DEDICATION. Acknowledgements

DEDICATION

I feel extremely happy to dedicate this book to the memory of -

1. Sri C. M. Vijayaraghavachar - most appropriately called 'a doyen among Vishistadvaita scholars’ who after retirement undertook the stupendous task of bringing to light the great religious classics of our Poorvachaaryas in Kannada language with respective commentaries and won great acclaim by a multitude of scholars of all hues.

2. Swami Adhidevaanandaji, who even after enlisting himself in the Ramakrishna Order of Sannyaasins, retained his innate Srivaishnava roots and heritage and brought out very important books of particular interest to Srivaishnavas in the English language. It was in fact his book on Geethaa Bhashya which inspired me and pushed me to attempt a shorter version supplemented by other books on the subject by Kannada authors.

Acknowledgements

I thank Chi. Shreyas Saarangan, for voluntarily offering to sponsor this book. He is a young bachelor and it is heartening to find youngsters like him evincing such great interest in our religious classics.

I also thank the third son of my elderly friend, Sri H.R- Ramaswamy Iyengar (who unfortunately left us recently), Sri H.R. Yethiraj, for coming forward to sponsor this book in memory of his father. Incidentally 'Yethiraja' is a title for Sri Ramanuja.

I thank Sri Suresh of Arka Creations for handling the DTP type - setting of such a difficult book involving transliteration of Sanskrit Slokas and words into English, and Sri Sharada Prasad of Ganesh Maruthi Printers for printing at short notice. Sri R. Kiran of Grafitek has done a good job of designing the cover page and I thank him for the same.

Shreyas Saarangan : Son of Dr. Srinivasan Saarangan Ph.D., holds an MS from USA. Has started working in Futuresoft communications, Chennai. They are Andavan Shishyas.

Shreyas is deeply'interested in the theory and practice of

Sanskrit and Tamil Vedas.

H.r. Ramaswamy Iyengar, an Andavan

'Shya, had a long tenure as Hon, Secretary

BMoTe^ Andavan Ashramam, Jayanagar,

rp-it ^ had the unl Que distinction of having

recited 4onn re

number of t D ' Vya Prabhandam a record

Ashrama . ,mes ' His contribution to Andavan

is cherished by the co-devotees.

Yethiraj, is an estab|| shed

enterpreuner of a fibreg| a rtered Accountant and an

Mahalakshml, he has two « * faCt0r *- Happily married to

° ns ' ^ay and Prahlad.

PREFACE

This is my seventh publication in the 'subject familiarisation

series', and the third and final book in the Prasthaana Tray a,

the other two being:

1. An Introduction To Brahma Sutras and Sri Ramanuja Sri

Bhashya, and

2. An Introduction To Upanishads with a special chapter 'Sri

Ramanuja on Upanishads'

"Prasathaana Traya" means the three foundational (or basic)

texts on our Vedanta Darshana or spiritual wisdom. The present

book 'Sri Ramanuja's Geethaa Bhashya' is as the name suggests,

a commentary on the lofty yet easy-looking Sri Bhagavad

Geethaa which came down to this earth through the very lips of

the Lord, while the Vedas were routed through Chaturmukha

Brahma. The Geethaa when read in conjunction with the

Bhashya, opens up a vast treasure-house of the Lord's thoughts

on diverse subjects and gives us a glimpse of His intense love

and compassion for the vast humanity at large.

Rather intriguing that such an important work by Ramanuja

has not seen many versions in other languages: does this again

point to the proverbial apathy of the Srivaishnavas towards the

treasures left behind by their Poorvacharyas ? We should have

had dozens of books aimed at 'Prachaaram' of Sri Ramanuja's

views on such an important subject, but it is sad that just one

hand is enough to take a count of the treatises that have been

published say, for e.g., in a language like Kannada.

In my book I have provided the original Geethaa text

transliterated into English and alongside each text (sloka), I

have given its meaning - the meaning has been arrived at after

study of a number of books on Geethaa, a common denominator

hopefully reflecting the meaning intended by the Lord ! Given /

below each text with meaning, is the Ramanuja Bhashya for

each in the same serial order.

I want to reassure my readers that all though a c ose re ^ a in

kept on the size of the book, no effort has been s P^f e keen

the content and nuances of the original bhashya. 1 .

rendered possible by shortening the elaboration u

intact the interlinks like quotations from Upanisha s,bhashya.

to slokas in earlier chapters etc v as in the origina ^

Included are some key Sanskrit words and phrases ^ ^

originals (Geethaa as also bhashya) for the P ur P ^ e

highlighting the meanings as in the commentary. ^ a in

that this effort of a condensed version of Geethaa Bhas y

English will be welcomed and that it will kindle interest arn ^

young readers to seek and get hold of the original text wi ^

commentary in the language of their choice - Sanskrit, Karim

etc.

I am happy to see that the Ramanuja daasas living

the Middle East and the USA are evincing interest in sue

publications and voluntarily coming forward to sponsor them

It was indeed a pleasant surprise that a young bachelor calle

me up from nearabout Los Angeles to say that he would like to

sponsor whatever book 1 was writing presently. What more can

a writer ask for ?

It is my experience that abridging a classic like Geethaa Bhashya

into a size such as this in English language is some effort and I

bow to Sri Geethaa Chaarya, the Lord, for bestowing me the

necessary confidence and courage to undertake this

kainkaryam.

-K. R. Krishnaswami

vii

CONTENTS

1. Introduction viii

2. Preparing oneself for study of the Bhashya X

3. Shatka (Hexad) - Wise Summary of

Geethaa Bhashya

First Shatka

xii

Second Shatka

xiii

Third Shatka

xvi

Geethaa Text, Meaning & Bhashya

First Chapter

Second Chapter

Third Chapter

Fourth Chapter

Fifth Chapter

Sixth Chapter

Seventh Chapter

Eighth Chapter

Ninth Chapter

Tenth Chapter

Eleventh Chapter

Twelth Chapter

Thirteenth Chapter

Fourteenth Chapter

Fifteenth Chapter

Sixteenth Chapter

220 ,

Seventeenth Chapter

Eighteenth Chapter

5. References

VIII

INTRODUCTION

The Lord, Sri Krishna that He is, bequeathed a unique

treasure with tire sole purpose of providing a panacea for

all the ills we are facing in this world. Sri Bhagavad

Geethaa is verily 'the factual position of the living entities'-

man has no doubt specialised in satisfying his material

senses, but precious little does he do in fulfilling the simple

demands of the Lord to strive for perfection in life.

It is not intended here 'to introduce as it were' the

Bhagavad Geethaa since most of us would have read about

it or heard lectures on it some time or the other. Bhagavad

Geethaa appears as an episode in Mahabharatha, Bhishma

Parva. Mahabharatha itself is called Panchama Veda

preceded by Rik, Yajus, Saama and Atharvan Vedas. The

Geethaa by common consent is the noblest of works in

the world, 'the greatest philosophical and religious

dialogues known to man'. As it often happens in our

country, its greatness becomes clearer when foreign

scholars (like Schopenhaner, Max Mueller and a host of

others) laud and admire it. Thoreau said he bathed his

intellect every morning in the Bhagavad Geetha. Emerson

expressed ’.it was as if an empire spoke to us’.

While Vedas descended from Brahma, the Geethaa has

the added holiness of having flowed from the Lord's very

lotus-like lips; the holiest poetic symphony as it were, a

symphony of diverse Upanishadic messages. In Varaaha

Puraana, the Lord says : T take my stand on the Geethaa;

the Geetha is My Supreme Abode. I maintain the three

worlds on the strength of the wisdom contained in the

Geethaa'.

Sri Ramanuja, the acharya that he is, has written bhashyas

‘formally 1 on The Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Geethaa.

In regard to Upanishads his gloss Vedartha Sangraha, and

his masterly commentary on Upanishadic texts in Sri

Bhashya and Geethaa Bhashya more than, according to

scholars, make for a ’formal’ bhashya on Upanishads.

However The Gita Bhashya is relatively simpler compaied

to the scholastic treatise on Brahma Sutras viz. Sri Bhashya.

On the face of it, the slokas appear to be simple to

understand but if they are read along with a Bhashya such

as Sri Ramanuja's, the whole gamut of Lord's teachings

open up to our amazement and we get the full import of

the texts.

In regard to the language and style of Geethaa Bhashya

by Ramanuja it is worth quoting Swami Tapasyananda

who observed : "The excellence of the language in which

his Bhashya is written deserves special praise .

Ramanuja’s Sanskrit style which is noted for its melodious

sweetness.(with) sentences that are music to ear.

The apostle of Bhakti that he is, uses the word magic to

thrill the hearts of the hearers.unfurl (ing) before

us a panchromatic banner of adjectives .

Ramanuja confines as usual to the straight-forward

interpretation of the text and does not get into any

po emics, meaning controversies. There are, however,

^ ^ eet ^ aa Bhashya, where for clarifying and

a 1S P rec ise import of the original, he has

aU< ^ ^ e ^herately trodden on what might be

termed polemic issues 1 .

predecessor 1 Ya aid l ° haVe had ins P irati on from his

on Geethaa u amunaac haarya who wrote a small work

slokas. The Geetaartha Sangraha - it has 32

— iKS so meaning,ul - ,hat "

Supreme BraSra^u <Sriman > Naarayana, the

alone, bhakti which is th^^ H<? iS attained b y bhakti

’acquisition of knowledge of one ' s own Dharma,

& a renunciation of attachment'.

PREPARING ONESELF

TO STUDY THE BHASHYA

1 The Scene

THE SCENE is set : The Lord becomes the saarathy for the

Mahaarathi, Arjuna, driving ’the fabled bow -man's Chariot'.

The two armies, of Paandavas and Kauravas, are arrayed, ready

to fight, ready to combat. A close look at the array, Arjuna is

distraught at the thought of slaughtering his kith and kin, his

acharyas. The Geetha, the discourse in poetic style', starts with

Lord's exhortation to Arjuna to do his duty. Despite knowing

that Krishna, the Lord that He is, was on Paandava's side which

meant a certain victory, Dhritharaashtra hopes against hope

that his sons will come out victorious and win the war - he

anxiously enquires from his 'Man - Friday’ Sanjaya:' What did

they do ?' So starts the Geethaa.

2 Composition of the Geethaa

Upanishads are at the base of our Vedaantic concepts

(Sarvopanishadho gaavah.). Tire Geetha also propounds the

Upanishadic meanings in the 700 texts (slokas) divided into 18

chapters - it, however, appears that in the pre-Shankara period

there were 745 texts in the Geethaa; the figure of 700 has been

accepted by Poorvachaaryas including Shankara. Each chapter

has had a title with reference to teaching of the main message.

3 Vedantic Terms / Glossary

The Geethaa, termed Geethaa shaastra (Bhaarathe

Bhagavadgeethaa dharma shaastreshu maanavam !.) is

divided into three six-chaptered sets known as Shatkas (hexads).

Yaamuna has summarised the three Shatkas in three slokas in

his Geethaartha Sangraha which we shall see in the Shatka-

wise summary of the Bhashya later.

The Philosophic terms requiring some elaboration are dealt with

overleaf for a better appreciation of the bhaashya.

i) Is vara : The Vedantic term for God, the Controller of ail beings. The term

‘Brahman’ Ls also used for It, as also for Aathman, Prakriti in the bhaashya

and these will be pointed out as such, as and when they appear.

ii) Jeeva: Known as individual self, is different from Isvara, bu t an inseparable

attribute of Isvara. It is of the form of Knowledge (Jnaana Swaroopa). In

association with the body, it is dominated by the I-sense or ego. In a mans

body it is human ego, in a dogs body it is dog's ego, etc. etc.

iii) Prakriti: It is the non-consdous or non-sentient matter but becomes ‘dynamic

through Isvara's sankalpa’ (will) - the dynamism comprises Shristi

(origination) and Pralaya (dissolution). These two aspects form Isvara s

sport besides the sustentadon. The sentient jeeva is benefited by tliis sport,

as it helps It to erase Its Karma, also referred as ajnaana.

iv) Samsaara : The jeeva being caught up in the cyclic process of Prakriti

known as Samsaara subject to innumerable births and deaths

punctuated by doses of joy (happiness) and pain (suffering).

v) ITita : Hita is the way of achieving release and goes under Ihe name of

Yogas (ways of communion) - they are lire well-known Karma Yoga,

Jnaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. For average folks, which most of us are,

thanks to Ramanuja system there is a much easier path known as

Prapatthi Yoga defined as 'abject surrender' to the Lord seeking His

grace to cancel the entire burden of Karma from beginningless time.

vi) Moksha : When and what is the natural end to jeeva caught in the web

of samsaara ? When the Jeeva realizes its inherent nature and its relative

disposition or relationship with God, it will achieve release from samsaara

it is moksha which is realised when the physical body falls.

vii) Sesha-Seshi relation; This Ls the relationship between the finite jeeva

and the infinite svamin; or the servant-master relationship. Sesha is

dependent or subservient to seshin the Supreme Lord; Jeeva is a sesha

to the master Sriman Narayana, the seshin; Sesha forms an inseperable

attribute of seshin.

viii) Karma : the result on the self from previous births.

ix) Mahavaakya : The Supreme Upanishadic text dealing with Brahma

Jnaana.

*’ of’something which concc.ls the self-identity

« love of God : Jnaana

*ii) Jnaana-Karma samuccchaya : Co-orHir.^ , . ,

rdmahon of knowledge and action.

xiu) Maaya : Cosmic illusion or nescience.

xiv) ahankaara : spurious ego of ma if

XV) -Sentient' (conscient/chetanas) Jv ’ " ^ * **** " ^ eV ° lution '

is non-living. Vm 8 * non-sentient (non-conscient)

xvi) Prakaarin - substance which has

s modes or forms; prakaara- modes.

SHATKA (HEXAD) - WISE SUMMARY OF

GEETHAA BHASHYA

4.1. THE FIRST SHATKA

The first shatka starts with a detailed description of Sriman

Naaraayana and His coming down as Sri Krishna on the earth

and being at the battle-field, Kurukshetra, 'for all to see'. The

commentary takes off with the Lord's advice to Arjuna to

/ undertake his duty as a Kshathriya who has just expressed his

unwillingness to fight for the fear of killing his kith and kin.

The Lord talks of Arjuna's false belief that the entity known as

man is 'just body'. It calls for knowledge to drive home the truth

that one is essentially 'Aathman' which is also referred to as

Brahman (to be distinguished from Super Brahman, the Lord of

both non-sentient, Prakrithi and the sentient, Aathman or the

individual soul) - In fact terms such as 'Akshara' and 'Kootastha'

are used to refer to Aathman (in liberated or released state).

Arjuna is told that the weapons cannot cut Aathman, nor can fire

bum it, etc., that is, it is unaffected by assuming various body ,

forms. Unaware of this, Arjuna wanted to abandon his duty in '

order that he may be saved from the sin of slaughtering, as he

believed.

There is not much commentary by Sri Ramanuja in the first

chapter besides his description of the advent of the Geethaa. In

Chapter 2, Text 12, Ramanuja controverts the theory of limiting

adjunct (advancing evil, error etc to Brahman) of Bhaskara and

the Avidya (nescience) of Advaitin amounting to non-difference

between the Lord and the Jivas (the Lord asserting in this text that

Aathmans,the jivas are different from Himself and there are a

multitude of Aathmans). Yet another point where Ramanuja

controverts Advaitins is that relating to Kshetra and Kshetrajna

(13th Ch. text 2; we shall see that later).

Stressing on Svadharma, the Lord stresses that if he (Arjuna)

veered from that path, which is decided by one's status and

station in life, it will lead to infamy here and ruin hereafter. The

paths of work and knowledge viz.. Karma Yoga and Jnaana

Yoga are adduced at this stage and Arjuna is told that they are

not different but mutually linked; Jnaana Yoga involving

development of a mental disposition fixed on Aathman is

supplemented by the practice of Karma Yoga. Further Jnana

Yoga as such is not easy or 'theoretically possible' as it is

susceptible to a break or fall due to the 'vaasanas' disrupting

the mind similar to a boat caught in the high seas and blown by

strong winds.

In contrast, Karma Yoga is an easy avenue for aspirants

comprising works, as per Vedas, which are of three types - the

a y duties, occasional rites and those meant to realise desires,

t e ast one being optional. One should perform works without

eX h- e v!' n ^ ^ ru ^ s and bave ' Aathman at the core', not the body,

w aspect only is connected with Jnaana Yoga.

ue to the possibility of fall in Jnaana Yoga even the competent

spirants are advised by the Lord to practise Karma Yoga.

4 2 THE SECOND SHATKA

Karma 6 ^ 0 ^ 01 mi< ^ e sk atka, Bhakti Yoga that results frosm

knowl^r) 11 , aana dealt with for achieving the correct

set of siy^t, 3 ° Ut *^ e kord/ Ibe Supreme Person. In this second

aspect of bhakti? teachin 8 Bhakti Y °g a ' lhe important

Supreme Bein&' S i^ 63 1 wi . tb in detail besides, describing the

The body-soul u- lth ! ivas / i a 6 ath for ming His body,

treatment of the M ,* 0nsb P ^ e ’ sbareera - shareeribhaava),

cosmic form, defi v aavaak y a Tat tvam asi'. His Grace, His

all described vivi? 100 ^ a i va lya opposite Moksha, etc., are

Bhaktib il ymthisShatk a.

one is Aa^m^of^, 05 J " aana and the 'understanding' that

mind) leads to memorv^ / P b y s * C£d body coupled with thinking

sesha (subservient) to Him e^f* 3 tke relationsip of being a

devotion which who U 3 reaksa tion leads one to develop

continuous flow of oil th™ u " obstr ucted' like 'thaila dhaare' -

ghest form. Such bhakti 3 w ‘ ck ‘ results in bhakti of the

spirants 'at all stages'. This Jill ° 6 noted ' can be practised by all

sank' P° fid °k in temples niloff* 3 birtker boost with devotional

devebpif'“H places, His naama

« a ™8 lelked abo „, lh ' :,W ' ,hh0 'y"'en ( sa,san g h,.

aram abhakthi)j tshould |i , ^? S ! (° rm of Bhakthl (Para or

" oe noted that it calls for a foundation

of Jnaana, while the independent Prapatthi (surrender to god)

is 'a direct route' to God'.

The Glories of The Supreme Being

The Supreme Being, The Lord, is origin / sustainer / dissolving

ground of this Universe. He remains totally unaffected by all

this. His two Prakritis comprise sentient nature (jiva) and non

-sentient nature (Jagath) together forming His body, the cosmos.

Ramanuja has employed the body-soul or shareera-shareeri

relationship between Isvara and the two aforesaid Prakritis to

advantage for interpreting 'Tath Tvam Asi', the famous

Mahaavaakya (which appears nine times in The Chandogya

Upanishad). Literally translated it means 'That Thou art'.

Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva have given different

interpretations to this Mahavaakya fitting into their Vedantic

systems. 'That thou art' is interpreted by some as that (Supreme

Being) and thou (jiva) as having identity. The question is 'how ,

can a little jiva be identical with the Supreme Being, Isvara ? S

Indirect derivation (Lakshana) is used by Advaitins to find a

relation resting in a common substratum.

Without elabrating this too much, let us confine to Ramanuja's

interpretation as he does not agree with others' derivation of

this Mahaavaakya's meaning. While Advaitic interpretation

rests on a'bare identity', according to Ramanuja his doctrine of

Body-Soul relationship between Isvara and cosmos as a whole

as also between Isvara and jivas (individually) can interpret the

identity 'without losing individualities' - as in the case of say a

blue lotus wherein the individualities of 'blueness' and 'lotus'

nature' are retained. The Almighty cannot be put on par with

either the cosmos or the jivas in whom He indwells. 'Tat Tvam

Asi' according to Ramanuja allows itself to be interpreted thus

: 'Tat' refers to Isvara as indweller in cosmic body and 'Tvam'

again the same Isvara indwelling in the jiva. Thus cosmos and

jivas, forming His body are 'held together' in one and the same

Isvara in a relationship known as Aprathak-Siddhi; inseparable

'Visheshanas' with distinct existence. 'Tat Tvam Asi' which

refers to one-ness of Isvara, is interpreted in short thus: You (the

soul) are the body of God.

His shareera-shareeri bond with jivas and jagath as His shareera

is also described by Prakaara-Prakaari relationship - God is the

Prakaarinand His Prakaaras or modes being jiva and Jagath. To

illustrate : in the Ocean with waves, the Ocean is God and the

waves are the modes (Prakaaras: jiva and Jagath). Waves cannot

be separated from the Ocean water and have no separate existence,

and 'indivisible from it'. Such existence is there during both causaJ

(Pralaya) condition as well as the effect (shrushti) conditions.

The whole universe moves because of His sankalpa (will) and

He is the one 'agent' but the 'freedom of will' for the jivas is 'not

denied'. Each jiva's Karma dictates it to work in a particular

manner; to meet their natural fulfillment (karma's end), God's

will comes into play.

The Divine Mystery

In Chapter 9, The Lord says 'All this world is pervaded by Me

....(am the) source and support of all things yet not abiding in them

(meaningnot restricted by them)-behold My Mysterious Power'.

We shall be beholding it in a number of texts in this Sha Ika.

Manifesting in sentient (living) and non-sentient (non- living)

entities he abides in them as their soul; they do not contain Him,

He contains them. Only one without being affected by Karma, He

subjects to its law, all beings including Brahma. Even in dissolution

and re-evolution of the Universe He remains unaffected.

This Shatka also refers to His Vibhoothis (meaning glorious

manifestations) and as to how He grants the Knowledge of

-understanding of Himself for a Jiva or Chetanas so that they

deserve returning to Him once and for all.

He is Naaraayana, Vaasudeva

rtf place ' emphasizes any type of worship or

it is offered with devotion^? orship Hun ' He accepts it provided

is, grants their fruits desnii Naaraayana ' ^ Supreme Lord that He

deities. For, it is He 6 S ° me devotees having faith in different

, Naaraayana who abides in all

Being primarily God of 1

sinners, low - bom etc Th V& HlS graCe reaches one and a11 '

become righteous - no H J he L ° rd says soon even sinners will

Vaasudeva a sNaa J * all °^ >° P^sh.

and He also j s f of man(Paratattava)

twttaln Him, A(ter revea|ing Hj '

XVI

Cosmic form to Arjuna the Lord says'.whoever looks upon

Me as the goal and whoever is My devotee free from attachments

and from antagonism to anyone, such a man shall enter into Me'.

He also says that later seeking refuge in the Lord is the 'more

direct and easier pa th - the Lord becomes the redeemer'.

Kaivalya and Moksha

In Kaivalya, conveying aloofness, the liberated jiva enjoys bliss-

consciousness. Some feel it is a temporary and inferior state

compared to the full-fledged moksha involving experience of

becoming a Sesha to the Lord and realisation that it is the body

of the Lord : moksha is said to ensure eternal service to the Lord

atHisNitya Vibhoothi. Thus the easier course, Prapatthi, also

ensures Seshathva or liegehood of being a servant to the Lord

without having to go through the difficultly-achievable

Aathman- consciousness talked about in the three Yogas.

Saulabhya of the Lord

Srivaishnava savants find the soulabhya quality of the Lord

(text. 8.14) very dear to their hearts and this quality meaning

approachabilily / accessibility is extremely significant in His

role as redeemer of all jivas. This is His 'redemptive love'

demonstrated by Him through His many 'avataaras'. It is just

as though a huge elephant bends down to pick up and get them

(Jivas) upon it.

While emphasizing Saulabhya, Ramanuja's commentary also

lauds His 'Paratva' which shows the Supreme adorning

Vaikunta and not easily accessible to even gods like Brahma.

This ivhole Universe is the ivork of a venj tiny aspect of His being.

Yaamuna in his Geethaartha Sangraha, sloka 3, sums up the

second Shatka thus : Bhakti Yoga which can be achieved by

Karma and Jnaana is dealt with for obtainig the exact

knowledge about the Lord, the Supreme Being that He is.

4.3 THE THIRD SHATKA

"In the last last 6 chapters, forming the second shatka, the

disciplines of Work, Knowledge and Devotion were taught. The

third shatka discusses two important aspects; 1) the effect of the

Gunas of the Prakriti on human life and 2) the considerations of

Bhakti and Prapatthi.

XVII

The three Gunas of Prakriti which bind the Aathman are the

Satthva, Rajas and Tamas. Further Prakriti is shown as the

object seen by the Seer (the Purusha). It is also known as the

Kshetra (or the Field) and its knower, as Kshetrajna respectively

- the body-mind aspect.

The three gates, as they are known, leading the soul to Naraka

when Tamas is domineering, are stated as sexuality, anger and

greed. The functioning of the three Gunas influence life in terms

of knowledge / its objects, works, agent, intellect, charactei

types etc. In fact the four Vamas are stated to be the result of the

three Gunas - Thus there is insistence to develop and nourish

Satthva Guna in preference to the other two. The Lord has dealt

with the three Gunas at great length.

Bhakti which is extreme devotion and love to God comprises

various 'positive aids' to attain Him as different from Prapatthi

is expressing one's utter helplessness and surrendering

/ to Him to b e redeemed by Him - He will become both the means

and the end in regard to Prapatthi and this is open to all. Bhakti

Uoga) on the other hand, which Ramanuja deals with at length,

is available to only those eligible for Upaasana as described in

parus ads. Bhakti Yoga will become the end-result of the two

* , C lc ^ sv iz. Karma Yoga becoming a support for Jnaana Yoga,

of dpL j C latter k practised, Karma Yoga assumes the form

reauirpd e Here stlJ dy of Vedas / Upanishads is

a limitedT 1 r kti also involves recourse to Vedic studies. Only

‘ on of the P ro ple are qualified for it.

wSs 1 toowntsM^ t0 the L ° rd iS compar * d t0

of a young monkev rl f ata ' Klshora n Y a ^ya comprising analogy

having the sha^h-^ • m ^ ln S to ^ ts mother (the 'Upaaya' theory

surrenderee at ^ lc su PP ort ) for protection - i.e., mumukshu

recognised thatYaa 6 ^ ^ orc * f° r refuge. It is well

Azhwaars viz passec f on the legacy inherited from

Vaamunaacha.rva ^ * SPeC ‘ a ' dOC ' rine '

GeethaarthaSanerah a SU i m r anSes the Third shatka in his

Work, Knowledge and 'p. 3 *^ us ' • • • disciplines concerning

rnanner of addition and eVodon are again dealt with in a

already taught'. S 1Vln g a touch of completion to that

CHAPTER 1

Ramanuja's salutation to Yaamunachaarya

yathpaadhaambhoruha-dhyaana vidvasthaasheshakalmashafj I

vastuthaamupayaathoh aham yaamuneyam namaami tham II

By meditation of whose holy Feet, I have all my blemishes

erased and achieved the status of existence, to that

Yaamunaachaarya I offer my salutation.

The Bhashya's Arrival -

[Well-known for his auspicious beginning of all his works,

Sri Ramanuja pictures the Bhagavaan in his mind before

starting this work also. It may be mentioned that his

monumental work Sri Bhashya started with the letter V

which is the zenith of holiness being the first letter of

‘om’, the pranava.]

1 Bhagavaarfs Auspicious Qualities (Kalyaana Gunas)

Sriman Naaraayana, the consort of Sri Mahalkshmi, is

wholly auspicious and inimical to all that is evil;

characterised by knowledge, bliss and infiniteness. He

is known for His superiority to all other beings. He is

the, mahodhadhi, the ocean of innumerable auspicious

attributes, like, knowledge, power, Lordship, energy,

potency and splendour.

2 His Divine Form

He is unimaginably divine, eternal, flawless and a

rich storehouse of perfections such as radiance, beauty,

redolence, tenderness, youthfulness etc. He is

bedecked with divine jewelry, appropriate to Him

and numerous, wondrous, flawless and divine. His

divine weaponry are innumerable, eternal, endowed

with wondrous powers and exceedingly auspicious.

3 His Consort

He is Sri Mahalakshmi's Beloved - Her eternal and faultless

nature, Her attributes / glory / supremacy / traits which

are countless and agreeagle, are all worthy of Him.

^1"TA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l]

4 His Holy Feet

His charana yugala - Holy Feet - are continually praised

by a large host of nitya sooris (perfected devotees),

whose nature / activities are in perfect consonance

with His will and their qualities of knowledge / action

/ glory all faultless, eternal, unmatched and working

gleefully, being totally subordinate to Him.

5 His Abode

The Supreme and imperishable Heaven where He

abides are full of wondrous objects and places of

enjoyment. It is an abode worthy of Him with infinite

glory.

6 His Sport

His job description (!) reads - origination, sustenance

and dissolution of the entire universe which abounds in

various countless 'objects and subjects of mundane

e xistence ? .

Very briefly, the foregoing describes the Supreme

^rahrnan, 'Sriman Naaraayana, the Supreme Lord that He

7 His Governance

Aft

B ^ Creat * n g the Universe comprising Chaturmukha

a m a down to immobile entities, He was not

w o e r ie * n bis supernatural / transcendent form for

_ U a^it'^ ^ beings created by Him, but owing to His

a ff e tles °f compassion, generosity and paternal

various 00 ’ He sha P ed His own ’figure resembling

natu t e S ’ li- CS ° f creatures kee P in g in tact His Supreme

granted “I f* , lncarnations responded to worship and

Artha K ' lfeS in th e form of Dharma,

ama and Moksha in keeping with their desire.

T^!i° n as Sri Krlshna

elemlnts t ^a 0b .! eCt ° f relievin S the burden of evil

men. He inr * °'j Himself to be taken as refuge by

arnated Himself as SrjJCrishna. Becoming

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l:]

an easily visible form he won countless hearts with

His (leelas) divine sports; and demolished demons

such as Poothanan, Shakata, twin Arjuna trees, Arishta,

Kaaliya, Keshi, Kuvalavaapeeda, Chanoora, Kamsa etc.

With His friendliness and compassion. He brought

about soothing happiness to the entire world.

Bewitched bv His beauty and compassion, Akroora

and Maalaakaara became His ardent devotees.

ii) Just as though He was instilling in Paandu's sons

the fighting spirit. He let us have the citadel of the

Yoga of Bhakti tempered by jnaana and Karma -

promoted as the pathway for liberation by Vedaanta.

iii) Assuming a mortal form and becoming a charioteer

to Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war, He enabled one

and all to see Him. Dhrutharaashtra being blind in all

respects, wished to hear from Sanjaya the victory of His

son (Dhuryodhana) and queries him about it (page 4).

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l: Text 1-8]

dhrutharaashtra uvaacha Dhrutharaashtra said

dharma-kshethre kuru - kshetre O Sanjaya, gathered together on the

samavetha yayuthsavah sacred soil of Kurukshetra, eager to fight,

mamakaaha paandavaas chaiva what did my people and Paandavas do ?

kirn akurvatha sanjaya (1)

sanjaya uvaacha

drstvaa tu paandavaaneekam

vyoodam duryodhanas tadhaa

aachaaryam upasanghamya

raajaa vachanam abraveeth (2)

Sanjaya said

After seeing the army of Pandavas drawn

up for battle, king Duryodhana went to

his teacher Dronachaarya and spoke the

following words :

pashyaithaam paandu q m y teacher, behold this mighty army

puthraanaam 0 f the Paandavas, so expertly arranged

aachaarya mahatheem chamoom by your intelligent disciple, the son of

vyoodhaam drupadha-putrena Drupada.

thava sishyena dheemathaa (3)

atra shooraa maheshv - aasaa There are in this army heroes w ielding

bheemaarjuna - samaa yudhi mighty bows and equal in military

yuyudhaano viraatas cha prowess to Bhima and Arjuna; great

drupadas cha mahaa - rathah fighters like Yuyudhaana, Viraata and

(4) Drupada.

drishtaketus chekitaanah

kaashiraajas cha veeryavaan

purujit kunthibhojas cha

shaibyas cha nara - pungavah

(5)

Dhrushtakethu, Chckithaana and the

valiant king of kaashi; Purujhit and

Kunthibhoja, and Shaibya, the best of

men

yudhaamanyus cha vikraantha And mjghty Yudhaamanyu, the strong

utthamaunjaas cha veeryavaan Utthamaujas; and also the son of

soubhadro draupadeyaas cha Subhadra and the sons of Draupadhi, all

sarva eva mahaa - rathaah (6) 0 f them warrior chiefs.

asmaakam tu vishistaa ye For your information, O best of

thaan nibhodha dvijotthama Braahmanaas, let me tell you about the

naayakaa mama sainyasya captains who arc of my army. I shall name

sanjnaartham thaan braveeme te (7) them to refresh your memory.

bhavaan bheeshmas cha karnas Yourself, Bhishma, and Kama, the

cha kripas cha samitim - jay ah victorious Kripa, Ashvatthaama, Vikarna

ashvatthaamaa vikarnas cha ' and Jayadhratha, the son of

saumadatthis tathaiva cha (8) Somadatta •

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l: Text9-11]

anye cha bahavah shooraa

madh-arthe tyaktha - . ^

jeevitaah

naanaa-shastra- praharanaah san/e

yuddha- vishaaradaah (9)

And there are many other heroes who

arc prepared to lay down their lives for

my sake. All of them are skilled in the

use of different weapons and are skilled

in warfare.

aparyaaptham tadh asmaakam

bhalam bheeshmaabhi rakshitam

paryaaptham tv-idham yetheshaam

baiam bheemaabhirakshitham (10)

Inadequate is this army force of ours,

which is guarded by Bhishma while that

guarded by Bhima, that is, their force is

adequate.

ayaneshu cha sarveshu Therefore all of you standing at

yathaa - bhaagam avasthithaah strategic positions guard Bhishma at

bheeshmam evaabhirakshanthu all costs.

bhavantah sarva eva hi (11)

Ramanuja Bhashya

Duryodhana, studying himself first hand the force guarded by

Bhishma, and that by Bheema, was distressed as he felt that their

force was adequate enough to conquer his, and his own force as

being indequate to conquer theirs and he informed the acharya thus.

(i - id

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l : Text 12-18]

tasya sanjanayan harsh am

kuru-vriddah pitaamahah

simha - naadham vinadhyocchaih

sankham dadhmau prataapavaan

(12)

Then Bhishma, the great valiant

grandsire of the Kuru dynasty roaring

like a lion blew his conch very loudly

cheering up Dhuryodhana.

tathaa sankhaas cha bheryas cha

panavaanaka - gomukhaah

sahasaivaabh yahanyan tha

se shabdas tumulo bhavath (13)

Then suddenly conches, kettle drums,

bugles, tabors and blow-horns blared

forth; and the combined sound was

tumultous.

tathah shvethair hayair yukhthe

mahathi syandhane sthitau

maadhavah paandavas chaiva

divyau shankhau pradadhmatuh

(14)

Then, Sri Krishna and Arjuna, seated

in a glorious chariot drawn by white

horses blew their celestial conches,

paanchajanyam hrishikesho

devadadattham dhananjayah

paundram dadhmau maha -

shankham

bheema-karmaa vrikodharah (15)

Lord Krishna blew his conch called

Paanchajanya, Arjuna the Devadhattha,

and Bhima the performer of herculean

tasks blew his great conch Paundra.

ananthavijayam raajaa

kunthi puthro yudhishtirah

nakulah sahadevas cha

sugosha-manipushpakau (16)

King Yudhishtira, the son of Kunthi, blew’

his conch Ananthavijava and Nakula

and Sahadeva blew theirs, Sughosha and

Manipushpaka

kaashyas cha parameshv-aasah

shikandhi cha maha a - rathah

dhristadhyumno viraatas cha

saathyakis chaaparaajitah (17)

That great archer, the king of Kaashi,

shikandi, the mighty warrior,

Dhrishtadhyumna and Viraata;

Saatyaki, the invincible,

drupado draupadeyaas cha

sarvashah prithivee-pathe

saubhadras cha mahaabaahuh

shankaan dadhmuh prithak

prithak (IQ)

Drupada and the sons of Draupadhi and

the strong - armed son of Subhadra - all,

O king, blew their several conchshells

again and again.

Ramanuja Bhashya

Seeing Duryodhana rather despondent, Bhishma in an effort to

cheer him up, roaring like a lion, blew his conch and got his men

o ow their conchshells and kettle drums - the combined sound

seatedTn il' 6 3 tu ™ ult - ous u P roar of victory. Hearing this and

,n the superb chariot capable of winning the three worlds.

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l: Text 19 - 23]

sa ghosho dhaartharaashtraanaam The uproarious sound, resounding

hridayaani vyadhaarayath through heaven and earth, rent the

nabhas cha prithiveem chaiva hearts of the sons of Dhritharaashtra.

thumulo'bhyanunaadhayan (19)

atha vyvasthithaan drishtvaa

dhaartharaashtraan kapi-dvajah

pravritthe shastra - sampaathe

dhanur udhyamya paandavah

(20)

Then Arjuna, son of Paandu, who had

his flag marked with Hanumaan, on

seeing the sons of Dhritharaashtra

drawn in military army took up his how

while missiles were beginnig to fly.

hrishikesham tadhaa vaakyam

idam aaha mahee-pathe

arjuna uvaacha

senayor ubhayor madhye

ratham sthaapaya may'chyutha

(21)

Arjuna then spoke these words to the

Lord of the earth, Sri Krishna :

Arjuna said

O infallible one, draw up my chariot

between the two armies,

yaavadh ethaan nireekshe 'ham

yoddhu - kaamaan avasthithaan

kair mayaa saha yoddhavyam

asmin rana - samudhyame (22)

and keep it there till 1 have had a close

look at those who are standing and eager

to fight, and know with whom I must

engage in this great trial of arms.

yothsyamaanaan avekshe'ham

ya ethe 'tra samaagathaah

dhaarthraraashtrsya durbudhher

yuddhe priya-chikeershavah (23)

Let me sec those who have gathered

here to fight in this battle in order

to please the evil-minded son of

Dhritaraashtra.

Ramanuja Bhashya

Arjuna and the Lord of all lords, Sri Krishna, blew their divine

conchshells Paanchajanya and 'Devadhattha' respectively, which

shattered, as it were, the three worlds.

Then Yudhishtira, Bhima and others blew their respective conches.

The combined sound produced by them sent the hearts of your sons,

Duryodhana and others, who thought ’our power is almost

nullified - thus spoke Sanjaya to Dhritharaashtra who had enquired

from him about the victory news of Kauravas (12 - 19).

Having the flag marked with Hanuman who burnt Lanka, and

seeing the battle- ready Kauravas, Arjuna addresses Lord Krishna,

the Lord of lords enriched by the six - qualities (shadguna) viz

knowledge, power, lordship (Aishwarya), energy, potency (veerya)

and splendour (Tejas); whose mere sport it is to effect origin,

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l : Text 24 *28]

sanjaya uvaacha

San jay a said :

evam uktho hrishikesho

gudaakeshena bhaaratha

senayor ubhayor madhye

sthaapayitvaa rathotthamam (24)

O king, thus addressed by Arjuna, Sri

Krishna drew up the best of chariots

between the two armies,

bheeshma - drona-pramukhathah

s an/eshaam cha mahee-kshithaam

uvaacha paartha pashyaithaan

samavethaan kuroon ithi (25)

in front of Bhishma and Drona and all

other kings, and said 'Arjuna, just behold

all the Kauravas assembled here'.

Tathtraapashyaath sthithaan

paartha h

pithroon atha pitaamahaan

aachaaryaan maathulaan

bhraathrrn

putthraan pauthraan sakheems

tathaa (26)

As Arjuna looked, he could see standing

there his fathers, grandfathers, teachers,

maternal uncles, brothers, sons,

grandsons and friends,

shvashuraan suhradas chaiva

senayor ubhayor api

thaan sameekshya sa kauntheyah

san/aan bhandhoon avasthithaan

(27)

fathers-in-law, and dear friends as well.

And when Arjuna saw all those relatives

arranged there,

krupayaa parayavishto

visheedhann idam abhraveeth

arjuna uvaacha

drushtvemam sva-janam krishna

yuyuthsum samupasthitham (29)

he was overcome with deep compassion

and uttered these words in sadness.

Arjuna said :

O Krishna, seeing my friends and

relatives present before me, eager to

fight

Ramanuja Bhashya

maintenance and dissolution of the entire universe with His will

(sankalpa), who controls both the external and interal senses of

all beings both great and inferior, by telling : 'Locate my chariot

in a strategic place so that I can have a close look at the enemies

who are eager to fight' (20 - 23).

"Thus, as directed by Arjuna, Sri Krishna drew the chariot that

very moment, while Bhishma n, , cnanot tnat

watching. 'Such is the state of WctoT ^ ^ WCre

said (24 - 25). ctor y of y° ur people’ " Sanjaya

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l: Text 29-36]

seedhanthi mama ghaathraani

mukham cha parishushyathi

vepathush cha shareeray may

roma-harshash cha jaayathe (29)

I feel the limbs of my body are quivering,

my mouth drying up; my body trembles

and my hair stands upright;

ghaandcevam samshrathe

hasthaath

tvak chaiva paridahyathe

na cha saknomy avasthaathum

bhramateeva cha may manah

(30)

my bow Ghaandiva is slipping from my

hand and my skin is burning all over; 1

am unable to withstand any longer; my

mind is whirling;

nimitthaani cha pashyaami

vipareethaani keshava

na cha shreyo'nupashyaami

hartvaa sva-janam aahavay (31)

And Keshava, I see inauspicious omens,

I see no good in killing my kinsmen in

battle.

na kaankshe vijayam krishna

na cha raajyam sukhaani cha

kim no raajyena govinda

kim bhogair jeevithcna vaa (32)

Krishna, I do not covet victory, empire

or pleasures. Of what use the empire,

enjoyment or even life to US ?

yeshaam arthc kaankshitam no

raajyam bhogaah sukhaani cha

tha ime 'vasthithaa yuddhe

praanaams tyakthvaa dhanaani cha

(33)

Those very persons for whose sake we

covet the throne, luxuries and pleasures,

stand here in war renouncing life and

wealth -

aachaaryaah pitraah putraas

•

tathaiva cha pithamahaah

maathufaah svasuraah pautraah

shyaalaah'sambhandinas tathaa

(34)

teachers, uncles, sons and nephews,

fathers-in-law, grand nephews,

brothers-in-law and other relations -

yethaan na hanthum icchaami

gnatho 'pi madhusoodhana

a pi thrailokya - raajasya

hethoh kim nu mahee- krithe (35)

(O slayer of Madhu) Krishna, these I

would not kill, though they might slay

me, even for the throne of three worlds -

how much less then for this earthly

lordship !

nihatya dhaartharaashtraan nah

kaa preethih syaaj janaardhana

paapam evaashrayed asmaan

hathvaithaan aathathaayinah (36)

Krishna, how' can we hope to be happy

killing the sons of Dhritharaashtra ?

Sin alone will take hold of us if we kill

desperadoes.

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l : Text 37-44]

tasmaan naarahaa vayam Therefore, Krishna, it is not befitting that

hanthum we kill our relations, the sons of

dhaartharaashtraan sa- Dhritharaashtra. For how can we happy

bhaandhavaan after killing our own kinsmen ?

sva - janam hi katham hathvaa

sukhinah shyaama maadhava(37)

yadhi apy ethe na pashyanthi Although these people with minds

lobhopahatha - chethasah blinded by greed, see no evil in destroying

ku/a - kshya - kritham dosham their own clan and sin in treachery to

mitra - drohe cha pathakam (38) friends,

katham na jneyam asmaabhih why shouldn’t we, O Krishna, learn to

paapaadh asmaan nivarthithum turn away from this crime - we who see

kula - kshya - kritham dosham clearly the sin of ruining a clan ?

prapashyadhbhir janardhana (39)

kufa-kshaye pranashyanthi With the destruction of a dynasty age -

kula - dharmaah sanathanaah j on g f am jiy traditions perish and when

dharme nashte kulam krithsnam that happens lawlessness takes hold of

adharmo 'bhibhavathy utha (40) the entire clan.

adharmaabhibhavaath krishna when vice prevails, O Krishna, the

pradushyanthi kuta-sthriyah women of the family become corrupt;

sthreeshu dushtaasu vaarshneya with the corruption of men there ensues

jaayathe varna - sankarah (41) inter-mixture of castes.

sankaro narakaayaiva The admixture of classes leads the clan

kula - ghnaanaam kulasya cha itself as also the destroyers of the race to

pathanthipitaro hy eshaam hell; deprived of ritual offerings

lupta - pindodaka - kriyaah (42) (shraaddha and tharpana) the ancestors

of their race also fall.

doshatr ethaih kula ghnaanaam Through this intermixture of classes the

varna-sankara-kaarakaih resultant sins destroy the ancient

uthsaadhyanthe jaathi-dharmaah traditions of the clan and class; manes

kufa-dharmaas cha saashvataah vvili be deprived of ritual offerings of

(43) food and water.

uthsanna - kula - dharmaanaam

manushyaanaam janaardhana

narake niyatham vaaso

bhavatheethi anusushruma ( 44 )

Krishna, we have heard that men who

have lost their family traditions dwell in

hell for an indefinite period of time.

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.l : Text 45 -47]

aho bhatha mahath paapam

karthum vyvasithaa vayam

yadh raajya - sukha - tobhena

hanthum sva-janam udhyathaah

(45)

Pity, though possessed of intelligence

\vc have set our mind on committing a

great sin in that due to lust for throne

and enjoyment, we are ready to kill

our own kith and kin.

yadhi maam apratheekaaram

ashasthram shastra - paanayah

dhaartharaashtra rape hanyus

tan may kshematharam bhaveth

_ (46)

sanjaya uvaacha

eva ukhtvaarjunah sankhye

rathopastha upaavishath

visrijya sa-sharam chaapam

shoka samvigna-maanasah (47)

It would be better for me if the sons of

Dhritharaashtra, armed with weapons

killed me in battle when I was unarmed

and unresisting.

Sanjaya said :

Having spoken thus on the battlefield,

Arjuna whose mind was agitated cast

aside his bow and arrows and sank into

the hinder part of the chariot.

Ramanuja Bhashya

Sanjaya continued : the generous - minded Arjuna, extremely kind

/ friendly / righteous with brothers of similar disposition, despite

having been cheated by the wily attempts of your people many

times like setting fire to the house made of lac and deserve to be

killed by him (Arjuna) with the help of the Parama - Purusha (the

Lord) Himself, but declared "I shall not fight”, seeing your people

who are going to be killed by him / having extreme compassion

for the members of his clan / overcome by fear in not being able

to discriminate between righteous and otherwise / overtaken by

grief that he would be separated from his relations. Hence he

cast aside his bow and arrows and sat down at the edge of the

chariot (26 - 47).

The First Chapter of Sri Ramanuja's

Geethaa Bhashya ends here.

CHAPTER 2

sanjaya uvaacha

tham tathaa kripayaavishtam

ashru - poornaakulekshanam

visheedantham idam vaakyam

uvaacha madhusoodhanah (1)

Sanjaya said

Sri Krishna addressing Arjuna who was.

as said before, overcome with compassion

with tears filling his eves and whose mind

was depressed, uttered these words -

sri bhagavaan uvaacha

kuthas Chvaa kashmaiam Id ham

vishame samupasthitham

anaarya -jushtam asvarghyam

akeerthi - karam arjuna ! (2)

The Lord said

O Arjuna, how has this despondency

overtaken you in this crisis ? It is not

befitting a noble person. It is disgraceful

and prevents one from attaining heaven.

klaibhyam maa sma gamah Yield not to unmanlincss, Arjuna, it docs

paartha not become of you. Give up such paltry

naithaath tvayya upapadhyathe faint-heartedness and arise, O chastiser

kshudhram hridaya-dhaurbhaiyam of the enemies.

thyaktthvotthishta paranthapa (3)

arjuna uvaacha Arjuna said

katham bheeshmam aham sankhye O killer of enemies, slayer of Madhu,

dronam cha madhusoodhana how' can I aim arrows in battle against

ishubhih prathiyothsyaami men like Bhishma and Drona w'ho are

poojaarhaav ari - soodhana (4) worthy of reverence ?

guroon ahatvaa hi mahaanubhaavaan

shreyo bhokthum bhaikshyam

apeeha loke

hathvaartha - kaamaams thu

guroon ihaiva

bhunjeeya bhoghaan rudhira -

pradigdhaan (5)

It is better to live by begging in this world

than to kill these noble elders. If I were

to kill iny teachers, however degraded

they may be for desiring worldly gain, I

would be enjoying only the blood - stained

pleasures.

Ramanuja Bhashya

The Lord Said

When Arjuna sank thus to his seat in the chariot, Sri Krishna

disapproved of his action and said what is the cause of this

T ? S t ' a t d “ P f ° r ba,,le - Siving up this grief

“ h ” h Si' g " \ hiCh , haS ar ‘ Sen a > a critical juncture and

impediment to airLvm,lhLh brings iU d fa 8 ' Whkh “ T

despicable and wh.ch is engendered'iTCbta™™^

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.2 : Text 6-8]

na chaithadh vidmah katharan no We do not even know which is preferable

gariyo for us- whether conquering them or being

yadh vaa jayema yadhi vaa no conquered by them. Those very sons of

jayeyuh Dhritharaashtra, after slaying whom we

yaan eva hathvaa na jijivishaamas do not wish to live, are standing in enemy

te 'vasthitaah pramukhe dhaartha ranks.

-raashtraah (6)

kaarpanya-doshopahatha-svabhavah With my very being stricken by the fault

prrcchaami tvaam dharma of faint-heartedness and having lost all

sammooda - chetaah composure, I am asking You to tell me

yach shreyah syaan nischitham for certain, w r hat is best for me. Pray

broohi tan may instruct me, now I am your disciple w r ho

shishyas te ’ham shaadhi maam have surrendered unto You.

tvaam prapannam (7)

na hi prapashyaami mamaapanudhyaad

yac chokam ucchhoshanam

indriyaanaam

avaapya bhoomaav asapathnam

ruddham

raajyam suraanaam api

chaadhipathyam (8)

For, even on obtaining undisputed

soverignity and a prosperous kingdom on

this earth and even the lordship over the

Devas, I do not see any means that could

eliminate the grief which is drying up

my senses.

Ramanuja Bhashya

Arjuna Said

Not perceiving the good in the words of the Lord, yet again

overcome with affection, compassion and the fear arising out of

mistaking non - righteousness for righteousness (dharma), Arjuna

says thus : Those whom I should rever, namely, Bhishma and

Drona, how can I kill them ? Allowing that I kill them, however

much they are attached to enjoyments, how can I enjoy those very

pleasures which they are enjoying now sitting in their places, since

such enjoyments will be drenched in their blood.

If it be said that 'having commenced the war, we draw back from the

battle, Dhritharaashtra's sons will forcibly kill us; let it be so. Compared

to securing unrighteous victory over them, who cannot distinguish

between what is righteous and non - righteous, getting killed by them

is better.' Having said thus and overcome by dejection Arjuna

surrendered at the feet of the Lord and said 'Whatever is considered

best for me, please teach me who have surrendered to You’ (4-8).

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch. 2 : Text 9-10J

sanjaya uvaacha

evam ukthvaa hrisheekesham

gudaakeshah parantapaha

na yotsya ithi govindam

ukhtvaa tooshnim babhoova ha (9)

Sanjaya said

Having thus spoken to Sri Krishna.

Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep and

chastiser of enemies, said "I will not

fight" and fell silent.

tham uvaacha hrishikeshah O descendant of Bharatha,

prahasann iva bhaaratha Dhrilharaashtra, following words were

senayor ubhayormadhye spoken by Sri Krishna to Arjuna who

visheedhantham idam vachah (10) was thus grieved between the two

armies, as if smiling.

Ramanuja Bhashya

To Arjuna, who had surrendered to the Lord having lost his

courage due to love and pity in a wrong scenario, who, despite

war being the highest duty for warriors, thought it to be unrighteous,

Bhagawaan, the Supreme Lord introduced the subject of Vedaantha

shaastra eonceming self to him - sensing that his delusion would

not vanish unless the ‘knowledge of the real nature of the self was

imparted to him; thus to Arjuna with the misplaced love and

compassion leading to seeing unrighteouness in the righteousness,

grief - stricken and to the one who had surrendered to the Lord, this

snaastra was propounded.

of the W ^° WaS n0t ^ lav ^ n S ^he knowledge of the real nature

real nature^ ^" stricl<:en due to ignorance concerning the

aboutdutyasifhehad^hrtn^VT 15 ^ 6 Whkh he W3S s P eakin S

body and suddenly appearing h ^ ^ ^ ^ diStinCt ^ ^

the two armies, th/siSeme Lnr^ l ™ Chve and standin § between

words : in text 2.12 (to foil ° spoke ' as lf smiling, the following

right upto text 18.66 declarin ' t k neVer WaS 3 Hme 1 waS n0t

grieve not’ - the texts apo • 1 . a * ^" ee y° u from all the sins;

the nature of self (iivaathm 63 ^ 111 ^!^ tke middle of these propound

»"<* the paths viz kamta^worio ^ ^ u P reme Self (paramaathma)

(worshipful devotion) which r kn ° wled S e (jnaana) and Bhakti

highest spiritual goal'. om prise the means for achieving the

[Sri Yaamunaachaarya : has said 'P

was peiplexed by 'misplaced love °h ^ Sakt> Arjuna whose mind

that dharma (righteousness) was adha COm P ass ion' besides the delusion

surrendered (o Sri Krishna the (nor > - righteousness) and who

/ me shaastra was introduced] ( 9 - 10 ).

GITA Text & Meaning

[Ch.2 :Text 11-12]

sri bhagavaan uvaacha

ashochyaan anvashochas tvam

prajnaa-vaadhaams cha

bhaashase

gathasoon agathasooms cha

naanushochanthi panditaah (11)

na tv evaaham jaathu naasam

na tvam nemay janaadhipaah

na chaiva na bhavishyaama

sarve vayam athah param (12)

The Lord said

Arjuna, while speaking learned words,

you are grieving for those who should

not be grieved for. Wise men do not

lament either for the living or for the

dead.

In fact there never was a time when I did

not exist, nor you, nor all those kings of

men. Nor is it a fact that there will be

any time hereafter we shall all cease to

be.

Ramanuja Bhashya

The Lord said

'Those who do not deserve to be grieved for, you are grieving for

them. And you also speak words of wisdom (as in 1.42) viz "The

manes (ancestors) fall degraded deprived of shraaddha and

tharpana \ Those having knowledge of nature of the body and self

need not grieve for the bodies from which the 'life has left' and also

those who are alive. Neither for bodies nor for souls, do they grieve.

Gathaasoon’ meaning bodies and agathaasoon meaning souls -

whoever knows their re

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