The Gita Bhashya comprises eighteen chapters that are divided into three sections; each section comprises a hexad (six chapters).
The first six chapters of the work offer an exposition of an approach to self-realisation of the individual self. Ramanuja describes his process as sequential, beginning with the cognisance of the nature of the self, followed by cognisance of the concept of karma yoga, and finally the cognisance of the concept of jnana yoga.[5] The commentary describes Krishna urging Arjuna to perform his duty on the battlefield. The work exposits that Arjuna's hesitation and desire to abstain from his duty as a warrior emerge from the incorrect notion that a person is their prakrti (body), and the interpretation of death as the end of being. The truth, which is the knowledge that one is Brahman, is regarded to resolve this dilemma.[6]
The second hexad is centered around the concept of bhakti yoga. Bhakti (devotion to God), is defined as the flow of consciousness to Narayana (Vishnu). This is described to be achieved by devotion to Vishnu in the Atman (sense of self), which then manifests in the jiva (life force). Vishnu is described as the Supreme Being in this hexad, stated to be the source, upholder, as well as the destroyer of the cosmos, which is itself regarded to be his body. The author offers an interpretation of the mahavakya tat tvam asi (thou art that) as the Śarīra-Śarīrī (body-soul) relationship between Ishvara and his two natures, jiva and ajiva (animate and inanimate matter). Sincere devotion to God is described to be the only prerequisite for the purposes of worship. The vishvarupa (cosmic form) of Krishna, the distinction between the concepts of moksha and kaivalya, and the paratva (transcedance) and the saulabhya (accessibility) of God are each offered a discourse.[7]
Ramanuja offers a critique of the Advaita philosophy in favour of Vishishtadvaita, reproving the rejection of the difference that the proponents of the former made between God and jiva, and between jivas.[8]
The third hexad further examines the concepts of Prakrti, Atman, and the Supreme Being, the binding of the qualities of Prakrti to Atman, and prapatti (self-surrender) to Vishnu as the path to salvation. The author explores the notion of abandoning dharma and expiatory practices and seeking refuge in God alone.[9]
