Bhagavad Gita verses on hope

He who is happy within, who rejoices within, and who is illuminated within, that Yogi attains absolute freedom, or Moksha, becoming Brahman himself.

Within meansin the Self. He attains Brahmanirvanam or liberation while living. He becomes a Jivanmukta.

But for that man who rejoices only in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self and is content in the Self alone, indeed there is nothing to do.

The sage does not depend on external objects for his happiness. He is ite satisfied with the Self. He finds his joy, bliss and contentment within his own Self. For such a sage who has knowledge of the Self, there is…

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…

The deluded do not see Him who departs, stays, and enjoys; but those who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.

Though the Self is nearest and comes most easily within their field of vision or consciousness, the ignorant and the deluded are not able to behold Him, because they are swayed by the alities of Nature their minds…

Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments, and pleasures stand here in battle, having renounced life and wealth.

Arjuna has addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa as Govinda because Kṛṣṇa is the object of all pleasures for cows and the senses. By using this significant word, Arjuna indicates that Kṛṣṇa should understand what will satisfy Arjuna’s…

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 enjoyments that arise from contact are only sources of pain, for they have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna; the wise do not rejoice in them.

Man goes in quest of joy and searches in the external perishable objects for his happiness. He fails to get it but instead he carries a load of sorrow on his head.You should withdraw the senses from the senseobjects as…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Soon he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace; O Arjuna, proclaim thou for certain that My devotee never perishes.

Listen, this is the truth, O Arjuna you may proclaim that My devotee who has sincere devotion to Me, who has offered his inner soul to Me never perishes.

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…

Bound by a hundred ties of hope, given over to lust and anger, they strive to obtain hoards of wealth by unlawful means for sensual enjoyment.

They murder people and rob them of their wealth in order to have sensual enjoyments. They amass wealth for sensepleasure only, but not for doing righteous actions. They have no mercy. They are very cruel. They are held…

Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, and uprightness, as well as knowledge, realization, and belief in God, are the duties of Brahmanas, born of their own nature.

Sama is control of the mind. Dama is control of the senses. Serenity and selfrestraint have already been explained in XVII.2. Austerity of the three kinds has also been explained in XVII.14 to 16.Astikyam Faith in the…

Fly to Him for refuge with all your being, O Arjuna; by His grace you will obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

Do total and perfect surrender to the Lord. Do not keep any secret desires for silent gratification. Desire and egoism are the two chief obstacles that stand in the way of selfsurrender. Kill them ruthlessly.Run to the…

Also, the man who hears this, full of faith and free from malice, shall attain to the happy worlds of those of righteous deeds, and be liberated.

Liberated from sin.Punyakarmanam Of those who have done Agnihotra and such other sacrifices.He too Much more so who understands the teachings of the Gita, lives in its spirit and who practises the most valuable spiritual…

One sees this (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of it as a wonder; another hears of it as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands it at all.

The verse may also be interpreted in this manner. He that sees, hears and speaks of the Self is a wonderful man. Such a man is very rare. He is one among many thousands. Thus the Self is very hard to understand.

To the Brahmana who has known the Self, all the Vedas are of as much use as a reservoir of water would be in a place where there is a flood.

Only for a sage who has realised the Self, the Vedas are of no use, because he is in possession of the infinite knowledge of the Self. This does not, however, mean that the Vedas are useless. They are useful for the…

When your intellect, which is perplexed by the Vedic texts you have read, stands immovable and steady in the Self, then you will attain Self-realization.

When your intellect which is tossed about by the conflict of opinions regarding the Pravritti Marga (the path of action) and the Nivritti Marga (the path of retirement or renunciation) has become immovable without…

The Blessed Lord said, "Many births of Mine have passed, as well as of thine, O Arjuna; I know them all, but thou knowest not, O Parantapa (scorcher of foes)."

You have no intuitional knowledge. The eye of wisdom has not been opened in you on account of your past actions. So your power of vision is limited and therefore you do not know your previous births. But I know them…

Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternal Brahman. This world is not for the one who does not perform sacrifice; how then can they have the other, O Arjuna?

They go to the eternal Brahman in course of time after attaining the knowledge of the Self through purification of the mind by performing the above sacrifices. He who does not perform any of these is not fit even for…

Know that the wise who have realized the truth will instruct thee in that knowledge through long prostration, supplication, and service.

Go to the teachers (those who are well versed in the scriptures dealing with Brahman or Brahmasrotris, and who are established in Brahman or Brahmanishthas). Prostrate yourself before them with profound humility and…

Knowing that thou shalt not, O Arjuna, again be deluded like this; and by that thou shalt see all beings in thyself and also in me.

That, the knowledge of the Self mentioned in the previous verse, that is to be learnt from the Brahmanishtha Guru through prostration, estioning and service. When you acire this knowledge you will not be again subject to…

Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt surely cross over all sins by the raft of knowledge.

You can cross the ocean of sin with the boat of the knowledge of the Self. (Cf.IX.30)

The ignorant, the faithless, and the doubting self go to destruction; there is neither this world nor the other, nor happiness for the doubting one.

The ignorant one who has no knowledge of the Self. The man without faith one who has no faith in his own self, in the scriptures and the teachings of his Guru.A man of doubting mind is the most sinful of all. His…

Their intellect absorbed in That, their self being That, established in That, with That as their supreme goal, they go whence there is no return, their sins dispelled by knowledge.

They fix their intellects on Brahman or the Supreme Self. They feel and realise that Brahman is their self. By constant and protracted meditation, they get established in Brahman. The whole world of names and forms…

Arjuna said, "He who is unable to control himself, even though he has faith, and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, having failed to attain perfection in Yoga, O Krishna?"

He has faith in the efficacy of Yoga but he is not able to control the senses and the mind. He has no concentration of mind. His mind wanders away when the last breath departs from his body and he loses the memory also.…

Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, realize in full that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self, and all action.

They attain to the full knowledge of the Self or perfect knowledge of Brahman. They attain to the Bhuma or the Highest or the Unconditioned. All their doubts are totally destroyed. They fully realise now, All is…

This is the royal science, the royal secret, the supreme purifier, realizable by direct intuitive knowledge, according to righteousness, very easy to perform and imperishable.

In this verse Lord Krishna eulogies the knowledge of Brahman very highly in order to create a great interest in the spiritual aspirants for attaining It quickly.There is neither blind faith nor faithmongering in this…

You are the Imperishable, the Supreme Being, worthy of being known. You are the great treasure-house of this universe; You are the imperishable protector of the eternal Dharma; You are the Primal Person, I believe.

VisvasyaNidhaanam Treasurehouse of this universe, also means abode or refuge or the substratum of this universe. It is because of this that all the beings in the universe are preserved and protected. He is the…

You are the primal God, the ancient Purusha, the supreme refuge of this universe, the knower, the knowable, and the supreme Abode. Through You, the universe is pervaded, O Being of infinite forms.

Primal God, because the Lord is the creator of the universe.Purusha, because the Lord lies in the body (Puri Sayanat).Nidhaanam That in which the world rests during the great deluge or cosmic dissolution.The pot comes…

He who does all actions for Me, who regards Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who bears no enmity towards any creature, he comes to Me, O Arjuna.

This is the essence of the whole teaching of the Gita. He who practises this teaching will attain Supreme Bliss and Immortality. This verse contains the summary of the entire philosophy of the Gita.He who performs…

They who follow this immortal Dharma, endowed with faith and regarding Me as their supreme goal, are exceedingly dear to Me.

The Blessed Lord has in this verse given a description of His excellent devotee.Amrita Dharma Amrita is the lifegiving nectar. Dharma is righteousness or wisdom. Dharma is that which leads to immortality when practised.…

Unswerving devotion to Me through the Yoga of non-separation, resorting to solitary places, and a distaste for the company of people.

The man of wisdom is firmly convinced that there is nothing higher than Me and that I am the sole refuge. He has unflinching devotion to Me through Yoga without any thought,for other objects. His mind has merged or…

Shining by the functions of all the senses, yet without being attached to them; unattached, yet supporting all; devoid of qualities, yet the experiencer of them.

Brahman sees without eyes, hears without ears, smells without nose, eats without mouth, feels without skin, grasps without hands, walks without feet. He is the unseen seer, the unheard hearer, the unthought thinker.…

Others, too, who do not know thus, worship, having heard of It from others; they, too, cross beyond death, regarding what they have heard as the supreme refuge.

The three paths, viz., the Yoga of meditation, the Yoga of knowledge, and the Yoga of action to attain the knowledge of the Self were described in the previous verse. In this verse the Yoga of worship is described.Some…