• 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: pranidhaaya

Bhagavad Gita Verse 44, Chapter 11

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 11.44, arhasi, chapter 11 verse 44, deva, eedyam, eesham, kaayam, pitaa, pranamya, pranidhaaya, prasaadaye, priyaahaa, priyaha, putrasya, sakhaa, sakhyuhu, sodhum, tasmaat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 44, Chapter 11

tasmaatpranamya pranidhaaya kaayam prasaadaye tvaamahameeshameedyam |
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyuhu priyaha priyaayaarhasi deva sodhum || 44 ||

 
Therefore, prostrating my body, bowing down, I beg you to be pleased, O Ishvara, worthy of worship. Like a father tolerates his son, a friend his friend, a lover his beloved, so should you tolerate (me), O Lord.
 
tasmaat : therefore
pranamya : bow
pranidhaaya : prostrating
kaayam : body
prasaadaye : pleased
tvaam : you
aham : I
eesham : Ishvara
eedyam : worthy of worship
pitaa : father
eva : like
putrasya : son
sakhaa : friend
eva : like
sakhyuhu : friend
priyaha : lover
priyaahaa : beloved
arhasi : should
deva : O Lord
sodhum : tolerate
 
This shloka evokes an illustration from The Mundaka Upanishad of two birds sitting on the branch of a tree. The two birds are friends. One bird, symbolizing the human condition, is completely engrossed in enjoying the fruit of the tree. This bird doesn’t realize that it has developed an attachment to the fruit, and that the fruit will eventually become the cause of its sorrow. Similarly, we do not realize that the more we get stuck in objects, the more the objects get stuck to us. The Gita has repeatedly pointed out this theme.
 
Now, the second bird on that branch symbolizes the Ishvara principle. It does not get attached to the fruit, it simply watches the show as a passive onlooker. The first bird is so engrossed in its sense enjoyments that it never pays attention to the second bird. Like Arjuna, and like all of us, the first bird is stuck in the delusion of the material world. The moment the first bird stops its indulgence and looks at the second bird, its bondage is snapped. Without the help of this Ishvara principle, we cannot extricate ourselves from the pull of the senses. For most of us, this Ishvara principle is our teacher, our guru.
 
So through this shloka, we are instructed to completely surrender ourselves in prostration to that Ishvara principle. When Arjuna undertook a “saashtaanga namaskaara”, a total surrender of his body through prostration, he referred to SHri Krishna as his friend, recalling the illustration of the two birds who were friends. Arjuna asked for a father’s forgiveness, a friend’s forgiveness and the beloved’s forgiveness – three categories of forgiveness since he wanted all of these from Shri Krishna.

New! Youtube Channel

Watch our YouTube videos!

All shokas (verses) available here:

Most Visited Verses

  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 78, Chapter 18
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 10
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 17
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 13
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 12
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 62-63, Chapter 2

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.