When our inner map fails (Why the Gita’s first chapter matters 2)
When our inner map fails - Suppose we are driving on an important journey using a digital map, but suddenly our map stops working. That [...]
The QUEST acronym (Why the Gita’s first chapter matters 1)
The QUEST acronym - The Bhagavad-gita is widely known as a book of profound philosophy. Why does such a book start with an entire chapter [...]
10.11 How knowledge relates with devotion (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 13)
10.11 How knowledge relates with devotion - The Chatur-Shloki Gita offers a nuanced understanding of the relationship between knowledge and devotion. Let’s try to understand [...]
10.11 How knowledge manifests in devotion (Chatur Shloki Gita analysis 12)
10.11 How knowledge manifests in devotion - Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya “Move from darkness to light.” This well-known saying from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad succinctly conveys [...]
How devotion leads to dynamic intelligence (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 11)
How devotion leads to dynamic intelligence - Our destiny is determined by our decisions; the choices we make can radically alter our life’s trajectories. Unfortunately, [...]
Why our mood matters in our bhakti practice (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 10)
Why our mood matters in our bhakti practice - Suppose we meet someone whose words or gestures convey that they don’t want to be with [...]
How devotion encompasses our entire being (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 9)
How devotion encompasses our entire being - In the Chatur-shloki Gita, the second verse (10.09) describes the characteristics of the devoted in terms of their [...]
Chatur-Shloki Summarized in terms of reciprocation (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 7)
Chatur-Shloki Summarized in terms of reciprocation - 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. [...]
Why speech matters so much in devotion (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 6)
Why speech matters so much in devotion - In its second verse, the Chatur-Shloki Bhagavad-gita (10.08-11) states the characteristics of the devoted in terms of [...]
Devotion is seen through dedication (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 5)
Devotion is seen through dedication - Suppose someone claims that they are strong patriots. On observing them, if we find that they hardly do anything [...]
Devotion changes our inner home (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 4)
Devotion changes our inner home - 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 [...]
How devotion balances the head and the heart (Chatur-Shloki analysis 3)
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 [...]
Defining and identifying the ultimate reality (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 1)
Defining and identifying the ultimate reality - The first verse (10.08) of the Chatur-Shloki Gita (10.08-11) gives the definition and identification of God. In its [...]
The necessity of bhakti (Appreciating bhakti-yoga 5)
The necessity of bhakti - Suppose someone is told about a powerful medicine. If they think they are not sick, they won’t care much about [...]
The universality of bhakti
The universality of bhakti - Most conventional religious paths present rigid boundaries to differentiate between the pure and the impure, which eventually translates into the [...]
The transformatory potency of bhakti yoga (Appreciating bhakti-yoga 4)
The transformatory potency of bhakti yoga - Every path expects certain abilities or qualities from its practitioners. For example, athletes need to be physically fit [...]
The eternality of bhakti yoga (Appreciating bhakti-yoga 3)
The eternality of bhakti yoga - Many religious paths promise happiness, including happiness beyond this life. Gita wisdom explains that not all post-mortem destinations are [...]
The simplicity of bhakti-yoga (Gita 09.20-34 explained: Appreciating bhakti-yoga 2)
The simplicity of bhakti-yoga - Various religious paths require particular resources to be successfully executed. Those resources may relate with the capacities to get expensive [...]
09.34 Four glories of bhakti-yoga (Gita 09.20-34 explained: Appreciating bhakti-yoga 1)
09.34 Four glories of bhakti-yoga - The glories of bhakti-yoga, as explained in the Bhagavad-gita (09.20-34), can be summarized through the acronym SETU: Simple, Eternal, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]