Find something to read

Article

Does the Gita Turn Away from Hearing? A Close Reading of Gita 2.39–46 and 2.52–53

The passage teaches one thing from two ends. The mind needs one resolve, and the resolve takes root only when the mind rests in the Self (2.41, 2.53).

Deeper English 16 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect

Article

Seeing Inaction in Action: A Close Reading of Gita 4.16 to 4.24

Non-action is rejected as an exit in the third chapter and praised as the mark of the wise in the fourth, because the word carries two senses, not acting and acting without being bound (4.18).

Deeper English 11 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound

Article

What Moves Action If Not the Fruit? A Close Reading of Gita 2.47 to 2.51

The five verses move in one line, from what is mine (2.47) to how to hold it (2.48), why it is better (2.49), what it is called (2.50) and where it leads (2.51).

Deeper English 14 min Action Without Claiming the Fruit

Article

Why Does the Gita Say “Do Not Grieve” in So Many Ways? A Close Reading of 2.11–30

The twenty verses give different reasons for not grieving, for different listeners, and they agree in outcome. One is the lasting self (2.16–25), one is the unavoidable cycle (2.26–28), and one is the self in every being (2.29–30).

Deeper English 14 min The Imperishable Self

Article

Reading One Verse at Five Distances: Gita 2.47, from a Single Word to Your Own Life

A verse is read at five distances: its words, its sentence, the verses around it, the whole Gita and your own life.

Deeper English 12 min How to Read the Gita