My reflections of the Bhagvad Gita

My reflections of the Bhagvad Gita

Words are limited in their capacity to encompass the vast spectrum of human experiences. Nevertheless, there are certain words, certain teachings, that transcend time and space, resonating with people throughout the ages.

When it comes to profound texts like the Bhagavad Gita, translations often carry the unique perspective and nuances of the translator, adding their own flavor to the original wisdom. While I may not be a Sanskrit scholar, I’ve invested time and effort in scrutinizing the original word meanings to gain a firsthand comprehension of the text and its resonance with my life experiences.

This body is but a vessel to carry out the task it’s assigned. Neither a doer nor the deed we are.

With so many distractions around us it’s easy to lose our grasp on what’s important and hence just like waves one has to keep coming back to the shore. I hope to capture here my derived meanings from the texts every time it occurs to me when I visit them. I hope this personal journey of discovery manages to capture the essence of the timeless work that extend far beyond the limitations of words.

 

Matter and Consciousness

 

न त्वेवाहं जातु नासं न त्वं नेमे जनाधिपाः ।

न चैव न भविष्यामः सर्वे वयमतः परम् ॥

There was never a time when I, you or these kings did not exist,

nor will we stop existing hereafter.

 

देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।

तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ॥

Just like the embodied of this body acquires adolescence, youth and old age, it acquires another body. The wise are not deluded.

 

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः।

उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥

That which does not exist is ever changing, that which exists is immutable.

The nature of both is known to the seers of truth.

 

The Doer

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

You are entitled to your duty, not to the fruits they bear.

Let not the fruit-of-action be the cause nor you be attached to the dereliction of your duty.

 

कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः।

स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥

One who observes the inaction in action and action in inaction,

they are wise among human beings, and they are in the divine consciousness of the entirety of work.

 

The Mind

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः ।

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्ते तात्मैव शत्रुवत् ||

The mind is a friend of those who’ve conquered their mind,

but for those who haven’t conquered it their mind is their enemy just like their foes.

 

The Deed

अक्षरं ब्रह्म परमं स्वभावोऽध्यात्ममुच्यते।

भूतभावोद्भवकरो विसर्गः कर्मसज्ञितः ॥

The imperishable is the Absolute, and its inherent nature is the self.

That which manifests and dissolves as emotions in beings are deed.

One thought on “My reflections of the Bhagvad Gita

  1. I’m Christian but I chant Hare Krishna when I worry alot, I think of Krishna when I’m scared. He is most tender.

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