Story

• Arjuna’s dilemma
• • moral
• • practical
• Arjuna initial stance

Metaphysics (What is reality?)

Soul

• Consciousness

Brahman

Om Tat Sat

Krishna

• Krishna remembers all births
• Transcendent and immanent

Three gunas

• Sattva
• Rajas
• Tamas

The Human condition

Karma

Laws of karma

• Action is karma
• Quality of action → corresponding quality of reaction
• Inexorability of karma
• The intricacies of action are very hard to understand
• Cumulative Karma

Types of Karma

• Vikarma
• Akarma
• punya
• papa

Desire and attachment

• Higher taste displaces lower desire
• Inverse Spiritual and Material Value Perception

Suffering and bondage

• Forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is the root of suffering
• Māyā as misdirection of intelligence

Three Gates of Hell

• Lust (kāma)
• Anger (krodha)
• Greed (lobha)

Karmic Bondage

• • Samsara -- large scale
• • Bondage cycle -- small scale
• • Web of Bondage -- interconnected bondage cycles among many people

Samsara

• Assignment of the Next Body

Demoniac Nature (Āsurī)

• [Sense gratification as highest good]
• [Material advancement ≠ true progress]
• [Invented religion]

Dharma

• Dharma Yudda

Epistmic authority

• Time-tested ethical and spiritual principles rather than acting solely according to personal desires.

Yoga

Karma Yoga (selfless action)

• [Central principle] Perform dharma without egoic attachment

Jnana Yoga (knowledge and discernment)

• • Sāṅkhya Yoga (philosophical knowledge)

Bhakti Yoga (devotion and surrender)

• [Pure bhakti includes and surpasses other paths]
• [Light of knowledge] Kṛṣṇa gives sincere devotees the understanding/intelligence by which they can know and approach Him.
• Mahā-mantra

Dhyana Yoga (meditation and mind discipline)

Permanent spiritual progress

Guru

Pedagogy of Elevation

• Do not violently disrupt developing consciousness

Stages / Milestones

• equinamity
• yogi
• • advanced yogi
• • • Advanced yogīs may deliberately choose the time of departure
• sage
• sthita-prajña
• gosvāmī