NOTES:

Key Concepts:

Karma, Yoga, Moksa

Ultimate-Incarnate

Brahman-Atman

Vishnu-Krishna

Ways of Knowing: Mind, Heart, Body

Ways of Being Religious: Ascetic (path of self-denial), Householder, Trickster-Transgressor

Bhagavad-Gita, part of the epic of the Mahabharata

An epic tale of intra-clan conflict among royalty-warriors, over the honor of a young woman, Drapaudi

Eventually, an epic battle is about to ensue

Arjuna does not want to go into battle, to fight relatives and friends - teachers, uncles, cousins

Arjuna is a prince-warrior, belonging to the kshatriya class (later, we will the same in Buddhism)

He wishes to become a wandering seeker, a seeker of moksa, liberation from the round of rebirth.

Krishna tells him this will not work:

1) karmic circumstances are not propitious

2) karmic immaturity (intention)

Yoga - 

Jnana-Yoga (knowledge, gnosis); Bhakti-Yoga (devotion); Karma-Yoga (action, duty).

Karmic awareness requires action and duty WITHOUT ATTACHMENT, to not be blinded by attachment to results, expectations, and the vainglory of self-image.

Karmic awareness leads to dissolving the illusion of reality of this world, the dream-like world of separate existence (maya).

ATTACHMENT --> DETACHMENT --> NON-ATTACHMENT