Commentary on the Bhagavadgita - Swami Krishnananda

1 PR E FAC EOm Namo Bhagavate VasudevayaGlory to Lord Krishna, the World Teacher, who gave the immortal teachings of the bhagavad Gita to Arjuna in the middle of a bhagavad Gita is a universal gospel which has been translated into many modern languages. It is a Song Celestial in seven hundred verses. Numerous commentaries have been written on this book, which are studied all over the world. The teachings are practical. They can be applied in all circum-stances in one s is held in high esteem the world over due to the bhagavad Gita.

2 Mahatma Gandhi once asked the librarian in one of the biggest libraries in London: What spiritual book do you most often issue? The librarian replied, The Gita. Mahatma Gandhi himself said, I lost my mother when I was young, but the Gita has been a mother to me. In all moments of sorrow and dejection, whenever I opened the Gita and read one or two verses here or there, it consoled me. Worshipful Sri Swami Krishnanandaji, who was a leading disciple of His Holiness Gurudev Swami Sivanandaji, served Gurudev s institution as General Secretary for almost forty years.

3 Originally he gave a series of talks on the Gita in the early seventies, some of which I had the privilege of attending. Then in 1989, at the request of many devotees from both the East and West, Pujya Swamiji gave the 51 discourses included in this Krishnanandaji Maharaj expounded this Great Book in a very easy way that even a layman can understand. In his discourses he gave numerous interesting incidents and brief stories which created great interest among the listeners. This wonderful book throws a flood of light on the subject and illumines our path.

4 When the path is illumined you can walk steadily towards the goal. Therefore, study these discourses regularly and make your life is my sincere hope that this book has a wide circulation and that a large number of people will read these discourses of Pujya Swami Krishnanandaji and derive immense the choicest blessings of Lord Krishna ever be upon Vimalananda President,The Divine Life Society Krishna JanmashtamiAugust 17, 2014 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSAnu Gita .. AnuBilvashtaka Stotra.

5 BilvaBrahma Sutra .. Vaivarta Purana .. Upanishad .. Upanishad .. IsaKatha Upanishad .. KathaMahabharata .. Upanishad .. Upanishad .. s Yoga Sutras .. Sukta .. SiksaSri Caitanya Caritamrta .. Bhagavata .. Upanishad.

6 Vasishtha .. otherwise specified, all the verses quoted in this book are from the OF 7 List of 1: The Colophon of the 17 Discourse 2: The First Chapter Visada Yoga, the Yoga of the Dejection of the 3: The Second Chapter Begins Sankhya 4: The Second Chapter Continues How to Live in the 5: The Second Chapter Concludes The Establishment of the Soul in 6: The Third Chapter Begins The Relation Between Sankhya and 7: The Third Chapter Concludes The Knower of 8.

7 The Fourth Chapter Begins The Avataras of 9: The Fourth Chapter Continues The Performance of Action as a Sacrifice ..118 Discourse 10: The Fourth Chapter Concludes Methods of Worship and of Self-Control ..129 Discourse 11: The Fifth Chapter Begins Knowledge and Action are One ..143 Discourse 12: The Fifth Chapter Continues The Characteristics of a Perfected Person ..150 Discourse 13: The Fifth Chapter Concludes The Characteristics of the Sage Who is Established in Brahman ..160 Discourse 14: The Sixth Chapter Begins The Characteristics of a Sannyasi and a Yogi.

8 171 Discourse 15: The Sixth Chapter Continues Requirements for the Practice of Meditation ..185 Discourse 16: The Sixth Chapter Continues Meditation on the Ishta Devata ..195 Discourse 17: The Sixth Chapter Concludes God s Great Promise to Us ..206 Discourse 18: A Summary of the First Six Chapters ..217 Discourse 19: The Seventh Chapter Begins Transcending the Sankhya ..229 Discourse 20: The Seventh Chapter Continues The Glory of God and His Creation ..240 Discourse 21: The Seventh Chapter Continues The Gospel of Universal Religion ..252 Discourse 22: The Seventh Chapter Concludes Worshipping Deities.

9 264 Discourse 23: The Eighth Chapter Begins The Different Facets of the Supreme Being ..279 Discourse 24: The Eighth Chapter Continues The Thought at the Time of 25: The Eighth Chapter Continues Types of Liberation ..300 Discourse 26: The Eighth Chapter Concludes The Journey of the Soul After Death ..313 Discourse 27: The Ninth Chapter Begins The Kingly Knowledge and the Greatness of God ..321 Discourse 28: The Ninth Chapter Concludes Undivided Devotion to God ..336 Discourse 29: A Summary of the First Nine Chapters ..349 Discourse 30: The Tenth Chapter Begins The Glories of God.

10 356 Discourse 31: The Tenth Chapter Concludes God s Special Manifestations ..371 Discourse 32: The Eleventh Chapter Begins Introduction to the Visvarupa Darshana ..386 Discourse 33: The Eleventh Chapter Continues The Visvarupa Darshana ..393 Discourse 34: The Eleventh Chapter Continues The Visvarupa Darshana Continues ..406 Discourse 35: The Eleventh Chapter Concludes Whole-souled Devotion to God ..419 Discourse 36: The Twelfth Chapter Begins The Best of Yogins ..428 Discourse 37: The Twelfth Chapter Concludes The Supreme Devotee of God ..437 Discourse 38: The Thirteenth Chapter Begins Consciousness and Matter.