Gita Post #21 “Is Time the cause of King or King the cause of Time? May you (Yudhishṭhira) have no doubt about this, for King himself is the maker of Time.” These words epitomize the functional role of a king or any ruler, be it in any governance model. Here we have an exposition of this intrinsic principle of the Bhagavad Gita, which the Gita learners seldom find in any books.
Gita Post #20 Svadharma (the natural function for which one is born) is a concept of great importance in the Bhagavad Gita. Understanding what Arjuna's svadharma is, is crucial to avoid misconceptions about the Gita philosophy itself. Here, we attempt to understand Arjuna's svadharma with better accuracy.
Gita Post #19 Kṛshṇa is laying the ground for Arjuna and the world to learn that all beings are verily the manifestation of the same Reality. The all-pervading Reality exists simultaneously in every being and, thus, all beings are essentially one.
Gita Post #18 The Bhagavad Gita declares that the absence of the wisdom taught here gives rise to himsā (hurting by words, thoughts or deeds) in the world; war is one of them.
Gita Post #17 The universe is the manifestation of Ātman. In the transactional world, we practice a concept of ownership or belongingness. To whom does then the universe belong? Everything we perceive as things appearing and disappearing in the world is only the manifestation of Ātman. If there is an owner for everything in the world, it has to be only Ātman!
Gita Post #16 Śrī Kṛshṇa says, "Arjuna, I am trying to address your ignorance, which, a little earlier, you have called kārpaṇya dosha (कार्पण्य दोष) ̶ the inability to discriminate between Truth and non-Truth."
Gita Post #15 The assessment we make here of Arjuna may sound non-standard compared to the centuries old common beliefs. This will not affect in any way the Yoga Śāstra we learn. Rather, a logical assessment makes our Gita lessons much smoother. In an episode of the Mahābhārata, Sage Vyāsa himself attests to the veracity of our judgment.
Gita Post #14 Arjuna has a sense, though not obvious yet, that there is something which ends all sufferings and brings perfect peace and happiness in life. That 'something' and the means to achieve the same seem much higher in value than all the power, wealth, fame and the pleasures of this world he could win; this recognition is a vital step for anyone who embarks on the spiritual journey. He implores Bhagavān Kṛshṇa to save him by teaching the way to attain what is of supreme merit.
Gita Post #13 From the point of view of Vedanta, Arjuna represents the individual (vyashṭi); the two armies of four million soldiers he surveys from the centre of the battlefield represent the world (samashṭi); and the unarmed Kṛshṇa is the Absolute (Brahman) staying in the neutral position as a witness (sākshi). The study of Sāṅkhya Yoga, Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, begins.
Gita Post #12 Before the Guru starts instructing the disciple in Yoga Śāstra, the author should bring out the anterior views of the disciple (pūrva pakshin) as against the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna’s expression of his confused notions of dharma are the anterior views here.