Seizure of Human Mind by Emotion, Ego, Ignorance and Stupidity (1-47) The human Arjun is
overwhelmed by emotion and self-pity and collapses down on the seat of his chariot. He throws
down his bow, arrow and dignity. He momentarily forgets his True Human Nature and desperately
asks for outside help. Instantaneously, ignorance, selfishness, self-centered ego, emotion and
stupidity takes charge of his personality. He separates himself from his true human nature and
neglects his obligation to fight the war. Fortunately, the flash of light from his subconscious mind
emerges to give all the necessary guidance to fight his freedom from emotion, ego and ignorance
and to save the human soul.
The Key to Liberation ( 2 - 67 & 68) When the mind runs after rowing senses it carries away
intelligence, just as the wind carries away a ship on the waters. By withdrawing our senses from
objects we can firmly set our intelligence!
Importance of Senses, Mind, Intelligence and Consciousness: ( 3 - 41 & 42) The rowing senses can
destroy the wisdom and discriminating power and hence they should be controlled. Knowledge of
Self is greater than intelligence; intelligence is greater than the mind and mind is greater than the
senses. Hence it is important for everyone to acquire the knowledge of SELF (Jnani) through
reading the scriptures, listening to teachers and through personal experience.
SanyasaYoga and the Renunciation of Senses (4 - 26 & 27) Some follow the sanyasa yoga by
restraining the use of sense organs by meditating in caves, mountains and forests. They sacrifice
worldly life by falling into the fire of yoga of self control.
What is Balanced Mind? (5 - 22 & 23) Those who realize that real happiness does not born out of
the pleasures from contacts with objects and who are able to resist the rush of desire and anger will
have a balanced mind.
What is Meditation? (6 - 18, 24, 25) Meditation is the liberation of mind from all desires and the
establishment of the mind on Self alone. Such a Yogi will be self content and self-controlled with
unshakable determination.
Goal of Human Life ( 7 - 10) God is the strength of the strong, devoid of desire and passion. The
desire for union with God is the only desire that will fulfil the goal of having no desire and it will
not be contrary to the Goal.
Practice of Yoga Sastraa to Control Body: (8 - 12) All the gates of the body restrained, the mind
confined within the heart, one's life force fixed in the head, established in concentration by Yoga
(The physical body is called the nine-gated city!)
What is Yoga of Sovereign Mystery (Devotion)? (9 - 34) The way to rise out of our ego-centered
consciousness to the divine plane is through focusing of all our energies, intellectual, emotional and
volitional on God. Knowledge, love and power get fused in supreme unification. Bliss through
Total Surrender and Complete Detachment from desires.
What is Buddhi Yoga? (10 - 9 & 10) The devotion of mind by which the disciple gains the wisdom
which sees the one in all the forms which change and pass. By diverting the rowing mind on God
the disciple controls the senses.
What is Devotion (Bhakti)? (11 - 55) The essence of Bhakti is to carry out the duties, directing the
spirit to God and with a complete detachment from all interest in the things of the world and also
free from enmity toward others.
Who is a True Devotee? (12 - 13 & 14) The person with no ill will to any being, who is friendly and
compassionate, free from egoism and self -sense, even-minded in pain and pleasure, tolerant and
self-controlled is a True Devotee!
What is True Wisdom ? (13 - 13 & 14) Humility, integrity, nonviolence, patience, uprightness,
service of teacher, purity, steadfastness, self-control, indifference to the objects of sense,
self-effacement and the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age, sickness and pain,
non-attachment to spouse, children, and other possessions, and a constant equal-mindedness to all
desirable and undesirable happenings.
The True Human Nature (Stithaprajna) (14 - 24 to 26) The person who regards pain and pleasure
alike, who dwells in own self, who looks upon a clod, a stone, apiece of gold as of equal worth, who
remains the same amidst the pleasant and the unpleasant things, who is firm of mind, who regards
both blame and praise as one, who is the same in honor and dishonor, who treats friends and foes
same, who has given up all initiative of action and who serves God with unfailing devotion of love
is said to have risen above the three modes.
What is Liberation? (15 - 5) Those who are freed from pride and delusion, who have conquered the
evil of attachment, who have frozen their desires, who are ever devoted to the Supreme Spirit are
liberated from the dualities known as pleasure and pain and are undeluded, go to that eternal state
of Brahman.
Divinity in Human Nature (16 - 2 & 3) The virtues that include Nonviolence, truth, freedom from
anger, renunciation, tranquility, aversion to fault finding, compassion to living beings, freedom
from covetousness, gentleness, modesty and steadiness, vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity,
freedom from malice and excessive pride belong to True Human nature unified with Divinity.
Qualities of a Perfect Human Being (17 - 14 to 16) Worship of the Gods, of the twice-born, of
teachers and of the wise, purity, uprightness, austerity and nonviolence, the utterance of
non-offensive speech, serenity of mind, gentleness, silence and self-control are the necessary
standard to become more perfect.
Who is a Perfect Yogi? (18 - 51 to 53) A Yogi endowed with a pure understanding, firmly
restraining oneself, turning away from sound and other objects of sense, casting aside attraction
and aversion, dwelling in solitude, controlling speech, body and mind, engaged in meditation and
concentration, free from self-sense, arrogance, violence, desire, anger, possession, ego-less and with
total peace of mind. In conclusion, Vedic spirituality is not narrowly confined to any specific
religion or belief. Divinity is always present when a person lives a spiritual life. It hardly matters
whether that person believes in God. Belief in God is an inference and is not a statement! If I live
according to the rules defined by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta, I implicitly believe in Lord
Krishna. It hardly matters whether I state I believe in Lord Krishna or do not believe in Lord
Krishna. Similarly if I state that I believe in Lord Krishna and if all my actions contradict my
statement then by inference I am a nonbeliever. It is my opinion that the subtle message of
Bhagavad Geeta is: "Actions are inevitable and excuses are indefensible."
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