ગીતા ધ્યાનમ્

Om. Salutation to the Supreme Self.

Here begin the Meditation Verses of the Gītā. Om. I meditate upon you, O Mother Bhagavad-gītā — taught to Pārtha by Lord Nārāyaṇa himself, set down in the midst of the Mahābhārata by Vyāsa, the ancient sage, in eighteen chapters; the shower of the nectar of non-duality, destroyer of birth and rebirth.

That which was taught to Arjuna by Lord Narayana himself, Which was written by the epic sage Vyasa in the middle of Mahabaratha, Oh Mother goddess who showers the nectar of advaitha called the Bhagavad Gita, Which has eighteen chapters, I meditate on you mother who removes all past karma

Salutations to Vyasa who has immense intellect, who has eyes like petals of a lotus flower, Who has filled up the oil to the lamp of Mahabaratha, and lighted it to pinpoint wisdom.

Salutations to Krishna who is a wish giving tree, who holds a cane to drive the cattle, Who also shows the seal of Jnana, and gave us all the nectar of Gita.

I salute the teacher of the world, who is the son of Vasudeva, Who killed Kamsa and Chanoora and is the one who gave divine joy to Devaki.

Bheeshma and Drona were two banks, Jayadrada was the water, Sakuni the king of Gandhara was the blue lotus, Salya was the crocodile, Kripa was the tide, Karna was the mighty wave, Aswathama and Vikarna were the dangerous alligators and Duryodhana was the whirlpool, And the Pandavas crossed this river of war with Krishna as their helmsman.

Let the lotus flower of Mahabharata, which arose from the water, Which are the words of son of Parasara, which has the pollen grains of different stories, Which is taught in the form of stories of Lord Vishnu, That is drunk by the honey bee of very good people, Help those who want to remove the ills of Kali yuga (era)

I salute that Maadhava, the source of supreme bliss, whose grace makes the dumb man eloquent and the cripple cross mountains.

Of peaceful form, reclining upon the serpent, the lotus-naveled, lord of the gods; the support of the universe, vast as the sky, cloud-hued, of auspicious limbs; the beloved of Lakṣmī, lotus-eyed, beheld by yogins in meditation — I bow to Viṣṇu, remover of the fear of worldly existence, the one lord of all the worlds.

I salute him who is worshipped by divine chants by Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra and Vayu. Who is pleased by singers of Sama Veda, by singing Vedas and Upanishads, by following the word sequence. Who is seen by yogis who are absorbed in him, with their mind merging in him, and whose end is not known even by the devas and asuras.

Having bowed to Nārāyaṇa, and to Nara the best of men, and to the Goddess Sarasvatī, and to Vyāsa — then let the word of victory be uttered.

To Kṛṣṇa, whose form is being, consciousness and bliss, who acts without effort — salutation to him who is known through Vedānta, the teacher of the world.

All the Upanishads are the cows and Krishna is the one who milks them, Arjuna is the calf, the devotees are the consumers of the great nectar of Gita.

The man who, self-restrained, recites this holy scripture of the Gītā attains the abode of Viṣṇu, free from fear and grief and all the rest.

One scripture — the song of Devakī’s son; one god — the son of Devakī alone; one mantra — his names; one work — his service.

Om. Salutation to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Self.