THE BHAGAVD GITAACCORDING TO

GANDHI

T K G NAMBOODHIRITHIRUVALLA, KERALA

Presentation adapted from

The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi, Orient Paperbacks,2011

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

• “The Bhagavad Gita: According to Gandhi” isbased on talks given by the Mahatma at theSabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, over a 9 monthsperiod from February to November, 1926.

• Mahatma Gandhi’s commentary of the BhagavadGita is recognised as one of the most importantinterpretations of the Gita.

• This presentation is based on the revised edition(2011) of the first Orient Paperback Editionpublished in 1980.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

• In his interpretation of Bhagavad Gita, Gandhijiaddresses the issues he felt most directlyaffected the spiritual lives of common people“who have little or no literary equipment, whohas neither the time nor the desire to read theGita in the original, & yet who stands in need ofits support”.

• According to Gandhiji, “it is a work whichpersons belonging to all faiths can read. It doesnot favour any sectarian point of view. It teachesnothing but pure ethics”.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

ANASAKTIYOGA (THE GOSPEL OF SELFLESS ACTION)

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita1. It has been my endeavour to reduce to practice

the teachings of the Gita as I have understood it.The Gita became a spiritual reference book for me.

2. Right from the beginning, I felt that the Gita wasnot a historical work, but that under the guise ofphysical warfare, it described the dual thatpersonally went on in the hearts of mankind.Instead of teaching the rules of physical warfare, ittells us how a perfected man is to be known.

T K G Namboodhiri,

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-2

T K G Namboodhiri

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-2

3. Krishna of the Gita is perfection & right knowledgepersonified; but the picture is imaginary.

4. In Hinduism, incarnation is ascribed to one who hasperformed some extraordinary service to mankind.Krishna enjoys the status of the most perfectincarnation.

5. The belief in incarnation is a testimony of man’s loftyspiritual ambition. Man is not at peace with himselftill he has become unto God. This is Self-realization.

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-36. Self realization is the subject of Gita. The object

of the Gita appears to me to be that of showingthe most excellent way to attain self-realization.

7. The matchless remedy for self-realization isrenunciation of fruits of action.

8. Renunciation is the centre round which the Gitais woven. Renunciation is the central Sun, roundwhich devotion, knowledge & the rest revolvelike planets.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-49. The human body has been likened to a prison.

There must be action where there is body. Not oneembodied being is exempted from labour. Everyaction is tainted.

10. It is possible for man, by treating the body as thetemple of God, to attain freedom.

11. The Gita tells us how one can be free from action ,from the taint of sin. By desireless action, byrenouncing fruits of action, by dedicating allactivities to God, i.e. by surrendering oneself toHim, body & soul.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-512. Desirelessness or renunciation does not come from

mere talking about it. It is attainable only by a constantheart-churn.

13. In order that knowledge may not run riot, The Gitainsists on devotion accompanying it, & has given it thefirst place. Have devotion & knowledge will follow.

14. The devotion required by Gita is no soft-heartedeffusiveness. This devotion is not mere lip worship; it isa wrestling with death.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-615. The devotion of the Gita has the least to do with the

externals. A devotee is jealous of none, fount of mercy,without egotism, selfless, treats alike all dualities, everforgiving, always contented, of firm resolve, hasdedicated mind & soul to God, causes no dread, notafraid of others, free from exultation, sorrow & fear,pure, versed in action, yet unaffected by it, renouncesall fruits of action, treats friends & foes alike, lovessilence & solitude, and is unaffected by respect ordisrespect. All qualities required of a Sage.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-716. To be a real devotee is to realize oneself. Self-

realization is not something apart. Knowledge ordevotion cannot buy us salvation, they are themselvesthe thing we want. The means & the ends are almostthe same. The extreme of means is salvation or perfectpeace.

17. Knowledge & devotion, to be true, have to stand thetest of renunciation of fruits of action. None hasattained his goal without action. All actions bind. Gitafrees us from the bondage of work by asking us to “doyour allotted work but renounce its fruit- be detached& work.”

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-818. This is the unmistakable teaching of the Gita: He who gives

up action falls. He who gives up only the reward rises. Butrenunciation of fruit in no way means indifference to theresult. He, who , being knowledgeable about the expectedresult, is without desire for the result & yet whollyengrossed in the due fulfilment of the task before him, issaid to have renounced the fruits of action. Renunciationmeans absence of hankering after fruit. He who renouncesreaps a thousand fold. The renunciation of the Gita is theacid test of faith. He who broods over results is everdistracted, becomes unfaithful to his task, says goodbye toall scruples, & resorts to means fair & foul to attain his end.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-919. Gita has dispelled the delusion that religion is always

opposed to material good. No line of demarcation hasbeen drawn between salvation & worldly pursuits. Onthe contrary, religion must rule even our worldlypursuits. Gita teaches us that what cannot be followedin day-to-day practice cannot be called religion. All actsthat are incapable of being performed withoutattachment are taboo. Man’s life then becomes simple& peaceful.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-1020. I have felt that in trying to enforce in one’s life the

central teaching of the Gita, one is bound to followTruth & Ahimsa. When there is no desire for fruits,there is no temptation for untruth or himsa(violence). All untruth & violence arise from thedesire to attain the cherished end. Clearly, Gita wasnot written to establish AHIMSA, which wasalready a primary duty. The Gita, however, had todeliver the message of renunciation of fruit.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-1121. In the Gita, continuous concentration on God (the

Supreme Self) is the king of sacrifice, & not sacrificesof animals or materials, as prevalent at that time.The Sannyasa of the Gita will not tolerate completecessation of all activity. It is all work, yet no work.

22. After 40 years’ unremitting endeavour fully toenforce the teaching of the Gita in my own life, Ihave in all humility felt that perfect renunciation isimpossible without perfect observance of ahimsa inevery shape & form.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-1223. The Gita is not an aphoristic work; it is a great religious

poem. The deeper you delve into it, the richer the meaningyou get. It is meant for the people at large.

24. Nor is the Gita a collection of do’s & don'ts. What is lawfulfor one may be unlawful for another. Desire for fruit is theonly universal prohibition. Desirelessness is obligatory.

25. The Gita sings the praise of knowledge, but it is beyond themere intellect; it is essentially addressed to the heart andcapable of being understood by the heart. The Gita is notfor those who have no faith, & who is without sacrifice,without devotion, & without desire for this teaching.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1ARJUNA VISHADA YOGA

(ARJUNA’S DESPONDENCY)The epic Mahabharata is not history. It is a work by SageVyasa treating religious & ethical questions. The battledescribed in it is, therefore, a struggle between dharma andadharma.The epic describes the battle ever raging between thecountless Kauravas & Pandavas dwelling within us. It is abattle between the innumerable forces of good & evil whichbecome personified in us as virtues & vices.This epic was written to explain man’s duty in this inner strife.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1.2It is stated in the Gita that everyone, whether a woman, a vaisyaor a sudra, can acquire spiritual knowledge if they are devoted toGod.To understand any matter, one must have the knowledge whichcomes from learning.The physical battle described in Mahabharata is only an occasionfor describing the battlefield that is the human body. The namesmentioned are not of persons but of qualities which theyrepresent. The conflict within the human body between opposingmoral tendencies which are imagined as distinct figures.It is the human body that is described as Kurukshetra, asDharmakshetra (Field of Dharma). This may also mean that for aKshatriya, a battlefield is always a field of Dharma.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1.3

Duryodhana, representing adharma, had good men likeBhishma & Drona on his side, in the battle. This suggeststhat evil cannot flourish in this world by itself. It can doso only if it is allied with some good.

The evil system the government of that time representedhad endured only because of the support it receivedfrom good people; it cannot survive if that support iswithdrawn.- This is the principle underlying Non-cooperation.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1.4

In Verse 1.22, Arjuna asks Sri Krishna to take his chariotbetween the two armies so that he can see againstwhom he must fight. He is not asking whether it isnecessary to fight, but with whom he should fight. Hehad no aversion to fighting as such. After seeing hiskinsmen arrayed against him, Arjuna says that he willnot fight against them. He is unhappy not at the thoughtof killing, but at the thought of killing his “kinsmen”. Therepeated use of Kinsmen by Arjuna shows into whatdarkness & ignorance he has sunk.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1.5In our daily life we avoid doing things out of fear of society.The world will blame a person even for going to courtagainst his relations. Then how could Arjuna bring himselfto kill his kinsmen? Arjuna was shaken in his whole being,and asks Shri Krishna for help. Krishna wanted him to castoff his weakness because while seeking the path of good,we do not eschew something which we are required toeschew, dharma would cease to be dharma. Gita is notadvocating violence, but upholding dharma.We can understand the teaching of the Gita aright only ifwe give careful thought to the attendant circumstances.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

Chapter 1.6It is important to consider what Arjuna’s question was, & whatwere the circumstances in which he raised it. After seeing hiskinsmen, he lost his nerve. The past history shows that Arjunawas a great warrior, & he had never hesitated to fight, even hisrelatives, in the past. Then why did he become dejected?Though his enemies are wicked people & are sinners, they arehis relations & he cannot bring himself to kill them. If he leavesthe field, the Pandava army would simply be annihilated, & thevery calamities he feared would have befallen the families ofhis army men. Therefore Arjuna had no choice but to fight.Hence, Shri Krishna describes Arjuna cowardly & weak, andwanted him to cast off his weakness, & fight.

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

T K G Namboodhiri

TEACHINGS OF

BHAGAVAD GITA

T K G Namboodhiri