Isn’t life too complex to have a manual?
Sometimes, the Bhagavad-gita is commended as the manual for living. This raises questions among thoughtful people, “Isn’t life way too complex to ever have a [...]
We are bound to act according to our nature — what does this mean?
Does Krishna’s statement (18.60) that we are bound to act according to our nature leave any scope for free will? If it didn’t, why would [...]
Why Krishna urges Arjuna to stick to his natural duty
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna tells Arjuna twice (03.35 & 18.47) that it is far better to act according to one’s own nature than according to [...]
How to focus the mind
We live in an age of unprecedented distraction. When our mind is being so fiercely targeted, how can we focus it? Here are two time-tested [...]
How detachment protects us from negativity
Suppose we are walking on a narrow path that slopes unpredictably and has ditches on both sides. We could walk much more steadily if the [...]
How Krishna prepares Arjuna for his difficult duty
When we have to do something difficult, it’s helpful if we are prepared for it. Suppose we have to lift a heavy suitcase, a timely [...]
Why Krishna states contrasting brahmana and kshatriya virtues in successive verses
When Krishna describes the virtues and duties of various social classes in the Bhagavad-gita (18.41-44), he mentions a specific virtue that characterizes brahmanas: forgiving (18.42), [...]
Arjuna’s seventeenth question
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita’s final chapter (18.01), Arjuna asks a question that may be puzzling in both content and context. Content because he [...]
How the third-person and first-person references point to an evolving understanding of divinity
A puzzling feature of the Bhagavad-gita is Krishna’s referring to himself sometimes in the third person. One way to make sense of such references is [...]
Why is it so difficult to focus?
When we want to do anything important, why do we often find it so difficult to focus? Due to the combined consequence of three forceful [...]
Krishna’s intriguing third-person references to himself
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna sometimes refers to himself in the third person. Why? To better understand, let’s consider a specific example. In the eighteenth chapter, [...]
Why does Krishna discuss the modes so much?
Krishna mentions the modes throughout the Bhagavad-gita; devotes the entire fourteenth chapter to explaining what they are and how they function; and uses them to [...]
Why what we remember at the time of death matters so much
In the Bhagavad-gita’s eighth chapter, Krishna states that whatever we remember at the time of death, we will attain the corresponding state in our next [...]
Why does the Gita discuss the moment of death so much?
The Bhagavad-gita’s eighth chapter is centered on the theme of one’s consciousness at the moment of death. In fact, Krishna has referred to that theme [...]
How Krishna addresses Arjuna’s concerns about untimely death
In the Bhagavad-gita’s eight chapter, Krishna explains how dedicated yogis train themselves to depart at auspicious times, thereby attaining liberation (08.24). Those who depart at [...]
What does Krishna’s description of divine omnipresence mean for Arjuna
In the Bhagavad-gita’s thirteenth chapter (13.14), Krishna talks about divine omnipresence in remarkably personal terms: everywhere are his hands, legs, eyes, heads, faces and ears. [...]
What does Krishna’s characterization of knowledge mean for Arjuna
In the Bhagavad-gita (13.08-12), Krishna characterizes knowledge in terms of twenty virtues that indicate the overall direction of one’s heart. Such characterization implies that the [...]
When Krishna demonstrates how to apply his Gita teachings
In the Bhagavad-gita’s thirteenth chapter, Krishna lists twenty characteristics of those in knowledge. And one characteristic is detachment, specifically detachment from children, wife, home and [...]
How not to apply the Gita
When Krishna deems this world a place of distress (Bhagavad-gita 08.15), some spiritually-minded people take this statement as a prescription for material apathy: “Why try [...]
How Krishna offers a nuanced understanding of faith
In the Bhagavad-gita’s seventeenth chapter, Krishna indicates that faith isn’t just about something we believe; it is integral to our very existence, it’s about how [...]
Why Krishna gives an additional description of the demonic in the seventeenth chapter
When Arjuna seeks a nuanced understanding of the divine-demonic categorization (17.01), Krishna answers by providing several subtle and sophisticated parameters (17.09-22). But first Krishna continues [...]