Summary of 18 Chapter of Bhagavad Gita continuance of Chapter 3 - Karam Yog. https://www.yogsadhanashram-usa.org/scripturalreadings To join these live classes followed by Q & A with Hersh Khetarpal send a request at the email below for the zoom link, Attention to Manny Sharma. yogsadhanashramusa@gmail.com https://www.yogsadhanashram-usa.org/

Chapter 3 - Karam Yog / Path of Selfless Service

Chapter 3 - Karam Yog / Path of Selfless Service Summary Confused, Arjuna asks why Krishna seems to advocate the path of knowledge and understanding while pushing Arjuna to do action. Krishna then explains two paths: knowledge (Sankhya or jnana) and action (karma). Some people are suited to the first path, and others to the second. Krishna proposes that right action is another form of worship and that only by doing necessary and right action can the Self find freedom. Right action from "great men" also sets a standard for ordinary people to follow. Krishna notes that he himself engages in action despite needing or desiring nothing. If he were to stop, humankind would follow his example and fall into the trap of inaction. Krishna also encourages Arjuna to take the egocentric I out of his actions and avoid the trap of thinking "I am the doer" of any action. Instead, Arjuna should understand that action is simply the gunas acting upon the gunas. Krishna insists that "it is better to do your own duty / badly, than to perfectly do / another's." Arjuna then asks Krishna what drives men to evil action. Krishna explains they are driven by the guna called rajas, or the quality that includes passion and violence. The presence of too much of this guna causes people to act out of desire and anger, thus causing evil action. To avoid this, Krishna insists, the mind must be stronger than the senses and understanding of the Self stronger than the mind. Analysis To understand why some people are born to take the path of action while others the path of understanding, it is important to return to the caste system. Arjuna, being of the warrior caste, is suited to the path of action through his birth. Someone of the Brahmin, or priest, caste would likely be suited to the yoga of knowledge and understanding, practiced in meditation and the study of scripture. Central to Krishna's explanation of action versus inaction or wrong action is the concept of the three gunas. Guna can be translated as "quality" or "trait," and the three gunas are the three primary qualities of all existence. They are sattva: purity and constructiveness; rajas: passion; and tamas: darkness and destruction. An imbalance of these qualities results in an imbalanced world. In the example Krishna uses, a person with too much rajas will be ruled by passion and ego and thus engage in evil or wrong action. The concept of duty is central to Krishna's discussion and the worldview of the individuals involved. "Duty" is the rough translation of the Sanskrit word dharma, which can be explained as an all-encompassing ideology that includes ritual and moral behavior. As Krishna explains in these verses, neglect of dharma "would have bad social and personal consequences." Arjuna attempts to honor his dharma to the best of his ability. He struggles to understand where his true duty lies and how he can best perform "worship" in this situation. Krishna explains that Arjuna's duty and worship lie in following through on his dharma, which, as a warrior, is to fight the battle in front of him.

Chapter 2 Shakhya Yog ~ Transcendental Knowledge - 72 verses 1-10 explain circumstance of Arjuns's Surrender to Lord Krishna. connect with the guru within. 11-46 Logic of thought, ld K taking A step by step about Atma and its journey, how to do action without occurring sins. 47 -60 all about karma yog 61- 70 path of Bhakti yog 71-72 path to Sanyas. All paths of perfection are in this chapter Karam Yog, Bhakti Yog and Gyan Yog. SUMMARY Krishna responds to Arjuna by arguing that such timidity at this moment is "unworthy of a noble mind." Still, Arjuna insists that he cannot bear the thought of killing his kinsmen. In verses 11–17 Krishna explains that Arjuna's "sorrow is sheer delusion" because physical sensations are transitory—just as life and death are transitory. Everything that exists has always existed. Arjuna and his family will simply pass from one body to the next in each life. Krishna urges Arjuna to do his duty in this life because his "Self" is eternal and part of the eternal fabric of the universe. Thus, Arjuna cannot really kill or be killed because it is only the body that can die. In verse 31 Krishna insists that Arjuna's duty in this life is a warrior's duty. Therefore, Arjuna must live to his highest potential by fulfilling that duty. Krishna warns about the danger of becoming too focused on scripture instead of on meditation to clear the mind of confusion and desire. Action must be done for the sake of action and not for the sake of attachment to the results of that action. This is the way of karma yoga, Krishna explains. When Arjuna asks Krishna to describe the way a wise man moves in the world, Krishna answers that the wise man submerges his mind in meditation and learns to withdraw from the sensory confusion of the world. According to Krishna, sensation is the root cause of desire, which causes suffering and disguises the truth. Individuals must have self-control and self-discipline to achieve a state in which desires can flow through them without affecting them. Analysis There is much conversation, starting in this chapter and continuing throughout the Gita, about the concept of the Self. Krishna's discussion often distinguishes the Self from the "I-sense," or ego. The self is the pure and elevated essence of a being, referred to in Sanskrit as the atman. It is unaffected by the physical world or by birth and death. Krishna provides the image of the Self shucking and changing bodies like clothing. Much of Krishna's advice to Arjuna involves letting go of ego and becoming wise through the understanding of the true Self. Krishna lectures Arjuna on two types of yogic philosophy over the course of these verses. The first type is knowledge based, and the second is action based. What the translator refers to as "philosophy" in verse 39 is called Sankhya or jnana, Sanskrit words meaning "knowledge." This yoga deals with understanding the Self and existence. It investigates the nature of the Self in relation to the universe. Krishna interweaves Sankhya yogic philosophy in his lecture as he shifts the conversation to include karma yoga, or the yoga of action. The point of karma yoga, as Krishna explains, is to perform action without attachment to the outcome of that action. In other words, karma yoga is the philosophy of doing right action and duty as opposed to selfish action. In doing right action, individuals do not accrue more karma but instead free themselves from the karmic consequences of their action. Through the practice of karma yoga, or selfless action, a person may move closer to samadhi, or a liberated mind.

Chapter 1 - Vishada Yog ~ Arjuna's Dilemma / Grief The opening chapter of the Gita introduces the two opposing armies and their principal members. Looking out at his army, Prince Duryodhana feels invincible despite the strength of the Pandava fighters. Duryodhana's description of the scene introduces the reader to the principal figures in each army. Prince Duryodhana's family members are referred to as the Kurus because they are descendants of King Kuru. However, through much of the Mahabharata these descendants are called the Kauravas. The Pandavas are also descendants of the Kuru clan, but as the "sons of Pandu" they are known as the Pandavas. As Arjuna points out to Krishna, the Pandavas and the Kauravas are actually cousins because all are descended from the same king: Kuru. Arjuna's conversation with Krishna opens the dialogue that forms the Bhagavad Gita section of the Mahabharata epic. Arjuna's reluctance and despair at the thought of killing his kinsmen forms the basis of the subsequent conversation with his charioteer, the god Krishna. It is important to note Arjuna's reference to the caste system and his belief in its purpose. Arjuna fears that by killing his kinsmen he will be doing evil that will seep into the family structure and cause the mixing of castes. Arjuna understands the intermingling of castes to be a disaster that could bring down their great family. However, what he proposes—to go into battle unarmed and let himself be killed—is a form of inaction. By refusing to act he hopes to avoid creating bad karma, or fate, for himself and thus not be responsible in this life or in the next for the perpetuation of evil.

Summary of 18 Chapters 102922 - Introduction https://www.yogsadhanashram-usa.org/scripturalreadings To join these live classes followed by Q & A with Hersh Khetarpal send a request at the email below for the zoom link, Attention to Manny Sharma. yogsadhanashramusa@gmail.com https://www.yogsadhanashram-usa.org/ Introduction Blind King Dhritarashtra asks the poet Sanjaya to tell him the story of his family, the Kurus, clashing with the Pandavas in battle. Sanjaya retells how King Dhritarashtra's son, Prince Duryodhana, asks his teacher, Drona, to look out at the assembled forces. Duryodhana points to the strong and formidable members of the Pandava army that includes both Krishna and Arjuna. He then turns to the powerful people in his own army, mentioning great warriors among them. Duryodhana proudly proclaims the Kuru army is limitless, whereas the Pandavas are much smaller. Both armies blow conch shells that echo "throughout heaven and earth," calling the warriors to battle. Arjuna tells Krishna to drive the chariot carrying them so they can stand between the two armies. He wants "to look at the men gathered ... to do battle service for Dhritarashtra's evil-minded son." Krishna directs Arjuna's attention to all the Kurus ready to battle one another. Arjuna is overwhelmed with dread as he looks out at the opposing armies made up of his kinsmen. Not wanting to fight his family even if they are foes, he tells Krishna that he sees "evil omens ... from killing my kinsmen in battle." Arjuna tells Krishna it would be better to let himself be killed in the battle without resistance than to fight this terrible battle.