Top 10 Quotes From Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

Lord Krishna is one of the most inspirational, motivational and revered deity in Hindu Mythology. Lord Krishna is considered as the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu, one of the Gods in the trinity. Lord Krishna has time and again served as a source of inspiration for the public, and following his quotes, imbibing his ideologies in the life can be the key to success for any individual in life. Let’s have a brief idea about the life of this avatar of Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna was born in a prison at Mathura, the capital of demon king Kansa who was his maternal uncle. Fearing a prophecy which said that the eighth son of Kansa’s sister Devaki and Vasudeva will kill him, Kansa imprisoned both Devaki and Vasudeva and there in the jail Lord Krishna was born. To save his life, Vasudeva with the help of divine powers dropped baby Krishna to Gokul at Nand’s place. There Nand and Yashoda brought up Lord Krishna as their own. Lord Krishna did many interesting, mystical activities during his growing years (called Leelas) and killed many demons and helped the people of Gokul and Vrindavan (where his teenage years were spent). After killing Kansa, Lord Krishna reclaimed the kingdom of his father Vasudeva and established his capital in Dwarka. In his grown-up years he met Prince Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, and played the role of his friend, advisor, guide, motivator and helped him overcome many problems at several instances. The most famous and the most significant of them is the inspiration and guidance Lord Krishna provided to the Prince Arjuna during the battle of Mahabharat fought in Kurukshetra.

As most of us know, the battle of Mahabharata was fought between Kauravas and Pandavas who actually were cousins and were sons of real brother Dhritrashtra and Pandu respectively. Many of the common relatives, elders, and respected ones were fighting from the opposing side. When on the first day of Mahabharata battle, Prince Arjuna saw his grandfather Bheeshma Pitamah, his guru (teacher) Dronacharya, and others fighting from the opposite side, the thought of battling against them and hurting or   killing them made Arjuna overwhelmed. He denied participating in the battle outright. Then Lord Krishna preached Prince Arjuna about Karma, Bhagya, Kartavya, Dharma etc. and these preachings are collectively presented in the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is often called the “Song of God” is a spiritual dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjuna, and is a part of the Indian epic Mahabharata and contains 700 verses across 18 chapters. Each chapter of Bhagavad Gita explores spirituality and the different paths to achieve it.

The quotes of Lord Krishna are a source of inspiration and can prove to be a silver lining during the direst situations. The top 10 inspirational quotes from Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, filled with timeless wisdom and motivation are shared here.

1. karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana

mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi

(Chapter 2, Verse 47) 

The shloka means that we only have the right to perform our duty, and we should do so without worrying about the results of our actions. Whatever should be the result, we should stay unaffected.  This motivation quote from Lord Krishna inspires us to stay unfazed what come the situation and helps us tackle well through the turbulence of life.

2. mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

Bhagavad Gita 2.14

Lord Krishna says, O son of Kunti, when the sensory organs and the sensory object when come in contact, we get fleeting perceptions of heat and cold, pleasure and pain. All these feelings are temporary and just come and go; hence endure them, O descendant of Bharata. It implies that change is the law of the universe. Everything here is transient, in a moment you can become a millionaire, and in the next moment you can be a pauper.

This inspirational quote from Lord Krishna asks us to embrace the change, as it is the only constant. We should stay unfazed with the ongoing conditions and keep doing our best, as they say “ This too shall pass”.

3. yathā dīpo nivāta-stho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā

yogino yata-cittasya yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gita 6.19

This verse form the dhyan yoga chapter of the Bhagavad Gita preaches that when meditation is mastered, the mind becomes focused and  unwavering just like the stable flame of a lamp in a windless place. A calm mind strengthened by meditation leads to the path to wisdom and ultimately success.

4. uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet

ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gita 6.5

As per this verse of Bhagavad Gita it is our own mind that can either make us or break us. A person can rise through the efforts of his own mind; or draw himself down. Thus, one is his own friend or enemy.” It implies that self-discipline leads to self-mastery. When we learn to control the vices of our mind we move unwavering on the uphill path of success.

5. ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh cha sanśhayātmā vinaśhyati

nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ sanśhayātmanaḥ

Bhagavad Gita 4.40

The translation of  the shloka comes to be "But the ignorant, the faithless, and the doubting soul is lost. For the skeptical person, there is neither happiness in this world nor in the next." This inspirational quote form Lord Krishna asks us to  have faith in ourselves and in divine, as spiritual progress requires both knowledge and faith. When we leave our doubts unchecked, they lead to stagnancy, instability and confusion. Lord Krishna emphasizes that shraddha (faith) is essential for our happiness.  Though shraddha should never be andh-shraddha or blind belief, but it should be the trust born of sincere inquiry and humility. Lord Krishna ask us to have faith — in ourselves and the divine.

6. krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ

smṛiti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati

Bhagavad Gita 2.63

Here, in this shloka Lord Krishna state that delusion arises from attachment, and from delusion arises anger. From anger comes confusion, which leads to the loss of reason. And when reason is lost, one is ruined. It teaches us to control desires, as uncontrolled illogical desires may lead to delusion. The cycle continues and ultimately it controls your destiny. In order to stay on the right course, we should stay detached from the materialistic pleasures around us. 

7. na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchit

nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ

ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo

na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre

Bhagavad Gita 2.20

The shloka means that the soul is neither born, and nor does it die. It is only the body that dies or hurts. It motivates us to stay detached from the materialism and do our work best. When we stop worrying, we perform well. Lord Krishna tells us that we are eternal — beyond the body.

8. kālo ’smi loka-kṣhaya-kṛit pravṛiddho

lokān samāhartum iha pravṛittaḥ

ṛite ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣhyanti sarve

ye ’vasthitāḥ pratyanīkeṣhu yodhāḥ

Bhagavad Gita 11.32

In the shloka, the God say, “I am Time, the mighty destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to annihilate all people. Even without your participation, all the warriors arrayed in the opposing armies shall cease to exist." In simplified way, among all kinds of killers, time is the ultimate because time kills everything. It inspires us to use our time wisely; as it is the most powerful force. It also motivates us not to be too attached with anything as all things perish with time.

9. tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ

kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet

Bhagavad Gita 16.21

Lord Krishna says to Prince Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita that there are three gates leading to hell—Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), and Lobha (greed). These three are the vices which once surrendered to can lead to self-destruction; therefore, one should abandon all three.

10. Last but certainly not the least is the preaching that “Whatever happened, happened for the good. Whatever is happening, is happening for the good. Whatever will happen, will also happen for the good.” This is not a direct quote of Lord Krishna but is implied from his teachings to Arjuna in the battlefield of Mahabharata. Krishna asks Arjuna to trust divine timing and purpose, as whatever is happening, is happening for a greater good. Believing and accepting that in life makes it easier to tide through the ups and downs of the life.

So, having read all these inspirational quotes from Lord Krishna definitely would have stirred your interest and also would have given you an idea how important and useful they can be for our kids who are facing a lot more competitions, stress and big load of information, than what we faced in our times when we were their age. Knowing, understanding and following the inspirational quotes of  Lord Krishna can be imperative for their mental and ultimately physical well-being. Now, you may wonder how such complex spiritual thoughts can be imbibed in the  minds of our young learners or how will you make them focus on such deep thoughts when they have very short attention span. Here comes your saviour in the form of Bambinos Bhagavad Gita classes which are available in both one to one and group class format. Here, kids get to learn deep spiritual values in fun and engaging way. So, enroll your kids with Bambinos and take a step towards their journey of mental strength and well-being.

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