Glories of Bhagavad-gita Chapter-1 in Gita-mahatmya

Padma Purana records how Lord Siva informed his wife Parvati devi about what Lord Vishnu was telling His consort Lakshmi devi about Bhagavad-gita. Lord Vishnu himself manifested in the form of Bhagavad-gita. The first five chapters are His head, the next ten chapters His ten arms, the sixteenth chapter His stomach and the last two chapters His lotus feet. An intelligent person who daily recites one chapter or even one sloka, one half sloka, or at least one quarter sloka, will attain the supreme destination, Vaikuntha.

There was a brahmana named Susharma who was wicked and sinful. He took pleasure hurting others, drinking wine and eating flesh. One day he died from snake bite. He had to suffer in many hells and ultimately attained the body of a bull. A crippled man purchased the bull and made him carry heavy load on his back. One day the bull fell unconscious and many people gathered to watch him. Several pious people including a prostitute bestowed upon the bull the results of some of their pious activities. Later the bull died and was taken to Yamaraja, the god of death. Because of the pious credits given by the prostitute he took birth in a very high brahmana family. In that birth, he was able to remember his past birth and wanted to meet the prostitute. Later he met the prostitute and understood the reason for her purity.

There was another brahmana who was very proud of his learnings and used to insult other learned persons out of jealousy. After death he was cast into many hells and achieved the body of a parrot. The bird lost its parents when young and was left alone. It was given shelter by some rishi's in their ashrama. The children of the rishi's used to recite the first chapter of Bhagavad-gita and the parrot picked the slokas from them. He was later stolen by a thief and sold to the prostitute. Continuously hearing the recitation from the parrot, the prostitute became pure in heart.

Anyone who recites, hears or studies the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita will very easily cross over the ocean of material miseries and attain the service of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.

Bhagavad-gita Summary of Chapter-1 Duryodhana’s arrogance and Arjuna’s bewilderment

Bhagavad-gita is the essence of Vedic knowledge and rightly sets the stage in Chapter-1. On one hand there is Dhrtarastra and his demoniac son, Duryodhana showing arrogance due to their faith in military strength. On the other hand there is Arjuna, the devotee of the Lord but in bewildered condition out of attachment to family and friends. Arjuna is unwilling to fight and counter his family and friends in battle considering this to be sinful. Both good and bad are mired in the maze of material nature. Under this context, the perfect theistic science is revealed by Lord Sri Krishna for the ultimate benefit of all living beings.

In this material world, for every action there is counteraction. For every sinful action, there are reactions and sufferings. Any service done for the satisfaction of the self is sinful. There is danger lurking everywhere. However, if you are diseased, you have to take medicine. If somebody is drowning in the sea, you have to give him some help, send some boat or some lifeboat so that he can be saved. When you see written on a gate, “Danger! Beware of Dogs!” you avoid the place. How do we therefore counter from sinful reactions?

Anyone who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, He protects from all counteraction. If He instructs to fight for His mission, the ultimate good is to fully surrender to Him and comply with His words. In so doing, He Himself promises to remove all sins and dangers. The teaching was understood and realized by Arjuna, who heard the Bhagavad-gita directly from the Lord. This has to be understood “as it is” by hearing from bona-fide devotees.

Bhagavad-gita 1.41-46 Arjuna’s argument regarding concern for Forefathers and Family Welfare

Increase of unwanted population causes hellish life in the family. The ancestors of such corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and water, ceremonies like sraaddha and pindam are entirely stopped. Also all kinds of community projects and family welfare activities are devastated.

Sometimes the forefathers may be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle bodies as ghosts. Thus, when remnant of food or prasadam is offered to forefathers by descendants, the forefathers are released from ghostly or other kinds of miserable life.

Those who destroy the family tradition therefore commit sin. Hence such destroyers dwell always in hell. Therefore Arjuna was not willing to commit the great sin (maha-papam). He was ready to die unarmed rather than kill his family members (svajan).

Arjuna mistook that the war was arranged for his satisfaction so that he could enjoy the kingdom and the happiness thereof. Actually, it was not an ordinary activity since it was organized for the satisfaction of Lord Krishna’s mission. People under varnasrama-dharma are engaged in devotional life (life dedicated to serve Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna). All welfare activities are fulfilled in such a society. It is even not required to perform rituals of offerings to forefathers since simply by performing devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from all kinds of misery.

Bhagavad-gita 1.40 Arjuna’s argument regarding Concern for Women and Children

When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the family (kula-striyah) become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny (varna-sankara).

Good population in human society is the basic principle for peace, prosperity and spiritual progress in life. The varnasrama principles are so designed that the good population would prevail in society for the general spiritual progress of state and community. Such population depends on the chastity and faithfulness of its womanhood. We find such examples of satita in the example of Damyanti who was steadfast in her faith on her husband Nala even when he became poor because of a curse. Wife can also help one to be elevated to the heavenly planets, to advance in religious and spiritual knowledge, for economic development, for satisfying sense gratification and also for salvation.

On the failure of varnasrama-dharma, naturally the women become free to act and mix with men, and thus adultery is indulged in at the risk of unwanted population. Irresponsible men also provoke adultery in society, and thus unwanted children flood the human race at the risk of war and pestilence. Class of people born out of lust or adultery and undesirable parents are called varna-sankara. Hiranyakasipu, the demoniac asura was born when his mother Diti became lusty during an improper time of day for progeny.

Son or putra is expected to deliver the forefathers from the hellish condition of life through sraddha and pindam offerings. Arjuna was afraid that family will face irresponsible progeny after the deaths in the war.

Varnasrama-dharma or eternal occupation of family members

As per vedic civilization, human society is divided, according to work into four divisions of social order (varna):

- brahmana are the intelligent class of people who are in mode of goodness and spiritual master of other sections of society.
- ksatriya are the administrative class who are trained for challenging and killing to protect society from irreligious elements. They are usually in the mode of goodness and passion.
- vaisya are the mercantile class and are engaged in farming, cow protection and business. They are people in mode of passion and ignorance.
- sudra are the labourer class serving the other social orders in society and are in mode of ignorance.
The varna is determined as per a person’s qualities and activities and not birth.

Human life is also divided into four stages (asrama) –

- brahmacari are students who gain spiritual knowledge under the care of a spiritual master
- grhastha are householders who lead a married life and function as per the four divisions of social order
- vanaprastha are retired people who engage in attaining spiritual understanding
- sannyasi are persons in the renounced order of life and are considered to be the spiritual master of the brahmana.

This vedic classification of society belongs to the sanatana-dharma. sanatana means eternal. The whole purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to revive our sanatana occupation, or sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed by the Supreme Lord. That is our pure life. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities or jiva in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord.

Bhagavad-gita 1.37-39 Arjuna’s argument regarding Concern for Family Values

The sons of Dhrtarashtra had lost their sense on account of greediness for acquiring the empire. They were seeing no fault in killing their family or quarreling with friends because their hearts were overtaken by greed. There was also great danger of destroying dynasty. Arjuna questioned that why should the Pandavas engage in these acts of sin. Obligation to fight is binding when the effect is good, but when the effect is otherwise, then no one can be bound. Therefore Arjuna favoured not to fight.

With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished. With religion being destroyed, the rest of family becomes involved in irreligion. The elder members are responsible for purifying processes in the family, beginning from birth to death. But on the death of the elder members, such family traditions of purification may stop, and the remaining younger family members may develop irreligious habits and thereby lose their chance for spiritual salvation. Therefore, the elder members of the family should not be slain.

Arjuna addressed the Lord as Janardana or protector of people seeking answer. Family tradition, according to Vedic civilization, was very strictly observed so that the family could be kept in order as per religious principles. This was because the human life was meant for reviving one’s eternal position or sanatana-dharma. The eternal occupation of family members is to observe the rules and regulations of sanatana-dharma or varnasrama-dharma. In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna reveals this eternal position and eternal occupation of human life while instructing Arjuna to engage in the battle.

Bhagavad-gita 1.36 Arjuna’s arguments not to Fight and commit Sin

pāpam eva āśrayed asmān hatvā etān ātatāyinah ... Arjuna claimed, “papam or sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors atatayinah.” People should consider in every activity, whether it is papam or punyam, whether it is virtuous or sinful activities.

There are two classes of people. Sinful people are asura. They do not care what is sinful or what is right. Saintly persons are godly or deva or devata. A deva is a vishnu-bhakta. All the demigods are deva. All thirty-three crores (330 million) of demigods residing in the higher planetary system abide by the order of Lord Vishnu and vaisnavas.

Arjuna was saintly by character, and therefore he wanted to deal with the aggressors in saintliness. As such his aggressors were of special type, namely his own grandfather, own teacher, friends, sons, grandsons etc. Because of them, Arjuna thought that he should not take the severe steps necessary against ordinary aggressors. Saintly persons are advised to forgive.

Arjuna addressed Lord Krishna as “madhava” asking how he could be happy by killing his own kinsmen. Arjuna wanted to point out to Krsna that, as Madhava or husband of the goddess of fortune and happiness, He should not induce Arjuna to take up a matter which would ultimately bring about misfortune.

Lord Krishna, however never brings misfortune to anyone, to say nothing of His devotees. Arjuna is in fact consulting his friend whether he will be benefitted killing his kinsmen. Bhagavad gita explains the truth behind all events and eventualities, including war. There is divine example in Ramayana in which Lord Rama destroyed Ravana just to teach people that aggressors must be killed.