The Summary of
18 Chapters of Bhagavad Gita - In a Nutshell

By Abhinavagupta

In the winter of 1978, His Holiness Swami Lakshman Joo delivered two introductory lectures concerning the Bhagavad Gita, interpreted by Abhinavagupta.  In English, Swami Lakshman Joo translated and interpreted Abhinavagupta's summary of each of the 18 chapters. Those two lectures have been transcribed and are now presented here. They are Swami Ji's own words. Only the most minor of grammatical and punctual corrections have been made.

As a presentation on the celebration of His Birthday in the Spring on 1979, I offer this booklet as a gift to His Holiness Swami Lakshman Joo.

Stephanie Pollock

1979

Preface *

1st Chapter *

2nd Chapter *

3rd Chapter *

4th Chapter *

5th Chapter *

6th Chapter *

7th Chapter *

8th Chapter *

9th Chapter *

10th Chapter *

11th Chapter *

12th Chapter *

13th Chapter *

14th Chapter *

15th Chapter *

16th Chapter *

Glossary *

Preface

In the winter of 1978, His Holiness Swami Lakshman Joo delivered two introductory lectures concerning the Bhagavad Gita, interpreted by Abhinavagupta. In English, Swami Lakshman Joo translated and interpreted Abhinavagupta's summary of each of the 18 chapters. Those two lectures have been transcribed and are now presented here. They are Swamiji's own words. Only the most minor of grammatical and punctuation corrections have been made.

As a presentation on the celebration of His Birthday in the Spring of 1979, I offer this booklet as a gift to His Holiness Swami Lakshman Joo.

Stephanie Pollock

1979

Abhinavagupta explains, from his viewpoint, in the conclusion of the first chapter, that there is a war going on between your senses. In the organs of senses there is war always going on. In the senses, there is joy that fights with sadness, and sadness that fights with joy. In the same way, lust fights with detachment, and detachment fights with lust. It is all going on in one's own body, this war. So this is the conclusion of the first chapter. Readers will find the Sangrashloka in the end of the first chapter of Abhinavagupta's Gita.

What has the Yogi to do in this war, this battlefield? Which battlefield? The one of senses, of opposites, of good fighting with bad, right fighting with wrong, pride fighting with humility, and humility fighting with pride. All the opposites are fighting every now and then. This fight does not persist only in waking state. This fight persists in dreaming state also.

Everywhere you'll find this fight. You have to observe this fight going on in your own brain, in your own mind. What have you to do Here? What must the Yogi do Here? He says, "Should I do right Or should I do wrong?" When this fight goes on with right and wrong, you are in a fix. What to do? "Should I do this, or should I do that?"

If there is Yukti, if there is a way, an avenue, then that avenue is only: Don't think of right. Don't think of wrong. Be relaxed in your own nature. Just enjoy this fight. You just witness it. You have to witness it only. Don't get entangled in right and wrong in this war. Just witness this war. Then you'll be neither right nor wrong. This is the conclusion of the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita.

Abhinavagupta has given the conclusion In the slake at the end of this chapter. This is a wondered treatment of mind found by Yogis. There is a wonderful treatment of mind, an exclusive, unique treatment. If you get attached with the objective world, you're in fact detached. If you get yourself detached from the objective world, you become attached to it.

For instance, you renounce this whole world and go into a dense wood and cave and start meditating. You think of what you have abandoned. You think, I had a box there in my bedroom and I had a silver set in that bedroom and I have left it. Actually you are not leaving it. You are holding it. This is the treatment of mind; so, you must be cautious about it. One must be cautious about this treatment of mind and how it works.

So, in fact, by abandoning -- nothing will happen. By enjoying everything will happen. By enjoying, you'll be detached. While enjoying, you won't think of that anymore, that impression of that anymore. Those traces of impression won't remain. Traces will be vanished, while enjoying. While being detached, you'll get entangled with that, because traces of detaching will remain there, so you are attached. This is the conclusion of the second chapter.

The conclusion of the third chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is the viewpoint according to Abhinavagupta. It is at the end of the chapter. You have 2,000 rupees cash in dollars and you ask your wife to take care of this and you go to the office. When you come back, your son has burned the money to ashes in the kangri or stove without your knowing. You become very rash with your wife. You say, "What have you done? You have lost everything. You have done a great loss to me." The conclusion of this is: whenever you have earned that bundle of dollars which is lying on that shelf, think: It is not mine. At that very moment, think that it is not mine. Think your wife is not mine. Think your son is not mine . Then, this wrath and losing of your temper won't happen at all. So you must do like, You must remain in this world in this way -- not in an attached way.

The flow of your organs of senses is towards enjoying the objective world. What have you to do there? You have not to control your organs of senses. Don't control your organs, whatever you may think. If your mind says that I want this thing, then get that thing and enjoy. Don't control your mind in that way. If you control your mind, nothing will happen. You'll only suffer. Don't control it. Do it according to the choice of your mind. Then your mind will be directed, focused uninterruptedly with meditation. Then you can meditate properly.

Whatever you want, you do and meditate. Don't waste your time in controlling. If you want to eat something, you eat and sit and meditate. If you want to enjoy, go to picture. Go and see and come and meditate. Enjoyment of the world of senses is meant for meditation. It is not meant for not meditation. You have to enjoy this world for the sake of meditation, Go do everything, but be focused towards meditation. Remember Lord.

Anything can happen in this world. Everything is possible in this world. One may die at any moment. Any second one may die. Any second there would be fire. Your house will catch fire and it will turn to ashes. Your bank draft of money will be smuggled. Everything is possible in this world. So, whatever you have to do, do in this world for that point.

Be in an equilibrium state always. If you have got $1000 in your pocket, well and good. If you have nothing and you are a pauper, then, well and good. Think like that. Then you'll be liberated from the repeated births and deaths. This is the conclusion of this 5^th chapter.

The conclusion of the 6^th chapter, according to the viewpoint of Abhinavagupta (which you won't find in any other work), is: Take the name of God alone. Remember God in each and every action in this world. When you remember God in each and every action in this world, Then everything is attained. You have achieved everything that is to be achieved. If you feel that you have not achieved anything, but you only remember God, then you have achieved.

That is, in this way: The paddy fields are ripe at only one point: at the moment when rainfalls take place and it is wet. The roots are wet with rainfalls and when they get moisture, they will turn into ripening color in an instant. This is what happens by remembering God. You remember God; it is already ripe. There is only the question of a few days. Only the rainfall will reach there, under the roots of the plants, and it will take the position of that ripening color at once. So it is only: Remember God.

Attachment for Lord Krishna must be created. You must create attachment for Lord Krishna, an intense love of Lord Krishna and nothing else. Then, everything will be solved. It is Kalpamanjari. It becomes Kalpamanjari, boon-giving creeper. It is Kalpadruma, that boon-giving tree residing in heavens.

For instance, you need-money. Money will come. With what? By love of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna has promised to Arjuna that, if you remember Me always, I will take care of your cares. That will be My worry. You have only to remember Me. That is all. All other cares, that care-taking will be Mine.

I will see that you are situated peacefully, along with your money, your bank balance, your life, your enjoyment, your mother, your father, your wife, and your children. I will take care of it. I take the responsibility upon myself; that is, if you remember Me and if you are attached to Me. You just remain attached to Me and I will do the other things of your life.

There is a trick of how to find out the reality of Lord Shiva everywhere. This trick is that you must find out the state of Lord Shiva in each and every action. If you find out the state of Lord Shiva in each and every action - that is, just remembering it while recording in your tape recorder, just remembering Him while struggling in your office, while doing things in your office, remembering Him always - then your Lord Shiva will appear to you always. He'll be with you.

If you go and see a picture and you're enjoying the picture, then Lord Shiva will be sitting by, your side. He will relate what is the meaning of the picture. You won't see that He is Lord Shim. You'll only think that he is somebody who has come to see the picture and He will relate to you the things. So, inside and outside, Lord Shiva will be by your side always.

There are five energies of Lord Shiva. They are the creative energies, protective energies, destructive energies, the energy of concealing, and the energy of revealing His nature. But He creature energy is meant for revealing His nature. The protective energy is meant for revealing His nature. The destructive energy is meant for revealing His nature. He destroys this whole universe just to reveal His nature. He creates this universe just for the sake of revealing His nature. He protects this universe just to reveal His nature. So, His nature of revealing His nature is always shining.

What have you to do for that? Just see and analyze that. Where is the revealing nature in struggle? Where is the revealing nature in sadness, in joy, in enjoyment and in torture? Where is that revealing nature? You must find out that revealing nature. This revealing nature is existing everywhere. Watching your breath in each and every second, that is remembering the Lord.

Lord Krishna says, "I'll repeat the same thing to you, Oh Arjuna. I'll repeat it again for your full understanding because you are dear to Me. Nobody knows Me and I know everything." So, the conclusion that Abhinavagupta has taken out of this chapter is that any thought or any action that comes in action in your mind, and whatever comes in action in your senses, you do according to your movement of senses.

You should just hold that movement and divert it towards your own nature, and see that nothing is moving. There is no thought at all. This is the conclusion of this chapter. Whatever thought comes in you, you should think that there is no thought. Don't worry. If you do something, an action, according to the flow of your senses, then, think you have done nothing. It is just the routine of the organs. I have nothing to do with it.

In the 11th chapter, He, Lord Krishna, explains to Arjuna in a practical way, how He, Lord Krishna, is everything in this world. It is called Vishwarupa. Vishwarupa means "I am universal. I am fire, I am Agni. I am water. I am earth. I am a boy. I am a girl. I am a woman. I am a mountain. I am the ocean. I am the sky. I am everything. He, Abhinavagupta, gives this doctrine practical shape in this chapter.

Abhinavagupta's conclusion for this chapter is that all these three worlds, which are existing in this cosmos, are explained according to the science of Sankhya. It is not according to the science of Shaivism, where there are 118 worlds. They, the Sankhya school, hold that there are only three worlds. One is this world, earth. One is of stars and planets, and the other is the world of Heavens. So, a Yogi should feel that of all these three worlds, one world of it is pure, another world is impure, and yet another world is pure and impure both, mixed.

Which is the pure world? The pure world is Heavens. The impure world is earth. And the pure and impure world is the world of planets. In all of these three worlds you must feel that God Consciousness is pervading in the same scale. It is not pure. It is not impure. It is not pure and impure. This way, if you understand this whole universal cosmos, you'll become one with Lord Shiva. This is the conclusion of this chapter.

In this chapter, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that unless you have attachment for Lord Shiva and love for Lord Shiva, your meditation will be useless. You must do all this meditation and devotion of Lord Shiva with love, with attachment, with zeal, not with routine-like. If you meditate just like routine, it won't have any effect. You should meditate with zeal.

As a wife is focused towards her husband, and the husband is focused towards his wife, with zeal, Key want to die in each other, so, in this same way, you must meditate for Lord Shiva. In this way you should meditate.

When this Vaivashya, longings, desire for meeting Lord Shiva, or Lord Krishna, has gone beyond its control, then, at that moment, He Yogi feels that the existence of Lord Shiva is everywhere for him. It must go beyond its control. You must feel that you can't live without Him.

As the wife feels she can't live without her husband and Her husband feels that he can't live without his wife, so, in the same way you must feel you cannot live without the presence of God. When you do it, then God is very near to you. God is not away from you. This is the conclusion of the 12th chapter.

Now the conclusion of the 13th chapter. In this chapter, Lord Krishna has explained to Arjuna that there are two elements working in this world. One is Prakriti and one is Purusha. Purusha is conscious. Prakriti is unconscious. Purusha is inactive and Prakriti is active. Prakriti is active, but unconscious. Purusha is inactive, but conscious. Prakriti is blind. Purusha is with eyes and sight. He can see. He can observe, but he cannot move. Prakriti cannot observe, but she can move. She moves.

So there are two elements existing in this universe. One is of Prakriti and one is of Purusha. Purusha is inactive, but conscious. Prakriti is active, but unconscious. Both are united and the creation of the world takes place. The creation of the world takes place only when both are united with each other.

For instance, if Purusha wants to go to town, because he is conscious, but not blind, he knows what town is, but he cannot go there. So he unites himself with Prakriti. But Prakriti is unconscious, so he whips on her back to move right, move this way, move this way, and then move this way until he, Purusha, reaches town. So the presence of both, Prakriti and Purusha, is necessary.

But from the Shaiva point of view, this is the element of Prakriti and this is the element of Purusha, which are united with each other for the construction of the universe. This differentiated perception of these two elements takes place in those who are ignorant. But those who are filled with God Consciousness feel that Purusha and Prakriti are one. It is only one element, not two. So you must feel that these two elements are not two elements. They are one element. That is Shiva.

In this chapter, Lord Krishna has described position and differentiated actions of the three gunas. Abhinavagupta here concludes from this chapter that the Yogi, in whom this Lord Shiva attachment and love has been inserted, has no ego. The ego in him is absolutely removed. There is no ego. Ego does not remain in his mind.

In whose mind? In whom the force of attachment towards Lord Shiva has been inserted. It is no matter if he is sometimes entangled in satogana, or sometimes in rajogana or sometimes entangled in tamogana. There are three waves moving in this world. One wave is sattwic. Another wave is of rajas, and another wave is tames. And they vibrate individuals. They don't vibrate universally. This is not universal vibration. This is individual vibration. When one person has a wave passing of sattwic, it is not necessary that the person sitting near him will also feel the same wave. That Person may feel a tames wave. And some other person will feel a rajas wave.

When sattwic wave functions, love of God appears in you, In your mind, and love for meditation, attachment for meditation. Detachment for worldly pleasures takes place. When rajas wave is there, attachment for worldly pleasures takes place and love of God is ignored. When there is tames wave, then there is attachment for sleeping, and also giddiness takes place. All you want to do is lie down and sleep and snore.

But Person who has been inserted with the supreme flow of the devotional wave of Lord Shiva, no matter if he is overwhelmed with all these three waves of gunas at particular times, he is gunatita; he is beyond these waves. He does not become play of these waves. He is above. He (the Yogi) remains above these waves.

In the 15^th chapter, He, Lord Krishna, says that this whole universe, this whole cosmos of the three worlds, is a tree, a big tree. And this tree is down below. The branches are down and the roots up. The roots are residing in the state of Heaven and the branches are in Hell. So, it is upside down. So, in fact, Abhinavagupta says that this is a universal tree in one way. This big tree is Lord Shiva Himself. As tree is the expansion of Lord Shiva's body. This is the body of Lord Shiva who has expanded with roots and branches and trunk and everything.

Now, what have you to do for this chapter? The conclusion of the chapter is that Abhinavagupta says that you must not meditate. You must not meditate on some particular time or particular place or particular vibrated asanas. If you do that, then the other places will be excluded and there will be no presence of Lord Shiva there appearing. Lord Shiva presence will appear only in that particular period, that particular place, and particular time.

So, the meditation you must do, you have to do everywhere, in each and every action of your daily activities. There is a verse that Abhinavagupta has written addressing Mother, Parvati: "Oh Parvati, to sing your glory is that singing your glory is not singing your glory. It is not exactly singing your glory who sings your glory. Who gives bad news to any other person - that is singing your glory. Who plays fraud, that is singing your glory. Who does every bad action, that is singing your glory. Singing your glory is all pervading, everywhere.

If you tell me that I adore you, Oh my Mother, I adore you. Oh my Mother, I adore you in each and every way of my daily life. I don't adore you only when I actually adore you. I adore you always, I am adoring you. When I am weeping for my family members, I am adoring you. I adore you always. This is the reel way of understanding you."

You must focus your thought in Brahma always. In each and every action you must focus your mind towards one point and this dvaita maha moham: this is a great illusion of dlifferendated perception; that this is the pure way of meditation and this is the impure way of meditation, that this is a meditation and this is not a meditation, this is absence of meditation.

When you understand that I am absent from meditation—you are gone, you are no more. You don't meditate at all. So you have to remember Lord Shiva in each and every action. Remember Him and love Him. Then, what will happen to him (the Yogi)?

Even in the very activates of worldly activities, he is in a trance. He is established in a trance. You can go to temple and adore. You can do that. That is well. If you like, you can cut your hair. You can grow your hair. Everything is okay only when you remember Him, in intellect, intellectually. But you must remember him with devotion, with love, with attachment. You must create attachment for Lord Shiva. Then everything is okay.

Guru Nanak has written a verse in his own way. If a Yogi is that person who has controlled his lust and sexual desires and if he is a saint, then he becomes a saint. Then, there are eunuchs. Are they saints? There are eunuchs who have no sense of sexual pleasure. Are they saints then? So this is not the right way of thinking.

If a Yogi is that person who is always clean, always washing his body, and remaining pure with water then there are frogs and there are fishes always roaming in the water. Are they saints? If a saint is that person who takes only milk, day and night, and no bread, no solid food, and if by that action he becomes saint, then what of those boys and children and calves that take only milk? Are they saints? Oh Nanak, you find out Lord Shiva, then everything is okay. This is what he has also told. He was also a realized soul.

Now in conclusion of this chapter, by Abhinavagupta's explanation' you must not understand that you must do right and wrong, or everything bad, or that you must become a fraud in your life. No. This is just to make you understand that this is not the only point, to become pure and not be a fraud and away from bad actions. That is not the only point.

You must not do bad actions. He says that you must not do bad actions; but, you must understand that not doing bad actions won't carry you to that point. But still you must not do bad actions. Whatever is prescribed and explained in Shastra, you must do according to the sayings of the Shastras.

But at the same time, you must feel that this way of my routine of life is not the ending point of my life. The ending point of my life is just to merge in that Lord Shiva. So, you must not boast of being pure; you must remain pure. Don't boast of remaining pure. You must not tell lies. But do not boast of yourself as truthful person. Truthfulness only is not the goal. It is something else, and that is: attachment for Lord Shiva. This is the conclusion of this chapter.

The things that everybody does, including Jnani, realized person, are the same things. You have to do the same things. What you were doing in the period of ignorance, you do in the period of knowledge, in the period when you are realized. And that activity is also the same. It is not changed. His activity is not changed by the realization of God. Activity remains the same, but the fruit is unique. The fruit from that action is the liberation from pangs of repeated births and deaths. Fruit is separate. Fruit becomes unique for him.

On the 186th page, the first sloka is the conclusion. That differentiated intellect is because of the three gunas. It has become dull or stupid by ignorance, by the absence of God Consciousness, Vimoha. Vimoha means absence of God Consciousness.

That intellect which has become dull and stupid by being away from God consciousness must be cut by you. You must cut that intellect into pieces. You must shatter it. Shatter that and then you must attain that state of Vishnu which is beyond thought and which is beautiful with His own nature of self. When you reach that place, then, whatever you do, whatever you act in this universe, that action becomes means to attain Lord Shiva. Every action. Here ends Bhagavad

Agni: fire

Gunas: qualities born of nature; everything in the universe exhibits these three qualities in varying degrees (see rajoguna, satoguna, and tamoguna, below)

Gunatita: one who has transcended the gunas, gone beyond the pull of the gunas

Jnani: from jnana, knowledge; one who has knowledge; a realized person

Kalpamanjari & Kalpadruma: (from kalpas, medicines intended for longevity and health) health-giving tree

kangri: clay pot filled with hot coals

Rajoguna (rajas gunas): one of the three qualities of nature; it manifests as activity, restlessness, passion

Sankhya: science of three worlds; system of philosophy that believes in three fundamental realities

Shastras: philosophical texts; scriptures

Satoguna (sattwa guna): one of the three qualities of nature; it manifests as balance, purity, calmness

Sloka: verse

Tamoguna (tames guna): one of the three qualities of nature; it manifests as inertia, laziness, dullness, sleep, and infatuation

Vaivashya: longing, desire

Vimoha: absence of God-consciousness

Vishwarupa: cosmic form

Yukti: a way, an avenue