The Bhagavad Gita is pretty dope, although it really started to lose me towards the end with the 3 gunas stuff over and over. It felt very tacked on.
Here are some dope passages I liked:
This is eternal, all pervading, fixed; this is unmoving and primaeval.
For the born, death is certain; For the dead there is certainly birth. Therefore, for this inevitable in consequence, thou shouldst not mourn.
The insights of the irresolute have many branches are are, indeed, endless.
Action prompted by greed, desire for wealth, desire for power, or desire for fame is not advised. Abandon attachments.
And when he withdraws completely the senses from the objects of the senses, as a tortoise its limbs into its shell, his wisdom stands firm.
For a man dwelling on the objects of the senses, an attachment to them is born. From attachment, desire is born. From desire, anger is born, from anger arises delusion, from delusion, wandering of the memory, from memory wandering, destruction of the intelligence, from destruction of the intelligence one is last. With the elimination of desire and hatred, even though engaging the objects of the senses, he who is susceptible of control by the self, by self restraint, attains tranquility.
And in him who does not concentrate, there is no peace. Whence can come happiness to him who is not peaceful?
As fire is obscured by smoke, and similarly a mirror by dust, as the embryo is enveloped by the membrane, so is the intelligence is obscured by passion.
As the kindled fire reduces firewood to ashes, Arjuna, so too the fire of knowledge reduces all actions to ashes.
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so the simile is recorded of the yogin in controlled thought, performing the yoga on the self.
On me this universe is strung like pearls on a thread.
I am the liquidity in the waters, the radiance in the moon and sun, the sacred syllable in all the Vedas, the sound in the air, the manhood in men. The pure fragrance in the earth. The brilliance in the sun. The life in all beings. The austerity in ascetics. The intelligence of the intelligent. The splendor of the splendid. The might of the mighty.
Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from delusion, patience, veracity, self restraint, tranquility, pleasure, pain, becoming, passing away, and fear and fearlessness, non-violence, impartiality, contentment, austerity, charity, fame, disrepute, the manifold conditions of beings, arise from me alone.
I, who dwell within their own beings destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge.
Behold now the entire universe with everything moving and not moving, here standing together in my body.
Of many mouths and eyes, of many wondrous aspects, of many divine ornaments, of many uplifted divine weapons, wearing divine garlands and garments, with divine perfumes and ointments, made up of all marvels, the god, endless, facing in all directions.
If there should be in the sky a thousand suns risen all at once, such splendor would be of the splendor of that Great Being.
With many arms, bellies, faces, eyes, I see thee everywhere, infinite in form; not the end nor the middle, nor yet the begging of Thee I see, o Lord of All, whose form is the universe.
With innumerable arms, moon and sun eyed, I see thee with they blazing, oblation-eating mouth, burning all this universe with Thine own radiance.
Sky touching, blazing, many colored, gaping mouthed, with enormous fiery eyes.
He who sees the Supreme Lord, existing alike in all beings, not perishing when they perish, truly sees.
For Me great Brahman is the womb. In it I place the see. The origin of all beings exists from that.
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the Immortal and the Imperishable, and of everlasting virtue, and of absolute bliss.
Man is made of faith. Whatever faith he has, thus he is.
Books 10 and 11 were my favorite. Those are the ones in which Krishna (avatar of Visnhu) reveals his true form to Arjuna. It's magical. Reading this right after reading the Koran is like...y'all in the Middle East got your shit wrong. You 3 can take your books and your vengeful god and fear and STICK IT, brothers. Although, Hinduism is kind of a downer, too. Being born at all is a punishment or misfortune. In order to attain nirvana and get back to the creator spirit, you have to give up the pleasures and enjoyments of human life. But once you get back to Brahman, it's the greatest. So...idk. The general principles of Hinduism seem pretty solid and rad. When you get down into specifics, it doesn't seem as cool.
Also, there is a giant mushroom growing at the base of a tree/bush stump in my yard. It would be a most incredible coincidence if it was to be a psilocybin mushroom. After 2 years of wanting to do it again and immediately after finishing the Bhagavad Gita? Seems too good to be true. I have to check it out, though.
