Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 - Arjuna Vishada Yoga - Introduction to the Gitarthasangrahams of Sri Alavandar & Swami Desikar

We have come to the end of the 1st chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, consisting of 47 slokas. 

3 great acharyas Swami Alavandar (Sri Yamunacharya), Sri Ramanujar, and Swami Vedanta Desikar all wrote commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita.  

At the end of each chapter, I shall be providing the translation and transliteration of the Gitarthasangraha of both Alavandar and Swami Desikar. Both of them have captured theessence of each chapter in a single sloka each. Both their treatises are called Gitarthasangraha.

An introduction to what these two scriptures are about is given below

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The contents of this mail below  has been completely taken from the ebook Swamy Desikan’s GeethaarTa Sangraham which has been Annotated as a Commentary in English By Oppiliappan kOil SrI Varadachari Sathakopan (www.sadagopan.org)

This ebook is available at http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/GitaSHM.pdf. I have also attached the book for ease of download.

  

Swamy Alavandar - Thiruvallikeni

Originally Swamy AaLavanthAr blessed us with the SrI Sookthi known as “GeethArtha Sangraham” in Sanskrit. That contains the essence of Lord PaarthasArathy's upadEsam to us, using ArjunA as a vyAjam at KurukshEthram. AchArya RaamAnuja wrote a commentary for that SrI Sookthi (SrI GeethA BhAshyam) in Sanskrit to make sure that the meanings housed in Swamy AaLavanthAr's SrI Sookthi are preserved without any distortions.

Swamy Desikan followed the foot steps of AchArya RaamAnuja and blessed us with his detailed commentary on GeethA BhAshyam named “Taathparya Chandrikai”. Swamy Desikan rejected the vipareetha vyAkyAnams for GeethA by resting his commentary on

AchArya RaamAnujuA's BhAshyam. Swamy Desikan went further and created a short commentary on GeethArTa Sangraham named “GeethArTa Sangraha Rakshai” in Sanskrit. 

Finally, out of his infinite compassion for us, Swamy Desikan blessed us with a Tamil Prabhandham called GeethArTa Sangraham for us to become conversant with the quintessence of SrImath Bhagavath GeethA. All the Tamil Paasurams of GeethArTa Sangraham are set in KattaLai KalitthuRai meter.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Through parama rahasyam of Charama slOkam, Bhagavan performed upadEsam for us through use of Arjunan as an excuse (vyAjam). This charama slOkam containing the method to observe Prapatthi is easy to practice for gaining the Moksha Phalan. The SaraNAgathy Saasthram is housed in the charama slOkam of Bhagavath Geetha, which is the essence of Upanishads. Geethai was blessed to us directly from the lips of BhagavAn Himself for our ujjevanam. 

All of our PoorvAchAryAs have therefore helped us to understand the true meaning of GeethA with their comprehensive commentaries. Swamy AlavanthAr was the first among our PoorvAchAryAs to open our spiritual eyes with His SrI Sookthi of GeethArTa Sangraham. With His incisive intellect, Swamy AlavanthAr captured the essence of GeethA Saasthram in 32 SlOkams and opened the doors for other VaishNavite AchAryAs to elaborate on the most important Bhagavath Saasthram.

Swamy Desikan - Thoopul

Swamy Desikan with his superb genius captured the essence of the 32 Sanskrit slOkams of Swamy AlavanthAr in 21 Tamil Paasurams including the Phala sruthi.

There are 18 chapters in SrImath Bhagavath Geethai. Our PoorvAchAryAs divided these 18 chapters into three subsets consisting of six chapters (ShaDkams). 

1. The first set of six deals with Karma and Jn~Ana yOgams.
2. The second shaDkam covers Bhakthi yOgam.
3. The first half of the third shadkam deals with the Svaroopams and SvabhAvams of ChEthanam, achEthanam and the Prapancham resulting from their union as well as the true state (nija nilai) of SarvEswaran.
4. The second half of the third Shadkam covers the ways to observe Karma, Jn~Ana, Bhakthi yOgams and the dependence on SaashtrAs for a chEthanam like Arjunan to understand clearly that SrIman NaarAyaNan is the Para Brahmam celebrated in VedAnthams.

For additional literature on GeethArTa Sangraham, please refer to the following earlier postings and recordings:

Swamy AlavanthAr's GeethArtha Sangraham has been covered by adiyEn (Oppiliappan kOil SrI Varadachari Sathakopan) and has been archived in four postings of Bhakthi list (November 7, 11 and 23, 1995.): http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/archives/index.html

The text of GeethArtha Sangraham is available at: http://ramanuja.org/desika/geetha15.txt

The recitation of GeethArtha Sangraha by SevilimEdu Swamy lasting 7 minutes is available at:http://www.ahobilamutt.org/dpaudio.html}