Top 12 Important Life Lessons that we can learn

from Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the greatest Religious Spiritual Book. Considered to be a doctrine of
universal truth, it has long been influencing people not only of India but also overseas. As sage Ved
Vyasa is known for writing Mahabharata, Gita being part of it is also ascribed to him. In the epic
Mahabharata, when cousin brothers Pandava and Kaurava are about to fight among themselves for
the throne of Hastinapur, Pandava prince Arjuna feels weak in the battleground when he sees his
relatives, teachers and friends in the opposition. When the supreme personality of Godhead, Lord
Krishna sees him loosing strength and willingness to fight, he gives him what is known as “Gita
Gyan”. Teachings of Bhagavad Gita are still applicable, even after about 5040 thousand years after it
was written. These teachings are considered to be ultimate. It encompasses each and every aspect of
life. One surely can lead a peaceful life if the teachings of Bhagavad Gita are followed. I personally
have derived a lot of meanings from the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.

Bhagavd Gita shows path to the lost, answer to the confused and wisdom to all. It is considered to be
one of the greatest spritual books the world has ever known. The primary purpose of the Bhagavad-
Gita is to illuminate for all of humanity the realization of the true nature of divinity; for the highest
spiritual conception and the greatest material perfection is to attain love of God!Some of the most
popular and important teachings are listed below.

12) Thoughts about big or small, your or mine should be kept

out.

We should not think about how big or small can we really make things. All this is materialistic and
engages people in tensions and greedy activities. It makes one profit oriented. Thinking about yours
or mine also does the same. All the life we make and collect things for ourselves. This really dosen’t
make a difference when we leave this world. We all are turned into ashes after death.

11) Money mind can not meditate.

Bhagavad Gita talks a lot about meditation and it’s importance. Meditation is considered extremely
helpful for inner peace and ‘sadhna’. Moreover, a person who thinks about making money all the
time can not really engage in meditation. When a person’s mind is not stable and he or she thinks
only about money, then meditation would be a failed effort for such a person.

10) Desires come and go.

Desires come and go, but you should remain a dispassionate witness, simply watching and enjoying
the show. Everyone experiences, desires but one should not be moved by them. They should not
bother a person. People sometimes undertake really evil actions because of their desires. So one
should not come under the chains of desires.

9) Krishna is the supreme.

Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead. He is the original cause of all causes. He starts
everything and ends everything too. He is there everywhere. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. We
are just puppets whom he controls. He is divine and transcendental.
8) One should devote himself or herself to Krishna.

The supreme personality of godhead is the ultimate support of any human being. Our fellow humans
may not care for us or support as or may even leave us in our bad times but Krishna is always there
for us. The person who knows this truth is never really troubled by sadness or grief.

7) Every action and deed of ours should be dedicated to

Krishna.

Whatever we do in the course of our lifetime should be dedicated to the supreme personality of
Godhead. This will always result in giving us peace and satisfaction. One should consider
remembering Krishna during their actions. This makes us feel that God would be there with us and
our actions would turn out to be positive.

6) We did not bring anything to this world, neither are we

going to take anything.
We came to this world empty handed. We have made everything over here, be it relations, money,
love or respect. We cannot take anything with us when we die. Everything would be left over here.
So we should not really do evil things when it comes to the question of our respect. Nor should we be
really concerned about making as much money as possible. We should be satisfied with what we
have as everything would be left over here in this material world, we won’t be able to take anything
with us.

5) Progress and development are the rules of this universe.

Things may not be the same, the way they used to be. Things and circumstances change. We should
neither expect people, nor surroundings, not even society to be same. They all change with time. We
move ahead. Universe forgets old things and moves forwars, so do we. We should not stick on one
point, this will make our existence much more problematic in this world.

4) Whatever happened was good, whatever is happening is

good and what all will happen in the future will be good.

We should not repent about our past or worry about the future as the present is going on. We should
know that God has planned everything for us. He will not let anything bad happen to us. Whatever
happens is for our good only. We should be optimistic and should not stress our self with these
baseless worries of past and future. If things are not favourable, they surely would be. Just have faith
in the supreme personality of Godhead.
3) World is perishable and whoever comes to this world surely
has to go one day.

This world is not immortal. One who takes birth dies one day and that is the ultimate truth of this
world. Nothing exists permanently. One has to leave this world, even though he wishes not to. No
magic can actually help a person to stay forever. Everyone has their set life periods. They vanish
after completing them. No matter how great one is or how power one posses, all have to die one day.

2) Soul is immortal and our body is perishable Our soul never

dies.

Our soul never dies. Even after our death, it exists. It is immortal. It just changes bodies after the
death of a person. Moreover, our body is made up of ‘Agni’ (fire), ‘Jal’ (water) ,’Vayu’ (wind),
‘Prithvi’ (earth) and it combines with them after the death. So we should not pay a lot of attention
towards our outer body, but instead should work for the inner soul, it’s satisfaction.

1) We should do our work without worrying about it’s result.

When we work for getting fruits or the result from a particular action, we can’t really be our best in
it. It also gives us a lot of worries about the result. We may also feel disheartened if our task or action
does not yield good outputs. Therefore, just doing our work without really thinking about it’s result
should be our motive.

These were some of the major teachings of Bhagavad Gita. Adhere to them if you really want to
achieve peace and inner satisfaction in your life. It is very aptly written and calls for selfless action.
Some of the great leaders like the India’s father of the nation, Mahatama Gandhi adhered to
Bhagavad Gita. He popularized concepts such as nonviolence based on the notions of Gita.

Bhagavad Gita has been an inspiration for many. It very simply tells us about the truth of life which
otherwise are not possible for us to know. Bhagavad Gita can surely do wonders. I consult Gita
whenever I face a problem and cannot really find it’s solution. It’s teachings have never disappointed
me. Whether old or young, everyone has their own meanings and teachings to derive from this
classic!

Bhagavad-Gita Summary
The blind King Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya to recount to him what happened when his
family the Kauravas gathered to fight the Pandavas for control of Hastinapura. His
family isn't the rightful heir to the kingdom, but they have assumed control, and
Dhritarashtra is trying to preserve it for his son Duryodhana. Sanjaya tells of Arjuna,
who has come as leader of the Pandavas to take back his kingdom, with
Sri Krishna as his charioteer. The Gita is the conversation between Krishna and
Arjuna leading up to the battle.
Arjuna doesn't want to fight. He doesn't understand why he has to shed his
family's blood for a kingdom that he doesn't even necessarily want. In his eyes,
killing his evil and killing his family is the greatest sin of all. He casts down his
weapons and tells Krishna he will not fight. Krishna, then, begins the systematic
process of explaining why it is Arjuna's dharmic duty to fight and how he must
fight in order to restore his karma.

Krishna first explains the samsaric cycle of birth and death. He says there is no
true death of the soul -- simply a sloughing of the body at the end of each round
of birth and death. The purpose of this cycle is to allow a person to work off their
karma, accumulated through lifetimes of action. If a person completes action
selflessly, in service to God, then they can work off their karma, eventually
leading to a dissolution of the soul, the achievement of enlightenment and
vijnana, and an end to the samsaric cycle. If they act selfishly, then they keep
accumulating debt, putting them further and further into karmic debt.

Krishna presents three main concepts for achieving this dissolution of the soul --
renunciation, selfless service, and meditation. All three are elements for
achieving 'yoga,' or skill in action. Krishna says that the truly divine human does
not renounce all worldly possessions or simply give up action, but rather finds
peace in completing action in the highest service to God. As a result, a person
must avoid the respective traps of the three gunas: rajas (anger, ego), tamas
(ignorance, darkness), and saatva (harmony, purity).

The highest form of meditation comes when a person not only can free
themselves from selfish action, but also focus entirely on the divine in their
actions. In other words, Krishna says that he who achieves divine union with him
in meditation will ultimately find freedom from the endless cycle of rebirth and
death. He who truly finds union with God will find him even at the moment of
death.

Arjuna stills seem to need evidence of Krishna's divine powers, so Arjuna

appears to him in his powerful, most divine form, with the "power of one
thousand suns." Seeing Krishna in his divine state, Arjuna suddenly realizes
what enlightenment can bring him in union, and he now completely has faith in
the yogic path. He goes on to ask Krishna how he can receive the love of God,
and Krishna reveals that love comes from a person's selfless devotion to the
divine, in addition to an understanding that the body is simply ephemeral -- a
product of prakriti, emerging from purusha, and is subject to endless rebirth. A
person must let go of their body's cravings and temptations and aversions to
find freedom.

The Gita ends with Krishna telling Arjuna he must choose the path of good or
evil, as it his his duty to fight the Kauravas for his kingdom. In that, he is
correcting the balance of good and evil, fulfilling his dharma, and offering the
deepest form of selfless service. Arjuna understands and, with that, proceeds
into battle.
h our this article's topic is Swami Vivekananda's comments and interpretations of the 47th verse of the second
chapter of Bhagavad Gita, considering some people from search engine's suggestions will come here to learn about the actual verse,
and not Swami Vivekananda's interpretations, we'll start with brief discussion on the verse

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse: 47

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The verse is—

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २-
४७

In Roman scripts—

Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,

Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani

We have noticed, sometimes people use two words for कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते or Karmanyevadhikaraste and write it "Karmanye
Vadhikaraste", that is also fine, but I feel it is better to use it as one word, as in the original sloka (verse), it is a joined word ( sandhi).

Karmaya+eva+adhikarah+te

The meaning of the verse is—

You have the right to work only but never to its

fruits.
Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let
your attachment be to inaction.
Now, here is the word to word meaning of the verse—

First line

First part
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते/Karmanye vadhikaraste

कर्मण्य/Karmanya = In the work

एव/Eva = Only
अधिकार/Adhikar = Right
ते/Te = Your

Second part
मा फलेषु कदाचन/Ma Phaleshu Kadachana

मा/Ma = No/Not
फलेषु/Phaleshu = In the fruit/result (the root word is "फल"/"Phal" here, means, "fruit of work")
कदाचन/Kadachana = Ever (in some web articles, this word has been translated as "never", actually कदाचन/Kadacana means "ever" or
"at any time". Note the word मा/Ma, now मा/Ma + कदाचन/Kadacana = No + ever = Never, that's how it becomes "Never")

Second line

First part
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा/Karmanyevadhikaraste

मा/Ma = No/Not
कर्मफल/Karmaphala = Two words, Karma+Phala, कर्म/Karma = work and फल/phala = result or fruit of the work.
हेतु /हेतु = Here it means "motive" (the word "hetu" may mean "reason" too)
भु /bhu = be
मा/Ma = No/Not

Second part
ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि/Te Sangostvakarmani

ते/Te = Your
संग /Sang =attachment (this word may mean "companion too", like "satsang")
अस्तु /Astu = Let there be
अकर्मणि /Akarmani = In action

Swami Vivekananda's commentaries

Now let's begin our main section Swami Vivekananda's commentaries on the verse.
Swamji told—

 Be beyond the common worldly motives. "To work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof." Man can train himself to
know and to practice that, says the Karma-Yogi. When the idea of doing good becomes a part of his very being, then he will not seek for
any motive outside. Let us do good because it is good to do good; he who does good work even in order to get to heaven binds himself
down, says the Karma-Yogi. Any work that is done with any the least selfish motive, instead of making us free, forges one more chain
for our feet.[Source]
 Bring all light into the world. Light, bring light! Let light come unto every one; the task will not be finished till every one has
reached the Lord. Bring light to the poor and bring more light to the rich, for they require it more than the poor. Bring light to the
ignorant, and more light to the educated, for the vanities of the education of our time are tremendous! Thus bring light to all and leave
the rest unto the Lord, for in the words of the same Lord "To work you have the right and not to the fruits thereof." "Let not your work
produce results for you, and at the same time may you never be without work." [Source]
 By the by, I have made a discovery as to the mental method of really practising what the Gita teaches, of working without an
eye to results. I have seen much light on concentration and attention and control of concentration, which if practised will take us out of
all anxiety and worry. It is really the science of bottling up our minds whenever we like. [Source]
 Despair not; remember the Lord says in the Gita, "To work you have the right, but not to the result." Gird up your loins, my
boy. I am called by the Lord for this. I have been dragged through a whole life full of crosses and tortures, I have seen the nearest and
dearest die, almost of starvation; I have been ridiculed, distrusted, and have suffered for my sympathy for the very men who scoff and
scorn. Well, my boy, this is the school of misery, which is also the school for great souls and prophets for the cultivation of sympathy, of
patience, and, above all, of an indomitable iron will which quakes not even if the universe be pulverised at our feet. [Source]
 How hard it is to arrive at this sort of non-attachment! Therefore Krishna shows us the lower ways and methods. The easiest
way for everyone is to do [his or her] work and not take the results. It is our desire that binds us. If we take the results of actions,
whether good or evil, we will have to bear them. But if we work not for ourselves, but all for the glory of the Lord, the results will take
care of themselves. "To work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof." The soldier works for no results. He does his duty. If
defeat comes, it belongs to the general, not to the soldier. We do our duty for love's sake — love for the general, love for the Lord. [Source]
 Indian writers are not like modern writers who steal ninety percent of their ideas from other authors, while only ten per cent is
their own, and they take care to write a preface in which they say, "For these ideas I am responsible". Those great master minds
producing momentous results in the hearts of mankind were content to write their books without even putting their names, and to die
quietly, leaving the books to posterity. Who knows the writers of our philosophy, who knows the writers of our Purânas? They all pass
under the generic name of Vyâsa, and Kapila, and so on. They have been true children of Shri Krishna. They have been true followers of
the Gita; they practically carried out the great mandate, "To work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof." [Source]
 Krishna did everything but without any attachment; he was in the world, but not of it. "Do all work but without attachment;
work for work's sake, never for yourself." [Source]