Bhagavad-Gita Study Guide

Suggested Essay Questions

1. What are Arjuna's chief reasons for not initially wanting to fight the Kauravas? How does his attitude change by the end?
2. Why does Krishna reveal himself in his fully divine self if humans are never granted such an opportunity? Why does Arjun merit this exception?
3. What is a more powerful way to achieve God -- renunciation or selfless service? Why?
4. Is yoga an end result or a process? What are three different ways to achieve yoga?
5. What are the three gunas? Give an example of a behavior that might go with each one.
6. Explain the karmic cycle of rebirth in the context of dharma and samsara. How can one end this samsaric cycle?
7. How prakriti and purusha intersect to create the quilt of life? Does one naturally flow from the other?
8. Is it Arjuna's dharma or karma that Krishna says demands him to fight the Kauravas? Why is it his duty to reclaim the kingdom?
9. Does one achieve yoga through searching for God through meditation or through simply having faith in the unknown? Why?
10. Outline the process of meditation that Krishna reveals to Arjuna as a course for achieving yoga.