A Short Synopsis of Srimad Bhagavad Gita in Selected Ten Verses

Srimad Bhagavad Gita (SBG) is a very popular spiritual classic of Indian philosophy comprised of 700 verses that form a part of 'Bhishma Parva’ in the Mahabharata, the world’s longest epic. No commentary and critique of the Mahabharata are considered complete without the emphasis on the SBG and its teachings. Hence, SBG is the ‘kernel’ that guides mankind by eradicating ignorance and imparting selfknowledge. It is a practical tool that guides one in profound crisis and imparts several self-help tools that are practical even in the contemporary era. The dialogue between Srikrishna and Arjuna explores the origin of creation, nature of the body, soul, mind, and re-incarnation. It recommends one to walk on the path of ‘Dharma’ (i.e. righteousness duty) performing three key things: i) Righteous Karma (Action); ii) Unswerving Bhakti (Devotion) and iii) Commitment to Jnana (wisdom). The 700 verses are organized into 18 chapters and as three hexads of 6 chapters that guide one to attain ‘Moksha’ (salvation). The supreme lord also summarizes the key teachings of the Upanishads at relevant places which is a marvel in itself. This short perspective attempts to convey the key message and essence of SBG through a selected ten verses chosen by Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati (an Advaita Vedantic philosopher) of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam (Anaikatti and Rishikesh, India).


INTRODUCTION
Srimad Bhavagad Gita (SBG) is a collection of 700 verses that are segregated into 18 chapters and constitutes the 'Nucleus' of the great Indian epic 'Mahabharata'. It is a 'Kernel' that bestows welfare to mankind preparing one to face any situation factually. SBG aims to be the preceptor that liberates the helpless and troubled mind from confusion. Human civilization of all faiths over several millennia has sought refuge in it. It is a very small part hidden in the sixth chapter i.e., the 'Bhishma Parva' in the 'Mahabharata' (a mammoth epic comprised of 18 parvas and over 100,000 verses). The profound philosophy of these verses (<1% of the Mahabharata) imparts knowledge and guides one to proceed towards the 'Truth' incorporating the moral, ethical, and 'Dharmic' values for those wishing to walk in this path. It unfolds in the form of a Perspective conversation/dialogue between two close friends Srikrishna (the supreme lord who had the humility to be a charioteer) and Arjuna (an accomplished warrior and devotee of Srikrishna) wherein Arjuna is struck with grief, sorrow, compassion and loses his nerve to face the enemies imagining the consequences of the war/bloodshed deaths of loved ones. The supreme lord acknowledges Arjuna's conundrum and convincingly answers all his questions, eradicating the ignorance that had clouded his intellect. His preaching in a whopping 574 verses (82%) constitutes the bulk of SBG. Arjuna speaks 84 verses (12%) whilst the remaining 6% is spoken between the royal narrator Sanjaya (41) and King Dhritarashtra (1). SBG is an outstanding self-help manual and imparts several life lessons. The first and foremost key lesson is the art of Active listening i.e. listening to understand and tackle rather than arguing, wherein the supreme lord doesn't begin his teaching until the 58 th verse.
This short monograph is an attempt to summarize the key message and essence of SBG by providing a concise summary through a selection of 10 verses as chosen by Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Anaikatti and Rishikesh, India) (Saraswati 2019) (1). The chosen 10 verses along with chapter-wise citations and their essence are listed as follows (1-2).

CHAPTER 2 VERSE 11
अशोच्यानन्वशोचस्त्वं प्रज्ञावादां श्च भाषसे । गतासू नगतासू ं श्च नानु शोचन् न्त पन् डितााः । । aśhochyān-anvaśhochas-tvaṁ prajñā-vādānśhcha bhāṣhase gatāsūn-agatāsūnśh-cha nānuśhochanti paṇḍitāḥ This verse marks the beginning of Srikrishna teachings who is surprised that having previously demonstrated logic and wisdom, how come an accomplished archer is so ignorant at the time of need. He concludes Arjuna is grieving for those who are unworthy of sorrow. He sympathizes acknowledging that death is an inevitable universal event that evokes pain in all and reassures by mentioning that birth and death are the two faces of the same coin. One has to breathe in and breathe out to stay alive and there is no way of knowing when one's last breath would be. Wise people do not grieve over those who are dead or are about to die. He nudges Arjuna to become a 'Viveki' i.e. acquire discriminatory inquisitiveness. He also nudges Arjuna to develop an element of 'Vairagyam' (dispassion to senses, negativity) and stand up to fight as it is Swadharma (duty). The concepts of Pravritti and Nivritti are introduced and he sows the seed for priority to attain 'Moksha' through Swadharma. He further rationalizes suggesting that grieving over someone who has died will not bring them back to life. Alternatively, sorrow is also subjective as the same incident can make one unhappy while the other unaffected. Srikrishna lays the foundation about the nature of 'Atman' as 'Sat-chit-ananda' here. This verse describes the nature of 'Atman'. The 'Self' is eternal, indestructible, and not subjected to change. Neither does it kill nor get killed by anyone. Srikrishna declares that it is neither 'Karta' (doer) nor a 'Bhogta' (i.e., enjoyer) and is not subjected to transformations like birth, growth, decay, death, etc. The body is only an abode that houses the 'Self', while it is ignorance to equate the self with the body. All religions accept that 'Atman' is distinct from the physical body and that it survives after death. An individual who understands this has no 'Ahankara' (ego) as his 'Ajnana' is eradicated. It is the removal of this ignorance that paves way for the acquisition of 'Atman jnana' (i.e., self-realization). 'Antaha karana shuddhi' is the first step towards the path of emancipation. The supreme lord recommends one to give up 'Kartatva' (i.e., the notion of doership). An individual with such an attitude isn't affected by the fruit of the action and does what is expected of oneself (swadharma) in a given situation. He preaches Arjuna about 'Sarva karma sanyasa' and recommends him to give up the attitude 'I am the doer' in the action rather than giving up the action.

CHAPTER 2 VERSE 47
कमथ डये वान् िकारस्तते मा फले षु कदाचन । मा कमथ फलहे तु भू थ माथ ते सङ् गोऽस्त्वकमथ न् ि । । karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stvakarmaṇi This is a very popular verse that professes the notion of 'detachment from the fruits of one's actions. The supreme lord preaches Arjuna that one's choice is only in action and not in its outcomes thereof. He suggests one to develop an attitude of 'karma phala tyaga' and incorporate 'Samatva' (i.e., equanimity) as a part of one's personality. One should graciously accept whatever fruits materialize from actions as a part of divine grace nurturing a notion of 'Prasada Buddhi'. Such an approach gives contentment and peace of mind. An undesirable result doesn't mean one is a failure. An animal act is driven by instincts, unlike humans who have the power of choice. As the consequences of our actions are completely beyond one's control, there is no point in fretting about it. Cultivating this trait gives one the resilience and maturity needed to handle any situation pragmatically (be it at the workplace or in relationships). Such people are mentally and emotionally tougher and do not blame anyone for circumstances. The actions should not be attached with and be driven by the outcome (mā karmaphala-hetur bhūr), rather accepting the outcome as Prasada.

sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśhī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na kārayan
The supreme lord in this verse describes the attributes of an individual who has acquired 'Jnana Nishta' (self-knowledge). The one who realizes 'I' (self) is contented and happy in oneself. The 'self' of such an individual, which is housed in the physical body is compared to a 'nine-gated' city, (comprising of one mouth, two nostrils, two ears, two eyes, and two genital orifices) neither performing any action nor causing others to act. Certain actions are necessary to sustain life even during deep sleep and giving up all actions is practically impossible. No work is a burden for him as he realizes that the self is actionless. He is in supreme control over his body-mind-sense complex and has the 'Viveka' (i.e. discriminatory knowledge) realizing that the 'Self' is distinct from the body. Srikrishna introduces the concept of 'manasa sanyasa' (detachment of the self from body-mind-sense complex). He is reiterating what he preached earlier in chapter 2 that 'Atman' doesn't die or is not subject to destruction. The supreme Lord mentions that the entire world is pervaded by him and that he is formless, devoid of any attributes, and not objectifiable (Avyakta murthi). Despite all sentient and insentient beings residing in him, he is not based in them. The nature of 'Atman' is 'Sat-chit-ananda' (i.e. existenceconsciousnessbliss) that pervades everything and is not limited by time and space. For example -the gold chain needs gold for its identity (namarupa), whilst 'Gold' is independent of the chain (i.e. Swarupa). There is no chain without gold i.e. Gold is Satya and chain is mithya. So is the nature of 'Atman' (i.e. Self), which has no connection to anything. The Atman is not subjected to birth, growth, decay, death, etc. unlike the physical body, and is distinct from the body. Atman is not connected to anything and yet recognizes everything and is non-dual i.e. Chaitanya atman. Srikrishna summarizes that he is the basis (Adhara) for creation but not it's 'Adhyeya' (sub-section). Jnana' that 'Jiva -Jagat -Ishwara' are all one and the same which is the essence of the Gita.

CONCLUSION
Gita preaches that the greatest battles are fought in one's own mind for self-refinement. An individual is judged by the secret recess of purpose of his actions and Bhavana (purity of heart). The final arbitrator is the 'self' of a man, 1) who has abandoned the attachment to the fruits of actions; ii) who has tamed his senses and the mind from sensory desires; iii) one who has conquered his (likes and dislikes) 'Raga-dveshas', and iv) who has eliminated materialistic self-interest through devotion for the welfare of the society. There isn't any remedy and solution that don't exist in the Gita that doesn't address any problems of human life. One should strive to live by its teachings of SBG to become Yog-Yukta (established in self-SthitPragya) to liberate (Moksha) from 3 enemies (Desires, Anger and Greed) through Swadharma and paths of Karma (action) Yoga, Bhakti (devotion) Yoga, and Jnana (wisdom) Yoga.

Funding:
The author declared no specific grant for this research from any funding body i.e. public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors, etc.