For a man who is become addicted to two and three-minute video clips of mostly distracted avoidance, I'm pleased that I sat for the full 30 minutes of this beautiful and insightful introduction to the Gita. I was also struck by your easy inclusion and cross-references to other faiths and passages in other pieces of the wisdom literature. I have come to know you through your monthly essay in Unity magazine and am therefore always eager to hear what you have to say. Thank you for being a fine and humble teacher. I would like to have a glass of wine with you.
Sheldon, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much. I had to laugh about your remark about video length -- you're absolutely right. We're all conditioned to the two-three minute video length. Every RUclips consultant will tell you to keep it short. But in these videos, made essentially for my online philosophy students at Southwestern College, I let the material guide me. It takes what it takes. You can't encapsulate the insights of great wisdom literature in sound bites. Thanks for watching the whole thing! Altogether, this series will be five episodes. I shot all five yesterday, and am uploading episode three as we speak. And thanks too for the shout out about my Unity Magazine column!
@@PeterBolland you're very welcome. It was my pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you ever find yourself in western Massachusetts, by all means, reach out to me and I will gladly support your journey in any way I can. I'm easy to find on Google.
@@PeterBolland *Also, correction, The Vedas were not only written by the brahmin caste. It was written by people who were wise enough to write it. Great women have also contributed to the Vedas. The caste system is actually a British fabrication based on the much more complex Varna system and the Gotra which was non-discriminatory and flexible. Valmiki himself, was born in the Shudra varna and yet wrote The Ramayan. There was no discrimination in ancient India.*
@@Steadysalesgood to see 2 experienced matured middle aged men talking respectfully and peacefully to each other. Generally we youngsters see millennials and Gen Z trolling and abusing each other over the silliest of disagreements here.
Lord Krishna as Arjun's driver itself is full of symbolism and philosophy. One side it breaks the traditional rule of high and low position. And other side it represents God as the driving force of everything and we are just it's manifestation.
Thank you Peter for bringing up Joseph Campbell. I had been an ignorant aspirant lifetime. At 11 I felt God within. The religious construct of today will buffet you about like a ping pong ball in a squall. After a near death experience where I stood outside myself and saw what I can only describe as self seeing self my body on the floor looking up at myself as things went black. Before that I knew when these eyes close they will never open again, I realized My life’s mistake which was being a materialist with the Jesus teaching not to store treasure on earth ,reality sank in and now I knew what to work on but I was not going to be here to implement it I essentially died with that regret or sorrow. After an audience with what I can never describe in words adequate to the task, I feel that by some miracle I was restored after these words “ You can come across now but you will have to go back as you are not finished.” That was 7-23-1995. Those words haunt me to this day. It was 2 years after I was introduced to Joe. The journey began and continues today. It became a moral imperative to study every religious system in search of what was that I ran into that day. Eknath Eswaren’s translation of the Upanishad’s , the Gita and the Dhammapada have been the most lucid and heartwarming I have encountered in my 27 year quest for what I believe was an audience with The Devine as my life course was set in the correct direction for my duty in this pass. My body is what would have died that day as I stood over me not the self. Big stuff. This is the first I have written of that day. Sorry for the length.
Thank YOU Thomas for your sharing your remarkable story here with us. Joseph Campbell in such an important teacher--he changed everything. I have my world mythology students read his masterpiece "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" every semester. (In fact, you can find a five-part video series I did about that book in a playlist on this RUclips channel).
I ordered the book Saturday night on Amazon and it came the following Sunday morning, I paid only 8$ . This is not my favorite translation but now I finally know why it's so popular, it's a great deal!
There are several translations & narrations available.Hope you find one that helps you understand life's goal. If I may suggest , Sri Aurobindo's The message of the Gita is a great version to pick. Lastly, you absolutely need a guru, preferably from the Vedanta school , to guide you on this beautiful' journey.
Beautiful and practical explanation of Ch 1 and 2 of the Bhagawad Gita..I must say that you know in depth much more than a lot of Hindus like me do on the Bhagavad Gita..You are absolutely right that it should be understood in a metaphorical form as it tries to convey a meaning..I have understood the Bhagavad Gita in my own way as a sort of psychotherapy given to Arjuna by the lord himself..It also shows that even a brilliant warrior like Arjuna has feet of clay showing the human vulnerabilities..This can be observed even in history where great and also infamous/notorious emperors and millitary leaders like Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Frederick the great, Charlemagne, Richard lionheart of England, Horatio Nelson, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussollini etc fell by the wayside ultimately on account of achilles heel or feet of clay...The psychotherapy of the lord extolls Arjuna to do his "dharma" or I will call it duty for a higher cause..Many times we may not like or be very anxious or even repugnant to do certain things but we have to do it..I am a history buff so i like to relate to that...World War 2 is a classic example of dharma in war where many American GIs and Soviet Red Army soldiers fought one of the bloodiest battles in history as a dharma to rid the world of the evil ideology of Nazism...It was an ugly war but the allied forces under Montgomerys command had to do it..Another important example of dharma was the Civil War in your country fought by Abraham Lincoln (one of the greatest US Presidents and world personalities of all time)..It was a bloody war between the North and South but it was for a higher objective that is the "abolition of slavery".. So dharma I feel is doing an action or duty which may appear unpleasant but which is important in fulfilling a higher goal or objective....
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I agree with your take on dharma. For me it's the key to the whole Gita--how we are to move honorably through a world that is in a sense defined by horror. Or as Joseph Campbell put it, "It's a beautiful opera, but it hurts." And we are already, unavoidably, participating in it. The only choice left is HOW.
WOW! What an insightful introduction to the Gita, teaching that i have heard about for most of my life but never learned or explored. i will certainly watch/study the rest of the Gita videos. When the pupil is ready the teacher arrives and i feel like i am ready for the gita. i've studied philosophical Taoism for about 20 years, which, i believe has prepared me for "the Gita". And, your style of teaching is so warm and welcoming it warms my heart and feeds my soul. Thanks.
Aw thanks Jerry for your kind words! I appreciate you watching and commenting. Thanks for finding me. Enjoy the rest of the series. Check out my channel for more playlists you might enjoy.
Read it for yourself. Call no man teacher or rabbi. Call no man on earth your Father. These teachings are Spiritually discerned. He planted the seed. It is up to you here forward to plant the seed and watch it grow. Seek ye the kingdom. It is within you. Not, seek others to tell you. You have an individual purpose. You alone will get there.
Thank you Juan. The carved wood chest and bookcase were made by my grandfather a hundred years ago in the Netherlands. I'm honored to have them. My two brothers have other equally beautiful pieces.
Thank you for teaching Bhagavad Gita to everyone. You will also learn alot definitely. This book can change our life and vision. Learnt a lot through Bhagavad Gita. Learnt to cope with everything.
The battle of Kurukṣetra took place more than 5100 years ago. Kṛṣṇa left the earth about 5123 years ago. And the battle took place about 36 years before he left.
Mahabharatam took place about 5000 years ago. Also at the end of Bhagavat Gita Krishna says " I have explained everything to you Arjuna, now it's upto you. Take the decision of your choice"
I read the Osho's commantary on geeta. It comes in 8 volumes and I loved it. He explained it very nicely shlok by Shlok and it's not translation but actual deep meaning. Also sometimes he explained difficult sanskrit word with enormous details and example. I request you to read it also.
What a great series of videos to accompany the book, I’m fairly new to the Bhagavad Gita and these videos are brilliant to watch alongside reading, thank you.
Thank you for this sincere and an absolutely brilliant introduction! As the pinned comment rightly says - I'm so glad I didn't skip this 30 min intro! Honestly, I wanted it to go on for longer haha. I just bought a copy yesterday and I can't wait to read it. Will definitely watch your videos alongside. I'm really looking forward to watching your Upanishad playlist as well. I've subscribed already. Once again, thank you for taking the time and effort to do this 🙏
Wonderful, Peter, I was engrossed throughout. I've been studying the Gita for some years now but you really brought it alive for me in this video. Thank you and keep up the good work 🙏
OH MY GOD am I in trouble now. I am totally addicted to your videos sir!! I hope like hell I have the wisdom to break away and get my work done or I'm going broke soon.
There is only one true battle that Arjuna was grappling with (and that we are all grappling with): the battle to align with the truth and not succumb to ignorance.
I sincerely thank you for doing this and Bravo! You are doing such great job. I have read this book multiple times and every time I read it, it is as good as the first time. Love and light your way.
@@PeterBolland But how did you learn this ? I have seen a lot of people getting in only superficially correct ! One essence of thE Gita is that remove god and its still remains valid - Karma is duty Dharma is righteousness , but not associated with god. It is absolute. Your karma has to follow dharma You may not be be a devotee, but its not devotion that matters to god. Your karma is what defines you. Devotion cannot overrule bad karma.
G-d became as I AM so that I could become as He is. He/It plays all the parts. That is how come we must forgive. God is in all. If you seek a God outside yourself, you are worshipping the wrong God. Go within. Know thyself.
I enjoyed watching this video. The war in the Mahabharata is symbolic. Arjuna becomes the soul of the man and Krishna the charioteer of the soul. The wheels of the chariot are "Right effort"., the driver is dharma or the truth. The chariot leads to Nirvana or the Kingdom of heaven. The end of the journey is free from fear. A spiritual reader of the Gita will find in it the great spiritual struggle o fa human soul. The war imagery is even used by Krishna in the Gita at the end of chapter 3 when he says: "Be a warrior and kill desire, the powerful enemy of the soul".
Sir , bhagwad Geeta no 200BCE year old . This is almost 5200year old .when arjun confused in war bcoz opposition were their brothers. This is talk in war field . Also thanks for sharing
Arjuna's despair was him acting out in his ego. Him wanting to run away was in a way his ignorance and arrogance of him because it meant the war would not take place if he didn't participate in it. War was going to take place and Krishna showed him how Ego comes disguised as sorrow and despair.
Just a bit of information here: Krishna's own Army which is called the Narayani Sene fights on the side of the Kurus and against Arjuna ! It was the largest and the most powerful army in the Mahabharat
Kṛṣṇa, and all other avatāras of God are directly God. Incarnation doesn’t mean lesser in any way. The forms of the Viṣṇu avatāras are not material. They are completely transcendental. A particular avatāra form may appear “human like” but it is not composed of matter.
fun fact. The name arjuna translates roughly to white or silver. It is cognate to the latin argentum from which words like Argentina is derived. The symbol for silver in the periodic table is Ag. Arjun is a warrior. With his armor and sword, he is the the shining knight. A wielder of silver.
Arjuna did not suggest it was a sin to kill. He was a warrior and had killed many thousands of people. He was suggesting (erroneously) that it would be a sin to kill his “own” people who were responsible for protecting and upholding “kula dharma” or familial religious traditions.
@@bradlyfrench6061 120 If you are Red or Blue You really do not get the gist of things crrow777. i am learning every day. History is a lie agreed upon.
This is going to be a very long comment, and I apologize in advance. This is an old video, and I am not sure if you will read my comment or not. I rarely comment on videos, but your calmness and intuition about the Vedantic philosophy made me write this comment to share my views of the Gita with you, to help you (and me) to get a deeper understanding of the Gita. I came across the Bhagvat-Gita a few years ago. I was born and brought up in India, in a devout Hindu Family, but never was very interested in religious texts and rituals. I found the Gita when I was going through a hard time, and that forced me to seek solace in God, or at least something to show me the way. The problem (or a benefit) with the Gita is that different authors have differing views on the philosophy and how you interpret the Gita depends on the version that you read. Some commentaries mistranslate the Gita to match their own philosophy or beliefs, which doesn't give you the complete picture, or even a wrong perception of the Gita. I started reading the most popular version of the Gita in India, which is the "Bhagvad-gita - As it is" by AC Prabhupada, and immediately found multiple mistranslations in the second chapter itself, which makes the Gita sound very authoritative (which you may even guess from the title of the book) and discriminatory, due to which I gave up reading it. But God has a way of guiding you. I came across multiple versions that helped me to get a better and deeper understanding. I want to share them with you, and you may explore them, if you're interested. I am still reading it and constantly going back to earlier chapters when I get a new understanding in the later chapters to reinterpret the earlier chapters. It's a constant exercise of self-discovery. The versions I found the most helpful are: 1. Bhagvad-Gita Sadhak Sanjeevni, published by Gita Press - The Gita press is the largest publishers of Sanskrit texts in India and their commentaries and translations are considered the most accurate and authentic by most of the Sanskrit scholars. They have multiple commentaries on the Gita, but the version I mention is their most comprehensive commentary on the Gita. They analyse the meaning and significance of each and every word, provide a commentary for each Shloka (Verse) and then after every few shlokas, they provide a combined commentary of the previous few shlokas to give you a full understanding. They also use multiple stories and anecdotes to explain the concepts. This version is considered the most analytical and accurate version of the Gita. The only disadvantage is that it sometimes goes into so much detail that you forget the original context and the text may sometime become monotonous and boring to the uninitiated. Also, the English version has some spelling mistakes, which you'll have to be mindful of in case you decide to read it. 2. The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda - This commentary while being closer to the Gita Press version in the spiritual context, provides a modern commentary of the shlokas. The translations are accurate, and personally I find this version more engaging as compared to the Gita press one. The Gita press still being the best translation available, I recommend this for the beginners to get a deeper understanding without being bored. Also, this version is available for free on amazon for the Kindle version. I haven't read the Eknath Eeswaran translation, but it seems to be popular among some modern audience in and outside India, so I cannot comment on that. But if you want to get a really deep understanding of the Gita, you can read the above two books. Also, I don't want to discourage you from reading any other version (even the As it is version). You may read multiple versions, but you should create a personalised view for getting the most benefits. This, in essence, is the whole Indian philosophy of being the seeker of the truth, as commented by many others on this video. But unfortunately, many people have forgotten this and fight people on when the war happened, what are the dates and other irrelevant things. I wish you all the best for the journey ahead.
Thank you so much for watching, and for taking the time to contribute your insights into the various English translations of the Gita available to readers. I really appreciate it! And yes, Eknath Easwaran's translation is the most popular one in the English-speaking West, judging by its number one position on Amazon. Plus, it's respected in academic circles for its delicate balance of accuracy, accessibility, and poetry. It is really, really nice.
@@PeterBolland Indeed I presumed it was a slip of the tongue ... but by far your presentation is awesome and thanks for your input about the very important Gita!
Hi. This is a frequent comment and a frequent confusion. Two things are being conflated here. The first is when the alleged events supposedly happened. And the second is when the text was written. You are correct that the events described in the Gita transpired thousands of years before the Common Era. But global academic consensus places the composition of the Bhagavad Gita itself around 200 BCE-200 CE.
Here in the American English-speaking world we spell it "varna," which originally meant "color" (or "colour" if you prefer British English). And it's translated as "caste." So varna and caste are the same, no?
@@PeterBolland Yes, varna can be translated as caste, but one must keep in mind that the varna system of the earlier Vedic period was far less rigid than the strong social structure that was implemented in the middle/Puranic ages of Indian history. The varna system evolved over centuries as kingdoms began expanding and as a rigid social structure was developed. In the earlier Vedic period there appears to be a lot more fluidity in the varna system, and it doesn't seem to involve any of the later social structures and superstitions regarding untouchability.
Varna and caste are not same. Varna- varna means class. Hindu religion mentions varna there are 4 varna 1) brahaman - means teacher, priest , everyone who study the all aspects of life and guide others 2) kshtriya- worriers their job is to protect rest of class i.e brahman, vaishya, shudra 3) vaishya-businessmen community their job is to do business and bring wealthto all classes 4)shudra-their job is to give services to above class. We can call them ordinary people. Even today also we can put people into this 4 class i.e varna and varna has nothing to do with skin colour Caste- hindu scripture nowhere mentions caste system. in india we call caste as 'jaati' which means occupation. If someone say his jaati i.e caste is 'sonar' means from generation to generation their family is in jwellery business. If someone say they belong to 'kumbhar' caste means from generation to generation they are in pottery business. Based on caste they can relate to which varna they belong. Hinduism says your birth do not decide which class you belong but your qualities decides but later people exploid this system. Because its human nature to find out ways to prove how they are superior to other. At the end all are part of brahmand (universe).
Excellent teaching, you are very good at grasping attention. Few things I don't agree: You keep mentioning caste (Kshatriya, Bramhana etc.) That is not caste, that is varna means classed people based on their skills and professional qualities. Mahabharata is around the time of Buddha? I think it is much older (few thousand years) than that. Also there are many scientists, archeologists etc who have demonstrated evidence that Mahabharata is real, it is ancient history although I too find many things which wades into mythical description.
Thank you for watching and commenting, and for your kind words. As to the confusion between caste, class, and varna, I appreciate hearing your perspective. My understanding is that varna literally means "color" referring to skin color (originally anyway). In American English varna is translated as caste. Here, class refers to economic and social status--one might move up or down. But caste (like skin color) is hereditary and therefore moving out of one's caste is not possible. And yes, over the centuries certain specific professions became associated with the different caste. So you're right, caste and class are not exactly the same.
Additionally varna was not hereditary. Varna also has a different meaning apart from color. One of the reason varna system was set was to ensure innocent civilians are not killed during war. Each varna wore a different color thread (Janoi) to be recognized. Caste system permeated into Hinduism due to decadence.
Arjuna is not an ordinary man. He is a human incarnation of Indra. Our understanding of what Kṛṣṇa has spoken in the Gītā would only be a fraction of what Arjuna understood. But God’s word will always be uplifting , even if our understanding is limited.
Respected sir, there are 4 yugas recurring one after other names as satyug, dwaparyug, kaliyug. So he came into dwaparyug and according to vedic philosophy satyuga is about 1800000, dwaparyuga about 1300000, tretayuga about 800000, and on last kaliyuga 600000 in which we are living. When lord krishna left, he left before kaliyuga and kali has started already and it has been around 6000 years when mahabharta happened. I suggest you also reading about cosmic philosophy even there is age mentioned of cosmos our universe also there is a story of brahma visiting lord krishna to have a darshan of him but lord krishna asked which brahma then krishna appeared infinite brahma's in front of him. Brahma four head in vedic philosophy represent our universe and a god of universe. Kindly read it and what is your opinion on that. Personally I practice brahamcharya and do image meditation of lord krishna. Sometimes I go into deep trances. The more I read about vedas, upnishads, geeta I came to know that lord shiva is also giving same gyan(knowlegde) , vishnu, krishna and brahma and so on. Sorry If i am little bit rude no religion in world gives vedic mantras when heard transcends us into another world and leave a question to us who we are(the real atman) neither I want to go into heaven nor I wish to be in the hell but absorbed in sachidananda( truth,conscious, infinite bliss). Krishna says when a person goes to heaven. He has to come back to incarnate on earth when his fruits are finished and he has told to be in him and do your duties. There are 18 yog marg(paths) by which we can attain moksha. Our karmas do not leave till our death and bind us and keep us ready for next birth according to the actions done by us. Hope you will reply my comment sorry if i am bit rude. I also request you to listen shivoham mantra. When I listened I almost got my all answers.
The Supreme Soul, The Ocean of Knowledge, incorporeal God Father Shiva incarnates into the body of Brahma in Bharat (India) at the end of the World Drama Cycle. God speaks the murli through the lotus mouth of Brahma (the true Gita) This is remembered by the festival Shiv Ratri or Shiv Jayanti, the birthday of Shiva. His descent or incarnation is to purify the impure and to transform Hell into Heaven. This is also why He is remembered as the Purifier Father the Benefactor, and the Bestower of Salvation. Brahma will take birth as Krishna in the new world and rule the kingdom (The Golden Age) as Narayan after his inauguration with Lakshmi in year 1-1-1
The mantras of the Vedas are apauruśeya. They are not composed or written by anyone. They are authorless and eternal. They come into this world when Brahmā begins creation.
2:13 I think there is little misunderstanding there those who write vedas were not brahmin because they were born in brahmin they were brahmin because they choose that path early it was fluid anyone can become brahmin with time it become rigid and become birth base we known by genetic study around 500 ad it becomes most rigid because by that time no inter caste marriage happen
Thank you for clarifying that. In these very brief and general videos, I sometimes gloss over complexities in the interest of focusing on the core themes under consideration. I appreciate the added depth.
War of Mahabharata is very similar to American Civil war. In both cases the war only started after the winning side tried its best to avoid war and the arrogant losing side chose selfishness over righteousness Imagine if Lincoln’s General had said something like what Arjuna told Krishna. Lincoln would have told him the same, do your duty and live to your honor
Yes but with Arjunas situation it's more complex. Arjuna is waging a war against his own beloved teacher who considers him to be a favourite student. Who loved Arjuna more than his own Son. Arjuna had to wage a war against his cousin brothers with whom he played, enjoyed, grew up, had a good time. He had to wage a war against his Grandfather who placed Arjuna in his lap when he was a child and told stories, laughed together, joked around. He had to wage a war against one of his own blood brother. So Arjuna is basically waging a war against his own family. Imagine yourself in Arjunas situation. Your opposition side is none other than your close friends and family members you grew up with with. Imagine how Arjuna must have suffered. He had to slice his own loved ones. Thats why he got depressed and he was shaking when he was trying to lift his bow.
@@phoenixj1299 It seems you still didn’t get the message, emotionalism is stupid and dispassionate duty of Dharma is the right way. Just like a policeman is expected to arrest his own brother if he commits a crime, a soldier is expected to fight his own brother if he wages a war against his nation
@@Vlog-hu8gb Comparing gita to american civil war lol. You do realise that lincoln was a shrewd politician right? And he himself explicitly said he would be willing to free none of the slaves if it meant keeping the union. He passed the emancipation proclamation only to prevent an european intervention in the civil war
I really appreciate your love towards gita and inference which u draw and explain to the viewers which so immersive but I object when u say "mythology". Mahabharat and ramayan is our very own part of conscious religious history. Eternal evergreen for posterity. Pls I request u to refrain from word mythology.
Hi Neeraj. I think you and I are using the words "myth" and "mythology" differently. In my line of work, (the academic study of religion and mythology), we do NOT use the word "myth" to mean falsehood. For me, a myth is a great truth best conveyed through allegory, story, and metaphor. Myths are our greatest truths. This is a distinction I work very hard to help my students understand. But I realize that out here, in public discourse, the word "myth" means a false story that didn't happen. That's certainly not how I'm using it. I make these videos for my college students, where we've already settled this question. But now that so many others are viewing my videos (which is wonderful!) I see that confusion is occurring.
Thank you for clearing myth as metaphor not lies or falsehood. My lesson is to neither like nor dislike those too ignorant to study that word more deeply. Joseph Campbell helped me immensely regarding myth as I once thought it meant falsehoods. Now I simply smile to myself when I hear ignorant folks use it that way as it reminds me of me.
The word caste is never even mentioned in the Hindu texts. The word is Varna , ones actions describe him not his birth. You can be a warrior , brahman , businessmen or a worker. All depends on your works not birth. And no hierarchy either. The hierarchy is created by the people through time . The so called upper caste brahman were always the poorest when it came to wealth. Today wealth is = class
Varna and caste is same. The varna you were born in this life is based on ur karma of previous life. The chaturvarnam system as described in chapter 4 verse 13 does not imply that you can change varna 50 times a day just by doing different things
@@pradyumnabanerjee3333 doing different things doesn't mean choosing a Varna, caste is entirely based on class system even some African countries have that. Varna means mostly your occupation and lifestyle which is not rigid
@@darthashpie Gita Chapter 4 verse 13 states: चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः। तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।। The four varnas have been created by Me in accordance with a classification of the gunas and karma. Even though I am the doer of that (act of creation of varnas), still know Me to be a non-doer and changeless. The gunas here refer to the nature of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, and action (karma) is described to be in accordance to this threefold distinction in Chapter 18 verse 19 Now that we know guna causes karma, where do these gunas come from and how do they influence Varna? Referring to chapter 18 verse 41 we see- ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप। कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः।।18.41।। 41. Of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas, as also of Sudras, O Parantapa, the duties are divided according to the qualities born of nature. The origin of Gunas (qualities) are now described by the lord to be "born from nature (i.e. Svabhav). This will be further explained by Adi Shankara's purport on the Sloka- "Sudras are separated from others-who are all mentioned together in one compound word- because *Sudras are of one birth and are debarred from the study of the Vedas.* Divided: The duties are allotted to each caste, as distinguished from those pertaining to the other castes. By what standard? - According to the qualities (gunas) born of nature. Nature (svabhava) is the Isvara's Prakriti, the Maya made up of the three gunas. It is in accordance with the gunas of the Prakriti that duties- such as serenity and the like are assigned to the Brahmanas, etc. respectively. Or to interpret yet in another way:- Nature (svabhava) is the tendency (Samskara, Vasana) in living beings *acquired by them in the past births, and manifesting itself in the present birth* by way of being ready to yield its effects : and *this nature is the source of the gunas*, it being impossible for the gunas to manifest themselves without a cause." To put it succinctly, The karma of past life determines the Svabhav within jivam, this Svabhav inherited from past life (which *cannot* be changed within the existing lifetime, by definition) determines the Guna presiding within a jiva, and this Guna finally culminates into Karma (action). Nowhere is it mentioned that Varna is occupation or economic position. It is not Karma that determines your Guna, it is your Guna which determines your karma, and one is born with their respective Gunas, which accordingly determines their caste. What you are claiming is scripturally invalid.
@@darthashpie it is not class because class can change multiple times in a lifetime. Have u read the mahabharata? Read the parable of matanga in anushasana parva to understand this
A quick Google search of legitimate scholarly sources shows that the Gita was written, as I said, between 200 BCE and 200 CE. Maybe slightly earlier, or later give or take a century or two.
@@PeterBolland ohhh... ok.. the key word here is "written" ... i should have asked... when did the Gita take place....would that have been apprx 2000yrs BCE? tnx
Sir its not 'caste' but it is 'varna' system which was purely based on the skills one has and duties one performs.. Varna is based upon occupation or personal nature, and there can be mobility possible among the four groups according to the skills one acquires and duties one does. Later 'caste' system was introduced by foreign invaders for their 'divide and rule' agenda. The word 'caste' itself is derived from Portuguese word 'casta'
@PeterBolland Sir thanks for the videos and sharing the knowledge of Bhagavad-Gita with the world 🙏. It is the essence and gist of the upanishads. I would also like to recommend you to watch videos from Swamy Sarvapriyananda of Ramakrishna paramahamsa order to learn more about advaita philosophy. Lastly Bhagavad-Gita dates back even before Gautama Buddha was born and His parents themselves belong to sanatana dharama religion.
Sir, may be the idol/Murti of Lord/Bhagwan ram and shiva are just objects or piece of art for you, but for us Hindus they are God, and we do not put their images and idols on Ground or below our seating position, So, i would like to request you to put them on tables and not on Ground because its disrespectful. And you look like a good person and i hope you will listen and respect our believes and i love this video...Hare Krishna...May Krishna Bless you Sir....😇
Hi Mukul, I appreciate you sharing your perspective here, and I hear you. Thank you for educating me on their proper use among devotional Hindus. And thank you for watching, and for your kind words.
Hi Prabha, no I don't. But I just Googled him, and he sounds fascinating. Here's the Wiki article if anyone's interested. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar
What’s puzzling to me is, did multiple sages come together thousands of years ago and compose this poem? Or is there a single poet who created this artifact. The concepts are pretty complex for one person to compose.
Veda is actually one....but the one Veda is divided into four vedas.....but the sage vyasa who is not happy after compelled vedas and he felt something missing so then he wrote Geetha ...... Note: vyasa has divine eye
Thank you for watching and commenting. The origin date of the Bhagavad Gita is widely disputed, with various individual scholars and schools of thought offering different dates. I am not a devotee of any particular darhana, and as an academic, I teach my college students to understand all of these questions and disputes, but I also use as a baseline the global academic consensus that the Gita was composed between 400 BCE and 200 CE--about two thousand years ago. Your idea that it was written around 2,000 BCE was widely held, so perhaps you were taught that in school. But most recent scholarship has amended that origin date to, at the earliest, the second half of the first millennium BCE.
The educated were Brahmins The word is varna - which means profession. Brahmins were priests, preachers, teachers, doctors, philosophers, mathematicians. The word Brahman itself means someone who has gained Brahma Gnan ( UNiversal Knowledge) . ThEY were maligned and reduced to a caste by the invaders who exploited the pluralistic values of Hindus
Joni, thanks for giving my channel a try. You’re right - the advertisements are annoying. But the teaching is free. I’ve just recently begun experimenting with monetizing. I may roll it back a bit, and start with eliminating those ad videos that interrupt the video. (I believe that’s what you’re referring to.) I appreciate the feedback. It matters.
@@PeterBolland Thank you, Peter. Time is not to be spent. It is meant to be an investment. To learn, grow and edify others not yet enlightened. Trust in the name of G-d: I AM. I am that I AM. Have you listened to Neville Goddard or Joel Goldsmith? They are pioneers. As well as Manly P. Hall. We, as individuals, put the puzzle together. God is your own wonderful, human imagination. If you want money, feel it. Imagine how you would feel if you had it. Live it. But, there are consequences. Consider the cost before you build it. Namaste.
@@PeterBolland All viewers have to do is scroll to the end of the video, hit replay and they add disappear You have every right to monetize your video You already giving video for free
. The date of mahabharath war is 5350BCE So Bhagavath githa is 5350bce and not @ christ time line Please refer to Nilesh oak authour of date of mahabharatha war Authnic with proof
One more thing I would like to suggest to you that everyone can discover something new of themselves from Bhagavad Gita Gandhi's point of view need not to be correlated always because it was his discovery and inference which is not necessary to be generalized for all. discover your own and apply to your life u will certainly find newer wisdom
Hi. My job is to teach these ideas to my American college students--that's the original purpose of these videos. Not being an expert myself, I rely on the academic consensus of scholars in the field--scholars from all over the world, inside India and out. Of course there are outliers who make different claims about the dating of this ancient timeline. When a global consensus among discipline experts changes as new evidence is upheld through a peer-reviewed process, I will the first to report that new consensus to my students, and to the viewers of my RUclips channel. But thanks for taking the time to watch my video and comment!
The Public comments are from people drooling over your continues monologue of bits and pieces from this Book. Most of them appears have not even heard of the saga. Or never even read a compact version of this exciting story. His quote ‘ the wise do not cry either for the living or the dead ‘ Can any man , women , wise or dumb follow this teaching? Today we are struggling to contain the evil unleashed by men of evil intent who are trying to corral the Poor and Just and in the process kill thousands of men , women ,children and even babies. Can we do harden our Hearts and not protest this and not feel the Anguish of the Families and be sorrowful at our helplessness . This quote is better than that of Jesus’ Turn the other cheek ‘ we have to understand the present and not live in the past.
For a man who is become addicted to two and three-minute video clips of mostly distracted avoidance, I'm pleased that I sat for the full 30 minutes of this beautiful and insightful introduction to the Gita. I was also struck by your easy inclusion and cross-references to other faiths and passages in other pieces of the wisdom literature. I have come to know you through your monthly essay in Unity magazine and am therefore always eager to hear what you have to say. Thank you for being a fine and humble teacher. I would like to have a glass of wine with you.
Sheldon, what a lovely comment! Thank you so much. I had to laugh about your remark about video length -- you're absolutely right. We're all conditioned to the two-three minute video length. Every RUclips consultant will tell you to keep it short. But in these videos, made essentially for my online philosophy students at Southwestern College, I let the material guide me. It takes what it takes. You can't encapsulate the insights of great wisdom literature in sound bites. Thanks for watching the whole thing! Altogether, this series will be five episodes. I shot all five yesterday, and am uploading episode three as we speak. And thanks too for the shout out about my Unity Magazine column!
@@PeterBolland you're very welcome. It was my pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to respond. If you ever find yourself in western Massachusetts, by all means, reach out to me and I will gladly support your journey in any way I can. I'm easy to find on Google.
@@PeterBolland *Also, correction, The Vedas were not only written by the brahmin caste. It was written by people who were wise enough to write it. Great women have also contributed to the Vedas. The caste system is actually a British fabrication based on the much more complex Varna system and the Gotra which was non-discriminatory and flexible. Valmiki himself, was born in the Shudra varna and yet wrote The Ramayan. There was no discrimination in ancient India.*
@@Steadysalesgood to see 2 experienced matured middle aged men talking respectfully and peacefully to each other.
Generally we youngsters see millennials and Gen Z trolling and abusing each other over the silliest of disagreements here.
Bhagavata Gita is cherished the most because it summarized all the streams of Yoga. It is the essence of the Vedic Period.
And it does it beautifully. 🙏🏼
Lord Krishna as Arjun's driver itself is full of symbolism and philosophy. One side it breaks the traditional rule of high and low position. And other side it represents God as the driving force of everything and we are just it's manifestation.
I agree completely. It's such a rich component of the overall metaphor of the "battlefield" as simply the field of action we all inhabit.
It shows that everything will be done by you, God is just a guide for you.
Thank you Peter for bringing up Joseph Campbell. I had been an ignorant aspirant lifetime. At 11 I felt God within. The religious construct of today will buffet you about like a ping pong ball in a squall. After a near death experience where I stood outside myself and saw what I can only describe as self seeing self my body on the floor looking up at myself as things went black. Before that I knew when these eyes close they will never open again, I realized My life’s mistake which was being a materialist with the Jesus teaching not to store treasure on earth ,reality sank in and now I knew what to work on but I was not going to be here to implement it I essentially died with that regret or sorrow. After an audience with what I can never describe in words adequate to the task, I feel that by some miracle I was restored after these words “ You can come across now but you will have to go back as you are not finished.” That was 7-23-1995. Those words haunt me to this day. It was 2 years after I was introduced to Joe. The journey began and continues today. It became a moral imperative to study every religious system in search of what was that I ran into that day. Eknath Eswaren’s translation of the Upanishad’s , the Gita and the Dhammapada have been the most lucid and heartwarming I have encountered in my 27 year quest for what I believe was an audience with The Devine as my life course was set in the correct direction for my duty in this pass. My body is what would have died that day as I stood over me not the self. Big stuff. This is the first I have written of that day. Sorry for the length.
Thank YOU Thomas for your sharing your remarkable story here with us. Joseph Campbell in such an important teacher--he changed everything. I have my world mythology students read his masterpiece "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" every semester. (In fact, you can find a five-part video series I did about that book in a playlist on this RUclips channel).
I ordered the book Saturday night on Amazon and it came the following Sunday morning, I paid only 8$ . This is not my favorite translation but now I finally know why it's so popular, it's a great deal!
What's your favorite English version?
There are several translations & narrations available.Hope you find one that helps you understand life's goal. If I may suggest , Sri Aurobindo's The message of the Gita is a great version to pick. Lastly, you absolutely need a guru, preferably from the Vedanta school , to guide you on this beautiful' journey.
I'm thinking of taking Yogananda the god talks with Arjuna
Bhagavad gita
no go for this version, or by swami adgadanand one.@@drpop_25
Yes! This is my favorite book on my shelf!!!
One of the greats.
Eknath's translation of the Gita is my favorite of all time. Thanks for showing that Peter.
Yeah, I obviously agree. Thanks for watching!
Most excellent inspiration and beautifully delivered! Thank you for being one who sings his song. Happy are we who are in the audience.
Aw sweetly said my friend. Thank you. 🙏🏼
Your enthusiasm is infectious
@@prakashparasuram7088 Thank you. I truly do get excited about this stuff. 🙏🏼
Its also about standing your ground, fighting the evil and doing what is needs to be done for the betterment of society.
Beautiful and practical explanation of Ch 1 and 2 of the Bhagawad Gita..I must say that you know in depth much more than a lot of Hindus like me do on the Bhagavad Gita..You are absolutely right that it should be understood in a metaphorical form as it tries to convey a meaning..I have understood the Bhagavad Gita in my own way as a sort of psychotherapy given to Arjuna by the lord himself..It also shows that even a brilliant warrior like Arjuna has feet of clay showing the human vulnerabilities..This can be observed even in history where great and also infamous/notorious emperors and millitary leaders like Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Frederick the great, Charlemagne, Richard lionheart of England, Horatio Nelson, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussollini etc fell by the wayside ultimately on account of achilles heel or feet of clay...The psychotherapy of the lord extolls Arjuna to do his "dharma" or I will call it duty for a higher cause..Many times we may not like or be very anxious or even repugnant to do certain things but we have to do it..I am a history buff so i like to relate to that...World War 2 is a classic example of dharma in war where many American GIs and Soviet Red Army soldiers fought one of the bloodiest battles in history as a dharma to rid the world of the evil ideology of Nazism...It was an ugly war but the allied forces under Montgomerys command had to do it..Another important example of dharma was the Civil War in your country fought by Abraham Lincoln (one of the greatest US Presidents and world personalities of all time)..It was a bloody war between the North and South but it was for a higher objective that is the "abolition of slavery"..
So dharma I feel is doing an action or duty which may appear unpleasant but which is important in fulfilling a higher goal or objective....
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I agree with your take on dharma. For me it's the key to the whole Gita--how we are to move honorably through a world that is in a sense defined by horror. Or as Joseph Campbell put it, "It's a beautiful opera, but it hurts." And we are already, unavoidably, participating in it. The only choice left is HOW.
I am proud sanatani ❤️🙏
Love you brother from India
Gītā is not a composition from the time of Christ. It is a composition of Veda Vyāsa who composed the Purāṇas and Mahābhrata more than 5000 years ago.
Very interesting work has been carried out by Mr Nilesh Oak , for dating Mahabharat with Astronomical observations in his book.
WOW! What an insightful introduction to the Gita, teaching that i have heard about for most of my life but never learned or explored. i will certainly watch/study the rest of the Gita videos. When the pupil is ready the teacher arrives and i feel like i am ready for the gita. i've studied philosophical Taoism for about 20 years, which, i believe has prepared me for "the Gita". And, your style of teaching is so warm and welcoming it warms my heart and feeds my soul. Thanks.
Aw thanks Jerry for your kind words! I appreciate you watching and commenting. Thanks for finding me. Enjoy the rest of the series. Check out my channel for more playlists you might enjoy.
Read it for yourself. Call no man teacher or rabbi. Call no man on earth your Father. These teachings are Spiritually discerned. He planted the seed. It is up to you here forward to plant the seed and watch it grow. Seek ye the kingdom. It is within you. Not, seek others to tell you. You have an individual purpose. You alone will get there.
I love the furniture in your room! You have beatiful objects! Show more religious books! Blessings from Argentina!
Thank you Juan. The carved wood chest and bookcase were made by my grandfather a hundred years ago in the Netherlands. I'm honored to have them. My two brothers have other equally beautiful pieces.
Most of furniture related to vedas😂😂😂😂
Thank you for teaching Bhagavad Gita to everyone. You will also learn alot definitely. This book can change our life and vision. Learnt a lot through Bhagavad Gita. Learnt to cope with everything.
Thank you Komal. This book has shaped me in many ways. 🙏🏼
Sounds easy,is not it? Gita is very useful in everyday life. Second chapter is my favourite! Good video sir!
Thank you very much!
The battle of Kurukṣetra took place more than 5100 years ago. Kṛṣṇa left the earth about 5123 years ago. And the battle took place about 36 years before he left.
Love u sir ...... very calmly explained it . Love the way u explained it .
Namaste from 🇮🇳🇮🇳🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Vijay. 🙏🏼
Mahabharatam took place about 5000 years ago. Also at the end of Bhagavat Gita Krishna says " I have explained everything to you Arjuna, now it's upto you. Take the decision of your choice"
I read the Osho's commantary on geeta. It comes in 8 volumes and I loved it. He explained it very nicely shlok by Shlok and it's not translation but actual deep meaning. Also sometimes he explained difficult sanskrit word with enormous details and example. I request you to read it also.
Link?
What a great series of videos to accompany the book, I’m fairly new to the Bhagavad Gita and these videos are brilliant to watch alongside reading, thank you.
Thanks Tim! That’s exactly what these videos are for-not to “explain” the Gita but just to be a friend along for the ride. 🙏🏼
The Mahābhārata is history, not simply symbology or metaphor (although there are symbolic meanings).
It really doesn’t matter. If we think it does, it strengthens the eggo and the process is one of mind annihilation so the Atman is unveiled.
Thank you for this sincere and an absolutely brilliant introduction! As the pinned comment rightly says - I'm so glad I didn't skip this 30 min intro! Honestly, I wanted it to go on for longer haha.
I just bought a copy yesterday and I can't wait to read it. Will definitely watch your videos alongside.
I'm really looking forward to watching your Upanishad playlist as well.
I've subscribed already. Once again, thank you for taking the time and effort to do this 🙏
Thank you so much Rishikesh for the watching, for the kind words, and for subscribing. 🙏🏼
Wonderful, Peter, I was engrossed throughout. I've been studying the Gita for some years now but you really brought it alive for me in this video. Thank you and keep up the good work 🙏
Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy parts 2-5 as much! 🙏🏼
OH MY GOD am I in trouble now. I am totally addicted to your videos sir!! I hope like hell I have the wisdom to break away and get my work done or I'm going broke soon.
Ha! Don't forget to put down the RUclips and make some money between videos! Eating and paying rent is a good thing.
What an incredible explanation.. very very impressive
@@Arandomguyat1 Thank you! 🙏🏼
There is only one true battle that Arjuna was grappling with (and that we are all grappling with): the battle to align with the truth and not succumb to ignorance.
Well put.
once again my humble appreciation.
Thank you for this fresh jewel❤️
Thank you for watching! 🙏🏼
Listening to you was so calm and soothing. Thank you.
Thank you! 🙏🏼
I sincerely thank you for doing this and Bravo! You are doing such great job. I have read this book multiple times and every time I read it, it is as good as the first time. Love and light your way.
Thank you kindly Sam. 🙏🏼
you have an excellent understanding of the vedanta. im amazed at your knowledge
Thank you Prem. I'm trying!
@@PeterBolland But how did you learn this ? I have seen a lot of people getting in only superficially correct !
One essence of thE Gita is that remove god and its still remains valid -
Karma is duty
Dharma is righteousness , but not associated with god. It is absolute.
Your karma has to follow dharma
You may not be be a devotee, but its not devotion that matters to god. Your karma is what defines you. Devotion cannot overrule bad karma.
G-d became as I AM so that I could become as He is. He/It plays all the parts. That is how come we must forgive. God is in all. If you seek a God outside yourself, you are worshipping the wrong God. Go within. Know thyself.
I enjoyed watching this video.
The war in the Mahabharata is symbolic. Arjuna becomes the soul of the man and Krishna the charioteer of the soul. The wheels of the chariot are "Right effort"., the driver is dharma or the truth. The chariot leads to Nirvana or the Kingdom of heaven. The end of the journey is free from fear. A spiritual reader of the Gita will find in it the great spiritual struggle o fa human soul. The war imagery is even used by Krishna in the Gita at the end of chapter 3 when he says: "Be a warrior and kill desire, the powerful enemy of the soul".
It's like this, the author of Mahabharat wrote history of the war in a symbolic way.
Hari Om Tat Sat 🙏
One cannot just be a spectator, "in the choir". One must be an active participant.
This was special. Brilliant monologue.
Thank you!
Namaste sir 🙏
Thank you so much for this video
Love ❤️ from India 🇮🇳
Thank you! 🙏🏼
this book has the message of Supreme God revealed upon humankind
Sir , bhagwad Geeta no 200BCE year old .
This is almost 5200year old .when arjun confused in war bcoz opposition were their brothers.
This is talk in war field .
Also thanks for sharing
According to Bibek Debroy, the kurukshetra war happened around 1400 BC and bhagvad geeta was written around 500 BC
Very nice video. Very few videos on RUclips regarding Hindu scriptures.
Thanks AJ. Hope you enjoy the whole series.
@@PeterBolland Will watch further..
Thank you. You are a gift 🧡
Thank you. 🙏🏼
Arjuna's despair was him acting out in his ego. Him wanting to run away was in a way his ignorance and arrogance of him because it meant the war would not take place if he didn't participate in it. War was going to take place and Krishna showed him how Ego comes disguised as sorrow and despair.
Interesting perspective.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Just a bit of information here: Krishna's own Army which is called the Narayani Sene fights on the side of the Kurus and against Arjuna ! It was the largest and the most powerful army in the Mahabharat
Sir please do more video's about ancient religions
Thank you for the request...I'll add it to the list!
With action the result is inaction
With inaction the result is in action
Bhagvad Gita
Kṛṣṇa, and all other avatāras of God are directly God. Incarnation doesn’t mean lesser in any way. The forms of the Viṣṇu avatāras are not material. They are completely transcendental. A particular avatāra form may appear “human like” but it is not composed of matter.
fun fact. The name arjuna translates roughly to white or silver. It is cognate to the latin argentum from which words like Argentina is derived. The symbol for silver in the periodic table is Ag. Arjun is a warrior. With his armor and sword, he is the the shining knight. A wielder of silver.
@@ciao_abhi Thank you! I love that kind of stuff. 🙏🏼
*The original one is much thicker i guess. That is why my parents can't get me to read it. Great video though, you inspire me to read it*
Arjuna did not suggest it was a sin to kill. He was a warrior and had killed many thousands of people. He was suggesting (erroneously) that it would be a sin to kill his “own” people who were responsible for protecting and upholding “kula dharma” or familial religious traditions.
Nice 👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you! Cheers!
dopeeee
Stress and How to deal with it (by Manly P. Hall) Lecture. Enjoy!
Manly p. Hall is a great lecturer I always listen to them as I’m laying down at the end of the day
@@bradlyfrench6061 120 If you are Red or Blue You really do not get the gist of things crrow777. i am learning every day. History is a lie agreed upon.
Keep it up
This is going to be a very long comment, and I apologize in advance. This is an old video, and I am not sure if you will read my comment or not. I rarely comment on videos, but your calmness and intuition about the Vedantic philosophy made me write this comment to share my views of the Gita with you, to help you (and me) to get a deeper understanding of the Gita. I came across the Bhagvat-Gita a few years ago. I was born and brought up in India, in a devout Hindu Family, but never was very interested in religious texts and rituals. I found the Gita when I was going through a hard time, and that forced me to seek solace in God, or at least something to show me the way.
The problem (or a benefit) with the Gita is that different authors have differing views on the philosophy and how you interpret the Gita depends on the version that you read. Some commentaries mistranslate the Gita to match their own philosophy or beliefs, which doesn't give you the complete picture, or even a wrong perception of the Gita. I started reading the most popular version of the Gita in India, which is the "Bhagvad-gita - As it is" by AC Prabhupada, and immediately found multiple mistranslations in the second chapter itself, which makes the Gita sound very authoritative (which you may even guess from the title of the book) and discriminatory, due to which I gave up reading it.
But God has a way of guiding you. I came across multiple versions that helped me to get a better and deeper understanding. I want to share them with you, and you may explore them, if you're interested. I am still reading it and constantly going back to earlier chapters when I get a new understanding in the later chapters to reinterpret the earlier chapters. It's a constant exercise of self-discovery. The versions I found the most helpful are:
1. Bhagvad-Gita Sadhak Sanjeevni, published by Gita Press - The Gita press is the largest publishers of Sanskrit texts in India and their commentaries and translations are considered the most accurate and authentic by most of the Sanskrit scholars. They have multiple commentaries on the Gita, but the version I mention is their most comprehensive commentary on the Gita.
They analyse the meaning and significance of each and every word, provide a commentary for each Shloka (Verse) and then after every few shlokas, they provide a combined commentary of the previous few shlokas to give you a full understanding. They also use multiple stories and anecdotes to explain the concepts. This version is considered the most analytical and accurate version of the Gita. The only disadvantage is that it sometimes goes into so much detail that you forget the original context and the text may sometime become monotonous and boring to the uninitiated. Also, the English version has some spelling mistakes, which you'll have to be mindful of in case you decide to read it.
2. The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda - This commentary while being closer to the Gita Press version in the spiritual context, provides a modern commentary of the shlokas. The translations are accurate, and personally I find this version more engaging as compared to the Gita press one. The Gita press still being the best translation available, I recommend this for the beginners to get a deeper understanding without being bored. Also, this version is available for free on amazon for the Kindle version.
I haven't read the Eknath Eeswaran translation, but it seems to be popular among some modern audience in and outside India, so I cannot comment on that. But if you want to get a really deep understanding of the Gita, you can read the above two books.
Also, I don't want to discourage you from reading any other version (even the As it is version). You may read multiple versions, but you should create a personalised view for getting the most benefits. This, in essence, is the whole Indian philosophy of being the seeker of the truth, as commented by many others on this video. But unfortunately, many people have forgotten this and fight people on when the war happened, what are the dates and other irrelevant things.
I wish you all the best for the journey ahead.
Thank you so much for watching, and for taking the time to contribute your insights into the various English translations of the Gita available to readers. I really appreciate it! And yes, Eknath Easwaran's translation is the most popular one in the English-speaking West, judging by its number one position on Amazon. Plus, it's respected in academic circles for its delicate balance of accuracy, accessibility, and poetry. It is really, really nice.
Sorry to say but in the beginning Peter Boland did say something wrong. Krishna is not the archer, Krishna is the charioteer. Arjuna is the archer.
Did I? Whoops! So sorry. Good catch! Yeah you are correct and this is simply a slip of the tongue. Thank you for the correction.
@@PeterBolland Indeed I presumed it was a slip of the tongue ... but by far your presentation is awesome and thanks for your input about the very important Gita!
I don't no there is God or no God
I don't no this book is from God or not God
But this book help me alot in my hard times .
Bhagavadgeethe is part of Mahabharata, which happened around 3100 BCE timeline. Not around 200 BCE.
Hi. This is a frequent comment and a frequent confusion. Two things are being conflated here. The first is when the alleged events supposedly happened. And the second is when the text was written. You are correct that the events described in the Gita transpired thousands of years before the Common Era. But global academic consensus places the composition of the Bhagavad Gita itself around 200 BCE-200 CE.
It's the verna of arjun not cast.all 4 vernas are complimentary
Here in the American English-speaking world we spell it "varna," which originally meant "color" (or "colour" if you prefer British English). And it's translated as "caste." So varna and caste are the same, no?
@@PeterBolland Yes, varna can be translated as caste, but one must keep in mind that the varna system of the earlier Vedic period was far less rigid than the strong social structure that was implemented in the middle/Puranic ages of Indian history.
The varna system evolved over centuries as kingdoms began expanding and as a rigid social structure was developed. In the earlier Vedic period there appears to be a lot more fluidity in the varna system, and it doesn't seem to involve any of the later social structures and superstitions regarding untouchability.
Varna and caste are not same.
Varna- varna means class. Hindu religion mentions varna there are 4 varna
1) brahaman - means teacher, priest , everyone who study the all aspects of life and guide others
2) kshtriya- worriers their job is to protect rest of class i.e brahman, vaishya, shudra
3) vaishya-businessmen community their job is to do business and bring wealthto all classes
4)shudra-their job is to give services to above class. We can call them ordinary people.
Even today also we can put people into this 4 class i.e varna and varna has nothing to do with skin colour
Caste- hindu scripture nowhere mentions caste system. in india we call caste as 'jaati' which means occupation. If someone say his jaati i.e caste is 'sonar' means from generation to generation their family is in jwellery business. If someone say they belong to 'kumbhar' caste means from generation to generation they are in pottery business.
Based on caste they can relate to which varna they belong.
Hinduism says your birth do not decide which class you belong but your qualities decides but later people exploid this system. Because its human nature to find out ways to prove how they are superior to other.
At the end all are part of brahmand (universe).
The upaniṣads are part of the Vedas which are eternal and authorless. They were not composed at a later date.
Excellent teaching, you are very good at grasping attention. Few things I don't agree: You keep mentioning caste (Kshatriya, Bramhana etc.) That is not caste, that is varna means classed people based on their skills and professional qualities.
Mahabharata is around the time of Buddha? I think it is much older (few thousand years) than that.
Also there are many scientists, archeologists etc who have demonstrated evidence that Mahabharata is real, it is ancient history although I too find many things which wades into mythical description.
Thank you for watching and commenting, and for your kind words. As to the confusion between caste, class, and varna, I appreciate hearing your perspective. My understanding is that varna literally means "color" referring to skin color (originally anyway). In American English varna is translated as caste. Here, class refers to economic and social status--one might move up or down. But caste (like skin color) is hereditary and therefore moving out of one's caste is not possible. And yes, over the centuries certain specific professions became associated with the different caste. So you're right, caste and class are not exactly the same.
Happy that Hindus are finally learning their religion. ❤️🕉️
Additionally varna was not hereditary. Varna also has a different meaning apart from color. One of the reason varna system was set was to ensure innocent civilians are not killed during war. Each varna wore a different color thread (Janoi) to be recognized. Caste system permeated into Hinduism due to decadence.
Arjuna is not an ordinary man. He is a human incarnation of Indra. Our understanding of what Kṛṣṇa has spoken in the Gītā would only be a fraction of what Arjuna understood. But God’s word will always be uplifting , even if our understanding is limited.
As he mentioned, BG should be read metaphorically.
As should the Bible.
he was son of indra not incarnation
Wow! You are a great teacher!
I would love to be your student 🙏
Thank you so much for the very kind feedback! In a way you are, and without having to travel half way around the world!
@@PeterBolland Every Arjuna need a Krishna 😅
Ooo Krishna I love you .
Respected sir, there are 4 yugas recurring one after other names as satyug, dwaparyug, kaliyug. So he came into dwaparyug and according to vedic philosophy satyuga is about 1800000, dwaparyuga about 1300000, tretayuga about 800000, and on last kaliyuga 600000 in which we are living. When lord krishna left, he left before kaliyuga and kali has started already and it has been around 6000 years when mahabharta happened. I suggest you also reading about cosmic philosophy even there is age mentioned of cosmos our universe also there is a story of brahma visiting lord krishna to have a darshan of him but lord krishna asked which brahma then krishna appeared infinite brahma's in front of him. Brahma four head in vedic philosophy represent our universe and a god of universe. Kindly read it and what is your opinion on that. Personally I practice brahamcharya and do image meditation of lord krishna. Sometimes I go into deep trances. The more I read about vedas, upnishads, geeta I came to know that lord shiva is also giving same gyan(knowlegde) , vishnu, krishna and brahma and so on. Sorry If i am little bit rude no religion in world gives vedic mantras when heard transcends us into another world and leave a question to us who we are(the real atman) neither I want to go into heaven nor I wish to be in the hell but absorbed in sachidananda( truth,conscious, infinite bliss). Krishna says when a person goes to heaven. He has to come back to incarnate on earth when his fruits are finished and he has told to be in him and do your duties. There are 18 yog marg(paths) by which we can attain moksha. Our karmas do not leave till our death and bind us and keep us ready for next birth according to the actions done by us. Hope you will reply my comment sorry if i am bit rude. I also request you to listen shivoham mantra. When I listened I almost got my all answers.
The Supreme Soul, The Ocean of Knowledge, incorporeal God Father Shiva incarnates into the body of Brahma in Bharat (India) at the end of the World Drama Cycle. God speaks the murli through the lotus mouth of Brahma (the true Gita) This is remembered by the festival Shiv Ratri or Shiv Jayanti, the birthday of Shiva. His descent or incarnation is to purify the impure and to transform Hell into Heaven. This is also why He is remembered as the Purifier Father the Benefactor, and the Bestower of Salvation. Brahma will take birth as Krishna in the new world and rule the kingdom (The Golden Age) as Narayan after his inauguration with Lakshmi in year 1-1-1
The mantras of the Vedas are apauruśeya. They are not composed or written by anyone. They are authorless and eternal. They come into this world when Brahmā begins creation.
2:13 I think there is little misunderstanding there those who write vedas were not brahmin because they were born in brahmin they were brahmin because they choose that path early it was fluid anyone can become brahmin with time it become rigid and become birth base we known by genetic study around 500 ad it becomes most rigid because by that time no inter caste marriage happen
Thank you for clarifying that. In these very brief and general videos, I sometimes gloss over complexities in the interest of focusing on the core themes under consideration. I appreciate the added depth.
Love to study with uh❣️❣️
War of Mahabharata is very similar to American Civil war. In both cases the war only started after the winning side tried its best to avoid war and the arrogant losing side chose selfishness over righteousness
Imagine if Lincoln’s General had said something like what Arjuna told Krishna. Lincoln would have told him the same, do your duty and live to your honor
Yes but with Arjunas situation it's more complex. Arjuna is waging a war against his own beloved teacher who considers him to be a favourite student. Who loved Arjuna more than his own Son. Arjuna had to wage a war against his cousin brothers with whom he played, enjoyed, grew up, had a good time. He had to wage a war against his Grandfather who placed Arjuna in his lap when he was a child and told stories, laughed together, joked around. He had to wage a war against one of his own blood brother. So Arjuna is basically waging a war against his own family. Imagine yourself in Arjunas situation. Your opposition side is none other than your close friends and family members you grew up with with. Imagine how Arjuna must have suffered. He had to slice his own loved ones. Thats why he got depressed and he was shaking when he was trying to lift his bow.
@@phoenixj1299
It seems you still didn’t get the message, emotionalism is stupid and dispassionate duty of Dharma is the right way. Just like a policeman is expected to arrest his own brother if he commits a crime, a soldier is expected to fight his own brother if he wages a war against his nation
@@Vlog-hu8gb Comparing gita to american civil war lol. You do realise that lincoln was a shrewd politician right? And he himself explicitly said he would be willing to free none of the slaves if it meant keeping the union. He passed the emancipation proclamation only to prevent an european intervention in the civil war
I really appreciate your love towards gita and inference which u draw and explain to the viewers which so immersive but I object when u say "mythology". Mahabharat and ramayan is our very own part of conscious religious history. Eternal evergreen for posterity. Pls I request u to refrain from word mythology.
Hi Neeraj. I think you and I are using the words "myth" and "mythology" differently. In my line of work, (the academic study of religion and mythology), we do NOT use the word "myth" to mean falsehood. For me, a myth is a great truth best conveyed through allegory, story, and metaphor. Myths are our greatest truths. This is a distinction I work very hard to help my students understand. But I realize that out here, in public discourse, the word "myth" means a false story that didn't happen. That's certainly not how I'm using it. I make these videos for my college students, where we've already settled this question. But now that so many others are viewing my videos (which is wonderful!) I see that confusion is occurring.
@@PeterBolland good job sir. I am.pleased to know that. In public discourse and rhetoric the distinction gets blurred
Thank you for clearing myth as metaphor not lies or falsehood. My lesson is to neither like nor dislike those too ignorant to study that word more deeply. Joseph Campbell helped me immensely regarding myth as I once thought it meant falsehoods. Now I simply smile to myself when I hear ignorant folks use it that way as it reminds me of me.
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The word caste is never even mentioned in the Hindu texts. The word is Varna , ones actions describe him not his birth. You can be a warrior , brahman , businessmen or a worker. All depends on your works not birth. And no hierarchy either. The hierarchy is created by the people through time . The so called upper caste brahman were always the poorest when it came to wealth. Today wealth is = class
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Varna and caste is same. The varna you were born in this life is based on ur karma of previous life. The chaturvarnam system as described in chapter 4 verse 13 does not imply that you can change varna 50 times a day just by doing different things
@@pradyumnabanerjee3333 doing different things doesn't mean choosing a Varna, caste is entirely based on class system even some African countries have that. Varna means mostly your occupation and lifestyle which is not rigid
@@darthashpie
Gita Chapter 4 verse 13 states:
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।।
The four varnas have been created by Me in accordance with a classification of the gunas and karma. Even though I am the doer of that (act of creation of varnas), still know Me to be a non-doer and changeless.
The gunas here refer to the nature of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, and action (karma) is described to be in accordance to this threefold distinction in Chapter 18 verse 19
Now that we know guna causes karma, where do these gunas come from and how do they influence Varna? Referring to chapter 18 verse 41 we see-
ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः।।18.41।।
41. Of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and
Vaisyas, as also of Sudras, O Parantapa, the duties are divided according to the qualities born of nature.
The origin of Gunas (qualities) are now described by the lord to be "born from nature (i.e. Svabhav). This will be further explained by Adi Shankara's purport on the Sloka-
"Sudras are separated from others-who are all mentioned together in one compound word- because *Sudras are of one birth and are debarred from the study of the Vedas.* Divided: The duties are allotted to each caste, as distinguished from those pertaining to the other castes.
By what standard? -
According to the qualities (gunas) born of nature. Nature (svabhava) is the Isvara's Prakriti, the Maya made up of the three gunas. It is in accordance with the gunas of the Prakriti that duties- such as serenity and the like are assigned to the Brahmanas, etc. respectively.
Or to interpret yet in another way:- Nature (svabhava) is the tendency (Samskara, Vasana) in living beings *acquired by them in the past births, and manifesting itself in the
present birth* by way of being ready to yield its effects : and *this nature is the source of the gunas*, it being impossible for the gunas to manifest themselves without a cause."
To put it succinctly, The karma of past life determines the Svabhav within jivam, this Svabhav inherited from past life (which *cannot* be changed within the existing lifetime, by definition) determines the Guna presiding within a jiva, and this Guna finally culminates into Karma (action).
Nowhere is it mentioned that Varna is occupation or economic position. It is not Karma that determines your Guna, it is your Guna which determines your karma, and one is born with their respective Gunas, which accordingly determines their caste. What you are claiming is scripturally invalid.
@@darthashpie it is not class because class can change multiple times in a lifetime. Have u read the mahabharata? Read the parable of matanga in anushasana parva to understand this
hello Peter... didn't the Bhagvad Gita come apprx 2000yrs BCE? I believe I heard you say 200BCE-200CE?
A quick Google search of legitimate scholarly sources shows that the Gita was written, as I said, between 200 BCE and 200 CE. Maybe slightly earlier, or later give or take a century or two.
@@PeterBolland ohhh... ok.. the key word here is "written" ... i should have asked... when did the Gita take place....would that have been apprx 2000yrs BCE?
tnx
Sir its not 'caste' but it is 'varna' system which was purely based on the skills one has and duties one performs..
Varna is based upon occupation or personal nature, and there can be mobility possible among the four groups according to the skills one acquires and duties one does.
Later 'caste' system was introduced by foreign invaders for their 'divide and rule' agenda.
The word 'caste' itself is derived from Portuguese word 'casta'
Thanks for this information. Appreciated.
@PeterBolland Sir thanks for the videos and sharing the knowledge of Bhagavad-Gita with the world 🙏. It is the essence and gist of the upanishads. I would also like to recommend you to watch videos from Swamy Sarvapriyananda of Ramakrishna paramahamsa order to learn more about advaita philosophy.
Lastly Bhagavad-Gita dates back even before Gautama Buddha was born and His parents themselves belong to sanatana dharama religion.
sir the people who wrote vedas were not particularly from so called Brahmin tradition but of course vedas were later propagated by them
You should study Bhakti Yoga - most authentic translation by Bhakti Vedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
Sir, may be the idol/Murti of Lord/Bhagwan ram and shiva are just objects or piece of art for you, but for us Hindus they are God, and we do not put their images and idols on Ground or below our seating position, So, i would like to request you to put them on tables and not on Ground because its disrespectful. And you look like a good person and i hope you will listen and respect our believes and i love this video...Hare Krishna...May Krishna Bless you Sir....😇
Hi Mukul, I appreciate you sharing your perspective here, and I hear you. Thank you for educating me on their proper use among devotional Hindus. And thank you for watching, and for your kind words.
The "K" is silent in kshatriya ... I hope that helps with pronunciation 💯
Hi Sachin, thank you. I definitely need all the help I can get when it comes to pronunciation.
A few times you confuse Arjuna with Krishna in the setup.
Yeah sorry about that. Slip of the tongue.
@@PeterBolland I wonder if it is possible to add corrective *text in the appropriate points.
In Hinduism there's always a story for another day tbh😂😂
Osho 'Gita darshan' is greatest book on gita. Please read it.
Osho was a tamasic person
Hi everyone❤
Hello mr, do you know anything about periyaar, ee ve ramasamy in south india?
Hi Prabha, no I don't. But I just Googled him, and he sounds fascinating. Here's the Wiki article if anyone's interested. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar
Thank you for your work. I was not attacking you.
No worries.
What’s puzzling to me is, did multiple sages come together thousands of years ago and compose this poem? Or is there a single poet who created this artifact. The concepts are pretty complex for one person to compose.
It is a summation of all upqnishads
Veda is actually one....but the one Veda is divided into four vedas.....but the sage vyasa who is not happy after compelled vedas and he felt something missing so then he wrote Geetha ......
Note: vyasa has divine eye
You mentioned the wrong time line of BAGAVADGEETHA , it's about 3000 years ago, no body knows about veda s time line .
Thank you for watching and commenting. The origin date of the Bhagavad Gita is widely disputed, with various individual scholars and schools of thought offering different dates. I am not a devotee of any particular darhana, and as an academic, I teach my college students to understand all of these questions and disputes, but I also use as a baseline the global academic consensus that the Gita was composed between 400 BCE and 200 CE--about two thousand years ago. Your idea that it was written around 2,000 BCE was widely held, so perhaps you were taught that in school. But most recent scholarship has amended that origin date to, at the earliest, the second half of the first millennium BCE.
The educated were Brahmins The word is varna - which means profession. Brahmins were priests, preachers, teachers, doctors, philosophers, mathematicians. The word Brahman itself means someone who has gained Brahma Gnan ( UNiversal Knowledge) .
ThEY were maligned and reduced to a caste by the invaders who exploited the pluralistic values of Hindus
Gita said over 5000 year ago .
The advertisements are annoying, to say the least. Money maker for your channel? Fine. Your choice. I am. I am reading for myself. Namaste
Joni, thanks for giving my channel a try. You’re right - the advertisements are annoying. But the teaching is free. I’ve just recently begun experimenting with monetizing. I may roll it back a bit, and start with eliminating those ad videos that interrupt the video. (I believe that’s what you’re referring to.) I appreciate the feedback. It matters.
@@PeterBolland Thank you, Peter. Time is not to be spent. It is meant to be an investment. To learn, grow and edify others not yet enlightened. Trust in the name of G-d: I AM. I am that I AM. Have you listened to Neville Goddard or Joel Goldsmith? They are pioneers. As well as Manly P. Hall. We, as individuals, put the puzzle together. God is your own wonderful, human imagination. If you want money, feel it. Imagine how you would feel if you had it. Live it. But, there are consequences. Consider the cost before you build it. Namaste.
@@PeterBolland
All viewers have to do is scroll to the end of the video, hit replay and they add disappear
You have every right to monetize your video
You already giving video for free
. The date of mahabharath war is 5350BCE
So Bhagavath githa is 5350bce and not @ christ time line
Please refer to Nilesh oak authour of date of mahabharatha war
Authnic with proof
One more thing I would like to suggest to you that everyone can discover something new of themselves from Bhagavad Gita Gandhi's point of view need not to be correlated always because it was his discovery and inference which is not necessary to be generalized for all. discover your own and apply to your life u will certainly find newer wisdom
That's bcz Gandhi have no Hindus guru's to teach him.
Dear Sir, your TIMELINE is, I'am SORRY to say is TOTALLY BOTCHED UP. PLEASE UPDATE yourself on this. If possible please watch NEELKANTH OAK's videos.
Hi. My job is to teach these ideas to my American college students--that's the original purpose of these videos. Not being an expert myself, I rely on the academic consensus of scholars in the field--scholars from all over the world, inside India and out. Of course there are outliers who make different claims about the dating of this ancient timeline. When a global consensus among discipline experts changes as new evidence is upheld through a peer-reviewed process, I will the first to report that new consensus to my students, and to the viewers of my RUclips channel. But thanks for taking the time to watch my video and comment!
The South Indians knew nothing about the bhagavat Gita except some scholars until recently times. South India is mostly shaivitr.
Very interesting.
It's a history not mythology.
At some points you are quite wrong but still good read
The Public comments are from people drooling over your continues monologue of bits and pieces from this Book. Most of them appears have not even heard of the saga. Or never even read a compact version of this exciting story. His quote ‘ the wise do not cry either for the living or the dead ‘ Can any man , women , wise or dumb follow this teaching? Today we are struggling to contain the evil unleashed by men of evil intent who are trying to corral the Poor and Just and in the process kill thousands of men , women ,children and even babies. Can we do harden our Hearts and not protest this and not feel the Anguish of the Families and be sorrowful at our helplessness . This quote is better than that of Jesus’ Turn the other cheek ‘ we have to understand the present and not live in the past.
Sir, you look a bit like indian actor Anupam Kher :) Google him pls
Ha! I guess I can see it.