SRIMAD BHAGAVAD-GITA

Auspicious Invocation (Mangalacharanam)

om parthaya pratibodhitam bhagavata narayanena svayam
vyasena grathitam purana-munina madhye maha-bharate
advaitamrta-varsinim bhagavatim astadasadhyayinim
amba tvam anusandadhami bhagavad-gite bhavad-vesinim [1]

Meditation on Sri Gita—
O Bhagavad-Gita, song of the Supreme Lord Himself, You are the bestower of Arjuna's enlightenment. You have been woven into the scripture Mahabharata by the ancient sage Srila Vedavyasa. In eighteen chapters, You are the rain of ever-flowing nectar, non-different from the Lord. O Mother, I meditate upon You; may You graciously enter my heart.

namo 'stu te vyasa-visala-buddhe
phullaravindayata-patra-netra
yena tvaya bharata-taila-purnah
prajvalito jnana-mayah pradipah [2]

Obeisances unto Srila Vyasadeva—
O Srila Vyasadeva of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahabharata—I offer my obeisances unto you.

prapanna-parijataya, totra-vetraika-panaye
jnana-mudraya krsnaya, gitamrta-duhe namah [3]

Obeisances unto the Lord as the chariot-driver of Arjuna—
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, who fulfills the wishes of His surrendered devotees. He holds a driving-rod in one hand while the other is poised in the expression of instruction, and He is the milker of the nectar of the Gita.

sarvopanisado gavo, dogdha gopala-nandanah
partho vatsah sudhir bhokta, dugdham gitamrtam mahat [4]

The Glories of the Gita—
The crest-jewels of the Vedas, all the Upanisads, are as the cow, and the milker of the cow is Lord Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaj. Arjuna is the calf, the nectar of the Gita is the milk, and the fortunate devotees are the enjoyers of that milk.

vasudeva-sutam devam, kamsa-chanura-mardanam
devaki-paramanandam, krsnam vande jagad-gurum [5]

Obeisances unto Lord Sri Krishna—
I bow unto the lotus feet of Sri Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, the vanquisher of the demons Kamsa and Chanura, the joy of mother Devaki, and the universal teacher.

bhisma-drona-tata jayadratha-jala gandhara-nilotpala
salya-grahavati krpena vahani karnena vela-kula
asvatthama-vikarna-ghora-makara duryodhanavartini
sottirna khalu pandavai rana-nadi kaivartakah kesavah [6]

The river of the battle of Kuruksetra—
One bank is Bhisma, the other Dronacharya; Jayadratha is the water; the sons of Gandhari, the blue lotus flower; Salya, the crocodile; Krpa, the waves; Karna, the shore; Asvatthama, Vikarna and company, the fearful sharks; Duryodhana, the whirlpool; and Kesava is the boatman of this river of the battle that was crossed by the Pandavas.

parasarya-vachah sarojam-amalam gitartha-gandhotkatam
nanakhyanaka-kesaram hari-katha-sambodhanabodhitam
loke sajjana-sat-padair ahar-ahah pepiyamanam muda
bhuyad bharata-pankajam kali-mala-pradhvamsi nah sreyase [7]

The Mahabharata as a lotus flower—
These words of Sri Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Muni, are a perfect lotus flower. The meaning of the Gita is the beautiful fragrance of this lotus, the various episodes are its stamens, and the enlightening narrations about the Supreme Lord are its nectar. In this world, the pure devotees are the bees who day after day delight in drinking the nectar of the lotus flower. May this Mahabharata lotus, the vanquisher of all evils in this age of Kali, graciously bestow auspiciousness upon us.

yam brahma varunendra-rudra-maruta-stunvanti divyaih stavair
vedaih sanga-pada-kramopanisadair gayanti yah samagah
dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yogino
yasyantam na viduh surasura-gana devaya tasmai namah [8]

Obeisances unto the Supreme Lord—
I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord whose glories are sung with celestial prayers by the gods Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts; whose glories are sung by the verses of the Vedas along with their six auxiliary books and the Upanisads; whose glories are sung by the brahmanas that sing the Sama-Veda; who the yogis see within their hearts absorbed in meditation; and whose infinite glories are inconceivable to all beings, whether gods or demons.

narayanam namskrtya, naram chaiva narottamam
devim sarasvatim vyasam, tato jayam udirayet [9]

Before reciting the scriptures that can conquer material existence, we offer obeisances unto the Supreme Lord who is known as Narayana, Nara and Narottama; the goddess of learning Saraswati; and the great sage empowered by the Lord to reveal the scriptures, Srila Vyasadeva.

• Mangalacharanam
• Preface
• Introduction
1 Observing the Armies
2 The Constitution of the Soul
3 The Path of Action
4 The Path of Knowledge
5 The Path of Renunciation of Action
6 The Path of Meditation
7 Knowledge and Realization of the Supreme
8 The Merciful Absolute
9 The Hidden Treasure of Devotion
10 The Divine Glories of the Lord
11 The Vision of the Universal Form
12 The Path of Devotion
13 Distinction Between Matter and Spirit
14 The Three Divisions of Material Nature
15 The Supreme Person
16 The Godly and Ungodly Natures
17 The Three Types of Faith
18 The Path of Liberation
• The Glories of the Gita
• The Glories of Srimad Bhagavad-gita from Sri Vaisnaviya-tantra-sara