Gita Chapter 1

Introduction: The first in a series of 23 discourses on the Bhagavad Gita. These talks were given at a time when I was truly inspired by the charioteer of Partha. I was in a state of ecstasy and hardly knew what I was saying. Now when I look back on these talks I am amazed at my audacity in having dared to write on something about which I knew little more than nothing. But looking back over my life I see that I seem to have continued to dare to write on things about which I knew very little. I know now that my courage which I did not even question at any time, rose from the depths of my ignorance, which again I did not question. It was only because I did not question anything that I was made into a channel through which the divine charioteer chose to reveal Himself. I knew nothing and therefore I was an empty vessel like Arjuna and by His grace, I was chosen as one of the many bards who have sung the glory of the “Song of the Lord.” I feel sure that out of all the five Pandavas, He chose Arjuna who was certainly not a scholar or a saint, for these very reasons – that he was an empty vessel, waiting for the Lord to come and fill him. May HE fill all of you who listen to these discourses with HIS grace. Aum tat Sat

Introduction: The first in a series of discourses on the Bhagavad GitaThese talks were given at a time when I was truly inspired by the charioteer of Partha. I was in a state of ecstasy and hardly knew what I was saying. Now when I look back on these talks I am amazed at my audacity in having dared to write on something about which I knew little more than nothing. But looking back over my life I see that I seem to have continued to dare to write on things about which I knew very little. I know now that my courage which I did not even question at any time, rose from the depths of my ignorance, which again I did not question. It was only because I did not question anything that I was made into a channel through which the divine charioteer chose to reveal Himself. I knew nothing and therefore I was an empty vessel like Arjuna and by His grace, I was chosen as one of the many bards who have sung the glory of the “Song of the Lord.” I feel sure that out of all the five Pandavas, He chose Arjuna who was certainly not a scholar or a saint, for these very reasons – that he was an empty vessel, waiting for the Lord to come and fill him. May HE fill all of you who listen to these discourses with HIS grace. Aum tat Sat

The first chapter is called Arjuna Vishada Yoga: Union By Means Of The Despondency Of Arjuna. The word Yoga means union. Thus any activity which enables us to obtain union with the Divine can be called a yoga. ...The message of the Gita is thus addressed to the fighter- the man of action... life is the battlefield of Kurukshetra which each one of us has to learn to face and fight our way through, before we can reach the other side which is Dharmakshetra. Each chapter begins with the sanskrit chanting of the chapter the english discourse follows.Visit: www.vanamaliashram.org

The second chapter is called Sankhya yoga but actuallyit deals entirely with Vedanta. The eternal nature ofthe atman and the ephemeral mature of the body isrevealed to Arjuna. "The atman is eternal, immortal,never born and therefor can never die. It is pureconsciousness and pure existence. That which isexistent can never cease to exist. This is one of thelaws of physics - energy can never be destroyed. itcan only change its form. One body falls and thejivatman flits to another body through which it canbest fulfill its destiny. Visit: www.vanamaliashram.org

The second chapter is called Sankhya yoga but actuallyit deals entirely with Vedanta. The eternal nature ofthe atman and the ephemeral mature of the body isrevealed to Arjuna. "The atman is eternal, immortal,never born and therefor can never die. It is pureconsciousness and pure existence. That which isexistent can never cease to exist. This is one of thelaws of physics - energy can never be destroyed. itcan only change its form. One body falls and thejivatman flits to another body through which it canbest fulfill its destiny. Visit: www.vanamaliashram.org

Karma yoga the yoga of action is the theme of the third chapter. This is one of the most difficult sections in the whole text and provides a key to understanding the whole message. Chapter 3, 4 and 5 of the Gita deal exhaustively with Karma yoga. However we find that even in the 6th chapter the Lord starts by reiterating what has already been said. “Anashrita karmaphalam … He who performs his swadharma without any dependence “anashrita” on the fruits of his action, he is both the karma yogi and the karma sannyasin. Meaning to say one who dedicates himself to perform the bounden duties of his life with no dependence of any type on their results is both a yogi and a sannyasi.Visit: Vanamali Ashram’s Home Page

The Yoga of Knowledge and Action is the title of the fourth chapter. All existence is a working out or evolving of the One Eternal Spirit. Every Atom...imbued with the will and intelligence of the Spirit... This being the case can we call every man an Avatar? Sri Krishna reveals the secret of action and the ideal of yajna or sacrifice. Mataji is the author of eleven wonderful books that share the ancient legends and timeless teachings of the Puranas and Vedas in English. Of these Sri Krishna Lila, which describes the exploits of the Blue god of Vrindavan from his birth to His disappearance is a classic. Her other books are Sri Rama Lila, Sri Shiva Lila, The Lilas of the Sons of Shiva, a translation of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Nitya Yoga: Essays on the Bhagavad Gita, Gurudeva and The Taste Divine which is a book on Indian vegetarian cooking (published in the US by Suny Press).Sri Krishna Lila has been published in the US under the name of The Play of God and Rama Lila as The Song of Rama. Her most recent books are Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother and the forthcoming, Sri Hanuman Lila, (both from Inner Traditions publishers). Visit: Vanamali Ashram’s Bhakti Yoga Home Page

The Yoga of Renunciation And Action.Is asceticism and non-action superior to action? This is one of the questions Shri Krishna addresses in this liberating teaching. ...once more the central idea of the Gita is postulated... an Infinite Being who is not merely the witness, but the enjoyer of all action done as yajna. Visit: Vanamali Ashram’s Home Page

The Yoga of Self Discipline. The divine Self is present in everything and is constantly beckoning to us... Detachment and practice are the keys to Self knowledge. Sri Krishna offers instructions for meditation. The chapter concludes extolling Bhakti Yoga.Visit: Vanamali Ashram’s Bhakti Yoga Home Page

The seventh chapter, The Yoga of Wisdom and Decernment, opens the door to the exhalted mansion of Bhakti Yoga.