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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: tyaagaha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 18

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.9, arjuna, chapter 18 verse 9, kaaryam, karma, kriyate, mataha, niyatam, phalam, saattvikaha, sangam, tyaagaha, tyaktvaa

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kaaryamityeva yatkarma niyatam kriyaterjuna |
sangam tyaktvaa phalam chaiva sa tyaagaha saattviko mataha || 9 ||

 
Whatever action is done, should be performed only as an obligatory duty. In this manner, giving up attachment and also the reward, that giving up is saattvic, in my opinion.
 
kaaryam : action
iti : in this manner
eva : only
yat : whatever
karma : actions
niyatam : obligatory
kriyate : is performed
arjuna : O Arjuna
sangam : attachment
tyaktvaa : giving up
phalam : reward
cha : and
eva : also
saha : that
tyaagaha : giving up
saattvikaha : saattvic
mataha : opinion
 
Shri Krishna explains the correct way, the saattvic method, of performing actions. Let us look at this step by step. The first step is to only perform actions that are within the realm of our state in life, our aashrama, and our career, our varna. Actions that are prohibited or actions that are purely out of selfishness should not be performed. These actions are termed as niyatam karma in the shloka. A high degree of awareness is required to first ensure that we are not stepping into any prohibited actions.
 
The second step is to give up attachment to the reward, the phala, the fruit, of the action. Attachment to the reward need not be something tangible and physical. It could be subtle things like praise and adoration received from others on successful completion of the action. It could be a subtle thought such as “I have helped that person, so nice of me to do so”. The goal is to slowly wean the mind away from its natural tendency to expect rewards for every action. We can do so my substituting our personal motive with a motive for selfless service.
 
The third step is to give up attachment to the action itself. We saw the types of attachment to action in the previous shloka, including attachment to the completion of action and attachment to one particular way of performing the action. The key is to realize that at every moment, we are giving it the best of our ability and attention. The rest is upto Ishvara, since there are several other factors at play in the outcome of an action. But in no circumstance should our energy level go down. We have to combine energy in our work with indifference to the reward of the work.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 18

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.4, bharatasattama, chapter 18 verse 4, me, nishchayam, purushavyaaghra, samprakeertitaha, shrunu, tatra, trividhaha, tyaagaha, tyaage

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nishchayam shrunu me tatra tyaage bharatasattama |
tyaago hi purushavyaaghra trividhaha samprakeertitaha || 4 ||

 
Hear from me the truth on this issue of giving up, O foremost among Bharataas. For giving up, O foremost among men, has been declared to be of three types.
 
nishchayam : truth
shrunu : hear
me : my
tatra : on this issue
tyaage : giving up
bharatasattama : foremost among Bharataas
tyaagaha : giving up
hi : for
purushavyaaghra : foremost among men
trividhaha : three types
samprakeertitaha : declared
 
After listing differing viewpoints on the topic of karma yoga, Shri Krishna proceeds to provide the correct understanding to Arjuna. Before we delve into Shri Krishna’s answer, let us go through the viewpoints and analyze their merits. The most extreme viewpoint from the previous shloka advocated the complete abandonment of all actions. We have already seen in earlier chapters that it is impossible for the human body to remain without performing actions for its survival. Therefore, this viewpoint is impractical and has to be rejected.
 
A less extreme viewpoint advocated the abandonment of all selfish actions. Even this is impractical since it is impossible for someone to suddenly quit performing only selfish actions and continue with the rest. So we can reject this viewpoint as well. Two other viewpoints remain. One is performing actions that are obligations towards our fellow human beings, towards Ishvara and towards ourselves. The other is to remove our attachment towards the rewards of all actions.
 
Shri Krishna begins providing his definition by first praising Arjuna for asking the clarifying question, since it gives an opportunity to summarize the teaching of karma yoga for all future students of the Gita. Arjuna gets two wonderful titles from Shri Krishna, bhratasattama and purushavyaagraha. Shri Krishna also indicates that he will classify tyaaga or giving up actions into three types, saattvic raajasic and taamasic. In fact, a major portion of this chapter will continue this theme of three fold classification.

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

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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

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