The Principle Themesin the BhagavadGita

A detailed Summary of The Principle Themesin the BhagavadGita

The Bhagavad-Gita begins with the preparation of battle between the two opposing sides: on the left stands the collected armies of the one hundred sons of Dhritarashtra and on the right lies the soldiers of the Pandava brothers. Warring relatives feuding over the right to govern the land of Kurukshetra, both forces stand poised and ready to slaughter one another. The warrior Arjuna, leader of the Pandava armies, readies himself as his charioteer, the god Krishna, steers toward the opposition when the armies are ready to attack. Arjuna stops Krishna short before the two sides clash together. Hesitation and pity creeps into Arjuna's heart as he surveys his family and relatives on the other side; he loses his will to win at the cost of the lives he still loves. As Arjuna sets down his bow and prepares for his own death, the god Krishna begins his council with Arjuna, where Krishna uses various ideas on action, self-knowledge, and discipline to reveal to Arjuna the freedom to be attained from the suffering of man once Arjuna finds his devotion to Krishna.

Before Krishna begins his teachings, Arjuna analyzes his emotions and describes to Krishna the way his heart feels. "Krishna, I seek no victory, or kingship or

"Arjuna, have you listened with you full powers of reason? Has the delusion of ignorance now been destroyed?"

He goes so far as to describe how chaos swells to corrupt even the women in the families, creating disorder in society. Arjuna tells Krishna that the punishment for men who undermine the duties of the family are destined for a place in hell. Finally, Arjuna asks Krishna which is right: the tie to sacred duty or reason?

"Krishna, my delusion is destroyed, and by your grace I have regained memory; I stand here, my doubt dispelled, ready to act on your words."

The discussion comes to a close when Krishna begins to summarize and conclude the points he has already mentioned. He specifies the difference between "renunciation" and "relinquishment". Renunciation is the refusal of action grounded in desire, while relinquishment is the rejection of the fruit of action. In death, the relinquishing of the fruits allows the self to lose all ties to the body and the desires that go with it. Krishna reminds him that resistance to his duty, that is, refusal to go into battle is futile because Arjuna's nature compels him to it. Krishna spurns Arjuna to go against his will and do what his heart forbids. Arjuna learns to take refuge in Krishna and to commit fully to him. Krishna vows that Arjuna will be received to him in good time.

To complete his sacred duty, Arjuna must perform the necessary actions for the duty to be achieved. "Be intent on action, not on the fruits of action; avoid attractions to the fruits and attachment to inaction!" (The Bhagavad-Gita, p. 36). In the third teaching, the abstinence from action fails because one cannot merely reject one's actions and find success. Inaction threatens the well-being of the physical body, warns Krishna. Discovered through techniques like yoga and inner reflection, action allows the freedom of the self to be found and attained.

"The disciplined man of knowledge is set apart by his singular devotion; I am dear to the man of knowledge, and he is dear to me" (The Bhagavad-Gita, p. 73). To Krishna, the man of wisdom and knowledge goes hand in hand with the man who has complete devotion to the god. Krishna likens the man of knowledge to himself, saying "...self-disciplined, he holds me to be the highest way" (The Bhagavad-Gita, p. 73), once again establishing the need for complete submission. Knowledge, while seen as a way to achieve freedom, requires enough discipline to be able to fully devote oneself to the god Krishna.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Arjuna Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna Krishna, Arjuna Krishna, Krishna Discovered, , Previously Krishna, Failure Arjuna, god krishna, krishna begins, own duty, devotion krishna, fruits action, dark inertia, sacred duty, krishna tells arjuna, fruit action, teaching krishna, bhagavad-gita 25 arjuna, krishna tells, action fruits action,

Approximate Word count = 1908
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion