I was pleasantly surprised to see that no one created a thread on Bhagavad Gita. I am a student learning shlokas from the Gita and find each and every line pregnant with beautiful and multiple dimensions and layers of meanings. I can read one shloka multiple times and discover a new angle each time. I thought of starting this thread where I can post shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita with its meaning. P.S. I don't claim to be an expert on this at all. I am still a student and learner. So if any senior member has any point(s) to add on please feel free to drop a comment.
The entire Bhagavad Gita was said to have been spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna in a span of 40 minutes. To give a brief background, there were a group of 5 brothers, Pandavas who were wilfully cheated out of their Kingdom and sent on a long exile over a game of dice by their cousins who were 100 in number, the Kauravas. The Pandavas wife, Draupadi was insulted by the Kauravas in the court when the Pandavas after losing everything in the game of dice gambled their only wife Draupadi. In order to avenge Draupadi's insult and to get back what rightfully belonged to them, the Pandavas fought a battle with their cousins, the Kauravas over a period of 18 days at a place called Kurukshetra. This was the battle fought between cousins, involving kith and kin, friends and relatives, well wishers, great heroes and kings who had to pick their side. The first out of eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita is called Arjuna-vishada yoga. This chapter describes the fear, sorrow, despair , indecisiveness and hesitation of Arjuna while at the battlefield (Kurukshetra). I will be posting some shlokas from this chapter that made me get goosebumps and made me re-read them.
@gamma50g One of our learned members @Chitvish wrote quite a few beautiful posts on Gita as early as in 2007 She has also posted quite a few precious threads on Vedantha
Very happy to see the post. I am part of a group doing the Gita chanting since last 6 months to culminate on the eve o f Gita jayanthi due in December 2024, when there will be a mass recitation . Realy very fulfilling. I have started to study sanskrit basics mainly with the aim to understand the verses. Looking forward to the same .
In the initial half of the first chapter, Dhritarashtra asks Sanjay who had divine vision, to give him first hand account of what is happening in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Sanjay tells him about the warriors who are fighting, which side they are on, their army formation and their names, including greats like Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Karna and Bheeshma on the side of Kauravas, and Shikhandi, Drupad, Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki and Raja of Kashi on Pandavas side. He describes how the commencement of battle was announced with blowing of conch shells on both the sides and also with deafening sounds of trumpets and bugles. Sanjay goes on to say that Lord Krishna took Arjunas chariot in between both the armies, so Arjuna could take a look at his opponents. There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers like Bheeshma, teachers like Dronacharya, maternal uncles - Shayla and Shakuni, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers-in-law and well-wishers. I begin with the 28th shloka of chapter 1 that beautifully captures Arjunas feeling in the battlefield after being overwhelmed with emotions on seeing who he was to fight against अर्जुन उवाच दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् । सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ॥ २८ ॥ Arjun said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen ready to fight a battle here and intent on killing each other, I feel my limbs trembling and my mouth also drying up. सीदन्ति =are quivering/trembling मम= my गात्राणि=limbs मुखं=mouth च=also परिशुष्य ति=is drying up
Hi gamma50 , I logged in just to like your posts and reply. I am learning Gita too and keen to read about it. Understand the different meanings . QUOTE="gamma50g, post: 4287712, member: 227897"]In the initial half of the first chapter, Dhritarashtra asks Sanjay who had divine vision, to give him first hand account of what is happening in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Sanjay tells him about the warriors who are fighting, which side they are on, their army formation and their names, including greats like Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Karna and Bheeshma on the side of Kauravas, and Shikhandi, Drupad, Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki and Raja of Kashi on Pandavas side. He describes how the commencement of battle was announced with blowing of conch shells on both the sides and also with deafening sounds of trumpets and bugles. Sanjay goes on to say that Lord Krishna took Arjunas chariot in between both the armies, so Arjuna could take a look at his opponents. There Arjuna could see, within the midst of the armies of both parties, his fathers, grandfathers like Bheeshma, teachers like Dronacharya, maternal uncles - Shayla and Shakuni, brothers, sons, grandsons, friends, and also his fathers-in-law and well-wishers. I begin with the 28th shloka of chapter 1 that beautifully captures Arjunas feeling in the battlefield after being overwhelmed with emotions on seeing who he was to fight against अर्जुन उवाच दृष्ट्वेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम् । सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति ॥ २८ ॥ Arjun said: O Krishna, seeing my own kinsmen ready to fight a battle here and intent on killing each other, I feel my limbs trembling and my mouth also drying up. सीदन्ति =are quivering/trembling मम= my गात्राणि=limbs मुखं=mouth च=also परिशुष्य ति=is drying up[/QUOTE]
