59 pages • 1 hour read
Swami Prabhavananda, Transl. Christopher IsherwoodBhagavad Gita
Nonfiction | Scripture | Adult | Published in 1972A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Part 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Knowledge and Experience”
Krishna calls on Arjuna to “devote your whole mind to me” (70) and the practice of yoga. Doing so will allow Arjuna “know” Krishna, which means to step toward enlightenment. He tells Arjuna how to know him so as to remove any doubt about the benefits. Krishna’s material nature (referred to as part of his Prakriti) is made from eight elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect, and ego. Krishna also has a higher nature that holds together the world “like pearls strung on a thread” (71). There is nothing higher than Krishna.
Krishna’s material nature also encompasses everything within him, including all sights, sounds, and smells. The world fails to recognize Krishna’s true form, however, as he stands apart from everything. His only solution is to teach people how to know him properly. People who commit evil acts are stuck on the wrong path as they have not turned toward Krishna. They lack wisdom and judgement.
Krishna recognizes four types of good people: “the world-weary, the seeker for knowledge, the seeker for happiness, and the man of spiritual discrimination” (72). The man of spiritual discrimination is the best of these. He is the wise man whom Krishna loves just as the man loves him. People who wish to honor Krishna with trustful worship will receive Krishna’s trust in return.
Men with little understanding only pray for things that are transient and perishable. These people do not understand Krishna’s true nature, which is not bound to any one form. Those who do not act in a pure fashion or devote themselves to Krishna will not achieve enlightenment, as they will never truly know Krishna.
Chapter 8 Summary: “The Way to Eternal Brahman”
Arjuna asks Krishna a series of questions. Krishna answers them all at once and explains that Brahman is the interconnected force that animates everything in the universe. Krishna says that Brahman cannot die, and when it is found within an individual it is known as the Atman. Brahman’s creative energy is what causes everything to exist. The nature of the world is mutability, and the nature of an individual is the consciousness of himself. A person must leave their body at the moment of their death to be united with Krishna. The next step in the person’s journey is dictated by the subject they thought about most during their life. A person should always think about Krishna, as that means the next step of their journey will be toward Krishna. A person who is not distracted, who practices yoga, who meditates, who does their duty, and who remembers Krishna can be assured that they will go toward him.
The people who follow this method can be assured that they will join Krishna instead of being reincarnated. All people are reincarnated and born into another body except those who know Krishna. The people who find Krishna have found “the highest perfection” (76). Reincarnation is like the rising and the setting of the sun. Everything lives and dies in a cycle of rebirth, but Brahman remains. The only way to break free of this cycle is to know Krishna. Every person who dies can take two paths: the path that leads back to birth or the path of no return. The first is reincarnation and the second is enlightenment. Arjuna must be dedicated to his yoga so he can set off on the right path when he dies.
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Yoga of Mysticism”
Krishna offers to tell Arjuna the “innermost secret” (79). The secret is that knowledge and wisdom can make him pure. This secret should encourage Arjuna to perform his dharma, or his duty, as it is the only way to break from the cycle of reincarnation.
Krishna explains that every creature exists within him. They do not exist within him physically but in a metaphorical sense. His being sustains all creatures and helps them to be born, as he is woven through the fabric of existence. Krishna likens this to the way that the wind is always in the sky. Life comes and goes, but Krishna continues to recreate beings. People often struggle with Krishna’s human form so he does not usually take one. People are vain in their hopes and their labors, and they are frustrated by their lack of understanding. But there are some people who understand Krishna’s nature and they dedicate themselves to him. They understand that Krishna is everything.
The pure people who follow Krishna’s teaching are rewarded with divine pleasures. They then return to the world of the mortals once they have overindulged on these pleasures. Then they must dedicate themselves to Krishna more fully. If they do so, he will provide them with eternal peace. There are many ways to sacrifice and pray. Many of these methods pay tribute ultimately to Krishna because he is in all things, but they are not the correct way to achieve enlightenment. Krishna will accept all offerings to him and encourages Arjuna to make them. If he does so, he will be freed from “the good and the evil effects of [his] actions” (84). Krishna does not love or hate anyone, but he rewards those who dedicate themselves to him, even those who have sinned. Arjuna is told to dedicate himself to Krishna.
Chapter 10 Summary: “Divine Glory”
Krishna assures Arjuna that he cares for him and that he has Arjuna’s well-being in mind. He knows that Arjuna wishes to know more about his origins, but Krishna explains that there is no one who can fully understand the complexity of his existence. Krishna is the source of everything, whether it is pleasure or pain or birth or destruction. People should recognize Krishna’s power as the being responsible for creation. They should endeavor to be closer to him through yoga.
Arjuna praises Krishna and recognizes him as “the utterly holy” (87). He notes that the Vedas (ancient Hindu scriptures) also acknowledged the fundamental importance of Krishna. Arjuna believes Krishna’s words and admits that he struggles as much as anyone else to truly comprehend Krishna’s various forms. He asks Krishna about these forms, hoping that this will help him learn more about enlightenment. He also does not tire of Krishna’s teaching.
Krishna tries to tell Arjuna about his numerous forms but there are so many. He runs through a list of some of his most important manifestations, which touch on everything from the natural world to humanity to the gods themselves. Krishna is the “beginning, the middle and the end in creation” (90). He finishes by noting that Arjuna does not need to know every single form and that Arjuna cannot know every single form that Krishna takes. Arjuna should rest assured knowing that Krishna exists and that one atom of Krishna is enough to sustain the entire universe.
Chapter 11 Summary: “The Vision of God in His Universal Form”
Arjuna thanks Krishna for dispelling his ignorance. He has learned much about Krishna but wishes to witness Krishna’s divine form. Krishna responds that Arjuna can see Krishna’s Atman in the wonders of the world but he cannot witness Krishna’s true form using his human eyes. Krishna gifts Arjuna divine sight to see his true form.
The narrative momentarily switches back to Sanjaya, who explains to Dhritarashtra the sights Arjuna witnessed when given the divine sight. Arjuna saw Krishna as a being with many weapons, eyes, mouths, clothes, and smells. Krishna is a being who contains everything, and his brilliance is unending. The sight was like that of “a thousand suns” (92). Arjuna sees the universe in its multitudinous diversity and as a part of Krishna. Arjuna is overcome with wonder. He bows down before Krishna and praises him.
Arjuna explains what he has seen and praises Krishna’s unlimited power. He has seen the destructive power that Krishna can unleash and the terrible forms that Krishna can take. Krishna tells Arjuna that he takes these forms because every person will eventually die. This inevitable death includes the Pandavas and the Kauravas, so Arjuna should fight in the battle and conquer his enemies. Arjuna is just an instrument of the unseen forces of the universe and he will certainly win his battle.
The narrative switches back to Sanjaya, who explains that Arjuna begs Krishna to take mercy on him and apologizes for not dedicating his life to Krishna. He thanks Krishna for the privilege of seeing Krishna’s true forms but thanks Krishna for being his more palatable human form while he is the charioteer and counselor on the battlefield. Krishna confirms that this privilege is not even bestowed on the most dedicated people. Arjuna’s thoughts return to normal and he composes himself. Krishna reminds Arjuna that dedication and prayer is the only way to truly perceive him.
Chapter 12 Summary: “The Yoga of Devotion”
Arjuna asks about the people who dedicate themselves to Krishna. He wonders who is wiser, the people who practice yoga or the people who dedicate themselves to Krishna’s formless manifestation. Krishna believes that both sets of people will eventually come to him. Those who are dedicated to his imperishable form face more pain and difficulty. There are many ways to dedicate oneself to Krishna. Those who cannot spend their time thinking about and considering him can devote their deeds and actions to him. People should abandon focus on the products of their deeds and focus on the deeds themselves. They should abandon hatred, any feeling of ownership or ego, as well as pleasure, impatience, anxiety, and fear. There are many qualities in a person who is devoted to Krishna, but all of them must trust in his power.
Part 2 Analysis
Krishna’s role in religion is central. He acknowledges the existence of the other gods but notes that they exist in him in one form or another. Krishna provides the path to enlightenment, and so an understanding of him seems to overrule an understanding of other gods. This framing of Krishna’s divinity is not necessarily literal. Belief in Krishna is belief in the divine. Rather than abandoning other gods, those who dedicate themselves to Krishna dedicate themselves to the unified idea of enlightenment, the divine, and all gods at once.
Krishna switches between grandiose proclamations about the nature of existence and practical advice about how to dedicate oneself to him. The more metaphysical aspects of the text include the long list of every being which is contained within Krishna. The length of the list is designed to illustrate the pervasive nature of Krishna’s divinity. Arjuna has a vision of Krishna’s true form, and the magnificence of what he sees is almost impossible to put into worlds. These more fantastical elements of the text contrast with the practical advice given by Krishna. His instructions for meditation are detailed and easy to follow. This contrast is a reminder that the Gita is not just a story or a theological discussion but a religious text with real-world ramifications.
Arjuna becomes increasingly apologetic once he has witnessed Krishna’s true form. He spends large parts of the text inquiring, challenging, and disagreeing with a god, but his attitude changes once he sees Krishna’s real form. He prostates himself in front of Krishna and begs for forgiveness. Arjuna is a king and the leader of an army. Few people could be considered to rank above him in the social hierarchy. Yet he kneels down and begs Krishna for not praising him enough and not dedicating his life to Krishna to a suitable degree. The text does not attempt to describe Krishna’s true form in great detail, but the Arjuna’s reaction and the change in his personality brought about by the vision reveal the dramatic nature of what he has seen. Krishna’s true form has such an impact on Arjuna that it turns a warrior king into a man who kneels and begs for forgiveness.
The revelation of Krishna’s true form brings an end to the back-and-forth discussions. Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna and admits that he does this for very few people. The two characters have spent large portions of the text covering similar ground and looping themselves in circles. Krishna’s reveal acts as a full stop to this discussion. His true form answers Arjuna’s questions and doubts in a way that conversation never could. Krishna’s decision to reveal himself to Arjuna shows that he has the ability to end drifting theological discussions. The power in innate and self-evident. All Krishna has to do to settle a discussion is show his true form, and men like Arjuna have their doubts eradicated. Such is the power of Krishna.
