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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16. The Yoga of Divine and Demonic Qualities
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Quick summary
Merely an Instrument: Quick Summary
The Lord calls Himself Time and says that even without Arjuna the warriors on the other side will not remain (11.32).
English 10 min Merely an Instrument
Quick summary
The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance: Quick Summary
The 18 chapters and 701 verses of the Gita move in the order of Arjuna's questions: from sitting down in despair to decision.
English 13 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
Arjuna Before the Teaching: A Close Reading of Gita 1.28 to 2.10
Arjuna's collapse comes in an order. The body gives way first (1.29-30), then his sense of what victory is worth (1.31-35), then his reasons (1.36-44), and at last the reasons turn on him (1.45-47).
Deeper English 18 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
Why the Gita Begins With a Man Who Cannot Go On: Gita 1.28 to 2.10, Verse by Verse
The Gita opens with a hero who cannot go on. His body gives way first (1.29-30), then his reasons pile up against fighting (1.31-44), and then he throws down his bow (1.47).
In Depth English 13 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
How the Gita Is Built: The Frame, Arjuna's Questions, the Verse Counts and the Chapter Names
The Gita presents itself as one dialogue inside a frame: Dhritarashtra asks what happened, and Sanjaya tells it from start to finish.
Deeper English 12 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
The Eighteen Chapters of the Gita in Order: What Each Chapter Does and Why It Comes Next
Each of the eighteen chapters has one clear job, and Arjuna's questions are what move the talk from one chapter to the next.
In Depth English 14 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
What Does 'Be Merely an Instrument' Mean? Gita 11.31-35 Verse by Verse
'Be merely an instrument' means do your own action, and give up the claim to be the sole author of the outcome and the fear that comes with it (11.33).
In Depth English 14 min Merely an Instrument
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How the library is organised
- Path A guided route through several topics, in order.
- Hub One topic, read at three depths, plus a quick summary.
- Article A single piece to read, at one depth.
- Quick summary Short on time. The whole topic in a few minutes.
- New to this topic. Plain words, one idea at a time.
- Know the basics. Verse by verse, with reasons.
- Want the text itself: Sanskrit terms, commentary, close reading.