Understand Gita
Analogies in the Bhagavad-gītā
The Gītā and its purports explain subtle truths through everyday examples: the sun, the sky, fire, a lamp, a tortoise. Here they are, grouped by subject, each with the verse it comes from.
Īśvara – the Supreme Lord 12
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The sun has three different aspects, namely sunshine, sun's surface and sun planet itself. Similarly the Absolute Truth has three features namely the glaring effulgence of impersonal Brahman, Paramātmā and Personal form respectively. (2.2 P)
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The sky reflects both the moon and the stars in water but still they are not on same level. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa and individual spirit soul are not on the same level. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy, then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. (2.13 P)
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Just as two birds sit on the same tree, while one bird is eating the fruits and the other bird is simply watching his friend, similarly, in the material body, soul is enjoying the fruits of his activities and the Supersoul is simply witnessing those activities (2.22 P)
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Just like the sun rises and sets, similarly the Lord appears and disappears in this world. (4.6 P)
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The proprietor never desires the low-grade happiness that the workers might desire. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, being full in Himself, has no attraction for so-called heavenly happiness which the demigods might desire. (4.14 P)
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The rains are not responsible for different types of vegetation, although without such rains there is no possibility of vegetation, Similarly the Lord is aloof from the material actions and reactions, although He is the ultimate cause. (4.14 P)
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Just as the pearls are strung on a thread, everything rests upon Kṛṣṇa. (7.7)
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The clouds cannot cover the sun, moon and stars, but they are not manifest to our limited vision. Similarly māyā cannot cover the Supreme Lord, but He is not manifest to the less intelligent men. (7.26 P)
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The different governmental departments are nothing but the energies of the king resting on his power, although he is not personally present in every department. Similarly, different manifestations in the material and the spiritual worlds are resting on the energy of the Supreme Lord. (9.4 P)
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A cloud that pours rain all over, regardless of whether it falls on rock, land or water. Similarly, the Lord provides all necessities of life to everyone, since He claims every living entity in all forms as His child. (9.29 P)
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A citizen may know everything about his patch of land, but the king knows not only his palace, but all the properties of his citizens. Similarly, one may be the proprietor of his own body, but the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all bodies. (13.3 P)
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The sun appears to many persons in many places in all directions but at the meridian, it is situated in its place. Similarly, one Viṣṇu is present everywhere by His omnipotence appear as if divided but same time situated undivided in his personal abode. (13.7 P)
Prakṛti – the Material Nature 6
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Just as a forest fire that blazes without being set by anyon, the perplexities of life automatically appear in this world without our wanting. (2.7 P)
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Just as there is appearance and disappearance of winter and summer, similarly there is nonpermanent appearance and disappearance of happiness and distress in due course, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. (2.14)
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A big skyscraper becomes manifested from the earth and when dismantled, again becomes unmanifested as earth. Similarly, while creation the material elements are manifested from the subtle unmanifest state, and after dissolution again becomes unmanisfested. (2.28 P)
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A father gives seeds to the womb of the mother for the child. Similarly, the Supreme Lord by His mere glance injects all the living entities into the womb of material nature, and they come out in their different species, according to their previous desires and activities. (9.10 P)
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A scorpion seems to be born out of rice, which is not the cause of the scorpion. But mother scorpion lays its eggs in piles of rice. Similarly, living entities seem to come out as products of material natun, which is not the cause of their birth. The Supreme Lord is the seed-giving father. (14.3 P)
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A person seated in a high-speed motorcar goes faster than the one seated in a slower car, though the drivers may be the same. Similarly, by the order of the Supreme Soul, material nature puts particular type of living entity in a particular type of body so that he may work according to his past desires. (18.61 P)
Karma – Action and Reaction 6
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A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator who meditates only for the sake of making a living. Similarly a sincere person doing his prescribed duties without attachment is far better than a false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the innocent public. (3.7 P)
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Just as the lotus leaf is untouched by water, similarly one who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action. (5.10)
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Just as a man bound by a rope cannot free himself, but must be helped by a person who is unbound, similarly the conditioned soul bound by three modes cannot free himself from bondage, but can be released only by Lord Kṛṣṇa, or a guru. (7.14 P)
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A seed first sprouts and becomes a small plant, and later becomes a big tree and then bears flowers and fruits, enjoyed by the person who has sown the seed. Similarly, a man performs a sinful act which is in the form of a seed at first, and there are others which are already fructified and are giving us fruit, which we are experiencing as distress and pain. (9.2 P)
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Just as fire is covered by smoke, every endeavor is covered by some fault. (18.48)
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Smoke disturbs the eyes, but still one must use fire. Similarly, one should not give up his natural occupation because there are some disturbing elements. (18.48 P)
Jīva – the Living Entity 15
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Just as the influence of a medicine spreads throughout the body, similarly influence of a minute spiritual spark spreads all over the material body as consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul. (2.17 P)
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Just as the sunlight maintains the entire universe, so the light of the soul maintains this material body, otherwise the body begins to decompose. (2.18 P)
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When there is light in the sky, we understand the presence of the sun. Since there is consciousness in the body, we understand the presence of the soul. (2.20 P)
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Just as a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. (2.22)
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Just as the sparks of a fire, although one in quality with the fire, are prone to be extinguished when out of the fire, the individual souls who are prone to be covered by the illusory energy when they become separated from the Supreme Lord. (2.23 P)
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Just like in a dream one may think of flying in the sky or becoming a king, but when wakes up sees oneself neither in the sky nor seated on the chariot, similarly material body has no factual existence in relation to the eternal soul. (2.28 P)
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Just as a rich man or a diseased man has his symptoms by which he is known, similarly a devotee of Kṛṣṇa has specific symptoms in various dealings. (2.54 P)
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Just as the leaves and branches are not separate from the tree, similarly a Kṛṣṇa conscious person who is very dear to every living being cannot think of them as separate from Kṛṣṇa. (5.7 P)
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The individual self is the passenger in the car of the material body, intelligence is the driver, mind is the driving instrument, and the senses are the horses. (6.34 P)
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Just as the mighty wind blowing everywhere, rests always in the sky, similarly all created beings rest in Kṛṣṇa. (9.6)
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When a diamond set in a golden ring looks nice, and both the gold and the diamond is glorified at the same time. Similarly, when a living entity becomes inclined to the service of the Supreme Lord, both he and the Lord eternally glitter. (9.29 P)
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The sky, due to its subtle nature, does not mix with anything, although it is all-pervading. Similarly, the soul situated in Brahman vision does not mix with the body, though situated in that body. (13.33)
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Just as the sun alone illuminates entire universe, similarly the living entity illuminates the entire body by consciousness. (13.34)
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Just as a tract of land is sometimes barren and sometimes green, the different species of life are manifested according to the particular material modes. (15.2 P)
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Just as the air carries aromas, the living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another. (15.8)
Bhakti – Devotional Service unto Lord Kṛṣṇa 19
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By watering the root of a tree one automatically distributes water to the leaves and branches, similarly by acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. (2.41 P)
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Just as a blazing fire burns everything within a room, similarly the senses can be controlled only by bhakti to Kṛṣṇa, who is situated in the heart of the yogī, and burns up all kinds of impurities. (2.61 P)
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Just like an antiseptic vaccine protects a person from the attack in an epidemic disease, similarly, food offered to Lord Viṣṇu and then taken by us makes us sufficiently resistant to material affection. (3.14 P)
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Just like the serpents become no more effective with broken fangs, one's mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes stronger than the strong senses. (3.42 P)
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A patient who is suffering bowel disorder due to overindulgence in milk products is cured by another milk product, namely yogurt. Similarly the conditioned soul absorbed in material activities can be cured by Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. (4.24 P)
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A tortoise in the water brings up its offspring simply by meditation on eggs laid down on land. Similarly, the devotee far away from the Lord can elevate himself to His abode simply by thinking of Him constantly by engagement in bhakti. (5.26 P)
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A hungry man feels satisfaction and strength for every morsel of food he eats, similarly, a devotee feels transcendental satisfaction by discharge of bhakti as the mind becomes detached from material objectives. (6.35 P)
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Expert treatment and appropriate diet cures the disease of the suffering patient, similarly hearing about Kṛṣṇa and eating His prasāda treats the mad mind. (6.35 P)
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A swan in the water takes pleasure in digging into the lotus flowers. Similarly a devotee prays to die immediately when he is quite healthy so that his mind seeks entrance at the stem of Lord’s lotus feet. (8.2 P)
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One who can go to the top of a building by an elevator, need not go by the staircase, step by step. Similarly when one directly approaches Kṛṣṇa, one need not approach different energies of Kṛṣṇa indirectly. (9.18 P)
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One follows the laws made by the government, and not by the officers. Similarly, worshiping the Supreme Lord will automatically satisfy different demigods who are His representatives. (9.23 P)
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The spots that resemble the mark of a rabbit on the moon do not become an impediment to the diffusion of moonlight. Similarly, the accidental falldown of a devotee does not make him abominable from the path of saintly character. (9.30 P)
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The vast ocean, although being filled with more water in the monsson, neither gets agitated nor crosses beyond the limit of its brink. Similarly a person fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although demanded by the body for sense gratification, doesn’t get disturbed by such desires. (2.70 P)
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Just as the seed of a tree fructifies with regular watering, devotional service which is like a seed sown in the heart of a living entity, fructifies by hearing and chanting and gradually grows untill it penetrates the covering of the material universe and enters into spiritual sky. (10.9 P)
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Just as a fish cannot live without water, a person fully absorbed in love of God cannot live even for a moment without being in contact with the Lord. (10.9 P)
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The letters in mailboxes authorized by post office naturally go to their destination without difficulty. Similarly, God has an authorized representation in arcā-vigraha, who accepts our service through that form. (12.5 P)
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The staircase begins from the ground floor and reaches up to the top floor. Similarly spiritual path begins from lower stage of knowledge up to the point of realization of Kṛṣṇa. (13.8-12 P)
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The servant of the king enjoys on an almost equal level with the king. Similarly when a devotee approaches the Supreme Lord, there is an exchange of six opulences of the Lord. (14.27 P)
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A green bird enters a green tree not to become one with the tree but to enjoy the fruits of the tree. Similarly, a person can enter into the Supreme Lord’s abode in one's individuality to be in His association and render service unto Him. (18.55 P)
Jñāna – Spiritual Knowledge 11
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Just as a bee licking the bottle of honey from outside cannot taste it unless one opens it, a nondevotee cannot understand Bhagavad-gīta unless he becomes a devotee. (2.12 P)
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There is no source of understanding the identity of the father except by the authority of the mother. Similarly, there is no source of understanding the soul except by studying the Vedas. (2.25 P)
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Just like all purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them. (2.46)
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Someone who lifts a struggling swimmer from the ocean is the greatest saviour. Similarly perfect knowledge received from the Supreme Lord is the path of liberation from this material existence. (4.36 P)
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Just as a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, the fire of knowledge burns all reactions to material activities to ashes. (4.37)
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One process is to find the root of the tree, and the other is to water the root. Similarly by analytical study of the material world one finds the soul of existence and by devotional service to the Lord one renders service to the soul of the material world, Viṣṇu (5.4 P)
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Just as the sun lights up everything in the daytime, knowledge reveals everything by destroying the nescience. (5.16)
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The swine that eat the night soil do not accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly, the foolish worker who hears of the sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane world, will have very little time to hear about the eternal living force that moves the material world. (7.15 P)
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Just as a young boy and girl take pleasure in association, realized souls in Kṛṣṇa consciousness take continual pleasure in hearing transcendental literatures. (10.9 P)
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Just as a shining lamp destroys darkness, the Lord dwelling in the hearts of everyone destroys the ignorance by giving knowledge as His special mercy. (10.11)
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Just as lamplight is not required in sun, the original verses of Bhagavad-gīta, which are as clear as the sun doesn’t require insights from foolish commentators. (11.51 P)
Mind and Sense Control 10
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A tortoise draws its limbs within the shell. Similarly one who is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness withdraws his sense from sense objects. (2.58)
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By restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables, his taste for such eatables is not lost. Similarly less intelligent persons without Kṛṣṇa consciousness following rules and regulations to restrict sense enjoyment do not lose taste for dead material things. (2.59 P)
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Just as a strong wind sweeps away a boat, similarly even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence. (2.67)
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There is always a chance of an accident, even on the royal roads. Similarly one may go astray, even when one does sense gratification under regulation. (3.34 P)
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Just as milk in contact with sour tamarind is transformed into yogurt, the sense of love of God becomes transformed into lust with material mode of passion. (3.37 P)
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Just as fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is covered by different degrees of lust. (3.38)
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Just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel, lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment. (3.39 P)
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Just as a lamp in windless place does not waver, the transcendentalist whose mind is controlled remains steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self. (6.19)
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An acute infection may surpass the efficacy of medicine. Similarly although intelligence is supposed to direct the mind, the obstinate mind often overcomes even the intelligence. (6.34 P)
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Trying to practice yoga while engaging the mind in material enjoyment is like trying to ignite a fire while pouring water on it. (6.36 P)