Bhagavad-gita Glimpse Chapter 2

In this episode, my husband and I will continue where we left off in our previous Bhagavad-gita chat. Arjuna has presented his arguments not to fight in the war and now, we will hear what Krishna has to say in response.

P.S. The next chat will be a little longer.

Transcript

In this episode,

My husband and I will continue where we left off in our previous Bhagavad Gita Chat.

We will talk about Chapter 2.

Hello Yogi!

Welcome to my podcast.

I'm Aiko and on this show we explore ways to put spiritual theory into sustainable practice.

Welcome again my dear Shamananda!

Thank you so much.

It's an honor to be here.

As usual,

It's also my honor to have you here.

So let's dive in into Chapter 2.

Can you just introduce us to Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita?

Yes.

So Chapter 2 is the first chapter in the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna starts to speak for real.

He only says maybe four words in the first chapter.

Very important words,

But not very elaborate.

And the main speaker in Bhagavad Gita's first chapter is Arjuna presenting his arguments not to take part in the war that is about to begin.

So what were Krishna's words in the first chapter?

It was just see all the Kurus assembled here and it referred to Arjuna's relatives who were on the opposite side on the battlefield and they represent Arjuna's attachments.

So that is the inner meaning of Krishna saying that because it is very obvious that the Kurus are there.

So he's saying it's a kind of poke at Arjuna and say like he's making an inner point that these are your attachments,

This is what you have to deal with.

Yeah.

So maybe we can do a very brief recap from Chapter 1 just to explain to maybe someone who didn't hear the first episode what is happening in Chapter 1.

Yes.

So what is happening there is that you have these two armies standing like facing each other but before the war is about to begin.

Like in these times the wars were very structured and kind of civilized.

Like they wouldn't fight until the signal had come and also in the evenings for example they would stop and they could even go and associate with one another on the opposite sides and then go back the next day and continue fighting.

There's actually been similar things happening in the last two episodes.

There was something happening in more recent wars like in World War I.

In Germany there were opposing sides playing soccer at night and then going back to fight each other.

But when the leaders on the respective sides found out they put a stop to this.

Like I said we can't risk such things.

But there are actually even photos of of kind of how happy they were when they can just kind of play at night.

So it's just the same.

Like this was more of a tradition back then that you kind of had some honor.

Like there was no backstabbing and things like that.

You kind of fought honestly.

So they were standing kind of waiting for the signal for the war to begin and Arjuna asks Krishna to bring.

.

.

Krishna is Arjuna's charioteer here.

And Arjuna asks Krishna to bring him in between the two armies so that he can see who he's going to fight with.

And so Krishna does that and he stops the chariot in front of those who Arjuna was the most attached to on the other side.

And then Arjuna presents his arguments why he does not want to fight.

So what Krishna is saying now in chapter two.

Yes so Arjuna has been giving a lot of kind of educated arguments and Krishna begins very heavily by saying that although you speak kind of learned words you're a fool.

So it's very very strong words.

The thing is Arjuna does have good arguments but he's not honest.

With himself.

Yes.

He's not saying the real reason he does not want to fight and that is actually like a weakness with not wanting to combat his own ego.

And they are kind of like his attachments on the other side are actually kind of extensions of his ego.

And he does not want to kill his ego.

So it sounds like he's being very noble and non-violent but actually in this specific case in this war there is no loss for anyone.

Because everyone who dies in a holy war like this they will all go to heaven or better.

So the actual reason he does not want to fight is that he does not want to kill his ego.

And the ego is the basis of like attachment to your own ego is the basis of violence.

So it is tricky that there is a verse later on in Bhagavad Gita that says that there can be action in inaction and inaction in action.

So in the same way that there can be violence in non-violence and there can be non-violence in violence.

So it's actually you kind of have to tune in to this kind of subtle reality to appreciate.

Yeah and can we say that the chapter two is somehow an overview a presentation of all Bhagavad Gita?

Yes.

Some commentators and translators they kind of give that as a name of the second chapter like a summary of Bhagavad Gita or an overview.

So you can say that the first chapter is like a prelude and then the second chapter is an overview and then when we come to the last chapter,

Chapter 18,

We again have like a conclusion that also has like a summary.

Yeah,

But an overview.

So would you like to say something about this overview maybe to present what it will happen afterwards in the Bhagavad Gita?

Yes,

So Krishna will go through different spiritual paths.

He will present different spiritual paths and their goals and compare them and discuss who is qualified to to tread the respective path.

He's speaking about the different kind of yoga,

Right?

Yes,

Like karma yoga,

Jnana yoga,

Bhakti yoga,

Ashtanga yoga,

Etc.

And here in this so in the second chapter he's it's not like Krishna is saying.

So in this like in this discourse here I will go yeah go exactly it's not enough he is giving an overview but like kind of by just inadvertently giving an overview.

So he begins by lifting the conversation from the kind of like sophisticated but still like worldly arguments of Arjuna and bring it up to the platform of spirit like spirit over matter.

So he speaks at length about the qualities of the soul,

How it's different from the body,

For example,

How it's never born and it never dies.

It cannot be destroyed and all this and then he like after so after giving Arjuna this bird's eye vision he comes back down to earth and responds to Arjuna like on the level where Arjuna first presented his arguments and he says like what like while Arjuna is kind of saying that it would be irreligious to fight Krishna is showing him that actually it would be irreligious not to fight.

And interestingly like you like you asked me about this this chapter a couple days ago so I was listening to a class yeah class yeah to a class by our spiritual teacher Swami Tripurari and he and there he was talking about these things and he mentioned that he had just written an article on violence and non-violence in the Bhagavad Gita and then just the day after yesterday that same article which was like the class I was listening to was from 20 years ago and yesterday this article that he mentioned was reposted on a website.

That's super interesting.

Yeah.

So tell us a little bit more about this article.

Yes so the first point that Swami makes there is that although Bhagavad Gita is played out on a battlefield Krishna brings up the concept of Ahimsa several times and he so he shows like at what points at what parts of Bhagavad Gita this this concept comes up.

Which is non-violence for those who don't know.

Yes thank you sorry.

And in one of the places where he discusses or where he mentions non-violence is when he talks about forms of knowledge so he he lists Ahimsa non-violence as a form of knowledge.

Okay.

So this is that's very interesting so it means like when you have knowledge of how things are in reality then you will naturally be non-violent like if you really understand reality you will be you will become non-violent so like that is for example understanding these things that about the ego about objectification of others so like if you understand those things then then you will you will act accordingly and you will be become non-violent for real not just yes acting exactly exactly you you'll understand it at the root.

So would you say that like a summary of chapter two is that like the concept of being non-violent for real from inside?

Yes like that you could say is the it's actually the the kind of topic of the whole Bhagavad Gita which is like which is like again like paradoxical because it is on a battlefield yeah but it's about actually becoming non-violent in the real sense of the term and then after answering Arjuna on his level Krishna is kind of giving a starting to give like a synthesis to kind of have this high knowledge of spirit that he was just up at before and then coming down to earth but then like let's say like let's say even if we just even if we have knowledge about the spirit we may not be able to act but that doesn't mean that we should just be kind of totally like materialistic yeah just ignorant and materialistic we have to find some kind of middle way and that is what the conditioner starts to give there and he gives he starts to teach about how to kind of act within the realm of karma but in such a way that you you eventually transform and and become liberated and not like not further entangled entangled and it's it's a it's very deep and like you really have to think because it's for example also like another synchronicity these days like today our friend posted and posted on our on this Facebook group Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 text 47 yeah and his thoughts is like say that also yeah yeah that was kind of funny like like it's all it's all kind of following the speech yeah exactly it's like just helping us yeah it's kind of synchronistic sequence yeah so there he's that verse is one of those verses trying to kind of connect like where we are with with where we want to go ultimately and it's saying that Krishna is telling Arjuna that you have the right to to perform your duty that which you are born to do like that which is kind of your your dharma dharma which means your your nature like what you are like what is you in this world even if that's not your eternal self you have the right to perform that but do not be attached to the results of your of your work and do not see yourself as the cause of the result and that's very much related with karma yoga right yes yes exactly like yeah this this is an example yeah this is an example of him like giving a few few saying a few words about for example karma yoga and then there will be whole chapter or or a couple chapters about karma yoga for example so this is how this second chapter can be seen as a an overview do you remember the last point oh yes never be attached to not doing your duty because like when if we hear that we have the right to perform our duty like to act according to our nature but not but we should not consider ourselves entitled to the fruits of our action and we should not consider ourselves the cause of the results of our activities even though even though it may seem like it yeah but then and then we may ask but then why should we do anything so therefore Krishna says never be attached to not doing your duty because and this is like this is kind of cryptic but it's uh it's kind of like a secret to to kind of gradually transcend our our material personality yeah while still engaging with it very beautiful thank you thank you too okay so i think we are done for chapter two and uh see you for chapter three next time in 20 days no in two weeks yes i hope this episode fulfilled its purpose of inspiring you if you like it feel free to share it give a review or a rating subscribe and if you have any questions please get in touch at aiko yogareiki.

Com namaste