Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 1-3

I've begun reading a book called "The Bhagavad Gita - A Walkthrough for Westerners." This book is EXCELLENT and a total god-send because The Gita is actually hard to understand.

There are not near as many translations of it as there are for the Bible. More so, the translations I saw were still complicated. This book is simple and to the point - I'm enjoying it!

The overall summary is as follows:

Begins with Arjuna and Krisna awaiting the great battle to take place. It's a war between family - cousins. Arjuna and his brothers have been greatly wronged by their own kin and taken of their land. They've been persecuted, shamed, exiled and abused over and over.

Even after all the abuse, the brothers (of which Arjuna is one) are still willing to negotiate and walk away with a sour deal - they just want a small portion of the land. Their cousin who has betrayed them furthers the humiliation by offering them nothing.

It is now that the sides are split and war is among them. 

On both sides of the Battlefield are friends, family, teachers and esteemed leaders. Great blood will be shed and lives will be lost. A family will be torn - this is guaranteed as great warriors rest on both sides.

This is a battle of GOOD versus EVIL. Krisna is the almighty lord and he is the Chariot driver for Arjuna. It is clear that God has taken the side of Arjuna and the war will be won by them. However, not without the cost of great leaders and family members.

Right before the wear, Arjuna has second thoughts and falls weak and cries at the thought of having to massacre his own great teacher, his grandfather, his family and many other great men.

He refuses to fight and asks Krisna for guidance. It is here that Krisna goes into the great "poem" which describes the core beliefs of Hinduism between right and wrong. The Bhagavad Gita is essentially a conversation between the teacher and almighty (Krisna) and his disciple (Arjuna).

Here is a short summary of what is being said:

• It is not up to humans to FEEL for what is right or wrong - we are only to do our duty (in this case Arjuna's duty is to fight the war).
• Our service to God is determined not by what we do, but with the spirit in which we do it.
• Even if war is fought, it is never to be fought for personal gain - it is to be fought for what is right and to punish that which is wrong. The rewards should always be only that for God.
• If the above is believed, then your KARMA (your actions from which God will judge you) are clean and clear.
• Every human has a different responsibility and role in this World - based on their teachings.
• Arjuna is a trained, respected and strong warrior - his proper KARM (action to take) is to fight this war.
• We as humans are not to worry ourselves with what is right and wrong as long as we are always doing just our duty.
• Live your life for service to God and embrace the role in society God gives you.
• Krisna is the ultimate word and live to serve him and the almighty.

A recurring theme:

"Do your worldly duty, but without any attachment to it or desire for its fruit. Keep your mind always on the Divine...Make it as automatic as your breath or heartbeat."

My favorite quotes:

"To work without desire may seem impossible, but the way to do it is to substitute thoughts of Divinity for thoughts of desire. Do your work in the world with your heart fixed on the Divine instead of on outcomes. Do not worry about results. Be even tempered in success or failure. This mental evenness is what is meant by yoga (union with God). Indeed, equanimity is yoga!"

"Not doing the right thing when it is required is worse than doing the wrong thing."

"Arjuna the contact of bodily sense with objects and attractions in the world creates feelings like sorrow or happiness, and sensations like heat or cold. But these are impermanent, transitory, coming and going like passing clouds. Just endure them patiently and bravely; learn to be unaffected by them"  <-- Very Buddhist in nature, btw.

"People with an unsteady mind will inevitably end up failing; those with a unwavering mind achieve great success."

"Their idea of heaven is their own enjoyment. The main reason they do their activities is to achieve the pleasures and power that 'heaven' promises. Thus, even though their motive is common and positive; they are in truth filled with rather selfish desires"

"Work performed with the best of motives becomes a sacrifice."

That pretty much sums up so far. The recurring theme has been the same around the above concept so far.