Ten Essential Verses of the Bhagavad Gita

Swami Dayananda: Ten Essential Verses of the Bhagavad Gita

Swami Dayananda, one of the foremost Vedantic teacher of recent times has selected ten essential verses of of the Bhagavad Gita.

1. ashochyaananvashochastvaM praGYaavaadaa.nshcha bhaashhase .
   gataasuunagataasuu.nshcha naanushochanti paNDitaaH .. 2.11..
   
   
   You grieve for those who should not be grieved for. Yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise do not grieve for those who are living or for those who are no longer living. [Introduction to Gita. Adi Shankara begins His Gita commentary with this verse.]
2. vedaavinaashina.n nitya.n ya enamajamavyayam.h .
   katha.n sa purushhaH paartha ka.n ghaatayati hanti kam.h .. 2.21..
   
   
   Oh! Son of pritha, the one who knows this (self) to be indestructible, timeless, unborn, and not subject to decline, how and whom does that person kill? Whom does he cause to kill? [Nature of the Self (tvam).]
3. prajahaati yadaa kaamaansarvaanpaartha manogataan.h .
   aatmanyevaatmanaa tushhTaH sthitapraGYastadochyate .. 2.55..
   
   
   When a person gives up all the desires as they appear in the mind, Oh! paartha, happy in oneself, with oneself alone, that person is said to be one of ascertained knowledge. []
4. mayaa tatamidaM sarva.n jagadavyaktamuurtinaa .
   matsthaani sarvabhuutaani na chaahaM teshhvavasthitaH .. 9.4..
   
   
   This entire world is pervaded by Me whose form can not be objectified. All beings have their being in Me and I am not based in them. [Nature of Ishvara (tat). ]
5. loke.asmin dvividhaa nishhThaa puraa proktaa mayaanagha .
   GYaanayogena saaN^khyaanaa.n karmayogena yoginaam.h .. 3.3..
   
   
   Oh! Sinless One, the two-fold committed life-style in this world, was told by Me in the beginning -- the pursuit of knowledge for the renunciates and the pursuit of action for those who pursue activity.[The two-fold committed life-styles.]
6. karmaNyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshhu kadaachana .
   maa karmaphalaheturbhuurmaa te saN^go.astvakarmaNi .. 2.47..
   
   
   Your choice is in action only, never in the result thereof. Do not be the author of results of action. Let your attachment not be to inaction. [Karma-yoga: Ishvara is the author of the results of action.]
7. yataH pravR^ittirbhuutaanaa.n yena sarvamidaM tatam.h .
   svakarmaNaa tamabhyarchya siddhi.n vindati maanavaH .. 18.46..
   
   
   Through one's own duty, worshipping him from whom is the creation of beings, by whom all this is pervaded, a human being gains success. [Karma-yoga: Doing one's duty is worshipping the Lord.]
8. sa.nnyaasastu mahaabaaho duHkhamaaptumayogataH .
   yogayukto munirbrahma nachireNaadhigachchhati .. 5.6..
   
   
   Renunciation of action, O Arjuna, is difficult to accomplish without karma-yoga. Whereas, one who is capable of reasoning, who is committed to a life of karma-yoga, gains Brahman quickly. [Sannyasa-yoga: vidisha-sannyaasa -- taken by a qualified seeker to know the self.]
9. sarvakarmaaNi manasaa sa.nnyasyaaste sukhaM vashii .
   navadvaare pure dehii naiva kurvanna kaarayan.h .. 5.13..
   
   
   The indweller of the physical body, the one who is self-controlled, having renounced all actions mentally (by knowledge), remains happily in the nine-gated city (the body) neither performing action, nor causing (others) to act. [GYaana-karma-sannyaasa: renunciation of all action by the knowledge (GYaana) that the self is not the doer.]
10. sarvadharmaanparityajya maamekaM sharaNaM vraja .
    ahaM tvaaM sarvapaapebhyo mokshyayishhyaami maa shuchaH .. 18.66..
    
    
    Giving up all karmas, take refuge in Me alone. I will release you from all karma; do not grieve. [Conclusion.]

The above collection is available from Arsha Vidya Satsangh as a PDF file. Swami-ji's lectures on these verses are an excellent introduction to Gita as well as Vedanta. They are available from any Arsha Vidya Book stores (India or U.S.A).

This post is one of many with the tag Collections of Gita Verses.