The Shri Bhagavad Gita is a sacred Hindu scripture and one of the most important texts in Indian philosophy. It is a 700-verse dialogue between the prince Arjuna and the god Krishna, who serves as his charioteer and guide. The Gita offers profound spiritual wisdom, ethical guidance, and teachings on duty, righteousness, and the nature of the self.
Here are the Top 10 Shlokas (verses) from the Shri Bhagavad Gita, each of which encapsulates key spiritual concepts:
1. Chapter 2, Verse 47 – Karma Yoga (The Yoga of Action)
Shloka: कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Transliteration:
Karmaṇyevādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana,
Mā karmaphalaheturbhūrmā te saṅgo’stvakarmaṇi.
Meaning:
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.
Significance:
This verse teaches the principle of detachment from the results of actions, emphasizing that one should act selflessly without being attached to the outcome. It is the essence of Karma Yoga, the yoga of selfless action.
2. Chapter 2, Verse 19 – The Immortality of the Soul
Shloka:
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥
Transliteration:
Naenaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi naenaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ,
Na chāinaṁ kledayanti āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ.
Meaning:
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor drowned by water, nor withered by the wind.
Significance:
This verse emphasizes the eternity of the soul. It underscores that the true self (the soul) is indestructible, eternal, and beyond physical harm, reinforcing the idea that life is more than just the physical body.
3. Chapter 4, Verse 7-8 – The Divine Incarnation
Shloka:
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥
Transliteration:
Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata,
Abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham,
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām,
Dharmasaṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge.
Meaning:
Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjuna, at that time I manifest myself on earth.
To protect the virtuous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma (righteousness), I appear millennium after millennium.
Significance:
This verse speaks about divine incarnations. Krishna assures that whenever there is an imbalance of good and evil in the world, the divine will manifest to restore righteousness and protect the good.
4. Chapter 2, Verse 70 – The Nature of the Self-Satisfied Person
Shloka:
एकोऽपि न प्रत्यवस्यति सत्यं ब्रह्म प्रपश्यति।
न योगी न कर्मायुक्तो न किञ्चि न लभते॥
Transliteration:
Eko’pi na pratyavasati satyaṁ brahma prapashyati,
Na yogī na karmāyukto na kiñci na labhate.
Meaning:
A person who is not disturbed by the endless flow of desires—who is free from desire and desires nothing—can be called a yogi. Such a person is not perturbed and achieves inner peace.
Significance:
This verse highlights the concept of self-contentment and detachment from worldly desires as a form of spiritual fulfillment.
5. Chapter 9, Verse 22 – Divine Protection of Devotees
Shloka:
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्॥
Transliteration:
Ananyāśchintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate,
Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yogakṣemaṁ vahāmyaham.
Meaning:
To those who are constantly devoted to me and who always think of me with single-minded concentration, I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
Significance:
This verse underscores the idea that devotion to the Divine ensures that God provides for and protects the devotees, ensuring that their material and spiritual needs are fulfilled.
6. Chapter 3, Verse 16 – Dharma and Selfless Action
Shloka:
एवं प्रवर्तितं चक्रं नानुवर्तयतीह य:।
अघायुरिन्द्रियारामो मोघं पार्थ स जीवति॥
Transliteration:
Evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatiha yaḥ,
Aghāyurindriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati.
Meaning:
Arjuna, he who does not follow the wheel of creation set of going in this world, sinful and sensual, he lives in pain.
Significance:
This verse stresses the importance of following one’s duty (dharma) and acting in harmony with the cosmic order. Those who refuse to fulfill their responsibilities disrupt the natural order and suffer the consequences.
7. Chapter 18, Verse 66 – Surrender to the Divine
Shloka:
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहमं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुच:॥
Transliteration:
Sarvadharmān parityajya māmekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja,
Aham tvāṁ sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucah.
Meaning:
Abandon all varieties of dharma (religious duties) and simply surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.
Significance:
This powerful verse emphasizes total surrender to the Divine. Krishna reassures that true liberation (moksha) comes through surrendering all one’s actions to the divine will.
8. Chapter 12, Verse 15 – Qualities of a True Devotee
Shloka:
य: सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्त्यागी सत्यं प्रियं।
धर्मं तं सममुपाश्रितं तत्त्वं शुद्धं तं प्रमाणम्॥
Transliteration:
Yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehastattyāgī satyaṁ priyaṁ,
Dharmam taṁ samamupāśṛtaṁ tattvaṁ śuddham taṁ pramāṇam.
Meaning:
One who is free from attachment, who is unaffected by pain or pleasure, and who remains equanimous in all circumstances, has surrendered to the supreme truth.
Significance:
This verse highlights the qualities of a true devotee, who is detached and equanimous. It emphasizes spiritual purity and the importance of cultivating virtues like compassion and humility.
9. Chapter 4, Verse 34 – The Importance of a Teacher
Shloka:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्र्नेन सेवया।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:॥
Transliteration:
Tad Viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhṇena sevayā,
Upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninastattvadarśinaḥ.
Meaning:
To learn the truth, approach a wise person with humility, inquire from them with respect, and serve them. The wise will impart their knowledge unto you.
Significance:
This verse underscores the importance of learning from a teacher or guru. A spiritual teacher, who has attained wisdom, helps guide others on the path of truth and knowledge.
10. Chapter 2, Verse 70 – The Yogi’s State of Mind
Shloka:
निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रह:।
शान्ति: परमया स्थिता आत्मन्येवात्मना सुखम्॥
Transliteration:
Nirāśīr yathacittātmā tyaktasarvaparigrahaḥ,
Śāntiḥ paramayā sthitā ātmanyevātmanā sukham.
Meaning:
One who is not attached to the fruits of their actions, who is free from all desires and material possessions, finds supreme peace and happiness.
Significance:
This verse emphasizes the state of peace and contentment that comes when one is free from desires and attachment, leading to inner fulfillment and spiritual liberation.
