The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

╭ chapter two
of spiritual awareness, but begins with the ultimate premise:
the immortal soul is more important than the passing world.
Knowing he is out of his depth in these inner realms of the
mind and spirit, Arjuna formally asks Krishna to be his spiritual
teacher or guru . This is a basic prerequisite of a disciple’s
initiation in the Hindu tradition, where it is believed that virtually
all seekers need the guidance of an experienced teacher.
Arjuna is no exception, and he is fortunate to have Krishna
himself as his guru. In the allegorical sense, Krishna is a symbol
of the Atman, Arjuna’s deepest Self.
This chapter introduces the idea of rebirth or samsara . The
Self wears the body as a garment; when the garment is old, it
is cast aside and a new one is put on. Thus the soul, or jiva ,
travels from life to life. Just as death is certain for the living,
rebirth is certain for the dead. Krishna assures Arjuna that his
basic nature is not subject to time and death; yet he reminds
him that he cannot realize this truth if he cannot see beyond
the dualities of life: pleasure and pain, success and failure,
even heat and cold. The Gita does not teach a spirituality
aimed at an enjoyable life in the hereafter, nor does it teach a
way to enhance power in this life or the next. It teaches a basic
detachment from pleasure and pain, as this chapter says more
than once. Only in this way can an individual rise above the
conditioning of life’s dualities and identify with the Atman,
the immortal Self.
Also, the Gita does not teach an enlightenment based on
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