Book SummaryThe Bhagavad Gita, by Eknath Easwaran

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is one part of the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit story that’s one of the oldest known epics. The Gita is one of the most famous pieces of Hindu literature, and the lessons it teaches are central to that faith. As a cultural touchstone and a spiritual guide, scholars consider it one of the most important ancient texts in the world. The translation and commentary by Eknath Easwaran help even those who aren’t learned in Hindu mythology to understand its teachings.

The Bhagavad Gita takes place just before a great battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two factions from the same dynasty who are fighting over the throne of the kingdom of Hastinapura. They have met at the field of Kurukshetra for the great battle to decide the inheritance.

Arjuna, who leads the Pandavas, is conflicted because he doesn’t want to fight against his own family. He turns to his childhood friend and charioteer Krishna, who is actually an incarnation of the god Vishnu, for advice.

Krishna’s advice comprises the vast majority of the Gita—“Bhagavad Gita” means “song of God.” He begins by discussing dharma, what we might call destiny, and tells Arjuna that it’s his dharma to fight. Krishna then moves into discussions of the difference between reality and illusion—anything that’s of the physical, temporary world isn’t real. The only reality is divinity, which Arjuna’s weapons can’t harm, so he should have no qualms about fighting.

From there, Krishna moves into a discussion of his own nature as God; how all things came from him and he exists in everything. He discusses how the path to enlightenment involves recognizing that truth and seeing that all things are connected through God. This leads to selfless action in the literal sense—acting without thought or care for oneself, focused only on God.

The ultimate goal of these lessons is to help Arjuna break free from samsara, the cycle of reincarnation. However, in the short term, they serve to soothe Arjuna’s doubts and ready him for the battle to come.

What’s Real and What’s Not

One lesson that’s central to all of Krishna’s teachings is the difference between reality and illusion. Anything temporary shouldn’t be considered real. This includes physical matter, sensations, thoughts and feelings, and even good and bad fortune. They’re all transient, belonging to the category that Krishna calls “sense-objects” or prakriti—that is, things that either are physical objects or are experienced physically.

Very few things are actually real and worthy of attention. However, your true self, the Purusha or soul that inhabits the body, is real. Though you will die and be reborn countless times, the Purusha itself never changes. It puts on bodies and casts them off as easily as you change your clothes, and with no greater impact on itself.

The other reality is the divine. Krishna himself, who is an incarnation of the god Vishnu, is real. In turn, Vishnu himself is only one aspect of Brahman, the ultimate power and truth in the universe. Everything that exists—from the smallest speck of dirt, to entire worlds, to Purusha—comes from Brahman and is part of Brahman.

Understanding the difference between what’s real and what’s not is key for Arjuna to fight in the upcoming battle. He doesn’t want to hurt his kin—but Krishna makes the point that he can’t hurt them, only their temporary physical bodies. Damaging Purusha, their true selves, is impossible, and therefore there’s no reason for Arjuna to hesitate.

Selflessly Fulfill Dharma

The other reason why Arjuna must fight is that it’s his dharma—both his duty and his destiny. Dharma is what someone’s on Earth to do.

Krishna mentions that he takes a mortal form when he’s needed on Earth in order to set dharma back on its proper course; in other words, when people turn away from their destinies. These lessons for Arjuna are part of making sure that people fulfill dharma as they should.

Krishna goes on to say that Arjuna should fulfill his dharma through selfless action, which is a frequent theme in the Bhagavad Gita. “Selfless” isn’t used in the more common sense of “charitable,” but meaning literally without thought or concern for oneself. Krishna says repeatedly that Arjuna should work to fulfill his dharma, while devoting every action that he takes to Krishna himself instead of focusing on selfish concerns.

Arjuna shouldn’t be concerned with personal gain or rewards, or even with the outcomes of his actions. The key to selfless action is to do what’s right and leave the results in God’s hands. This renunciation of outcomes and consequences is called tyaga, which is one path to enlightenment.

Escaping From Karma

This focus on selfless action is important because it’s the best way for Arjuna to break free of karma. You may have heard the colloquial meaning of karma: Being rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad ones. However, this is a corrupted definition of the concept.

Karma is the cosmic force that binds people to samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. What a person does in life affects that person’s afterlife, and what kind of new life he or she is placed into next. Gaining and balancing karma, positive or negative, is a process that takes place over many lives and afterlives.

Usually, every action that a person takes, good or bad, is added to that person’s karma. However, by acting selflessly as Krishna describes, that person can remain detached from their actions and unconnected to the outcomes of them. Therefore, selfless actions don’t incur any karma.

Escaping karma and breaking free of samsara is the ultimate goal of Hinduism. Someone who has achieved this goal no longer has any karma, and therefore isn’t reincarnated anymore. Krishna repeatedly discusses this goal. He explains how those who achieve it are reunited with him in his true home, a place of pure light that exists within Brahman,...

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 1-2: Reality, Illusion, and Dharma

The Bhagavad Gita is one part of the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit story that’s one of the oldest known epics. The Gita is one of the most famous pieces of Hindu literature, and the lessons it teaches are central to that faith. As a cultural touchstone and a spiritual guide, scholars consider it one of the most important ancient texts in the world. The translation and commentary by Eknath Easwaran help even those who aren’t learned in Hindu mythology to understand its teachings.

As the Bhagavad Gita begins, two mighty armies face each other across the field of Kurukshetra, which is located to the north of modern-day Delhi. The Pandavas, led by Prince Arjuna, are about to wage war against their kin, the Kauravas, who have usurped the throne of Hastinapura.

Arjuna is conflicted because he doesn’t want to fight against his own family. He turns to his childhood friend and charioteer Krishna, who is actually an incarnation of the god Vishnu, for advice.

Krishna’s advice comprises the vast majority of the Gita—“Bhagavad Gita” means “song of God.” He begins by discussing dharma, what we might call destiny, and tells Arjuna that it’s his dharma to fight....

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 3-4: The Importance of Action

In this chapter, Krishna moves away from talk of meditation and prayer and discusses the importance of actions. The key is to act selflessly—not meaning “charitably” in the usual sense of the word, but literally without thought for yourself, focused only on God. Acting according to your dharma, and devoting all of your actions to Vishnu, is called karma yoga, or selfless service.

Selfless Action

Arjuna asks Krishna—in light of what he’s learned about yoga, meditation, and inward thought—why he needs to fight this war. He argues that if wisdom, not action, is the key to living well and breaking the cycle of reincarnation, then Krishna telling him to fight doesn’t seem to make sense, since fighting would be taking action.

Krishna answers that there are two righteous paths through life: jnana yoga, the way of meditation and contemplation; and karma yoga, the way of selfless action. Of the two, karma yoga is better and more practical. Nobody can go through life without taking some actions, and selfish actions cause harm to others and to the world. Therefore, the best way to act is with no sense of self: Do what’s right and devote all your actions to God and the...

Shortform Exercise: Act Selflessly

Selfless action is something that everyone can embrace. As you think about this, remember that selfless doesn’t just mean “charitable”; it means “without any thought of personal benefit or hardship.”

Describe one truly selfless act that you’ve done in the past week.

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 5-9: Find God Through Meditation

Arjuna, ever-practical, points out that Krishna has now recommended both selfless action, and the complete renunciation of physical attachments—including actions—which is called sannyasa. He asks which is the better path to God and Brahman.

Krishna answers that both paths lead to freedom from karma, but action is better. Renouncing all physical attachments and actions is very difficult, especially for someone like Arjuna, whose dharma is to fight and lead. Therefore, it’s better to take the necessary actions and perform them with no sense of self or egotism.

Krishna compares the body to a “city” with nine gates: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the mouth, the anus, and the urethra. By mastering selfless action, Arjuna’s Atman—his true self—will be the master of his body, ruling it like a king rules a city from the safety of his palace.

Krishna reiterates that all sense-objects are temporary; not real, and not worth pursuing. Any pleasures that Arjuna might seek in the world will be similarly temporary and will only cause him more suffering in the long run. Rather, through meditation and selfless action, Arjuna’s one and only goal should be understanding his...

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 9-12: Know and Love God

In these chapters, Krishna reiterates that he is the source of all things and present in all things, both physical and metaphysical. He goes further to say that he is the true form of the greatest gods in every pantheon worshipped by man. He expounds on how he is the highest mountain, the deepest valley, the mightiest lion; he is the true self inside every person; he is life, death, time, victory, honor, justice, and so on.

Religious scholars consider Chapter 11 to be the most important part of the Bhagavad Gita. In this chapter, Krishna reveals his true self to Arjuna—not the four-armed, blue-skinned being who commonly appears in art, but his real form: the beginning and end of all existence.

Following that great revelation, Chapter 12 focuses on the importance of not just devotion, but love, as the supreme motivator for spirituality. It’s not enough to simply know Vishnu; you have to love him in order to free yourself from reincarnation.

Krishna’s True Nature

Remember that, along with understanding himself, Arjuna must learn to understand Vishnu in order to escape from karma. To that end, Krishna—who is an incarnation of Vishnu—begins talking about himself...

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 13-16: The Body Creates Spiritual Obstacles

This section begins by exploring two ideas: the so-called “field,” and the one who knows the field. In the simplest terms, we could think of the field as the body, and the knower as the true self that inhabits that body.

Krishna then returns to the subject of the gunas, this time to discuss how living by each guna affects your next life. While on the topic of reincarnation, he also explains the difference between what he terms “divine” and “demonic” tendencies. People who are driven by divine tendencies show the qualities that he’s been describing all along, like selflessness and spirituality. Those who are driven by demonic tendencies are selfish and atheistic; they don’t believe in God at all, and think that life has no higher purpose than reproduction. As with the gunas, people will be reborn according to their tendencies.

Understanding the knower of the field—the true self that inhabits the body—is crucial in order to embrace divine tendencies and free oneself from the three gunas. This is one method of attaining enlightenment.

The Field and the One Who Knows It

**Krishna compares the temporary body to a farmer’s field, and the true self that lives in it to the...

Shortform Exercise: See the Gunas in Yourself

Regardless of your own religious or spiritual beliefs, reflecting on your thoughts and actions is always a worthwhile exercise. Now that you’re more familiar with the three gunas and how they impact various aspects of life, see if you can find them in yourself.

Think about the day you’ve had (or yesterday, if you’re reading this in the morning). Which guna—sattva, rajas, or tamas—would you say was driving your thoughts and actions, and why? Give an example of one action that was driven by that guna.

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Chapters 17-18: The Final Lessons

The final two chapters of the Gita are devoted to answering Arjuna’s remaining questions and wrapping up the conversation. In Chapter 17, Arjuna asks for more details about scriptures. Specifically, he wants to know what happens to people who worship faithfully, but not in the ways that are prescribed in the scriptures.

Chapter 18 reiterates that the way to find everlasting peace is by maintaining faith in Vishnu, devoting your life and all of your actions to him, and detaching from your ego. This is, as Krishna has said many times throughout the Gita, the ultimate goal of life.

Worship Influenced by the Gunas

Following up on Krishna’s last lesson, Arjuna asks about people who worship faithfully but don’t follow the rituals prescribed by scripture. He wonders which guna they’re acting from by doing so.

Krishna answers that every living creature has some kind of faith, which could come from any of the three gunas. What kind of faith someone has depends on which guna he or she is ruled by, which also impacts every aspect of that person’s life. Krishna specifically discusses what each type of worship focuses on, and what each type of person likes to eat, which...

The Bhagavad Gita Summary Glossary

Ahamkara: Self-will, or egoism. Ahamkara deludes people into seeing themselves as individuals in charge of their own fates, rather than as tiny parts of the infinite divinity.

Akasha: The element of sky, or space. The void in between planets and stars. Akasha fills the universe, but is not affected by it.

Arjuna: One of Pandu’s children. Arjuna is a prince, the leader of the Pandavas, and the protagonist of the Gita. Most of the text is Krishna answering Arjuna’s question and teaching him how to free himself from karma and reincarnation.

Atman: The “soul,” or the true self. However, it’s not confined to a single person’s soul as western cultures would think of it; Atman is a pervasive, universal force of creation and life. The part of Atman that resides in the body is called Purusha.

Bhagavad Gita: “The song of God.” Krishna is an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and the Gita is his “song,” the lessons he teaches to Prince Arjuna.

Brahma: The creator deity in Hinduism. Like Vishnu, Brahma is a manifestation of the eternal Brahman.

Brahman: The ultimate truth and power of the universe, and Vishnu’s highest form. Brahman is found in...