From the specific to the universal (Why the Gita’s first chapter matters 3)
We learn best by an expert combination of the specific and the universal. Specifics catch our attention as when novels paint a vivid picture of [...]
We learn best by an expert combination of the specific and the universal. Specifics catch our attention as when novels paint a vivid picture of [...]
Suppose we are driving on an important journey using a digital map, but suddenly our map stops working. That will leave us disoriented. We all [...]
The Bhagavad-gita is widely known as a book of profound philosophy. Why does such a book start with an entire chapter whose content is largely [...]
The Chatur-Shloki Gita offers a nuanced understanding of the relationship between knowledge and devotion. Let’s try to understand that relationship by considering a metaphor of [...]
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya “Move from darkness to light.” This well-known saying from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad succinctly conveys the essential purpose of human existence. Drawing [...]
Our destiny is determined by our decisions; the choices we make can radically alter our life’s trajectories. Unfortunately, the world can be so complex and [...]
Suppose we meet someone whose words or gestures convey that they don’t want to be with us. Once we sense their feelings toward us, we [...]
In the Chatur-shloki Gita, the second verse (10.09) describes the characteristics of the devoted in terms of their thoughts, actions and words. These correspond to [...]
If we read the Bhagavad-gita’s Chatur-shloki (its four-verse summary:10.08-11), it becomes evident that its essential theme is bhakti-yoga. And this yoga of love centers on [...]
In its second verse, the Chatur-Shloki Bhagavad-gita (10.08-11) states the characteristics of the devoted in terms of their thinking, living and speaking. Significantly, while it [...]
Suppose someone claims that they are strong patriots. On observing them, if we find that they hardly do anything practical for their country, we will [...]
The Bhagavad-gita’s Chatur-Shloki (10.08-11) begins by stating that Krishna is the ultimate reality, loved by the enlightened (10.08). The next verse (10.09) states the characteristics [...]
The first verse of the Chatur-Shloki characterizes those devoted to Krishna as buddha (enlightened) and bhava-samanvitah (infused with emotion). These two describers point to a [...]
The first verse (10.08) of the Chatur-Shloki Gita (10.08-11) gives the definition and identification of God. In its first quarter, it states that God is [...]
Suppose someone is told about a powerful medicine. If they think they are not sick, they won’t care much about that medicine. They need to [...]
Most conventional religious paths present rigid boundaries to differentiate between the pure and the impure, which eventually translates into the qualified and the unqualified. Even [...]
Every path expects certain abilities or qualities from its practitioners. For example, athletes need to be physically fit and agile; students need to be intellectually [...]
Many religious paths promise happiness, including happiness beyond this life. Gita wisdom explains that not all post-mortem destinations are equally good. The Gita differentiates between [...]
Various religious paths require particular resources to be successfully executed. Those resources may relate with the capacities to get expensive paraphernalia, perform elaborate rituals, engage [...]
The glories of bhakti-yoga, as explained in the Bhagavad-gita (09.20-34), can be summarized through the acronym SETU: Simple, Eternal, Transformational, Universal. As SETU means bridge [...]
The Bhagavad-gita starts with a vividly specific setting: an inquiry by the blind king Dhritarashtra about the events on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (01.01). He [...]