Free talks on Bhagavad Gita for spiritual wellness and holistic personal development. A Gita is a song of spiritual knowledge – It is a dialogue between the teacher and the taught, giving lasting joy to all.
There are 100’s of Gita’s out there – Vidur Gita, Rama-Gita, Hamsa-Gita, Guru Gita, and many more. The most popular one is the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Pandava Prince Arjun.
Bhagavad Gita comprises 18 chapters with 700 verses. It forms chapters 25 to 42 of the sixth canto, that is 6.3.23 to 6.3.40 called Bhisma-parva in the epic Mahabharata (an epic on the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas).
Bhagavad Gita
Some Video Lectures
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Characters in the Bhagavad Gita
- Prince Arjun (one of the five Pandavas)
- Lord Krishna, was a friend and guide who acted as a charioteer for Arjuna during the Mahabharata War.
- Sanjaya, counselor of the Kuru king Dhritarashtra
- Kuru King Dhritarashtra, father of the Kauravas
Narrators of the Bhagavad Gita
- Bhagwan Ved Vyasa recited the Gita to Lord Ganesha to be scribed/written
- Lord Krishna to Pandava Prince Arjun
- Sanjay to King Dhritarashtra
- Rishi Vaisampayan to Janamejaya (great-grandson of Arjun: Arjun’s son – Abhimanyu, Abhimanyu’s son – Prakshit, Prakshit’s son – Janamejaya)
The Role of the Bhagavad Gita in our life
Bhagavad Gita talks about you and me and the problems we face in our life. Difficult, sorrowful, and challenging situations come to all of us in life. In the process some people become bitter, some become better, some weaker, and some stronger. What ‘I’ become depends on “ME” and not the situation.
- Facing Life – Facing the problems and challenges in our life equipped with the right knowledge and attitude, so that we become stronger and better.
- Building our Life – To build a life based on principles. Living a meaningful, joyful, and successful life.
The 18 Chapters of the Bhagavad Gita
Most chapters in the Bhagavad Gita carry the suffix ‘yoga’, eg. arjuna-viṣāda-yoga, dhyana-yoga, etc.
Yoga means union with the higher.
For example, Arjun’s grief became a trigger for his transformation; hence the first chapter is called Arjuna-Visada-Yoga.
Chapter 1: The Yoga of Arjuna’s Grief (arjuna-viṣāda-yoga) – 47 verses
Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge (sāṅkhya-yoga) – 72 verses
Chapter 3: The Yoga of Action (karma-yoga) – 43 verses
Chapter 4: The Yoga of ending action in Knowledge (jñāna-karma-sannyāsa-yoga) – 42 verses
Chapter 5: True Renunciation (sannyāsa-yoga) – 29 verses
Chapter 6: Meditation (dhyana-yoga) – 47 verses
Chapter 7: Knowledge and Wisdom (vijnana-yoga) – 30 verses
Chapter 8: The Imperishable Brahman (aksara-brahma-yoga) – 28 verses
Chapter 9: The Royal Secret (rāja-vidyā-rāja-guhya-yoga) – 34 verses
Chapter 10: The Divine Glories (vibhūti-yoga) – 42 verses
Chapter 11: The Cosmic Form Divine (viśva-rūpa-darśana-yoga) – 55 verses
Chapter 12: The Path of Devotion (bhakti-yoga) – 20 verses
Chapter 13: The Field and Its Knower (Ksetra Ksetrajna Vibhaga-yoga) – 34 verses
Chapter 14: The Gunas (guṇa-traya-vibhāga-yoga) – 27 verses
Chapter 15: The Supreme Spirit (puruṣottama-yoga) – 20 verses
Chapter 16: Divine and Devilish Estates (daivāsura-sampad-vibhāga-yoga) – 24 verses
Chapter 17: The Three-Fold Faith (śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga) – 28 verses
Chapter 18: Liberation Through Renunciation (mokṣa-yoga) – 78 verses
Bhagavad Gita for Inner Transformation
- Change in Perspective – Look at what life throws at you as ‘situations’ and not ‘problems’.
- Conviction – Conviction in the principles of life. Gives us the courage to stand with the good.
- Change Response: We can’t change the situation (parasthiti) but we can change the way we respond to the situation and how we feel within (manasthiti).
- Believe in the higher – Believing in the higher force – the lord, the teacher (guru) to guide us.
- Living in the moment: Not projecting our happiness in the future but living our lives in the present.
U.S. Congresswoman – Tulis Gabbard on Bhagavad Gita in 2013 – She decided to take her office oath on the Bhagavad Gita.