How the Bhagavad-gita’s battlefield setting demonstrates its core teaching (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 6)
How the Bhagavad-gita’s battlefield setting demonstrates its core teaching - The Gita’s first chapter describes how both the ungodly Duryodhana and the godly Arjuna were [...]
The Gita’s starting and ending usage of Partha (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 5)
The Gita’s starting and ending usage of Partha - In Krishna’s first and last words in the Bhagavad-gita, he addresses Arjuna as Partha. Let’s explore [...]
Gita 01.21-22 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan 1 - 26 observing the [...]
The Gita’s triple use of ‘Achyuta’ (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 4)
The Gita’s triple use of ‘Achyuta’ - The Bhagavad-gita uses various names for Krishna and Arjuna not just for literary variety or poetic symmetry, but [...]
The cyclicity of the Bhagavad-gita (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 3)
The cyclicity of the Bhagavad-gita - A well-written book cycles back to the starting point in its ending point. Let’s see how such cyclicity is [...]
From the specific to the universal and back to the specific (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 2)
From the specific to the universal and back to the specific - Well-written books exhibit an expert balance between specifics and universals, whereby the specifics [...]
Three levels of answers to the Gita’s driving question (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 1)
Three levels of answers to the Gita’s driving question - The Bhagavad-gita (02.07) is spoken by Krishna to answer Arjuna’s question, “What is dharma, the [...]
Does the quest for knowledge have an end? (From ignorance to knowledge series 7)
Does the quest for knowledge have an end? - Knowledge in almost every area can be pursued nearly infinitely. The more we come to know [...]
Gita 06.44 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 38-45: If the mind deviates the [...]
How does the journey from ignorance to knowledge begin? (From ignorance to knowledge series 6)
How does the journey from ignorance to knowledge begin? - Suppose someone wants to mine gold. They need to know quite a few things about [...]
When knowledge increases ignorance … (From ignorance to knowledge series 5)
When knowledge increases ignorance - We usually consider knowledge to be the cure for ignorance: where knowledge increases, ignorance decreases. In fact, a celebrated Upanishadic [...]
Two stages in valuing knowledge (From ignorance to knowledge series 4)
Two stages in valuing knowledge - Suppose we have a map for finding our way through a complex terrain. That map will be a valuable [...]
Knowledge & value (From ignorance to knowledge series 3)
Knowledge & value- Value knowledge: It’s easy to value property, possessions or other visible forms of wealth. It’s easy also to value other tangible things [...]
The mysterious door to knowledge (From ignorance to knowledge series 2)
The mysterious door to knowledge - Suppose we see a majestic palace and notice a low door to enter into it. Intrigued, we bend ourselves, [...]
When our ignorance is exposed … (From ignorance to knowledge series 1)
When our ignorance is exposed - Because we are tiny beings living in a huge and complex world, what we know will always be dwarfed [...]
Gita 07.04 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 7.4 bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ [...]
Can spirituality address all mental health problems? (Mental health series 7)
Can spirituality address all mental health problems? - The mind exists at the junction between the body and the soul, as such the mind is [...]
Gita 18.39 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Let us now go the [...]
How can spirituality protect our mental health? (Mental health series 6)
How can spirituality protect our mental health? - Mental health problems can have many specifics, yet they share a fundamental feature: a distortion in our [...]
How can we improve our mental health? (Mental health series 5)
How can we improve our mental health? - Let’s understand by considering how we improve our physical health: broadly by providing our body good nutrition [...]
Is poor mental health just a weakness of will? (Mental health series 4)
Is poor mental health just a weakness of will? - Suppose someone says they can’t do something challenging because they are not mentally healthy. Are [...]