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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: iti

Bhagavad Gita Verse 32, Chapter 18

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.32, aavritaa, adharmam, buddhihi, chapter 18 verse 32, dharmam, iti, manyate, paartha, sarvaarthaanvipareetaan, taamasaa, taamasee

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adharmam dharmamiti yaa manyate tamasaavritaa |
sarvaarthaanvipareetaanshcha buddhihi saa paartha taamasee || 32 ||

 
That by which one understands adharma as dharma, and all things as completely contrary, that intellect is called taamasic.
 
adharmam : adharma
dharmam : dharma
iti : in this manner
yaa : that which
manyate : one understands
taamasaa : darkness
aavritaa : covered
sarvaarthaanvipareetaan : all things as completely contrary
cha : and
buddhihi : intellect
saa : that
paartha : O Paartha
taamasee : taamasic
 
Let’s imagine that there is a house with three rooms, each having a 100 W light bulb. One room is cleaned and dusted daily, so the bulb light shines brightly. All objects in this room are seen crystal clear. The second room is cleaned once every month, so the light from the bulb is partially covered by dust. Some objects in the room are seen clearly, but some are fuzzy. The third room has not been cleaned for several years, so the bulb delivers hardly any light at all, since it has acquired a thick coating of dust and dirt on it. We can barely see any object in this room.
 
Similarly, our intellect, which is like a light bulb, gets covered by the dirt of selfish desires. A raajasic intellect is like the bulb in the second room, with partially obscured light. But the taamasic intellect is like the bulb in the third room. The level of selfish desires is so great that the intellect cannot shine through. Shri Krishna says that such a such a person behaves in a totally ignorant and illogical fashion, confusing what is right with what is wrong. Vipareeta, the word used to describe such an intellect, means topsy turvy, contrary, reverse.
 
Where did such a high degree of selfishness come from? It is nothing but a bundle of vaasanaas, impressions that have been gathered since birth, or even through several lifetimes. It starts with the taamasic jnyaanam, the knowledge or worldview, that presents one object, person or situation as the sole goal of attainment, to the exclusion of everything else. It says, “money is the sole aim of life, everything else is secondary”. So the intellect responds : “let’s rob someone to get this money”, and in doing so, going against all logic, morality, ethics and civility. Each time such an action is committed, its strengthens the vaasanaa for stealing and harming people. Over time, a thick cloud of these harmful vaasanaas coat the intellect.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 18

22 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.3, apare, chapter 18 verse 3, doshavat, eke, iti, karma, maneeshinaha, na, praahuhu, tyaajyam, yajnyadaanatapahakarma

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tyaajyam doshavadityeke karma praahurmaneeshinaha |
yajnyadaanatapahakarma na tyaajyamiti chaapare || 3 ||

 
Actions, being fault filled, should be given up, many contemplative people say this. Others say that actions of sacrifice, charity and penance should not be given up.
 
tyaajyam : give up
doshavat : fault filled
iti : in this manner
eke : many
karma : actions
praahuhu : say
maneeshinaha : contemplative people
yajnyadaanatapahakarma : actions of sacrifice, charity and penance
na : not
tyaajyam : give up
iti : in this manner
cha : and
apare : others
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna shared two prevailing views on the topic of karma yoga. The first view is that one should give up all kaamya karmas, all desire prompted actions. Any action that is undertaken for a personal reward is a desire prompted action. The second view is that one should give up the rewards of all types of actions, including kaamya karmas and nitya karmas or duties. Giving up does not mean physically giving up the reward. It means giving up the attachment to the reward in our mind.
 
Before sharing his definition of karma yoga, Shri Krishna describes two other viewpoints on karma yoga. He says that maneeshees, those who have a contemplative bent of mind, advise that it is futile to undertake any action, because all actions are filled with some fault or the other. They are of the opinion that any action, no matter how small, eventually grows in size, binds us and makes us dance to its tune. Such people prefer to lead a life of monkhood and spend their time immersed in thinking and contemplation.
 
The fourth viewpoint on karmayoga advocates similar but less radical approach than the prior viewpoint. It narrows the scope of actions to just three: sacrifice, charity and penance. In other words, you have to fulfill your obligations towards Ishvara, your fellow human beings, and to yourself. So then, what actions are left out here? This viewpoint does not sanction the performance of actions with regards to our profession, our career and so on. It assumes that one can live without earning a livelihood.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 15

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 15.20, anagha, bhaarata, buddhimaan, buddhvaa, chapter 15 verse 20, etat, guhyatamam, iti, kritakrityaha, mayaa, shaastram, syaat, uktam

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iti guhyatamam shaastramidamuktam mayaanagha |
etadbuddhvaa buddhimaansyaatkritakrityashcha bhaarata || 20 ||

 
Thus, this foremost secret has been taught to you by me, O sinless one. Having known this, one becomes wise and accomplishes all his duties, O Bhaarata.
 
iti : thus
guhyatamam : foremost secret
shaastram : science
idam : this
uktam : taught
mayaa : by me
anagha : O sinless one
etat : this
buddhvaa : having known
buddhimaan : wise
syaat : becomes
kritakrityaha : one who has accomplished all duties
cha : and
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
 
When you ask the question – can you stop working right now and retire, you get a couple of answers. Some people say that they have still so many desires, so many plans to fulfill, that’s why they cannot retire. Other people say that they still have so much to learn from the world, so much knowledge to acquire. Shri Krishna concludes this chapter by asserting that one who has truly understood the teaching of this chapter has accomplished whatever anyone can accomplish in this world, plus he has also known whatever can be known in this world.
 
Why does he say that whatever has to be known has been covered in this chapter? The highest knowledge to be known in this world is the understanding of three topics. What is the nature of the individual soul (who am I), what is this world and where did it come from, and what is beyond this world (is there a God). Any text that conclusively answers these three questions is termed a shaastra, a science. The fifteenth chapter of the Gita does so, and hence it is worthy of being termed a shaastra.
 
The method used to reveal Purushottama, the pure eternal essence, is to gradually move from the tangible to the intangible, from the visible to the subtle, from the visible universe to the invisible Prakriti to Purushottama who is beyond both. This method is known as Arundhati nyaaya, the technique of revealing the location of the star known as Arundhati. Here the teacher first points to a tree, then to one of its branches, then to one of its leaves, and then to the star that is right next to the tree. Without doing this step by step revelation, it would not have been possible to reveal the position of the star.
 
So then, the teaching of this chapter is called the foremost secret. It is secret because such knowledge is not accessible to any of these sense organs. It has to be revealed through a teacher who has had direct experience of the eternal essence. Furthermore, it has to be taught to a student who is straightforward and without sin like Arjuna. Shri Shankaraachaarya goes so far as to say that this chapter summarizes the teachings of all of the Vedic scriptures.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 14

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 14.23, aaseenaha, avatishthathi, chapter 14 verse 23, eva, gunaaha, gunaihi, ingate, iti, udaaseenavat, vartante, vichaalyate, yaha

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udaaseenavadaaseeno gunairyo na vichaalyate |
gunaa vartante ityeva yovatishthathi nengate || 23 ||

 
One who is sits like an indifferent person, is not agitated by the gunas, who, knowing that the gunas interact with each other, is firmly situated and does not move.
 
udaaseenavat : indifferent person
aaseenaha : seated
gunaihi : through gunaas
yaha : one who
na : not
vichaalyate : agitated
gunaaha : gunas
vartante : interact
iti : in this manner
eva : only
yaha : one who
avatishthathi : situated firmly
na : does not
ingate : move
 
Previously, Shri Krishna indicated the mental state of one who has transcended the gunas. He now addresses the second question – how does one who has gone beyond the gunas behave in this world. He says that such a person lives life with ease and grace. He is like the graceful elephant who walks on the road, unaffected by the horde of dogs that is barking at him. We have come across such people ourselves, who remain calm and unperturbed even when facing their darkest personal challenges.
 
What makes a person so calm? There are two factors. First, even though such a person may not look like a monk from the outside, he has a great deal of detachment towards the world. Second, such a person is seated on an unshakeable platform, his own self. Both factors are possible through the conviction and constant awareness that the entire world, including one’s own body, is a play of the three gunas. It is the difference between getting swept away by the waves or sitting calmly on the beach. It is the difference between participating in a street fight or observing the fight from a second floor balcony.
 
What does all this mean in practice? It means when our mind is agitated, we will not crave for a peaceful state. We will accept that a certain level of agitation, a certain level of rajas is part and parcel of daily life. We will simply watch that mental state arise, persist, and go away, only to be replaced by another state. We will view the whole world as the gunas interacting with the gunas. The “I” within us will be firmly seated in itself, with a healthy level of distance and detachment from the movement of those gunas. It will stop identifying, giving importance, giving reality to the play of gunas. The gunas will move, but the “I” within us will not.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 14

16 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 14.11, asmin, chapter 14 verse 11, dehe, iti, jnyaanam, prakaashaha, sarvasvaareshu, sattvam, tadaa, upajaayate, uta, vidyaat, vivriddham, yadaa

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sarvasvaareshu dehesminprakaasha upajaayate |
jnyaanam yadaa tadaa vidyaadvivriddham sattvamityuta || 11 ||

 
When luminous knowledge radiates through all gates of this body, then one should know that sattva has increased greatly.
 
sarvasvaareshu : in all gates
dehe : body
asmin : this
prakaashaha : luminous
upajaayate : radiates
jnyaanam : knowledge
yadaa : when
tadaa : then
vidyaat : one should know
vivriddham : increased
sattvam : sattva
iti : this
uta : definitely
 
What are the marks of sattva? Shri Krishna says that when we see radiance, or when we see knowledge radiating from a person, we should know that we are in the presence of a highly sattvic person. The word “dvaara” usually means door or gate, but here it refers to the sense organs, our doors to the world. Even though the sense organs are meant from receiving stimuli from the world, they can also convey our internal state to the world. Our eyes, especially, can give away our thoughts. If our mind is wandering, our eyes will also wander, for instance. In a sattvic person, radiance shines through the sense organs, especially the eyes.
 
Now, we should not think that a highly sattvic person will radiate beams of light from their body. But they do radiate calmness and peace. We can sense peace if we are near them, or pick up on their calmness if we are watching them on a screen. Watch Dr. Jane Goodall speak about her efforts to save gorillas in Africa, and you will be drawn to the serenity on her face instantly. Such people harbour few, if any, selfish desires in their mind. This lack of dirt in the form of selfishness lets their inner radiance, the light of their eternal essence, shine through.
 
From our perspective, whenever we notice an increase in clear thinking, we should know that sattva is predominant in our mind. If we see fried food but the intellect prevents our hand from reaching to pick up that food, we are in a sattvic state. If our thoughts are towards the well-being of the family, our city or our nation, instead of just our narrow well-being, we are in a sattvic state. If our mind is sharp and alert, if we don’t let anything drop in our personal and professional lives, we are in a sattvic state.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 14

10 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 14.5, avyayam, chapter 14 verse 5, dehe, dehinam, gunaahaa, iti, mahaabaaho, nibandhanti, prakritisambhavaahaa, rajaha, sattvam, tamaha

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sattvam rajastama iti gunaahaa prakritisambhavaahaa |
nibandhanti mahaabaaho dehe dehinamavyayam || 5 ||

 
Sattva, rajas, tamas, these gunaas born of Prakriti, O mighty-armed warrior, bind the imperishable body dweller to the body.
 
sattvam : sattva
rajaha : rajas
tamaha : tamas
iti : these
gunaahaa : gunaas
prakritisambhavaahaa : born of Prakriti
nibandhanti : bind
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed warrior
dehe : to the body
dehinam : body dweller
avyayam : imperishable
 
Shri Krishna beings the detailed analysis of Prakriti with two points. First, he breaks down Prakriti into its three components: the gunaas which are sattva, rajas and tamas. We have to note that the phrase “born of” in the shloka does not mean that Prakriti creates the three gunaas. It means that Prakriti itself is nothing but the three gunaas. Next, Shri Krishna states the effect of Prakriti on the Purusha, also known as the jeeva, the individual soul. He says that Prakriti binds or ties down the imperishable body dweller, the “dehi”, the jeeva, to the body.
 
Let us begin by understanding what the term “gunaa” means. From our point of view, gunaa is a state of mind. In just one day, we experience calmness, passion and lethargy, which are roughly equal to sattva, rajas and tamas respectively. From a broader point of view, gunaas refer to building blocks of the universe. Inert matter is tamas, action or dynamism is rajas, and harmony is sattva. Since we are primarily interested in liberation from our sorrow, we shall focus on the impact of the gunaas on our mind rather than their impact on the universe.
 
Now, if we have repeatedly heard that our self is imperishable and can never be bound, then how can the perishable gunaas bind the self? The answer is : the gunaas by themselves do not bind us. Ignorance of our true nature, followed by our mis-identification with the body, puts us in a situation where we ourselves allow the gunaas to take over control of our life.
 
Imagine that you have parked your car on the left side of road. A car that looks just like your car is also parked on the same road, but on the right side of the road. After you come out of the building and absent-mindedly think that the other car is yours, you are trapped. You see a new scratch on the car and get upset, you get a parking ticket and have to pay the fine, and so on. The other car has not “bound” you, but your incorrect knowledge has done so. We can also go back to the example of the child watching the boxing match. He is as though glued to the screen, while his grandmother is not. The TV does not bind him since it is is nothing but millions of red, blue and green dots of light. It is the child’s strong identification with the boxer that binds him.
 
Similarly, the individual soul which has mis-identified itself with the body, gets entrapped in the play of the three gunaas. In the next three shlokas, Shri Krishna takes up each gunaa one by one, and explains its power to bind the body in detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 13

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 13.22, anumantaa, api, asmin, bhartaa, bhoktaa, chapter 13 verse 22, dehe, iti, maheshvaraha, paraha, paramaatmaa, purushaha, uktaha, upadrashtaa

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upadrashtaanumantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa maheshvaraha |
paramaatmeti chaapyukto dehesmin purushaha paraha || 22 ||

 
He who is the witness, the permitter, the nourisher, the experiencer, the master and who is also spoken of as the supreme self, is the supreme Purusha in this body.
 
upadrashtaa : witness
anumantaa : permitter
cha : and
bhartaa : nourisher
bhoktaa : experiencer
maheshvaraha : master
paramaatmaa : supreme self
iti : in this manner
cha : and
api : also
uktaha : spoken
dehe : body
asmin : this
purushaha : Purusha
paraha : supreme
 
Imagine that your grandfather comes to stay in your apartment for a short vacation. Seeing a new senior citizen in the building, the apartment complex association invites him to one of their cultural programs. Your grandfather thoroughly enjoys it. Next, the association asks him permission to host their next weekly meeting in your apartment, which he readily agrees to. He is so excited about the meeting that he prepares tea and snacks for them. By the next weekly meeting, he has become so involved in the association meetings that he feels the need to vote on issues that he strongly feels about. He gets so involved that it is just a matter of time before he is elected president of the apartment complex association.
 
Your grandfather, who had nothing whatsoever to do with the building, started out as a pure witness, then become the permitter, nourisher, experiencer and subsequently the master of the building association. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence that has nothing whatsoever to do with Prakriti, develops a strong identification with a body. By taking various upaadhis or conditionings such as the body, the mind, the vital forces, the intellect and so on, it becomes the permitter, the nourisher, the experiencer and the master of this body, just like your grandfather took on various roles as a member of the apartment complex association.
 
Practically speaking, we don’t need to worry too much about this. All that we need to know that we don’t have to go out into the world hunting for Ishvara. Ishvara is resident in our body as the permitter, nourisher, experiencer and so on. He is the paramaatmaa, the supreme self resident as the “I” in all beings. This is how we have to understand what Purusha means. The more we pay attention to the Ishvara aspect in us, the less importance we give to the upaadhis, especially the ego. People who have reached the pinnacle of their spiritual journey eventually lose their individuality and themselves become the universal witness, the upadrashtaa, remaining unaffected by the goings on of Prakriti.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 13

12 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 13.11, adhyaatmajnyaanam, ajnyaanam, anyathaa, artha, ataha, chapter 13 verse 11, darshanam, etat, iti, jnyaanam, nityatvam, proktam, tattvajnyaana, yat

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adhyaatmajnyaanamnityatvam tattvajnyaanaarthadarshanam |
etajjnyaanamiti proktamajnyaanam yadatonyathaa || 11 ||

 
Steadfastness in the knowledge of the self, contemplation on the goal of the knowledge of reality. This has been spoken of as knowledge. That which is other than this is ignorance.
 
adhyaatmajnyaanam : knowledge of the self
nityatvam : steadfastness
tattvajnyaana : knowledge of reality
artha : goal
darshanam : contemplation
etat : all this
jnyaanam : is knowledge
iti : this
proktam : has been spoken
ajnyaanam : ignorance
yat : that which
ataha : of this
anyathaa : other than
 
Shri Krishna adds two final entries to the list of twenty attributes that help us reduce the importance we give to the kshetra or the field. “Adhyaatma” refers to the self, the “I” in us. “Jnyaanam” is knowledge, and “nityatvam” is constant dwelling in that knowledge. For instance, once we know that the sun is a star and that the earth revolves around it, we never forget it, even when we appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. Similarly, we can mourn the loss of a loved one, without letting that incident obscure our knowledge that the human body is ephemeral.
 
“Tattva jnyaana artha” is the goal or the culmination of the knowledge of reality, which is moksha or liberation. We will constantly contemplate on the self only if we feel that liberation is worthwhile, that it is valuable. On the other hand, if we value material goals more than liberation, we will waver in our commitment to inquiring about the self. Therefore, if we are able to make liberation our end goal, we will easily practice all the other attributes that we have studied in the previous few shlokas.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic by asserting that what has been spoken of so far is the means of knowledge, it is jnyaanam. Anything that does not provide this means of knowledge is ignorance, it is ajnyaanam, it will only serve to further entangle us in the material world. For instance, if we practice arrogance instead of humility, that is out of ignorance. It will lead us away from the path of liberation. We are urged to lead an intelligent, ignorance-free life in the Gita, right from the beginning when Shri Krishna glorified buddhi yoga in the second chapter.
 
So then, if all this was the means of knowledge, what knowledge does it reveal to us? This topic is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 13

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 13.1, abhidheeyate, chapter 13 verse 1, etat, idam, iti, kaunteya, kshetrajnya, kshetram, prahuhu, shareeram, tadvidaha, vetti : knows tam, yaha

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
idam shareeram kaunteya kshetramityaabhidheeyate |
etadyo vetti tam prahuhu kshetrajnya iti tadvidaha || 1 ||

 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
This body is defined as the “field”, O Kaunteya, and he who knows it is called the “knower of the field”, in this manner, by the knowers of both.

 
idam : this
shareeram : body
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
kshetram : field
iti : in this manner
abhidheeyate : defined as
etat : it
yaha : which
vetti : knows
tam : he who
prahuhu : call
kshetrajnya : knower of the field
iti : in this manner
tadvidaha : knowers of both
 
As we commence the thirteenth chapter, let us take stock of where we have come so far in the Gita. In the first six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the individual self, what we refer to as “I”. In the first chapter, Arjuna was caught in a web of grief and delusion because he considered himself as a body that is attached to its friends and family. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that his nature was the infinite eternal essence and not the body. He then guided Arjuna step by step through the means of arriving at this understanding starting with karma yoga, then karma sanyaasa yoga, and finally dhyaana yoga. Only in meditation can we experience the true nature of our “I” as the “saakshi” or witness of our body, mind and intellect.
 
In the next set of six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the world we live in. We usually think of the world as comprised of matter in various forms. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that this world is comprised not only of matter, but also of spirit or life-giving consciousness. These are also known as the lower and higher aspects of Prakriti or nature, respectively. He then revealed that Prakriti is nothing but a shakti or power of Ishvara himself, and therefore Ishvara is in all, and all is in Ishvara. He is the material cause or the raw matter, as well as the efficient cause or the intelligence that has created the universe. The true nature of the world is Ishvara who is the “adhishthaana”, the foundation or the substratum of the world.
 
Having revealed all of this, why do we need six more chapters? Let us proceed step by step, since we will be delving into new waters. Our antahakarana or inner instrument comprising the mind, intellect, ego and memory comes with three inbuilt defects. “Mala” or dirt comprises our stock of unfulfilled desires. “Vikshepa” is the tendency of the mind to jump from one thought to another. “Aavarana” is the veiling or covering that hides the understanding of the true nature of the self, of who we are in essence. Karma yoga helps remove the defect of mala by extinguising selfish desires to a great extent. Bhakti yoga helps remove the defect of vikshepa through single-pointed devotion of Ishvara. However, we will never achieve complete self realization unless we tackle the third defect of Aavarana. That is the purpose of the last six chapters of the Gita.
 
How do the last six chapters remove this defect of aavarana or veiling? This can happen only when we intuitively understand the true meaning of the “mahaa vaakyas” or great statements that have been revealed in the Vedas. The Gita reveals the mahaa vaakya “Tat Tvam Asi” which means “You Are That”. The first six chapters of the Gita revealed the nature of “Tvam” which means “You” as the saakshi or witness, and the next six chapters revealed the true nature of “Tat” which means “That” as Ishvara, the adhishthaana or foundation. The last six chapters reveal “Asi”, the identity or the equality between the real nature of “You” and “That”. Shri Krishna knows that this topic may be somewhat tough to understand, so he addresses Arjuna as “Kaunteya”, one whose intellect is as sharp as a knife or “kunta”, so that he remains sharp and alert throughout this chapter.
 
Now, let us look at the first shloka. The term “shareera” or body is used in a general sense to refer to the three bodies that we are made up of: the physical body, the subtle body (the mind, intellect, ego, memory and the physiological functions) and the causal body (our vaasanaas or unfulfilled desires). In other words, anything that is temporary, changing and perishable is referred to as “this body”. Shri Krishna says that anything that we term as “this body” is defined as the “kshetra”, the field. But there is something in us which is changeless and knows that it is different from the ever-changing field. This intelligence principle in us, this consciousness is termed as the “kshetragnya”, the knower of the field. Both these terms are defined by the knowers of both the field and its knower, in other words, great seers and sages.
 
Why do we need to know such esoteric terms? Shri Krishna uses these terms to lay the groundwork for the next shloka, which is one of the most important shlokas in the Gita. He wants to give a foundation that we can use a spring board to leap into the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 50, Chapter 11

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.50, aashvaasayaamaasa, arjunam, bheetam, bhootvaa, bhooyaha, chapter 11 verse 50, darshayaamaasa, iti, mahaatmaa, punaha, roopam, saumyavapuhu, svakam, tathaa, uktvaa, vaasudevaaha

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Sanjaya uvaacha:
ityarjunam vaasudevastathoktvaa svakam roopam darshayaamaasa bhooyaha |
aashvaasayaamaasa cha bheetamenam bhootvaa punaha saumyavapoormahaatmaa || 50 ||

 
Sanjaya said:
Then, having said this to Arjuna, Vaasudeva showed his form, and again assuming his pleasant form, reassured the scared one.

 
iti : this
arjunam : to Arjuna
vaasudevaaha : Vaasudeva
tathaa : in that manner
uktvaa : saying
svakam : his
roopam : form
darshayaamaasa : showed
bhooyaha : then
aashvaasayaamaasa : reassured
cha : and
bheetam : scared one
enam : this
bhootvaa : becoming
punaha : again
saumyavapuhu : pleasant form
mahaatmaa : great one
 
The eighth chapter in the tenth canto (book) of the Srimad Bhaagavatam describes the ceremony where the sage Garga, in the village of Gokula, gave Shri Krishna the name “Vaasudeva” to indicate that he was the son of Vasudeva. This ceremony was conducted in a low-key manner so as not to arouse the suspicion of the king Kamsa, who had vowed to finish the progeny of Vasudeva. Vaasudeva also means “one who pervades the universe”.
 
The eight chapter further describes a story of Shri Krishna’s pranks. Several children approached Yashoda to complain that her son, the baby Shri Krishna, was eating dirt. Angrily, she asked Shri Krishna to open his mouth so that she can know whether he was eating dirt. When he opened his mouth, Yashoda saw a glimpse of the cosmic form inside, with all the planets, galaxies, all of time and space in that tiny mouth. She did not see the fearful version of the cosmic form shown to Arjuna. Immediately afterwards, Shri Krishna erased her memory of this incident.
 
In this shloka, Sanjaya introduced himself in the commentary to indicate that Shri Krishna ended the fearful cosmic form, then assumed his four armed form, and then the pleasant two armed form that Arjuna knew and loved. Shri Krishna held a whip in one hand and the reins of the chariot in another. Just like a father scolds his children and immediately pacifies them, he pacified Arjuna and ensured that his state of mind returned to normal. This is reflected in the next shloka where the chanting meter also reverts back to the “anushtubh chandha”, the default meter for chanting the Gita.

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