When God says no
When it seems that God has not answered our prayers, actually, God has answered our prayers. Even a 'no' is an answer. And when it [...]
How is morality present wherever the Gita is followed?
The Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion (18.78) asserts that morality is present wherever the Gita’s teachings are followed. This assertion may raise some eyebrows among those who know [...]
How the Gita’s last verse reveals the power of divine love
In the Bhagavad-gita’s last verse (18.78), the narrator Sanjaya indirectly answers Dhritarashtra’s unspoken question in the Gita’s first verse (01.01). The blind king’s literal question, [...]
How the Gita’s conclusion integrates its contextual and universal dimensions (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 7)
How the Gita’s conclusion integrates its contextual and universal dimensions - The Bhagavad-gita starts with a vividly specific setting: an inquiry by the blind king [...]
From worthless anxiety to worthwhile anxiety
As life’s uncertainties make us anxious, we often long to be anxiety-free. Curiously however, when we are relatively free from anxiety, as when we are [...]
God is always ready to work with us, are we ready to work with him?
Suppose a reputed coach, who has helped many athletes excel, is eager to work with a budding athlete. That athlete would be profoundly grateful. But [...]
Don’t ask God to fix your problems, ask God to fix you so that you can fix your problems
Some people think that if they just pray to God, he will fix their problems. However, such outsourcing of problems to God is problematic. If [...]
Possessing wealth is not the problem; being possessed by wealth is
Some people think that to be spiritual is to be anti-material, that they need to give up everything material for attaining the spiritual. However, the [...]
The Gita’s purpose is not to proclaim God’s position, but to transform man’s disposition
The Bhagavad-gita concludes with a proclamation: “Wherever there is Krishna and Arjuna, there will be victory.” This prophetic proclamation aptly climaxes the Gita’s revelation of [...]
Spirituality unleashes our purity and our potency
The Bhagavad-gita’s concluding verse (18.78) depicts an imagery that transcends its battlefield context and highlights the empowering nature of its message. The verse declares that [...]
God doesn’t need us to harmonize with him – we need to harmonize with him
The Bhagavad-gita (18.78) concludes that where Krishna and Arjuna are together, victory follows. This declaration may raise the question: “Krishna alone is enough to guarantee [...]
The Gita’s concluding prophecy answers its starting enquiry
Great books often feature between their start and end a symmetry, a circularity that brings a fulfilling sense of completeness and elegance. The Bhagavad-gita too [...]
Surrender to God is not the suppression of human will, but its perfection
Some people hold that surrender to God is demeaning, for it suppresses human will. Their argument assumes that all surrender happens amidst antagonism, as [...]
The two endings of the Gita point to the same end
The Bhagavad-gita has two endings based on the two nested conversations that comprise its narrative. The outer, framing conversation is at Hastinapura between Sanjaya and [...]
Surrender is expressed through not just helplessness but also readiness
The quintessential image of surrender is the chaste Draupadi, raising her hands in utter helplessness while being disrobed and calling out to Krishna for protection. [...]
Beware of the mind’s divide and rule strategy
A standard war strategy for defeating a strong enemy is divide and rule. The Bhagavad-gita (06.06) states that the mind can often act as our [...]
The determination to serve Krishna doesn’t just herald victory – it is victory
The Bhagavad-gita concludes ((18.78) with a prophecy: when the devotee is one in will with the Lord, victory will ensue. This prophecy was fulfilled when [...]
Surrender to Krishna is not a pronouncement of defeat, but a precursor to victory
“I surrender.” These words are usually spoken when a combatant lays down arms and accepts defeat. Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita concludes his counsel (18.66) with [...]
Seek a happy ending that has no ending
Happy endings, as in movies and novels, attract us and evoke a longing for something similar in real life. Gita wisdom assures us that we [...]
The Gita guarantees ultimate success
The Bhagavad-gita (18.78) concludes with the proclamation that success is guaranteed for those who harmonize their human will with the divine will. This proclamation is [...]