Pragmatic Bhagavad Gita: Unlocking the Practical Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita with Krsnadaasa
In this chapter, Arjuna again tells Shri Kṛṣṇa that he is unable to cope with his current state of mind, and he refuses to take part in such a battle and requests Shree Kṛṣṇa to be his spiritual teacher and clear his doubts and impart the divine knowledge that will help him understand various aspects of life. This is the chapter where the Supreme Lord starts imparting divine knowledge to Arjuna and He begins with the nature of the soul, which is eternal and imperishable. Kṛṣṇa also explains to Arjuna the importance of doing one’s prescribed duties under all circumstances.
With each teaching, Arjuna comes up with more questions and Kṛṣṇa then goes deeper into various aspects of spiritual science. This is also the Chapter where Shri Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Bhagwan, or God for the first time in the Bhagavad Gita.
The 2nd chapter can be considered the most important chapter of the Bhagavad Gita and is also the largest, with 72 verses. Lord Kṛṣṇa has condensed the knowledge of the Gita in this chapter and in subsequent chapters he goes on to expand upon various concepts. The way the Bhagavad Gita is organized is that, chapter 1 is the preparation or introduction, chapter 2 is the condensed essence of the whole Gita and chapter 18 is the summary of everything that is contained in the Gita.
Since ancient times, all Hindu philosophical teachings have been categorized as belonging to either the asthika or nasthika schools of thought. Asthika means those who acknowledge the existence of a higher self, or God. Nasthika means those who do not acknowledge the existence of a higher self or God. Needless to say, Bhagavad Gita is part of Vedanta which belongs to the asthika school of thought. Samkhya or Sankhya yoga refers to one of the six asthika schools of ancient Hindu philosophy which are Nyāyá (school of logical thinking), Vaiśeṣika (objective nature of the universe), Sāṃkhya (study of topics like the soul, nature and energy), Yoga (study of body and mind), Mīmāṃsā (science of introspection and critical investigation), and Vedānta (study of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma sutras).
In the context of the Bhagavad Gita, the most important aspect of Samkhya philosophy that Lord Kṛṣṇa explains is that of the nature of Purusha (higher self), Prakriti (nature) and the three modes of nature, Sattva (goodness), Rajas (passion) and Tamas (ignorance).
The first chapter ended with a depressed Arjuna in a state of a nervous breakdown. In chapter two, Kṛṣṇa starts addressing this situation and helps Arjuna overcome it.