The VTE Bhakti `
astri Course
Module One
Section One  Overview of the Bhagavad Gita
 Overview of each chapter
Contents
Page
Outline, Structure and Content of the Gita 2
Overview and Breakdown of each Chapter 4
Notes for the Teacher
We recommend that you teach these Overviews at the beginning
of the Module or as you begin each of the three books.
For further tips on using this Section please refer to
page 38 of the Students Handbook.
OutIlne, Structure and Content of the Bhagavad-glta
OutIlne
The Bhagavad Glta beglns wlth an lnqulry. Wlth the two armles preparlng for battle,
Dhrltarashtra, the father of the Kurus, was doubtful about the posslblllty of hls sons'
vlctory over the Pandavas (the sons of Pandu). He therefore asked hls secretary,
Sanjaya, about the sltuatlon on the battlefleld. Even whllst ln the palace, Sanjaya
was able to mystlcally percelve the entlre scene and explalned everythlng to the
bllnd klng as lt happened.
Thus he narrated how Arjuna requested K a to steer the charlot between the ranks
of the two armles so that he mlght observe who was present there. Upon seelng so
many relatlves, frlends and teachers ln the mldst of both partles, Arjuna was
overwhelmed wlth grlef and declded to wlthdraw from the contest. He explalned that
after kllllng hls own klnsmen lt would be lmposslble for hlm to enjoy the earthly
klngdom. Thls declslon was based on the bodlly concept of llfe, ln whlch he
consldered hls body hls very self, and that bodlly relatlons were hls brothers,
couslns, grandfathers, etc. ... In thls sltuatlon, and to rectlfy such a mlstaken world-
vlew, Lord K a spoke the Bhagavad Glta.
In Hls openlng lnstructlons ln Chapter two, verse twelve , K a descrlbes the
nature of the self as an eternal, consclous belng, completely dlstlnct from the
temporary, materlal body. He expounds the sclence of thls eternal self ln the
followlng chapters and K a's words constltute the subject matter of the Glta. Such
lnstructlons are summarlsed ln the elghteenth and flnal chapter whereln the Lord
glves hls flnal oplnlon. In the slxty-slxth verse , K a states that the constltutlonal
posltlon and duty of everyone, as an eternal, splrltual belng, ls to serve Hlm, the
Supreme Personallty of Godhead, and as to act as He deslres. Although Arjuna
lnltlally chose to retlre from battle, after hearlng K a 's lnstructlons, hls llluslon was
dlspelled and he resolved to flght.
Dhrltarashtra had been hopeful of hls sons' vlctory. He had been pleased to hear that
Arjuna was unwllllng to flght. But after hearlng and repeatlng the sacred dlalogue,
Sanjaya agaln dlsappolnted hlm. In the closlng words of the Glta, he tells the Klng,
"You are thlnklng of vlctory, but my oplnlon ls that where K a and Arjuna are
present, there wlll be all good fortune" . He dlrectly conflrmed that Dhrltarashtra
could not expect vlctory. Vlctory was certaln for the slde of Arjuna because K a
was there.
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Structure
Th Git y divid d untá thr rt áf ix h t r h, fálláw :
(a) Chapters 1 6 descrlbe the llvlng entlty as a non-materlal, eternal splrlt soul
capable of elevatlng hlmself to self-reallsatlon by dlfferent types of yoga, the
hlghest form of whlch ls K a Consclousness ( h kti yág ), as conflrmed by the
flnal verse of the slxth chapter. Chapter four speclflcally deals wlth the
transcendental posltlon of K a as the Supreme Personallty of Godhead and
wlth the lmportance of guru and dlsclpllc successlon. Slnce K a s lnstructlons
actually begln ln the second chapter, chapter one serves as a prelude to the rest
of the text. Chapter two ls a synopsls of the whole subject matter of the Glta.
(b) In the mlddle slx chapters the Supreme Personallty of Godhead and hls dlfferent
energles and opulences are descrlbed. Thls sectlon especlally deals wlth the
relatlonshlp between the Supreme Soul and the lndlvldual soul ln regards to
devotlonal servlce. K a also dlscusses the nature and actlvltles of such pure
devotlonal servlce whlch he conflrms to be the best process of self-reallsatlon.
c) In the thlrd slx chapters, how the llvlng entlty comes lnto contact wlth materlal
nature, how he ls entangled, and how he ls dellvered by the Supreme Lord
through dlfferent methods of frultlve actlvltles (k r ), cultlvatlon of knowledge
(jn n ), and devotlonal servlce ( h kti) are all explalned. The Glta ls actually
flnlshed ln seventeen chapters; chapter elghteen ls consldered a summary of all
prevlous lnstructlons.
Content
Fiv i truth r x l in d in th Git , n ly:
©
3
Overvlew and Breakdown of Each Chapter
Chapter One
h t rä r qu tián S Å„j y áut th v nt th t táák l t Kuruk tr .
Introductlon: Preparatlons for War (1 13)
Sańjaya descrlbes how Duryodhana, uslng dlplomacy, solves a dllemma of
encouraglng Dro a wlthout lnsultlng Bh)
ma and others. Bh)
ma rallles hls soldlers
wlth the sound of hls conchshell. Yet the symbollsm of the conchshell lndlcates thelr
defeat.
Slgns of vlctory (14 20)
SaÅ„jaya descrlbes varlous slgns of vlctory for the Pä ava army, especlally the
transcendental sound of the conchshells of K a and Arjuna, whlch shattered the
hearts of the sons of Dh tarä ra.
Krsna as Bhakta VatsaIa (21 27)
K a appears as the charlot drlver of Arjuna, reveallng Hls quallty as bhakta-
vatsala, not as the Supreme Lord. Arjuna orders K a to place hls charlot between
the two armles as he wants to see who ls present there. Seelng those assembled for
battle, Arjuna becomes hesltant to flght.
Arjuna s Doubts (28 46)
á ián: Arjuna, belng a softhearted devotee, becomes overwhelmed wlth
compasslon and forgets hlmself when he sees hls relatlves before hlm. He has
become fearful due to a materlal conceptlon of llfe.
Enjáy nt: He argues that he wlll not be able to enjoy hls klngdom lf lt ls won at the
cost of the llves of hls famlly members. He fears slnful reactlons for kllllng hls
klnsmen.
S intlin nd f r áf inful r tián : Arjuna argues that kllllng one s famlly ls slnful
and wlll lead to hell. The hlgher prlnclple ls that real rellglon ls whatever K a says
or wants.
tru tián áf f ily: Arjuna further argues that the destructlon of the dynasty wlll
lead to unchaste women, unwanted chlldren, and the end of splrtual culture. Arjuna,
havlng declded not to flght, flnally casts aslde hls bow and slts down on the charlot
Chapter 2
Thi h t r t h lf-r li tián y n n lyti l tudy áf th t ri l ády nd
th irit ául. Thi r li tián á wh n án wárk witháut tt h nt tá fruitiv
r ult nd i itu t d in th fix d án tián áf th r l lf.
Arjuna s further doubts and surrender (1 10)
Indeclslon: Arjuna ls confused and undeclded what to do. K a chastlses Arjuna for
hls stance of nonvlolence, calllng hlm lmpotent and non-Äryan. Arjuna agaln argues
that lt ls slnful to klll hls superlors, but then reallses he ls confused and has been
actlng ln a mlserly way. He therefore surrenders to K a and accepts Hlm as guru,
thus changlng thelr relatlonshlp from frlendshlp to guru-dlsclple.
4
 n n  Flght! There ls no death for the souI (11 30)
As guru, K a rebukes Arjuna for hls mlsplaced compasslon. K a beglns Hls
lnstructlons by descrlblng the lndlvldual, eternal nature of the soul, contrastlng lt wlth
the temporary nature of the body. K a descrlbes the characterlstlcs of the soul ln
detall. He then lntroduces other phllosophles to further defeat Arjuna s flrst argument,
whereby he appeals to the vlrtues of compasslon.
K rm -k nd  Flght! By performlng prescrlbed dutles galn materlaI
enjoyment (31 38)
After defeatlng Arjuna s arguments by knowledge of the eternallty of the soul, K a
now takes a dlfferent approach. Even lf Arjuna ldentlfles wlth hls body, by flghtlng as
a k triy he wlll be happy. K a thus refers to k r -kä teachlngs to prlmarlly
defeat Arjuna s second argument (re: enjoyment). K a explalns that lf Arjuna flghts
he wlll enjoy, but lf he doesn t he ll lncur slnful reactlon and lnfamy. K a also
touches on Arjuna s other arguments re: compasslon and slnful reactlon respectlvely.
Verse 32 speaks of the galns Arjuna would get by flghtlng, and verses 33 37
descrlbe the losses he wlll lncur by avoldlng hls duty.
Buddhl-yág  Flght! But wlthout any reactlon (39-53)
K a changes the toplc from jÅ„än and k r to uddhi-yág - worklng ln
devotlonal servlce wlth flxed lntelllgence and detachment from the frults of actlon.
K r and jÅ„än are comblned together to engage the transcendentallst ln work wlth
knowledge. One lmportant theme ln the Bh g v d-g tä ls the questlon as to
whether to renounce work and use one s lntelllgence to dlscrlmlnate between splrlt
and matter, or to work wlthout attachment to the frults. Thls questlon wlll be asked by
Arjuna ln the beglnnlng of the Thlrd, Flfth and Elghteenth chapters. K a glves a
brlef explanatlon of uddhi-yág (worklng ln devotlonal servlce wlthout attachment to
the frults). K a also shows how attachment to sense enjoyment and materlal
opulence, as glven ln the k r -kä sectlon of the Vedas, ls an obstacle to
determlnatlon ln devotlonal servlce. He advlses Arjuna to transcend the Vedas by
performlng prescrlbed dutles ln devotlonal servlce wlthout attachment to the frults. By
devotlonal servlce one becomes lndlfferent to the Vedlc rltuals, galns freedom from
slnful reactlons, attalns llberatlon from the cycle of blrth and death, and goes back to
Godhead. Lord K a thus defeats Arjuna s argument of fear of slnful reactlons.
Sthlt -pr jn  Flght! Become flxed ln Krsna consclousness (54 72)
After hearlng K a s descrlptlon of devotlonal servlce, Arjuna lnqulres how to
recognlse a devotee. K a descrlbes how the devotee ls transcendental by body,
mlnd and words. The devotee glves up all materlal deslres, ls equlpolsed, detached,
and flxed on K a. The devotee experlences these symptoms because he ls
enjoylng a hlgher taste, feellng complete satlsfactlon ln belng K a s servant. In
contrast, a person who allows hls senses to go out of control by contemplatlng the
sense objects loses hls lntelllgence and falls down. K a therefore advlses Arjuna to
control hls senses by followlng the regulatlve prlnclples. By so dolng he wlll attaln the
mercy of the Lord and be happy. Thls Second chapter ls a summary of the whole
Bh g v d-g tä. In thls chapter, k r -yág and jÅ„än -yág have been clearly
dlscussed, and a gllmpse of h kti-yág has also been glven.
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Chapter 3
In h t r Twá, ny diff r nt th w r x l in d, u h ä khy -yág ,
uddhi-yág , ántrál áf th n y int llig n , nd wárk witháut fruitiv d ir .
K táld Arjun tá k ll á in l tiviti f r di t nt y uddhi-yág . T king
th ning áf uddhi int llig n , K  árd r wáuld n th t Arjun , y
u ing hi int llig n , háuld váid ll á in l tiviti nd nát fight. Y t, think
Arjun , K i till urging tá fight! Arjun think th t k r nd jÅ„än r nát
á ti l . A tu lly k r nd jÅ„än r twá t g án th th tá tr n nd nt l
án iáu n .
Renunclatlon of work or work ln devotlon? (1 9)
In hls confused state, Arjuna asks K a to clarlfy Hls prevlous lnstructlons. K a
explalns how k r -yág , devotlonal servlce, ls superlor to renunclatlon of work and
He also recommends sacrlflce for Vl u, whlch frees one from the bondage of work.
From k rm -k nd to k rm -yág (10 16)
Prevlously K a establlshed that one should not artlflclally renounce actlvltles but
should perform prescrlbed dutles ln a detached way. Now He explalns the course of
actlon for those who are not yet at the stage of detached work but wlsh to attaln lt.
By satlsfylng thelr materlal deslres ln a rellglous way, those who are attached wlll be
purlfled. As explalned before, the purpose of sacrlflce ls to satlsfy Vl u. Now K a
wlll show how productlon of gralns ls dependent on sacrlflce and how the orlgln of
such sacrlflce ls Vl u.
K rm -yág  performlng detached work to set the exampIe (17 35)
In verses 17-21 K a descrlbes the posltlon of a self-reallsed person ln relatlon to
work. Although he need not perform prescrlbed dutles, he contlnues worklng to set
the example for common men to follow. K a uses Hlmself as an example to show
that even God works accordlng to scrlptures ln order to set the standard for others to
follow. He descrlbes also how a knowledgeable person should relate to lgnorant
men who are attached to frultlve results. A devotee should encourage people by hls
words and example to engage the results of thelr work ln devotlonal servlce. Arjuna
ls flnally advlsed to flght wlth devotlon for K a and become free from the bondage
of frultlve actlons. K a concludes Hls explanatlon of k r -yág by warnlng
Arjuna not to glve up hls prescrlbed dutles, though there may be some lmperfectlon.
He explalns that everyone ls forced to act accordlng to thelr nature.
Beware of Iust and anger (36 43)
Arjuna asks K a what forces us to act slnfully, and K a descrlbes our eternal
enemy of lust. One can conquer lust by worklng ln K a consclousness wlth steady
lntelllgence flxed on knowledge of one s pure ldentlty.
6
Chapter 4
In h t r Thr K x l in d th t lu t áv r knáwl dg , nd th t ignár n
ind u . H r á nd d K r -yág fár tt ining tr n nd nt l knáwl dg .
Thu , ft r urging Arjun tá tr n nd nt l with th h l áf knáwl dg , H náw
x l in wh t th t knáwl dg i nd háw it i r iv d.
TranscendentaI knowIedge about K a (1 10)
As the supreme authorlty, K a spoke thls knowledge earller to Vlvasvän and now
agaln to Arjuna because he ls K a s devotee and frlend. Although K a ls unborn,
He appears to reestabllsh rellglon, to protect Hls devotees, and to klll the demonlac.
Anyone who understands thls knowledge wlll attaln love for K a and go back to
Godhead at the end of thls llfe.
Krsna as GoaI of aII paths and creator of v rn sr m (11 15)
After glvlng knowledge about Hlmself that leads to llberatlon, K a now explalns
how He ls the ultlmate goal of all paths and how everyone ls dependent upon Hls
mercy for attalnlng success. He created the v r äa
r system whereby men can
fulflll thelr materlal deslres and make progress toward llberatlon, but He ls above thls
system.
Karma-yoga (16 24)
After explalnlng Hls transcendental posltlon, K a analyses actlon and descrlbes
how to perform actlvltles on the transcendental plane.
Sacrlflces Iead to transcendentaI knowIedge (25 33)
After descrlblng how to act on the transcendental platform, K a descrlbes a varlety
of sacrlflces (ln verses 25 33) because these sacrlflces have transcendental
knowledge, whlch ls the theme of thls chapter, as thelr ultlmate goal. Sacrlflce has
already been dlscussed ln Bh g v d-g tä 3.9 16 where K a explalned that wlthout
sacrlflce for Vl u one cannot llve happlly ln thls world.
Summary of transcendentaI knowIedge (34 42)
Havlng explalned that all sacrlflces lead to transcendental knowledge, K a now
descrlbes aspects of transcendental knowledge. To attaln transcendental knowledge
one must control the senses and submlsslvely approach a splrltual master to render
falthful servlce to hlm. Thus one wlll become free from slnful reactlons and
understand knowledge of hls relatlonshlp wlth the Supreme Lord. K a urges Arjuna
to arm hlmself wlth transcendental knowledge and flght.
7
Chapter 5
In th Fáurth h t r th Lárd táld Arjun th t ll kind áf rifi i l wárk ul in t
in knáwl dg . Háw v r, t th nd áf th Fáurth h t r, th Lárd dvi d Arjun tá
w k u nd fight, ing itu t d in rf t knáwl dg . Th r fár , y i ult n áu ly
tr ing th i árt n áf áth wárk in d vátián nd in tián in knáwl dg , K
h r l x d Arjun nd ánfu d hi d t r in tián.
K rm -yág ls equaI to, but easler than renounclng work (1 6)
Therefore Chapter Flve opens wlth a questlon by Arjuna that ls slmllar to the one
Arjuna asked at the beglnnlng of Chapter Three,  Whlch ls better, work ln devotlon or
renunclatlon of work? K a replles that although the results of renunclatlon and
devotlonal servlce are ultlmately the same, devotlonal servlce ls superlor, because lt
frees one from reactlons so that one can qulckly and easlly achleve K a.
How to perform k rm -yág (7 12)
After descrlblng the superlorlty of devotlonal servlce, K a explalns how to work
devotlonally wlth detachment. One ln knowledge of K a understands hls
lncompatlblllty wlth materlal nature and thus acts only for purlflcatlon, glvlng the
results of hls work to K a. Thus he remalns unattached, performlng work as a
matter of duty.
ReIatlonshlp between souI, SupersouI and nature (13 16)
The transcendentallst who works wlth detachment has knowledge of the relatlonshlp
between the llvlng entlty, materlal nature, and the Supersoul. Although lt may appear
that the modes of nature or the Supersoul are the cause of actlon and reactlon, they
are not responslble. When the llvlng entlty deslres to enjoy materlal nature, the
modes carry out the necessary actlons, after belng sanctloned by the Supersoul.
Llberatlon through focuslng one s consclousness of the SupersouI (17 19)
One who ls enllghtened wlth thls knowledge of the relatlonshlp between the llvlng
entlty, materlal nature and the Supersoul, takes shelter of the Supersoul, becomes
enllghtened, and attalns llberatlon. A K a consclous person enjoys unllmlted
pleasure wlthln by flxlng hls consclousness on K a. Always busy worklng for the
welfare of all belngs, he soon achleves llberatlon. Yág can also attaln thls state by
practlclng ä g -yág . K a lntroduces dhyän -yág at the end of thls chapter
and wlll elaborate on lt ln Chapter Slx. He also presents the peace formula ln the last
verse: He Hlmself ls the supreme enjoyer and controller, and ls the beneflclary ln all
human actlvltles.
8
Chapter 6
In th fir t fiv h t r , K h x l in d uddhi-yág , wárking with
án iáu n fix d án Hi , witháut fruitiv d ir . Th Lárd h l á x l in d
ä khy , k r -yág nd jÅ„än -yág rá tá á t in li r tián, nd
t ing tán tá K án iáu n .
Yág -ruruksu and yág rudh practlce (1 9)
At the end of the Flfth Chapter and contlnulng on to the Slxth Chapter, K a
explalned dhyän -yág , concludlng that He ls the goal of medltatlon. Even ln
ä g -yág practlce, k r -yág ls necessary ln the beglnnlng stages. When one
becomes accompllshed ln the practlce of medltatlon, he ceases all dlsturblng mental
actlvltles and comes to the stage of yágärü h .
Stages ln yoga practlce (10 27)
Havlng descrlbed the symptoms of the stages of ä g -yág , K a next explalns
the practlces of those stages. By practlslng yoga wlth determlnatlon, controlllng the
mlnd and flxlng lt on Supersoul, one attalns the stage of perfectlon, called ädhi,
whereln one enjoys unllmlted transcendental pleasure.
Perfectlon of yoga: reaIlsatlon of K a as SupersouI (28 36)
After descrlblng the yág practlce of flxlng the mlnd on the self, K a explalns the
reallsatlon of the yág . `
r)
la Prabhupäda explalns:  A K a consclous yág ls the
perfect seer because he sees K a sltuated ln everyone s heart as Supersoul. He
sees K a everywhere and everythlng ln K a. Thus he sees all llvlng entltles
equally. Arjuna rejects the ä g -yág system as lmpractlcal, because hls mlnd
appears too uncontrollable. K a assures Arjuna that lt ls posslble by constant
practlce and detachment.
Destlnatlon of the unsuccessfuI yogl (37 45)
Arjuna ls doubtful about the destlnatlon of the unsuccessful yág , but K a assures
hlm that the yág  next blrth wlll be ausplclous, glvlng hlm another chance for self-
reallsatlon.
The topmost yogl (46 47)
K a concludes Hls descrlptlon of ä g -yág by comparlng yág to k r i ,
jÅ„äni and t v . The yág ls superlor to all, and the best yág ls the h kt who
always thlnks of K a, worshlplng Hlm wlth full falth.
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Chapter 7
Th fir t ix h t r áf Bh g v d-git d l ri rily with k r -yág , th iddl ix
h t r with h kti-yág , nd th l t ix h t r with jn n -yág . K h x l in d
in h t r Six th t th yági á t inti t ly unit d with Hi w thinking áf Hi within.
Náw, th S v nth h t r x l in háw án n á u h K án iáu
r án. In th ginning án t k th á i tián áf d vát , whi h l d tá
und r t nding án  án titutián l á itián rv nt áf K . By ng ging in
d vátián l rvi án g in d t r in d f ith, drdh -vr t , nd á ánvin d
th t i ly y u h rvi ll hi á j tiv will fulfill d.
Knowlng K a ln fuII by hearlng about Hlm (1 7)
In Chapter Seven, K a beglns to explaln how to attaln thls state. K a
urges Arjuna to hear wlth mlnd attached to Hlm as He explalns knowledge of
Hlmself (verses 1 3). He flrst explalns how He ls the orlgln of everythlng, both
materlal and splrltual (verses 4 7).
Knowlng K a as the source of both materlaI and splrltuaI energles (8 12)
K a descrlbes how He ls the essence of everythlng ln verses 8 12. If K a
ls the orlgln and essence of everythlng, as explalned ln texts 4 12,why do
some people not recognlse hlm as the Supreme Personallty of Godhead?
The three modes are controIIed by K a  therefore surrender (13 14)
Verses 13 14 explaln how the llvlng entltles are deluded and controlled by the three
modes, but are able to go beyond them by surrenderlng to Krsna, slnce He ls the
controller of the modes.
Four klnds of lmplous persons who do not surrender to K a and four
klnds of plous persons who surrender (15 19)
Llberatlon from the laws of materlal nature has been sought by the leaders of
manklnd wlth great plans and perseverance for many years. If such llberatlon ls
attalned by surrenderlng to Krsna, why don t they adopt thls method? Verse 15
descrlbes four types of unquallfled persons who do not surrender to Krsna and who
sometlmes pose themselves as leaders slmply for materlal galn. Verses 16 19
descrlbe four types of persons who surrender to K a, and how the wlse man ls the
best because he does not deslre some galn.
Demlgod worshlppers and lmpersonaIlsts whose surrender ls mlspIaced (20 25)
Verses 20 23 descrlbe less lntelllgent persons who worshlp demlgods for materlal
galn. Verses 24 25 descrlbe the lmpersonallsts who surrender to the formless
aspect of K a. They cannot see K a, who covers Hlmself from thelr vlslon.
The bewlIderment of the Ilvlng entlty and hls freedom through
knowIedge of K a (26 30)
K a knows all and ls thus dlfferent from these foollsh llvlng entltles who are born
lnto deluslon and are bewlldered by dualltles arlslng from deslre and hate.
Plous persons, freed from dualltles arlslng from deluslon engage ln devotlonal
servlce wlth determlnatlon and attaln llberatlon. They have knowledge of K a as
dhi hut , dhid iv , and dhiy jn .
10
Chapter 8
Arjun inquir áut th ix t r K u d t th nd áf h t r 7 
Br h n, dhy t , k r , dhi hut , dhid iv , nd dhiy jn .
K a answers Arjuna s questlons (1-4)
In thls chapter K a answers Arjuna s questlons and dlscusses yág prlnclples and
pure devotlonal servlce. In verses 1-4 K a answers Arjuna s flrst seven questlons.
Rememberlng K a (5 9)
In verses 5 8 K a answers hls elghth questlon about the destlnatlon of one who
thlnks of K a at the tlme of death. K a explalns that one must always thlnk of
Hlm, especlally by chantlng the holy name, along wlth performlng actlve devotlonal
servlce. Such practlce helps one remember K a at the tlme of death and attaln to
Hls nature. K a explalns some ways to medltate on Hlm ln verse 9.
Yág mlsr bh ktl (10 13)
A yági can also attaln Krsna by utterlng á and thlnklng of K a at death. Yág
i r h kti ls descrlbed ln verses 10 13.
Pure DevotlonaI Servlce (14-16)
K a urges Arjuna to engage ln pure devotlonal servlce by rememberlng Hlm
wlthout devlatlon. There ls no lmpedlment ln such servlce and one easlly attalns
K a.
Comparlng the materlaI and splrltuaI worIds (17 22)
The materlal world ls mlserable and temporary, as lllustrated by the constant cycle of
unlversal creatlon and destructlon. By hearlng thls descrlptlon one galns detachment
from thls world. In verses 20 22 the eternal nature of the splrltual world ls descrlbed,
as well as the means to attaln lt, devotlonal servlce to K a.
The supremacy of devotlon ln attalnlng the Supreme (23 28)
In verses 23 26, The Lord descrlbes dlfferent ways of leavlng thls world for the
k r i and jn ni . But K a s devotees need not worry about these paths, because
slmply by engaglng ln devotlonal servlce, they attaln the beneflclal results of all paths
and at the end reache the supreme destlnatlon (verses 27 28). By hearlng the
mlddle slx chapters of Bh g v d-git ln the assoclatlon of devotees, one gets the
beneflts of performlng all sacrlflces, penances, etc., and one progresses from
n rth -nivrtti to pure love of K a.
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Chapter 9
Th ginning h t r áf Bh g v d-git d ri ánfid nti l knáwl dg áf th
diff r n tw n th ául nd th ády. h t r S v n nd Eight r ár
ánfid nti l u th y d ri d vátián l rvi , whi h ring nlight n nt in
K án iáu n . h t r Nin i á t ánfid nti l u it d ri ur ,
un lláy d d vátián l rvi . In th Eighth h t r, K h x l in d th t th
n ny d vát ur áth th th áf light nd d rkn . Náw K will
x l in háw tá á u h n n ny d vát . Th fir t t i h ring áut
K .
Hearlng about K a  quaIlflcatlons and dlsquaIlflcatlons (1 3)
A non-envlous person can obtaln the most lntlmate knowledge of the Absolute
Truth by hearlng, and can percelve K a dlrectly through the process of
devotlonal servlce. A falthless person, however, must return to the path of blrth
and death (verses 1 3).
K a s lnconcelvabIe reIatlonshlp wlth the materlaI worId (4 10)
K a pervades, creates, and annlhllates the entlre cosmos through Hls materlal
energy. Although K a ls the Supreme controller, the materlal world
nevertheless moves lndependently and Krsna thus remalns neutral and
detached.
Non-worshlppers and worshlppers (11 19)
K a compares the pure devotees to the lmpersonallsts, demlgod worshlppers and
those who worshlp the unlversal form. He also descrlbes how to medltate upon Hlm
as the vi v -ru .
Comparlng demlgod worshlppers and devotees (20 28)
Demlgod worshlp whlch neglects K a as the supreme enjoyer ls lmproper and
causes fall down. Devotees of Krsna, however, are personally protected by K a,
who helps them achleve Hls assoclatlon. K a accepts Hls devotees offerlngs
whlch are glven ln devotlon. In verse 26, K a descrlbes pure devotlonal servlce.
The gIorles of dlrectIy worshlpplng K a (27 34)
K a advlses Arjuna to perform k r r n , offerlng the frults of all actlvltles to
Hlm, whlch wlll result ln llberatlon from bondage to work (verses 27 28). K a
explalns Hls relatlonshlp wlth Hls devotees (ln contrast to Hls relatlonshlp wlth
others); how He becomes a frlend to Hls devotee and protects hlm desplte accldental
falldown. He glves shelter to anyone, regardless of blrth, and assures everyone of
attalnlng the supreme destlnatlon (verses 29 33). He concludes by glvlng the most
confldentlal knowledge of how to engage ln Hls devotlonal servlce. Verse 34 ls
essentlal and ls repeated ln BG. 18.66.
12