33 results
Article
You pray every day, but the heart feels empty, and no one at home talks about it. Gita 10.7-11 says that seeing the Lord's greatness steadies devotion, speaking of Him together brings joy, and the Lord gives the light. One small practice.
Level: Simple English 6 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
The Gita is set on a battlefield and tells Arjuna to rise and fight. Does it teach violence? Read where the call is made, to whom, and by what measure, in Gita 1.28-47, 2.31-37, 11.33, 12.13 and 16.2.
Level: In Depth English 4 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
Whoever knows the Lord's glory in truth is joined to Him by unwavering devotion, and the Lord Himself gives the wisdom and lights the lamp of knowledge. Gita 10.7-11 verse by verse, with a table, an example and a seven-day practice.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
After the universal form the Lord says this sight comes not through Vedas, austerity, charity or sacrifice but through undivided devotion. Gita 11.52-55 in order, a table of the five marks, an example, a seven-day practice and questions.
Level: In Depth English 13 min By Devotion Alone
Article
What do the great souls do in the Gita, and what does the Lord do for them? Verses 9.13-15 and 9.22 in order: undivided mind, glorifying, striving and bowing, the sacrifice of knowledge, and the promise to carry what they lack.
Level: In Depth English 11 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care
Article
A chapter-by-chapter map of the Bhagavad Gita: the name, size and job of each of the eighteen chapters, and how Arjuna's questions carry the book from despair to decision.
Level: In Depth English 14 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
A verse-by-verse reading of Gita 2.11–30: what the Lord says the self is, why grief is aimed at the wrong thing, the second answer for the one who cannot accept the first, and what the teaching does not mean.
Level: In Depth English 12 min The Imperishable Self
Article
What does Arjuna ask in the Gita, when, and why? Fourteen main questions in the order of the book, what each shows about his state of mind, the first line of Lord Krishna's answer, and where to read the full reply.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
Read Gita 7.16-19 in order: the one in distress, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of gain and the wise. All are dear to the Lord, so why is the wise devotee called best, and what does 'after many births' mean?
Level: In Depth English 9 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
An attempt to understand the Gita not merely through Dualistic or Non-Dualistic perspectives, but as an integrated spiritual journey of Bhakti, Jnana, and Karma Yoga.
Level: In Depth English 16 min
Article
Do Arjuna's questions only open the door to the Gita, or do they shape it? Their wording, three threads that run through them, the echo of that wording in the replies, two streams of commentators, and objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 15 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
The Lord turns beings as on a machine, nature compels, and yet Arjuna is told to reflect and do as he wishes. Gita 18.57 to 18.66 read closely: how surrender and free choice belong together, the readings of the last verse and the objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 16 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
A close reading of Gita 2.39–46 and 2.52–53: what the single resolute intellect is, why talk of enjoyment and power blocks it, how the passage fits the Vedas, hearing and the Lord's care, and the difficulties it raises.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
Article
Gita 10.7-11 moves from knowing to worshipping to the Lord's own gift. Is that a circle? If the Lord is equal to all, why does He give to some? A close reading, two streams of commentators, six objections and the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 17 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
Is 'be merely an instrument' a command to kill, a statement of fate, or something else? A close reading of Gita 11.31-35, the idea of the instrument across the Gita, two streams of commentators, and objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 18 min Merely an Instrument
Article
After the universal form the Lord says that no Veda, austerity, charity or sacrifice wins this sight, and undivided devotion does. A close reading, the hard questions, two streams of commentators and a table of parallels.
Level: Deeper English 16 min By Devotion Alone
Article
Gita 12.13-20 lists over thirty marks and keeps saying 'such a one is dear to Me'. Is it a test? How can anyone be dear to a Lord who is equal to all? A close reading, two streams of commentators, five objections and five questions answered.
Level: Deeper English 18 min The Devotee Dear to the Lord
Article
A close reading of the Gita's last verses: why the Lord asks what he knows, whether 'I will act on Your word' cancels free choice, what memory is regained, and two readings of Sanjaya's closing verdict.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Article
In Gita 7.16-19 all four devotees are called good and noble, yet the wise one is 'My very Self'. Is the Lord partial? Is the wise a fourth kind of devotee or where the other three arrive? Five difficulties, answered from the text.
Level: Deeper English 13 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
In Gita 9.22 the Lord says he carries what his devotees lack and keeps what they have. To whom is this promised, and how does it fit effort and verse 2.45? A close reading of 9.13-15 and 9.22 with four hard questions.
Level: Deeper English 13 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care
Article
Does Gita 9.30-31 excuse bad conduct? A close reading of 'even if', 'wholly' and 'quickly', six hard questions with direct replies, two streams of commentators, and answers from the Gita and the tradition to the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Even the Worst Offender
Article
Gita chapter 12 seems to pull two ways in four places: who is best, the order of the steps, giving up undertakings against working for the Lord, and disturbing no one. The wording of each verse, the commentators' streams and the open questions.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion, an Overview
Article
Is the order of the Gita's eighteen chapters an argument or a gathering? A close look at the narrator's frame, Arjuna's sixteen questions, the verse counts, the chapter names and the verses that return.
Level: Deeper English 12 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
A close reading of Gita 7.14-15. If the illusory energy is the Lord's own power, how can people be blamed? How refuge and effort fit, five hard questions answered, two streams of commentary, and answers from the Gita and the tradition to the questions left over.
Level: Deeper English 14 min The Illusory Energy and Surrender
Article
A close reading of the Gita's hardest lines on war and killing: 2.31-37, 2.19-20, 11.33 and 18.17. Who is addressed, in what hour, and under what measure, and how readers differ on the field itself.
Level: Deeper English 8 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
A close reading of Gita 2.11–30: the different reasons the Lord gives for not grieving, what each assumes, how an all-pervading self can change bodies, why the verses do not license harm, and what the rest of the Gita and the tradition add.
Level: Deeper English 14 min The Imperishable Self
Quick summary
A short revision of Arjuna's fourteen questions in the Gita: where each one comes, what puzzle of the mind lies behind it, and where the answer is found.
English 11 min Arjuna's Questions
Quick summary
When everyone gives different advice, how do you decide? A short revision of Gita 2.39-46 and 2.52-53, where Krishna speaks of a steady intellect with one firm resolve that keeps the mind from scattering.
English 6 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
Quick summary
After the cosmic form the Lord speaks four verses: this vision is rare even for the gods, is not won by the Vedas, austerity, giving or sacrifice, but by undivided devotion, and the devotee has five marks. A short revision of Gita 11.52-55.
English 10 min By Devotion Alone
Quick summary
In Gita 7.16-19 the Lord says that people turn to Him for four reasons: distress, wish to know, some desire, and knowledge. All four are welcome, and the nearest is the one who comes for Him alone.
English 8 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Quick summary
Five verses of the tenth chapter: one who knows the Lord's glory in truth joins Him by unshakable devotion, devotees find joy in talking of Him together, and the Lord Himself gives buddhi yoga and lights the lamp of knowledge. Three readings.
English 10 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Quick summary
A quick summary of the eighteen chapters of the Gita: the name, verse count and work of each chapter, in five groups, so that the whole map can be revised and explained to someone.
English 13 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Quick summary
Gita 9.13-15 and 9.22 tell how great souls worship the Lord with an undivided mind, and how the Lord Himself carries their yogakshema, that is, brings what is lacking and keeps what they have.
English 8 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care