Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1
(Compiled notes)
Note: This is a series of study notes from the translation of Bhagavad Gita by Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada (ISKCON founder) and titled as "Bhagvad Gita as it is". The copyright and content is that of Prabhupada & publishers. My part is simply distilling the knowledge from my self study and notes to share here in simple abridged form.
Vishad Gyan Yoga - Yoga of Pensive Introspection
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1.1: धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सव: । मामका: पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ १ ॥
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Significance of धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे (dharma-kṣetre and kuru-kṣetre)
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apart from their historical and Vedic importance, dharma-kṣetre and kuru-kṣetre means that the father of religion, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, would establish the rule of dharma = righteousness by weeding out the unwanted plants like Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Duryodhana and others who broke the scriptural injunctions of the Lord.
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1.15 - The many names of the Lord
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The Lord has different names according to His different activities. Here are some common ones:
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His name is Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and to the senses;
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His name is Madhusūdana because He killed the demon of the name Madhu;
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His name is Vāsudeva because He appeared as the son of Vasudeva;
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His name is Devakī-nandana because He accepted Devakī as His mother;
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His name is Yaśodā-nandana because He awarded His childhood pastimes to Yaśodā at Vṛndāvana;
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His name is Pārtha-sārathi because He worked as charioteer of His friend Arjuna.
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His name is Hṛṣīkeśa because He gave direction to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
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His name is Mādhava because He is the husband of the goddess of fortune (Srimati Radharani, Sita or Lakshmi)
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1.20:
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Q - Why is it important to be in the shelter of the Lord always -- especially in a war situation?
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A - Consider the situation in Kurukshetra; the war was just about to begin. The Pandava army vs Kauravas army size up in the ratio of 7:11 in strength; normally in a war a bigger army would be considered an advantage so Kauravas would be expected to have an upper hand but yet they were more or less disheartened by the unexpected arrangement of military force by the Pāṇḍavas, who were guided by the direct instructions of Lord Kṛṣṇa on the battlefield.
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The emblem of Hanumān on the flag of Arjuna is another sign of victory because Hanumān cooperated with Lord Rāma in the battle between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and Lord Rāma emerged victorious. Now both Rāma and Hanumān were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Kṛṣṇa is Rāma Himself, and wherever Lord Rāma is, His eternal servitor Hanumān and His eternal consort Sītā, the goddess of fortune, are present.
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And above all, the Lord of the senses, Lord Kṛṣṇa, was personally present to give him direction. Thus, all good counsel was available to Arjuna in the matter of executing the battle. In such auspicious conditions, arranged by the Lord for His eternal devotee, lay the signs of assured victory.
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1.32 - Govinda means Kṛṣṇa is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. In other words, if we try to satisfy the senses of Govinda, then automatically our own senses are satisfied. By the grace of Govinda all desires of the living entity are satisfied when one tries to satisfy the senses of Govinda without desiring to satisfy one’s own senses.
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1.36:
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Q - According to Vedic injunctions, what are the six kinds of aggressors and how they are to be treated?
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A - There are six kinds of aggressors:
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(1) a poison giver,
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(2) one who sets fire to the house,
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(3) one who attacks with deadly weapons,
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(4) one who plunders riches,
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(5) one who occupies another’s land, and
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(6) one who kidnaps another's wife.
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Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors.
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1.38: A kṣatriya is dutybound not to refuse to battle or gamble when he is so challenged by some rival party.
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1.40:
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Q - What is the role of women in good human society?
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A - Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varṇāśrama principles are so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. In other words, if the women of a society falldown, that society is doomed.
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1.41:
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Q - How can one deliver his forefathers?
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A - According to Vedic injunctions of fruitive activities, there is a need to offer periodical food and water to the forefathers of the family. This offering is performed by worship of Viṣṇu, because eating the remnants of food offered to Viṣṇu can deliver one from all kinds of sinful reactions. Sometimes the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when remnants of prasādam food are offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life. Such help rendered to forefathers is a family tradition.
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Those who are not in devotional life are required to perform such rituals, especially.
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That said one who is engaged in the devotional life is not required to perform such actions. Simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery.
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My chosen verse from this Chapter:
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच:
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सव: ।
मामका: पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥ 1.1 ॥
Dhrtarastra enquired: In the place of dharma, kuruksetra, ready to start fighting tell me O Sanjaya, what did my sons and Pandus sons do?
The root cause of the war is summarized here. The blind king Dhrtarastra, is so blinded by his unreasonable affection and partiality towards his son Duryodhana that he cannot see right from wrong and that all the problems his family has had to face are because of this jealousy of his son towards his nephews. A king is supposed to be upright, not emotionally afflicted and morally crippled. But thats not the case here. By routinely allowing the son to overrule righteousness and by standing as a mute spectator the king has brought this war upon the family. Yet at this crucial hour his mindset is still governed by 'mine' and 'their'. Truly this sense of material ownership, entitlement and even arrogance borne from the root cause of ego is very difficult veil to tear. It cause wars and destructions at the least but most of all it invites Lords wrath and spiritual condemnation.
