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A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

~ Gita Journey is a straightforward, modern, contemporary, basic explanation and commentary of the Bhagawat Gita, with Sanskrit to English word meanings. Each shloka (verse) is explained in detail. An introduction to the Bhagavad Gita along with study resources can also be found here. A summary of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is also included. It does not matter whether you are a student, a retiree, a professional, a mom, a dad or a housewife – no prior knowledge is needed.

A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

Category Archives: adhidaivam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 8

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 8.1, adhibhootam, adhidaivam, adhyaatma, brahma, cha, chapter 8 verse 1, karma, kim, proktam, purushottama, tat, uchyate

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Arjuna uvaacha:
kim tadbrahma kimadhyaatmam kim karma purushottama |
adhibhootam cha kim proktamadhidaivam kimuchyate || 1 ||

 
Arjuna said:
What is that “brahman”? What is “adhyaatma”? What is “karma”? O supreme person. What is termed as “adhibhoota” and “adhidaiva”?

 
kim : what is
tat : that
brahma : “brahman”
adhyaatma : “adhyaatma”
karma : “karma”
purushottama : O supreme person
adhibhootam : “adhibhoota”
cha : and
proktam : what is termed as
adhidaivam : “adhidaivam”
uchyate : what is termed as
 
Shri Krishna ended the previous chapter by referencing some technical terms, and stressed the need for Arjuna to understand these terms completely so that he could realize Ishvara. Here, Arjuna does a favour to all future students of the Gita by asking Shri Krishna to clearly define these terms. In that regard, Arjuna asks the definition of four terms in this shloka: adhyaatma, karma, adhibhoota and adhidaiva.
 
This chapter is perhaps one of the more philosophical and esoteric chapters of the Gita. It deals with the theme of life after death, something that has not been addressed so far in the Gita. Furthermore, The definition of the aforementioned technical terms is provided, but has been interpreted differently by various commentators, so we need to chose the most clear and straightforward explanation. We will also get a sweeping glimpse of the Gita’s view on the origin of the cosmos.
 
To better understand these technical terms, let us set up an illustration. First, let us quickly look at how a movie projector works. A projector consists of a bright light that shines onto a strip of film. This film strip contains a series of images that are shot by a movie camera, or drawn by an animator in case of an animated movie. When the film strip is run through the projector, the images are projected onto the movie screen. The fast speed of the moving images creates the illusion of movement on the screen.
 
Let us further say that there is an animated movie called “Tom” that shows a day in the life of Tom who is a teenager. Tom wakes up, eats breakfast, goes to school, comes back home, plays with his friends and goes to sleep. It is a very simple movie. Like any other animated movie it follows a script written by a scriptwriter, and is in fact a sequence of images drawn by an animator.
 
Now, here’s where we have to stretch our thinking. Imagine that by some inexplicable magic, the light that shines on Tom on the film strip begins to think that it is different than the light that shines on the other part of the film strip. It develops an identity of its own. It even begins to think that it is actually waking up, going to school and so on.
 
The light of the projector has identified itself with Tom. What happens next? We will continue to develop this illustration further in the explanation of the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30 Chapter 7

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 7.30, adhibhoota, adhidaivam, adhiyagnyam, api, cha, chapter 7 verse 30, maam, prayanaakaale, sa, te, viduhu, ye, yuktachetasaha

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saadhibhootaadhidaivam maam saadhiyagnyam cha ye viduhu |
prayanaakaalepi cha maam te viduryuktachetasaha || 30 ||

 
Those who know me with “adhibhoota”, “adhidaiva” and “adhiyagnya” with a focused mind during the time of departure, they realize only me.
 
sa : with
adhibhoota : “adhibhoota”
adhidaivam : “adhidaiva”
maam : me
sa : with
adhiyagnyam : “adhiyagnya”
cha : and
ye : those who
viduhu : know
prayanaakaale : during the time of departure
api : also
cha : and
maam : me
te : they
viduhu : realize
yuktachetasaha : focused mind
 
Studying the Gita is akin to taking off in an airplane. Each chapter takes us to a higher and higher level of understanding. In this, the final shloka of the seventh chapter, we are taken from the level of the individual to the level of the cosmic. Shri Krishna introduces a topic that all of us have to confront: how should we prepare ourselves for death ?
 
We cannot begin to answer this question unless we gain an understanding of the cosmos, where did it come from, how is it sustained, where is it going and so on. Therefore, Shri Krishna in the eighth chapter shifts gears to address these questions.
 
Here, he introduces three additional terms: “adhibhoota”, “adhidaiva” and “adhiyagnya”. These terms along with the 3 terms from the previous shloka will be explained in the beginning of the next chapter. He also says that the wise devotee who has his mind focused on Ishvara realizes or attains Ishvara.
 
Let’s say we only think of chocolate ice cream for an entire day, non-stop. We do not let any other thought come into our mind. When we wake up the next day, what would be our first thought? Chocolate ice cream, of course. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that whatever we think just before we die shapes our destiny after we die. If we think of something worldly during the time of death, our destiny will be worldly. But if we think of Ishvara during our time of dying, we will attain Ishvara.
 
Now, although we like to plan our lives to the nth degree, none of us knows when we will die. If that is the case, the thought that is top priority in our minds will become our final thought. If we are worried about our job all the time, that will be our last thought. If we are worried about our family all the time, that will be our last thought. If we are worried about our the state of the world all the time, that will be our last thought.
 
Therefore, the practical lesson here is that we should learn to direct our attention towards Ishvara while we are performing our duties on this world. How exactly we should do this, as well as how the cosmos came into existence, is the topic of the eighth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade jnyaanavignyaanayogonaamo saptamodhyaahaha || 7 ||

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