind king, Dhritaraashtr, by his charioteer, Sanjaya, as an eyewitness war report.The main objective of the Gita is to help people ¾ struggling in the darkness of ignorance ¾ cross the ocean of transmigration and reach the spiritual shore of liberation while living and working in the society. The central teaching of the Gita is the attainment of free­dom or happiness from the bondage of life by doing one’s duty. Always remember the glory and greatness of the creator and do your duty effi­ciently without being attached to or affected by the results even if that duty may at times demand unavoidable violence. Some people neglect or give up their duty in life for the sake of a spiritual life while others excuse them­selves from spiritual practices because they believe that they have no time. The Lord’s message is to sanctify the entire living process itself.

Whatever a person does or thinks ought to be done for the glory and satisfaction of the Maker. No effort or cost is necessary for this process. Do your duty as a service to the Lord and humanity, and see God alone in everything in a spiritual frame of mind. In order to gain such a spiritual frame of mind, per­sonal discipline, austerity, penance, good conduct, selfless service, yogic practices, medita­tion, worship, prayer, rituals, and study of scriptures, as well as the company of holy persons, pilgrimage, chanting of the holy names of God, and Self-inquiry are needed to purify the body, mind, and intellect. One must learn to give up lust, anger, greed, and establish mastery over the mind and five senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell) by the purified in­tellect.

One should always remember that all works are done by the energy of nature and that he or she is not the doer but only an instrument. One must strive for excellence in all undertakings but maintain equanimity in success and failure, gain and loss, and pain and pleasure.The ignorance of metaphysical knowledge is humanity’s greatest predicament. A scripture, being the voice of transcendence, cannot be translated. Language is incapable and translations are defective to clearly impart the knowledge of the Absolute.

In this rendering, an attempt has been made to keep the style as close as possible to the original Sanskrit poetry and yet make it easy to read and understand. An attempt has been made to improve the clarity by adding words or phrases, within parenthesis, in the English translation of the verses. A glossary and index have been included.

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One hundred and thirty-three (133) key verses are printed in pink for the convenience of beginners. We suggest all our readers to ponder, contemplate, and act upon these verses. The beginners and the busy executives should first read and understand the meaning of these key verses before delving deep into the bottomless ocean of transcen­dental knowledge of the Gita.According to the scriptures, no sin, however heinous, can affect one who reads, ponders, and practices the teachings of Gita any more than water affects the lotus leaf. The Lord Himself resides where Gita is kept, read, chanted, or taught.

The Gita is the knowledge Supreme and the sound embodiment of the Absolute and the Eternal. One who reads, ponders, and practices the teachings of Gita with faith and devotion will attain Moksha (or Nirvana) by the grace of God.This book is dedicated to all the gurus whose blessings, grace, and teachings have been invaluable. It is offered to the greatest Guru, Lord Krishna, with love and devotion. May the Lord accept it, and bless those who repeatedly read this with peace, happiness, and the true knowledge of the Self.AIMS AND OBJECTIVESofThe International Gita Societywww.gita-society.comThe International Gita Society (IGS) is a registered, non-profit, tax-exempt, spiritual institution in the United States of America under Section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code. It was founded in 1984 to enlighten and serve the humanity through the medium of the Bhagavad-Gita.