The Bhagavad Gita stands alone in the spiritual tradition of humanity, by being at the same time a Scripture, a teaching, a poetic utterance and a practical guidebook to the problems of life in the world.
The teaching of the Bhagavad Gita took place on a battlefield. This battlefield represents the contradictions and problems of human existence in a truly ultimate sense. Every decision on the battlefield is a decision of life and death. Morality, religion and spiritual insight all must find their proper value in the crucible of battle.
This setting created the internal conflict which led Arjuna, the protagonist of the age, to want to renounce his action and declare it immoral and wrong. He applied the concepts of morality to his life and concluded that he could not fight, even in defense of everything that was ‘right’.
The Bhagavad Gita uses this context to explore the issues of the spiritual destiny of man and the purpose and direction of his actions in the world. It confronts the conflicts and contradictions directly and does not try to hide behind conventional formulas to avoid the issue.
For this reason, the Gita is a powerful aid to anyone who wants to integrate the life of the Spirit with the issues of life in the world. It does not ‘cut the knot’ but systematically works to untie it. In so doing, it helps us clarify the issues alive within ourselves.
Sri Aurobindo understood these issues and in his famous Essays on the Gita he was able to reveal many subtle and hidden aspects of the teaching of the Gita. He entered into the spirit of the original and created a commentary that has stood the test of time in its lucidity and value for anyone wishing to truly understand the Bhagavad Gita. His English translation of the text is also clear and lucid, avoiding the obscuration frequently noted when texts are translated from one language to another.
The recitations presented here were made in 1973 at Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Sri Vinayak recites the Sanskrit text of the Gita. Santosh Krinsky recites the English translation as well as the introductory commentaries extracted from Essays on the Gita. The translation is drawn from Bhagavad Gita and Its Message which also provides the Sanskrit Devanagari text and brief commentaries also drawn from the Essays.
Bhagavad Gita:
Extract from Essays on the Gita, Chapter 1 Our Demand and Need from the Gita
Introduction and Chapter 1 Kurukshetra
Chapter 2, Part 1, Verses 1-38 Creed of the Aryan Fighter
Chapter 2, Part 2, Verses 39-72 The Yoga of the Intelligent Will
Chapter 3, Part 1, Verses 1-26 Works and Sacrifice
Chapter 3, Part 2, Verses 27-43 The Determinism of Nature
Chapter 4, Part 1, verses 1-23, The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood & Divine Worker
Chapter 4, Part 2, verses 24-42 The Significance of Sacrifice
Chapter 5 Renunciation and the Yoga of Works
Chapter 6 Nirvana and Works in the World
Chapter 9 Works, Devotion and Knowledge
Chapter 12 The Way and the Bhakta
Chapter 18, Verses 45-66, The Supreme Secret
Bhagavad Gita: Concluding Remarks
reference: Sri Aurobindo, Essays on the Gita and Bhagavad Gita and Its Message
Sri Aurobindo Studies 