59 pages • 1 hour read
Swami Prabhavananda, Transl. Christopher IsherwoodBhagavad Gita
Nonfiction | Scripture | Adult | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “The Sorrow of Arjuna”
Dhritarashtra is a blind king. He asks his advisor Sanjaya for news from a nearby battlefield where his sons, the Kauravas, were set to do battle with their cousins, the Pandavas. The Kauravas and Pandavas both claim the kingdom, but only the victors will be able to rule over it. Sanjaya has been given the gift of clairvoyance and can tell Dhritarashtra everything that took place on the battlefield. The battle has already occurred, but Sanjaya describes events as though they are happening right at this moment.
Sanjaya describes the oldest of the Kauravas, Duryodhana, who is worried that his army is smaller in number. There are many skilled warriors on each side. The Kauravas army is led by Bhishma, who is the great uncle to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The Pandavas army is led by Bhima. The Kauravas army sound their horns to rally support, but the deafening response from the Pandavas forces reminds them of the disparity in numbers.
Arjuna is one of the five Pandavas. He has chosen the deity Krishna to be his charioteer and advisor during the battle. Arjuna asks Krishna to halt their chariot in the space between the two opposing armies. He examines the armies and recognizes the familiar faces of his family members. The sight of family members worries Arjuna, and he does not know whether he can go through with the battle. The bloodshed may be too high a price to pay for a kingdom, even though the enemy is “evil” and the “worst of the wicked” (33). He asks Krishna for advice and wonders whether he should allow the evil sons of Dhritarashtra to kill him. Arjuna throws down his bow and arrows. He sits in the chariot and is “overcome with sorrow” (34).
Chapter 2 Summary: “The Yoga of Knowledge”
Krishna responds to Arjuna. He questions whether this sudden doubt is appropriate for a famed warrior like Arjuna, who has been called “the foe-consumer” (35). Krishna advises Arjuna to abandon his cowardice, but Arjuna does not know how he could possibly enjoy the spoils of victory if he is forced to kill his family members. He does not know whether it is better to lose the war or to win it. Arjuna refuses to fight.
Krishna accepts that Arjuna’s sadness is well-meaning but insists that it is misplaced. Both the dead and the living will continue to exist regardless of Arjuna’s actions, Krishna explains, as the process of reincarnation means they will move to other bodies. A person’s soul cannot truly be destroyed, so there should be no cause to mourn deaths on the battlefield. Warriors should be happy to have such a battle ahead of them, as it allows for the natural process of reincarnation and “opens a door to heaven” (38).
Arjuna cannot refuse to fight, Krishna says, as he should not abandon his duty. People will remember him as a disgraced sinner if he does not fight. Being remembered as a coward is a fate worse than death, and that is how Arjuna will be remembered by his friends and enemies.
Krishna explains the method of karma yoga. Karma is a work or a deed (or the effect of a work or deed). Yoga (discipline) is a union with god and the route to a spiritual life. A devotion to yoga and to introspection will teach Arjuna not to focus on the fruits or rewards of his actions but on the actions themselves. Actions are important. Inaction is to be avoided. Right now, Krishna explains, Arjuna is too focused on “conflicting interpretations of the scriptures” (41). A person who follows the path of karma yoga will become “an illumined soul” (41). He will be at peace and want nothing. He will not chase after happiness and will be free from fear, anger, desire, ego, and pride. An illumined soul reaches a state of enlightenment “even at the moment of death” (44).
Chapter 3 Summary: “Karma Yoga”
Arjuna is confused. Why should he go to battle, he asks Krishna, if he should be spending his time pursuing spiritual enlightenment? Krishna explains that enlightenment can be found in two different ways: knowledge and selfless action. Inaction does not exist because choosing not to act is itself an action. Choosing not to act is hypocritical, and a person should choose to act with self-control. A person must use the yoga of knowing and the yoga of action together. These two paths to enlightenment support one another. The ultimate truth is reached by “working without anxiety about results” (47) as the action of work is supported by spiritual knowledge and awareness. With the right spiritual understanding, a person does not commit an action only for the results.
Krishna believes that Arjuna is obligated to understand the spiritual context of his actions and to perform his duty. He is obligated because all humans are bound together in the tangled net of cause and effect. This duty to act is referred to as dharma. A person who does not act does not set into motion cause and effect. This failure means that another person cannot respond, and the chain of action breaks down. Wise people must act without desire to point other people “to the path of [their] duty” (47). An enlightened individual must lead by example and perform their obligated actions without thinking about the results, to ensure that the cause and effect of society can continue. Choosing not to act creates confusion in “the minds of the ignorant” (48). Krishna advises Arjuna to abandon his ego and act and to dedicate his actions to god. He advises Arjuna to fight.
Krishna also advises against assuming the duties of another person. Even if a person successfully assumes another person’s duties, even if they are well intentioned, this person risks great spiritual danger. People should prefer to die doing their own duty than to risk assuming another’s duty.
Arjuna wonders why people do evil deeds against their own will. Krishna explains that passion can blind people to wisdom. People who become impassioned forget their spiritual guidance and abandon their wisdom. Arjuna should avoid this fate by taking control of his senses. Once Arjuna has control of his senses, then he will be able to defeat desire and passion.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Renunciation Through Knowledge”
Krishna has taught these lessons to many others. He taught the yoga to the deity Vivaswat, who in turn taught others, who in turn taught others. Arjuna is confused. He believed Krishna to be relatively young and therefore not capable of teaching anyone so long ago. Krishna explains that he has been reincarnated many times. While Arjuna cannot remember his past lives, Krishna remembers the lives he lived before this current incarnation. Krishna reincarnates whenever “goodness grows weak” (50) and evil is felt in the world. He returns at these times to restore righteous order. Krishna returns whenever dharma is lacking in the world. He takes a new form to remind people of their duty to act. Krishna established the four castes but does not seek recognition for this action because he takes pleasure from the act, not its results.
Krishna explains how to act with spiritual awareness. There are many ways to act in such a fashion. Sacrifice to gods is important. People meditate, fast, and deny themselves pleasures as a form of sacrifice, and in doing so they renounce action. This renunciation means that their actions are imbued with a spiritual awareness. The sacrifice of knowledge is one of the most powerful acts. A person who surrenders their pride and questions everything can achieve a new form of wisdom. Wisdom can help a person perfect their spiritual understanding and can lead to the highest form of peace, “peace beyond passion” (55). Krishna tells Arjuna to destroy his delusion and dedicate himself to karma yoga and the quest for enlightenment.
Chapter 5 Summary: “The Yoga of Renunciation”
Arjuna notes that Krishna has advocated for both the renunciation of action and the yoga of action. Krishna explains that the yoga of action is the superior option though both lead to enlightenment—but only if performed in the right manner. Both options are better than no action at all. Both options are also intertwined, and the renunciation of action can be very difficult without yoga.
Yoga allows a person to conquer their senses. A person who has conquered their senses becomes an incorruptible and pure self. A person with awareness of themselves can achieve peace because they renounce the results of actions and any illusion that they have control over their actions. They focus on their own actions and thus become detached from the destructive cycles that distract and occupy other people.
Any fully self-realized and self-aware person can achieve Nirvana, the state of union with the divine. They can live without fear, desire, or anger, and can consider themselves free. They understand that all beings are fundamentally the same, and they can truly achieve peace by knowing Krishna, who is the “lord of the worlds” (62).
Chapter 6 Summary: “The Yoga of Meditation”
Krishna describes what is needed to become a yogi, or a person who practices yoga. One key element of yoga is restraint. The practitioner should not seek the most extreme solution, whether that means extreme indulgence or extreme denial. Neither gluttonous people nor people who starve themselves can be considered true yogi. A moderation of desire, a moderation of thoughts, and a moderation of actions is the true yoga.
A yogi is focused on quiet reflection. Reflecting on the self and controlling the direction of the mind can lead to inner peace. This peace and calmness then leads to joy and enlightenment. Krishna provides a guide for those who wish to focus. He tells people to find a place that is firm and neither too high nor too low. The place should be clean. The person should then cover it with sacred grass and a deer skin, and then a cloth over everything. The person sits in this place and learns to hold their senses and their imagination “in check” (65). This meditation will purify the person’s heart.
Arjuna struggles with this, as he feels that people’s minds naturally wander. Krishna acknowledges that yoga is difficult, but with practice, dedication, and restraint, it is certainly possible. Arjuna wonders what happens to the people who fail in the practice of yoga. Krishna explains that people who fail are reincarnated and can try to achieve enlightenment in their next life. They may be reincarnated in a successful family or even a family of yogi, which can help them achieve enlightenment and break free from the cycle of reincarnation. People who practice yoga are purified over the course of their reincarnated lives and will move “gradually toward perfection through many births, and reach the highest goal at last” (69).
Part 1 Analysis
The Bhagavad Gita is a conversation framed inside a story. The blind king Dhritarashtra and his counsel and charioteer Sanjaya discuss a battle that has taken place nearby. Dhritarashtra depends on Sanjaya to tell him what happened as he is personally invested in the outcome: His sons are fighting their cousins. The Gita is part of a larger story, the Mahabharata, but it functions as an aside from that epic tale to focus on philosophical and theological conversations. The framing device of the conversation between Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya means that the discussions are part of a wider history. This wider history creates an emotional context for the discussions between Arjuna and Krishna. The opening chapter sets the scene and adds impetus to the later conversations.
Arjuna’s doubts and worries are important because he faces the prospect of killing family members. The advice Krishna gives him has life-and-death outcomes for people. The text introduces Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya as an alternative perspective on the conversation, which shows the importance of this discussion. Dhritarashtra wants to know the result of the battle, and the only way to understand the battle is to understand the conversation that took place beforehand. In addition to emphasizing the importance of the philosophical conservation between Arjuna and Krishna, this also situates it in a wider historical and narrative context. Arjuna and Krishna do not exist in a vacuum: Their conversation has consequences, and people are invested in the outcome. The characters’ investment signals the necessary investment of the audience.
Arjuna is a tragic figure. He is aware of the inevitable violence in his future but wonders whether he can take part, even if he believes the violence is justified. Arjuna is a morally complex individual who abhors violence and struggles with the idea of a bad deed done in the name of good. Krishna acts as Arjuna’s moral guide. He is an ancient being who has helped guide the course of human history. Krishna’s understanding of morality is informed by his uncountable reincarnations. Unlike humans, he retains his memory of his past lives and uses this knowledge to inform his current life. Arjuna is terrified by the fleeting nature of life, while Krishna is made content by the infinite nature of existence. The narrative depends on Krishna helping Arjuna understand the nature of life beyond his current moment. Such an understanding will help Arjuna deal with the inherent tragedy of his current predicament.
In fact, even as Krishna and Arjuna stand amid a battlefield, this human dispute is not the text’s real conflict. The true battle is the conversation, as Krishna must correct Arjuna’s unenlightened worldview and combat the doubt in his conscience. Arjuna himself must release his uncertainties and embrace Krishna’s teachings. This battle is more abstract and metaphysical, and its stakes are much higher, for accepting Krishna’s wisdom will enable Arjuna lead in the eminent battle, but it will also establish him as a model of an enlightened perspective afterward, as he disseminates his newfound knowledge to future generations.
This theme of battle introduces another of the text’s key concepts, namely the existence and nature of binaries. The conflict between the Kauravas and Pandavas is the first instance of a binary pair; the two battles, one concerning human affairs and the other revolving around enlightenment, form another. Even the two conversations, one between Arjuna and Krishna and the other between Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya, form a pair. In examining these pairs, the more significant halves are readily apparent: The Pandavas, for they are Arjuna’s people; the metaphysical battle, for it has import for all humanity; and the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna, for it contains the unfiltered teachings of a god. These early examples prepare the reader to examine and understand the binaries that emerge in later chapters, especially the binary nature of existence itself.
