Analysis of Bhagavad Gita Chapter-2

This Chapter is often referred as summary of the entire text Bhagavad Gita. In this Chapter Arjuna questions Lord Krishna about different topics concerning righteousness. In his reply, Lord Krishna dispels his wisdom through 72 verses. These can be mainly divided into three parts. Part#1 : Philosophy of Life – This consists of answers to questions like – Why are we in this world (Verse-19). Part#2 : Technical Points – This answers some technical points like – Real nature and definition of soul (Verse-17). Part#3 : Religious and societal Values : This answers questions related to role of religion Like – How to tackle perplexities of life (Verse-7) and What is Krishna consciousness (Verse-8) Following is the list of all 72 verses showing briefly as to what each of them contains. 1. In this verse, Lord Krishna is referred as Madhusudana, because he had killed the demon Madhu. This is significant because Arjuna wanted Lord Krishna to kill the demon of material compassion, lamentation and tears that were holding him against discharging of his duty of being a true soldier. We learn that Compassion for eternal soul is self-realization which can be achieved by analytical study of the body and the soul. And it can only be done when a person is in the state where he is fully detached from the greed of materialistic results. 2. Lord Krishna Speaks to Arjuna and is perplexed as to how these impurities have entered him. The Absolute truth is realized in three phases (i) Brahman which is the impersonal spirit. (ii) Parmatama which is the localized aspect of Supreme within all living entities and (iii) Bhagavan which is the supreme personality of God , Lord Krishna. 3. Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna as son of Prtha, who was sister of Lord Krishna’s father Vasudeva. Here Lord Krishna questions Arjuna’s argument that he cannot kill his enemies because they were his cousins and he wanted to embrace non-violence. Lord Krishna called that as cowardice and said to Arjuna that it is against the duty of a true Soldier. 4. Arjuna again questions Lord Krishna and asks how he can go ahead with his duty when that would mean that he has to wage a war against his grandfather Bhishma and his teacher Dronacharya. Arjuna further questions Lord Krishna whether he would ever wage a war against his grandfather Ugrasena and his teacher Sandipani Muni. 5. Arjuna further gives his argument that even if he were successful in his war and gets all the glory. It will not be worth it because it would be tainted with the blood of his superiors. 6. Arjuna continues his argument in this verse that winning the battle would entail to killing his cousins. Living with that fact would make his life a misery. He would rather prefer to giveup all his riches than to live with that burden. This only shows that Arjuna had attained a state where he was completely detached from the material world. 7. Finally Arjuna surrenders to Lord Krishna, because he is totally confused. This verse brings to importance the fact that material activities are a source of perplexity to everyone. One needs the help of a spiritual master to come out of this perplexity. 8. Arjuna who now speaks as the disciple of Lord Krishna and states that he would need Lord Krishna’s help to solve his problem. This signifies the fact that Academic knowledge is of no use to solve the problems involving the perplexities without the help of spiritual master who can be considered in the state of Krishna consciousness. This verse also brings upon another truth that no matter how successful we are in gaining materialistic resources, the degree of perplexity is still the same. 9. After making all his arguments, Arjuna finally gives up and conveys his decision that he would not fight the battle. 10. Lord Krishna smilingly accepts Arjuna his friend, who now is his disciple. This signifies the fact that our Lord can be our friend if his devotee wants him in such a role. The talk between Krishna and Arjuna is now taking place in front of the army, which further signifies that the knowledge of Gita is not for any individual person, but is for all. 11. Lord Krishna first makes a point to Arjuna that even though he was a learned man, but was acting like a fool because a learned man knows the difference between body and soul and does not lament for any state of the body whether living or dead. 12. Lord Krishna further goes on to state that never was there a time when he , Arjuna or any other person did not exist, nor in the future will they cease to exist. This verse brings upon us a very technical point that God is in each one of us and we are thus imperishable. Our individuality existed in the past and will continue to exist in the future forever. Thus Lord Krishna brings to the point that there is no cause for lamentation. 13. Lord Krishna continues his statement and gives a simple example that a person is born as a baby and as time progresses, the baby turns into a child, then a youth, an adult, an elderly person and then finally dies. In all these stages the person’s outward body changes but the soul is still the same. Death is just another such phase after which the soul enters another body based on its past deeds. 14. Lord Krishna now addresses Arjuna as the Son of Kunti and states that a common human being’s experience of happiness and distress are both temporary and one should try not to get affected by them. Just like the different seasons that are temporary in nature. 15. Lord Krishna continues and says that the ability to acknowledge the temporary nature of happiness and distress is the first quality one needs to develop in order to achieve spiritual realization. This further signifies the fourth stage of life which is the sannyasa state which is considered as the most painstaking because one severs all the ties to their family and denounces all the material things and devotes their time entirely towards self-realization. But one cannot get to that state overnight, one needs to prepare themselves their whole life to get to that state where they can become sanyasi. 16. Lord Krishna further points out the fact that material body is ever changing by our actions , but spirit soul remains the same. 17. Lord Krishna states that no one can destroy the soul. This point can be explained in a technical way. Let us take a simple example. If you fall and get hurt, it is you whom feels the physical pain. Your loved ones might emotionally get distressed, but there is no way they would be able to experience your pain. This is because your consciousness is limited to your body. The symptom of the soul’s presence is perceived as individual consciousness. As per the Svetasvatara Upanishad(5.9) , a soul is one-ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the human hair point in size. The individual particle of spirit soul is a spiritual atom smaller than material atoms and such material atoms are innumerable. The Corpuscles which carry the oxygen from the lungs gather energy from the soul. When soul passes away from this position, the activity of the blood, generating fusion ceases. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad , is embedded in Yajurveda. It opens with metaphysical questions about the primal cause of all existence, its origin, its end, and what role, if any, time, nature, necessity, chance, and the spirit had as the primal cause. It then develops its answer, concluding that "the Universal Soul exists in every individual, it expresses itself in every creature, everything in the world is a projection of it, and that there is Oneness, a unity of souls in one and only Self" 18. Lord Krishna further reminds Arjuna that the material body is destined for death and thus he should not sacrifice his duty for the sake of its existence. 19. Lord Krishna states that killing his enemies entails just killing their bodies and does not entail in killing their souls that are indestructible. He mentions that it is immoral to kill anyone whimsically. 20. Lord Krishna comes back to the topic of the soul and reminds Arjuna that for soul there is neither a birth or death and its existence is forever. This brings us further to the concept that there are two kinds of souls – namely the minute particle soul and the supersoul. Which is further confirmed in Katha Upanishad (1.2.20). Here one can co-relate that Lord Krishna signifies the Supersoul and Arjuna is the atomic soul, forgetful of his real nature; therefore requires enlightened by Krishna. 21. Arjuna now addresses Lord Krishna as Partha and questions as to how a person who knows that the soul is indestructible and eternal kill anyone. This brings up a very important brought up in Manu-Samhita (Lawbook for mankind) that capital punishment is good for the murderer because that would prevent his sins to carry over his next lives. Thus Lord Krishna’s preaching of Arjuna to go ahead and kill the kauravas was for their betterment, because they deserved capital punishment. 22. This verse is very technical as it explains the fact that as a person gives up old clothes for new ones, so does the soul changes the body from one to another. This is instrumental by the supersoul. Vedas like Mundaka Upanishad and Svetasvatara Upanishad compare the Soul and Supersoul to two birds sitting on a branch. The first bird (atomic soul) is enjoying the fruit of the tree and the other bird (Super Soul – Lord Krishna) is just watching his friend. Even though both birds seem to have same quality. The first one , represented by Arjuna is still under the spell of Maya and the second one Lord Krishna is liberated from it. One is master and other the servant. But the servant does not realise it and thinks that the other bird is his friend and is the cause of his changing the position from one tree to another, which can be compared to a soul wandering from one body to another. 23. The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire , nor moistened by water , nor withered by the wind. 24. This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same. 25. Lord Krishna again assures Arjun that soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable . Knowing this he should not grieve for the body. Here one needs to understand the two types of soul. First one the Atomic soul is infinitesimal in comparison to Super Soul which is infinite. 26. Lord Krishna addresses Arjun as “Maha-Bahu” or mightily armed, because he did not accept the theory of Vaibhasikas, who did not believe in Vedic philosophy and thus did not believe that body and soul were separate. Lord Krishna gives his explanation that even if Arjun believes that soul will always be born and die forever, still he should not lament at passing of physical body, because at the end it is just a mixture of chemicals. 27. Lord Krishna states that ; one who has taken birth is sure to die , after death is born again. Thus Arjun should not be afraid of discharging his duties, even if it entails killing his evil relatives. 28. All created beings are in an unmanifested stage in the beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation? This can be compared to the following example. A building is built with brick , wood and Glass, which in turn are made up from the different chemical elements. When the building is dismantled , its form is totally destroyed and the materials are back to earth at the same state they were before the cycle stated. So Lord Krishna preaches to us that there is no point in Lamenting on the loss of the body, because technically speaking there is no loss, it has just changed its form and the elements are back to where they were at the beginning. 29. In this verse Lord Krishna describes the Uniqueness of the soul, which is present in largest of the mammals and also in the tiniest microorganism. He also mentions that some people are so disillusioned in Maya that they don’t have any time to understand soul. 30. Lord Krishna again reminds Arjuna that one need not grieve for the dead, because body is temporary and soul is immortal. 31. Explains the duty of ksatriya i.e. to protect others . Here also its explained how ksatriyas fight against animals in forests and after killing it offer it as a sacrifice. Its said that this sacrifice elevates the animal. Here also the two types of svadharmas are explained. 32. Krishna again explains the duty of ksatriya. 33. A ksatriya can go to hell if he refrains from fighting for the right cause. 34. Krishna explains to Arjuna that if he flees the battlefield then he will be called a coward. For a ksatriya its better to die in the battlefield than to be called coward. 35. Krishna explains to Arjuna that even the great generals will think he is a coward and no one will believe that you left the battle field due to compassion. 36. Krishna tells Arjuna that his enemies will destroy him. 37. Krishna kind of gives a practical argument to fight.He says either Arjuna will be killed in the battlefield and go to heaven or will win and enjoy the victory on earth. 38. Krishna explains that by fighting for his sake i.e. for Krishna consiousness then one does not need to think of profit or loss. Because by totally surrendering to him one is neither looking for any gain nor one is a debtor to anyone. 39. All of us are eternal individual souls. Also explains how all the souls were created. 40. The uniqueness of doing work in Krishna consciousness - In the material world we need to complete the work 100% to gain its fruits and its benefits are temporary. They end with the end of our lives. For instance if a person is building a house, then he needs to complete it 100% in order to benefit from it. We cant move in a house that's half constructed. The pleasure of living in this nice house ends with once life. But work done in krishna consiousness is different. Even if we complete it 1%, the benefit is permanant. It carries forward to our next life. 41. Philosophy of life - what is the highest state of krishna consciousness - It’s the complete renounciation of material concept of life. This state is automatically achieved by progression in krishna consciousness. 42-43. This gives us a glimpse of people who perform sacrifices for just getting into heaven . But they still want to have material bondage and want to enjoy it forever. Here there is mention of Nandana-kanan which is supposed to be a heavenly place with beautiful women and abundant supply of soma-rasa. Such people are compared to fools who are attracted to nice looking flowers of poisionous trees. 44. Samadhi , means fixed mind , when the mind is fixed for understanding the self. Samadhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment, nor for those who are bewildered by such temporary things. 45. As long as material body exists, there is action and reaction. These can be good or bad.One needs to learn to be tolerant to the highs and lows and hence become from anxities of gain and loss. 46. In this verse its again mentioned the importance of chanting lord krishna's name. 47-48-49. We have the right to perform our duty , but are not entitled to its fruits.One who is attached to the fruits of one's deeds never gets liberated. 50. Since time immemorial each living entity has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. 51. By engaging in devotional service to the lord one gets free from the cycle of birth and death and is welcomed to Vaikuntha. 52. When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard. 53. Samadhi - refer to#44. 54-55. What are the symptoms of a person who is in Krisna consciouness ??? 1. First symptom is his speech. He only speaks about Krisna and things that matter him. 2. One who is completely devoted to Lord Krisna and no desire for material things. 56. When misery strikes one should not be sad and angry. In fact one should think that one was entitled for more miseries and they were minimized because of God's grace. One should in fact ask the God for forgiveness and understand that it’s the result of his past Karma. 57. Samadhi - refer to#44. 58. Real test of a Yogi. The real test of a Yogi is that he is able to control his senses, unlike common people who are controlled by their senses. In this scripture it is said that one should be like a tortoise who always keeps the senses within but uses it for particular purposes . One should only use the senses in the service of the lord. 59. When one is in Krisna consciousness then one automatically looses taste for matrial things. 60-thru-65. Its impossible to control one's senses without being in Krisna consiousness. Even the great Viswamitra was distracted by Menaka and was misled by her into sexual enjoyment. 66. Peace of mind can only be achieved with Krisna consciousness and without peace there cant be happiness. Thus one needs to be in complete Krisna consciousness in order to achieve happiness. 67. All of the senses must be engaged in the service of the lord, even one of them engaged in sense gratification can deviate the devotee from path of transcendental advancement. 68. One can achieve liberation and pure Krisna consciousness only thru a Sadhaka or a God realized saint. 69. There are two classes of men.One is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. 70. A krishna conscious person is not in need of anything , because the lord fullfills all his material necessities. 71. The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of desires. A materially desireless person certainly knows that everything belongs to Krisna and therefore he does not falsely claim proprietorship over anything. This understanding of Krisna consciousness is the basic principle of real peace. 72. One can attain Krisna consciousness or divine life at once, within a second or may not attain such state in countless births