Newsletter on Bhagavad Gita by Dr. P.V.

Nath
The following text is a compilation of the single issues of a regular newsletter by e-mail, composed by
Dr. Pathikonda Viswambara Nath.
t includes the original slokas of the !ita as well as the transliteration, translation and commentaries by
Dr. Nath.
"opyright to the commentaries on #haga$ad !ita% Dr. P.V. Nath, !reat #ritain.
n&uiries concerning the text please direct to Dr. Nath at 'snath(btinternet.com'.
n&uiries concerning the administration of the newsletter and the downloads please direct to
'info(The!ita.org'.
To know more about )ri )wami*i, the )adguru whose blessings made this newsletter possible, please
$isit% 'www.dattapeetham.com'
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OM SAHA NAVAVATU SAHA NAU BHUNATU
SAHA V!!"#AM A"AVAVAHA$
T!%AS&$ NAVADH!!TAMASTU
MAA V$D V$SHAVAHA$
May He 'rote(t )s both *the tea(her and the ')'il+
May He (a)se )s both to en,oy *the S)'re-e+
May we both e.ert together *to dis(over the tr)e inner -eaning o/ the s(ri't)res+
May o)r st)dies be thoro)gh and /r)it/)l.
May we never -is)nderstand ea(h other.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The !ita is in the form of dialogue between ,rishna, the preceptor and the disciple -r*una. )an*aya,
the narrator to ,ing Dhritarashtra, intercepts now and then with a comment of his own. There are a
total of ./ chapters with 01. $erses 2slokas.3 4ach of the chapters has a title and the title ends with the
word 56oga7.
The word 5#oga7 is deri$ed from the word 56u*7 which means 58nite.7
)tudy of e$ery chapter assists the seeker to unite with the 9ord and hence the use of the word 56oga.7
The seeker is he:she who is looking for attaining the union with the 5Parabrahman7 and experience the
54ternal #liss.7 n )anskrit the name for the word 5seeker7 is 5)adhaka7. The efforts of the sadhaka is
known as 5)adhana7.
To undertake the task, the seeker must ha$e 5;aith7 and 5De$otion7 in the sub*ect, the teacher and
5Parabrahman.7
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .
0HAPT!" 1
A"%UNA V$SHADA #OGA
Vishada - Despondency.
The first chapter is about the despondency of -r*una on encountering the enemy forces in the
battlefield. -r*una as such was a great and well respected warrior who had won many laurels. The
thought of death of so many soldiers and heroes in the battle and his own role in that made him loose
heart. >e lost the will to fight and was prepared to let wicked Duryodhana and his brothers rule the
kingdom. >e forgot he was fighting for his brothers in the battle of 5righteousness.7 >e was confused
and unclear of the right course of action. nstead of turning his back and lea$ing the battlefield, he
decided to take the guidance of )ri ,rishna, the charioteer, on the right path of action to take.
>is grief and surrender to the 9ord brought out the 5)rimad #haga$adgita7 to the mankind. The !ita
as the 59ight of ,nowledge7 has gi$en a great number of people including -r*una himself, the first
recipient of the teaching, the opportunity to attain union with the 5Parabrahman.7
n life, at times, we go through extreme phases of both grief and happiness. The state of happiness
unfortunately makes the 5ego7 strong and we feel proud of achie$ing the success.
?n the other hand, when we encounter grief, we tend to turn to !od as the final resort for help. n this
way, the state of grief does help one to remember the !od and this in turn helps in attaining
59iberation.7 >ence, it is correct to say that 5!rief7 also helps in uniting with the !od.
Slo2a 13
Dhritatrashtra Uva(ha3
DHA"MA SH!T"! U"U SH!T"! SAMA V!TA #U#UTSAVAHA
MAMAAHA PANDAVAS 0HA$VA $MA U"VATA SAN%A#A.
Having asse-bled together on the holy 'lain o/ )r)2shetra4 desiro)s o/ /ighting the battle4 O
San,aya4 what did the sons o/ Pand) and also 5-y 'eo'le6 do7
Dharma ,shetre %field of righteousness.
,uru ,shetre% the place where the battle took place% ie% ,urukshetra.
6uyutsa$aha% desirous of fighting.
This sloka is $ery important and we must understand the meaning properly.
n this instance, it is the field of ,urukshetra that is referred to.
-s we mo$e along, when we come to the .@
th
chapter, we will be shifting the scene to the mind within.
#ooks for reference%
A->-#>-B-T- - by )mt ,amala )ubramaniam,
4xecuti$e secretary, #haratiya Vidya #ha$an, ,ulapati Aunshi Aarg, Aumbai C11 110
'Dhritarashtra spoke%'
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <
4mperor Dhritarashtra, blind father of ,aura$as is ready to recei$e the narration by )an*aya of the
e$ents on the battlefield. )an*aya was gi$en the special powers to actually $isualise the e$ents on the
battlefield by sage poet #hagawan Veda Vyasa. -s a matter of speaking we can look upon )an*aya as
the battlefield reporter gi$ing first hand information to his king.
.3 Dhritarashtra was not entitled to hold on to the throne as per the rules pre$ailing in those days.
#ecause of blind lo$e to his son, he decided to hold on to the kingdom that was not rightfully his. n a
similar way, we, the common men:women of this world, are holding on to the physical body which is
not actually ours.
<3 4ach one of us is made up of% the 5)oul7, the 54nergy7 within and the 5Physical body7 that
en$elops the 5)oul within.7
De cannot li$e e$en for a second without the energy which is the 59ife Principle.7 De all ha$e got
attached to the physical body and it is the 54go7 that makes us do it.
5,shetra7, the field referred to is the 5Physical body.7 De should look upon this body as the
5kingdom7 ruled by the 5,ing within7 which is the 5Parabrahman,7, by the 5)oul7 which is part of the
Parabrahman.
nstead of letting the 5,ing7 rule, we are letting 54go7 hold on to the body and dictate terms.
De are holding on to the field, because of the 54go7 and something which is not rightfully ours.
n this sense, we are all 5Dhritarashtras7 and we are getting the narration from )an*aya.
<3 Dharma% it is the 59aw of the being.7 There are a number of definitions to this word. -s we go
through the !ita, we will take up the different meanings.
5Dharma is that principle without which, the being has no existence.7
The fire has so many &ualities. The essential &uality of it is 5#urn.7 t burns.
De can draw a picture of the fire. Dhen we touch the picture, we do not feel the heat and it does not
burn.
The real fire, on the contrary is hot and it burns. n the absence of the heat, the fire is 5dead.7 t is said
to be ali$e, when it exhibits the property of 5burning.7
De, the humans, are ali$e because of the 54nergy7 within. n its absence the physical body is certified
5Dead7 by the experts. )o, our dharma has to be the dharma of the soul and not dharma of the ego.
Dhat is dharma of the soulE
De all attribute so many &ualities to !od and look for >im to help us in distress. De tend to say%
5!od, why donFt you come down and help me out of this distress.'
f, the power inside us is the !od, our dharma has to be dharma of the 5)oul.7 De should be showing
di$inity in all our actions. ?ur true dharma is therefore 58ni$ersal welfare.7
Dharma should be looked upon as 5acts of righteousness7 at the three le$els of%
Aoral
)ocial
)piritual.
Aoral actions are our 5Dharma.7
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page @
)ocial Dharma is actions according to the law of the land. De must obey the laws of any place where
we li$e. f not, we are considered to ha$e broken the law of the land and must be prepared to face the
conse&uences.
)piritually, it is the law of the 9ord. -cts according to the scriptures for the welfare of life on this
uni$erse is dharma.
;ew points to ponder o$er%
Dhritarashtra was the uncle of the Panda$as 2who had lost their father3 and father of the ,aura$as.
?n the death of Pandu, father of the Panda$as, he had a moral duty and spiritual duty to care for the
Panda$as.
8nfortunately, he does not consider the Panda$as as his own.
>e depri$es them of their rightful inheritance of the throne.
n this sloka, he uses the word 5Aamakaha7 - 5Ay People.7 Beferring to his .11 sons.
>e refers to the Panda$as, as 5children of Pandu.7
>e asks the &uestion% 5Dhat did Panda$as do and what did 5my people7 doE'
)ri )hankaracharya compares the attitude of Dhritarashtra to that of a stone in the water. The stone
remains in the water but the water does not enter into the stone. )an*aya offered and ga$e ad$ice to
Dhritarashtra on spiritual and moral dharma. The words of ad$ice did not penetrate the mind of the
king.
Slo2a 8
SAN%A#A UVA0HA3
D"$SHTVA TU PANDAVANN!AM V#UDHAM DU"#ODHANAS TADA
A0HA"#AM UPASANGAM#A "A%A VA0HANAM AB"AV$T
San,aya said3
Having seen the Pandava ar-y arranged in a battle order4 ing D)ryodhana a''roa(hing the
tea(her Drona(harya s'o2e these words.
)an*aya starts his narration with Duryodhana as he is the son of Dhritarashtra. >e says that
Duryodhana went to the teacher Dronacharya and spoke to him first.
De need to analyse the psychology behind his actions. To do so we need to know a little about the
important warriors on the side of the ,aura$as.
.3 #hishma, the grandsire, was the commander-in-chief. ?ne would expect Duryodhana to approach
#hishma first. #ut he did not do so. DhyE
#hishma was the eldest of the family and a master warrior. >e was the recipient of a rare boon from
his father )hantanu. >e could depart from the world when he wanted to and the time of death will be
under his control. The )anskrit word for it is 5tcha Aarana7.
#hishma lo$ed the Panda$as and -r*una was his fa$ourite great grand-son. 6et, because of the
promise to his father )hantanu that he would always protect the throne of >astinapura 2capital of
,aura$as3, he had no option but to fight for 4mperor Dhritarashtra.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page C
Duryodhana was frightened of #hishma. >e dare not speak to him. >e knew that he would only get
rebuke from #hishma. )o, he went to the next best, ie% Teacher Drona.
<3 Dronacharya% >e was the teacher for both ,aura$as and the Panda$as. >e was appointed by
Dhritarashtra to teach the young ,aura$as and Panda$as the art of warfare using the $arious weapons
of those days. -r*una was his fa$ourite student. )till, as he was under the employment of
Dhritarashtra, he had no option but to fight against the Panda$as. Duryodhana could build up the
courage and talk to him because he was literally speaking, an employee of the ,aura$as. >e wanted to
remind his teacher that partiality to the Panda$as does not work. >e looked forward to hear words of
reassurance from Drona that there would be no partiality to the Panda$as.
Slo2a 9
PAS#A$TAAM PANDU PUT"ANAAM A0HA"#AM MAHAT!!M 0HAMOOM
V#UDHAM D"UPADA PUT"!NA TAVA SH$SH#!NA DH!!MATA
O tea(her4 behold the great Pandava ar-y4 /or-ed in the battle order by the son o/ Dr)'ada4
yo)r wise dis(i'le.
Duryodhana is trying his best to rouse the pent up anger in his teacher Drona against king Drupada,
father of Droupadi, wife of the Panda$a brothers. >e is specifically pointing the enemy armed forces
arrayed skilfully in the battle order under the control of Dhrishtadyumna, son of Drupada.
>ere it is essential that the reader should know the background for this re&uest by Duryodhana.
Drona and Drupada both learnt under the same teacher in their younger days and were good friends.
Drupada was in line to become the king after his return and Drona, a poor #rahmin, had to go back to
his little hut. ?n the day of parting from the gurukula ashrama, Drupada gi$es an open in$itation for
Drona to come for help:assistance at any time in future.
;ew years later, DronaFs wife, unable to li$e the life of po$erty, reminds Drona of the promise by his
friend Drupada. Drona makes a trip to the court of Drupada with a $iew to get some help.
8nfortunately, Drupda chooses not to recognise his old friend and insults him in the open court.
8nable to bear the insult, Drona returns home empty handed.
"ircumstances changed for the better in the next few years and Drona became the teacher for the
Panda$as and ,aura$as. -r*una becomes the best and fa$ourite pupil of his teacher.
?ne day, Drona commands -r*una to catch Drupada and fetch him to his hut. -r*una, a great warrior
by that time, fulfils the command by his teacher. >e defeats Drupada, ties him to a rope and brings him
to the presence of Drona.
This time, it was the turn of Drupada to beg of mercy from Drona. nstead of being merciful, Drona
reminds Drupada of the insult at the court, kicks him and sets him free.
8nable to bear this insult, Drupada takes a $ow to get a son who will a$enge insult to his father.
"onducting special penances he manages to get a son and that son was Dhrishtadhyumna, the
commander-in-chief of the Panda$a army.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page G
Dhrishtadhyumna, surprisingly was also a student in his early days of Drona. 2n days gone by, the
#rahmin teachers followed a code of practice. They would not refuse to accept any student who
wanted to learn.3
Duryodhana who knew this side of DronaFs past life history, used this opportunity to name Drupada
and Dhrishtadyumna and increase the flow of adrenaline in his teacher Drona. This way, he hoped that
despite the presence of the fa$ourite pupil -r*una in the opposite camp, Drona would use all his skills
to defeat the Panda$as.
Slo2a :4 ; and <
AT"A SHOO"A MAH!SHASA BH!!MA"%UNA SAMA #UDH$H$
#U#UDHANO V$"ATASH0A D"UPADASH0HA MAHA"ATAHA
DH"SHTA!TUS 0H!$TANANHA ASH$ "A%AS0HA V!!"#VAN
PU"U%$T UN$TBHO%AS0HA SHA$BH#AS0HA NA"A PUNGAVHA
#UDHAMAN#US0HA V$"!ANTAHA UTTAMAU%AS0HAV!!"#VAAN
SOUBHADO"= D"OUPAD!#AS0HA SA"VA !VA MAHA"ATAHA.
$n the Pandava ar-y4 there are heroes and -ighty ar(hers e>)al to Bhi-a and Ar,)na. they are
#)y)dhana4 Virata4 Dr)'ada4 o/ the /irst order o/ warriors. Drishta2et)4 0e2itana4 the valiant
2ing o/ asi4 P)r),it4 )ntibho,a4 Saibya4 the best o/ -en4 the strong #)dha-any)4 *Satya2i+4
valiant Utta-o),a4 Abhi-any)4 the son o/ S)bhadra and Ar,)na4 and the sons o/ Dro)'adi4 all
o/ the- divisional (o--anders.
>erein are the names of the warriors of repute in the Panda$a army.
Duryodhana is gi$ing those names to his teacher Drona. >e puts some ad*ecti$es like $aliant, best of
men, strong in front of some warriors.
-ll these were gi$en the title of 5Aaharati.7 5Aaharati7 is he who can fight single handed with .1111
archers. >e is also a master in the use of $arious weapons of warfare.
Slo2a ?
ASMAAM TO V$SH$SHTA#! TANN$BODHA D&$%OTTAMA
NA#AA MAMA SA$N#AS#A SAM%NA"THAM TAAN B"AV!!M$ T!=
O best o/ twi(e born4 now4 $ will re(all to yo)4 /or yo)r in/or-ation4 the na-es o/ those who are
-ost disting)ished a-ongst o)rselves4 the leaders o/ o)r ar-y.
Duryodhana continues his discussion with his teacher Drona and reiterates the names of the great
warriors on the side of his ,aura$a army.
>e addresses Drona as 5best among twice born.7 Drona was brahmin by birth. The brahmin ha$e a
tradition of 5sacred thread ceremony7 about the age of 0-..yrs. -fter the child passes through the
infancy and learns the alphabets and early childhood and comes out of playful moods, it is time for
initiation into the higher studies. t was also the arrangements for the kshatriya 2warrior group of
men:women3 and $ysya 2business class3 men in the community.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page =
The >indu philosophy stresses that e$ery indi$idual is ignorant at birth irrespecti$e of the caste he:she
is born into. To let the indi$idual into society to act according to the dharma needs initiation into the
spiritual education.
The first common entry for all is 5entry into the material world 2ignorance3.7
The entry after the ceremony is 5entry into the world of knowledge.7
This initiation into spiritual education is considered to be 5second birth7 for the indi$idual.
Drona is therefore addressed as 5best among the twice born.7
There is another subtle hint Duryodhana is throwing at his master. 4$en though Drona was a great
warrior, he was a brahmin by birth. #rahmins generally are not warriors and not physically strong to
take part in the battle. Duryodhana was a tactical warrior. >e knew how to get the adrenaline flow in
his master. #y stressing that Drona was a brahmin 2timid3 and by gi$ing names of great warriors on his
side, Duryodhana is making Drona get madly angry.
Slo2a @ and A
BHAVAN BH!!SHMAS0HA A"NAS0HA "$PAS0HA SAMAT$N%A#AHA
ASH&ATHAMA V$A"NAS0HA SOUMADAT$S TATHA$VA 0HA
AN#! 0HA BAHAVAHA SHOO"AH MADA"TH! T#ATA %!!V$TAHA
NANA SHAST"A P"AHA"ANAHA SA"V! #UDDHA V$SHOO"ADAHA
#o)rsel/4 Bhish-a and arna4 also ri'a the vi(torio)s in war4 Ashwatha-a4 Vi2arna and also
the son o/ So-adatta4 as also -any other heroes who are 're'ared to give )' their lives /or -y
sa2e4 ar-ed with vario)s wea'ons and -issiles4 all wellBs2illed in battle.
This is the list of main warriors on the side of ,aura$as. t is not as though Drona did not know
anybody. f we read the Aahabharata we will know more about these great skilled warriors.
Dhile naming the warriors it is interesting to note that Duryodhana places the name of Drona first,
ahead of #hishma the commander-in-chief. t is possible that Duryodhana realised that he had gone too
far and used the word 5#rahmana7 by addressing Drona as 5twice born.7
Slo2a 1C
APA"#APTAM TADASMAAM BADAM BH!!SHMABH$ "ASH$TAM
PA"#APTAM TV$DM #!T!SHAM BADAM BH!!MABH$ "ASH$TAM
This ar-y o/ o)rs de/ended by Bhish-a4 is inade>)ate. &hereas that ar-y o/ o)r ene-ies
de/ended by Bhi-a is >)ite ade>)ate.
The two words 5-paryptam and Paryaptam7 ha$e been gi$en contradictory meanings by the
dictionarians. Therefore, there are two $ersions of explanations for this $erse.
The first meaning is%
-paryaptam% unlimited
Paryaptam% limited
-ccordingly, the $erse reads as follows%
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page 0
This army of ours defended by #hishma is unlimited and the army of theirs defended by #hima is
limited.
The ,aura$a army had .. battallions and the Panda$a army had 0 batallions. t is therefore natural to
gloat about the large siHe of the army and Duryodhana is doing the same.
)econd meaning%
-paryaptam% incomplete, inefficient, insufficient
Paryaptam% complete, efficient, sufficient
This army of ours defended by #hishma is inefficient and the army of theirs defended by #hima is
efficient.
Aahatma !andhi has gi$en this second explanation to this sloka.
t is interesting to note that Duryodhana says 5-rmy defended by #hima.7 Drishtadyumna was the
commander-in-chief for the Panda$as but still Duryodhana considers that #hima is in charge. DhyE
The most important person Duryodhana was frightened was #hima. #hima was his sworn enemy.
During the game of dice that was played which decided the fate of the Panda$as, Duryodhana with the
help of cunning )hakuni cheats Dharmaraya 26udhistira3. >e makes him gamble one after another of
his possessions, then his own brothers and finally his wife Droupadi. 9ike adding salt to the open
wound, he lets his own brother Dushasana derobe Droupadi in the open assembly.
#hima who was bound by the laws of the game to be subser$ient to Duryodhana could not bear the
insult any longer. n front of the large assembly, he takes a solemn oath to kill all the brothers of
Duryodhana and drink the blood of Dushasana.
This oath had made Duryodhana frightened of #hima.
>ence the importance Duryodhana attaches to the presence of #hima in the opposite camp.
Slo2a 11
A#AN!SHU 0HA SA"V!SHU #ATHABHAGAM AVASTH$TAAHA.
BH!!SHMAM !VABH$"ASHANTU BHAVANTAHA SA"VA !VA H$
There/ore4 do yo) all4 standing /ir-ly in yo)r res'e(tive 'ositions4 in the divisions4 g)ard
Bhish-a alone.
?ne can see the tone of a command from Duryodhana to his guru. True, Duryodhana, the heir apparent
to the throne had e$erybody at his command including his own guru. During the battle, he has the
highest authority.
>a$ing said that, there is what is called as 5humility.7 The fact that Drona was fighting for the
,aura$as should ha$e been sufficient for him. >e did not show 5humility and re$erence7 to his elder
statesman and guru.
Dhy is he asking e$eryone to guard #hishma aloneE
De should recollect the life of #hishma in his younger days.
#hishmaFs father )hantanu had fallen madly in lo$e with )atya$ati, the fisher woman. )atya$atiFs
father, a cle$er person, had realised that #hishma would be the heir to the throne after )hantanu. The
children born out of wedlock of )atya$ati to )hantanu would not inherit the throne. >e therefore
ob*ects to his daughter marrying the king.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page /
)hantanu was torn between the duty to #hishma, the son of his first wife !anga and his infatuation
towards the fisher woman. >e showed signs of depression for a long time.
#hishma came to know of the dilemma his father was facing. >e therefore brings )atya$ati to his
father and takes a solemn oath that he would not demand the throne. nstead, he would let the child
born from )atya$ati to ascend the throne and protect the kingdom at any cost. >e swears to be a
bachelor for life and be subser$ient to the throne.
;or the sacrifice he made, father )hantanu blesses his son and bestows on him a rare boon. The boon
was that death will not approach #hishma, but #hishma can decide where and when he wanted to
lea$e his mortal body.
The war of righteousness was to be fought to the bitter end. t was $ictory or death to either armies. #y
cle$erly making #hishma, the commander-in-chief Duryodhana had already won the tactical battle.
#hishma would not die in the war and so Panda$as could not win.
4$en though #hishma could not be killed, it was possible that he could be mortally wounded and may
ha$e to retire from the war. -s long as #hishma was holding the fort, the Panda$as had no chance to
win.
t was therefore imperati$e that #hishma was not going to be in*ured. >ence the command, not a
re&uest by Duryodhana to Dronacharya to guard 5#hishma alone.7
Slo2a 18
TAS#A SAN%ANA#AN HA"SHAM U"UV"$DDHAHA P$TAMAHAHA
S$MHANADAM V$NAD#O0HA$H SHANAM DADMOU P"ATAPAVAN
$n order to e-bolden D)ryodhana4 Bhish-a4 the -ighty grandsire4 the oldest o/ the )r)s4 now
raised a lions= roar and blew his (on(he.
t was the policy in ancient times to blow the conche during the war at the beginning of each day. t
was the signal to start fighting. The honour of blowing the conche usually went to the eldest statesman
on either side. No soldier dared to use his weapon before this ritual.
#hishma being the eldest of the race of ,urus was therefore gi$en the honour to blow his conche.
t is interesting to note that Dornacharya did not gi$e any reply to Duryodhana. >e *ust went on his
duty to fight for the ,aura$as. Dhy did he do soE
>e knew that Duryodhana was a spoilt prince and so did not merit a reply.
Drona was on the side of ,aura$as not by choice but because of sense of duty to the employer.
>e took the option of not replying to the prince.
Slo2a 19
TATAH SHANAS0HA BH!"#A$S0HA PANAVANAA GOMUAHA
SAHASA$VABH#A HAN#ANTA SA SHABDA TUMUDO=BHAVAT
*&hen Bhish-a blew the (on(h+ all the other warriors blew their (on(hes4 tr)-'ets4 dr)-s and
horns. The so)nd /illed all sides and was tre-endo)s.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page I
-s was the custom in those days, all the leaders of $arious sections in the $ast army carried their
conchs with them and blew them after #hishma did the honours first.
There were others who carried the trumpets and horns instead of the conchs. The two armies together
had ./ great di$isions and the sound by the war drums, trumpets and conchs filled the air on all the
sides. This, the poet describes as 5tremendous.7
Slo2a 1:
TATAH SV!TA$" HA#A$" #UT! MAHAT$ S#ANDAN! STH$TOU
MADHAVAHA PANDAVAS0HA$VA D$V#OU SHANOU P"ADAM#ATUHU
Then4 seated in the -agni/i(ent (hariot4 yo2ed with white horses4 rishna and Ar,)na blew their
divine (on(hes.
?ne has to imagine the ma*esty of 9ord ,rishna, taking up the role of charioteer, bringing the chariot
with -r*una on to the centre of the battlefield. -ny chariot with the 9ord will be ma*estic to look at
and be di$ine. n this instance, di$inity was enhanced as the chariot belonged to the 9ord of ;ire and
the horses were the property of "hitrangada, the king of !andhar$as 2celestial di$inities.3. The chariot
was a gift to -r*una from the 9ord of ;ire. -r*una, during the period of exile in the forest with his
brothers, had assisted the 9ord of ;ire in destroying the ,handa$a forest and the gift was in return for
the ser$ices rendered. The chariot and the horses were gifted with special magical powers. They could
mo$e from one position in the battlefield to another by flying o$er any obstacle and reach the selected
spot within seconds. -r*una could therefore be in any position within seconds.
The horses, the poet describes as 5white horses.7 ?ne can interpret the colour white as representing
5Dharma7 symbolising 5Purity.7 -s the 9ord himself was the charioteer whate$er that is under >is
control has to represent 5Purity.7
Madhava%
?ne of the names gi$en to 9ord ,rishna is Aadha$a. 4ach of the number of names gi$en to the >indu
deities does carry a special meaning and represent a di$ine &uality.
Aadha$a is one of the names of 9ord Vishnu and )ri ,rishna is an incarnation of 9ord Vishnu.
Aadha$a means 5husband of wealth.7 !oddess 9akshmi, symbolising the wealth is the consort of 9ord
Vishnu. Poet Vyasa, by using the word Aadha$a is letting us know that the !oddess of wealth,
9akshmi had showered her grace on the Panda$as. There was no way the Panda$as could be defeated.
#y their $ictory o$er the ,aura$as, they would rule o$er the kingdom. 5Ba*ya7 in )anskrit means
5,ingdom.7 5Ba*ya 9aksmi7, one of the eight names of !oddess 9akshmi is appropriate in this
context.
The word 5Vi*aya7 in )anskrit means 5Victory.7 -nother name gi$en to !oddess 9akshmi is 5Vi*aya
9akshmi.7 2the !oddess of $ictory.3 #y using the word 5Aadha$a7 the poet is assuring that the
Panda$as will achie$e $ictory and regain the kingdom.
9ord ,rishna was gi$en the honour to blow this conch first for the Panda$as. -r*una was the next in
line to blow his conch and others followed later.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .1
Slo2a 1; B 1@
PAN0HA%AN#AM H"$SH$!SHO D!VADATTAM DHANAN%A#AHA
P"OUND"AM DADMOU MAHASHANHAM BH!!MA A"MA V"$ODHA"AHA
ANANTA V$%A#AM "A%A UNT$ PUT"O #UDH$ST$"AHA
NAUDAHA SAHAD!VAS0HA SUGHOSHA MAN$ PUSHPAOU
ASH#AS0HA PA"AM!SH&ASAHA SH$AND!! 0HA MAHA"ATHAHA
D"$SHTA D#UMNO V$"ATAS0HA SAT#A$S0HA=PA"ADH$TAHA
D"UPADO D"OUPAD!#AS0HA SA"VASHAHA P"$TH$V!! PAT!=
SOUBHAD"AS0HA MAHABAHUHU SHANAN DADMUHU P"$THA P"$THA
Hrishi2esha blew the Pan(ha,anya4 and Dhanan,aya blew Devadatta4 and Vri2odhara the doer
o/ terrible deeds4 blew the great (on(h Pa)ndra.
ing #)dhistira4 son o/ )nti blew Ananatavi,aya-4 Na2)la and Sahadeva blew S)ghosha and
Mani')sh'a2aE
The 2ing o/ asi4 an e.(ellent ar(herE Si2handi4 the -ighty (o--ander Drishtady)-na4 Virata
and the )n(on>)ered Satya2aiE Dr)'ada4 the sons o/ Dro)'adi4 Abhi-any)4 the -ighty ar-ed4
all blew their res'e(tive (on(hs.
The main warriors from the Panda$a army who were gi$en the honour of blowing their respecti$e
conch are mentioned in the four $erses.
9et us analyse few words in these slokas.
>rishikesha% another name for 9ord ,rishna. t means 5he who is the ruler o$er the mind and the
senses.7
)ri ,rishna did not conduct any actions on impulse.
Dhanan*aya% it is another name for -r*una. t means 5con&ueror of wealth.7 -r*una went round the
country and won o$er many rulers and amassed a number of regions for his brother 6udhistira. #y his
battle skills, he expanded his brotherFs kingdom.
Vrikodhara% this word refers to #heema. t is said that he carried fire in his stomach and could
consume anything. Duryodhana once drowned #hima in the ri$er and a number of snakes bit him.
None of the poison from the bites affected him and he came back ali$e and strong. Duryodhana, at
another time ga$e poison in disguise but it did not kill #hima. >ence, he is called 5Vrikodhara.7
Pancha*anyam% it is the name of ,rishnaFs conch. ,rishna was taught by the !uru 5)andipa.7 The guru
asked ,rishna to get his son back. The story goes on to say that in this task, ,rishna had to kill the
demon Pancha*anya. The conch was made by the bones of the demon.
Slo2a 1A
SA GHOSHO DHA"T"A "ASHT"ANAAM H"$DA#AN$ V#ADA"A#AT
NABHAS0HA P"$TH$V!!M 0HA$VA TUMUDO V#ANUNADA#AN
The t)-)lt)o)s so)nds o/ the Pandava ar-y /illing all sides reverberated thro)gh the earth and
s2y and the so)nd /ro- all the warrior instr)-ents bro)ght in a sense o/ /ear in the heart o/ the
a)rava ar-y.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page ..
The Panda$as has 0 massi$e battalions of soldiers. - number of great warriors starting from 9ord
,rishna sounded their instruments. This sound was too loud and frightening to hear. -part from a
handful, the ,aura$a army, though fighting for Dhritarashtra, respected the Panda$as. They were
aware of the powers of ,rishna and the Panda$a brothers. To hear the sound that signalled the
beginning of the great war, brought a feeling of terror for them.
Slo2a 8C
ATHA V#AVAST$TAAN D"$SHTVA DHA"T"A "ASHT"AN AP$D&A%AHA
P"AV"$TT! SHAST"A SAMPAAT! DHANU" UD#AM#A PANDAVAHA
H"$SH$!SHAM TADAVA#AM $DAM AHA MAH!!PAT!
Then4 O r)ler o/ the earth4 seeing Dhritarashtra=s host being 'ositioned and the /ighting abo)t to
(o--en(e4 Pandava4 whose ensign badge is Han)-an4 li/ting his bow s'o2e the /ollowing words
to rishna.
n the present war, DhritarashtraFs hosts should be taken as the grand sire #hishma and the rest of the
,aura$a army.
#hishma had arranged a formation with his army and the warriors had taken up their respecti$e
positions.
-r*una, the master warrior in the Panda$a army was brought to the middle of the two opposing forces
in the chariot dri$en by ,rishna. >e was eager to take up the final task of regaining the lost kingdom.
The ensign badge on the chariot had the picture of Han)-an. This has some significance and we
should learn about the same.
.3 >anuman represents the path of 5#hakti.7 >is bhakti or de$otion is only to 9ord Bama.
During the period of exile, #hima had an occasion to fulfil DroupadiFs wish. )he had accidentally
come across an unusual flower in the forest and fell for it. )he pleads with #hima to get the flower for
her.
#hima went on a mission to find that flower. ?n the way, in the narrow path, there sat an old monkey
which obstructed the path. #hima arrogantly orders the monkey to mo$e out of his way. The monkey
replies that he is old and weak and has no physical strength to mo$e an inch. >e pleads #hima to lift
him physically and place him out of the path. #hima finds that with the massi$e physical strength he
had, he could not e$en lift the tail of the monkey an inch off the ground.
>e then re&uests the monkey to pardon him for the arrogant beha$iour. The monkey in turn re$eals his
true identity of >anuman. >anuman is considered to be the son of 9ord Dind. #hima is also
considered to be the son of the 9ord Dind. Thus, the two were really brothers.
>anuman blesses #hima and promises to help the Panda$as. >e would represent himself on the flag of
the Panda$as on the chariot dri$en by 9ord ,rishna.
Thus comes the situation when the flag on -r*unaFs chariot gets the picture of >anuman.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .<
<3 >anuman is considered to be the eternal ser$ant of 9ord Bama. ;or him there exists only one !od
and he is no other than 9ord Bama.
>e knew the identity of ,rishna as his belo$ed 9ord Bama. De therefore ha$e another episode that
pro$es that ,rishna is the 5-$atara7 of Vishnu. 9ord Bama from Treta 6uga, had reincarnated as
,rishna in Dwapara 6uga.
@3 >anuman represents #hakti. The Panda$as led by -r*una, had the flag with >anuman on the
chariot. t signifies that the Panda$as engaged in war had followed the path of #hakti.
Slo2a 81and 88
A"%UNA UVA0HA
S!NA#O" UBHA#O" MADH#! "ATHAM STHAPA#A M!=0H#UTA
#AVAD !TAN N$"!!SH#!HAM #ODDHU AMAAN AVASTH$TAAN
A$" MA#A SAHA #ODDHAV#AM ASM$N "ANA SAMUD#AM!
Ar,)na said3
Pla(e -y (hariot4 O A(hy)ta4 between the two ar-ies so that $ -ay behold the warB-inded that
stand here4 with who- $ -)st wage this war.
A(hy)ta refers to ,rishna. t is one of the .11/ names attributable to >im. The word 5-chyuta7
means, 5The one who does not fall.7
The three states of spiritual e$olution of humans is said to be%
Tamasic --- laHy, indolence, ignorant state.
Ba*asic --- acti$e, passionate, selfish state.
)at$ic --- pure state.
De are supposed to lift oursel$es from the lower state of 5Tamas to Ba*as7. De should then rise from
5Ba*as to )at$a.7
>a$ing succeeded in climbing up the spiritual ladder, e$en though one reaches the higher state of
5)at$a7, there de$elops a sense of pride in ha$ing reached the state of 5)at$a.7 t is like getting a
higher degree like 5Aasters7 in oneFs studies.
8nfortunately, human mind being what it is, sense of 5Pride7 takes o$er. De start looking down upon
the ones below us. This sense of pride e$entually leads to the downfall again from the spiritual heights
reached.
The only ones who can climb up e$en further than 5)at$a7 are those who manage to drop the 54go7
and merge with the 5)upreme.7 This state is called 5)uddha )at$a.7
>a$ing become one with the 5)upreme7, there is no further drop from the spiritual heights reached.
)uch an indi$idual looses his own identity and becomes the 5)upreme7 by becoming one with it.
This state is the state of 5-chyuta'. - 5>e, who does not fall down.7
The 9ord ne$er falls down from the state of 5)upreme Purusha7.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .@
?ne can also see that from this sloka onwards, -r*una uses the word 5my7, 57 many number of times.
This demonstrates the power of 54go7 in him.
Slo2a 89
#OTS#AMANAN AV!S!FHAM #A !T!T"A SAMAGATAHA
DHA"T"A "ASHT"AS#A DU"BUDDH!" #UDDH! P"$#A 0H$!!"SHAVAHA
$ will see those warriors asse-bled here /or the /ight4 wishing to 'lease the evil -inded
D)ryodhana.
Becollecting the story of the great epic, the Aahabharata, of which the #haga$adgita is a part of, we
should remember that the war was between the Panda$as and the ,aura$as.
The Panda$as fought for the *ust cause to get the proper share of the kingdom.
Duryodhana with support from his maternal uncle )hakuni and friend ,arna had persuaded his blind
father, 4mperor Dhritarashtra to declare the war against the Panda$as.
Those were the days, G111yrs ago, when each kingdom had its allies and $assals. n case of war, the
allies and the $assals pledged their army to their superior, the king. ?n that basis, the Panda$as had a
total army that e&ualled se$en battalions and the ,aura$as, .. battalions. The leaders of the $arious
sections in the battalions would fight to die for their king.
-r*una states that he wanted to see the warriors assembled to fight for the enemy Duryodhana. >e uses
the ad*uncti$e 'e$il minded' in reference to Duryodhana. t was true that Duryodhana was e$il
minded. >e de$ised so many e$il plans to kill the Panda$a brothers. Dhen the attempts failed, he
de$ised plans to snatch their kingdom by un*ust means. >e stooped down to the le$el of insulting
Droupadi in the open assembly. -r*unaJs blood was boiling and he could not wait for the war to begin.
Those who were on the side of ,aura$as could be di$ided into respected elders like the grandsire
#hishma, guru Dronacharya, family priest ,ripacharya and others. #hishma fought for the ,aura$as
because of the solemn promise he had gi$en to his father 2see explanation pro$ided with )loka ..3.
Dronacharya and ,ripacharya were the employees of Dhritarashtra and had solemn duty to fight for
their employer. The allies and $assals automatically had to fight for the ,aura$as.
-ll these could not be called 'e$il minded'. The fact they fought for unrighteousness, they did not
deser$e any mercy from the Panda$as. The Panda$a brothers and their allies were roaring to face the
enemy and kill them.
-r*una had entered the battle scene with this frame of mind and hence the re&uest for placing the
chariot at the most suitable spot so that he could see the assembled enemy forces and get the adrenaline
flowing.
SAN%A#A UVA0HA
Slo2a 8: and 8;
#!VAMUTO H"$SH$!SHO GUDA!SH!NA BHA"ATA
S!NA#O" UBHA#O" MADH#! STHAPA#$TVA "ATHOTTAMAM
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .C
BH!!SHMA D"ONA P"AMUHATAHA SA"V!SHAM 0HA MAH!!SH$TAAM
UVA0HA PA"THA PAS0HA$TAN SAMAV!TAAN U"UN $T$
San,aya said3
Th)s addressed by Ar,)na4 Dord rishna 'la(ed the noble (hariot in the -iddle o/ the ar-ies4
and in /ront o/ Bhish-a4 Drona and all other 'ro-inent 2ings. He said4 O Ar,)na4 behold the
a)ravas gathered together.
Note that )an*aya, the war reporter:correspondent uses the words 'thus addressed' and not 'thus
commanded'. -fter all, the charioteer of -r*una was not ordinary employee but the 9ord himself.
-r*una could ne$er command ,rishna, his charioteer.
9ord ,rishna, obeys the re&uest by the warrior on >is chariot. >e is fulfilling the re&uest by -r*una
and placed the chariot at a suitable spot which would pro$ide -r*una with a good $iew of all the senior
warriors on the side of the ,aura$as.
There are three words to note from these slokas% '>rishikesha' , '!udakesha.' and 'Partha.' 9et us
look at the meaning of these words%
'>rishikesha'% '>rishika' means 'senses' and '4sa means 9ord.' '9ord o$er the senses' is 'The 9ord
>imself'. n this context it refers to 9ord ,rishna.
'!udakesha' means '"on&ueror o$er sleep.' -s we know sleep is a tamasic &uality. -r*una is
recei$ing the '!reat spiritual lesson', his mind needs to be constantly awake and alert to e$ery word
spoken. ,rishna imparted the !ita to -r*una because he had this special &uality while listening to the
highest spiritual teaching.
'Partha'% it is another name for '-r*una.' -r*una was the son of 'Pritha' and hence he got the name.
'Pritha' is another name for his mother ,unti.
)ura was a 6ada$a king and he had a daughter by name Pritha. >e had a cousin ,untibho*a who was
childless and re&uested to adopt Pritha. )ura obliged with the re&uest and ga$e Pritha to ,untibho*a.
-s she was adopted by ,untibho*a, Pritha got the name ',unti.' ,unti was gi$en the *ob of looking
after the guests who $isited the country. ?ne of the guests she looked after was the sage 'Dur$asa.'
Pleased by her ser$ices, the sage ga$e her a special boon. >e ga$e her six special mantras. Becitation
of each of the mantra would bring the deity of the mantra to her and he would bless her with a child.
The fi$e Panda$a brothers and ,arna came to be considered as her children by the special deities of
those mantras.
There is a )anskrit word 'Parthi$a' which means 'made of clay.' The word 'Pritha' relates to this
word 'Parthi$a.' "lay is perishable and our body made of the fi$e gross elements is perishable. ?ur
body is therefore 'mortal' which means 'perishable.'
The sacred text is from the 'mperishable 9ord ,rishna' to '-r*una who is a mortal.' -r*una is
representati$e for all of us, the mortals.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .G
Slo2a 8< and 8?
TAT"A PASH#AT STH$TAAN PA"THAHA P$T"UN ATHA P$TAMAHAAN
A0HA"#AAN MATUDAAN BH"AT"AAN PUT"AAN POUT"AAN SAH!!MS TATHA
SHVASU"AAN SUH"UDAS 0HA$VA S!NA#O" UBHA#O" AP$
TAAN SAM!!SH#A SA OUNT!#A SA"VAAN BANDHOON AVASTH$TAAN
"$PA#A PA"A#A V$SHTO V$SH!!DANN $DAM AB"AV!!T
There4 Ar,)na saw /ather4 grand/ather4 tea(hers4 )n(les4 brothers4 sons4 grandsons4 (o-'anions4
/athersBinBlaw and /riends in both the ar-ies.
Seeing all those relations4 standing arrayed in the battle4 Ar,)na th)s s'o2e sorrow/)lly4 /illed
with dee' 'ity.
De should remember that the great war was a conse&uence of acts of 'adharma' by Duryodhana. )ri
,rishna, the Di$ine ncarnate, sided the Panda$as. To a$oid the bloodshed in the battle, >e took
personally the responsibility of reconciliation. Dhen all the efforts at a peaceful negotiations failed, the
war was declared by the 9ord >imself.
Those were the days of rule by the royalty who kept a tight rein o$er their territory. Dar with the ruler
o$er the ad*oining territory to expand the kingdom was not considered wrong. Democracy as we know
now with leaders elected by the public was not in $ogue.
The kshatriya race were born warriors. They were geared to accept that taking part in a righteous war
was considered as heroic. They belie$ed that winning the war would gi$e control o$er new territory
and dying in the battle would confer entry into hea$en.
8nfortunately, -r*una who entered with a positi$e frame of mind to win back the territory 2which
belonged to his brother rightfully3 is seen to be entering into a state of mental crisis. "hange of attitude
can be seen in the following $erses. nstead of being a stout lion hearted ,shatriya, he becomes a soft
hearted week indi$idual. >e entered the battle as a well acclaimed hero. >is attitude is that of a
kinsman looking at the arrayed army in terms of personal relationship.
t was not really an act of discrimination but an act of ignorance on his part. This unfortunately, is the
downfall of an indi$idual from spiritual heights achie$ed by gaining knowledge. t is the gateway to
the fall and degradation.
>e pitied all the relations who had entered the battlefield on either side.
The word to note is 'ri'a'. t means 'Pity.'
'Pity' as such is a noble &uality in the spiritual path. 4xpressing pity and forgetting 'Dharma' cannot
be termed as 'noble &uality.' -r*una was exactly in this frame of mind. t was 'mental weakness' born
out of 'ignorance.'
Kust like we go to the physician to get cured of the bodily illness, we need to go to the ')piritual
physician' to cleanse the mind of the 'ignorance.'
-fter letting -r*una express his sorrow, )ri ,rishna gi$es the ')piritual medicine' which is the sacred
text ')rimad #haga$adgita', courtesy of )age Poet Veda Vyasa..
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .=
Slo2as 8@4 8A and 9C
Ar,)na Uva(ha
D"$SHTV!MAM S&A%ANAM "$SHNA #U#UTSUM SAMUPAST$TAM
S!!DANT$ MAMA GAT"AN$ MUHAM 0HA PA"$SHUSH#AT$
V!PATUS0HA SA"$"!F M!F "OMAHA"SHAS0HA %A#AT!
GAND!!VAM S"AMSAT! HASTAAT TVA 0HA$VA PA"$DAH#AT!
NA 0HA SHANOM# AVASTHATUM BH"AMAT!!VATA 0HA M!F MANAHA
Ar,)na said3
O rishna4 seeing these4 -y own 2ins-en gathered4 eager to /ight4 -y li-bs /ail4 -y tong)e is
dried )'4 -y body tre-bles4 -y s2in is b)rning all over and -y hair stands on end4 and even -y
-ind is whirling. My Gandiva is sli''ing /ro- -y hand. $ (annot stand )'.
Note that -r*una has used the word 'my' nine times in these three slokas.
;rom medical point of $iew, as a man of depression approaches his psychologist, the words used by
-r*una express his 'weakness, despair and sorrowful state.' The psychoanalyst would say that the
patient is showing symptoms of '-nxiety Neurosis.'
-r*una is showing signs of 'self pity.'
-r*unaJs weapon of action was '!andee$a.' t was the magical bow presented to him by the
!andhar$as. t had the power of a thousand bows and came with two inexhaustible &ui$ers. No other
weapon could damage it. 2-fter the departure of ,rishna from the physical world at the end of >is
-$atara, it is said that the bow lost its magical powers.3
)ymbolically, '!andi$a slipping from the hand' means that -r*una lost the power to hold the weapon.
This was the result of 'mental weakness'. Dhate$er the strength of the indi$idual may be, during
moments of mental weakness like depression, the body suddenly loses all the physical strength. De
lose the strength to hold on to the tool of action in our life and fail to conduct the ordained duties.
Dhy did a great warrior like -r*una suddenly de$elop this symptom, especially on the battlefield, the
first day of the most important battle of his lifeE
?ne can say that -r*una de$eloped the symptoms of depression because he saw his 'personal
relationship' of the warriors assembled. This made him lose the 'knowledge of right action.' -s we
ha$e discussed before, he had gi$en his full support to brother 6udhistira to fight the 'war of
righteousness'. -s a ,shatriya warrior of repute, he had only one duty to perform and it was 'to assist
his brother in uprooting the e$il.' Towards this he had the support and blessings of the 9ord >imself.
Dhat he said to ,rishna shows his 'gnorance.'
The remedy for the ignorance is 'At-a %nana'. -r*una had to realise the true identity of indi$iduals
including himself. The knowledge of the ')elf' would clear the $eil of 'Aaya' and the spiritual seeker
can get the mental strength to fight the 'ignorance'.
)age poet, #hagawan Veda Vyasa is referring to all the '-r*unaJs of the world' and helping them to
clear the 'spiritual ignorance.' Dhat we are going to get in the chapters to come is the ',nowledge of
the true )elf' in each of us.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .0
9et us offer our prayers to the 9ord and re&uest >im to lead us in the spiritual *ourney in search of the
'4ternal #liss'.
Slo2a 91
N$M$TTAN$ 0HA PASH#AM$ V$PA"!!TAN$ !SHAVA
NA 0HA SH"!#ON UPASH#AM$ HATVA SVA%ANAM AHAV!F
O rishna4 $ see -any ill o-ens. $ do not )nderstand what good (o)ld (o-e in 2illing -y
2ins-en in the battle.
n states of hysteria, instead of the reasoning capacity ruling o$er the thoughts arising in the mind, the
mind neglects the ad$ice gi$en by the reasoning capacity 2intellect3. -r*unaJs mind, 2because of his
family relationship of the warriors assembled3 was looking at each leader assembled in terms of
personal relationship.
>is intellect would be telling the mind that the leading warriors assembled on the opposite camp were
siding with adharma.
#ut, -r*unaJs mind became stronger and intellect got weaker 2the *unior worker in an office, second in
command decides to neglect his senior officer, first-in-command.3
#ecause of this mental state, -r*una starts seeing ill omens. 2t is interesting to note that e$en in those
days, G111yrs ago, people belie$ed in ill omens.3
The *unior 2mind3 who took charge neglected the seniorJs 2intellect3 ad$ice. >e took a wrong decision
and interpreted the dharma wrongly.
The feelings felt by -r*una were sub*ecti$e and not ob*ecti$e. >is intellect got clouded. t is like the
brilliant light of the sun hidden by the dark clouds. #ecause the mind got weaker the organs of action
lost their strength and the !andee$a slipped from his hands. >e could not e$en remain standing.
Aental weakness got reflected as physical weakness.
Slo2a 984 99 and 9:
NA AN0H! V$%A#AM "$SHNA NA 0HA "A%#AM SUHAN$ 0HA
$M NO "A%#!NA GOV$NDA $M BHOGA$"%!!V$T!NA VAA
#!SHAMA"TH! ANS0H$TAM NO "A%#AM BHOGAAHA SUHAN$ 0HA
TA $M!VASTH$TA #UDDH! P"ANAMS T#ATVA DHANAN$ 0HA
A0HA"#AHA P$TA"AHA PUT"AS TATHA$VA 0HA P$TAMAHAHA
MATUDAHA SHVASHU"AHA POUT"AHA SH#ADAHA SAMBANDH$NAS TATHA
O rishna4 $ do not desire vi(tory or 2ingdo-4 or 'leas)res. O/ what avail is this 2ingdo- to )s7
O/ what avail is the en,oy-ent or even li/e itsel/ to )s7
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page ./
Those /or whose sa2e we desire 2ingdo-4 en,oy-ent and 'leas)res stand here ready /or the
battle4 having reno)n(ed their wealth and li/e.
Tea(hers4 /athers4 sons4 grand/athers4 -aternal )n(les4 /athersBinBlaw4 grandsons4 brothersBinB
law and other relatives.
Note the words 'desires, en*oyments, pleasures,' used by -r*una. ';or whose sake we desire kingdom
and en*oyment' he says. Duryodhana, his cousin on the opposite side was definitely fighting to keep
his kingdom, not share it with cousins and desirous of en*oying the bounties from the war.
t is common knowledge that most of us would like to share and en*oy the benefits of our action with
our close family and friends. n the beginning, the royal family of king Dhritarashtra was beaming with
sounds of merriment from the Panda$as and the ,aura$as. -s children they were playing together in
and around the palace. -r*una did come to the battlefield to win or die. The thought of losing so many
family members in the war had not occurred to him so far. )uddenly, it dawned on him that the palace
would be like 'crematorium grounds' with no sounds of happiness shared by the family members.
"ertainly -r*una was on a higher pedestal. >e wanted to en*oy the results with all the $arious members
of the family and other relati$es. The war was between the two cousins who li$ed together but fighting
to get rid of the other side. >ence all those leaders assembled are all family members only.
The fault, as far as we can see at this *uncture is '-r*unaJa desire for the fruits of actions.' The idea of
sharing it with family is laudable. -s we proceed with the rest of the !ita we will come to understand
that we ha$e to fight the battle of life as a sacred duty and not be looking for the results of the actions.
-r*una is showing signs of renunciation. t is not enough. )ingle pointed concentration during
discharge of duties is essential to get the best results. The aim of the Panda$as was to accept the
guidance from the 9ord >imself, fight the in*ustice and protect the citiHens of the kingdom from those
who ruled against the in*unctions of the scriptures. -r*una, the highly trained warrior should ha$e
showed signs of 'cocentration' on the task ahead.
#y using the words expressing renunciation of en*oying the pleasures to be accrued by winning the
war, -r*una can be seen actually ready to recei$e the most precious knowledge from )ri ,rishna. The
9ord is going to impart the '-tma Knana', the knowledge of onesJ true )elf.
Slo2a 9;
!TAN NA HANTUM $T0HAAM$ GHNATOFP$ MADHUSUDHANA
AP$ T"A$DO#A "A%#AS#A H!TOH $M NU MAH!!"UT!
O Madh)s)dhana4 $ do not wish to 2ill the-4 tho)gh they -ay 2ill -e4 even /or the sa2e o/
do-inion over all the three worlds4 -)(h less /or a /rag-ent o/ this earth.
Aadhusudhana% destroyer of the demon Aadhu. t is another name referring to ,rishna, the incarnation
of Vishnu. n puranic mythology, #rahma is represented as 9ight and Aadhu as Darkness. Aadhu
seeks continually to destroy #rahma, the 9ight and was finally destroyed by Vishnu.
#y using the word '' and 'me' -r*una is still referring to his physical body. -s a kshatriya he had the
right to fight for his kingdom. The kshatriya was brought up from childhood to realise that it was the
duty of e$ery member of his race to be prepared to fight when needed. Death during the battle was
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page .I
considered an honour e&ual to winning the battle. -t the same time he should be ready to kill the
enemy during the battle. ,illing the enemy in the battle was not considered to be an act of sin.
n the present situation, his mental disposition makes him say that he is ready to disarm and not
bothered if the enemy kills him. >e was ready to let Duryodhana take o$er the kingdom and rule the
land.
The philosophy says that our actions are due to our thought imprints of the past. n this instance,
-r*una had a strong bank of thought imprint in his mind to kill the wicked cousin Duryodhana and his
brothers. f he decided not to fight, the past thought imprints would not disappear by magic. They
would still be stored in his memory bank. They would ha$e to manifest at a later date. n other words,
by not fighting -r*una would only be postponing the ine$itable and has to be born again to clear those
thought imprints.
-r*una was ignorant of the '$asanas and the art to extinguish them from the mind.' -s we go through
the !ita we will find an answer to the &uestion of 'how to get rid of the $asanas.' 4$en a learned
gentleman and a great warrior like -r*una succumbed to the weakness of the mind. 9uckily he had
,rishna the 9ord >imself to guide him in the right path.
De are lucky and blessed to ha$e the philosophy of the !ita in front of us to help us to o$ercome the
ignorance.
Slo2a 9<
N$HAT#A DHA"T"A"ASHT"AN NAH A P"!!T$H$ S#A% %ANA"DHANA
PAPAM !VAST"A#!D ASMAN HATVA$TAAN ATATA#$NAHA
&hat 'leas)re (an be o)rs4 O %anardana4 by 2illing these sons o/ Dhritarashtra. Sin alone will
be o)r gain by 2illing these /elons.
-r*una e$idently is aware of 'results of actions conducted.' -ny action brings in its result that can be
either due for a reward or deser$es punishment. n the present situation he is faced with the actions that
in$ol$e killing the soldiers including some members of oneJs own family. -nalysing from the 'mental
plane' he is concluding that by killing his own cousins he would ha$e committed an act of sin and so
deser$es punishment. Punishment does hurt and is not a pleasurable experience. )o he puts in a
&uestion% 'what pleasure can be ours'E
>is next statement is ')in alone will be our gain by killing these felons.'
f we can understand the true meaning of the word 'felon' we can see that his statement is wrong. -s a
member of the ruling caste, he has to know the law of the land. n those days 'Aanu Dharma )astra'
was the basis for ruling the land. 9et us look at who is a 'felon' according to Aanu.
- felon is he who has committed one of the following fi$e heinous crimes%
.. )ets fire to another personJs house with an intention of killing the inmates.
<. Poisons an indi$idual with an intention to kill.
@. ;alls on an indi$idual with a sword to kill.
C. )teals unlawfully the wealth of another person.
G. )teals the wife of another person.
Aanu categorically states in his 'Dharma )astra' that the penalty for a felon is 'Death.' rrespecti$e of
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <1
who the felon is, he should ha$e to be killed.
-r*una accepts that the ,aura$as had committed not one but all the abo$e fi$e crimes. The $erdict of
the *ury should be anonymous% 'they are the felons.'
>a$ing said that, he should then pass the $erdict of 'death.' Dhen one has followed the law of the land
in the conduct of an action, then he is said to ha$e not committed a sinful act. The *udge would not
ha$e committed a sin by passing death sentence to a criminal whose crime was pro$ed beyond
reasonable doubt.
>ere, -r*una says that by killing the 'felons', the ,aura$as, he would ha$e committed a sin and so
would be punished. >e is confused and his $erdict is wrong.
t would be helpful if we look at the meaning of the word 'Kanardana'. This is another of the names for
9ord ,rishna.
The word means 'gi$er of rewards.' >e is considered as one of the <C -$ataras of 9ord Vishnu. -s
Kanardana, Vishnu takes the form of planets and gi$es fruits of conse&uences for actions of
men:women on the earth.
;rom the point of $iew of mankind, the planets are di$inities and spiritual element predominates in
them. They bestow benefits to the life on the earth by their configuration. They are considered as
'celestial wanderers.' ?n the contrary, we, part of life on this earth ha$e predominance of 'life
element' in us. Aa*ority of us by our actions cannot be considered as 'di$ine elements on earth.' The
basis of horoscope according to the >indu tradition is determined by the position of the planets at the
time of birth of the indi$idual.
Slo2a 9?
TASMAN NA"HA VA#AM HANTUM DHA"T"A "ASHT"AN SVABHANDAVAN
S&A%ANAM H$ ATHAM HATVA SUH$NAH S#AMA MADHAVA
O Madhava4 there/ore we sho)ld not 2ill the sons o/ Dhritarashtra who are o)r relations. How
(an we be ha''y by 2illing o)r own 'eo'le7
-r*una on his part has so far expressed his distress. >ere, he is gi$ing his final opinion. 'Therefore we
should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra', he says.
9ike a scholar he proceeds and puts forward the &uestion% '>ow can we be happy killing our own
peopleE'
t shows his ignorance about the Vedas and his duty to the society. >e did not learn the Vedas
completely and is passing *udgement on the sub*ect he is not &ualified. >e has not understood the
principle of ',arma.'
Through the medium of -r*una, we are going to be taught in the subse&uent chapters the fine arts of
conducting our actions.
f we conduct work as 'duty' most of the misconceptions will disappear and the results will be
beneficial for us and the society.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <.
De ha$e a duty to the '!od outside' and to the '!od inside.'
The '!od outside' is the society and the $arious forms of life in the uni$erse.
The '!od inside' is the '-tman' within us.
De cannot li$e for a second without the presence of the -tman inside and without the society and the
$arious forms of life. De li$e a life of co-operation for mutual benefit.
n the present context of the battle of righteousness, there is no &uestion of 'killing our own people'
and experiencing 'happiness'. -r*una should be looking at what is beneficial to the sub*ects in their
land. >e is already confident of success in the battle but feels that the happiness of $ictory is not worth
the sorrow in losing the kith and kin. These are the words of a confused man. >e needs treatment that
can clear the ignorance.
Slo2a 9@ and 9A
#AD#AP#!T! NA PASH#ANT$ DOBHOPA HATA0H!TASAHA
UDA SHA#A "$TAM DOSHAM M$T"AD"OH!F 0HA PATAAM.
ATHAM NA %N!#AM ASMABH$H$ PAPAD ASMAN N$VA"T$TUM
UDA SHA#A "$TAM DOSHAM P"APASH#ADBH$" %ANA"DHANA.
O rishna4 tho)gh these -en whose -inds are over'owered by greed4 see no evil in their
destr)(tion o/ /a-ilies and the sin in hostility to /riend4 why do not we realise the evil o/ sel/B
destr)(tion and t)rn away /ro- the 'ath o/ sin7
L ,ula kshaya% destruction of family.
-r*una is now talking about the 'Destruction of the family'. Dhat is the familyE
n childhood, the parents are the family. The parents ha$e a duty to look after their children and to see
that the children become useful members of the society. n some instances it is not *ust useful member
of the society but also a respected member of the society.
-s the child grows into an adult, the roles gradually change and the child as an adult has a duty to look
after the parents.
-s one climbs up ladder, the responsibility also increases.
The responsibility as a teacher is to all the children in the class. ;or the head master it is for the entire
school. Department of education is for all the children:students.
?ne can say that the family gets wider and bigger.
-r*una held a higher position and he could not *ust look at his immediate family and cousins as his and
his responsibility is only for them. Beally speaking his responsibility is first to the sub*ects in his
brotherJs kingdom. Not fulfilling oneJs responsibility to the sub*ects is a sin.
-r*una has to change his idea of the family.
f he fails in his role, he will be causing destruction of the sub*ects in their territory.
L )in in hostility to a friend%
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <<
n the war of righteousness the matter of friend does not arise. -r*una had to be .11M hostile to the
soldiers in the opposite camp.
Slo2a :C4 :1 and :8
UDASHA#! P"ANASH#ANT$ UDADHA"MA SANATANAHA
DHA"M! NASHT! UDAM "$TSNAM ADHA"MOFBH$BHAVAT#U0HA
ADHA"MABH$BHAVAAT "$SHNA P"ADUSH#ANT$ UDAST"$#AHA
ST"!!SHU D"$SHTVASU VA"SHN!#A %A#AT! VA"NA SANA"AHA
SANA"OF NA"AA#A$VA UDAGHNANAM UDAS#A 0HA
PATANT$ P$TA"O H#!SHAAM DUPTA P$NDODAA "$#AHA
O rishna4 when the /a-ily is destroyed4 i--e-orial religio)s rites and rit)als 'erish4 when
these 'erish4 they /all into a state o/ i-'iety. By i-'iety4 the wo-en o/ the /a-ily be(o-e
(orr)'t. &hen wo-en be(o-e (orr)'t4 the ')rity o/ the (aste is 'oll)ted by (on/)sion and
ad-i.t)re. 0aste 'oll)tion leads to hell /or both the /a-ily and the slayers o/ the /a-ily. The
dead /ore/athers /all /or- the higher real-s o/ e.isten(e being de'rived o/ the rites o/ sraddha
and tar'ana.
-r*una is indirectly gi$ing us some information on the family system of the days gone bye. De ha$e to
understand that the family was the unit and families together formed the society. The elders in the
family conducted $arious religious rites and rituals. These were passed on from generation to
generation. The entire family took part in the rituals conducted with family and friends. The children
as they grow up continue the same tradition. f not for the traditions, the religion would be dead by
now. 2De need to understand the intellectual meaning and significance of many of the rituals
conducted. f not they become actions of blind faith and the present generation of youngsters loose
interest and sometimes turn against the religion itself.3
L Dhen the family is destroyed%
The men in the olden days were the breadwinners and the women were responsible for bringing up the
children. There were no uni$ersities and teaching institutions like what we ha$e now. The #rahmin
and ,shatriya children went to the !urukula ashrama to learn the Vedas and 8panisads. The children
from the Vysya 2business3 community learnt the trade by obser$ing and assisting their father. The art
was passed from generation to generation and kept ali$e by this method.
n those days there were wars fre&uently between the ad*oining kingdoms. The men went as soldiers to
protect their country. Dar as we know leads to a number of catastrophes.
Death of the soldiers in the war is una$oidable. The death of the soldier would mean death of the
breadwinner for that family. This means destruction of the familiesJ infrastructure. >ence the statement
'when the family is destroyed.'
Dithout the men, the religious rites come to a halt.
The children would ha$e no one to control their actions. They would take part in acts of crime and sin.
L The women in the family become corrupt%
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <@
There are mainly two reasons for this to happen. .3 The women not ha$ing the financial support would
become pray to unscrupulous men who take ad$antage of the situation. <3 The in$ading soldiers would
conduct sinful acts on the helpless widows.
This brings about the pollution of the caste. The method of transmitting the skills from father to son
comes to a halt. There would ensue a ma*or confusion in the society. The assault from foreign soldiers
brings about admixture of $arious castes.
-s this destroys the society the learned elders use strong words like% '"aste pollution leads to hell for
both the family and the slayers of the family.' n the name of hell and suffering in hell, they wanted
the men and women not to undertake sinful acts that bring destruction of the entire society.
?ne of the >indu customs is conduct of religious rites 2sraddha3 to the departed forefathers of the
family. )raddha and tarpana are supplementary rites to the funeral ceremony performed in honour of
the deceased elder:elders. t includes offering a cake of rice to the immediate three generations of the
deceased. The subtle bodies of the forefathers would come down and partake the cake offered.
Through the medium of the cake, the merits collected by the li$ing family members are passed on the
deceased elders. This would assist them in their final union with '#rahman'.
;ailure to conduct the sraddha would pre$ent the deceased from attaining the moksha. They would fall
down from the heights of spiritual progress achie$ed.
Slo2as :9B:;
DOSHA$" !TA$H$ UDAGHNANAAM VA"NA SANA"A A"AA$H$
UTSAD#ANT! %AT$ DHA"MAHA UDADHA"MAS 0HA SHASHVATAHA
UTSANNA UDA DHA"MANAAM MANUSH#ANAAM %ANA"DHANA
NA"A!F N$#ATAM VASO BHAVAT$T$ ANUSHUSH"UMA
AHO BATA MAHAT PAPAM A"TUM V#VAS$TA VA#AM
#AD "A%#A SUHA DOBH!NA HANTUM SVA%ANAM UD#ATAHA
O rishna4 by these evil deeds o/ the destroyers o/ the /a-ily who (an (a)se (aste 'oll)tion4 the
eternal laws o/ ra(e and /a-ily 'erish.
Men whose sa(red rites and rit)als are destroyed are (o-'elled to inherit hell /or an )n2nown
'eriod. Th)s have we heard4 O %anardana.
Oh4 see4 we have engaged in (o--itting a heino)s sin4 as we are ready to 2ill o)r own 2ins-en
,)st /or the sa2e o/ the 'leas)res o/ the sovereignty.
?ne can see that the caste system of '#rahmana, ,shatriya, Vaisya and )hudra' was in $ogue in those
days. De can also imply that roles and duties were allotted to men of different castes. The society li$ed
in harmony when each indi$idual family unit carried on its duties.
-s a conse&uence of war, 2which we discussed in the pre$ious slokas3 se$eral men, the bread-winners
of family loose their li$es. This causes ha$oc to the remaining family members of that unit. -r*una
refers to his cousins ,aura$as who would ha$e destroyed the family and cause caste pollution. #y
taking part in the war, the Panda$as would also be responsible for the problems the society would face
'post-war.'
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <C
The routine religious rites in a number of families would come to a halt. Dith this the eternal laws of
family perish. Dhen a large number of families are destroyed, the race would soon perish.
To stop this catastrophe, the learned elders brought out the idea of 'hea$en and hell.' Those that
caused destruction of family and thereby destroy the religion, they said, would end up in hell. They
also said that it would be a $ery long period in hell. >ell is to be considered as a place of suffering.
-r*una was taught this in his gurukula ashrama and by the elders in their family.
>e expresses the fact to ,rishna that by taking part in the war, the Panda$as would suffer the same fate
as the ,aura$as.
-ccording to him, there is no difference between Panda$as and ,aura$as in the aim of the war. #oth
were fighting to get so$ereignty of the land. Dhoe$er wins the war would still ha$e to face life in hell
for the sin committed.
';amily dharma' in this context means 'code of conduct' as prescribed by the sastras and which is
beneficial to the family and the society by the members of each family unit.
Slo2a :<
#AD$ MAM AP"AT$A"AM ASHAST"AM SHAST"APANA#AHA
DHA"T"A "ASHT"A "ANOF HAN#US TAN M!F SH!MATA"AM BHAV!T.
$/ the sons o/ Dhritarashtra4 wea'ons in hand4 slay -e in the battle4 )nresisting and )nar-ed4
that wo)ld be better *bene/i(ial+ /or -e.
>a$ing decided not to fight, -r*una is trying to *ustify the decision. >e is looking at the end result of
his decision not to fight. >e is misreading the word ',shema.' >e is looking at the fruits of action.
#y running away from the battle and not killing the respected elders and teachers he thought there
would be merit points for him. t shows his ignorance of the sastras.
>e is wrong also to think of the 'fruits of action.' The rest of the !ita is about actions and the spirit of
conducting the same.
Through the medium of -r*una, the 9ord is going to correct our mistakes in understanding of the
sacred philosophy.
Slo2a :?
SAN%A#A UVA0HA
#!VAMUTVA"%UNAH SAMH#! "ATHOPASTHA UPAV$SHAT
V$S"U%#A SASHA"AM 0HAPAM SHOA SAMV$GNHA MANASAHA
Having s'o2en in this -anner4 Ar,)na4 distressed with sorrow4 dro''ed his bow and arrows and
sat on the seat o/ his (hariot.
Newsletter by Dr. P.V. Nath 2"opyright Dr. Nath, <11=3% #haga$ad !ita - "hapter ., Page <G
Dhat has -r*una done so far and why did he do what he didE
-r*una expressed the symptoms of depression in greater detail. >e was fortunate and blessed with the
presence of the greatest teacher in the form of 9ord ,rishna. 9ord ,rishna was the charioteer. t was
not coincidence that ,rishna was -r*unaJs charioteer. >e was aware of this situation de$eloping and he
knew that for the welfare of humanity in general there was a dire need to make the philosophy of
',arma, Knana, #hakti and Dhyana' clear to those who were desirous to know. The war between the
cousins was the most appropriate moment for lighting the knowledge of wisdom.
-r*una as a patient who suddenly felt extremely depressed *ust before undertaking the ma*or battle in
his life, decided that he needed the help of a psychoanalyst. )ri ,rishna, we can say is the worldJs first
'Psychoanalyst' we know of. True to the profession, >e listened to all the symptoms the patient came
up with and did not interrupt him in the middle with probing &uestions.
The dropping of the bow and arrows expresses his mental weakness. The body of the great warrior lost
its physical strength due to 'grief.' The grief was due to the ignorance of the sastras. )astras are meant
for the welfare of the mankind and the uni$erse.
4ach one of us has a god ordained duty to conduct in this world and has the presence of the !od inside
to guide us in the discharge of our duties to !od and the society. De must not let the 'ego' blind us to
this reality.
The !od is there constantly to bestow >is grace and we must know how to approach >im and recei$e
the grace.
$T$ S"$MAD BHAGA&ADG$TAS UPAN$SADTSU B"AHMA V$D#A#AM #OGA SAST"!
S"$ $"$SHNA"%UNA SAMVAD! A"%UNA V$SHADA #OGO NAMA
P"ATHAMODH#A#AHA.
Th)s is designated the /irst (ha'ter GAr,)na Vishada #ogaGo/ the Bhagavadgita whi(h is a
U'anisad4 Brah-a Vidya *2nowledge o/ the Brah-an+ and #oga Sastra *s(ien(e o/ #oga+ and
whi(h is in the /or- o/ a dialog)e between Sri rishna and Ar,)na.
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