To the three gurus whose wisdom inspires me every day: Narayana Guru, Nataraja Guru, and Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati THE PATH TO THE GURU “I am delighted with Scott Teitsworth’s The Path to the Guru. It is an exceptional approach to concentrate on just two chapters! Scott’s interpretation is well suited for the modern day. I would highly recommend this book to spiritual seekers of all faiths.” BILL ROBINSON, PH.D., COMPOSER AND LECTURER OF PHYSICS AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY “The Bhagavad Gita is a multifaceted jewel shedding multicolored lights. The author has caught quite a few of these lights and thus has shed more light on this ancient classic that will prove to be of immense help to all lovers of the book.” VANAMALI MATAJI, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF VANAMALI GITA YOGAASHRAM TRUST AND AUTHOR OF SEVEN BOOKS INCLUDING THE COMPLETE LIFE OF KRISHNA “Scott Teitsworth’s relevant and in-depth analysis of its first two sections of the Bhagavad Gita skillfully balances a perspective that is both accessible and true to the heart of the original text.” JASON BOWMAN, VINYASA YOGA TEACHER The mission of the contemplative in this world of massive conflict and collective unreason is to seek the true way of unity and peace, without succumbing to the illusion of withdrawal into a realm of abstraction from which unpleasant realities are simply excluded by the force of will. In facing the world with a totally different viewpoint, he maintains alive in the world the presence of a spiritual and intelligent consciousness which is the root of true peace and true unity among men. THOMAS MERTON, FAITH AND VIOLENCE CONTENTS Cover Image Title Page Dedication Epigraph Prologue Introduction THE GLOBAL GITA THE OVERALL PLOT OF THE GITA WHY THE GITA IS SET ON A BATTLEFIELD THE SUBJECT MATTER WHY THIS BOOK IS NEEDED YOGA GURU AND DISCIPLE THE ABSOLUTE THE ARCH SHAPE CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO THE ROLE OF RELIGION WHY THE BHAGAVAD GITA IS NOT THE SONG OF THE LORD THE EPITHETS CASTE THE PRESENT COMMENTATOR PART 1. THE UNADORNED TEXT OF CHAPTERS I AND II OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA Chapter I. The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency Chapter II. Unitive Reason and Yoga PART 2. COMMENTARY ON CHAPTER 1: THE YOGA OF ARJUNA’S DESPONDENCY Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Verse 4 Verses 5 and 6 Verse 7 Verses 8 and 9 Verse 10 Verse 11 Verse 12 Verse 13 Verse 14 Verse 15 Verse 16 Verses 17 and 18 Verse 19 Verse 20 Verse 21 Verse 22 Verse 23 Verse 24 Verse 25 Verse 26 Verse 27 Verses 28–31 Verse 32 Verses 33 and 34 Verse 35 Verse 36 Verse 37 Verse 38 Verse 39 Verse 40 Verse 41 Verse 42 Verse 43 Verse 44 Verse 45 Verse 46 Verse 47 PART 3. COMMENTARY ON CHAPTER II: UNITIVE REASON AND YOGA Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Verse 4 Verse 5 Verse 6 Verse 7 Verse 8 Verse 9 Verse 10 Verse 11 Verse 12 Verse 13 Verse 14 Verse 15 Verse 16 Verse 17 Verse 18 Verse 19 Verse 20 Verse 21 Verse 22 Verse 23 Verse 24 Verse 25 Verse 26 Verse 27 Verse 28 Verse 29 Verse 30 Verse 31 Verse 32 Verse 33 Verse 34 Verse 35 Verse 36 Verse 37 Verse 38 Verse 39 Verse 40 Verse 41 Verses 42–44 Verse 45 Verse 46 Verse 47
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