Gita teaches man the essentials of living in this world and beyond: Your soul is eternal and indestructible; the body beautiful is only a garment; beings and universe arose from an act of sacrifice by God; the burden of samsara (cycle of births and rebirths) can be shed by devotion to God; man by his conduct creates his own dharma and karma, which control the present and the future; plants, animals and men have souls, some sentient and some insentient; our roots are in heaven; doing one's dharma(duty)by itself is yoga; liberation is the only goal of man; there are many ways and means to attain God and nobody is excluded.

Commentary on 'The Bhagavad Geeta' by Swami Mukundananda

The Bhagavad-Gita. With the commentary of Sri Sankaracharya.

Among the animate species, it is the humans alone that have been bestowed with razor-sharp and discriminating intellect that can think, imagine, and introspect. Humans alone could, in deep contemplation, figure out the supreme purpose of life, the ultimate destination of lifes journey. The next step was to determine the path leading to it, to realize ones true nature, ones real self, which seemed to have gotten stuck in this chaotic world. What greater guide can one expect than the quintessence of wisdom, the song of God, the Bhagavad Geetha, to realize the ultimate reality? In order to safely cross this ocean of sorrow and distress and enable one to reach the ultimate destination, herewith are presented, in this book Living the Right Way, practical guidelines in day-to-day life and words of wisdom from the very lips of the Supreme Divinity.

A verse-by-verse examination of the guide to self-transformation presented in the Bhagavad Gita • Reveals the scientific approach to personal development and spiritual enlightenment laid out in Krishna’s advice to Arjuna • Shows how the Gita prepares you to work with a guru, advocating authenticity and skepticism rather than blind devotion and obedience • Explores Krishna’s advice on which societal limitations to reject to overcome your fears and reconnect with the suppressed parts of your inner being Drawing on his more than 40 years of in-depth study of Indian Philosophy under the tutelage of his guru, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, author Scott Teitsworth explores the scientific approach to self-transformation and spiritual enlightenment encoded in Krishna’s advice to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. Providing a verse-by-verse examination of the first two chapters, he reveals the Gita’s lessons to prepare the seeker to meet and successfully work with a guru--whether an outside teacher or the intuitive knowledge that arises from overcoming the psyche’s learned limitations. The author shows that the Gita does not advocate blind devotion to a guru or god but rather personal development, victory over your fears, and liberation of the psyche. He demonstrates how Krishna’s advice provides tools to guide us out of our fear-based experiences to reconnect with the suppressed parts of our inner being. He explains how Arjuna’s doubts and confusions represent the plight of every person--we are born free but gradually become bogged down by the demands of our society, continuously dependent on outside authority for answers and disconnected from our true inner nature. He reveals how Krishna’s advice offers guidance for dealing with life’s conflicts, which societal limitations to reject, and how to see through the polarizing notion of good versus evil to form a balanced state of mind superior to both. Restoring the fearless vision of the ancient rishis, who, like today’s scientists, prized skepticism as an important technique for accessing truth, Teitsworth reveals the Gita as a guide to an authentic guru-disciple relationship as well as to constructing a life of significance, freedom, and true sovereign adulthood.

“One who sings and chants these supremely confidential teachings to My devotees will attain supreme devotion for Me and will attain Me. There is no doubt in this matter.” —Sri Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 18.68 If sharing the confidential meaning of the yoga of devotional love, bhakti-yoga, is the standard for spiritual advancement, then this is the definitive edition of the Bhagavad-gita. It is the first English translation that includes summaries of the commentaries of four of the most prominent expounders of the tradition of bhakti-yoga: Srimad Bhaktivinoda ?hakura, Srimad Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvami, and Sri Kanailal Pancatirtha—alongside the highly acclaimed translation of the text itself by Srila Bhakti Rakshak Sridhar Dev Gosvami. Taken together, no other edition of this sacred text has so comprehensively conveyed the timeless spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita.