Introduction
Jay: Grandma, I have a hard time understanding the teachings of the Bhagavad- Gita. Would you help me?
Grandma: Of course, Jay, I will be glad to. You should know that this holy book teaches us how to live happily in the world. It is an ancient holy book of Hindu Dharma (also known as Sanātana Dharma or Hinduism), but it can be understood and followed by people of any faith. The Gita has eighteen (18) chapters and
a total of only 700 verses. Anyone can be helped by daily practice of only a few of its teachings. The word ‘Bhagavad’ means God or
The Supreme Lord, Bhagavān in Sanskrit. ‘Gita’ means song. Thus The Bhagavad-Gita means the Song of God or the Sacred Song,
because it was sung by Bhagavān Shri Krishna himself. Here is the introduction to the Gita: In ancient times there was a king who
had two sons, Dhritarāshtra and Pāndu. The former was born blind; therefore, Pāndu inherited the kingdom. Pāndu had five sons. They
were called the Pāndavas. Dhritarāshtra had one hundred sons. They were called the Kauravas. Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravas. After the death of king Pāndu, his eldest son, Yudhisthira, became the lawful King. Duryodhana was very jealous. He also wanted the kingdom. The kingdom was divided into two halves between the Pāndavas and the Kauravas. Duryodhana was not satisfied with his share. He wanted the entire kingdom for himself.
He tried several evil plots to kill the Pāndavas and take away their kingdom. Somehow he took over the entire kingdom of the Pāndavas and refused to give it back without a war. All peace talks by Lord Krishna and others failed, so the big war of Mahābhārata could not be avoided. The Pāndavas didn’t want to fight, but
they had only two choices: fight for their right because it was their duty or run away from war and accept defeat for the sake of peace
and nonviolence. Arjuna, one of the five Pāndava brothers, faced this choice in the battlefield. He had to choose between fighting the
war and killing his most revered guru, who was on the other side; his very dear friends, close relatives, and many innocent warriors; or
running away from the battlefield to be peaceful and nonviolent. The entire eighteen chapters of the Gita are the talk between confused Arjuna and his best friend, mentor and cousin,
Lord Krishna an incarnation of God on the battlefield of Kurukshetra near New Delhi, India, about 5,100 years ago. This conversation was reported to the blind king, Dhritarāshtra,
by his charioteer, Sanjay. It is recorded in the great epic, Mahābhārata. All lives, human or nonhuman, are sacred,
and nonviolence or Ahimsā is one of the most basic principles of Hinduism. So when Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to get up and
fight, this may confuse you about the principle of Ahimsā if you don’t keep in mind the background of the war of Mahābhārata.
This spiritual talk between the Supreme Lord, Krishna, and His devotee-friend, Arjuna, occurs not in a temple, a lonely forest, or on a mountain top, but on a battlefield on the eve of a war.
Jay: This is an interesting story, Grandma. Can you tell me more?
Grandma: If you come to where I sit every evening, Jay, I will tell you the whole story, one chapter each day. Just make sure your
homework is done and you have time to listen. If you agree, let’s start tomorrow.
Jay: Thank you, Grandma. I’ll be there to hear more.