Translation Series - Gita Bhashya - Preface

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July 24 2002, Wednesday, 11:45 AM, Pacific Standard Time.

Posted by Vidyasankar

 

This is the introductory posting for the translation series on the

commentary of Shri Shankara Bhagavatpada on the Bhagavad Gita. The current

plan is to make, on the average, three or four postings per month (one in

approximately every ten days). In each post in this series, I will divide

the text and commentary into convenient units for translation, trying to

keep a logical trend of continuity within each. I will be giving the

Sanskrit original (kindly entered in ITRANS format by Sri Sundaraman V.

Subrahmanian), followed by a translation in English. The goal of this effort

is mainly to study the commentary on the Gita. In the process, I hope to

provide a readable translation for the benefit of other readers.

 

I had started a translation project a few years earlier, but had to suspend

it for a long time. This is a fresh start, from the very beginning, all over

again. List members may be interested in reading about the background of the

Gita in the following archived post, which relates it to the Mahabharata

epic in which the text is found -

 

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9808e&L=advaita-l&P=494

 

The Bhagavad Gita has eighteen chapters, with approximately seven hundred

verses in all. Shri Shankara Bhagavatpada is the earliest known commentator

on this text. For some of the key verses, he provides introductory comments

of varying lengths, depending on context. I will be following the commentary

closely in the translation of the Gita verses themselves.

 

As today is Guru Purnima, the first day of the Chaturmasa vrata, which

begins with Vyasa Puja, it is particularly appropriate to begin this series

today. May it proceed to completion without interruptions!

____________________

 

giitaadhyaanam - Invocation to the Gita

 

.. OM ..

 

paarthaaya pratibodhitaaM bhagavataa naaraayaNena svayaM

vyaasena grathitaaM puraaNamuninaa madhyemahaabhaaratam.h .

advaitaamR^itavarshhiNiiM bhagavatiimashhTaadashaadhyaayiniiM

amba tvaamanusandadhaami bhagavadgiite bhavedveshhiNiim.h ..

 

Taught to the son of Prithu (= Partha = Arjuna) by Lord Narayana himself,

Written down by Vyasa, the ancient sage, as part of the Mahabharata,

The Goddess, who showers the nectar of non-duality in eighteen chapters,

I study you, Mother, Bhagavad Gita, the enemy of transmigratory existence.

 

sarvopanishhado gaavo dogdhaa gopaala nandanaH .

paartho vatsaH sudhiirbhoktaa dugdhaM giitaamR^itaM mahat.h ..

 

The cows are all the Upanishads; the milkman is Gopala; the calf, Arjuna,

of good intellect, drinks the milk, the great nectar called the Gita.

 

vasudevasutaM devaM ka.nsachaaNuuramardanam.h .

devakiiparamaanandaM kR^ishhNaM vande jagad.hgurum.h ..

 

I bow to Lord Krishna, the teacher of the world, the son of Vasudeva, the

delight of Devaki, and the slayer of Kamsa and Chanura.

 

Notes -

-----

There are many other verses traditionally recited as part of the invocation

to the Gita, but I have picked only two among them. These give an idea of

the important place of the Gita in the Advaita Vedanta tradition, as the

Smriti text that presents the essence of the Upanishads. For the other

invocation verses, please check

 

http://sanskrit.gde.to/doc_giitaa/doc_giitaa.html

____________________

 

shrii gurubhyo namaH - Salutations to the Guru

 

naaraayaNa samaarambhaa shaN^karaachaarya madhyamaa .

asmad aachaarya paryantaa smaryaa guru paramparaa ..

 

The lineage of teachers is to be remembered, beginning with Narayana, with

Shankaracharya in the middle, ending with our own Acharya(s).

 

vyaasaM vasiShThanaptaaraM shakteH pautramakalmaSham.h .

paraasharaatmajaM vande shukataatam taponidhim.h ..

 

I bow to Vyasa, the taintless one, the repository of penance

(tapas), the great-grandson of Vasishtha, the grandson of Shakti,

the son of Parashara and the father of Shuka.

 

Notes -

-----

The first verse above succinctly salutes the entire lineage of Gurus. The

second verse above is usually recited as part of the invocation to the

Vishnu Sahasranama, but I have included it here, as it gives the lineage of

the Rishis of the Advaita tradition. The full verse on the guru paramparaa

from Narayana onwards is available at

 

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/advaita-parampara.html

____________________

 

With these salutations we start this translation series. The commentary by

Shri Shankara Bhagavatpada on the Gita has an introductory chapter, which

gives us a summarized view of all the teachings found in this text and also

to whom these are applicable. There is no commentary on the entire first

chapter of the Gita (called arjuna viShaada yoga), and on the first ten

verses of the second chapter. It seems like the commentator wants to

immediately get to the crux of the teaching imparted in the text, and

therefore, instead of commenting upon what is spoken by Arjuna, he jumps to

the first words spoken by Shri Krishna on the Kurukshetra battlefield.

 

As the goal is to translate the commentary on the Gita, I will not be

translating the first chapter of the Gita. The introductory chapter of the

commentary will be taken up in the next posting in this series, to be

followed by the introductory comments on verse 2.11.

 

To be continued ...

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

On this Gurupoornima day, the list is truly blessed with several

postings on the scriptural texts. Sri Vidyasankar Sunderesan as many

of you may already know is a dedicated Advaita Scholar who maintain

the Advaita Vedanta homepage with the URL:

 

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/

 

This homepage got a special recognition for excellence from

Encyclopedia Brittanica for the contents and presentation. This is a

great opportunity for list members to read and enjoy Sri

Vidyasankar's Translation series. I also recommend all advaitins to

visit the above mentioned homepage and enjoy all the goodies. Sri

Sadaji, our chief moderator is quite instrumental in requesting

Sri Vidya to share his wisdom with this list.

 

Warmest regards and thanks to Sri Vidyasankar,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

advaitin, "Vidyasankar Sundaresan" <vsundaresan@h...>

wrote:

>

> July 24 2002, Wednesday, 11:45 AM, Pacific Standard Time.

> Posted by Vidyasankar

>

> This is the introductory posting for the translation series on the

> commentary of Shri Shankara Bhagavatpada on the Bhagavad Gita.

> The current plan is to make, on the average, three or four postings

> per month (one in approximately every ten days).