Chapter 2: Bhagavad Gita Course with Swami Vishwananda

Sri Swami Vishwananda has decided to give commentary on the Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, the eternal Word of Lord Sri Krishna. It will take place over 18 consecutive days, and each day will cover one chapter. Guruji will give his commentary with a particular Bhakti perspective.

For now, we will provide a small portion of the commentary on this blog for those who could not attend the course. At a later stage, we will offer the full length of the Gita commentary as a book and also as CD and DVD sets.

On July 31st, 2014 Swamiji covered Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, titled: Saamkhya Yoga

Chapter 2 is like a short summary of the whole Gita, it touches topics of Jyaana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga which are later on explained in more detail.


General topics covered in the Chapter:

• Arjuna talks against the war
• Teachings of the Gita begins
• The Atma is eternal, body is temporary
• Death of body and transmigration of the Soul
• Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna of his duty as a warrior
• The Vedas deal with both material and spiritual aspects of life
• Insights in Karma Yoga
• Dangers of uncontrolled senses
• Attainment of peace and happiness through sense control and Self-knowledge

Excerpt commentary from Swamiji:

14

mātrā sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṉa sukha-duḥkhadāḥ
āgamāpāyino’nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

The interaction of senses and objects, O son of Kunti, giving cold and heat, pleasure and pain, transient things which come and go, endure them, O Arjuna.

"Mātrā means the senses and sparśās means contact – the contact of the senses. Whatever comes in the contact of the senses, in the contact of the mind – heat, sound, touch, colour, taste and smell: these are the product of the senses. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain stay always there. So whoever gives attention to the outside, to the sense organs, to the sense objects, is bound by duality. And one will not be aware of this greatness, of the eternity of the soul. Because when the mind is always focused on the limitation one is trapped into that duality. And from that arises the cold, the heat, pleasure and pain. So this duality's experience bring also joy, grief and so on.

Here Lord Krishna is asking Arjuna, “Overcome pleasure and pain. Go out of this drama and remind yourself that you are eternal.” Again and again Krishna is repeating the same thing – the eternity of the soul – to remind him – you know, sometimes you have to repeat ten times for somebody to get something. And the mind is like this. Until it doesn't accustomed itself to a certain reality, forgets it easily and jumps around.

You are here to witness, you are the Great Witness. And only when you realise that you are the Great Observer, then you can observe life and be apart from it. Not part of it!"

Testimony

"I am speechless. The deep knowledge given by Swami on Chapter 2 makes me realise that we should focus on God all the time. We should always keep reminding ourselves that there is God in everything." - Dakshesh, Poland