(One Sentence per Shloka) Srimad Bhagavad Gita – 700 Shlokas in English Translation
Below is a concise English translation of all 700 shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita, with each shloka summarised in one sentence. The shlokas are organized by chapter and verse, covering all 18 chapters, and aligned with the 10 thematic categories (Arjuna’s Dilemma, Nature of the Soul, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Dhyana Yoga, Three Gunas, Krishna’s Divine Nature, Divine and Demonic Qualities, Liberation) where relevant.
Chapter 1: Arjuna’s Sorrow (47 Shlokas)
1.1: Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya what his sons and the Pandavas are doing on the Kurukshetra battlefield.
1.2: Sanjaya describes Duryodhana approaching Drona to assess the armies.
1.3: Duryodhana praises Drona’s pupils and notes the strength of both armies.
1.4-6: Duryodhana lists the mighty warriors in the Pandava army, including Yudhishthira and Bhima.
1.7-8: Duryodhana names the key warriors in his own army, like Bhishma and Karna.
1.9-11: Duryodhana boasts of his army’s readiness to protect Bhishma in battle.
1.12: Bhishma blows his conch to inspire Duryodhana’s forces.
1.13: Kaurava conches, drums, and trumpets resound, creating a tumultuous noise.
1.14: Krishna and Arjuna blow their divine conches in response.
1.15-18: Pandava warriors, including Bhima and Yudhishthira, sound their conches, shaking the earth.
1.19: The Pandava conches’ roar disheartens the Kaurava army.
1.20: Arjuna, on his chariot with Hanuman’s banner, prepares to fight.
1.21-22: Arjuna asks Krishna to place the chariot between the armies to see his foes.
1.23: Arjuna wishes to observe the warriors gathered for battle.
1.24-25: Krishna positions the chariot before Bhishma, Drona, and others, urging Arjuna to behold them.
1.26-27: Arjuna sees relatives, teachers, and friends in both armies, causing distress.
1.28: Arjuna feels compassion and sorrow at the sight of his kin ready to fight.
1.29: Arjuna’s limbs tremble, and his mind reels from the thought of battle.
1.30: Arjuna’s bow slips as he is overwhelmed by grief and confusion.
1.31: Arjuna sees evil omens and feels no desire for victory.
1.32-33: Arjuna questions the value of winning a kingdom by killing loved ones.
1.34-35: Arjuna laments facing teachers, fathers, and sons in battle.
1.36: Arjuna fears sin from killing kinsmen, even if they attack first.
1.37-38: Arjuna worries that destroying the family will ruin dharma and invite sin.
1.39: Arjuna foresees the corruption of family traditions due to war.
1.40: Arjuna warns that family destruction leads to societal moral decay.
1.41: Arjuna fears that intermingling castes will doom ancestors to fall.
1.42: Arjuna predicts eternal suffering for those who destroy family dharma.
1.43: Arjuna laments that family-killing leads to the ruin of sacred laws.
1.44: Arjuna is horrified by the greed-driven desire to slay kin.
1.45: Arjuna prefers death over fighting his own relatives.
1.46: Arjuna drops his bow, overcome by sorrow, unwilling to fight.
1.47: Arjuna sits in despair, his heart heavy with grief.
Chapter 2: Knowledge of the Self (72 Shlokas)
2.1: Sanjaya describes Arjuna’s tearful despair as Krishna begins to speak.
2.2: Krishna rebukes Arjuna’s weakness, urging him to rise above dishonor.
2.3: Krishna tells Arjuna to abandon cowardice and uphold his warrior duty.
2.4: Arjuna questions how he can fight revered elders like Bhishma and Drona.
2.5: Arjuna prefers begging to killing his gurus for fleeting gains.
2.6: Arjuna doubts whether victory or defeat is better, as he faces kin.
2.7: Arjuna, confused, surrenders to Krishna as his disciple, seeking guidance.
2.8: Arjuna sees no way to dispel his grief, even with worldly success.
2.9: Arjuna refuses to fight, awaiting Krishna’s counsel.
2.10: Krishna smiles and begins teaching Arjuna amidst the armies.
2.11: Krishna says the wise do not grieve for the living or dead, as the soul is eternal.
2.12: Krishna explains that souls exist forever, beyond birth and death.
2.13: The soul transitions through bodies, like changing clothes, without perishing.
2.14: Sensory experiences are fleeting, and one must endure them patiently.
2.15: The steadfast, unaffected by pleasure or pain, attain immortality.
2.16: The unreal has no existence, while the real never ceases to be.
2.17: The soul, pervading the body, is indestructible and eternal.
2.18: Bodies are perishable, but the soul within is eternal and immeasurable.
2.19: Neither the slayer nor the slain is truly killed, as the soul endures.
2.20: The soul is never born nor dies, remaining eternal and unchanging.
2.21: Knowing the soul’s immortality, one should not grieve over its indestructibility.
2.22: The soul discards old bodies and takes new ones, like worn-out garments.
2.23: Weapons, fire, water, and wind cannot destroy the eternal soul.
2.24: The soul is unbreakable, unburnable, insoluble, and everlasting.
2.25: The soul is invisible, inconceivable, and unchanging, beyond grief.
2.26: Even if the soul seems perishable, one should not mourn its cycles.
2.27: Death is certain for the born, and birth follows death, so avoid sorrow.
2.28: Beings are unmanifest before birth, manifest in life, and unmanifest after death.
2.29: Few perceive the soul’s wonder, and fewer can describe it.
2.30: The soul within all beings is eternal, so do not grieve for any creature.
2.31: As a Kshatriya, Arjuna must uphold his duty to fight righteously.
2.32: Warriors who fight such a battle gain heaven’s glory.
2.33: Abandoning duty brings dishonor and loss of fame.
2.34: People will scorn Arjuna forever if he shirks his duty.
2.35: Great warriors will mock Arjuna’s fear as cowardice.
2.36: Enemies will slander Arjuna, causing greater pain than death.
2.37: Arjuna will gain heaven if killed or victory if he fights.
2.38: Fight with equanimity, treating victory and defeat equally, to avoid sin.
2.39: Krishna introduces the yoga of wisdom to free Arjuna from bondage.
2.40: Effort in this yoga is never wasted and protects from fear.
2.41: Resolute understanding leads to liberation, unlike scattered desires.
2.42-43: Ignorant men, attached to Vedic rituals, seek fleeting pleasures.
2.44: Those lost in desires cannot attain steady wisdom.
2.45: Rise above the three gunas, free from duality and attachment.
2.46: Scriptures are like a well for one who sees the ocean of truth.
2.47: Act without attachment to results, focusing only on duty.
2.48: Perform actions with equanimity, unaffected by success or failure.
2.49: Selfless action surpasses desire-driven work, seeking refuge in wisdom.
2.50: A wise person transcends both good and evil deeds through yoga.
2.51: The wise, detached from results, attain liberation from rebirth.
2.52: When delusion fades, the mind becomes steady in divine wisdom.
2.53: Unshaken by scriptures, the mind attains true yoga.
2.54: Arjuna asks about the traits of a person with steady wisdom.
2.55: Krishna says the wise abandon desires, finding joy in the self.
2.56: The sage remains unmoved by pain, pleasure, or passions.
2.57: The wise are detached, unaffected by good or evil circumstances.
2.58: The sage controls senses like a tortoise retracting its limbs.
2.59: Senses may withdraw, but desire persists without divine realization.
2.60: Even the wise struggle to control turbulent senses.
2.61: Controlling senses by focusing on Krishna leads to stability.
2.62: Attachment to sense objects breeds desire, anger, and delusion.
2.63: Delusion clouds wisdom, leading to spiritual ruin.
2.64: Freedom from attachment and aversion brings inner clarity.
2.65: A clear mind finds joy, dissolving all sorrows.
2.66: Without divine connection, the unsteady mind lacks peace.
2.67: Senses swayed by desire carry away wisdom like wind on a boat.
2.68: The sage with controlled senses enjoys steady wisdom.
2.69: The sage is awake to truth while others sleep in delusion.
2.70: The wise remain unmoved by desires, like an ocean receiving rivers.
2.71: Renouncing desires, the sage finds peace without ego.
2.72: Attaining this state ensures liberation, even at life’s end.
Chapter 3: Karma Yoga (43 Shlokas)
3.1: Arjuna asks why Krishna urges fighting if wisdom is superior.
3.2: Arjuna seeks clarity, confused by Krishna’s mixed instructions.
3.3: Krishna explains two paths: knowledge for ascetics, action for yogis.
3.4: Freedom from karma comes not from inaction but from selfless action.
3.5: No one can remain inactive, as nature compels action.
3.6: Pretending to control senses while craving them is hypocrisy.
3.7: Controlling senses and acting selflessly is the superior path.
3.8: Perform prescribed duties, as action is better than inaction.
3.9: Selfless action as sacrifice frees one from karmic bondage.
3.10: Brahma created beings with sacrifices to fulfill desires.
3.11: Honor gods through sacrifices, and they will reciprocate.
3.12: Enjoying without offering sacrifices is akin to theft.
3.13: Eating sanctified food from sacrifices purifies the righteous.
3.14: Living beings depend on food, sustained by rain and sacrifice.
3.15: Sacrifice, ordained by Vedas, arises from action and Brahman.
3.16: Ignoring the cycle of sacrifice leads to a wasted life.
3.17: The self-realized, content in the self, have no duties.
3.18: The wise act without personal motives, free from dependence.
3.19: Perform duties selflessly to attain the supreme goal.
3.20: Great kings like Janaka achieved perfection through selfless action.
3.21: People follow the example of great leaders’ actions.
3.22: Krishna, though free from duties, acts for the world’s welfare.
3.23: If Krishna ceased acting, people would follow and fall.
3.24: Krishna’s inaction would lead to chaos and destruction.
3.25: The wise act selflessly to guide the ignorant.
3.26: The wise should not disturb the ignorant but inspire action.
3.27: Actions arise from gunas, yet the ego claims doership.
3.28: Knowing gunas’ interplay, the wise remain unattached.
3.29: The wise should not confuse those swayed by gunas.
3.30: Dedicate all actions to Krishna, free from desire and ego.
3.31: Following Krishna’s teachings leads to freedom from karma.
3.32: Ignoring Krishna’s teachings traps one in delusion.
3.33: Even the wise act according to their nature.
3.34: Attachment to senses binds; one must overcome them.
3.35: Following one’s own duty is better than another’s, even if imperfect.
3.36: Arjuna asks what compels one to sin despite resistance.
3.37: Krishna identifies desire and anger, born of Rajas, as the enemy.
3.38: Desire veils wisdom like smoke covers fire or dust obscures a mirror.
3.39: Desire, the eternal foe, consumes even the wise.
3.40: Desire resides in senses, mind, and intellect, clouding knowledge.
3.41: Control senses first to conquer desire’s destructive force.
3.42: Senses are superior to the body, mind over senses, intellect over mind, and soul above all.
3.43: Knowing the soul’s supremacy, conquer desire with disciplined intellect.
Chapter 4: Knowledge and Renunciation (42 Shlokas)
4.1: Krishna taught this eternal yoga to Vivasvan, passed through generations.
4.2: The yoga was lost over time due to broken succession.
4.3: Krishna reveals this ancient yoga to Arjuna, his devoted friend.
4.4: Arjuna questions how Krishna taught in ancient times.
4.5: Krishna explains his divine births, unlike mortal lives.
4.6: Krishna, though unborn, appears through his divine power.
4.7: Krishna incarnates whenever dharma declines and adharma rises.
4.8: Krishna descends to protect the righteous and destroy evil.
4.9: Knowing Krishna’s divine birth leads to liberation.
4.10: Free from desire, fear, and anger, devotees attain Krishna.
4.11: Krishna responds to all according to their approach.
4.12: Those seeking worldly gains worship gods, gaining quick results.
4.13: Krishna created the four castes based on qualities and actions.
4.14: Krishna, unattached to actions, is untouched by karma.
4.15: Ancient sages, knowing this, acted without attachment.
4.16: Krishna clarifies the nature of action and inaction.
4.17: Understanding action, forbidden action, and inaction is complex.
4.18: Seeing inaction in action and action in inaction is true wisdom.
4.19: The wise act without desire, burning karma in wisdom’s fire.
4.20: Detached from results, the content rely on nothing external.
4.21: Free from possessiveness, the self-controlled act without bondage.
4.22: Content with whatever comes, the wise transcend duality.
4.23: Actions of the liberated, offered to Brahman, dissolve completely.
4.24: Sacrificial acts, dedicated to Brahman, merge with the divine.
4.25: Some offer sacrifices to gods, seeking divine union.
4.26: Others sacrifice senses in the fire of self-discipline.
4.27: Yogis offer all actions into the fire of self-realization.
4.28: Some sacrifice wealth, penance, or yoga, seeking knowledge.
4.29: Others practice breath control to master the mind.
4.30: All sacrificers, purified, attain eternal liberation.
4.31: Consuming sacrificial remnants, one reaches the eternal Brahman.
4.32: Various sacrifices, rooted in Brahman, lead to liberation.
4.33: Knowledge-sacrifice surpasses material offerings.
4.34: Gain wisdom by serving and questioning enlightened teachers.
4.35: True knowledge reveals all beings as part of Krishna.
4.36: Knowledge destroys even the greatest sins.
4.37: Wisdom’s fire burns all karma, like fire consumes wood.
4.38: Nothing purifies like knowledge, attained through yoga.
4.39: The faithful, focused on knowledge, quickly find peace.
4.40: The ignorant and faithless remain trapped in doubt.
4.41: Yoga and knowledge cut the bonds of karma.
4.42: Arjuna is urged to cut doubt with knowledge and rise to yoga.
Chapter 5: Action and Renunciation (29 Shlokas)
5.1: Arjuna asks whether renunciation or action is better.
5.2: Krishna says both lead to liberation, but action is superior.
5.3: The renouncer, free from desire, attains lasting peace.
5.4: Action and renunciation are one, despite seeming different.
5.5: Both paths lead to the same supreme goal.
5.6: Renunciation is hard without disciplined action.
5.7: The pure yogi, free from attachment, sees all as one.
5.8-9: The wise know they do nothing despite bodily actions.
5.10: Offering actions to Brahman, one is untouched by sin.
5.11: Yogis act with body and mind, detached from results.
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