Bhagavad Gita introduction to selections of slokas

This compilation of some of the slokas of the Bhagavad Gita has been made with simple translations in English followed by the Sanskrit sloka. The slokas have been categorized in 5 sections, which are:

1. Abhyasa yoga - the yoga of practice

2. Bhakti yoga - the yoga of devotion

3. Jyana yoga - the yoga of knowledge

4. Karma yoga - the yoga of works

5. Purushottama yoga - the yoga of the divine

The selection of slokas can be read or heard. They are each about 15 mins long and can be used for meditations or can be heard while doing mundane tasks. It is for each one to discover the vibrations of these verses and notice how they affect one's life.

The translation uses a simple contemporary language, without religious connotations, changing the passive voice to the active when possible, and with the least amount of words needed to convey the same meaning. The slokas are in the order they appear in the Gita, except in Jnana Yoga and Abhyasa Yoga. Jnana Yoga's opening sloka is from a later chapter as it sets the stage for the subsequent slokas. It is the sloka where Krishna says, "Let me expound on the secret knowledge". Abhyasa Yoga starts with the assurance that even a little of this knowledge takes us a long way. Thereafter it has a series of impactful slokas, which set concrete goals for the practice of yoga. These are from the 16th chapter and they enumerate good qualities one must aspire for and bad habits one must reject. The rest of the slokas in both the selections follow the order in which they appear in the Gita.

The translations omit the story of the Mahabharata, or in other words, the temporal context of the slokas. The Bhagavad Gita is the teachings of Sri Krishna on the first day of the Kurukshetra battle, given to the best of warriors of the age, Arjuna. Arjuna is not ready to fight his own kin, and Sri Krishna gives him the secret knowledge of birth and death and man's place in the big scheme of things.

The translations do away with the story aspect of the slokas, which means the various names of Arjuna are removed. The Hindu nomenclature is removed and replaced by universal concepts. Brahman has been replaced by the divine. Dharma is replaced by rightful conduct. Yoga is union. There are exceptions, such as where dharma is bigger than rightful conduct, it is the law of life, as in "sarva dharman parityajya", and where the word yoga means the entire system of self-realization, as in "Yoga is skill in works".

The Gita is the gospel of the Lord, itself a distillate of all the wisdom of the great Indian spiritual traditions. Listening and internalizing the slokas allow the transformation to begin. Putting the gospel to action opens the gates to a new paradise. It is hoped this selection will be the river that will bear the seeker to the ocean of wisdom contained in the Gita.