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Chapter2

Sāṅkhya-yoga · 72 verses

Contents of the Gītā Summarized

Knowing the eternal soul and doing duty steadily in devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

1 · Verse notes (72)2 · Stories (21)Read on Vedabase
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Verse notes

Every verse in simple words, from Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Tap a verse to study it in depth.

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  1. BG 2.1Compassion for the Soul

    Study this verse
    • Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, depressed and tearful, Kṛṣṇa began to speak.
    • Prabhupāda explains that material compassion and tears show ignorance of the real self. Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realization.
    • Arjuna wanted Kṛṣṇa to remove his misunderstanding. Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to remove sorrow caused by ignorance.

  2. BG 2.2Knowing the Value of Life

    Study this verse
    • Kṛṣṇa questions Arjuna’s impurities: they do not suit one who knows life’s value and lead to disgrace, not higher planets.
    • Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the highest realization of the Absolute Truth.
    • Life’s aim is to realize the Absolute Truth. Arjuna’s refusal to fight was a departure from duty, not spiritually helpful compassion.

  3. BG 2.3Give Up Weakness of Heart

    Study this verse
    • Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to give up his unworthy weakness of heart and rise to fight.
    • As a warrior and Kṛṣṇa’s intimate friend, Arjuna would disgrace himself by abandoning the battle.
    • Kṛṣṇa saw Arjuna’s wish to spare Bhīṣma and his relatives as weakness, not true kindness. Arjuna should follow Kṛṣṇa’s direct guidance.

  4. BG 2.4Respect for Worshipable Superiors

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    • Arjuna asks how he can shoot arrows at Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of his worship.
    • Prabhupāda explains that respectable superiors should not be attacked in return, even if they attack first.
    • Respect means not arguing harshly with superiors or treating them harshly, even when they are harsh.

  5. BG 2.5Respect for Teachers

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    • Arjuna says begging is better than killing his teachers, because any enjoyment afterward would be tainted with blood.
    • Prabhupāda explains that scripture allows abandoning a teacher who acts wrongly and loses the ability to judge right from wrong.
    • Bhīṣma and Droṇa lost their standing as teachers by siding with Duryodhana for financial support, but Arjuna still considers them his superiors.

  6. BG 2.6Arjuna’s Doubt and Detachment

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    • Arjuna does not know whether winning or losing is better. If they kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he would not care to live.
    • Though born in a royal family, Arjuna was willing to live by begging. Prabhupāda explains that this showed his detachment.
    • Arjuna’s knowledge, devotion, control of his mind and senses, and faith in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s instructions made him fit for liberation.

  7. BG 2.7Surrendering for Spiritual Guidance

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    • Confused about his duty, Arjuna surrenders to Kṛṣṇa as His disciple and asks what is best for him.
    • Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme spiritual master. Arjuna now seeks serious instruction, not friendly talks.
    • To resolve life’s confusion, we should approach a genuine spiritual master in the disciplic succession and use human life for self-realization.

  8. BG 2.8Taking Shelter of Kṛṣṇa

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    • Arjuna says that even an unrivaled earthly kingdom or power like the demigods’ cannot remove the grief drying up his senses.
    • Learning, wealth and high position cannot solve life’s problems. A true spiritual master is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, regardless of social position.
    • To end grief for good, take shelter of Kṛṣṇa through His genuine representative. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the path to peace.

  9. BG 2.9Arjuna Refuses to Fight

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    • Arjuna told Kṛṣṇa, “Govinda, I shall not fight,” and fell silent.
    • Though overcome by false grief from family affection, Arjuna surrendered as a disciple to Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master.
    • Kṛṣṇa would free Arjuna from false grief through knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Arjuna would then fight, ending Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s joy.

  10. BG 2.10Kṛṣṇa Becomes Arjuna’s Teacher

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    • Between the two armies, Kṛṣṇa smiled and spoke to the grief-stricken Arjuna.
    • Kṛṣṇa smiled because His friend had chosen to become His disciple. As Lord of all, He then spoke seriously as Arjuna’s master.
    • Their talk was open for everyone’s benefit. Bhagavad-gītā is for all, and friends and enemies alike may hear it.

  11. BG 2.11Knowing Body and Soul

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    • The Lord says that despite speaking learned words, Arjuna grieves unnecessarily. The wise mourn neither for the living nor for the dead.
    • Prabhupāda explains that true knowledge means knowing matter, the soul, and the Supreme, who controls both.
    • The body will perish, but the soul is more important. Knowing this frees one from grief over the body's condition.

  12. BG 2.12Eternal Individual Persons

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    • Kṛṣṇa says that He, Arjuna and all these kings have always existed and will never cease to exist.
    • Prabhupāda explains that each soul remains an individual even after liberation. Kṛṣṇa eternally maintains all living beings.
    • Only devotees can truly understand the Gītā and its teaching of eternal spiritual individuality.

  13. BG 2.13The Soul Remains Unchanged

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    • The soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age, then enters another body at death. A sober person is not confused by this change.
    • The soul itself does not change. Each soul remains an individual, distinct from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.
    • Even after liberation, the soul remains an individual and lives eternally in bliss and knowledge with the Lord.

  14. BG 2.14Tolerate Happiness and Distress

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    • Happiness and distress arise from sense perception and pass like seasons. Learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
    • Prabhupāda explains that we must carry out our prescribed duties despite discomfort, such as heat or cold.
    • Following religious rules helps us gain knowledge. Only knowledge and devotion can free us from illusion.

  15. BG 2.15Steadiness Through Happiness and Distress

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    • One who remains steady in both happiness and distress is eligible for liberation.
    • Prabhupāda explains that spiritual progress requires firm determination and tolerance, even when renunciation brings painful family separation.
    • Arjuna is advised to persevere in his duty despite difficulty. Steadiness in higher duties leads to liberation from material bondage.

  16. BG 2.16Changing Body, Eternal Soul

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    • Seers of truth conclude that the material body does not last, while the eternal soul never changes.
    • The body changes every moment, growing and aging, but the soul stays the same through changes in body and mind.
    • Removing ignorance means restoring our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, whom we always serve as His subordinate parts.

  17. BG 2.17The Indestructible Soul

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    • The soul pervades the whole body and cannot be destroyed by anyone.
    • Consciousness shows the soul’s presence. Each body has an individual soul, conscious of that body’s pains and pleasures.
    • The tiny soul rests in the heart with the Supersoul. It is a spiritual spark, a fragmental part of the Supreme Lord.

  18. BG 2.18The Soul Outlasts the Body

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    • The body must end, but the living soul is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable. Therefore, Arjuna is told to fight.
    • The soul maintains the body, just as sunlight maintains the universe. When the soul leaves, the body begins to decay.
    • Arjuna should not give up the cause of religion out of concern for the temporary body.

  19. BG 2.19The Soul Is Not Killed

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    • Those who think the soul kills or is killed lack knowledge: the soul neither kills nor is killed.
    • Only the body can be killed. The soul is spiritual and cannot be killed by material weapons.
    • This truth does not justify violence or animal slaughter. Arjuna fights for religious principles, not on a whim.

  20. BG 2.20The Soul Never Dies

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    • The soul is unborn and eternal. He is not killed when the body is killed.
    • The body grows, ages and dies, but the soul remains unchanged. Consciousness shows that the soul is present.
    • The individual soul can forget his real nature, but Kṛṣṇa never forgets. Kṛṣṇa’s teachings help the soul understand his real nature.

  21. BG 2.21The Soul and Right Action

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    • The verse asks how someone who knows the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and unchanging can kill or cause killing.
    • Prabhupāda explains that violence has a proper use in administering justice, just as surgery is meant to cure.
    • Kṛṣṇa’s order to fight serves supreme justice. By fighting under His instruction with full knowledge, Arjuna incurs no sinful reaction.

  22. BG 2.22The Soul Changes Bodies

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    • The soul gives up old, useless bodies and accepts new ones, just as a person changes clothes.
    • By the Supersoul’s grace, the soul moves to another body. The Supersoul fulfills the soul’s desires like a friend.
    • Forgetting Kṛṣṇa as our master leads to changing bodies. Accepting His guidance frees us from sorrow.

  23. BG 2.23The Soul Cannot Be Destroyed

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    • No weapon can cut the soul, nor can fire burn it, water moisten it, or wind dry it.
    • Individual souls are eternal parts of the Supreme Soul; they were never cut from Him.
    • Even when freed from illusion, each soul keeps its separate identity and does not become one with Kṛṣṇa.

  24. BG 2.24The Soul Remains Individual

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    • The soul cannot be broken, dissolved, burned or dried. He is eternal, present everywhere, immovable and unchanging.
    • Prabhupāda explains that each soul remains a tiny spiritual particle forever, never losing his individuality.
    • Intelligent liberated souls enter the spiritual planets to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  25. BG 2.25The Unchanging Soul

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    • The soul is invisible, inconceivable and unchanging. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
    • The soul cannot be understood through human experiments. We must learn about the soul from the Vedas.
    • The soul remains eternally tiny and unchanging. It can never become equal to the infinite Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  26. BG 2.26No Reason to Grieve

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    • Kṛṣṇa says that even if Arjuna thinks the soul is always born and dies, he has no reason to grieve.
    • Some philosophers claim that life comes from matter and ends when the body breaks down.
    • Kṛṣṇa does not accept this materialist view. Arjuna should continue following his duty according to Vedic principles.

  27. BG 2.27Birth, Death, and Duty

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    • Birth surely leads to death, and death to another birth. Therefore, one should not lament while carrying out unavoidable duty.
    • Our activities determine our next birth, continuing the cycle of birth and death. This does not justify unnecessary killing or war.
    • The Battle of Kurukṣetra was the Supreme’s will. Fighting for the right cause was a kṣatriya’s duty.

  28. BG 2.28No Cause for Lamentation

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    • Created beings are unmanifest before creation, manifest for a time, and unmanifest again after destruction. Why lament?
    • Even if one does not believe in the soul, material elements are not lost; they become unmanifest again.
    • The Vedic conclusion is that the soul is eternal and the body perishable. Losing the body is like changing a dress, so there is no cause for lamentation.

  29. BG 2.29The Amazing Soul

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    • Some see, describe, or hear of the soul as amazing, while others cannot understand him even after hearing.
    • Prabhupāda explains that the tiny soul lives in bodies as large as a banyan tree and as small as a germ.
    • The easiest way to understand the soul is to accept the Bhagavad-gītā’s statements spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the greatest authority, without being diverted by other theories.

  30. BG 2.30The Soul Cannot Be Killed

    Study this verse
    • The soul within the body can never be killed, so there is no need to grieve for any living being.
    • Kṛṣṇa teaches that the soul is different from the temporary body. Arjuna should not abandon his duty out of fear that his elders will die.
    • The soul’s immortality does not encourage violence. War must be truly needed and sanctioned by the Lord, not based on personal whim.

  31. BG 2.31Duty on Religious Principles

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    • For a kṣatriya, there is no better engagement than fighting on religious principles, so there is no need to hesitate.
    • A kṣatriya protects others from harm and is trained to fight because religious violence is sometimes necessary.
    • Specific duties are ordained by the Lord. Performing them according to religious principles helps one progress toward liberation.

  32. BG 2.32A Warrior’s Duty

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    • Kṛṣṇa says kṣatriyas are fortunate when such battles come unsought, opening the doors to the heavenly planets.
    • Prabhupāda explains that a kṣatriya must protect citizens, using violence when needed to uphold law, order, and religious principles.
    • Arjuna had no reason to avoid fighting: victory would bring him the kingdom, and death in battle would bring him to the heavenly planets.

  33. BG 2.33The Cost of Neglecting Duty

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    • If Arjuna refused his religious duty to fight, he would incur sin and lose his reputation as a fighter.
    • Arjuna was a famous warrior who had received special weapons and honors from great authorities.
    • Prabhupāda explains that Arjuna would go to hell by abandoning his duty as a warrior, not by fighting.

  34. BG 2.34Dishonor Is Worse Than Death

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    • People will always speak of your disgrace; for a respectable person, dishonor is worse than death.
    • Kṛṣṇa explains that if Arjuna leaves before the battle begins, people will call him a coward.
    • Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna not to flee in fear. Dying in battle is better than misusing His friendship and losing respect.

  35. BG 2.35Respect Lost Through Retreat

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    • The great generals who respected Arjuna will think he left out of fear and will consider him insignificant.
    • Kṛṣṇa explains that they will not see his leaving as compassion for his brothers and grandfather.
    • They will think Arjuna fears for his life, and their high regard for him will be lost.

  36. BG 2.36Arjuna’s So-Called Compassion

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    • Arjuna’s enemies would insult him and mock his ability, causing him great pain.
    • Kṛṣṇa was astonished at Arjuna’s uncalled-for compassion and called it befitting non-Āryans.
    • Kṛṣṇa’s words now show why He spoke against Arjuna’s so-called compassion.

  37. BG 2.37Fight with Determination

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    • The verse calls Arjuna to fight with determination: death would bring the heavenly planets, while victory would bring the earthly kingdom.
    • Prabhupāda explains that victory was not certain for Arjuna’s side.
    • Still, Arjuna had to fight, because even if killed, he could reach the heavenly planets.

  38. BG 2.38Act for Kṛṣṇa

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    • Fight without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat; then you will not incur sin.
    • Kṛṣṇa wants Arjuna to fight. Acting for Kṛṣṇa brings no material reaction, while acting for personal enjoyment brings good or bad reactions.
    • One who has completely surrendered to Kṛṣṇa is no longer indebted or obliged to anyone else.

  39. BG 2.39Working to Please Kṛṣṇa

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    • Kṛṣṇa now turns from analytical knowledge to working without seeking rewards. Acting in this knowledge frees one from the bondage of work.
    • Prabhupāda explains that studying the body and soul leads to devotional service. The soul remains an eternal individual even after liberation.
    • Buddhi-yoga means working to please Kṛṣṇa, not for personal enjoyment. Through such service, Kṛṣṇa grants understanding and liberation.

  40. BG 2.40Progress That Is Never Lost

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    • On this path, no effort is lost or reduced, and even a little progress protects one from the greatest fear.
    • Kṛṣṇa consciousness means acting for Kṛṣṇa’s benefit without seeking pleasure for oneself. Even unfinished work brings lasting results.
    • Material results end with the body, but progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness carries into the next life, giving another chance to advance.

  41. BG 2.41One Steady Aim

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    • Those on this path have one firm aim; those who are unsure have intelligence that branches in many directions.
    • Firm purpose rests on strong faith that Kṛṣṇa consciousness leads to life's highest perfection. Serving Kṛṣṇa gives the highest service to everyone.
    • Practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness under a genuine spiritual master's guidance, accepting his instructions as your mission in life.

  42. BG 2.42Beyond Heavenly Pleasures

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    • People with little knowledge cling to the Vedas’ flowery promises of heaven, good birth, power, and pleasure, thinking there is nothing more.
    • Prabhupāda explains that they mistake sacrifices for heavenly enjoyment as the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom.
    • Attachment to these temporary pleasures makes it hard to act with determination in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  43. BG 2.43Beyond Heavenly Pleasures

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    • People with little knowledge desire heavenly pleasures, wealth, and power, thinking the Vedas offer nothing higher.
    • Prabhupāda explains that they mistake sacrifices for heavenly enjoyment as the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom.
    • Attachment to such temporary pleasures makes it difficult to act with determination in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  44. BG 2.44A Mind Fixed in Devotion

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    • Too much attachment to sense enjoyment and material wealth prevents firm determination to serve the Supreme Lord.
    • Samādhi means a mind fixed on understanding the self.
    • Those bewildered by temporary sense enjoyment cannot reach samādhi and remain under material energy’s control.

  45. BG 2.45Beyond the Three Modes

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    • The Vedas mainly deal with the three material modes. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna to rise above them, become free from dualities and worries about gain and safety, and be established in the self.
    • Work for material rewards causes bondage. Vedic wisdom gradually guides people from sense enjoyment toward spiritual realization.
    • Learn to tolerate happiness and distress, cold and warmth. This spiritual position is fully achieved in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by depending completely on Kṛṣṇa’s good will.

  46. BG 2.46The Purpose of the Vedas

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    • A great reservoir serves all the purposes of a small well. Similarly, knowing the Vedas’ purpose fulfills all their purposes.
    • The Vedas aim to help us know Lord Kṛṣṇa and understand our eternal relationship with Him.
    • Chanting the Lord’s holy name without offenses serves the highest purpose of Vedic wisdom.

  47. BG 2.47Duty Without Attachment

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    • Perform your prescribed duty without claiming its fruits, seeing yourself as the cause of results, or avoiding your duty.
    • Prabhupāda explains that attachment to results causes bondage, while duty done without attachment leads toward liberation.
    • Arjuna’s refusal to fight would also be attachment. His path to salvation was to fight as a matter of duty, without attachment to results.

  48. BG 2.48Acting in Real Yoga

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    • Do your duty with an even mind, without attachment to success or failure. This balance is called yoga.
    • Yoga means controlling the senses and focusing the mind on the Supreme Lord. Following Kṛṣṇa’s instructions is real yoga.
    • Serve Kṛṣṇa and do your duty to please Him, not yourself. The results are His concern.

  49. BG 2.49Work for Kṛṣṇa’s Satisfaction

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    • Through devotional service, avoid abominable activities and surrender to the Lord. Those seeking to enjoy their work’s fruits are misers.
    • We are eternal servants of the Lord. Work outside Kṛṣṇa consciousness keeps us bound to birth and death.
    • Use all your energy to satisfy Kṛṣṇa through loving service. This makes life successful.

  50. BG 2.50The Art of All Work

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    • Devotional service frees one from good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore, strive for yoga, the art of all work.
    • Reactions from past good and bad work keep us unaware of our true position.
    • The Bhagavad-gītā teaches full surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness purifies us and frees us from action and reaction.

  51. BG 2.51Freedom Through Devotional Service

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    • Through devotional service to the Lord, devotees become free from the results of work and repeated birth and death, returning to Godhead beyond all misery.
    • No material body can offer freedom from birth, death, old age and disease. Working for material rewards cannot remove these miseries.
    • We are eternal servants of the Lord, not His equals. Understanding this and lovingly serving Him makes us eligible for Vaikuṇṭha, where material misery and death are absent.

  52. BG 2.52Beyond the Forest of Delusion

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    • When your intelligence passes beyond delusion, you become indifferent to all that has been heard and is yet to be heard.
    • Understanding Kṛṣṇa and your relationship with Him through devotional service frees you from interest in rituals for material results.
    • Vedic rituals are necessary for beginners, but their purpose is to reach Kṛṣṇa. Those fully engaged in His loving service have already attained perfection.

  53. BG 2.53Fixed in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

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    • You attain divine consciousness when your mind is undisturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas and stays fixed in self-realization.
    • Full samādhi means fully realizing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The highest self-realization is knowing that you are Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant.
    • Do your duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by following the orders of Kṛṣṇa or His representative, the spiritual master.

  54. BG 2.54Signs of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

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    • Arjuna asks how one whose consciousness is merged in transcendence speaks, sits, and walks.
    • Prabhupāda explains that a Kṛṣṇa conscious person has distinct signs in speech, thought, feeling, and actions.
    • Speech is the most important sign: such a person speaks only of Kṛṣṇa and matters related to Him. Other signs follow automatically.

  55. BG 2.55Satisfied in Devotional Service

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    • A person in pure transcendental consciousness gives up all desires for sense pleasure born from mental invention and finds satisfaction in the self alone.
    • Sense desires cannot be stopped artificially. They naturally subside through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service to the Lord.
    • The spiritually advanced person remains happy by knowing himself as the Supreme Lord’s eternal servant and serving Him.

  56. BG 2.56A Steady Mind

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    • A sage of steady mind is undisturbed by suffering, not carried away by happiness, and free from attachment, fear and anger.
    • Such a sage goes beyond mental speculation and stays in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, knowing that Kṛṣṇa is everything.
    • He accepts suffering as the Lord’s mercy and happiness as His grace, remaining determined to serve Him even when his efforts fail.

  57. BG 2.57Steady in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

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    • One who is unaffected by good or evil, neither praising nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.
    • The material world always brings good and evil, but one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not disturbed by them.
    • Such a person is concerned only with Kṛṣṇa, who is all-good. This consciousness is the perfect spiritual position called samādhi.

  58. BG 2.58Controlling the Senses

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    • One who withdraws the senses from sense objects, like a tortoise drawing in its limbs, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
    • Prabhupāda explains that steady Kṛṣṇa consciousness requires controlling the senses and following scripture’s do’s and do-not’s.
    • Use the senses in the Lord’s service, not for personal satisfaction, and withdraw them otherwise.

  59. BG 2.59Experiencing a Higher Taste

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    • Restricting sense enjoyment leaves the desire for it, but a higher taste removes that desire and steadies consciousness.
    • Rules alone are like a sick person's food restrictions: they limit enjoyment without removing the taste for it.
    • By tasting Lord Kṛṣṇa's beauty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one naturally loses the taste for material things.

  60. BG 2.60Strong Senses, Mind on Kṛṣṇa

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    • The powerful senses can forcibly carry away even a wise person's mind despite efforts to control them.
    • Even great sages can fall into material enjoyment. Without engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa, one cannot stop such activities.
    • Engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa’s service brings spiritual joy, making material enjoyment distasteful.

  61. BG 2.61Steady Intelligence Through Devotion

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    • One who fully controls the senses and fixes the mind on Kṛṣṇa has steady intelligence.
    • Prabhupāda explains that complete sense control is possible only through devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest perfection of yoga.
    • King Ambarīṣa controlled his senses by using them in the Lord’s service. Follow his example by hearing about Kṛṣṇa and serving Him.

  62. BG 2.62From Attachment to Anger

    Study this verse
    • Thinking about sense objects leads to attachment, then lust, and then anger.
    • The senses need real engagement. Without loving service to the Lord, they seek material enjoyment.
    • Kṛṣṇa consciousness gives a higher taste for spiritual enjoyment. Simply forcing the senses to stop is sure to fail.

  63. BG 2.63Devotional Service Prevents Downfall

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    • Anger leads to delusion, confused memory, and lost intelligence. Then one falls back into material existence.
    • Kṛṣṇa consciousness teaches us to use everything in the Lord’s service, rather than artificially rejecting material things.
    • A devotee offers food to Kṛṣṇa with devotion and accepts the remnants as prasādam. Such devotional service protects one from falling down.

  64. BG 2.64Sense Control and Mercy

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    • A person free from attachment and aversion, who controls the senses through principles of freedom, can obtain the Lord’s complete mercy.
    • Outward sense control alone can fail unless the senses are engaged in serving the Lord.
    • A Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee acts only to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, not himself. This consciousness is the Lord’s causeless mercy.

  65. BG 2.65Satisfaction in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

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    • For one satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the threefold miseries of material life end, and intelligence soon becomes steady.
    • No purport text was provided, so its explanation cannot be included.
    • Please provide the purport to complete this study note.

  66. BG 2.66Peace Through Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

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    • Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no spiritual intelligence or steady mind, no peace, and therefore no happiness.
    • Real peace comes from knowing Kṛṣṇa as the enjoyer of sacrifice and penance, the owner of everything, and everyone's true friend.
    • Without an ultimate goal, the mind is disturbed. A relationship with Kṛṣṇa gives the mind a clear goal and brings peace.

  67. BG 2.67Engage Every Sense

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    • Like a strong wind sweeping away a boat, even one wandering sense that the mind follows can carry away intelligence.
    • Even one sense engaged in sense gratification can turn a devotee away from spiritual progress.
    • Engage all the senses in serving the Lord through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the correct way to control the mind.

  68. BG 2.68Steady Intelligence Through Service

    Study this verse
    • One whose senses are restrained from their objects has steady intelligence.
    • The senses can be controlled only through Kṛṣṇa consciousness—engaging them in loving service to the Lord—not by human effort alone.
    • One who understands this and practices under a genuine spiritual master is a sādhaka, a suitable candidate for liberation.

  69. BG 2.69Awake to Self-Realization

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    • What is night for all beings is waking time for the self-controlled sage; their waking time is night for the sage.
    • People absorbed in sense pleasure are asleep to self-realization, while the thoughtful sage finds spiritual pleasure in steady progress.
    • The sage continues self-realization without being disturbed by material happiness or distress.

  70. BG 2.70Steady Like the Ocean

    Study this verse
    • Only one who stays undisturbed by desires, like an ocean receiving rivers, finds peace—not one who tries to satisfy them.
    • Bodily desires continue, but a person fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness stays steady, knowing the Lord meets his needs.
    • Devotees find full peace through satisfaction in loving service to Kṛṣṇa, without seeking material gain or even liberation.

  71. BG 2.71Real Desirelessness and Peace

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    • Only one who gives up desires for sense pleasure, claims of ownership, and false ego can attain real peace.
    • Desirelessness means desiring to please Kṛṣṇa, not trying to stop all desires.
    • We are Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servants. Everything belongs to Him and should be used for His satisfaction. This understanding brings real peace.

  72. BG 2.72Entering the Kingdom of God

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    • Spiritual life frees one from confusion. Remaining in this state even at death, one can enter the kingdom of God.
    • Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be attained in a moment through understanding and acceptance, as Khaṭvāṅga Mahārāja did by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa.
    • Loving devotional service to the Lord is itself life in His spiritual kingdom, free from material bondage.
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Stories

The Mahābhārata background, and stories Prabhupāda tells in his purports. Tap one to read it.

The story · At the war’s commencement Yudhiṣṭhira walks unarmed to honour Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa and Śalya, receiving blessings despite their opposed allegiance.

What the verses say · Arjuna calls Bhīṣma and Droṇa worthy of worship and says that killing his teachers would make enjoyment tainted with blood.

BG 2.4-5
Back to step 1Arjuna's journeyNext · Step 3 of 7 · 10 minThe key ideasSee how karma, the soul, devotion and surrender link together. Follow a guided path.