Bhagavad gita questions

[Polarbear]

Greetings!
I have began reading the Bhagavad gita online and I have some questions.
So Arjun and Krishna are engaged in some sort of war I get that, but between whom? Why are they fighting? How did this whole thing get started? Also when are these events believed to have taken place?

 

[Madhuri]

Hello! You will get a lot of different answers about the 'when' of the war. Believers in the actual event place it over 5000 years ago.

The war is between two dynasties: the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who are relatives. In short, the Kauravas are jealous and not very nice people. They are responsible for starting the war. Arjuna is one of the Pandavas and though he does not want to participate, Krishna is explaining that it is his duty, his responsibility.

Here is a link with a summary that I posted on another thread earlier today: Mahabharata - synopsis

 

[Madhuri]

The Mahabharata is the biggest epic story ever. I am not aware off any greater than it. The Bhagavad Gita is a single chapter of the Mahabharata, toward the end.

It's hard to find a short summary that gives it justice, I think the one I provided is ok but if you have any further questions I am sure I can help.

 

[chinu]

Greetings!
I have began reading the Bhagavad gita online and I have some questions.
So Arjun and Krishna are engaged in some sort of war I get that, but between whom?

Like other wars, this war was also between wordly people of that time.

Why are they fighting? How did this whole thing get started?

Like other wars on this earth, this was also fighted for the sake of land, money, ego.

Also when are these events believed to have taken place?

Nearly 3000 years before.

 

[Polarbear]

Thanks for your answers they helped a lot! Wow I didn't know Bhagavad gita was a part of the Mahabharata.

 

[Jainarayan]

The Mahabharata is the biggest epic story ever. I am not aware off any greater than it. The Bhagavad Gita is a single chapter of the Mahabharata, toward the end.

One hundred thousand verses make The Mahabharata the longest epic in human history. It is larger than at least the Illiad and Odyssey combined. The Bhagavad Gita is somewhere around 740(?) verses... tiny compared to The Mahabharata itself.

 

[Jainarayan]

Thanks for your answers they helped a lot! Wow I didn't know Bhagavad gita was a part of the Mahabharata.

Yes, because the whole point was that as the armies were arrayed and poised for battle, Arjuna began to lose (what 'began to lose'? he did lose) his nerve about having to kill his own kinsmen, and threw down his bow, refusing to fight. That's when Krishna, Arjuna's charioteer, spoke The Bhagavad Gita to him (actually it was a two way dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna). In the grand scope of The Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita was just a small conversation. But the importance and impact of those 700+ lines is enormous.

 

[Chewbarker1054]

Yes, because the whole point was that as the armies were arrayed and poised for battle, Arjuna began to lose (what 'began to lose'? he did lose) his nerve about having to kill his own kinsmen, and threw down his bow, refusing to fight. That's when Krishna, Arjuna's charioteer, spoke The Bhagavad Gita to him (actually it was a two way dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna). In the grand scope of The Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita was just a small conversation. But the importance and impact of those 700+ lines is enormous.

I quite agree the impact is enormous and like many other scriputres the words are open to a huge range of meanings. I am just working my way through Abhinavagupta's commentary on the gita - very intresting as he is coming from a school of thought outside that of vedanta!

 

[Shuddhasattva]

Namaste

The Kauravas (and Karna) and the Pandavas, and their respective armies, are fighting with one another. The Mahabharata is simultaneously an exoteric account of a historical epic, and an esoteric account of internal yoga in the path to become an avadhut as achieved by Yudhisthira (the eldest of the pandavas, who is Dharma personified)

The 100 Kauravas and 5 Pandavas are cousins pitted against one another in a struggle for royal succession by a matrix of factors that trace away in many different directions. Fundamentally, the esoteric account is about how Sri Krishna, in order to eliminate all the demons and arrogant, irresponsible worldly powers from the earth before the kali yuga dawns, manipulates events on heaven and earth in order to foment a war to end the age, which officially ended with the death of Krishna's human body. It's a progressive revelation of Krishna's divinity and mission climaxing in Arjuna's chariot, when Krishna reveals himself in full.


Esotertically, the Kauravas are ignorance personified, and the 100 sons of Dhritarashtra represent the nadis (channels of subtle energy) through which one is taken away from the pure consciousness into material fixations, and subject/object dualities. This is resolved by placing the reins of one's lower mind and senses - which are like animals into the hands of god/guru,, after positioning one's vehicle in between ignorance and knowledge, seeking refuge in the guru's transmission of truth. The Pandavas (the pranas), united by the will of Draupadi, represent the single nadi by which one travels to the lotus-altar of the heart, and by performing the appropriate oblations and sacrifices, ascends the sushumna to god realization and liberation while still living.

I quite agree the impact is enormous and like many other scriputres the words are open to a huge range of meanings. I am just working my way through Abhinavagupta's commentary on the gita - very intresting as he is coming from a school of thought outside that of vedanta!

I agree, Abhinavagupta's commentary is beautiful, but I am not sure he is outside of vedanta.

Namaste

 

[Polarbear]

Okay thanks for your good and long responses. I have finishied reading the gita now, it was pretty interesting. Is there any particular text or part of a text you would recommend I look into next if I am interested in Hinduism?

 

[Shuddhasattva]

Namaste

Upanishads next, then the brahma sutra, then the yoga sutra, then decide between the agamas and the puranas.

 

[Polarbear]

Okay thanks, I am pretty sure I have seen online versions of those.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

And if not, there's always a bottle of rum. If ye catch me drift.

 

[Vrindavana Das]

Okay thanks for your good and long responses. I have finishied reading the gita now, it was pretty interesting. Is there any particular text or part of a text you would recommend I look into next if I am interested in Hinduism?

Wow! That was a pretty fast reading!

For a more detailed commentary and an in-depth explanation on the Bhagavad Gītā, you can give the following link a try, if you are interested...http://vedabase.net/bg/

EDIT: You will also find loads of other Hindu Scriptures here.

 

[Riverwolf]

Wow! That was a pretty fast reading!

The Gita can be read in a few hours. :yes:

 

[Riverwolf]

There's other commentaries here:

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

You'll probably quickly notice that different schools of thought are going to have somewhat different interpretations of it.

 

[Vinayaka]

There's other commentaries here:

Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

You'll probably quickly notice that different schools of thought are going to have somewhat different interpretations of it.

And relative importance ... some see it as THE scripture, while others see it as best an auxiliary one.

 

[Riverwolf]

Okay thanks for your good and long responses. I have finishied reading the gita now, it was pretty interesting. Is there any particular text or part of a text you would recommend I look into next if I am interested in Hinduism?

BTW, I HIGHLY recommend reading the Tirukkural, which is a text sometimes considered to be the "Tamil Veda."

 

[ratikala]

Namaste

The Kauravas (and Karna) and the Pandavas, and their respective armies, are fighting with one another. The Mahabharata is simultaneously an exoteric account of a historical epic, and an esoteric account of internal yoga in the path to become an avadhut as achieved by Yudhisthira (the eldest of the pandavas, who is Dharma personified)

The 100 Kauravas and 5 Pandavas are cousins pitted against one another in a struggle for royal succession by a matrix of factors that trace away in many different directions. Fundamentally, the esoteric account is about how Sri Krishna, in order to eliminate all the demons and arrogant, irresponsible worldly powers from the earth before the kali yuga dawns, manipulates events on heaven and earth in order to foment a war to end the age, which officially ended with the death of Krishna's human body. It's a progressive revelation of Krishna's divinity and mission climaxing in Arjuna's chariot, when Krishna reveals himself in full.


Esotertically, the Kauravas are ignorance personified, and the 100 sons of Dhritarashtra represent the nadis (channels of subtle energy) through which one is taken away from the pure consciousness into material fixations, and subject/object dualities. This is resolved by placing the reins of one's lower mind and senses - which are like animals into the hands of god/guru,, after positioning one's vehicle in between ignorance and knowledge, seeking refuge in the guru's transmission of truth. The Pandavas (the pranas), united by the will of Draupadi, represent the single nadi by which one travels to the lotus-altar of the heart, and by performing the appropriate oblations and sacrifices, ascends the sushumna to god realization and liberation while still living.


Namaste

jai jai , and it is for these reasons that the reading of the gita canot be rushed and should also be read in the context of the mahabharata first before embarking on study of the gita it self .
Traditionaly the gita should be read verse by verse and reflected upon in depth , only then can the esoteric meanings be fully obtained .

 

[Shuddhasattva]

BTW, I HIGHLY recommend reading the Tirukkural, which is a text sometimes considered to be the "Tamil Veda."

Seconded!