Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 1: The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair

Bhagavad Gita. Translation from Sanskrit, Commentary, and Illustrations: Smadar Pyatsky with Vladimir Pyastky. Translation to English from Russian: Hanan Pyatsky.

Preface

Bhagavad Gita was first introduced to me in 2008, during the military

operation called "Cast Lead". At that time, I and my older brother

were children. When we heard the sirens alerting us of the rocket

attack, it was the first time we strongly experienced a threat to our

lives.

Our father, Vladimir Pyatsky, used to tell us stories at bedtime. When

the war started, he began reading Bhagavad Gita to us before we went

to sleep. Father explained to us that we have to be brave like Arjuna,

and we have to know that if we overcome our vices, we will not be

scared of death anymore.

During the time I was studying in high school, my father advised me

to return to reading Bhagavad Gita. While examining various

translations of the text, I encountered many difficulties. Then I have

fully realized the simplicity and the comprehensiveness of how our

father retold Bhagavad Gita to us.

I have found that the reason for my father's comprehensive retelling

lies in his deep knowledge and experience in Yoga and meditation

practice, which allowed him to penetrate the deep meaning of

Bhagavad Gita.

A few years later, I started to translate Bhagavad Gita to Russian

directly from Sanskrit, to comment and to illustrate it. My intention

was to make the text's deep meaning more clear to the wider circle of

its readers. In the commentaries to the text, I have wrote down

explanations given by my father, which he based on fragments of

classical texts about Yoga, from the Pali Cannon and descriptions of

the experience of Vaishnavi, Shaivi, Shakti and Buddhist masters.

I wish to express deep gratitude to my father and teacher – Vladimir

Pyatsky, for his constant direction and assistance on each stage of this

work.

I am grateful to my mother, Olga Pyatsky, for the blessing she gave

me for doing this work, and for her edits of the text.

I want to thank my brother, Hanan Pyatsky, for the translation of this

text to English, for photography of the sculptures, the paintings, and

for designing this PDF ebook.

I want to thank Dorey Glenn for his grammatical editing of the

English translation.

Smadar Pyatsky

Yavne, Israel

2019

Chapter 1: The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair

1.1 Dhritarashtra said:

“On the field of Kuru, the field of justice, my sons and the

sons of Pandu gathered, ready to fight. What is happening

between them, Sanjaya?”

The name Dhritarashtra means "Ruler of a Powerful

Kingdom".

Pandu – Dhritarashtra's brother, whose name means "White".

Sanjaya – Dhritarashra's advisor, whose name means

"Victorious".

Dhritarashtra is a king who was born blind, and whose sons

are enemies with the true heirs of the throne, to whom they

refuse to return the kingdom, and thus, are preparing for

battle on the field of Kuru.

Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata epic, which

describes the history of the clan of Kuru. Dhritarshtra and his

hundred sons bearing the name Kauravas, according the law,

were obligated to pass over reign of the kingdom to the

Pandavas, who were Dhritarashtra's nephews. However, with

cunning and through manipulation, the Kauravas kept

postponing the transfer of authority. When it became

impossible to postpone any longer, they openly declared

themselves kings, and called the Pandavas to battle. Having

the power in their hands, the Kauravas stopped following the

ancestral laws that were designed to support the wellbeing and

peace of the people. They behaved like cruel tyrants and

destroyers.

The field of Kuru literally means field of action. Kauravas –

"Belonging to Action", that is, engaged in it. Pandavas –

descendants of Pandu. Pandu – literally, "White", implies that

the Pandavas belong to pure mind.

According to legend, Dhritarashtra's father was a great sage

Yogin by the name Vyasa. Vyasa – was one of the greatest

teachers (Rishi), whose lifespan is thought to equal a whole

cosmic era, and to last until the end of the human race on

Earth. When Vyasa appeared in his wrathful form in front of

Dhritarashtra's mother, she shut her eyes in fear. This is why

Dhritarashtra was born blind.

The blindness of Dhritarashtra symbolizes his inability to see

the truth and to teach it his descendants. He embodies an

ignorant mind that gives rise to the myriad vices

(Dhritarashtra has one hundred sons and one daughter). By

clutching onto authority, ignorance is trying to defend itself

against impermanence of existence.

It is said that the entire Mahabharata was told by Vyasa

himself. He also blessed Sanjaya, the advisor of Dhritarashtra,

with clairvoyance in order to cure his son from blindness of

ignorance. The gift of clairvoyance allows Sanjaya to stay in

the palace, but to see and tell the blind king about everything

that is happening on the battlefield.

Dhritarashtra turns to his advisor Sanjaya in order to see the

upcoming battle. The blind king calls the battlefield of Kuru a

"field of justice", a fact which underlines his fear and weakness

in front of the upcoming events. He counts on the possibility

that Sanjaya's magical sight will bring him comfort, and that it

will overcome the realization of the fact that Dhritarashtra's

sons are lawbreakers. However, Sanjaya doesn't tell

Dhristarahtra the desired words of comfort, but things that

solely accord with the truth.

Dhritarashtra – is ignorance. The powerful kingdom –

signifies a heart in which ignorance dwells. Sanjaya – is

enlightened speech. This is why Dhritarashtra is blind, and

Sanjaya possesses the quality of clairvoyance. Bhagavad Gita is

being told to Dhritarashtra by Sanjaya, and thus, symbolizes

the transmission of wisdom to the heart by the means of pure

speech.

1.2 Sanjaya said:

“The king Duryodhana, seeing the army of Pandavas that

prepeared for fight, approached his teacher Drona, and

speaks to him:

Duryodhana – "one who is hard to overcome", the elderly son

of Dhritarashtra, and he is the leader of the other sons. His

name also conveys another meaning: "Attached to Possession

of Wealth" (Durya – abode, Dhana – wealth). The meaning

behind Duryodhana's name is that greed is a vice that is hard

to defeat. Thus, it can be seen that the blindness of egoism

gives rise to greed in the first place, which in turn, leads to a

myriad of bad consequences.

Drona, to whom Duryodhana insinuatingly speaks, taught the

art of war to both Kauravas and the Pandavas. According to

the story, he was born when one ascetic (Rishi) uncontrollably

discharged semen because of strong passion towards a divine

lady (Apsara), and saved the fluid in a container made from a

grass called Drona. Later, Drona himself was born from it.

Drona participates in war on the side of the Kauravas. Lust

comes along with desire of wealth and is embodied by the

Kauravas. Virtue is imbodied by the Pandavas. The other

meaning of the name Drona is "crow" or "scorpion", and that

symbolizes his skill in the art of war.

1.3 “Teacher, watch the powerful army of Pandavas, led by

your talented student, Dhrishtadyumna.

In Duryodhana's words to Drona, his teacher, an accusation

for teaching the Pandavas is contained. He mentions

Dhrishtadyumna in order to irritate Drona's pride.

Duryodhana's accusation shows that he cannot contain his illwill

even in a conversation with his teacher and ally, because

he is afraid that Drona will not be fierce enough in the battle

against the Pandavas.

The army of Pandavas is being led by Drupada's son –

Dhrishtadyumna. One of the meanings of the name

Dhrishtadyumna is Gain of Wealth and Fame. According to

the story, Dhrishtadyumna's destiny was to kill Drona. Despite

that knowledge, Drona taught Dhristadyumna the art of war.

Their bond emphasizes that fame and wealth are devastating

for those who desire them.

In Shlokas (verses) 1.4-1.18 the names of warriors from both

armies are listed. In Bhagavad Gita, these characters represent

allegorically different qualities of mind, and the majority of

them are not further mentioned in any of the following

chapters. In order to preserve comprehensive text, we

generally translate the names literally, and interpret them

according to the history of those characters described in

earlier parts of Mahabharata.

We mention the original names of these characters in our

commentaries. In the shlokas themselves, we preserve the

original (Sanskrit) names of the main heroes only.

1.4 Here, in this war, remarkable warriors that aspire to

greatness participate, such as Bhima and Arjuna, Spirit of

Battle, Greatness, The Mighty Chariot Driver, and Pillar of

The Universe;

Bhima – Fearful, is a Pandava whose incredible power scared

his enemies.

Arjuna – Bhima's brother, whose name literally means

"White", "Pure".

Spirit of Battle – Yuyudhana.

Greatness – Virata.

Pillar of the Universe – Drupada. He is the support and central

pivot-point around which the wheel of the universe spins, and

he is called The Mighty Chariot Driver. Gods and sages who

reached divine realms are called Mighty Chariot Drivers. The

disks of the sun and the moon are compared to the wheels of

the chariot, and The Pillar of Universe is the pivot connecting

the disks of the sun and the moon.

1.5 Above them is a banner of victory, with them are

Intelligence, The Courageous King of Sun and the spirits of

family who bless and unite people;

Banner of victory, one of the eight signs of enlightenment –

Dhrishtaketu.

Intelligence – Chekitana.

God of the Sun – King Kashi.

Spirits of the family, who bless and unite people – Purujit,

Kunti-Bhoja and Shaibya.

Purujit – "Multiple Winner". Kunti-Bhoja – stepfather who

took care of Kunti, the mother of Pandavas. Shaibya –

belonging to the clan of Shibi. Since there is no clear

information on this clan, it can be assumed that it is mythical.

Together, they transmit the spirit of blessing to those who care

about the wellbeing of the family.

1.6 Mettle of Battle and Powerful Vitality, Luck and the

Spirits of Earth – all of them are great chariot drivers.

Mettle of Battle – Yudhamanyu.

Powerful Vitality – Utamoja, a warrior who defeated one of

Duryodhana's Chariot drivers.

Utamoja – "the one whose shine is better than the shine of

gold"; a warrior that beat one of Doryodhana's chariot drivers.

Yudhamanyu and Utamoja were two brothers who protected

the wheel of Arjuna.

Luck – Subhadra.

The Spirits of Earth – the sons of Draupadi. Draupadi –

literally: "flat-footed", that is, she who is completely connected

to the earth. She expresses the power of Earth that accepts and

contains all the creatures after their death. Thus, Draupadi's

sons are the Spirits of Earth.

1. 7 Oh, the best among the twice-born, hear also the names

of our best warriors. I will list the generals of my army:

After accusation, Duryodhana immediately flatters Drona,

calling him the best among the twice-born, using the method

of "stick and carrot". The expression "twice-born" regards

people belonging to high societies: aristocrats – Kshatries, and

religious officials – Brahmins. "twice-born" means that a

person was born both on earth and in heaven.

1.8 Honorable yourself, ancient Fear of Death, Light-

Mindedness, Triumphant Sympathy, Horse Power, Stupidity

and Euphoria.

After Drona, Duryodhana first names the elder of the Kuru

clan, the ancient fear of death – Bhishma. The meanings of the

name Bhishma are Dreadful and Death. Simultaneously with

birth, death appears and thus, with the appearance of the clan,

Bhishma also appears, and becomes the elder of it.

Next mentioned is Light-Mindedness – Karna, whose name

literally means "Eared". He was born because his mother

carelessly chanted a mantra to summon The God of Sun, and

then was bound to conceive a child from him.

Triumphant Sympathy – Kripa. He was born because his

father had left his resolute state of mind (ascetic practice)

when he saw a divine lady (Apsara). He is called triumphant

because sympathy binds the hearts of creatures.

Horse Power – Ashvatthama. This name implies unrestrained

recklessness.

Stupidity – Vikarna, one of Duryodhana's brothers whose

name means Earless, that is, one who lacks understanding –

stupid.

Euphoria – Somadatta, "Given by Soma". Soma is the name of

either a drink that gives immortality to the gods, or an

intoxicating drink that was being prepared in the ancient

times.

1.9 As well as many other warriors that are ready to give their

lives for me. All of them are experts in the art of war, and

they efficiently manipulate many different weapons.

For pleasant experiences, blinded by greed, creatures are ready

to risk their lives because, from their perspective, a life without

pleasures seems meaningless. A mind controlled by greed

becomes incredibly creative in its ways of achieving objectives,

but it only gets further from contentment.

1.10 Our army is being controlled by a boundless fear of

death, while their army is being led by reduction of fear.

Fear of death, represented by Bhishma, makes one's mind

wander infinitely. Reduction of fear is represented by Bhima

because a mind that tends to virtue is able to restrain itself.

1.11 Our army will be led by Fear of Death – the elder of

Kuru. Let him be protected in every place on the battlefield!”

Bhishma is the elder of the Kuru clan to which both the

Kauravas and Pandvas belong. The warriors of Duryodhana

desire power, are attached to existence and fear death the most

of all. This is why Duryodhana controls his army by the power

of fear of death – the general Bhishma. Duryodhana orders to

protect Bhishma in every place of the battlefield, because

wisdom and virtue in the character of the Pandavas are able to

overcome the fear of death.

1.12 And then, the mighty elder of Kuru, Fear of Death that

appeared simultaneously with birth, blew the horn with

delight, producing a powerful sound resembling that of a lion

roar.

1.13 Then, sounds of horns and drums have risen, causing

horrible noise.

1.14 And then, sitting in a majestic chariot with white horses

harnessed to it, Charmer of Senses Krishna and Pandava

Arjuna blew their divine horns.

King Krishna was known as a perfected sage and Yogin, who

reached a liberated state of mind. The Pandava Arjuna was his

close friend. The name Krishna means Dark-Blue. This color

represents extinction of suffering (the state of Nirvana). The

name Arjuna means White or Pure, and it represents

accumulations of virtue.

During the preparation for battle on the field of Kuru, the

Pandavas and Kauravas sent messengers to the king Krishna,

each of them asking him to take their side in the battle. Since

Krishna was a family relative of both sides, he offered them to

choose one of two options: either to take Krishna's army or to

invite Krishna himself to be a chariot driver. Duryodhana

gladly chose to take the army of Krishna, while the Pandavas

chose Krishna himself.

In this shloka (verse), Krishna is called "Charmer of Senses" –

Madhava, which has a twofold meaning. On the one hand, the

senses of the Kauravas were charmed by the accessory richness

and might of Krishna, and because of that they turn away from

Krishna himself. On the other hand, the senses of the

Pandavas were charmed by Krishna's divine wisdom, and

because of that they chose the option that seems non-practical.

1.15 Master of Senses blew the horn of The Five Types of

Human Birth, The Defeater of Greed blew the Horn Given by

Gods, and Wolf Hunger Whose Deeds are Horrifying blew

the gigantic horn of the Heart.

Krishna blowing the horn receives the name Hrishikesha –

Master of Senses. Arjuna receives the name Dhananjaya –

literally, Defeater of Wealth, that is, Defeater of Greed.

Krishna's horn is called Panchajanya, it means The Five Types

of Human birth. Four of them – are births amongst Varnas,

and the fifth – outside of them.

The four Varnas are: Kshatries (warriors), Brahmins (religious

officials), Vayshies (craftsmen and merchants) and Shudras

(hunters and servants). The fifth type of birth – is among the

"untouchable". Among the untouchable were foreign people

and those who live amongst them, and also those who were

illegally born. Neither their life, nor their property were

protected by the law.

Krishna's horn bears this name because a liberated mind has

the same qualities in all creatures, regardless of their

background.

Arjuna's horn is called Devadatta – "Given by the Gods".

Virtue unites people and gods, and it is a recognizable quality

of Arjuna that makes him stand out.

Next, after Krishna and Arjuna, Bhima, horrifying, also given

the name Vrikodara – Wolf Hunger in this shloka, blows his

horn. He blew the gigantic horn Paundra. Paundra – means

related to the kingdom of Pundra that is located between two

great mountains. Pundra also means "white lotus". Two great

mountains – two breasts. The kingdom or the lotus between

them – is the Heart.

How did it happen that Bhima, who represents insatiability

became the general of the Pandavas? Insatiability can be

satisfied only by wisdom and self-restraint. The attempt to

satisfy insatiability by the means of fulfilling ones desires bears

the same result as drinking salty water, which not only does

not reduce the thirst, but also brings on madness. Because of

that, Bhima, well known by his trustworthiness, seeks rescue

from his own terrible qualities in communication with

Krishna.

1.16 Spirit of Resistance in Battle blew the horn of Infinite

Delight, Divine Protectors blew the nice sounding precious

horns. After them, all the warriors from the army of the

Pandavas blew their horns:

Spirit of Resistance in Battle – Yudhishthira, Arjuna's older

brother.

Divine Protectors – the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, brothers

of Arjuna. Nakula literally means "mongoose". Mongooses

protect people's homes from snakes. Sahadeva means

"together with the gods".

1.17 Mighty Archer – King of Sun, Great Chariot Driver Who

delivers to The Gates of Brahma, Spirit of Wellness and

Fame, Grandeur and Unconquerable Truthfulness;

Mighty Archer, King of Sun – king of the city of Kashi

(Varanasi) that is considered a city of gods. King Kashi – one

of the names of the god of the sun.

Great Chariot Driver Who delivers to The Gates of Brahma –

Shikhandi, "A Knot of Hair on the Vertex".

Shikhandi – "thread of hair on the vertex". In Yoga, the vertex

is called the gates of Brahma, and the hair symbolizes the flow

of thoughts. Shikhandi is called The Great Chariot Driver

because a thread of hair on the vertex symbolizes a flow of

thought that leads to the realm of Brahma.

The Spirit of Wellness and Fame – Dhrishtadyumna. His

participation in the battle on the side of the Pandavas

demonstrates that the Pandavas wisely use the mundane

achievements to support virtue, and do not seek them as

opposed to the army of Duryodhana.

Grandeur – Virata.

Unconquerable Truthfulness – Satyaka, another name of

Yuyudhana (Spirit of Battle).

1.18 Pillar of The Universe who is the owner/ruler of earth,

all the Spirits of Earth and Mighty-Handed Luck blew their

horns, one after another.

1.19 And then, this horrific roar, echoing from the sky and

the earth, reached the hearts of Dhritarashtara's sons and

caused them to shiver.

1.20 Seeing Dhritarashtra son's army, settled with weapons

and ready to battle, Arjuna, on whose flag a monkey is

depicted, took his bow and said to Krishna:

The monkey depicted on Arjuna's flag – Hanuman, a loyal

friend of Rama. Rama was a virtuous hero-king who

vanquished the malicious demon (Rakshasa) Ravana.

Hanuman provided invaluable help to Rama.

1.21-1.23 “Master of Senses, set my chariot between the

warring armies, so that I can see those who will fight me in

this war, seeking to please malicious Duryodhana”.

1.24-1.25 When he heard Arjuna's request, Krishna placed

his chariot between the two armies, facing Fear of Death and

Passion with their circle and said: “Son of Pritha, look at the

assembly of Kuru Descendants.”

Pritha – another name of the queen Kunti, Arjuna's mother. It

means a unit of land equal to a palm. Addressing Arjuna as

"son of Pritha", Krishna emphasizes Arjuna's connection with

the earth that should support him during the upcoming test.

1.26-1.27 Then Arjuna saw there grandfathers and fathers,

teacher, brothers, sons, grandsons and friends. He saw

relatives and blood-brothers on both sides of the battle-field.

After seeing that, he spoke, filled with pity:

1.28-1.30 I see my relatives, Krishna. They all came here,

ready to fight. My hands drop, my throat dries, my body is

trembling, and the hair stand on end; my bow is falling out of

my hands, my skin is burning, and I cannot think clearly.

The Kauravas represent vices, and the Pandavas – blessed

qualities. Both are presented as the relatives of Arjuna, because

they are qualities of his own mind.

The outcome of the battle will determine who rules the

behavior of Arjuna – sins or virtue.

1.31 The Long-Haired, I see bad omens. I cannot see what

benefit can bring death of my relatives in this battle!?

Long-Haired – Keshava, one of the names of Krishna. Long

hair symbolizes uninterrupted and stable thought. Arjuna

does not want to destroy his relatives – the Kauravas, the bad

sides of his mind, because he has grown up in their company,

and is used to identifying with them. People habitually regard

the contents of their mind as acceptable. Because of that,

Arjuna perceives all of the qualities of his mind as important

to him, regardless of their content.

Arjuna calls his gut feelings bad omens. He sees a bad omen in

a fight against his relatives (his vices), because he feels that it

might lead to disappearance of his conception of his own "I"

1.32 Krishna, I do not desire neither victory and enjoyments

nor a kingdom. What value is in a kingdom, an enjoyment

and saving life, Protector of Earth?

Protector of Earth or Sheperd of the Cows – Govinda, one of

the names of Krishna. It is common to give such names to

compassionate beings.

1.33 After all, those for whom we strive to attain rulership

over the kingdom, enjoyment and happiness, gathered here

to fight, ready to lose their lives and wealth.

1.34-1.35 Teachers, fathers and sons, grandsons, brothers

and other relatives have gathered here. Defeater of

Enchantment by Pleasurable, although they want to kill me, I

do not want to attack them. I would not want to win in this

battle even for the right to rule the three worlds, not to

mention ruling this land!

Three worlds: heavenly world, ancestral world, earthly world.

The pursuit after ruling these three worlds is rooted in longing

for pleasure, which creates the preconditions for rebirth, and

inevitably to further suffering, depletion and death. Thus,

seeking support from Krishna, Arjuna calls him "Defeater of

Enchantment by Pleasurable" – Madhusudana, and in the

following shlokas "Destructor of Birth" – Janardana.

1.36-1.37 Destructor of Birth, what bliss will we achieve by

killing the sons of Dhritarashtra? We will only stain

ourselves if we kill them, even though they are bandits. We

should not kill our relatives.

Altough Arjuna's words sound reasonable, they actually

demonstrate a willingness to live with one's vices in order to

preserve the wholeness of the conception of the feeling of "I".

He is even ready to not protect his good (Pandavas) in order

to satisfy this wish.

1.38-1.39 Greed veiled their minds, they do not see fault in

warring their relatives and friends. But how can we avoid

such a severe mistake, sensible Destructor of Birth?

1.40 Together with death of the family disappears the ancient

order that unites people. They say: “If there is no order,

disorder establishes”.

By saying "death of the family" Arjuna means the death of

noble warriors – the Kshatries, who ruled the ordinary people.

Kshatries establish a common social order, and see that it is

applied. In absence of a force that is responsible for law

enforcement, crimes ensue, and cruel standards are

established.

Social order symbolizes the habits of Arjuna. Arjuna fears that

absence of these habits will put his mind in chaos. Dwelling in

such misconception, he takes his own inner restlessness as a

reflection of the collapse of the whole world.

1.41 When disorder sets in, Krishna, economy declines, and

women give birth after unfavorable marriage.

Death of men in war causes a situation where there is no one

in the family who can provide livelihood. Because of this

decline in the numbers of men, women have a harder time to

find fine partners, and instead, marry others unwillingly.

During deepening of Arjuna's immersion in his doubts, his

bad feelings take a more pronounced form.

1.42 Family, which was formed by bad marriage is similar to

hell. Falling apart of the family leaves the elderly without

support, and they remain without food, water and

medications.

1.43 Collapse of the ancestry and bad marriage become the

reason for falling of the eternal sacred traditions.

1.44 Destructor of Birth, I have heard that as a result of

falling of traditions, names of people get stained; and they

rebirth in hell and dwell there.

Religious traditions teach that if no purification rituals are

performed for the dead, then their name and memory of them

will be stained, and they will be reborn in hell. However, what

really stains Arjuna – is his vices.

Doubts and bad feelings of Arjuna are caused by attachment to

form and name, to coarse and fine existence. At first, he

speaks out his concern about earthly existence, and afterwards

– about existence after death.

1.45 Alas, we decided to commit a great crime, and are ready

to kill our relatives for the sake of greedy enjoyment from

authority!

1.46 Even if I, unarmed and not resisting, will be killed by the

sons of Dhritarashtra, it will bring me more happiness.

When saying that he prefers being killed by the sons of

Dhritarashtra, Arjuna does not realize that all the disasters

that he described earlier can be brought on by seizure of power

by the Kauravas.

1.47 Sanjaya said: “After saying these words, Arjuna, broken

by sorrow, sank down to the bottom of the chariot in the

middle of the battlefield, throwing aside his weapon”.

In the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita there are presented three

appeals from students to their teacher:

1) Dhritarashtra seeks comfort in Sanjaya's wonderful power

of clairvoyance.

21

2) Duryodhana tries to stir/wake up wrath and desire to battle

in his teacher.

3) Arjuna reveals his despair and confusion to Krishna.

The first two types of appeals are not favorable, and lead to

suffering, but Arjuna's appeal, on the other hand, leads to the

gain of wisdom and to cessation of suffering.

This shloka completes the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita

which is called Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The term Yoga

acquires a central position in Bhagavad Gita, and means the

way that leads to cessation of suffering.

Why is Arjuna's despair called Yoga? The reason is that after

getting lost, Arjuna asks for Krishna's advice. The fact that he

gets down to the bottom of the chariot, throwing aside the

weapons, symbolizes taking the position of a student near the

feet of his teacher, ready to hear the teaching.

Thus ends the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita

Bibliography

The original text of Bhagavad Gita written in Devanagari script, taken

from the website Gita Supersite

https://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/

Transliteration of the text, taken from the website Sacred Texts:

The Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/bgs/index.htm

Translations to Russian:

Акад. Б. Л. Смирнов. Бхагавадгита, Литературный прервод, Санкт-

Петербург, «Кристалл», 2000.

Акад. Б. Л. Смирнов. Бхагавадгита, Буквальный перевод, Санкт-

Петербург, «Кристалл», 2000.

Бхагавадгита в традиции и в современной научной критике. Ислл.,

перев., коммент. В. С. Семенцова / М.: «Наука», 1985.

Translations to English by the following translators, taken from Gita

Supersite:

Swami Shivananda, Swami Adidevananda, Purohit Swami, Swami

Gambirananda, Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

Georg Feuerstein with Brenda Feuerstein, The Bhagavad Gita, A New

Translation, Shambala, Boston & London, 2011.

GK Marballi, Journey Through the Bhagavad Gita, Seeker 2011, 2013.

Dictionaries:

Monier-Williams Online Sanskrit-English Dictionary, 2014.

Arthur A. MacDonell, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford,

1893.

В. А. Кочергина, Санскрито-Русский Словарь, москва

издательство «Русский язык», 1987.