• Get The Book
  • Home
  • About
  • Daily Prayer
  • Resources For Further Study

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: ahimsaa

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 17

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 17.14, aarjavam, ahimsaa, brahmacharyam, chapter 17 verse 14, deva, dvija, guru, poojanam, praajnya, shaareeram .tapaha, shaucham, uchyate

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 17

devadvijagurupraajnyapoojanam shauchamaarjavam |
brahmacharyamahimsaa cha shaareeram tapa uchyate || 14 ||

 
Worship of the deities, the twice born, teachers and the learned, purity, straightforwardness, chastity and non violence, these are called penance of the body.
 
deva : deities
dvija : twice born
guru : teacher
praajnya : learned
poojanam : worship
shaucham : purity
aarjavam : straightforwardness
brahmacharyam : chastity
ahimsaa : non violence
cha : and
shaareeram : of the body
tapaha : penance
uchyate : called
 
So far, Shri Krishna described the three types of food and worship so that we can use them to analyze the texture of our faith. He now begins the topic of tapas, which means penance or austerity. Through tapas we ensure that the energy that we derive from consuming food can be conserved and channeled into our actions. This tapas or penance is also of three types, saattvic, raajasic and taamasic. But penance itself needs to be broken down into its three main components first. Here, we examine the first component which is bodily or physical penance, shaaririka tapas.
 
Penance of the body begins with bowing down to, respecting, and serving our deities, our elders and our teachers. Deities also means the gods representing elemental forces such as Varun, lord of the seas. This means that we should worship and take care of all the natural resource this world has to offer. Offering service to something greater than us also has the effect of checking our aham, our ego, our illusory notion of who we are. It increases our humility and decreases our individuality.
 
Shaucham refers to purity of our body and our surroundings. If we keep our room unclean or cluttered, it is an indication that our mind is also unclean, or is cluttered with useless thoughts. Aarjavam or straightforwardness refers to our posture. We will not be able to meditate unless we are able to maintain an erect posture. This straightforwardness of the body is also a pointer to making our thinking straightforward, without any trace of deceit. Brahmacharyam refers to stopping our checking the excessive straying of our sense organs into their respective objects, like watching too much TV or consuming a lot of rich food. Ahimsa or non violence prevents us from harming anyone or anything using our body.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 16

28 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 16.2, achaapalam, ahimsaa, akrodhaha, aloluptvam, apaishunam, bhooteshu, chapter 16 verse 2, dayaa, hreehi, maardavam, satyam, shaantihi, tyaagaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 16

ahimsaa satyamakrodhastyaagaha shaantirapaishunam |
dayaa bhooteshvaloluptvam maardavam hreerachaapalam || 2 ||

 
Non violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of slander, compassion towards all beings, lack of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, lack of fickleness.
 
ahimsaa : non violence
satyam : truthfulness
akrodhaha : absence of anger
tyaagaha : renunciation
shaantihi : tranquility
apaishunam : absence of slander
dayaa : compassion
bhooteshu : all beings
aloluptvam : lack of covetousness
maardavam : gentleness
hreehi : modesty
achaapalam : lack of fickleness
 
Twelve additional divine qualities are listed in this shloka. Ahimsaa refers to non violence, harmlessness, to not injure anyone intentionally or unintentionally. Harm to others need not be caused by weapons all the time. Most likely, we cause the most harm to others through action and speech. Any time we harbour dvesha or resentment towards someone else, we not only cause harm to our mind but also create a barrier to access Ishvara within.
 
Next comes satyam or truthfulness. The Mundaka Upanishad says “satyam eva jayati”, truth alone prevails, which is also found on the seal of the Indian government. Speaking the truth is considered the highest dharma. But truth should also be communicated thoughtfully. It should be priyam or dear, not a harsh sounding truth. It should be hitam, which means it should benefit the other person. It should also be nitam, brief, short and sweet.
 
Akrodhaha refers to absence of anger or rage in particularly challenging situations. If someone instigates us, for example honking a horn at the traffic signal, it is difficult not to get upset. We have to learn how to keep an anger in check, especially when we know that it is our natural tendency to get upset whenever a tough situation comes up. This does not meet that we remain meek. It means that we can keep our cool while demonstrating our anger to get a certain objective done, just like a snake can hiss without actually biting anyone.
 
Tyaagaha refers to renunciation, it means to give up. In daanam or charity, we donate our possessions to someone else. In tyaaga, we just give up our possessions. For instance, food can be given up to someone, this is daanam. But the notion that I won’t eat food, this is tyaaga. At the highest level, we need to renounce our sense of I, our individuality. This is because all possessions, everything that we term as mine, are nothing but upaadhis or conditionings. The fewer conditionings that we identify with, the lesser will be our individuality. So we give up the sense of mine in daanam, but we give up our sense of I in tyaaga.
 
The next divine quality is that of shaantihi which means tranquility or calmness. This refers to the quietening of our antahakarana, of the mind, body and intellect. Even a tiny little thought of like and dislike can agitate our antahakarana, just like a speck of dust can agitate our eyes. So just as we are careful to not let anything enter our eyes, we should train ourselves to keep our antahakarana calm. Without calmness, progress on the spiritual path is not possible.
 
Apaishunam refers to the absence of slander, to not find faults in others, to not gossip about others. A simple policy to follow is to not agitate others, and to not be agitated by others. Unfortunately, many of us can agitate others without even knowing it. A seemingly harmless statement that we make about someone can balloon out of proportion and cause extreme distress to that person. It is usually best to not indulge in gossip.
 
Next we come across dayaa bhuteshu, which means compassion for all beings. It is the ability to relate to others when they are suffering. By being compassionate towards others, we acknowledge the unity of our self, of our I with someone else’s I. It does not mean we have to shed tears each time we encounter someone with sorrow. It means that we can put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and see their point of view.
 
Aloluptvam is the ability to check our sense organs when they are near their favourite objects. Damaha, the ability to control our sense organs, is directly related to this quality. Let’s say we have decided not to each chocolates today. This vow will be tested if someone leaves a giant box of chocolates on our desk. The power of the sense organs is so strong that we will realize that we have consumed chocolates only after the fact. So the ability to prevent triggers from breaking our self control is called aloluptvam.
 
Maardavam means mridutaa or gentleness. It is the opposite of harshness. It is a measure of how soft, how tender one’s heart it. This is why children approach their mothers for requests rather than their fathers. Hreehi refers to modesty, the ability to discern between acceptable versus unacceptable behavior, between what is right and what is wrong. Finally, achapalataa is absence of fickleness. Many of us lack the ability to sit still. Our hands and legs are always moving or twitching. Or, we tend to speak when not needed, or let our eyes wander all over. All these are signs that we are not in control of our actions

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 13

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 13.7, aachaaryopaasanam, aarjavam, aatmavinigrahaha, adambhitvam, ahimsaa, amaanitvam, chapter 13 verse 7, kshaantihi, shaucham, sthairyam

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 13

amaanitvamadambhitvamahimsaa kshaantiraarjavam |
aachaaryopaasanam shaucham sthairyamaatmavinigrahaha || 7 ||

 
Humility, unpretentiousness, non-injury, forgiveness, straightforwardness, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness, self control.
 
amaanitvam : humility
adambhitvam : unpreteniousness
ahimsaa : non-injury
kshaantihi : forgiveness
aarjavam : straightforwardness
aachaaryopaasanam : service of the teacher
shaucham : purity
sthairyam : steadfastness
aatmavinigrahaha : self control
 
Let us do a quick recap. Shri Krishna began this chapter with a brief explanation of what is the field or kshetra, and who is its knower or kshetragnya. He then asserted that there is only one knower of all the fields in the universe. After that, he categorized twenty four items that can be each considered as a field. From this shloka, Shri Krishna changes the topic from theoretical description to extremely practical techniques that help us bring this teaching into our daily lives. These techniques train us to spot the field or upaadhi that we are giving importance and subsequently reduce the level of importance we give to it. The less importance we give to any of these twenty four upaadhis, the closer we are to realizing our oneness with the eternal essence that is beyond any field or upaadhi.
 
“Maana” means overestimation of one’s own self-worth. This self-worth can be derived from health, wealth, power, beauty, control, position, any of these characteristics. Acknowledgement that we have one or more of these characteristics, a correct assessment of these characteristics is fine, but when pride or “abhimaan” derived from these characteristics makes us crave extra attention or put down someone else, it is to be avoided. “Amaanitvam” is an absence of pride about any of the above-mentioned characteristics. “Dambha” means pretentiousness or falsehood. In the case of abhimaana, we had some characteristic in us that made us puff up with pride. In dambha, we derive a false sense of pride where there is no positive trait to speak of whatsoever. It is completely hollow pride. We see examples in bollywood movies where the boy will rent or steal a fancy car in order to impress his girlfriend. If we have this trait in us, very few people will trust us to do any task well. It is easy to see through people who have dambha. So then, “adambhitvam” is utter absence of pretentiousness.
 
“Himsaa” means injury in a very broad sense of the word. There are five afflictions that are mentioned in the Yoga school of philosophy: ignorance, arrogance, desire, hatred and fear of death. Whenever we cause any of these afflictions or kleshas in any other person, we are injuring that person. When we do not cause any of these afflications, we demonstrate ahimsaa or non-injury. “Kshaantihi” is an attitude of forgiveness that comes out of extreme titkshaa which is forbearance and tolerance. If we do not have this quality, we will get angry, flare up and lose our equanimity at every little jab or insult that anyone throws at us. In the second chapter Shri Krishna had emphasized the quality of forbearance as a means to achieve equanimity as well. The attitude of forgiveness developed through forbearance is similar to that of a mother who forgives any mistake committed by her child.
 
“Aarjavam” refers to straightforwardness, an absence of crookedness in dealing with the world. It is derived from the root “riju” which is the root of the word “Arjuna” as well. This quality is reflected in us when our thoughts are aligned with our actions. Even children can see through someone who says one thing and does something else. “Aacharya” refers to someone who collects the essence of the scriptures, like a honeybee collects nectar from flowers. Giving respect to such a learned master is called “aacharya upaasanam”. By doing so, we acknowledge that we do not know everything, and that we are ready to follow the path laid out by the teacher, no matter how much it hurts our ego.
 
“Shaucham” is purity of the body and the mind. The ritual of pooja is emphasized in Indian children because in that short period of time, we learn to maintain a high degree of external purity. If we reflect on this as we get older, that notion of external purity slowly seeps into our mind, and encourages us to develop purity in thought as well. “Sthairyam” is the strength to remain firm in one’s convictions, to remain steadfast in what we do. If we decide to meditate for ten minutes daily but cannot even do so for a couple of days, we will not be able to tackle much more challenging aspects of our material and spiritual journeys. “Aatmaa vinigraha” is our ability to control our mind from its natural tendency to run after sense objects. The sense organs, which are under the control of the mind, have a natural tendency to go outwards. Through self control, we learn to turn them inward.
 
Shri Krishna covered nine qualities in tihs shloka. There are eleven more that are covered in the next few shlokas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 10

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 10.5, ahimsaa, ayashaha, bhaavaaha, bhavanti, bhootaanaam, chapter 10 verse 5, daanam, eva, mattaha, prithagvidhaahaa, samataa, tapaha, tushtihi, yashaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 10

ahimsaa samataa tushtistapo daanam yashoyashaha |
bhavanti bhaavaa bhootaanaam matta eva prithagvidhaahaa || 5 ||

 
Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, penance, charity, fame and infamy, these various states of living beings arise from me only.
 
ahimsaa : non-injury
samataa : equanimity
tushtihi : contentment
tapaha : penance
daanam : charity
yashaha : fame
ayashaha : infamy
bhavanti : occur
bhaavaaha : arise
bhootaanaam : of living beings
mattaha : from me
eva : only
prithagvidhaahaa : various
 
Shri Krishna continues to describe Ishvara’s subtle expressions in this shloka. He begins with the description of “ahimsaa” or non-injury. Non-injury typically is understood as refraining from physically hurting a living being. But more broadly, it means refraining from depriving someone else of happiness, knowledge and finitude. For instance, if we cheat someone or we insult someone, we are not practising non-injury.
 
Next is “samataa” or equanimity. The second chapter speaks elaborately on the quality of equanimity or balance as paramount to the performance of karma yoga. If external factors such as heat, cold, praise and censure destabilize our mind, it means that our ego is attached to those factors and disturbs the balance of our mind. Maintaining equanimity in such situations is a sign of healthy detachment and dispassion.
 
“Tushtihi” or contentment refers to “prasaada buddhi”, or the ability to accept everything in life, good or bad, joyful or sorrowful, as a gift from Ishvara. If we are constantly unhappy with what life gives us, we are failing to recognize the infinitude of our eternal essence, and are instead attached to our limited, finite ego.
 
“Tapaha” or penance refers to the energy that builds up in our body when we practice restraint of our sense organs. For example, if we refrain for talking for a day, that energy is conserved within our body and generates heat which is known as “tapas”. “Daanam” or charity refers to donating or distributing our wealth so that we do not get into the practice of hoarding.
 
“Yasha” is the fame that comes through pursuit of dharma or lawful conduct, and “ayashaha” is the infamy that results through the pursuit of adharma or unlawful conduct.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic by asserting that all of these qualities are generated in us by none other than Ishvara. However, there is a set of rules that govern the creation of these qualities. It does not happen randomly or in an ad-hoc manner. It is our karma or actions that determine which qualities or states will arise within us. If we constantly surround ourselves with good company, we will automatically imbibe good qualities and vice versa.
 
So far, Shri Krishna has described Ishvara’s subtle expressions. We now will being to see Ishvara’s tangible, visible expressions starting from the next shloka.

New! Youtube Channel

Watch our YouTube videos!

All shokas (verses) available here:

Most Visited Verses

  • Summary Of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 32, Chapter 9
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 7
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 52, Chapter 2
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 3
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 48, Chapter 18
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 13
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 4

Give Feedback

Email the author: gkmdisc at hotmail.com

Books By The Author

The entire Gita book written by the author of this blog, as well as shorter, easier to read versions of the Gita are available here.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning
    • Join 118 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar