• 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: svajanam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by skr_2011 in arhaaha, chapter 1 verse 37, hantum, hatvaa, hi, katham, suhkhinaha, svabaandhavaan, svajanam, tasmaat, vayam

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

tasmaannarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan svabaandhavaan |
svajanam hi katham hatvaa sukhinaha syaama maadhava || 37 ||

 
Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to kill these relatives of Dhritraashtra who our also our brothers. How can we gain pleasure by killing our own, O Maadhava?

 
tasmaat : therefore
na arhaaha : not appropriate
vayam : we
hantum : to kill
dhaartarashtaan : relatives of Dhritraashtra
svabaandhavaan : our brothers
svajanam : our kinsmen
hi : because
katham : how
hatvaa : kill
sukhinaha : happiness
maadhava : O Maadhava
 
The word “tasmaat”, which means therefore, indicates the conclusion of an argument. Here, Arjuna concluded his argument to Shri Krishna in which he asserted that that he did not want to fight. To defend that argument, Arjuna provided several points: that there was no point in the war or even in living itself, that the very people that he was fighting against were the same people that made him happy, that killing his kinsmen and his well-wishers was a sin, and that there would be no joy derived in doing so.
 
This argument was not built on any sort of rationality or logic because Arjuna came under the influence of “moha” or delusion, the delusion that personal relationships were more important in the battlefield than one’s duty. An increase in moha usually suppresses our ability to discern between what is correct and what is not. This discerning ability is called “viveka”.
 
Here’s an real world example that illustrates moha and viveka. Imagine that your brother has a drinking problem, and needs to hear from you that the addiction needs to stop. What is the right thing for you to do? It is a difficult situation because your moha and viveka come into conflict. Viveka tells you that the right thing for you to do is to intervene, but moha tells you that doing so will endanger your relationship.
 
Another common example is that a surgeon will usually not perform an operation on a relative exactly because of this moha.
 
Footnotes
1. Viveka is the first step in the “Saadhana Chatushthaya”, the 4-fold qualifications that are required for anyone treading on the spiritual path. Barring a few exceptions if you do not cultivate the ability to discern what is correct and what is not, your spiritual journey will never commence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 31, Chapter 1

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by skr_2011 in aahave, anupasyaami, hatva, nimittaani, svajanam, vipareetani

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 31, Chapter 1

nimittaani cha pashyaami vipareetani keshava |
na cha shreyanepashyaami hatva svajanamaahave || 31 ||
 
O Keshava, I see omens that are inauspicious. I also do not see the good in killing my kinsmen in battle.
 
nimittaani : omens
cha : also
pashyaami  : see
vipareetani : negative
keshava : Krishna
na cha  : also not
shreya: good
anupashyaami : I see
hatva : kill
svajanam : kinsmen
aahave : in battle
 
When one’s emotions are running unchecked, rationality goes out the window. That’s when one starts talking or thinking about irrational things like superstition, which is what Arjuna was alluding to in this verse. 
 
On the surface, one would attribute Arjuna’s second statement in this verse to an outpouring of compassion towards his kinsmen. But, would an outpouring of compassion cause a panic attack? The true underlying emotion that caused the panic attack was fear. And what was Arjuna afraid of? Arjuna was accustomed to winning every war that he fought. When he saw the caliber of warriors in the Kaurava army, his ego felt extremely threatened that maybe this time it won’t win. Here we see that Arjuna’s ego was trying to deflect this fear by substituting compassion for the true emotion of fear. 

New! Youtube Channel

Watch our YouTube videos!

All shokas (verses) available here:

Most Visited Verses

  • Summary Of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 1
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 62-63, Chapter 2
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 6
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16
  • Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 3
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 6
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 13
  • Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 16

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 114 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