Bhagavad Gita verses on gratitude

Better it is, indeed, in this world to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers. But if I were to kill them, even in this world, all my enjoyments of wealth and fulfilled desires would be stained with their blood.

According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned. Bhīṣma and Droṇa were obliged to take the side of Duryodhana because of his…

Happy are the Kshatriyas, O Arjuna! who are called to fight in such a battle that comes of its own accord as an open door to heaven.

The scriptures declare that if a Kshatriya dies for a righteous cause on the battlefield, he at once goes to heaven.

Here, O joy of the Kurus, there is only one single-pointed determination; many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the indecisive.

Here, in this path to Bliss there is only one thought of a resolute nature there is singleminded determination. This single thought arises from the right source of knowledge. The student of Yoga collects all the…

But the self-controlled man, moving among objects with the senses restrained and free from attraction and repulsion, attains peace.

The mind and the senses are naturally endowed with the two currents of attraction and repulsion. Therefore, the mind and the senses like certain objects and dislike certain other objects. But the disciplined man moves…

In that peace, all pains are destroyed; for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon becomes steady.

When the mental peace is attained, there is no hankering after senseobjects. The Yogi has perfect mastery over his reason. The intellect abides in the Self. It is ite steady. The miseries of the body and the mind come to…

There is no knowledge of the Self for the unsteady, and no meditation is possible for the unsteady, and no peace for the unmeditative, and how can there be happiness for one who has no peace?

The man who cannot fix his mind in meditation cannot have knowledge of the Self. The unsteady man cannot practise meditation. He cannot have even intense devotion to Selfknowledge nor can he have burning longing for…

He attains peace into whom all desires enter, just as waters enter the ocean which, filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is full of desires.

Just as the ocean filled with waters from all sides remains unmoved, so also the sage who is resting in his own Svarupa or the Self is not a bit affected though desires of all sorts enter from all sides. The sage attains…

Content with what comes to him without effort, free from the pairs of opposites and envy, even-minded in success and failure, he acts yet is not bound.

The sage is ite satisfied with what comes to him by chance. In verses IV. 18, 19, 20, 22, 22 and 23 there is only a reiteration of the results of the knowledge of the Self which is beyond action. The sage who identifies…

The Supreme Self of him who is self-controlled and peaceful remains balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, as well as in honor and dishonor.

The selfcontrolled Yogi who is rooted in the Self keeps poise amidst the pairs of opposites (Dvandvas) or the alternating waves of cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour. When the Yogi has subdued his…

Thus, always keeping the mind balanced, the yogi, with the mind controlled, attains the peace abiding in Me, culminating in liberation.

Thus in the manner prescribed in the previous verse.The Supreme Self is an embodiment of peace. It is an ocean of peace. When one attains to the supreme peace of the Eternal, by controlling the modifications of the mind…

The one who is full of faith, devoted to it, and has subdued their senses obtains this knowledge; and upon obtaining the knowledge, they attain the supreme peace immediately.

He who is full of faith, who constantly serves his Guru and hears his teachings, who has subdued the senses surely gets the knowledge and quickly attains the supreme peace or salvation (Moksha). All the above three…

The Blessed Lord said, "I shall now declare to thee, who does not cavil, the greatest secret—the knowledge combined with experience (Self-realisation). Having known this, thou shalt be free from evil."

Idam (this) alludes to knowledge of the Self.Jnana Theoretical knowledge of Brahman through the study of the Upanishads, also known as Paroksha Brahma Jnana.Vijnana Direct intuitive perception of Brahman or…

Those who have no faith in this Dharma, O Parantapa, return to the path of this world without attaining Me.

Arjuna asks, O Lord, why do people not attempt to attain this knowledge of the Self when it can be easily attained, when it is the highest of all things, and when it gives the greatest benefits All should certainly…

All of this world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings exist within Me, but I do not dwell within them.

Avyaktamurti is Para Brahman or the Supreme Unmanifested Being invisible to the senses but cognisable through intuition. All beings from Brahma, the Creator, down to the blade of grass or an ant, dwell in the…

As the mighty wind, moving everywhere, always rests in the ether, so too, know that all beings rest in Me.

The Lord gives a beautiful illustration or simile in this verse to explain what He has said in the previous two verses. Just as the wind ever rests in the ether (space) without any contact or attachment, so also all…

All beings, O Arjuna, go into My Nature at the end of a Kalpa; I send them forth again at the beginning of the next Kalpa.

Prakriti The inferior one or the lower Nature composed of the three alities, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.Just as the grass grows from the earth and dries up in the earth, just as the ripples and waves rise from the ocean and…

Animating My Nature, I again and again send forth all this multitude of beings, helpless under the force of Nature.

The Lord leans on, presses or embraces Nature. He invigorates and fertilises Nature which had gone to sleep at the end of the Mahakalpa or universal dissolution and projects again and again this whole multitude of…

These acts do not bind Me, O Arjuna, sitting as one indifferent, unattached to those acts.

These acts Creation and dissolution of the universe. I am the only cause of dissolution of the universe. I am the only cause of Nature and its activities and yet, being indifferent to everythin, I do nothing. Nor do I…

Under Me, as supervisor, Nature produces the moving and the unmoving; therefore, O Arjuna, the world revolves.

The Lord presides only as a witness. Nature does everything. By reason of His proximity or presence, Nature sends forth the moving and the unmoving. The prime cause of this creation is Nature. For the movable and the…

Fools disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My higher Being as the great Lord of all beings.

Fools only find fault with My pure nature, just as a man with jaundiced eyes finds all objects to be yellow. The man who is suffering from fever finds even milk as bitter as the essence of neem. Those who wish to behold…

They are possessed of the deceitful nature of demons and undivine beings, filled with vain hopes, vain actions, and vain knowledge that is senseless.

They entertain vain hopes, for there can be no hope in perishable forms. It is vain hope because they run after transient objects and miss the Eternal. It is vain action, because it is not performed by them as sacrifice…

Always glorifying Me, striving, firm in their vows, prostrating themselves before Me, they worship Me with steadfast devotion.

These great souls sing My glory. They do Japa (repetition) of Pranava (Om). They study and recite the Upanishads. They hear the Srutis (the Vedas) from their spiritual preceptor, reflect and meditate on the attributeless…

Others also, sacrificing with the wisdom-sacrifice, worship Me, the All-Faced, as one, distinct, and manifold.

Others too sacrificing by the wisdomsacrifice, i.e., seeing the Self in all, adore Me the One and the manifold, present everywhere. They regard all the forms they see as the forms of God, all sounds they hear as the…

I am Kratu; I am Yajna; I am the offering to the manes; I am the medicinal herbs and all plants; I am the Mantra; I am also the ghee or melted butter; I am the fire; I am the oblation.

Kratu is a kind of Vedic sacrifice.Yajna is the worship enjoined in the Smriti or the holy books laying down lay and the code of conduct.I am the Mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offered to the manes or…

I am the father of this world, the mother, the dispenser of the fruits of actions, and the grandfather; the one thing to be known, the purifier, the sacred monosyllable (Om), and also the Rik, Sama, and Yajur Vedas.

Dhata Supporter or sustainer by dispenser of the fruits of actions.Isvara or the Saguna Brahman is the father. MulaPrakriti or the primordial Nature is the mother. The pure Satchidananda Para Brahman…

I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the shelter, the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the treasure-house, and the imperishable seed.

I am the goal, the fruit of action. He who nourishes and supports is the huand. I am the witness of the good and evil actions done by the Jivas (individuals). I am the abode wherein all living beings dwell. I am the…

The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of Soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me through sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the gods and enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven.

May aspirants climb up to a certain height on the ladder of Yoga. They are irresistibly swept away by the temptation of the higher planes (the heaven, and the plane of the celestial beings, etc.). They lose their power…

For those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no one else, for those ever-united, I secure what they have not already possessed and preserve what they already possess.

Ananyah Nonseparate. This is another interpretation. Persons who, meditating on Me as nonseparate, worship Me in all beings -- to them who are ever devout, I secure gain and safety. They consider themselves as…

Even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, worship Me alone, O Arjuna, but by the wrong method.

They worship Me in ignorance. Their mode of worship is contrary to the ancient,rule. Hence they return to this world.People worship Agni, Indra, Surya, Varuna, the Vasus, etc. Even they attain Me, because I am…

For I alone am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in reality, and thus they return to this mortal world.

They do not know that I, the Supreme Self, am the enjoyer of all sacrifices enjoined in the Vedas and the Smritis (the codes of right conduct) and the Lord of all sacrifices. As I am the inner Ruler of this world I am…

The worshippers of the gods go to them; the ancestor-worshippers go to the manes; the worshippers of the deities who preside over the elements go to them; but My devotees come to Me.

The worshippers of the manes such as the Agnisvattas who perform Sraaddha and other rites in devotion to their ancestors go to the manes. Those who worship the gods with devotion and vows go to them.Bhutas are elemental…

I am the same to all beings; there is none hateful or dear to Me; but those who worship Me with devotion are in Me, and I am also in them.

The Lord has an even outlook towards all. He regards all living beings alike. None He has condemned, none has He favoured. He is the enemy of none. He is the partial lover of none. He does not favour some and frown on…

How much more easily, then, do Brahmins and devoted royal saints attain the goal? Having come to this impermanent and unhappy world, do thou worship Me.

Rajarshis are kings who have become saints while discharging the duties of the kingdom.It is very difficult to get a human birth which is the means of attaining the goal of life. Being born in this human body you should…

On seeing Thee, touching the sky, shining in many colors, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart and find neither courage nor peace, O Vishnu.

Dhriti also means patience and strength. Sama also means control.The vision of the Cosmic Form has frightened Arjuna considerably.

Having seen Thy mouths fearful with teeth blazing like the fires of cosmic dissolution, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace. Have mercy, O Lord of the gods, O abode of the universe.

Jagannivasa The substratum of the universe.Kalanala The fires which consume the worlds during the final dissolution of the worlds (Pralaya). Time (Kala) is the consumer of all that is manifest.Diso no jane I do not know…

He to whom censure and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, of a steady mind, and full of devotion; that man is dear to me.

He is neither elated by praise nor pained by censure. He keeps a balanced state of mind. He has controlled the organ of speech and so he is silent. His mind also is serene and silent as he has controlled the thoughts…

The foods that increase life, purity, strength, health, joy, and cheerfulness (good appetite), which are savory, oily, substantial, and agreeable, are dear to the Sattvic (pure) people.

Pure food increases the vitality and strength of those who eat it. It augments the energy of the mind also.Sattva Cheerfulness purity inner, moral and spiritual strength and courage that keep the mind steady even in…

Endowed with wisdom and evenness of mind, one casts off in this life both good and evil deeds; therefore, devote yourself to Yoga; Yoga is skill in action.

Work performed with motive towards fruits only can bind a man. It will bring the fruits and the performer of the action will have to take birth again in this mortal world to enjoy them. If work is performed with evennes…

Having restrained all the senses, being even-minded everywhere, and intent on the welfare of all beings, they verily come unto Me.

Those who are free from likes and dislikes (attraction and repulsion) can possess,equanimity of mind. Those who have destroyed ignorance which is the cause for exhilaration and grief, through the knowledge of the Self,…

He who is the same to foe and friend, and also in honor and dishonor, who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, and who is free from attachment.

The ordinary man of the world is ruled by the pairs of opposites, honour and dishonour, cold and heat and pleasure and pain but a Yogi or a sage or a devotee (Bhagavata) has a balanced mind. He has poise or equanimity.…