BHAGAVAD GITA

CHAPTER 1 : Short Answer Questions

1. Write a brief note on Dhritarastra's selfish mentality (1.1)

Pandavas and Kauravas were part of the same family . Dhritarastra treated
them as "mine" and "his" ( mamakah Pandavas caiva). Dhritarashtra was
desirous that his sons would get the Kingdom but was doubtful of the
possibility of his sons’ victory. He was fearful that the holy place
Kurukshetra ( Dharmakshetre kurukshetra) might influence his sons to
compromise and was hopeful that under this holy influence, the Pandavas
might renounce their claim, to avoid bloodshed.

2. Why was Duryodhana confident of support of Bhisma and Drona in

the battle? (1.11)

🔹Bhisma and Dronacharya were present in the Asat sabha but they did
🔹 Duryodhana understood that they were financially dependent on the
not speak up for Draupadi when she asked them for help.

🔹He was confident of their support in battle as he knew that for Bhisma
King and would not go against him.

and Drona their duty to the throne of Hastinapur was supreme and thus
they would not help the Pandavas during the war.

3. List and explain the significance of the signs of victory for the
Pandavas. (1.14-20)

*SIGNS OF VICTORY OF PANDAVAS*

1.Krishna’s personal presence confirms victory. As he is the father of
Dharma and was present on the side of the Pandavas. Thus it was certain
that they would win and re-establish the Principles of Dharma.
2.Goddess of fortune - Whenever and wherever Lord Madhava, the
husband of the goddess of fortune is present, she is also there. As the
goddess of fortune was present with the Pandavas, no misfortune would
fall upon them.
3.Venue - Kurukshetra is a holy place (1.1). Pandavas were pious and
thus the influence of the venue was in their favour.
4.Hanumanji on Arjuna’s flag (kapidhwaja):
Hanumanji helped Lord Rama in his victory over Ravana and was now
present on Arjuna’s Chariot to help him with war cries to win this battle of
Dharma.
5.Transcendental conch shells ( divyau shankhau ) of Krishna, Arjuna:
(panchjanya and devadutta). There were no such conch shells on the side
of the Kauravas. Conch shells are blown for the worship of Vishnu.
6.Agnideva’s Chariot given to Arjuna was capable of conquering all 4
directions.
7.Conch Shells of Pandavas shattered Kauravas hearts (hrdayani
vyadarayat ) (1.19) but those blown by the Kauravas had no such impact
on the Pandavas.

4. Write a brief note on Lord Krishna's affection for His devotees

(1.21-23)
Verse 1.14 introduces Krishna as Bhakta vatsala. The Supreme Lord
accepts the role of the charioteer of his own devotee!!! He appears in the
role of a menial servant, taking orders from Arjuna, when he asks him to
take the chariot in the middle of the two armies. He is addressed as
Achyuta – the infallible one. He is also infallible in following devotees’
orders.
This shows the characteristics of the Supreme Lord Krishna:
He loves to serve his devotees
He reciprocates the love of his devotees
He is very soft hearted and compassionate
He never tolerates offenses done to his devotee.
The relationship between Lord and his devotee is very sweet. The
devotee gets pleasure and always tries to serve his Lord and The
Lord also takes pleasure in fulfilling the wishes of his pure devotees.

5. List the six kinds of aggressors. (1.36)

There are six kinds of aggressors ( atatayinah) :

🔥
(1) A poison giver ⚗ Bhima was given poison in childhood
(2) One who sets fire to the house Lakshagraha incident

💰
(3) One who attacks with deadly weapons⚔ many attacks

🏰
(4) One who plunders riches gambling match

👸🏼
(5) One who occupies another’s land Indraprasta
(6) One who kidnaps a wife. Kauravas tried to disrobe Draupadi
Such aggressors are to be killed at once and no sin is incurred in it.In Spite
of this Arjuna still wanted to forgive them. He is overlooking the fact that he
would get sin for not doing his duty as a kshatriya.

6. What are the consequences of the destruction of a

dynasty. (1.39-42)

DESTRUCTION of family traditions/values 💃🏼:

7. Explain the significance of the following names of

Krishna used in this chapter: Acyuta, Govinda, Madhava,
Hrsikesa. (BG 1.15, 1.21-22, 1.24, 1.32-35, 1.36)

ACYUTA: The infallible Lord who never fails in his affection for his
devotees. Here, as a charioteer he carried out Arjuna's orders without any
hesitation and took the chariot to the middle of the battlefield. Yet, in all
circumstances, His Supreme position remains intact.
GOVINDA : He who gives pleasure to senses (go) and cows. Arjuna
indicates that Krishna should understand what will satisfy his senses. ie.
why Krishna was asking him to fight the battle against his dear relatives
when doing so would give no pleasure to his senses. But actually Govinda
is not meant for satisfying our senses and if we satisfy the senses of
Govinda then our own senses get satisfied automatically.
MADHAVA: Husband of goddess of fortune. Arjuna wanted to point out to
Krishna that, as the husband of Goddess of fortune, he should not induce
Arjuna to take up a matter which would ultimately bring Misfortune ie. killing
his own Kinsmen.
HRISHIKESH: Lord of all senses. Krishna is called Hrishikesh because he
could understand the mind of Arjuna. Krishna is present in everyone's
heart as paramatma and can thus control the senses of all. He does so in
terms of surrender of the living entity. In the case of his pure devotees like
Arjuna he directly controls their senses. Although he is the controller of
everyone's senses, he is now being controlled by Arjuna as words.

Long Answer Questions

1. State and explain the reasons for Arjuna's disinclination

to fight. (1.28-46)

He argues why he should not fight based on the following points:(C E S D I)

COMPASSION on bodily platform 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦

: Upon seeing all his relatives
gathered on the battlefield Arjuna was overwhelmed with compassion
(kṛpayāviṣṭam) , lamentation (viṣīdantam) and his eyes full of tears
(aśru-pūṛṇa akulekṣaṇam) for his relatives, primarily Bhisma and Drona
for whom he had great respect. He felt compassion for his own soldiers and
even for the soldiers of the opposite party for seeing their imminent death;
this is due to his soft heartedness characteristic of a pure devotee. Arjuna
refers to Krishna's Keshava killer of Kesi demon, indicating that Krishna did
not kill his own Guru or grandfather and should not expect him to be doing
the same.

ENJOYMENT Loss – Loss of all enjoyment 👎🏼 : Everyone wants to show

his opulence to his friends and relatives, but Arjuna fears that if all his
relatives are killed he will be unable to share his opulence after victory. He
refers to Krishna as Madhava the husband of the goddess of fortune
hoping that he will not pursue him to do something that will ultimately lead
to Misfortune.

SINFUL reactions - fear of committing sin by killing 😈 : Arjuna is

concerned about the sinful reactions he will accrue by killing his own
people. Arjuna understood perfectly that the Kauravas fall in the category of
aggressors and deserved to be punished. Still he is putting Dharma
Shastra above Artha shastra ie. One should not afflict any living beings. He
felt so especially for Bhisma and Drona as they were worthy of his worship
and it is general etiquette that the superiors should not be given even a
verbal fight. Arjuna wanted to be saintly and forgive them and not incur sin,
after all kingdoms are not permanent. He was ignoring the fact that he
would get sinful reactions for not doing his duty as a Kshtriya.

💃🏼
🔹
DESTRUCTION of family traditions/values :
Elders in the Varna ashram system are responsible for the right conduct

🔹
of the younger family members.
But upon their death (kula-kṣaye) , family traditions may stop
(praṇaśyanti kula-dharmāḥ )
and others develop irreligious habits and thereby lose their chance to

🔹
spiritual salvation. (adharmo ’bhibhavaty)
Chaste women are engaged in different family traditions and religious
activities and thus give birth to a good population which is the basis of
peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in human society. However when
irreligion increases the women become polluted (praduṣyanti
kula-striyaḥ) and give birth to unwanted progeny by a mixture of

🔹
classes.(jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ)
Forefathers, sometimes may suffer from some sinful reactions or may
not acquire a gross body and may remain in subtle bodies. When their
descendants offer them Vishnu prasadam, they are delivered from their
sinful reactions. This process of offering food and water
(piṇḍodaka-kriyāḥ) gets hindered due to varnasankara (unwanted
progeny). Thus the forefathers fall down (patanti pitaro) and those who

🔹
destroy the family and their family traditions live a hellish life.( narakā)
Mixture of castes result in many faults that destroy both the principles of
caste (jaati Dharma) and principles of a particular family (kula Dharma),
which are designed for the ultimate salvation of the human beings.
Irresponsible leaders who break this tradition bring about Chaos in that
society. All community projects and family welfare activities are also
destroyed.(utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ)

INDECISION ( addressed in chapter two). 🤷🏻‍♂

Arjuna is completely confused whether he should dutifully fight and risk
unnecessary violence or refrain and beg for a living. This shows his
detachment. According to him, victory is not certain and even if they win, it
would be a defeat in one sense as the Pandavas would never be able to
live happily after killing their relatives.
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CHAPTER 2: Short Answer Questions

🔹
1. Explain the analogy of the dress of a drowning man. (2.1)

🔹
Compassion for the dress of a drowning man is senseless.
A man fallen in the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by

🔹
rescuing his outward dress – the gross material body.
Here the dress of the drowning man is compared to the material body

🔹
and the man to the soul.

🔹
The ocean is compared to the material world.
Just as saving the dress of a drowning man is of no use, compassion on

🔹
a bodily level is a waste of time.
Real compassion should be for the man / soul. The focus should be on

🔹
how to rescue the soul from the ocean of nescience.
One who does not know this and laments for the outward dress is called
a śūdra, or one who laments unnecessarily.

2. Define the 3 phases of understanding the Absolute Truth in relation

to the analogy of the sun. (2.2)

🔸
The 3 phases of Absolute Truth can be understood as follows:
BRAHMAN - The effulgence from the body of the Lord. It is the
impersonal feature of the Lord. Sunlight is compared to the Brahman

🔸
feature.
PARAMATMA - Inner voice / 4 handed Vishnu form situated in the heart

🔸
as supersoul. The Sun's surface is compared to the Paramatma feature .
BHAGVAN - SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD . This is the
personal feature of the Lord. The entire Sun planet is compared to the
BHAGVAN feature.

3. List the six characteristics of Bhagavan (2.2)

BHAG means opulence hence the owner of Opulence is called BHAGVAN.
Just as an owner of wealth is called Dhanwan. Krsna showed all 6

💪🏼
OPULENCES in full, hence is refered to as BHAGVAN
Full STRENGTH

🤴🏼
He lifted Govardhan effortlessly at age 7 on the little finger of his left hand
Full FAME

💵
Even atheists cannot stop speaking about him
Full WEALTH

📚
He is the owner of all the wealth material and spiritual
Full KNOWLEDGE
He spoke spontaneous poetry of 700 verses having 32 syllables each in 45
mins on the battlefield .There have been no amendments to it since then.
Full BEAUTY 👼🏻
We see this beautiful creation ...the Ms worlds are just a spark from

🙅🏽‍♂
him....so how beautiful will the whole be.
Full RENUNCIATION
He is owner of all of the above and yet he takes up the job as Arjuna's
Charioteer. He is detached.

4. Explain under what circumstances, according to

🔹
scriptural codes, a teacher is fit to be abandoned. (2.5)
According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable

🔹
action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned.
Bhīṣma and Droṇa were obliged to take the side of Duryodhana
because of his financial assistance, although they should not have

🔹
accepted such a position simply on financial considerations.
Under the circumstances, they have lost the respectability of teachers.

5. Who is a dhira? (2.13)

Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual
soul, the Supersoul, and nature – both material and spiritual – is called a
dhīra, or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of
bodies.

6. Write a brief note on equanimity in dualities (2.14 & 2.38)

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya Only because of sense perception does

śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ one experience dualities like heat and cold,
āgamāpāyino ’nityās happiness and distress. One should always
remember that they are non-permanent,
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
and should simply TOLERATE.
sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā considering happiness or distress,
lābhālābhau jayājayau loss or gain, victory or defeat as the same,
tato yuddhāya yujyasva One needs to do his duty
naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi And by doing so, one never incurs sin

🔹Equanimity is one of the essential qualities of a spiritual seeker. One

needs to be tolerant and equipoised towards dualities with detachment.

🔹
(Dvanda-titiksha)
One has to executed his duty despite climatic inconveniences eg.
early morning bath irrespective of season and cooking in hot summer.
Similarly a Kshtriya has to fight dutifully even if it is with some friend or
relative. Eg. Arjuna must do his duty and fight

7. List the six kinds of transformations the body is subject

to. (2.20)
The body is subject to six kinds of transformations. They are
BIRTH
EXISTENCE
GROWTH
PRODUCING BY PRODUCTS
DWINDLING
DEATH
The soul, however, does not go through such changes.

8. Summarize Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna on sakama- karma

found in BG 2.31-37.

1.Arjuna reasoned earlier that there would be no enjoyment even if he

emerges victorious in battle.
2.So Krishna tells him that as a kshatriya it is his Sva dharma to fight.
3.Fortunate Kshtriyas get such fighting opportunities, opening doors to
heaven.(svarga)
4.If Arjuna doesn't fight he will incur sin (papa) and will lose his reputation
as a fighter
5.People will speak of his infamy (akirti). Dishonour is worse than death.
6. Arjuna would have to face Criticism (ninda).
7. If you are killed - enjoy heaven. If you win - enjoy earth.

9. Give the meaning of the phrase vyavasayatmika buddhi

(2.40-41)

1. Vyavasayatmika buddhi refers to one pointed /resolute intelligence.

2.It is the best intelligence.
3.To achieve success in any path one should have one pointed intelligence.
4.Among all types of intelligence, that intelligence concentrated on Bhakti
yoga is the best.
5. Vyavasayatmika buddhi is the strong faith that Bhakti unto Lord
Krishna will elevate one to the highest perfection of life.
6. If Krishna is satisfied by one's actions then everyone will be satisfied.
7.Bhakti is best practiced under the guidance of a bonafide Guru.

10. List at least four qualities of a sthita-prajna, as mentioned

in BG 2.55-71

🔹 prajahāti yadā kāmān : One who gives up all kinds of material desires
🔹ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ: is satisfied in the self (as a servant of the
that arise from the mind

🔹duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ : He is undisturbed in mind amidst

Supreme)

🔹sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ :He is not elated when there is happiness.

threefold miseries.

🔹vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ: He is free from attachment, fear and anger.

🔹yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas: He neutral to good and evil that he gets
🔹nābhinandati na dveṣṭi : he neither praises it nor despises it.
🔹kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ : just as the tortoise draws its limbs within
🔹paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate : He ceases his desire for sense enjoyment by
the shell, he withdraws his senses.

experiencing a higher taste.

11. How does a sthita-dhir muni regard happiness and

distress. (2.56)
The sthita-dhīr muni is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for he has

🔹
exhausted all his business of creative speculation.
duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ: He is undisturbed in mind amidst

🔹
threefold miseries.
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ: He is not elated when there is happiness.

12. Explain the analogy of the rivers entering into the ocean.

🔹
(2.70)
The vast ocean, although being filled with more water in the monsoon,

🔹
neither gets agitated nor crosses beyond the limit of its brink.
Similarly a person fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although demanded by

🔹
the body for sense gratification, doesn’t get disturbed by such desires
A Kṛṣṇa conscious man is not in need of anything, because the Lord
fulfils all his material necessities.
🔹Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the
ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly

🔹
disturbed by desires for sense gratification.
The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogīs who are after

🔹
mystic powers are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires.
But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is happy in the service of the Lord, and
he has no material desires to be fulfilled.

Long Answer Questions

1. Describe the characteristics of spirit soul (atma). (2.11-30)

The characteristics of the spirit soul are as follows:

1.As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.
2.There is no change in the eternal soul ( sat )
3.The soul is indestructible (avināśi)
4. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul. ( avyaya)
5. It is indestructible and immeasurable (anāśino ’prameyasya)
6. The soul doesn't killed or get killed. (nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate)
7. The size of the soul is one 10000th part of the tip of a hair.
8.It has neither birth nor death (na jāyate mriyate )
9. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and primeval (ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ
purāṇo)
10. The soul is not killed when the body is killed (na hanyate hanyamāne
śarīre).
11. nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi – cannot be cut by weapons.
12. nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ – cannot be burnt by fire (weapon).
13. na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo – cannot be moistened by water (weapon).
14. na śoṣayati mārutaḥ – cannot be withered by wind (weapon).
15. acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam – is unbreakable and cannot be burnt.
16. akledyo 'śoṣya eva ca – is insoluble and cannot be dried.
17. nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur – is everlasting, exists everywhere and
unchangeable,
18. acalo 'yaṁ sanātanaḥ – is immovable and eternally the same.
19 avyakto 'yam acintyo 'yam – is imperceptible and inconceivable.
20. avikāryo 'yam ucyate – is immutable or without changes.
2. Differentiate between sakama-karma and nishkama-karma.
Explain Nishkama-karma-yoga. (2.31-37 & 38-53)

Sa-kaam karma Nish-kaam karma

Work done with expectation of
reward
Attachment to the work and the
fruits of work
Selfish – done for personal sense
gratification
Binds us to the wheel of birth and
death – samsara – leads to further
bondage
Only interested in material
happiness and family relations
Work done with no expectation of
reward
No attachment to the fruits of work,
but attachment to the work
Selfless – done for the pleasure of
Krishna
Liberates
Works only for the Lord’s
satisfaction

🔹 There is No loss (nāśaḥ) or diminution (pratyavāyaḥ) of the progress

🔹
made in this yoga.
Even a little progress on this path gives Protection from the greatest

🔹
fear (trāyate mahato bhayāt)
There is no loss by incomplete performance and no sin by imperfect

🔹
performance.
Buddhi-yoga means to work in Krishna consciousness in 'full bliss' and

🔹
'knowledge'
Lord's satisfaction is the criteria - One who works for the Lord's

🔹
satisfaction only, however difficult such work maybe.
All knowledge is revealed - By such transcendental engagement one
achieves all transcendental understanding automatically by the grace of the

🔹
Lord .

🔹Srila Prabhupada takes it to an even higher level of motivation -

Complete liberation is easily achieved

"Pleasure of Krishna" (Ref. 2.38 purport). This equates

Nishkama-karma-yoga on the level of Bhakti-yoga

🔹 The Benefits of Nishkama Karma Yoga are:

1. No reactions: One gets rid of both good and bad reactions even in this
life.Therefore engage in this yoga without attachment, which is the real skill
or art of all work (yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam).
2. No birth-death cycle: One becomes free from the cycle of birth and
death .(janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ) and attains the state or place beyond
all miseries (padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam).
3. Indifference to Vedas: When the intelligence has crossed the dense
forest of delusion (moha-kalilaṁ), one becomes indifferent (neutral) to all
that has been heard and all that is to be heard about the fruits of action or
Vedic rituals.
4. Fixed intelligence (acalā buddhi) and trance (samādhi): When the
mind is no longer disturbed (niścalā) by the flowery words of the Vedas,
and intelligence is fixed in the trance of self-realisation, then one will attain
divine consciousness, the status of jīvan-mukta.

3. What are the 4 questions of Arjuna about a sthita-prajna (a

liberated soul). Briefly write Krishna's answers to them.
(2.54- 72)

Q1. Kā bhāṣā: What are his

general symptoms?
🔹 prajahāti yadā kāmān : One
who gives up all kinds of material

🔹
desires that arise from the mind
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ: is
satisfied in the self (as a servant of
the Supreme)

Q2. Kim prabhāṣeta (How does he

speak?): On receiving praise or
🔹duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ :
He is undisturbed in mind amidst
blame, affection or hate, what will
🔹
threefold miseries.
he say externally or internally?
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ :He is

🔹
not elated when there is happiness.
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ: He is
free from attachment, fear and

🔹
anger.
yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas: He

🔹
neutral to good and evil that he gets
nābhinandati na dveṣṭi : he
neither praises it nor despises it.

Q3.Kim āsīta (How does he sit?):

How does he restrain his senses
🔹kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ : just
as the tortoise draws its limbs
from the sense objects? within the shell, he withdraws his

🔹
senses.
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate : He
ceases his desire for sense
enjoyment by experiencing a
higher taste.
 🔹 The sthita-prajña not only
controls the senses, but also
controls the mind and focuses on
Kṛṣṇa. That indeed is the cause of
control of the senses. Without
surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the senses join
the weak mind to the respective
sense objects

Q4.Kim vrajeta (How does he 🔹 He is free from attachment

walk?): How does he respond to the (raga) and aversion (dveṣa) and
sense objects? engages his senses in the sense
objects with a controlled mind or
regulative principles of freedom
(vidheyātmā), attains peace or

🔹
mercy of the Lord (prasāda).
A sthita prajña spontaneously
conquers the senses by his
perfection of absorbing his mind in

🔹
bhagavān.
A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is
happy in the service of the Lord,
and he has no material desires to
be fulfilled.