Learning Bhagavad-Gita Step by Step

By Balaram Chandra Das

Learning Bhagavad-Gita Step by Step is a study guide to help novices and students of Bhagavad-Gita to learn and understand the message in a question and answer format. This book targets an English-speaking audience unfamiliar with the message of the Bhagavad-Gita and helps one to learn the subject in a step-by-step approach. This is a self-study

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balaram Chandra Das
• Release date: May 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736707197

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Chapter 1: Sainya-Darśana-Yoga

1.Who is Dhṛtarāṣṭra?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra is the blind caretaker (temporary) King of the Kuru kingdom. He was the eldest brother of Pāṇḍu and Vidura.

2.Who is Sañjaya?

Sañjaya is Dhṛtarāṣṭra's charioteer, confidant, secretary, and personal assistant. He was a disciple of Vyāsadeva who empowered him to see and hear everything taking place on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, situated many miles away from the King's chambers in Hastinapura. Sañjaya could observe all that was said and done on the battlefield while being seated with the King, just like we would watch a live event on TV and relayed all the events of the Mahābhārata to Dhṛtarāṣṭra for 18 days.

3.What did Dhṛtarāṣṭra ask Sañjaya?

BG1.1. Dhṛtarāṣṭra reveals his biased Mind, by enquiring from Sañjaya what His Sons and the Sons of Pāṇḍu do on the battlefield after assembling there.

4.What is the deeper meaning of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's question to Sañjaya?

BG1.1. In the Vedic Scriptures, a King and the chief Queen are considered Father and Mother to everyone in the kingdom and must be unbiased and treat every member of their domain, including their blood relatives and friends, on an equal platform. To be a Just King, one cannot display any favoritism or bias towards anyone, especially when dispensing with the law. The fact that Dhṛtarāṣṭra differentiated between His Sons and the Sons of Pāṇḍu shows his weakness as a King.

Also, he was a caretaker King, and as per the agreement he had with Pāṇḍu, he needed to hand over the reins of power to Yudhiṣṭhira, Pāṇḍu's eldest son when he came of age. Dhṛtarāṣṭra instead held on to power and wanted to hand over the kingdom to Duryodhana and his ninety-nine sons. As an uncle to the fatherless Pāṇḍavas, Dhṛtarāṣṭra should have taken extra care to treat his nephews as a loving, caring guardian, just like a father would, which, he did not do. He instead tolerated his sons' atrocities and attempts to get rid of the Pāṇḍavas. He was aware that Pāṇḍu's sons were mighty warriors and were moral and ethical in their conduct. His question reveals his guilt for all the injustices that he and his sons perpetrated on the Pāṇḍavas. It also indicates that he was nervous about the war's outcome and sought reassurance that his party would come out victorious.

5.Why does Dhṛtarāṣṭra say Kurukṣetra is a place of pilgrimage?

BG1.1. Dhṛtarāṣṭra says Kurukṣetra is a place of pilgrimage because he was aware that many Vedic rituals and Sacrifices had taken place in that place, and the site was considered holy. The name Kurukṣetra means the place of the Kurus. The Kurus are a dynasty known for Just Kings like Kuru and Bharata and were renowned for their devotion to Lord Viṣṇu. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was aware that the battle that was about to take place in Kurukṣetra was because of the injustice that he had done to the sons of Pāṇḍu. Because of his guilt, he was nervous that the holy place would negatively affect him and his sons in the war.

6.What was Sañjaya's response to Dhṛtarāṣṭra?

BG1.1-1.6. Sañjaya related to Dhṛtarāṣṭra what was taking place on the battlefield.

He says King Duryodhana after observing the Pāṇḍava army and battle formations, went to his teacher Droṇācārya and said the following: 1.Look at the grand army of the Pāṇḍavas expertly managed by your intelligent disciple the son of Drupada (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)., 2.He asks his teacher to look at the great warriors in the Pāṇḍava camp calling them great chariot fighters and lists the following: (i) Bhīma and Arjuna., (ii) Yuyudhāna., (iii) Virāṭa., (iv) Drupada., (v) Dhṛṣṭaketu., (vi) Cekitāna., (vii) Kāśirāja., (viii) Purujit., (ix) Kuntibhoja., (x) Śaibya., (xi) Yudhāmanyu., (xii) Uttamauj ā., (xiii) the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)., and (xiv) the sons of Draupadī (known as the Upapāṇḍavas).

Background to this dialogue:

• Sañjaya addressing Duryodhana as King Duryodhana is significant because he sarcastically indicates that even though Dh ṛ tar āṣṭ ra was sitting on the throne, the actual King was his son Duryodhana. The latter manipulated his father and wielded real power.

• Duryodhana addressed his teacher within hearing distance of Bh īṣ mācārya (Commander in Chief of the Kaurava army), K ṛ pācārya and other senior warriors in the Kuru camp. The following are the key points to keep in Mind of what Duryodhana said to Dro ṇā cārya:

1.He indirectly points the fault of Droṇācārya for having taught the art of war to Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Commander in Chief of the Pāṇḍava army. The student was now ready to wage war against his teacher. Dhṛṣṭadyumna was the son of Drupada, a childhood friend of Droṇācārya during their studies in gurukul (Vedic School). Although Drupada and Droṇācārya fell out of friendship, Droṇācārya did not hesitate to take Drupada's son as a student for his martial arts teachings. Droṇācārya was aware that Dhṛṣṭadyumna would kill him; still, he taught Drupada's son everything he knew. Such is the magnanimity of a brāhmaṇa who holds nothing back, even in the face of a potential enemy!

2.Duryodhana then points out the Pāṇḍava military formation arranged by Dhṛṣṭadyumna, which he had learned from Droṇācārya. He also points out the strengths of his enemy warriors to his teacher. He begins by mentioning Arjuna and Bhīma on the Pāṇḍava side, whom he described as a great bowman and fighter, respectively. He then mentions the following warriors:

i. Yuyudhāna , also known as Sātyaki , was a member of the V ṛṣṇ i clan of the Yadavas. He was a mighty warrior, close friend of Śrī K ṛṣṇ a, and student of Arjuna.

ii. Vir āṭ a was the King of the Matsya Kingdom and had unknowingly given shelter to the P āṇḍ avas when they lived their thirteenth year of exile incognito in his palace. He was the father of Uttarā , whom Arjuna had taught dance during their stay and later accepted as his son Abhimanyu's wife. Uttarā is also the mother of Parīk ṣ it Mahārāja, the last remaining member of the Kuru dynasty and to whom the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken to by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.

iii. Drupada was the King of the Panchal Kingdom and father to Dh ṛṣṭ adyumna and Draupadī, the wife of the P āṇḍ avas. He was a childhood friend of Dro ṇā cārya.

iv. Dh ṛṣṭ aketu was the son of Śiśupāla, a cousin of Śrī K ṛṣṇ a. Śiśupāla was a close friend of Rukmī who was the brother of Rukmi ṇī , Śrī K ṛṣṇ a's primary wife. Rukmī wanted to give his sister Rukmi ṇī in marriage to Śiśupāla but Lord Śrī K ṛṣṇ a, at the request of Rukmi ṇī , came and took her away by force. So, cousins Śiśupāla and Śrī Kṛṣṇa were also enemies. Śrī Kṛṣṇa killed Śiśupāla for insulting him hundred times at the Rājasūya ceremony of Yudhistira. Interestingly enough, Śiśupāla's son sided with the Pāṇḍavas during the Mahābhārata!

v. Cekitāna was a member of the V ṛṣṇ i dynasty and was a great warrior and archer.

vi. Kāśirāja was the King of Kāśī , also called Vār āṇ asī and was the father-in-law to Bhīma.

vii. Purujit and Kuntibhoja belonged to the Kingdom of Kunti. Kuntibhoja also happened to be the foster father of P ṛ thā, mother of the P āṇḍ avas. Thus, she was also known as Kuntī.

viii. Śaibya was the King of Śibi, also called Uśīnara. His son was killed by Bhīma when he, with Jayadratha, tried to kidnap Draupadī when they were living in exile in the forest. Despite this, he ended up fighting on the P āṇḍ ava side!

ix. Yudhāmanyu and Uttamaujā were also sons of Drupada.

x. Abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna and Subhadrā, the sister of Śrī K ṛṣṇ a and Balarāma. He trained in martial arts directly under Śrī K ṛṣṇ a when Subhadrā went to live with her parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, in Dwaraka during the P āṇḍ avas' exile. He was no more than 18 or 20 years of age and had just been married to