Essence of the Bhagwad Gita by Radhanath Swami - Part 1

What is the Bhagwad Gita all about?What is the essence of the Bhagwad Gita?The essence of the Gita is to truly love God with all your heart, mind, and soul.How many chapters and verses are there in the Bhagwad Gita?The Bhagwad Gita is part of the epic – MahabharatThe Bhagwad Gita has 700 verses spread over 18 chaptersThe Bhagwad Gita is the summary of all Vedic literature. Its essence is to truly love God with all your heart, mind and soul. In the Gita, Krishn speaks to Arjun and tells him, ‘Arjun, you can understand not just with your brain but also with your heart; you can understand the teachings that I am giving you because you are my devotee, my friend. Therefore, I can reveal everything to you. It is only by undivided devotion that I could be understood as I am.’ Throughout the Gita, Krishn is presenting himself as the Supreme Person. Krishn says, ‘I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds; everything emanates from me. The wise who know this engage in my loving service and worship me. There is no truth superior to me; everything is resting on me as pearls are strung on a thread. Always think of me, become my devotee, worship me and offer homage unto me and this way you will come to me without fail. I promise you this because you are my friend.’ According to acharyas, the Mahabharata is meant for common people. The Bhagwad Gita comprises 18 chapters in the Mahabharata; if Krishn meant that he felt the unborn and eternal within him, he would have said it. He doesn’t even indicate that, rather, he clearly explains just the opposite. He reveals his form as full of knowledge and full of bliss. After so much study of so many religious systems, after practising religious activities birth after birth, when one finally comes to the point of real knowledge, one surrenders to Vasudev…to Krishn, knowing him to be the cause of all causes. There is the spirit of understanding the Gita that allows our hearts to be receptive to the Absolute Truth. This is part one of the essence of the Bhagwad Gita by Radhanath Swami. An American by birth, Radhanath Swami is a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupad and founder and head of Iskcon’s Radha Gopinath Mandir in Chowpatty, and the Govardhan Eco Village in Maharashtra.Introduction: Mona MehtaAudio production: Basant Singhal