Eighteen chapters of the Gita
The teachings given in the eighteen chapters of the Gita show a certain order and they seem to be related to each other.
CHAPTER I
The first chapter of the Gita is called Arjuna-Visada-Yoga. He presents a remarkable scene of the preaching of the Gita in which the listener Arjuna and the speaker Krishna are engaged in solving the profound problem of life. Arjuna was a brave Kshatriya but seeing his own relatives standing on the battlefield, he forgot the Kshatriya duty and began to ask Krishna to refrain from fighting. His argument seems righteous in that he does not want to kill his relatives for the land but he himself has called it cowardice. Thus in the first chapter, in the form of an introduction, Arjuna has told the Lord his position.
CHAPTER II
The second chapter is called Sankhya-yoga. Seeing Arjuna crying, fearful for the lives of his loved ones, Krishna reminds him that being a Kshatriya, it is not proper for him to display such claustrophobia. He informs Arjuna of two ancient and famous philosophies of India so that Arjuna may have a real knowledge of duty and renounce timidity and clumsiness.
Krishna called Arjuna's logic a false form of wisdom. Krishna says that Prajnadarshan necessarily accepts all the events and conditions of the world caused by time, karma and nature. Living and dying, being born and growing, subjects coming and going. The experience of happiness and sorrow, which do occur in the world, is what the ancient teachers also called synonymity.
The cycle of time brings and takes away all these conditions. Knowing this nature of life does not cause grief. That is the satire of the Lord:Why is Arjuna in this kind of delusion even though he accepts the wise view?
According to Prajnavada, the eternity of life and the impermanence of the body are certain. ‘Eternal Beings’ mourning for is as futile as an ‘impermanent body’ concern to save the. Both of these are inevitable. It is not appropriate to mourn, thinking that birth and death take turns. The second view is that of self-righteousness. From birth, nature has prescribed a religion for everyone. In it comes the path of life, the range of desires, the power of action. You can't get out of it and run away. Even if someone runs away, nature pulls him back.
Thus the Lord has taught Arjuna the knowledge of the change of time, the eternity of the being and the self-religion of the individual, which is called the wisdom of Sankhya. Further, the Lord also described the wisdom of the Yoga path. This intelligence is the intelligence of the insistence on the path of action or instinct. The karmayogi must avoid attachment to the fruits of karma while performing karma.
Arjuna doubted whether it was possible to attain this kind of wisdom, one doing karma and not desiring the fruit? So Arjuna asked how does such a person with firm wisdom behave in life? How can one remain uncoated even while indulging in coming, going, eating, drinking, doing karma?
Explaining the restraint of the mind, Krishna told Arjuna that the gentleness of the mind is spoiled by lust, anger, fear, passion and hatred and the senses are not under control. Even if one gives up the subjects from the outside, the inner mind does not agree. When the taste of objects goes from the mind, the mind is cheerful, calm and happy. This is called the Brahmi-sthiti in the Gita.
CHAPTER THREE
The third chapter is called Karma-yoga. Arjuna asks the Lord which of the two paths of Sankhya and Yoga do you think is better and why not say definitely which of these two I should adopt? To this Sri Krishna replied that there are two Nishtas or views of life in the world- Jnana Yoga for the Sankhyaists and Karma Yoga for the Karma Margis. Sri Krishna explained to Arjuna that no person in the world can give up karma.
Nature forces a person to perform karma under the influence of the three qualities (Sat, Raja and Tama). Those who avoid karma outwardly leave karma but the mind remains absorbed in it. This is a myth. It is better to do action by restraining the senses of action in the mind. Without karma, one cannot even get food for food. Sri Krishna presented the law of karma in the form of the chakra.
Not only are the karma cycles of different human beings interwoven like threads in the social system but the relationship between both the human being of the earth and the god of heaven is also dependent on the karma cycle. Humans cultivate the earth and divine forces send rainwater. Both food and rain are produced by karma. Human action in one, divine action in the other. The logic of lokasamgraha is also given in favor of karma, i.e. without karma the structure of society cannot stand.
Even a wise man like King Janaka is engaged in karma. Krishna Himself gave His own illustration and said that I am the form of Narayana, there is no karma left for me. Yet I work sleeplessly and others follow my path. The only difference is that the foolish act with indulgence and the wise act with unattachment.
CHAPTER FOUR
The fourth chapter of the Gita is called Jnana-karma-sannyasa-yoga. It explains how the fruits of karma-sannyasa can be obtained even while performing karma by attaining knowledge. It considers true karma yoga to have occurred in the tradition of the Chakravarti kings. Mandhata, Sudarshan and other illustrations of many Chakravarti kings are given.
Lord also tells Arjuna His resolve that whenever there is loss of Dharma, I take incarnation to protect the saints and uplift Dharma. In the same chapter of the Gita it is said:‘Kshiram hi manushe loke siddhirbhavati karmaja.’ That is, in this world, perfection is quickly obtained by actions. That is, the importance of karma is well established in this chapter but that karma should have an inconsistent feeling, that is, one should avoid attachment to fruit.
CHAPTER V
The fifth chapter of the Gita is called Karma-Sannyasa-Yoga. In this chapter again the logic of man's karma and detachment is stated in an even stronger form. It emphasizes on purifying the relationship of the mind with action. It is also said that once one reaches the higher plane of sadhana, there is no difference between Sankhya and Yoga.
If one walks properly on one path, the same result is obtained. By surrendering all the karmas of life, one reaches the pole-point of peace and is not tainted by the water of karma like a lotus blooming in water.
CHAPTER SIX
The sixth chapter of the Gita is called Atma-samyama-yoga, the subject of which is evident from the name itself. Of all the objects, restraint of the senses is the squeeze of action and knowledge. The same state of mind in happiness and sorrow is called yoga.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The seventh chapter of the Gita is called Jnana-Vijnana-Yoga. In the Vedic view, knowing science is very important for human beings. Knowledge of the diversity of creation is science and establishing unity from diversity is knowledge. Both of these views are appropriate for humans. From the point of view of science, the Gita gives a definite explanation of the two forms of nature- Apara and Para.
There are eight elements in the Apara Prakriti, Panchabhuta, Mana, Buddhi and ego . The egg from which a human being is born. It contains these eight elements but it is the Prakrit Sarga, that is, it is the root. In this, the consciousness that comes from the contact of God’s action is called para nature They say; The same creature is. Together with the eight elements, life becomes the ninth element. This chapter mentions the many forms of the Lord (which are further elaborated in the tenth chapter called Vibhuti Yoga).
The seventh chapter also mentions the special Bhagavati vision whose formula is ‘Vasudevah sarvamiti’ That is, all Vasus or bodies have the same deity, called ‘Vishnu’ but the same one deity is worshiped in many names and forms according to their own interests in the world.
CHAPTER VIII
The eighth chapter of the Gita is called ‘Akshara-Brahma-Yoga’ is. Akshara Vidya expanded in the Upanishads. The Gita gives the essence of that Akshara Vidya:‘Akshara Brahma Param’ That is, the noun of Parabrahma is Akshara. The combined creation of man, that is, the being and the body, is called spirituality. The physical body composed of living beings is called akshara and the power element alone is called supernatural. The way in which the three powers, Jiva, God and Ghost, work together within the body is called Adhiyajna. According to the Gita, ‘Om’ is the monosyllabic Brahman.
CHAPTER IX
The ninth chapter of the Gita is called Raja-guhya-yoga. It says that spiritual knowledge is the queen of knowledge and this secret knowledge is the best of all. The word king also had a meaning of mind. Therefore, the trick of how to make the divine powers of the mind Brahmamaya is Rajavidya. In this realm, the description of the Brahmattva is the dominant one, from which the manifested world is repeatedly created.
All the rituals of the Vedas, sacrifices, nectar, and death, saints and unsaints, and all the gods and goddesses, all end in Brahman. The many kinds of deity worship prevalent in the world are also right in their respective places.
CHAPTER TEN
The tenth chapter of the Gita is called Vibhuti-yoga. The essence of it is that all the gods in the world are the glories of the same God. All the virtues and defects of man are forms of God's power. Someone is worshiping the people. Some to the mountains, rivers or seas, some to the fish and turtles that live in them. Thus there is no end to how many gods and goddesses there are.
This abundance of gods is found everywhere in the history of the world. The Bhagavatas acknowledged their existence and provided a new vision of harmony by considering everyone as a form of Vishnu. This is called Vibhuti-yoga. All the Sattva beings who are strong or miraculous are the form of God. By assuming so much, man reaches the state of ‘mind-freeness’.
CHAPTER XI
The eleventh chapter of the Gita is called Visva-Roop-Darshan-Yoga. In it, the Lord showed Arjuna His cosmic form. Virat Roop means the direct vision of the infinite world which is the living creation above the human surface and periphery. The four-armed form of Vishnu is the gentle form on the human surface.
CHAPTER XII
The twelfth chapter of the Gita is called Bhakti Yoga. When Arjuna saw the huge form of the Lord, his head began to explode. He said, ‘Disho na jane na labhe cha sharma.’ Then the Lord told Arjuna that the easiest and highest means of attaining My pure love is devotion. The person who follows this path develops divine qualities.
CHAPTER XIII
The thirteenth chapter of the Gita is called Kshetra and Kshetragya. In this chapter, the Lord has told Arjuna about nature and man, field and field-knowing, knowledge and knowable. God says that the body is the field, the soul who knows it is the knower of the field. Nature is unconscious activity and Purusha is passive consciousness. The body is the field in which phenomena like growth, decline and death take place and the passive and unattached consciousness that witnesses all these phenomena is the field-knowing.
CHAPTER XIV
The fourteenth chapter is called Gunatraya-vibhaga-yoga is. This chapter is the summary of all Vedic, philosophical and mythological thought. It has many interpretations of the three qualities named Sattva, Raja and Tama. The name of the equilibrium of the modes is the principal or nature. Distorted creation from the disparity of qualities is born. The lonely being Calm by nature remains steady like pure light and alone darkness also remains inertly motionless but the Rajoguna shadowed between the two draws them to the ground of action. Motion Elements The name of the is Rajas is.
Chapter Fifteen
The fifteenth chapter is called Purushottama-yoga. It describes the world as an ashvattha (poplar) with upward roots. Its leaves are the Vedas and the branches are downward and eternal. This world in the form of Ashvattha is of great expanse. It has no end in country and time but its root or center, which is also called Urdhva, is Brahman.
On the one hand He is the supremely brilliant who gives birth to the cosmic Ashvattha and manifests Himself as the sun and moon, on the other hand He is the consciousness, having come into the living body. Sri Krishna says– ‘I am Vaisvanara and have taken up the body of living beings. There are three types of male or male:letter, letter and infinitive. The name of the five elements is akshara, the name of prana is akshara and the noun of manastatva or consciousness is infinitive. The combined position of these three men gives birth to human consciousness, which is called Vaishvanar Agni by the sages.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The sixteenth chapter of the Gita is called Daivasura-Sampada-Vibhaga-Yoga. This chapter describes the properties of the gods and demons. These two properties are completely opposed to each other. Divine wealth is welfare-giving and demonic wealth is binding and leading to the lower vaginas and hell. The seeker who knows these two divisions properly will completely renounce demonic property. आसुरी संपत्ति का सर्वथा त्याग होते ही दैवी संपत्ति स्वतः प्रकट हो जाएगी। दैवी संपत्ति प्रकट होते ही एकमात्र परमात्मा से सम्बन्ध रह जाएगा।
सत्रहवाँ अध्याय
सत्रहवें अध्याय का नाम ‘श्रद्धा-त्रय-विभाग-योग’ is. इस अध्याय का सम्बन्ध सत, रज और तम नामक तीन गुणों से ही है। जिस मनुष्य में जिस गुण का प्रादुर्भाव होता है, उसकी श्रद्धा या जीवन की निष्ठा वैसी ही बन जाती है। यज्ञ, तप, दान, कर्म ये सब तीन प्रकार की श्रद्धा से संचालित होते हैं। यहाँ तक कि आहार भी तीन प्रकार का है। भगवान ने उनके भेद और लक्षण बताए हैं।
अठारहवाँ अध्याय
अठारहवें अध्याय का नाम ‘मोक्ष-संन्यास-योग’ is. इसमें गीता के समस्त उपदेशों का सार एवं उपसंहार दिया गया है। यहाँ पुनः मानव जीवन के लिए तीन गुणों का महत्व कहा गया है। पृथ्वी के मानवों में और स्वर्ग के देवताओं में कोई भी ऐसा नहीं जो प्रकृति के चलाए हुए इन तीन गुणों से बचा हो।
मनुष्य को सतर्क होकर चलना आवश्यक है जिससे वह अपनी बुद्धि और वृत्ति को बुराई से बचा सके और क्या कार्य है, क्या अकार्य है, इसको पहचान सके। धर्म और अधर्म को, बंध और मोक्ष को, वृत्ति और निवृत्ति को जो बुद्धि ठीक से पहचनाती है, वही सात्विक बुद्धि है और वही मानव की सच्ची उपलब्धि है।
गीता के अठारह अध्यायों की समाप्ति पर अर्जुन को ज्ञान की प्राप्ति होती है और वह समस्त संदेहों को त्यागकर कर्म के पथ पर प्रवृत्त होता है।