Quick summary
Arjuna's Despondency: Quick Summary
Seeing his own people before him, Arjuna's body gives way: his limbs weaken and the bow begins to slip from his hand (1.29-30).
English 11 min Arjuna's Despondency
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4. The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action
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22 pieces
Article
Arjuna's Seven Steps: The Road Through a Crisis
Arjuna's road has seven steps: shock, freezing, arguing, asking for help, learning, doubting again and acting. None of them is a fault.
In Depth English 8 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
Quick summary
Arjuna, Our Mirror: Quick Summary
Arjuna's road has seven steps, and any person in a crisis walks the same road.
English 3 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
Quick summary
Delusion Gone: I Will Act: Quick Summary
The Lord asks whether the teaching was heard with the whole mind and whether the delusion is gone (18.72).
English 4 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Quick summary
Karma Yoga in Practice: Quick Summary
Settle your intention before the work: the doing is in your hands, the fruit is not (2.47).
English 5 min Karma Yoga in Practice
Quick summary
Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound: Quick Summary
Three things are to be known: right action, wrong action and non-action, and even the wise are confused about them (4.16-17).
English 9 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound
Article
When Everything Falls Apart: Arjuna Shows the Way
Arjuna's hands shook, his mouth went dry and he said he would not fight (1.28-29, 2.9). The Gita does not blame him.
Simple English 4 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
Article
When the Confusion Clears: How to Tell, and How to Begin
The Lord asks whether the teaching was heard with the whole mind and whether the confusion has gone (18.72).
Simple English 5 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Quick summary
Who Is the Doer?: Quick Summary
All actions are done by the qualities of nature, but a mind deluded by ego thinks 'I am the doer' (3.27).
English 9 min Who Is the Doer?
Quick summary
Work as Sacrifice: Quick Summary
Action done in the spirit of sacrifice frees; all other action binds in this world (3.9).
English 12 min Work as Sacrifice
Quick summary
Working Under Pressure: Quick Summary
Work pressure has three layers: the real demand of the work, fear of the result and inner panic.
English 13 min Working Under Pressure
Article
The Gita on Work Pressure: Three Layers, Three Handles, and a Workday Practice (Gita 2.14, 2.47-51, 3.30, 5.12)
Work pressure has three layers: the demand of the work, the fear of the outcome and the wave of panic inside.
In Depth English 12 min Working Under Pressure
Article
Worn Out From Copying Someone Else? What the Gita Says About Doing Your Own Work in Your Own Way
It is better to do your own duty imperfectly than another's duty well (3.35).
Simple English 6 min One's Own Duty
Article
Busy All Day, Yet Free Inside: What the Gita Means by Doing Nothing in Action
In the Gita, doing nothing in action means that nothing binds, and it does not mean that nothing is done (4.18, 4.20).
Simple English 5 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound
Article
When You Cannot Go On and Cannot Decide: What Arjuna Did First
Arjuna, the best archer of his day, trembles and cannot stand on the field (1.29-30). The Gita reports it plainly and does not call it shame.
Simple English 5 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
Have I Done Too Much Wrong for God to Accept Me? What the Gita Says
A person of very bad conduct who turns to the Lord with his whole mind is to be counted as good, because he has resolved rightly (9.30).
Simple English 4 min Even the Worst Offender
Article
How to Begin Karma Yoga at Work: One Task, Three Lines
Begin with just one task today. It has three moments: before, during and after.
Simple English 3 min Karma Yoga in Practice
Article
Is It All Right to Ask a Question? What Arjuna Teaches Us
The Gita runs on Arjuna's questions, and Lord Krishna turns none of them away (3.2, 3.3).
Simple English 5 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
Karma Yoga in Your Working Day: Four Moments for Every Task
Every task has four moments: an intention before, full attention during, handing over the result after, and three questions in the evening.
In Depth English 5 min Karma Yoga in Practice
Article
My Mind Will Not Stay on God: Where Do I Start? Gita 12.8-11
The Lord does not ask everyone to begin at the top; for the one whose mind will not stay He gives lower steps too (12.8-11).
Simple English 5 min The Ladder of Devotion
Article
Is It Wrong to Remember God Only in Trouble?
The Gita names four reasons that bring people to God, distress, a wish to know, a want and wisdom, and calls all four good and noble (7.16, 7.18).
Simple English 4 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
Who Is the Doer? The Five Causes of Action and the Mistake of 'I Do It All'
The Gita does not remove the doer. It removes the belief that I do everything and that it is all mine (3.27, 18.16).
In Depth English 13 min Who Is the Doer?
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