Hear to be here and be here to hear
The Bhagavad Gita concludes with Krishna asking Arjuna whether he was able to hear attentively and whether his illusions were thereby dispelled. This question points [...]
Gita 18.72 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan So in next statement we [...]
How Krishna’s last verse reveals his loving concern for Arjuna
In the last verse that Krishna speaks in the Bhagavad-gita (18.72), Krishna asks Arjuna two questions: Has he heard attentively? And has his illusion been [...]
Taking responsibility to help others choose wisely (Balancing independence and guidance series 7)
Taking responsibility to help others choose wisely - After Krishna concludes the Bhagavad-gita’s message, he asks Arjuna a two-part question: Has he heard attentively? Have [...]
How to give guidance while respecting people’s independence (Balancing independence and guidance series 3)
How to give guidance while respecting people’s independence - Suppose a student seeks career guidance from an older relative. If that relative has previously been [...]
Before a prescription can inspire action, the diagnosis must inspire conviction
Before a prescription can inspire action the diagnosis must inspire conviction When we are in a position of guiding others, we sometimes find that people [...]
Ekagrata is not just a state of attentiveness; it is also a level of consciousness
The last verse spoken by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita (18.72) contains the significant word ekagrata (one-pointed attention). In the verse, Krishna questions Arjuna: “Have you [...]
The Gita empowers Arjuna to win his inner war and enrich himself with wisdom
When warriors fight a formidable enemy, they often inspire themselves by dreaming of the wealth they will gain on winning. Similarly, when we fight the [...]
Using our ears better helps us better use the thing between our ears
The thing between our ears is our brain, which idiomatically refers to our intelligence. Though we all have intelligence, we don’t always act intelligently; we [...]
Being correct is not enough; we need to be correctly understood
Sometimes when we speak something important or insightful, we may think that we have done our part. But if others haven’t understood what we have [...]
Learn to see Krishna’s love with the eyes of knowledge
Our culture often bombards us with explicit images of what is considered to be love. If we equate love with such gushy expressions alone, we [...]
Ignorance is bad, but illusion is worse
A blind person walking on a street, being aware of being unaware of the path, will walk cautiously. But a person with cataract may see [...]
Surrender is not rejection of the intelligence, but its perfection
Some people perceive surrender to God as anti-intellectual, as an abandonment of the intelligence for an abject capitulation to God. However, that’s not the kind [...]