Partial Translation of Sankhya Yoga, Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2
Summary: The Second chapter of the Bhagavadgita is known as Samkhya Yoga. It is considered by many to be the summary of the Bhagavadgita, since it contains most important ideas and concepts of the scripture. The Samkhya Yoga of the Bhagavadgita is different from the Samkhya Darshana of Hinduism in many respects. Some believe that the Samkhya Yoga of the Bhagavadgita is a theistic interpretation of the Samkhya School from the perspective of the Vedanta.
Notes: The Second chapter of the Bhagavadgita, known as Samkhya Yoga, is considered by many to be the essence of the Bhagavadgita, since it contains the scripture’s most important ideas and concepts. The Samkhya Yoga of the Bhagavadgita differs from the Samkhya Darshana of Hinduism in many respects. Some believe that the Samkhya Yoga of the Bhagavadgita is a theistic interpretation of the Samkhya School of Hinduism, modified by eager followers of Vedanta to fit it into their philosophical arguments. Whatever the truth, Bhagavadgita’s popularity is greatly enhanced by this chapter. It can also be because many people begin and end their study of the scripture with this chapter, perhaps due to a lack of time or other reasons.
I wrote this partial commentary on the first 21 verses of Bhagavadgita in a state of inspiration about 23 years ago to express my admiration for the wisdom hidden in them. Many life-changing events happen when people face conflicting and difficult situations and look for inspiration and solutions to resolve their predicament. Arjuna's initial predicament and his state of sorrow on the battlefield reflect that crisis. We face similar situations, in the face of insurmountable, unescapable problems, and feel overwhelmed by them. On such occasions, if we need faith in ourselves and in a power that is greater than us. If we keep that faith and persevere in our effort to overcome them, keep faith, out-of-the-box solutions and help from unexpected sources may emerge, filling us with deep feelings of gratitude and love for the invisible and incomprehensible God Himself. Those situations may also create in some people a natural distaste for worldly life and put them on a course to spiritual transformation and liberation.
Returning to my initial journey into the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita some twenty years ago, I translated and wrote two commentaries on the scripture in 2013 and 2025, respectively. They are exhaustive commentaries and very different from what you might have read. Currently, only the 2025 edition is available, as I have withdrawn the other since the latter is a more improved version.
I write commentaries as a contemplative practice, not to preach to anyone. I publish them so that readers may use them as starting point to do their own inquiry. A commentary is always the subjective interpretation of an individual. Its contents depend upon his knowledge and state of mind. A devotee or a scholar seeks what he wants from a scripture, not necessarily what it actually contains, because human beings have a limitation in understanding and interpreting the meaning and significance of the knowledge that is found in a scripture.
One should not overlook that a commentary is still within the realm of human intellect. It is still a part of the commentator's mental world. An understanding of a scripture is still an intellectual or spiritual exercise, rather than transcendental. It cannot be equated with any revelation or deeper spiritual experience. These writings should also be treated as such. They represent a point of view, a certain perspective or approach, an offering of little devotion in the sacrifice of knowledge.
I believe that the more you study the Bhagavad Gita, the greater will be your knowledge and understanding of it. My take on the Bhagavad Gita is that it was originally intended for warriors for whom death was an imminent reality, from which they had little scope for escape. The system or the religion made it extremely difficult and shameful for them to avoid their obligatory duty to fight for those they were supposed protect and defend. Considering how battles were fought then, only a few would have lived their fuller lives. Even they would have felt unease, as they were denied heroic death. Therefore, they needed something strong and inspirational to engage in their obligatory duty to fight despite the possibility of imminent death or mortal injury. It was only subsequently that it must have become a household name since it has great worldly and spiritual wisdom which can be applied to any profession or life situation. Even today, many people cannot understand Bhagavadgita and distract themselves with its devotional message because the scripture does not make sense until people come to terms with their mortality and impermanence. It is my belief that the Bhagavad Gita must be given freely to every soldier in the Indian Army.
Jayaram V