Summary

The blind king Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya, who has the ability to see all, to tell him about the battle between his family and the Pandavas. The Pandavas include Arjuna and his brothers, who have come to take back the kingdom from Dhritarashtra, who means to bequeath it to his son Duryodhana, even though the crown rightfully belongs to Arjuna.

Prince Duroydhana, considered the nemesis for our protagonist Arjuna, approaches his teacher Drona, and lists out the key members of each side. He notes that his own army is unlimited, while the Pandavas is small. Each side blows their divine conchs, signaling the war is about to begin. Arjuna asks Krishna, who has taken the form of his charioteer, to drive them into the battle.

But as the chariot moves, Arjuna sees in the two armies the equal presence of his family, for Duryodhana, despite being his enemy, is also his cousin, and thus both sides are littered with "cathers, grandfathers, teachers, brothers, uncles, grandsons, in-laws and freidns." Arjun is overcome with despair and tells Krishna that he has no desire to fight if it means killing his kin. He has no need for a kingdom if it means destroying a family. He casts away his bow and arrows and sits in the chariot in the middle of the battlefield.

Krishna tells Arjun to arise with a brave heart and push forward to destroy the enemy. When Arjuna questions how he can support such sin, Krishna says there is no such thing as the killer and the killed, that the body is merely flesh -- and that at the time of death he attains another body. These limits of the superficial body should not stop someone from doing what he must do, namely defeating evil and restoring the power of good.

The true master, says Krishna, realizes that reality lies in the eternal; such people are not affected by the temporary changes that come with the senses. Instead, as a warrior, he must follow his dharma, or duty, where nothing is higher than the war against evil. If he shirks from this battle, however, then Arjuna will incur sin, violating his dharma and his honor.

In Krishna's eyes, death means the attainment of heaven, and victory the enjoyment of earth, so there will be no pain in fighting. Krishna also extols the notion of yoga -- or skill in action -- as a path towards finding resoluteness, focus. He encourages Arjuna to not see the results of action, but rather focus on the work itself -- as a man within himself, without selfish attachments, alike in success and defeat.

Krishna tells Arjuna that the definition of a wise man is one who is unconcerned with whether things are "good or bad," but rather abandon attachments to the fruits of labor, allowing them to attain a state beyond evil. When a man is unmoved by the confusion of ideas, and is united simply in the peace of action without thoughts of results, he can attain perfect yoga. Arjuna asks what a man who has achieved perfect yoga acts like -- how he sits, how he moves, how he can be recognized.

Krishna says this kind of man is not agitated by negative emotions -- lust, fear, anger. They are naturally meditative, and do not respond to good fortune or bad fortune. They have no attachment to the material, and live not in the senses, but in the self. They are free from ego -- the 'I, me, mine' which cause pain.

Analysis

The opening of the Bhagavad Gita can be intimidating because of the sheer number of names and terms that come out of Sanjaya and Dhritarashtra that will be unfamiliar to those not well-versed in Hinduism. But the new reader should see the first chapter merely as historical context for what is to follow, which is essentially a two-person conversation about philosophy and yogic principles, as opposed to a treatise of battle, which the first chapter seems to lay out. Indeed, all we really need to understand in this first chapter is the background of the conflict -- that Arjuna must avenge Dhritarashtra's passing of the kingdom to his own son, rather than to Arjuna, the rightful king -- and the nature of Arjuna's inner turmoil over the fact he must kill his own family members.

Arjuna, then, finds himself in a similar position as Hamlet -- having to fight his uncle for the control of a crown that he doesn't necessarily want. Krishna, as the divine voice of yoga, dharma, and karma, must not only convince Arjuna to fight, but to fight with the will to win -- to restore good, to restore balance, to fulfill his duty as a warrior. In the process of convincing him, Krishna will lay out essentially a philosophy for living, and the basic tenets of Hinduism.

A few key terms must be understood in order to move forward. Dharma is the Hindu concept of 'duty.' In each life, we are reborn in accordance with our karma - which is simply the cumulative effect of our actions. Hinduism sees our life as a series of actions which have consequences - everything we do is part of a web of consequences which affects others, and thus every action has a 'reaction.' Our life is about living out the effects of these reactions, and we are reborn having to continually live out the debts that come with negative actions, until we end the cycle of birth and death by bearing out our karma. Dharma, then, or 'duty,' is simply that which we must do in each life in order to restore the rightful balance of karma.

Accordingly, then, Krishna tells Arjuna that his dharma in this life is to be a warrior and rightfully fight against Duryodhana for his kingdom so that he may restore good -- his karma requires this grand staging of good vs. evil to right the balance. It is not his duty to see myopically, to simply see the boundaries of life and death, but rather to live beyond results and in the larger cycle of samsara, or the karmic circle.

Arjuna asks Krishna what a man who is freed from mundane concerns is like, what a wise man does in life on a daily basis. It is a truly wonderful question, for it hits at why most laymen are afraid of pursuing a spiritual path -- namely the idea that they have to give up the world in order to find peace. Arjuna says that such a man lives in the world, but simply has no concern for results. He finds peace in the work, peace in the universe, because he has found himself. There is no such thing as good or bad, there is no such thing as life and death. There is what he sees and nothing more.

Summary

Arjuna asks Krishna why he's telling him to wage war even though he's previously said knowledge is greater than action. He wants one path to follow to achieve wisdom. Krishna says there are two paths to achieve wisdom -- jnana yoga, which involves renouncing the material world and pursuing contemplation away from family, job, etc.; and karma yoga, which involves finding wisdom through action in the material world.

Krishna believes that one cannot gain wisdom by avoiding action, since every creature is driven to action. But in performing action, one must be 'selfless,' and see everything in service to the divine as opposed to one's own ego. If one lives only for one's own satisfaction, that person is doomed to spiritual misery. As Krishna says, each being must strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world.

As a result of achieving wisdom, the wise man sets a model for other people. Krishna says he is not driven by any needs himself, but continues to work so others can follow his example. Once a person lives not for himself, but for the divine, 'firmly established in faith,' he is released from karma. The laws of the universe dictate that every man must learn to be selfless, and lose the connection to his own ego.

Arjuna asks Krishna what is the force that makes people selfish, and Krishna names 'rajas,' the appetite for anger, and selfish desire that leads people to be bound to the material world. Selfish desire is a product of the senses and mind, and they must be conquered in order to achieve self-realization.

Arjuna asks Krishna for his own origins, and Krishna remarks that he manifests himself on earth whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life on earth is forgotten. Those who achieve wisdom are united with him, free from fear and anger. All paths must lead to him.

Krishna makes a key distinction between action and inaction. Action, he says, must be done with complete awareness, so that it is free from anxiety about results, or the selfish desires of the material world. True action does not incur physical sin and can be performed freely, in the spirit of service, towards the dissolution of karma. Over time, one achieves the state of Brahman, divinity, the soul and energy at the heart of the universe.

Service is the key to action, for all action must lead towards spiritual wisdom. Says Krishna, once one makes a commitment to spiritual wisdom as his highest goal, life begins to change, and only good things begin to grow. The ignorant, meanwhile, who remain tied to the material world, waste their lives with their lack of faith and indecision.

Analysis

One of the more surprising elements of the Gita is that it doesn't advocate any form of renunciation of the material world -- and that it doesn't see action as misguided in itself. (Whereas another Indian religion, Zen Buddhism, would see the path of non-effort, or resistance to action, as a key step in finding freedom.) Rather, the Gita encourages action with awareness, or selfless action, designed not to please one's ego or to gain sensual pleasure, but rather in service to a higher power. In that, Hinduism becomes not a religion -- not a prescribed code of obligations to God, dependent on faith -- but rather a way of life, consistent with the design of the material world.

Krishna offers a key tenet of Hinduism in these chapters, arguing that one who makes spiritual wisdom his highest goal will naturally find it, and the inner peace and joy that accompanies this dedication towards achieving wisdom. Action must be pursued within this context, within this quest for finding the intersection between selflessness and action which directs a soul towards nirvana.

Thus the distinction between good action and bad action is its effect on karma. If one acts selfishly, it simply adds to the sins of karma that must be worked out in the next cycle of birth and death. If one acts selflessly, however, then, as a product of consistent selfless action, karma can be dissolved, and samsara can be ended.

Krishna points to the three gunas as another element of the material world ("guna" meaning a basic quality). There is saatva, which is goodness, light, or purity. There is rajas, or passion, activity, energy. And there is tamas, which is darkness, ignorance. Selfish desire comes from rajas, which when imbalanced, causes spikes in anger, and fear, and possessiveness.

The key, then, is awareness of all these forces. By making knowledge the goal of all action, a person can find freedom without renouncing the material world. Indeed, "knowing is the fruit of doing. The goal of all karma yoga or yajna is liberation and spiritual wisdom. The fire of spiritual awareness burns to ashes even a great deal of karma; thus true knowledge is the greatest purifier of the soul" (Easwaran 84).

Summary

Arjuna asks Krishna whether the path of selfless action or renunciation is more effective at reaching the goal of nirvana. Arjuna says the path of action is better. Those who have renounced the world achieve knowledge, but the key to truly being free is seeing that knowledge and action are the same. Renunciation without coming to understand selfless action, or action with awareness as to its true purpose, is spiritually destructive.

Those who truly are enlightened act without thoughts of ego -- they do not think that they themselves are "doing" anything, but rather simply following the accordance of divine law. They have a unified consciousness, live in an enlightened body that always guides them towards the truth, and find God's purpose in every one of their actions.

Those who are truly divine have equal regard for all -- and see the same self in "an elephant, a cow, and a dog." These people are neither "elated by good fortune, nor depressed by bad," and live in constant joy. They do not look for peace in the sensual pleasures of the world, but rather in the "joy, rest, and light" that comes within themselves. These people see self-realization as their only goal, and make this quest the foundation for daily living.

Krishna goes on to talk about meditation as a key element in the path to selfless action. It is a crucial step in freeing oneself from attachment to the results of work, and from desires for the enjoyment of sense objects. Through meditation, one can conquer himself, and live in peace no matter the external surroundings, and find impartiality in even the most extreme circumstances.

One can find this great 'Self' through inner solitude, through meditation. Meditation is 'one-pointedness,' where the thoughts always must return to the center, to the breath, away from expectations and attachments to material possessions. Krishna tells Arjuna that he must select a clean spot, sit firmly on "a cloth, a deerskin, and kusha grass," and try to be still in his thoughts. If he holds his head, body, and neck in straight line, and keeps his eyes from wandering, it will enhance the process of meditation.

Those who eat too much or too little, sleep too much or too little, or are imbalanced in work and recreation will not find peace in meditation. But those who find balance and use meditation as their primary goal towards self-realization find "the state of union." Those who master meditation find that their mind is like an unwavering flame in a windless place -- never swerving from the eternal truth, and desiring nothing.

Meditation, says Krishna, frees one from all affliction. But Arjuna cannot understand how the turbulent mind can truly be under control. Krishna says that through regular practice and detachment will find peace -- though it requires immense self-control to continue the practice and slowly find the goal. Still, if one does not find yoga in his life, as long as he has spiritual wisdom as the goal, he will be reborn into a place that will foster his continuing search for spiritual wisdom -- even into a house where yoga is practiced. Meditation, above all things, including selfless action, is the key to finding peace.

Analysis

In this chapter about renunciation, we see elements of other Eastern religions emerge and we begin to find the common path between Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism -- namely the renunciation of ego. Krishna sees renunciation not as the act of giving up all material belongings -- or shunning work, the family, material possessions -- but rather as renouncing the "I, me, mine" which is the source of all sorrow. A person who commits truly selfless service sees himself not as the 'doer,' but rather a vessel for divine obligation. This is the fundamental tenet of Taoism, and Buddhism as well makes this 'lack of control' a key determinant for spiritual success.

A momentary detour to talk about the idea that a wise person sees the same self in "an elephant," or a "dog," or a "cow": it might strike one as strange to see such equality preached amongst beings, and then in the next chapter, the advocacy of meditation upon a 'deer skin.' The treatment of animals is an interesting element of all religions, but particularly in the East, where numerous texts seem at an odds between compassion and utilitarianism. A Buddhist, for instance, will likely be vegetarian, but if he attends a guest's dinner and is served meat, could easily eat it without guilt or complaint. Here, we wonder how one could slay an animal if Krishna is encouraging such parity of view, but more likely he believes in pure survival -- the same deer skin one uses for meditation would be the skin one puts around his or her back to keep warm from the cold.

The chapter on meditation is a welcome relief not only for the reader, but also for Arjuna, who seems a bit dizzy from all this preaching about enlightenment. One of the most wonderful elements of the Gita is Arjuna's character - for he asks the most basic, pragmatic questions, questions that we ourselves ask as we read the book. Here he's concerned with how one can possibly achieve such spiritual enlightenment in a practical way, leading Krishna to endorse meditation as a path towards finding selfless action and wisdom.

Krishna's description of meditation seems well in accordance with modern ideas of what meditation is -- namely the ability to sit still and find one-pointedness. The idea is to make one's mind an unwavering flame, so that no matter what comes up in the brain, no matter what thoughts come, they can easily be dismissed and the breath and center can be restored. At first, the flame will flicker, maybe even be blown out, but over time, it will steady, and soon not even the wind will be felt.

Arjuna wonders what happens if someone cannot achieve yoga in their lifetime, and Krishna links meditation back to the idea of samsara, the karmic cycle of rebirth and death. Krishna says that as long as a person is truly committed to achieving yoga, even if he dies before achieving it, he will be reborn into a situation that will help him complete his journey -- even so far as being part of a family that has meditation as its daily practice. What Krishna is saying is that the divine wishes for each person finish his karmic duty and find yoga. If one begins on the path, then the divine will help guide him towards his goal, even if it takes successive lifetimes to do it.

Summary

Krishna tells Arjuna to make sure he keeps the divine as his single point of focus during the practice of meditation, and the practice of living yoga. If he depends on the divine completely, as the source and motivation of all action, then he will come to know and fully be united with god.

He tells Arjuna that he can offer him both jnana and vijnana -- jnana is the knowledge of the divine, and vijnana, is literally 'living' knowledge of the divine, or the ability to use it in the practice of everyday action. Though many seek vijnana, only a few reach it, because it requires such a wholehearted dedication to the divine through yoga and meditation.

Krishna suggests that there are eight divisions to his form -- earth, water, fire, air, akasha or sky, mind, intellect, and ego. But underlying these eight material forms is a larger power, an unseen power which dissolves all, and is the source of birth and death. This power is an 'eternal seed,' which spawns every creature, as well as all that creatures manifest. Though this unseen power is also at the

center of sattva, rajas, and tamas -- the three gunas which produce negative emotions -- they are not innate to God. Rather they are human creations, which are veiled by ignorance. Underneath these three gunas lies God's true form.

The truly wise see God in everything, says Krishna. They act at every moment aware of their relationship to the divine. The world is simply a form of 'maya,' or illusion, that conceals the limitless power and expanse of the divine. Those who become trapped in the illusions of the world end up suffering from either attraction or aversion -- two

feelings based in desire which end up preventing a person from achieving the divine and are distractions from inner peace.

Arjuna asks Krishna how the wise soul comes to be united with Krishna at the end of his life. Krishna, in an oddly esoteric stretch of the Gita, remarks that at the time of death Arjuna must keep his mind focused on the divine. If he does, then he can be united with Krishna, or else suffer rebirth in the karmic cycle of samsara.

Krishna tells Arjuna that the "secret" to life is the path of yoga, for it frees one from evil and pain. More importantly, it frees one from the material world. For as the divinity, Krishna says he sends creatures back to Earth again and again in the form of prakriti, or material form, born again and again to life, until the karmic cycle is

extinguished. He has created the laws of nature on Earth, the material world to essentially reset the collective karma.

The foolish, he says, do not look beyond physical appearances -- and do not see the divine behind all that is prakriti. But the great souls see that all is maya -- an illusion masking the truth of the world. But ritual and sacrifice to the divine is not enough, says Krishna. Those

who simply follow the Vedas, offer sacrifice, drink the prescribed drinks and worship at the altar, may free themselves from sin and attain heaven, but still they are chained by desire, and must return to earth. The truly wise worship and meditate on God constantly, without any other thought, and thus are given all that they need.

Analysis

Hinduism is a religion with a multiplicity of deities, but in the Gita, Krishna makes it clear that he is the one and only divinity. A strict constructionist reading of the Gita then seems to put it in conflict with other Hindu texts, since Krishna repeatedly states that all things come from him, and that he bears every aspect of the earth through his manifested prakriti. Instead of a positing a god for each sphere of the spiritual and material realm, he is the Great Provider. But rather, what Krishna is really saying here, more metaphorically, is he is a metonym for the divine, simply one piece of the grander consciousness of the great 'uniter.'

Two key terms to take note of here. Prakriti is the material form of the divine, and he appears in eight basic material elements, including the 'four' elements of sky, water, air, fire, that are so familiar. It is interesting that ego, intellect, and the mind are included as prakriti forms, since tamaas, sattavat, and rajas are not -- none of these six are useful in the search for wisdom and indeed must be rendered null. The second term is maya, which refers to the illusion that can mask the divine. This mask is sometimes conjured by the divine himself, as when he takes a disguise or an avatar. Or it is conjured by man himself in an attempt to deny the true form of divinity in order to pursue selfish actions.

The eighth chapter does provide a rather odd exploration of how a wise soul must find the focus on the divine before succumbing to death, but it's better we take this section for its more figurative point. Namely, Krishna is telling Arjuna that if he by the time he dies is so focused on the divine that his thoughts naturally gravitate there, then he is ready for freedom at the time of death and will end his samsaric cycle.

At this point, the theme of the Gita may be starting to get a bit repetitive, but Arjuna is still introducing new and significant concepts. First, he notes that adherence to the Vedas through ritual and sacrifice is useful, but not nearly enough to gain wisdom. For these rituals and sacrifice are often based in desire -- the desire to trade rituals for selfish gains. Only through truly selfless action can one find divinity.

Secondly, Krishna notes that it is he who has the divine power to initiate people into the karmic cycle or free people from it. It is part of his lila, or play, to subject each soul to the natural laws of the universe which require living out one's karma until it is dissolved. He is the final judge of wisdom, and no one else, so unless through meditation one finds union with Krishna, one will continue through the cycle of birth and death.

Summary

Krishna expounds on the depths of his power and the extent of his domain. He says that the gods and sages do not know his origins, for he is the source of all these deities. All the qualities of human beings - wisdom, understanding, forgiveness, pleasure, pain -- all come from him as well. He bore the earth and all its natural laws from his own mind.

Arjuna asks Krishna to tell him of all his glories, of everything he could possibly do. Krishna responds by saying he is the true Self of every being, as well as the most glorious of every sphere on Earth and in the Heavens. He is Vishnu, the sun, Marichi, Mount Meru, the Ganges, Om. He is birth, death, and every other ritual that is trusted and venerated. He is the judge, jury, and executioner. But Krishna tells Arjuna that there is no end to his divine attributes, so there is no reason to enumerate them. Instead, he says, "just know I am everywhere where there is strength, beauty, and spiritual power" - and that he can support the cosmos with a fraction of his being.

Arjuna asks Krishna to show him his immortal self, so that he might see Krishna out of human form - in his ultimate incarnation as the divinity. Krishna obliges and allows Arjuna to see him in his most majestic power, and appears with "an infinite number of faces, ornamented by heavenly jewels, displaying unending miracles, and countless weapons of his power." He reveals himself as the source of all wonder, with the power of a thousand suns.

Arjuna recounts everything that he sees, as he looks at Krishna in his ultimate form -- and sees him as the creator and destroyer of everything on Earth. Arjuna is rightfully in awe, and clearly anxious at the sight of Krishna in his most powerful avatar. He apologizes for ever treating Krishna too casually in his human form, and acknowledges

him as the father of the universe who must be treated with ultimate respect. Krishna, sensing Arjuna's fear, returns to his normal form.

Krishna tells Arjuna, now back in his human form, that he is lucky to have seen what he has, because even the gods have longed to see Krishna in his ultimate form. No matter what a person does -- even if he achieves the highest power of yoga, meditation, etc. -- he cannot see Krishna in his godly form. But he revealed himself to Arjuna so he may understand the true power of the divinity. Arjuna is thankful for

what he has seen.

Arjuna asks who is more self-realized - those who try to find union with Krishna or those who search for the formless reality beneath the surface. Krishna says that those who focus on him, the divine, and put all their devotion and faith into him will find peace first. He says there are many paths to yoga -- worshiping him, finding peace in the

unknown, selfless service, or even a simple abdication of results -- but to find love of the divinity is to truly put yourself on the path to yoga.

Krishna says that he himself loves those incapable of ill will, who are friendly and compassionate, beyond the I, me, and mine, which corrupt souls. The truly wise person is detached, pure, efficient, never anxious, and a pure devotee to God. Those who are truly self-realized meditate upon this immortal dharma - full of faith, seeking God as their ultimate goal.

Analysis

The pattern of the previous chapters breaks slightly here, as Krishna offers details on the extent of his power, followed by proof. It's an unusual stretch in the Gita, because Krishna is obviously a major proponent of faith in the divine and the unknown -- and here he is extremely concerned with evidence, hard facts that suggest he is the

divine. But rather than see it as an inconsistency, it seems more likely that Krishna is explaining the hierarchy of the cosmos here. He literally is all the things we revere the most, because he is the source of all things. All things human, all things divine, all concepts, all ideas -- they come from his mind, and from his desire for "lila" or "play."

Arjuna asks Krishna to reveal his immortal self in the next chapter, which falls in line with Arjuna's need for proof he can see. Arjuna as a character is not one who learns easily or takes things on faith -- he needs Krishna to package concepts a few different ways, make hierarchies, and lay out a systematic plan for achieving salvation. Perhaps one of the reasons the Gita is such a seminal text is because it's so undeniably clear. While analysis helps us make sense of the subtextual connections between concepts, Krishna presents a quite literal path for salvation that any reader can follow.

The chapter when Krishna reveals himself as a cosmic vision is "the most exalted chapter of the entire Gita... It is difficult to see at first why the ultimate spiritual vision should be granted to Arjuna at this point," since he hasn't put his learnings into practice, nor shown much concern for his spiritual nature (Easkaswaran 147). In other words, we're not quite sure what he should 'do' with this revelation. But in a way, Krishna is simply ending the string of circular questions from Arjuna by revealing the ultimate manifestation of his power. Krishna, after all, keeps answering all of Arjuna's questions by arguing that all he must do is meditate on him, and his divine powers -- and now, for the first time, Arjuna truly understands why.

Perhaps it is fruitful at this point to compare the Gita and the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. In both stories, the protagonists struggle to accept that which seems unjust, but which has divine approval. Job, too, undergoes a sequence of cyclical questioning. God's ultimate answer to Job is to display his powers, in the form of a whirlwind. Just as it does for Arjuna, this display of divine power awes Job into acceptance of ways that he cannot understand. In both texts, the descriptions of divine magnificence are literary embodiments of omnipotence: though we can never see Krishna or Yahweh ourselves, we can experience such an awe-inspiring spectacle vicariously, through literature. Thus we too may be awed into submission.

Arjuna asks an interesting question -- whether one is more destined for achieving yoga through worship of Krishna's divine form or through the search for "eternal formless Reality." Krishna answers that the former is more powerful, and at first we see it as an unjustified claim, since he argues that he can provide a faster path to salvation through a swift "rescue from the fragment's cycle of birth and death, for their consciousness has entered into me." What Krishna is truly saying, however, is not to blindly choose him over worshiping the unknown, but rather to understand that he created this eternal formless Reality. In other words, to worship the Unrevealed isn't enough, because it isn't the supreme goal. There is a higher power.

The concept of love, finally, is presented as a two-way relationship. Krishna loves those who meditate upon him, without desire for results or the rajas that leads to fear, anger, possessiveness. And those who truly know love absolve themselves of material ties, the pain that comes with ego, and offer themselves up to the creator with the purest form of devotion. In that, he says, love is the ultimate form of faith.

Summary

Krishna calls the body "a field," and says it is made up of the five senses, as well as the organs of action, the mind, and the "undifferentiated energy from which all these evolved." It is within the body that one finds the source of desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, intelligence, and will. But the truly free understand this "field," and find the separation between the body and soul.

Indeed, being slavishly tuned to the body's needs only produces imprisonment. Those who find yoga are devoted not to the body, but "to their spiritual teacher," filled with inner-strength and control, since they are detached completely from sense objects. Freedom from the body also means freedom from the vagaries of birth, suffering, old age, disease and death.

Prakriti is the matter which makes up the field, while purusha is the formless thread of the soul's energy. Together these two weave to make the quilt of life, with "prakriti the agent, cause and effect of every action," and "purusha that seems to experience pleasure and pain." Prakriti also bears out the gunas of tamas, raajas and saatvas, and a person's response to these gunas ensures whether they will be tied to good or evil.

Krishna uses the word 'Self' to distinguish that soul which is independent from the body and bears out the karma of many lifetimes. Where the body is simply a function of prakriti, absorbing the remnants of karma of the self for the next round of the samsaric cycle, the supreme 'Self' is without a beginning, undifferentiated, deathless. It cannot be tainted, unlike the body. It might be veiled in maya, but never permanently tainted.

Krishna provides a clearer description of the three gunas. Saatva is pure, luminous energy, free from sorrow, which helps us find happiness and wisdom. Rajas is passion, but guides us towards anger, selfish desire, and attachment. Compulsions arise strictly from rajas. And tamas, born of ignorance, leads creatures towards carelessness, laziness, and sleep.

The Supreme Self, according to Krishna is like an "immutable ashvattha tree," with its roots binding us to the action of the world, and the limbs nourished by the gunas. The truly wise are not bound to the form of this tree -- they do not simply enjoy sense objects and lose touch with the cosmic organization of their body and soul -- in short, where they came from. There are two orders of being in the world -- the "perishable, separate creature and the changeless spirit." The truly wise see that there is a sphere beyond this -- "the supreme Self," who enters the cosmos and "supports it from within."

Analysis

Krishna makes a clear distinction between the body and the soul -- with the body known as the 'field,' and the soul a product of the greater Self, which allows people to see the roots of their karmic, cosmic cycle of rebirth and death into a physical form. The body is made up simply of senses and sense organs and action organs, but it is a product -- a derivative of the grander Self. As a result, then, if one is slavishly attuned to the bodies' senses and attractions and aversions -- and trusts the body as if it is God -- then one can only live in delusion. The truly wise see that the body is simply a product of a larger, more powerful energy.

Depending on which guna dominates, a person will have different challenges. A saatvic person will have the light of wisdom running through their body, but will have to use meditation and yogic action to move even further into communion with God -- he will not find true peace until he finds ultimate enlightenment. A rajas person, meanwhile, will be dominated by action -- not unlike a chicken with its head cut off -- running to and fro, looking for satisfaction in the material, in the ego, in anything which might satiate all the hunger and greed. A tamas person, meanwhile, has literally just pulled the plug from the socket -- they see no reason to go beneath the surface of things, and live in 'darkness,' dominated by sloth and confusion, and easy obsessions.

The truly wise, however, says Krishna are unmoved by the peace of sattva, the activity of raja, and the delusion of tamas - they do not observe themselves with an eye towards the end result. In fact they are so conscious of the gunas that they can find a true impartiality -- completely undisturbed by whatever comes and goes in their body's temporary feelings.

Krishna repeatedly comes back to the idea of the grand Self or Brahman -- the eternal lord which is beyond all things immediately spiritual or physical. It is a power we will never know -- the source of everything -- and thus instead of looking for proof of it, we must simply focus our minds on it until we can achieve vijnana, or the ability to live in the center of this power.

It is, of course, interesting that Krishna revealed himself to Arjuna before he discusses this grand power, so that we know the physical form that this grand manifestation takes. There is a slight contradiction then between his reiteration that this power can only be unknown because of its magnitude and scope and the fact that he not only appeared to Arjuna, but Arjuna could put it into words. But this tension between proof of the divine's power and a demand for faith in the unknown is at the core of every spiritual philosophy.

Summary

Krishna tells Arjuna to be fearless and pure, and not to waver in his dedication to his spiritual life. He will find freedom by being self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve. Other positive qualities include realizing the truth of the scriptures, learning to be detached, avoiding anger, being compassionate, gentle, cultivating vigor, patience, will, purity, and avoiding malice and pride.

Conversely, the qualities which can make a person inhuman include hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, cruelty, and ignorance. The demonic, says Kirshna, "do things they should avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth." Indeed, the inhuman use the fact that they don't believe in God to justify a belief in life based on sex -- leading them to become enemies of the world, causing suffering and destruction.

These demonic types cling to anxiety and anger and greed, believing themselves all powerful and unequaled. They fall into a dark hell -- egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, envious of everyone, they abuse the divine in their bodies and in their minds. Birth after birth, they will be reborn to those with demonic tendencies until they rise out of the hell they have created for themselves. The three gates to this self-destructive hell are lust, anger, and greed -- those who escape these three gates find life's supreme goal.

Krishna says that every creature is born with an inclination to either saatva, rajas, or tamas. Those who are more saatvic worship the forms of God, those who are more rajasic worship power and wealth, those who are more tamasic worship spirits and ghosts. Krishna points to those who invent "harsh penances," as being motivated by hypocrisy and egotism -- for they torture their innocent bodies because of a misguided believe in strength and passion. He says you can tell the difference between saatvic, rajasic and tamasic people by looking at the food they like, the work they do, and the disciplines they practice.

Saatvic people enjoy food that is mild and healthy, while rajasic people like food that is hot and salty -- food that is uncomfortable. Tamasic people like overcooked or impure food - with little taste or nutritional value. Saatvic people are focused on the purpose -- rajasic people are focused on the result -- and tamasic people just go through the motions.

Krishna draws the distinction between sannyasa, or renunciation of selfish acts, and tyaga, or the renunciation of results-based action. Krishna says tyaga comes when you fulfill your obligations, knowing they are obligatory, but desiring nothing for yourself. True renunciation comes with the loss of desire for physical rewards.

In order to reach tyaga, a body must learn to master the body, the means, the ego, the performance of service, and the divine will. A saatvic worker will have no stress, because he is not bound by ego or self-will, and instead sees himself in service of a larger indestructible Being. He is free from egotism and selfish attachments, and full of enthusiasm and fortitude in success and failure alike, knowing he is part of the fabric of a larger consciousness.

Krishna asks Arjuna whether is he is now free from doubts and confusion and Arjuna thanks him, agreeing that his faith is now firm and he will do his will. Sanjaya closes the Gita by saying that this was the supreme secret of spiritual union, directly from Lord Krishna, and that wherever he is, there will be prosperity, victory, happiness, and sound judgment.

Analysis

For all of his focus on the qualities one should cultivate, now Krishna begins to outline those characteristics which make one 'demonic.' The chief characteristic of the demonic, says Krishna, is not necessarily agnosticism as much as a lack of belief in a higher sense of order or energy. Without spiritual law, a person becomes an enemy of the world because he believes he is superior to it -- it is an outside force that must be tamed, controlled, dominated.

Because this view is so distorted, says Krishna, people will cling even harder to their deluded ideas of themselves no matter how much their body and soul fight against them. Born of this clinging and fight cycle, then, is an addiction to lust and other momentary pleasures, and compulsions that distract them from the painful truth -- that they live from craving to craving without higher purpose.

But rather than help them see the light easily, Krishna says he casts these malicious, hateful, cruel creatures into the wombs of those with similar demonic natures. Over the course of lifetimes, then, if they do not begin to change their karma, they fall deeper and deeper into demonic tendencies, further and further away from the salvation of yogic wisdom.

The distinction between the gunas should be quite apparent at this point. Saatvic is of course the ideal state, based in an understanding and respect for the power of the divine, and a life of moderation, humility and movement towards the center. Rajasic is perhaps the most destructive form of life -- one based in ego and passion, that leads to self-destruction. And tamas is a the root of disconnection -- an ignorance that leads one to believe in rituals for rituals' sake. No matter what samsaric cycle a person is born to, he will naturally be inclined to one of these. But if one is born of rajas or tamas, it is their karmic duty to find yoga through meditation and selfless action to counterbalance their debt.

Krishna also expounds on the nature of a kshatriya, or a true warrior. A kshatriya must, in addition to yogic self-awareness, maintain courage, strength, fortitude, dexterity, generosity, leadership, and firm resolve never to retreat from battle. In this, he's pointing directly at Arjuna and saying that not only is Arjuna far from the path of yoga, but he's far from the path of his own duties as a warrior. If he pays attention to his own particular duty, however, he can find perfection - for he is fulfilling the obligations he is born with, and thus will find cosmic peace.

Krishna tells Arjuna that if he does not fight the battle, his resolve is useless. His own nature will somehow drive him to do it -- because it is his karma, it is his duty, and delusions can only last so long. Those who do not fight the Lord's will, who do not succumb to these delusions so easily will be free. Arjuna finally understands, and with this understanding, the song of the Gita comes to an end.

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