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Eight Verses. One Lifetime of Application.
The Bhagavad Gita has seven hundred verses. Here are eight of the most direct — shown in the original Sanskrit, with a line on what each one is actually asking you to do. The full translation and Srila Prabhupada's purport for every verse are in the complete edition.
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2.47 · karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana
On acting fully without being owned by the result. Arguably the most quoted verse in the entire Gita — Krishna's instruction on how to act in the world without being enslaved by anxiety over outcomes. Full translation and purport in the book.
2.20 · na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
What in you was never born, and will never die. The Gita's foundational claim about identity — that you are not, finally, the body having the experience. Full translation and purport in the book.
2.14 · mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītोṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
Pleasure and pain both pass. Learn to outlast them. On sense perception, impermanence, and the discipline of tolerance — a verse that reads like it was written for a hard week. Full translation and purport in the book.
4.7 · yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata
Why the divine returns, chapter after chapter of history. One of the Gita's most well-known verses — on the reappearance of higher purpose whenever it's needed most. Full translation and purport in the book.
6.5 · uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet
You are your own best friend — and, just as easily, your own worst enemy. The Gita's take on self-mastery: the mind is the instrument, and how you use it decides which one you get. Full translation and purport in the book.
6.35 · asaṃśayam mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam
The mind is restless, not uncontrollable. Practice is the difference. Krishna's direct answer to Arjuna's own doubt about whether any of this is realistic. Full translation and purport in the book.
9.22 · ananyāś cintayanto māṃ ye janāḥ paryupāsate
What's promised to the one who stays fixed on what matters. On steadiness, focus, and what sustains a person who doesn't waver. Full translation and purport in the book.
18.66 · sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇam vraja
The single instruction the entire conversation was building toward. The Gita's closing counsel to Arjuna — and arguably its ultimate point. Full translation and purport in the book.
These Are Eight. The Book Has Seven Hundred.
Every verse, every word meaning, every purport — in one edition.