The ''Gita Bhashya'' (), also rendered the ''Bhagavad Gita Bhashya'', is a commentary or treatise of the ''

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

'' by the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

philosopher Ramanuja. The work asserts the deity Vishnu to be the ''parat-tattva'' (supreme truth), and details the processes of ''

bhakti yoga Bhakti yoga ( sa, भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (, literally the path of ''Bhakti''), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.Karen Pechelis (2014), ...

karma yoga Karma yoga ( sa, कर्म योग), also called Karma marga, is one of the four classical spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the "yoga of action", the others being Jnana yoga (path of knowledge), Rāja yoga (path of meditatio ...

,'' and ''

jnana yoga Jnana yoga (), also known as the jnana ''marga'' (), is one of the three classical paths ('' margas'') for moksha (liberation) in Hinduism, which emphasizes the "path of knowledge", also known as the "path of self-realization". The other two ...

'' for the achievement of '' moksha'' (spiritual liberation). It also explores the concepts of the ''avataras'' of Vishnu and the practice of ''prapatti'' (self-surrender).

Content

The ''Gita Bhashya'' comprises eighteen chapters that are divided into three sections; each section comprises a hexad (six chapters).

First hexad

The first six chapters of the work offer an exposition of an approach to self-realisation of the individual self. Ramanuja describes his process as sequential, beginning with the cognisance of the nature of the self, followed by cognisance of the concept of ''

'', and finally the cognisance of the concept of ''

''. The commentary describes Krishna urging

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

to perform his duty on the battlefield. The work exposits that Arjuna's hesitation and desire to abstain from his duty as a warrior emerge from the incorrect notion that a person is their ''prakrti'' (body), and the interpretation of death as the end of being. The truth, which is the knowledge that one is '' Brahman'', is regarded to resolve this dilemma.

Second hexad

The second hexad is centred around the concept of ''

''. ''

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

'' (devotion to God), is defined as the flow of consciousness to Narayana (Vishnu). This is described to be achieved by devotion to Vishnu in the ''Atman'' (sense of self), causing this to be then be manifested in the '' jiva'' (life force). Vishnu is described to be the Supreme Being in this hexad, stated to be the source, upholder, as well as the destroyer of the cosmos, which is itself regarded to be his body. The author offers an interpretation of the mahavakya '' tat tvam asi'' (thou art that) as the ''Śarīra-Śarīrī'' (body-soul) relationship between '' Ishvara'' and his two natures, ''jiva'' and ''

ajiva ''Ajiva'' (Sanskrit) is anything that has no soul or life, the polar opposite of " jīva" (soul). Because ''ajiva'' has no life, it does not accumulate ''karma'' and cannot die. Examples of ajiva include chairs, computers, paper, plastic, etc. ...

'' (animate and inanimate matter). Sincere devotion to God is described to be the only prerequisite for the purposes of worship. The '' vishvarupa'' (cosmic form) of Krishna, the distinction between the concepts of '' moksha'' and '' kaivalya'', and the ''paratva'' (transcedance) and the saulabhya (accessibility) of God are each offered a discourse. Ramanuja offers a critique of the Advaita philosophy in favour of Vishishtadvaita, reproving the rejection of the difference that the proponents of the former made between God and ''jiva'', and between ''jiva''s.

Third hexad

The third hexad further examines the concepts of ''Prakrti, Atman,'' and the Supreme Being, the binding of the qualities of ''Prakrti'' to ''Atman'', and ''prapatti'' (self-surrender) to Vishnu as the path to salvation. The author explores the notion of abandoning ''

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

'' and expiatory practices and seeking refuge in God alone.{{Cite book , last=Makarand Joshi , url=https://archive.org/details/gitaramanujagitabhasyadevanagariandenglishrenderingbyswamiadidevanandasriramakrishnamath/page/n43/mode/2up , title=GITA RAMANUJA GITA BHASYA Devanagari And English Rendering By Swami Adidevananda Sri Rama Krishna Math , pages=31–36

References

Medieval literature Vaishnava texts Hindu literature Vishishtadvaita Vedanta Hindu philosophy

Content

First hexad

Second hexad

Third hexad

See also

References