Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 6

prashaantamanasam hyonam yoginam sukhamuttamama |
upaiti shaantarajasam brahmabhootamakalmasham || 27 ||
 
Supreme joy certainly obtains this yogi with serene mind, whose passion has been quietened, who has become the eternal essence, and who is without sin.
 
prashaanta : serene
manasam : mind
hi : certainly
enam : this
yoginam : yogi
sukham : joy
uttamam : supreme
upaiti : obtains
shaanta : quietened
rajasam : passion
brahmabhootam : become the eternal essence
akalmasham : without sin
 
In one of the most classic shlokas of this chapter, Shri Krishna does something which is next to impossible - he puts the result of meditation into words that we can understand. He says that supreme joy comes to the meditator whose mind is quiet and free from sin, who has calmed his passions and who has identified with the eternal essence.
 
What is our situation in life for the most part? We constantly run after sukham or joy. If there is any chance of happiness that is within reach, we run after it. Unfortunately, whenever we run after joy, joy tends to run away from us. It is hard to catch. In the rare instance that we possess joy, we beg it to stay. We do not ever want it to leave us. This is also easier said than done.
 
Shri Krishna says that in the case of the meditator, it is joy that runs after him. It comes to the meditator and asks him “shall I stay with you?”. The meditator becomes what is sought after, joy becomes the seeker. Moreover, it is not ordinary joy that comes after the meditator. It is the most supreme joy. This is the difference between a bhogi and a yogi. A bhogi runs after joy, but joy runs after a yogi.
 
Now, how is the mind of such a yogi? It is extremely quiet, like a calm lake. He is able to view any kind of situation that impacts him with such dispassion that it is like watching the situation happen to an unrelated person. If it is a disturbing situation, lets say he suffers an accident, he smiles just like we smile at a character in a movie. There are absolutely no complaints for any situation from a yogi.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the yogi is “shaanta rajasam”, he has silenced the quality of passion within him. Rajas, the mode of nature that causes us to go outside ourself, is present in visible as well as in subtle form inside us. Through karmayoga, we can check the visible forms of rajas to a large extent. But it is only through meditation that we can completely remove the invisible, subtle traces of rajas within us. Till all the rajas is silenced, we should let it express in the form of performance of our duties, not any other actions.
 
Furthermore, the mind of the meditator is pervaded with a single thought “I am the eternal essence”. This is indicated by the word “brahmabhootam” in this shloka. When the meditator has identified himself with brahman, and removed his identification with everything else, then he automatically becomes one with the eternal essence. The removal of everything else in the form of impurities is indicated by the word “akalmasham”.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 4

tasmaadajnyaanasambhootam hritstham jnyaanaasinaatmanaha |
chhittavainam sanshayam yogamaatishthottishtha bhaarata || 42 ||
 
Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, tear your doubts that are born of ignorance and reside in your heart; establish yourself in this path of yoga, and arise, O Arjuna.
 
tasmaat : therefore
ajnyaana : ignorance
sambhootam : born of
hritstham : reside in the heart
jnyaana : knowledge
asina : sword of
aatmanaha : your
chhittavaa : tear
enam : this
sanshayam : doubts
yogam : yoga
aatishtha : establish yourself (in this path)
uttishtha : arise
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
 
In this concluding verse of the fourth chapter, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna to cast away all his doubts and get back to fighting the Kurukshetra war. In other words, he asks the students of the Gita to put the teaching of the fourth chapter into practice, and to act in this world.
 
Shri Krishna reiterates the location of our accumulated ignorance. He uses the word "hritstham" which literally means heart, but actually refers to the four-fold antaha-karana comprising the mind, intellect, memory and ego.
 
This shloka also provides a concise summary of the fourth chapter. Ignorance in the form of individuality, selfishness and finitude, is our natural condition. This ignorance causes us to question our relationship with the world, just like Arjuna got confused in regards to his duty as a warrior. Having gained knowledge, in the form of universality, selflessness and infinitude, we know exactly how to transact with the world. All our doubts are destroyed. We begin to act in a spirit of yajnya, where we see the same eternal essence in the actor, the action and the result. Ultimately, like the shloka says, we arise not just physically, but also spiritually, into a new level of consciousness.
 
om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade jnyaanakarmasanyaasayogonaamo chaturthodhyaahaha || 4 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 3

tasmaattvamindriyaanyaadau niyamya bharatarshabha |
paapmaanam prajahi hyonam jnyaanavijnyaananaashanam || 41 ||
 
Therefore, first control the senses, O excellent among Bharataas, and with force, definitely kill this destroyer of knowledge and wisdom.
 
tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
indriyaani : senses
adau : first
niyamya : control
bharatarshabha : excellent among Bharataas
paapmaanam : mighty sinner (desires)
prajahi : kill with force
hi : definitely
enam : this
jnyaana : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
naashanam : destroyer
 
Having revealed the location of desire, Shri Krishna now provides a method of taming desire. He advises Arjuna to first control desire at the level of the senses. Desires originate in the likes and dislikes present in the senses, and therefore, that is where we should go after them.
 
This requires us to be constantly aware and alert of our likes and dislikes, and not to get overpowered by them once we see them arise. For example, we can detect anger towards someone we dislike arise in our mind. We may try to suppress angry thoughts, but that is not feasible. Therefore we should first learn to control anger at level of the tongue by not speaking any harsh words towards that person.
 
How do we remain alert? There are several techniques to make us alert and bring us to the present moment. The simplest technique is to take a few breaths and just focus attention on the inhaling and exhaling. This will immediately stop all mental "chatter".
 
Shri Krishna also mentions here that desire not only destroys knowledge but also wisdom. So let us correctly understand what is meant by wisdom here. Essentially, knowledge + experience = wisdom. If we read something in a book, then it is knowledge. But if we experience something on our own, then we own it and it becomes wisdom.
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna answered the question raised by Arjuna, which was in regards to obstacles to karma yoga. He also provided a simple technique that only begins to address the obstacles, but does not completely eradicate them. In the next two verses, he concludes the topic of karmayoga by providing the advanced technique of removing these obstacles.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 3

Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
kaama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudhbhavaha |
mahaashano mahaapaapmaa viddhyenamiha vairinam || 37 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
It is desire, it is anger, born of rajas. It is a voracious eater, a great sinner. Know it to be the enemy (here in this world).
 
kaamah : desire
eshah : this
krodha : anger
esha : this
rajoguna : rajas
samudhbhavaha : originated from
mahaashanah : voracious eater
mahaapaapmaa : massive sinner
viddhi : know
enam : it
iha : in this
vairinam : enemy
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna had mentioned that likes and dislikes are like highway robbers. They distract us from our path. But now, he uses the term "enemy" to refer to desire. What is the difference between a highway robber and an enemy? A highway robber does not care who we are, he just wants to distract us, rob us and let us go. But an enemy knows us, knows our weaknesses well, and intends to cause us great harm. Therefore, desire and anger are much more dangerous than likes and dislikes.
 
When we give a lot of attention to our likes and dislikes, it increases the proportion of the active quality, or rajas, in our system. When this happens, our likes and dislikes grow in size like weeds and become strong desires. We then go into a vicious cycle : strong desires create more rajas, which in turn makes the desires even stronger. Similarly, if dislikes grow, they turn into anger and hatred.
 
Now, when a strong desire gets fulfilled, there is a temporary pause in that desire, and the mind becomes still for a short amount of time. As we have seen earlier, an absence of desires clears the mind and lets the eternal essence shine through. When that happens, we experience peace and happiness. But, most of us wrongfully attribute that temporary spark of happiness to the object we just acquired, rather than to the absence of desire. So then, we go through life fueling our desires, in the hope that we can recreate that experience.
 
The tendency to recreate happiness through repetitive acquisition of an object is called greed. Moreover, the ego becomes strong through the increase in rajas, and it begins to go outward, comparing us with others. If someone has less than us, pride is created. Conversely, if someone has more than us, jealously is created.
 
The practical lesson here is that we should not encourage our likes and dislikes. In other words, if a like or dislike arises in the mind, we should not give it too much attention. If we do, it will get stronger. It is easier to control a like or a dislike. Once it has grown into a strong desire or hatred, then it becomes much difficult to control.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 72, Chapter 2

eshaa braahmee sthitih paartha nainaam praapya vimuhyati |
sthitvaasyaamantakaalepi brahmanirvaanamrichchati || 72 ||
 
Having attained this state of brahman, O Paartha, one never gets deluded. If one gets established in this state even at the time of death, he attains oneness with brahman.
 
eshaa : this
braahmee :brahman
sthitih : state
paartha : O Paartha
enam : this
praapya : having obtained
vimuhyati : deluded
na : not
sthitvaa : established
asyaam : in this
antakaale : at the time of death
api : even
brahmanirvaanam : oneness with brahman
richchati : attains
 
We encounter the word "brahman" in this shloka, which is the concluding shloka in the second chapter of the Gita. As a side note, this word is pronounced as "bruh-mun" and not "brah-mun".  
 
So what exactly is this brahman? It is nothing but the eternal essence that Shri Krishna described in the earlier shlokas of this chapter. It is eternal, timeless, changeless, and pervades the entire universe. And when this abstract notion of the eternal essence takes a name and a form, it is known as Ishvara or God.
 
Therefore, if one follows the technique of karma yoga and attains the state of a person of steady wisdom or "stithaprajnya", that person attains oneness with brahman, or in other words, attains God. Also, even if we only attain this state at the time of death, we will still achieve oneness with brahman.
 
Shri Krishna concludes the second chapter of the Gita with this shloka. As we saw before, the second chapter contains the essence of the entire Gita. So, why should we read the next 16 chapters? Let us take up this question.
 
Shri Krishna has packed several lifetimes worth of instruction into the second chapter. Most of us will never get it just by reading the second chapter. So Shri Krishna has taken up each point in the second chapter and elaborated it further in the remainder of the Gita. He clarifies key points in the teaching, resolves seemingly conflicting statements, and makes everything practical and accessible to all kinds of readers.
 
Now, some of us would have approached the Gita to further our spiritual quest, and some of us with a very practical bent. We should not assume that the remainder of the Gita will only go deeper into the spiritual aspects. There are tons of practical lessons that will improve our daily lives and make us better human beings, even if we choose to disregard the spiritual aspects of the Gita. 
 
Having concluded the second chapter in our journey, we will summarize the main points of the second chapter and get a sense of what's coming ahead next.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade saankhyayogo naama dvitiyodhyaayaha || 2 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 2

aashcharyavatpashyati kashchidenamaashcharyavadvadati tathaiva chaanyaha |
aashcharyavachchainamanyaha shrunooti shrutvaapyenam veda na chaiva kashchit || 29 ||
 
Some perceive this (eternal essence) as a wonder, and similarly indeed, others speak of it as a wonder; it is a wonder that some hear about this, and after hearing about it, some understand this and some do not.
 
aashcharyavat : as a wonder
pashyati : perceive
kashchit : some
enam : this
vadati : speak
tathaa : similarly
eva : thus
cha : and
anyaha : others
shrunooti : listen
shrutva : hearing
api : also
enam : this
veda : know
na : do not
 
Shri Krishna was getting ready to conclude the topic of the eternal essence. Therefore, he wanted to remind Arjuna about it, and also instill a sense of deep curiosity and interest in him. In this shloka, Shri Krishna did both of those things.
 
Four types of spiritual seekers are pointed out here. Firstly, there are seekers who have heard about the eternal essence through the Gita or through other means. Usually, most of them will hear about it and forget about it. But there will be some that will become interested in it, and will want to hear more - this is the second category. Of those seekers, some will try to gain an intellectual understanding about it and having done so, will be so enthralled with it that they will keep speaking about it to other people. This is the third category.
 
But the most devoted and advanced seekers will ultimately perceive the eternal essence directly, and the perception would have occurred without any sense organs. When this happens, there would be no words to describe it. The closest one could come to describing it is when we see something so wonderful that it renders us speechless, like a breathtaking painting or a waterfall.
 
Note that the meter has changed in this verse to indicate its importance.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 2

atha chainam nityajaatam nityam vaa manyase mritam |
tathaapi tvam mahaabaaho naivam shochitumarhasi || 26 ||
 
But on the other hand, if you believe that this (eternal essence) constantly takes birth and dies, then also you should not grieve, O mighty armed.
 
atha cha : but if
enam : this (eternal essence)
nityajaatam : constantly being born
nityam : constantly
vaa : or
manyase : believe
mritam: die
tathaapi : then also
tvam : you
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
na : not
evam : this
shochitum : grieve
arhasi : should
 
Shri Krishna imparted the teaching of the eternal essence to Arjuna in the shlokas we've been seeing. Now, the teaching becomes slightly less abstract and a little more "down-to-earth" as it were. Shri Krishna understands that people like us may find it hard to comprehend the notion of imperishability. Our mind will find a hard time comprehending that something was never born/created, and something will never die/get destroyed.
 
For example, we may think of the Earth as relatively imperishable, but even then we know from our school geology class that it was formed billions of years ago out of cooling of gases.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says : "O Arjuna, even if you cannot comprehend that the eternal essence is imperishable, it is ok, you can also believe that the eternal essence, which is present in human bodies, undergoes birth and death with the body". In the next few shlokas, Sri Krishna will convince Arjuna that his grief is unfounded even if he accepts that the eternal essence undergoes birth and death.
 
We may have a question here: Why did Shri Krishna begin his teaching of the Gita by describing the eternal essence? Isn't it a complex, abstract topic that all of us, including Arjuna, would have a hard time understanding? Couldn't he have started with something simpler?
 
Here's a possible answer. What is described as the eternal essence is the goal, the final result of the Gita teaching. Like a good teacher, Shri Krishna described the end goal to his students before describing the means to attain that goal. Any good teacher will always describe, elaborate upon, and glorify the end goal in the first lecture of a course. This will generate interest, curiosity, focus and dedication from the student. The student may not necessarily understand everything about that goal, but that is ok.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 2

avyaktoyamachintoyamavikaryoyamuchyate |
tasmaadevam viditvainam naanushochitumarhasi || 25 ||
 
This (eternal essence) is imperceptible, this is incomprehensible, this is unchanging, it is said. Therefore, having known this, it is not worthy of grief.
 
avyaktaha : imperceptible
ayam : this
achintaha : incomprehensible
avikaryaha : unchanging
uchyate : it is said
tasmaad : therefore
evam : thus
viditva : having known
enam : this
naa : not
anushochitum : grieve
arhasi : worthy
 
Let's take stock of where we are. In the second chapter, Shri Krishna covers 4 main topics: 1) Informing Arjuna that his logic and reasoning was incorrect 2) Explaining the correct logic and reasoning to Arjuna 3) Providing practical guidance to implement this correct logic and reasoning 4) Describing the attributes of a person who follows this teaching.
 
We are still exploring the second topic, and this shloka marks the end of the argument that Shri Krishna began in shloka 17. The argument was whether the eternal essence can slay or be slain. Shri Krishna, in this shloka, concludes the argument by saying the following:
 
"Arjuna, associate yourself with the eternal essence and not the body. The eternal essence is eternal and imperishable; it cannot slay or be slain. Therefore do not grieve for the opposing army's warriors on their imminent death. Their bodies will perish anyway, so you shouldn't grieve for what is bound to perish. The eternal essence which is common between them and you is imperishable, so you should not grieve for that either. Therefore you have no reason to grieve at all."
 
Let's look further. If something is imperceptible, that means it is beyond the realm of our sense organs. If something is incomprehensible, it is beyond the realm of the intellect. If something is unchanging, then no physical effort will have an impact on it. We are dealing with something that is not of this material world, it is beyond it.
 
In the next few shlokas, Shri Krishna provides a simpler alternative of logic and reason to Arjuna, after which the teaching takes a turn towards more practical and concrete topics.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23-24, Chapter 2

nainam chindanti shastraani nainam dahati paavakaha |
na chainam kledayanyaapo na shooshayati maaritaha || 23 ||
 
acchedyoyamadaahyoyamakledyoshoshya eva cha |
nityaha sarvagataha sthaanurchaloyam sanaatanaha || 24 ||
 
Weapons cannot pierce this (the eternal essence), fire cannot burn this, water cannot wet this, and wind cannot dry this.
 
This is uncleavable, incombustible, and cannot be wetted or dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and everlasting.
 
enam : this (eternal essence)
na chindanti : cannot pierce
shastraani : weapons
na dahati : cannot burn
paavakaha : fire
cha : and
na kledayanti : cannot wet
aapaha : water
na shoshayati : cannot dry
maarutaha : wind
 
acchedyaha : uncleavable
ayam : this (eternal essence)
adaahyoha : incombustible
akledyo : wetted
shoshya : dried
eva cha : neither can
nityaha : eternal
sarvagataha : all-pervading
sthaanuha : stable
achalaha : immovable
sanaatanaha : eternal
 
We have been hearing a lot about the eternal essence since the 13th shloka began. By now, it must be clear to us that the topic of the eternal essence is abstract, and our intellect will have difficulty in grasping it. This is perfectly normal, because the eternal essence cannot be fully comprehended by the intellect. But we can get close to it through negation.
 
What does negation mean? Let's say you want your friend to buy a shirt for you from the store. You will inform your friend about that the shirt is fuchsia color. If you were to use negation, you would say that the shirt is not regular pink, not dark pink, not fully bright pink etc.
 
Similarly, the eternal essence here is indicated by negation, that it cannot be cut, cannot be wetted or dried etc.
 
Shri Krishna will provide us with a few more shlokas about the eternal essence, after which the topic will change to something much more tangible and concrete.
 
Footnotes
1. The Jnyaneshwari, in the commentary for this shloka, declares that the eternal essence cannot be comprehended by our intellect.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 2

vedaavinaashinam nityam ya enamajamavyayam |
katham sa purushaha paartha kam ghaatayati hanti kam || 21 ||
 
Whosoever knows this (eternal essence) to be imperishable, eternal, birthless and changeless, how can that individual, O Paartha, slay or cause anyone to be slain?
 
veda : knows
avinaashinam : imperishable
nityam : eternal
yaha : whosoever
enam : this
ajam : birthless
avyayam: changeless
katham : how
saha : that
purushaha : individual
paartha : O Paartha
kam : who
ghaatayati  : cause to be slain
hanti : kill
kam : who
 
Imagine that you are operating a laptop that is connected to a printer. You open a document on the laptop and click the print button. The laptop sends a signal to the printer, and the document gets printed.
 
Now imagine that the laptop and the printer have egos and can think for themselves. The laptop will say "I initiated the printing action" whereas the printer will say "I was the receiver of the printing action".
 
But in reality, an electric current went from the laptop to the printer, which then caused the printing to happen. So, an engineer would never say "the laptop caused the printing to happen". It was all a play of electricity.
 
So here, what Shri Krishna is trying to say is that "this", the eternal essence does not act and nor does it get impacted by any action, just like electricity does not really act. It empowers material objects to act without actually acting. Therefore a wise person will never think that the eternal essence can slay or kill or act at all. It is like the sun.
 
The refrain is clear: "You are the eternal essence - birthless, changeless, eternal and imperishable. The eternal essence does not slay, nor does it get slain." It is repeated throughout the Gita because it will take a significant effort on our part to truly understand and internalize this message.
 
This shloka forms the seed of chapter thirteen of the Gita on the topic of knowledge of the eternal essence, or "tattva jnyaana".

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 2

ya enam vetti hantaaram yachshainam manyate hatam |
ubhau tau na vijaanito naayam hanti na hanyate || 19 ||
 
A person who believes that it (the eternal essence) slays, and another who believes that it is slain, neither of these understands. It does not slay, nor is it slain.
 
yaha : that person who
enam : this (body dweller)
vetti : believes
hantaaram : slayer
yaha : that
cha : and
enam : this
manyate : believes
hatam: slain
ubhau : both
tau : those
na : do not
vijaanitaha : know
na ayam : this does not
hanti : slay
na hanyate : nor is slain
 
The "It" in this shloka and the following shlokas refers to the body-dweller. Here Shri Krishna addresses another concern that Arjuna had raised. Arjuna thought that that he will be held responsible for killing his kinsmen, which was something that was abhorrent to him. But Shri Krishna through this shloka advised him to use the logic or the perspective of the eternal essence. The eternal essence does not kill, nor does it die from someone else trying to kill it.
 
But how does this apply to us? We are not warriors, and it is rare that we will be put in the position of killing somebody. So there must be another interpretation.This shloka equates the act of slaying to performance of any action, and being slain to any change or modification. In other words, the eternal essence never performs any action, nor does it undergo any change or modification.
 
As an example, let's consider at the sun. Without the sun there will be no activity or life on this planet. There would be no plant life because plants use the sun's energy. There would be no animal or human life because both cannot survive without plants. But, does the sun perform any action pertaining to growing a plant or an animal? Does it get affected by all the changes happening on earth? It does not that that "I caused this forest to grow" or "I was impacted by this eclipse". It remains actionless and changeless.
 
The shloka goes on to say that one who thinks that the eternal essence acts or kills is not using viveka or discrimination, and that person does not have the correct understanding. The person is still thinking at the level of the material object, or in other words, the level of the un-real, and has still not learnt to discriminate between the two.
 
Footnotes
 
1. Verses 19 and 20 are almost verbatim taken from the Katha Upanishad.