Essays on the Gita is Sri Aurobindo’s comprehensive commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, first published in two series in the Arya (1916–1920). The first series was revised and published as a book in 1922; the second series was extensively revised and published in 1928. The work interprets the Gita not as a sectarian text but as a universal spiritual scripture that synthesises the paths of knowledge, works, and devotion.

First Series (24 Essays)

The first series covers the Gita’s teaching from its opening chapters to the vision of the divine worker. Key essays include: “Our Demand and Need from the Gita”, “The Divine Teacher”, “The Human Disciple”, “The Core of the Teaching”, “Kurukshetra”, “Man and the Battle of Life”, “The Creed of the Aryan Fighter”, “Sankhya and Yoga”, “Works and Sacrifice”, “The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood”, “The Process of Avatarhood”, “The Divine Birth and Divine Works”, “The Divine Worker”, “Equality”, “Equality and Knowledge”, “The Determinism of Nature”, “Beyond the Modes of Nature”, “Nirvana and Works in the World”, and “The Gist of the Karmayoga”.

Second Series (Essays on Key Themes)

The second series continues the exposition through the later chapters of the Gita, exploring the nature of the divine, the distinction between Purusha and Prakriti, the three modes of nature, the gunas and their transcendence, the divine action, the secret of the Gita’s yoga, and the culminating vision of divine love and surrender.

Key Themes

  • The Synthesis of Yoga: The Gita as the first great synthesis of yoga, integrating knowledge, works, and devotion
  • Avatarhood: The possibility and purpose of divine descent into human form
  • Karmayoga: Works offered to the Divine without attachment as the path of liberation
  • The Divine Worker: Acting as an instrument of the Divine Will
  • Equality: Spiritual equality as the foundation of divine action
  • Transcending the Gunas: Rising beyond the three modes of Nature

Source Summary

CWSA Volume 19 contains both series of Essays on the Gita. The text was thoroughly checked against all previous editions and the manuscripts of the revised Arya articles. The first series represents Sri Aurobindo’s mature thought on the Gita as a guide to spiritual life in the world, while the second series deepens the philosophical exploration of the Gita’s later chapters.

See Also