Essence of Bhagavad Geeta

 

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क्लैब्यं मा स्म गम: पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते |

क्षुद्रं हृदयदौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप || 3||

klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayyupapadyate

kṣhudraṁ hṛidaya-daurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣhṭha parantapa

BG 2.3: O Parth, it does not befit you to yield to this unmanliness. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O vanquisher of enemies.

If one reads this one shloka one gets all the merits of reading the entire Gita; for in this one shloka lies imbedded the whole message of the Gita...Stand up and fight! Not one step back, that is the idea...Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move form the sphere!..Thus fight! You gain nothing by becoming cowards....Taking a step backward, you do not avoid any misfortune.

Chapter 4-17 says, Activity is the core stone of life, and here it should be filled with Karma - i.e Actions to be done. These are divided into:

• Nitya - Daily duties,
• Naimittika - duties on special occassion
• Kamya - desire prompted duties. 

Then there are Vi-karma (Actions to be avoided) and Inactivities. 

The 18 chapters of the Geeta falls into three distinct groups, each in six chapters explained as ' That Thou Art'.  

First six - Thou

Next six - That

Last six - Art

Chapters and verses are:

1. The Yoga of Arjuna - Grief - 47
2. The Yoga of Knowledge - Snkya Yoga - 72 - Peace is happiness
3. Karma Yoga - The Path of Action - 43
4. The Yoga of Renunciation of Action in Knowledge - Gyana Karma Sanyasa Yoga - Selfless Action- 42
5. The Yoga of True Renunciation - Karma Sanyasa Yoga - 29
6. The Yoga of meditation - Dhyana Yoga - 47
7. The Yoga of Knowledge and wisdom - Gnyana Vignyana Yoga - 30
8. The Yoga of Imperishable Brahman - Akshara Param Brahma Yoga - 28
9. The Yoga of Royal Secret - Raja Vidya Yoga - 34
10. The Yoga of Divine Glories - Vibhooti Yoga - 42
11. The Yoga of Cosmic Form - Viswaroopa Sandarshana Yoga - 55
12. The Yoga of Devotion - Bhakti Yoga - 20
13. The Yoga of field and its knower - Kshetra Kshetranjaa Vibhaja Yoga - 35
14. The Yoga of Guna - Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga - 27
15. The Yoga of the Supreme Spirit - 20
16. The Yoga of divine and Dvilish Estates - Guna Types - 24
17. The Yoga of threefold faith - Divine and Undivine Types - 28 (Om Tat Sat)
18. The Yoga of liberation through renunciation - 78

All chapter name starts with Yoga. What is Yoga is mentioned in chapter 6. Krishna tells Arjuna, his alignment is not right. 'Let's go to the basics since your understanding of the problem is skewed. Examine from where your sorrow is arising.' Three yogas have been talked about here - gyan yoga, bhakti yoga and karma yoga. Alignment by using your brain is gyan yoga, by emotion is bhakti yoga and by action is Karma Yoga - that is aligning the head, heart and hands. 

For one who is a neophyte in the eight fold yoga system, work is said to be the means and for one who is already elevated in yoga, cessation of all material activities is said to be the means. 

The process of linking oneself with the supreme is called the Yoga. It may be compared to a ladder for attaining topmost realization. This ladder begins from the lowest material condition of the living entity and rises upto perfect self-realization in pure spiritual life. Complete ladder is called Yoga, and it is divided into different parts. 3 main are Jnana-Yoga; Dhyana-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga. The beginning of the ladder is called the Yogaruruksu sage and the highest rung is called Yogarudha. 

When a man is not attached to sense objects or to actions, having renounced all thoughts, he is said to have attained Yoga. Sri Krishna explains the physical and mental condition of the Yogarudha - the one who is established in Yoga.

Chapter 14 Verse 22 to 25 says:

He who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and undisturbed through all these reactions of the material qualities, remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are active; who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and distress; who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy and who has renounced all material activities - such a person is said to have transcended the modes of nature. 

Chapter 16 verse 3 says:

Fearlessness; Purification of one's existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of Vedas; austerity; simplicity, non-violence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; tranquillity, aversion to fault finding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor - these transcendental qualities belong to godly men endowed with divine nature. 

Chapter 18 verse 51 to 53 says:

Being Purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination; giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred; one who lives in a secluded place, who eat little, who controls his body, mind and power of speech, who is always in trance and who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship and peaceful - such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization. 

The names of each chapter is given at the end of the chapter and Partha - Is Symbolism of A Way-Of-Life.