God is the Source of All Creation and Dissolution
With your mind completely and undoubtedly attached to me, take refuge in me. This is how you will know me (Verse 1)
Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego are eight parts of my material energy (nature) (Verse 4)
This material nature is my lower energy (Prakriti). Higher than this is my soul energy (Purush) which lives within the beings of this world (Verse 5)
Both these energies source the creation of this world, the world which ultimately dissolves in me (Verse 6)
Nothing is superior to me. Everything rests in me like beads strung on a thread (Verse 7)
I am the taste in water, the brilliance of sun and moon, the sound in space (ether), the sound of sacred symbol OM (in Vedas), and the capability in humans (Verse 8)
Vedas are ancient sacred texts that form the basis of Hinduism
I am pure scent of the earth, the brightness in the fire, the energy in beings and the penance in hermits (Verse 9)
I am the eternal source of all beings. I am the intellect of the intelligent and brilliance of the brilliant (Verse 10)
I am strength of the strong that is untainted by passion and desire. I am desire in accordance with dharma or duty (Verse 11)
All three modes (Gunas) of nature – Rajas (passion), Tamas (laziness/ignorance) and Sattva (goodness), come from me (Verse 12)
Enchanted by these three modes of nature, the world does not realize that I am everlasting and supreme (Verse 13)
These three modes of nature are shrouded by my divine energy Maya, which is very difficult to conquer. But those who take refuge in me are able to do so easily (Verse 14)
The Way You Practice Your Faith Determines the Way You are Rewarded
Four kinds of people do not worship me – the ignorant, the evil, the mislead, and those who follow their base nature (Verse 15)
Four kinds of people worship me – the grief-stricken, the knowledge seekers, the wealth seekers, and the wise (Verse 16)
Amongst these, the wise who are single-mindedly and resolutely devoted to me, are most beloved by me as I am by them (Verse 17)
All my devotees are virtuous, but those who are wise and have me as their supreme goal, they are one with me (Verse 18)
Those desiring material wealth surrender to deities (a form of God). They follow rules and rituals according to their own nature to please them (Verse 20)
Whichever form of mine the devotee worships faithfully, I secure their faith in that form by fulfilling their desires (Verse 21)
Those who worship the deities with faith, they obtain their desires. But it is me alone who grants these desires (Verse 22)
Those with poor understanding, worship deities to obtain temporary desires. Those who worship me come to me (Verse 23)
God is Eternal, Omnipresent & Omniscient
The ignorant think of me (Shree Krishna/God) as someone who was formless earlier and has now assumed a form. They do not understand my eternal supreme nature (Verse 24)
No one can see me since I am covered by my divine energy. They do not know that I am unborn and eternal (Verse 25)
I know the past, the present and the future of all beings, but no one knows me (Verse 26)
Your Pious Actions Destroy Your Sins
All beings since birth are under the illusion of the dualities of craving and hatred (Verse 27)
Those whose sins are cleansed by their devout actions, gain freedom from the dualities of these illusions and resolutely worship me (Verse 28)
Those who come to me seeking liberation from old age and death, they understand everything about the Brahman (God), the individual self, and the karmic actions (Verse 29)
Total Verses in this Chapter: 30
Words of Import:
I, me, Absolute Truth, Supreme Being, God, Universal Consciousness, Divine Realization, Brahman, Divine Personality, Shri Krishna – are all used interchangeably.
YAGNA
has a symbolic as well as a literal meaning. Literally it means a ritual where offerings are made to fire, hymns are chanted and deities are invoked for fulfillment of personal or community desires; or to thank God or to seek God’s blessings. Symbolically, Yagna signifies that we have to do our part (offering/action) in other to obtain something (blessing or fulfillment), with the latter not being guaranteed.
YOGA
The word “Yog” is derived from a Sanskrit word “Yuj” which means to join. In Hindu scriptures, yoga means joining or uniting the soul within the individual with that of the universal soul (God). The common usage of yoga as physical exercise is just a subset of the practice of Yoga, which includes disciplines of meditation and mode of conduct among others. It is believed that practice of all these disciplines make a person ready for unification with the Supreme Being.
DHARMA
refers to our duty as it does to the intent behind our actions. According to Hinduism, every living being has their own personal dharma which may or may not be the same as of others. This dharma is based on one’s situation or circumstance in life.
KARMA
is action as well as the result of the action. Its meaning depends on its context.
MOKSHA
is liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
ReferenceS:
“Bhagavad Gita As It Is” by Swami Prabhupada
A Mothers Chronicle 