Wisdom of Bhagavad Gita: Arjuna’s Refusal to Fight (The Devotee’s Reluctance to Overcome Bad Traits)

This is the eighth in a series of inspirational talks on the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita as it has been interpreted by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in God Talks With Arjuna, the great Guru’s divinely inspired translation of and extensive commentary on this beloved scripture.
The speaker is Swami Smaranananda Giri, a long-time sannyasi and current vice-president of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, the organization founded by Paramahansaji in 1917 to disseminate his Kriya Yoga teachings in India and neighbouring countries.
Paramahansa Yogananda (author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi) interpreted the Bhagavad Gita with divine insight, exploring its psychological, spiritual, and metaphysical depths. He revealed the innermost essence of this majestic scripture while presenting an enlightening and deeply encouraging guide to who we are, why we were created, and our place and purpose in the vast cosmic scheme of things.
Swami Smaranananda Giri explores the esoteric meaning of the Bhagavad Gita in a discourse entitled “Arjuna’s Refusal to Fight: The Devotee’s Reluctance to Overcome Bad Traits,” which presents practical insights from Yoganandaji’s commentary on Slokas 20 to 47 of Chapter I.
Taken literally, these slokas depict the eve of the war of Kurukshetra, when Arjuna surveys the opposing warriors that he has to fight and becomes despondent. He gives Bhagavan Krishna many reasons why he should not fight, arguing that it is in his best interest to avoid incurring the sin of killing his own relatives for the sake of gaining a material kingdom.
Similarly, the devotee often feels reluctant to slay his own familiar materialistic tendencies to gain the spiritual joy of the soul through the practice of meditation. And so he decides to refrain from the practice of sadhana that would make him a spiritual conqueror.
This inspiring talk was given in October 2023 during the Sadhana Sangam at the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram in Noida, and is part of a series of discourses by Swami Smaranananda on the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, as interpreted by Paramahansa Yogananda.
View a series of discourses on the Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita: “Winning The Battle of Life - Kurukshetra Within Me”, by Swami Smaranananda: yssi.org/GitaD...
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Learn more about the Yogoda Satsanga Lessons, Paramahansa Yoganandaji’s home-study course on the science of meditation and art of balanced spiritual living: yssi.org/lessons
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To read Paramahansa Yogananda’s God Talks With Arjuna: yssi.org/GTWA
To read Yoganandaji’s Autobiography of a Yogi: yssi.org/AoY
Both these titles are available in different formats and multiple languages.
To learn more about how to participate in YSS online group meditations and see the full calendar of events for the YSS Online Dhyana Kendra: yssi.org/Onlin...
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