Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math - Srimad Bhagavad Gita - The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute

All glory to the Divine Master
and the Supreme Lord r Ka Chaitanya

rmad Bhagavad-gt

The Hidden Treasure
of the Sweet Absolute

Revealed to the world by the dearmost associate-servitor
of the illustrious Gauya Vaiava World Preceptor
His Divine Grace

Prabhupd r r Bhakti Siddhnta Saraswat Goswm:

Founder-chrya of r Chaitanya Sraswat Mah
His Divine Grace

rmad Bhakti Rakak rdhar Dev-Goswm Mahrj

Produced by the merciful wish and direction of
his most intimate servitor and personally selected
Sevite-President-chrya:
His Divine Grace

rmad Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswm Mahrj

r Chaitanya Sraswat Mah, Nabadwp

2006 Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math

All rights reserved by the Sevaite-President-Acharya of

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip
with international centres

Translated by

Sri Swarupananda Das

Assisted by

the devoted friends and contributors who worked in selfless service to make this edition possible by the grace of our dearmost Spiritual Master.

Published by Sadhu Shastra Seva for

Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math Road,
Kolerganj, P. O. Nabadwip,
Dist. Nadia, Pin 741302,
W. Bengal, India

Printed by Craft Print, Singapore

Magalcharaam
Auspicious Invocation

o prthya pratibodhit bhagavat nryaena svaya
vysena grathit pura-munin madhye mah-bhrate
advaitmta-vari bhagavatm adadhyyim
amba tvm anusandadhmi bhagavad-gte bhavad-veim [1]

Meditation on r Gt

O Bhagavad-gt , song of the Supreme Lord Himself, you are the bestower of Arjunas enlightenment. You have been woven into the scripture Mahbhrata by the ancient sage rla Vedavys. In eighteen chapters, you are the rain of ever-flowing nectar, non-different from the Lord. O Mother, I meditate upon you; may you graciously enter my heart.

namo stu te vysa-vila-buddhe
phullravindyata-patra-netra
yena tvay bhrata-taila-pra
prajvlito jna-maya pradpa [2]

Obeisances unto rla Vysadev

O rla Vysadev of formidable intelligence, whose eyes resemble the long petals of the blooming lotus flower, and who ignited the lamp of knowledge, filled with the oil of the Mahbhrata I offer my obeisances unto you.

prapanna-prijtya totra-vetraika-paye
jna-mudrya kya gtmta-duhe nama [3]

Obeisances unto the Lord as the chariot-driver of Arjuna

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord r Ka, who fulfills the wishes of His surrendered devotees. He holds a driving-rod in one hand while the other is poised in the expression of instruction, and He is the milker of the nectar of the Gt .

sarvopaniado gvo dogdh gopla-nandana
prtho vatsa sudhr bhokt dugdha gtmta mahat [4]

The Glories of the Gt

The crest-jewels of the Vedas, all the Upaniads, are as the cow, and the milker of the cow is Lord r Ka, the son of Nanda Mahrj. Arjuna is the calf, the nectar of the Gt is the milk, and the fortunate devotees are the enjoyers of that milk.

vasudeva-suta deva kasa-chra-mardanam
devak-paramnanda ka vande jagad-gurum [5]

Obeisances unto Lord r Ka

I bow unto the lotus feet of r Ka, the son of Vasudev, the vanquisher of the demons Kasa and Chra, the joy of mother Devak, and the universal teacher.

bhma-droa-ta jayadratha-jal gndhra-nlotpal
alya-grhavat kpea vahan karena vel-kul
avatthma-vikara-ghora-makar duryodhanvartin
sottr khalu pavai raa-nad kaivartaka keava [6]

The river of the battle of Kuruketra

One bank is Bhma, the other Drochrya; Jayadratha is the water; the sons of Gndhr, the blue lotus flower; alya, the crocodile; Kpa, the waves; Kara, the shore; Avatthm, Vikara and company, the fearful sharks; Duryodhan, the whirlpool; and Keava is the boatman of this river of the battle that was crossed by the Pavas.

prarya-vacha sarojam-amala gtrtha-gandhotkaa
nnkhynaka-kesara hari-kath-sambodhanbodhitam
loke sajjana-a-padair ahar-aha pepyamna mud
bhyd bhrata-pakaja kali-mala-pradhvasi na reyase [7]

The Mahbhrata as a lotus flower

These words of r Ka Dvaipyan Vysadev, the son of Parar Muni, are a perfect lotus flower. The meaning of the Gt is the beautiful fragrance of this lotus, the various episodes are its stamens, and the enlightening narrations about the Supreme Lord are its nectar. In this world, the pure devotees are the bees who day after day delight in drinking the nectar of the lotus flower. May this Mahbhrata lotus, the vanquisher of all evils in this Age of Kali, graciously bestow auspiciousness upon us.

ya brahm varuendra-rudra-maruta-stunvanti divyai stavair
vedai sga-pada-kramopaniadair gyanti ya smag
dhynvasthita-tad-gatena manas payanti ya yogino
yasynta na vidu sursura-ga devya tasmai nama [8]

Obeisances unto the Supreme Lord

I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord whose glories are sung with celestial prayers by the gods Brahm, Varu, Indra, Rudra, and the Maruts; whose glories are sung by the verses of the Vedas along with their six auxiliary books and the Upaniads; whose glories are sung by the brhmas that sing the Sma-veda ; who the yogs see within their hearts absorbed in meditation; and whose infinite glories are inconceivable to all beings, whether gods or demons.

nryaa namsktya nara chaiva narottamam
dev sarasvat vysa tato jayam udrayet [9]

Before reciting the scriptures that can conquer material existence, we offer obeisances unto the Supreme Lord who is known as Nrya, Nara, and Narottam; the goddess of learning Saraswat; and the great sage empowered by the Lord to reveal the scriptures, rla Vysadev.

All glory to r Guru and r Gaurga

Preface

[Publishers Note, first bengali edition,
appearance day of Lord Ka, 1961]

Unique in its wide publication and extensive circulation, the rmad Bhagavad-gt appears in various languages, both in India and other countries, along with the commentaries of former great saints as well as modern scholars. The commentaries of the prominent Vaiava chryas such as r Rmnuja, rmat Madhva Muni, and r rdhar Swmpd are most noteable, whilst among the proponents of jna-mrg, or the monistic path, the commentaries of rmat akar chrya and r Madhusdan Saraswat are well-known. The commentaries of ryuta Bla Gagdhar Tilak and r Aurobindo favour the school of karma-yoga, or the path of action, and are also familiar to modern scholars. Great thinkers of both East and West have ardently sung the glories of r Gt , being inspired by the ideals of its teachings.

However, the achintya-bhedbheda-siddhnta, theology of inconceivable oneness and difference, as revealed by the proponents of r Chaitanya MahprabhuGauya chryas rla Vivanth Chakravart and rla Baladev Vidybhais concluded by the learned devotees to be most favorable to exclusive devotion. The devotees also embrace rla Bhakti Vinod hkurs Bengali commentary on r Gt as a harmonious, spiritual mine of the treasure of divine love for r Ka (Ka-prema), the fifth and transcendental goal of life, beyond the four general human objectives of religion, wealth, sense enjoyment, and liberation.

In his introduction my worshipful Divine Master, r Guru Pda-padma Om Viupd Paramahasa Parivrjakchrya r rmad Bhakti Rakak rdhar Dev-Goswm Mahrj, has revealed to the readers glimpses of his own deep devotional realisations. Although numerous editions of r Gt are presently available, few commentaries can be said to nurture pure devotion according to the teachings of bona fide divine succession, which has given us the opportunity of service in producing this edition. We shall consider ourselves blessed if the fortunate readers take the all-auspicious essence of this sincere attempt to heart.

r Bhakti Sundar Govinda

r Chaitanya Sraswat Mah,

Nabadwp

All glory to r Guru and r Gaurga

Introduction

[of the first bengali edition]

vande r-guru-gaurgau rdh-govinda-sundarau