Bhagavad Gita, the most popular Hindu scripture has been commented upon by Sages, Philosophers, Thinkers, & Leaders of people. The commentary on Gita by Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of modern India, is regarded as among the most important of those of the 20th Century. In his own words, his interpretation of the Gita is designed for the common man, "one who has little or no literary equipment, who has neither the time nor the desire to read the Gita in the original, yet who stands in need of its support".. This presentation is based on the book, "Bhagavad Gita: According to Gandhi"which is based on talks given by the Mahatma at his Sabarmath Ashram during February to November 1926. This presentation includes the general introduction & the Chapter 1 of Bhagavad Gita.

1. THE BHAGAVD GITA
ACCORDING TO
GANDHI
T K G NAMBOODHIRI
THIRUVALLA, KERALA
Presentation adapted from
The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi, Orient
Paperbacks,2011
T K G Namboodhiri

2. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
• “The Bhagavad Gita: According to Gandhi” is
based on talks given by the Mahatma at the
Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, over a 9 months
period from February to November, 1926.
• Mahatma Gandhi’s commentary of the Bhagavad
Gita is recognised as one of the most important
interpretations of the Gita.
• This presentation is based on the revised edition
(2011) of the first Orient Paperback Edition
published in 1980.
T K G Namboodhiri

3. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
• In his interpretation of Bhagavad Gita, Gandhiji
addresses the issues he felt most directly
affected the spiritual lives of common people
“who have little or no literary equipment, who
has neither the time nor the desire to read the
Gita in the original, & yet who stands in need of
its support”.
• According to Gandhiji, “it is a work which
persons belonging to all faiths can read. It does
not favour any sectarian point of view. It teaches
nothing but pure ethics”.
T K G Namboodhiri

4. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
ANASAKTIYOGA (THE GOSPEL OF SELFLESS ACTION)
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita
1. It has been my endeavour to reduce to practice
the teachings of the Gita as I have understood it.
The Gita became a spiritual reference book for me.
2. Right from the beginning, I felt that the Gita was
not a historical work, but that under the guise of
physical warfare, it described the dual that
personally went on in the hearts of mankind.
Instead of teaching the rules of physical warfare, it
tells us how a perfected man is to be known.
T K G Namboodhiri,

5. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-2
T K G Namboodhiri
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-2
3. Krishna of the Gita is perfection & right knowledge
personified; but the picture is imaginary.
4. In Hinduism, incarnation is ascribed to one who has
performed some extraordinary service to mankind.
Krishna enjoys the status of the most perfect
incarnation.
5. The belief in incarnation is a testimony of man’s lofty
spiritual ambition. Man is not at peace with himself
till he has become unto God. This is Self-realization.

6. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-3
6. Self realization is the subject of Gita. The object
of the Gita appears to me to be that of showing
the most excellent way to attain self-realization.
7. The matchless remedy for self-realization is
renunciation of fruits of action.
8. Renunciation is the centre round which the Gita
is woven. Renunciation is the central Sun, round
which devotion, knowledge & the rest revolve
like planets.
T K G Namboodhiri

7. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-4
9. The human body has been likened to a prison.
There must be action where there is body. Not one
embodied being is exempted from labour. Every
action is tainted.
10. It is possible for man, by treating the body as the
temple of God, to attain freedom.
11. The Gita tells us how one can be free from action ,
from the taint of sin. By desireless action, by
renouncing fruits of action, by dedicating all
activities to God, i.e. by surrendering oneself to
Him, body & soul.
T K G Namboodhiri

8. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-5
12. Desirelessness or renunciation does not come from
mere talking about it. It is attainable only by a constant
heart-churn.
13. In order that knowledge may not run riot, The Gita
insists on devotion accompanying it, & has given it the
first place. Have devotion & knowledge will follow.
14. The devotion required by Gita is no soft-hearted
effusiveness. This devotion is not mere lip worship; it is
a wrestling with death.
T K G Namboodhiri

9. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-6
15. The devotion of the Gita has the least to do with the
externals. A devotee is jealous of none, fount of mercy,
without egotism, selfless, treats alike all dualities, ever
forgiving, always contented, of firm resolve, has
dedicated mind & soul to God, causes no dread, not
afraid of others, free from exultation, sorrow & fear,
pure, versed in action, yet unaffected by it, renounces
all fruits of action, treats friends & foes alike, loves
silence & solitude, and is unaffected by respect or
disrespect. All qualities required of a Sage.
T K G Namboodhiri

10. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-7
16. To be a real devotee is to realize oneself. Self-
realization is not something apart. Knowledge or
devotion cannot buy us salvation, they are themselves
the thing we want. The means & the ends are almost
the same. The extreme of means is salvation or perfect
peace.
17. Knowledge & devotion, to be true, have to stand the
test of renunciation of fruits of action. None has
attained his goal without action. All actions bind. Gita
frees us from the bondage of work by asking us to “do
your allotted work but renounce its fruit- be detached
& work.”
T K G Namboodhiri

11. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-8
18. This is the unmistakable teaching of the Gita: He who gives
up action falls. He who gives up only the reward rises. But
renunciation of fruit in no way means indifference to the
result. He, who , being knowledgeable about the expected
result, is without desire for the result & yet wholly
engrossed in the due fulfilment of the task before him, is
said to have renounced the fruits of action. Renunciation
means absence of hankering after fruit. He who renounces
reaps a thousand fold. The renunciation of the Gita is the
acid test of faith. He who broods over results is ever
distracted, becomes unfaithful to his task, says goodbye to
all scruples, & resorts to means fair & foul to attain his end.
T K G Namboodhiri

12. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-9
19. Gita has dispelled the delusion that religion is always
opposed to material good. No line of demarcation has
been drawn between salvation & worldly pursuits. On
the contrary, religion must rule even our worldly
pursuits. Gita teaches us that what cannot be followed
in day-to-day practice cannot be called religion. All acts
that are incapable of being performed without
attachment are taboo. Man’s life then becomes simple
& peaceful.
T K G Namboodhiri

13. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-10
20. I have felt that in trying to enforce in one’s life the
central teaching of the Gita, one is bound to follow
Truth & Ahimsa. When there is no desire for fruits,
there is no temptation for untruth or himsa
(violence). All untruth & violence arise from the
desire to attain the cherished end. Clearly, Gita was
not written to establish AHIMSA, which was
already a primary duty. The Gita, however, had to
deliver the message of renunciation of fruit.
T K G Namboodhiri

14. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-11
21. In the Gita, continuous concentration on God (the
Supreme Self) is the king of sacrifice, & not sacrifices
of animals or materials, as prevalent at that time.
The Sannyasa of the Gita will not tolerate complete
cessation of all activity. It is all work, yet no work.
22. After 40 years’ unremitting endeavour fully to
enforce the teaching of the Gita in my own life, I
have in all humility felt that perfect renunciation is
impossible without perfect observance of ahimsa in
every shape & form.
T K G Namboodhiri

15. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Introduction to Bhagavad Gita-12
23. The Gita is not an aphoristic work; it is a great religious
poem. The deeper you delve into it, the richer the meaning
you get. It is meant for the people at large.
24. Nor is the Gita a collection of do’s & don'ts. What is lawful
for one may be unlawful for another. Desire for fruit is the
only universal prohibition. Desirelessness is obligatory.
25. The Gita sings the praise of knowledge, but it is beyond the
mere intellect; it is essentially addressed to the heart and
capable of being understood by the heart. The Gita is not
for those who have no faith, & who is without sacrifice,
without devotion, & without desire for this teaching.
T K G Namboodhiri

16. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1
ARJUNA VISHADA YOGA
(ARJUNA’S DESPONDENCY)
The epic Mahabharata is not history. It is a work by Sage
Vyasa treating religious & ethical questions. The battle
described in it is, therefore, a struggle between dharma and
adharma.
The epic describes the battle ever raging between the
countless Kauravas & Pandavas dwelling within us. It is a
battle between the innumerable forces of good & evil which
become personified in us as virtues & vices.
This epic was written to explain man’s duty in this inner strife.
T K G Namboodhiri

17. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1.2
It is stated in the Gita that everyone, whether a woman, a vaisya
or a sudra, can acquire spiritual knowledge if they are devoted to
God.
To understand any matter, one must have the knowledge which
comes from learning.
The physical battle described in Mahabharata is only an occasion
for describing the battlefield that is the human body. The names
mentioned are not of persons but of qualities which they
represent. The conflict within the human body between opposing
moral tendencies which are imagined as distinct figures.
It is the human body that is described as Kurukshetra, as
Dharmakshetra (Field of Dharma). This may also mean that for a
Kshatriya, a battlefield is always a field of Dharma.
T K G Namboodhiri

18. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1.3
Duryodhana, representing adharma, had good men like
Bhishma & Drona on his side, in the battle. This suggests
that evil cannot flourish in this world by itself. It can do
so only if it is allied with some good.
The evil system the government of that time represented
had endured only because of the support it received
from good people; it cannot survive if that support is
withdrawn.- This is the principle underlying Non-
cooperation.
T K G Namboodhiri

19. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1.4
In Verse 1.22, Arjuna asks Sri Krishna to take his chariot
between the two armies so that he can see against
whom he must fight. He is not asking whether it is
necessary to fight, but with whom he should fight. He
had no aversion to fighting as such. After seeing his
kinsmen arrayed against him, Arjuna says that he will
not fight against them. He is unhappy not at the thought
of killing, but at the thought of killing his “kinsmen”. The
repeated use of Kinsmen by Arjuna shows into what
darkness & ignorance he has sunk.
T K G Namboodhiri

20. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1.5
In our daily life we avoid doing things out of fear of society.
The world will blame a person even for going to court
against his relations. Then how could Arjuna bring himself
to kill his kinsmen? Arjuna was shaken in his whole being,
and asks Shri Krishna for help. Krishna wanted him to cast
off his weakness because while seeking the path of good,
we do not eschew something which we are required to
eschew, dharma would cease to be dharma. Gita is not
advocating violence, but upholding dharma.
We can understand the teaching of the Gita aright only if
we give careful thought to the attendant circumstances.
T K G Namboodhiri

21. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
Chapter 1.6
It is important to consider what Arjuna’s question was, & what
were the circumstances in which he raised it. After seeing his
kinsmen, he lost his nerve. The past history shows that Arjuna
was a great warrior, & he had never hesitated to fight, even his
relatives, in the past. Then why did he become dejected?
Though his enemies are wicked people & are sinners, they are
his relations & he cannot bring himself to kill them. If he leaves
the field, the Pandava army would simply be annihilated, & the
very calamities he feared would have befallen the families of
his army men. Therefore Arjuna had no choice but to fight.
Hence, Shri Krishna describes Arjuna cowardly & weak, and
wanted him to cast off his weakness, & fight.
T K G Namboodhiri

22. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
T K G Namboodhiri

23. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
T K G Namboodhiri

24. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
T K G Namboodhiri

25. TEACHINGS
OF
BHAGAVAD GITA
T K G Namboodhiri