Developing Resilience by Changing Our Driving Question
We all need to develop resilience because life is hard—it will knock us down sooner or later. Resilience is largely determined by what goes on [...]
Why does Krishna love Arjuna especially among the Pandavas?
One reason that is clear from the Mahabharata itself is that Arjuna was born with a special focus on devotion; his father Pandu sought a [...]
How Krishna expands Arjuna’s understanding of his choices
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna faced a crippling ethical dilemma: Should he work or should he renounce work? Krishna explains that neither work [...]
What does equal vision mean for Arjuna on the battlefield
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna commends the spiritually realized who see everyone equally (05.18). Krishna is talking about the equality of all living beings as souls; [...]
Is the Gita’s conclusion meant only for Arjuna?
The Bhagavad-gita concludes with a call for Arjuna to surrender (18.66) — such surrender is underscored to be a central component of bhakti-yoga. Is the [...]
Gita 06.34 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now Arjuna will give one more [...]
Does Krishna teach Arjuna that all paths lead to the same goal? – part 1
[This is now the first part of what was previously written as a single article. On the request of readers for greater elaboration of the [...]
Why Duryodhana’s illusion remained whereas Arjuna’s was removed
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter contains the words of primarily two characters: Duryodhana (01.03-11) and Arjuna (01.21-23; 01.28-45). Why does the Gita include Duryodhana’s speech, when [...]
How can Arjuna practice undeviating bhakti when the modes are causing his deviation?
On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna was deviated by the lower modes — under their influence, he was fixating on the agony of fighting against his [...]
Was Arjuna less intelligent in worshiping the devatas?
In the Bhagavad-gita’s seventh chapter, Krishna’s statement (07.23) is sometimes read to imply that the worshipers of the devatas (cosmic administrators) are less intelligent (alpa-medhasam). [...]
How Arjuna understands what Krishna means when using the word ‘yoga’
Words are often multivalent — they have many meanings, sometimes widely differing meanings. When confronted with such multivalent words during a conversation, how do we [...]
What Krishna never mentions to Arjuna in the Gita
Some people think that Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita just to get Arjuna to fight. If that were so, Krishna chose a laboriously long-cut method for [...]
Why Krishna mentions Arjuna as his vibhuti among the Pandavas
In the Bhagavad-gita’s tenth chapter, Krishna lists his vibhutis (special manifestations) among various classes of beings. When he comes to the Pandavas as a class. [...]
What Arjuna’s eagerness to hear about Krishna signifies
In the Bhagavad-gita’s tenth chapter, Arjuna asks to hear more about Krishna’s glories (10.16), for he never tires of hearing those glories (10.18). Though such [...]
Why Arjuna’s declaration of Krishna’s position is significant
In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna speaks metaphysical points the most in the tenth chapter (10.12-18). His speech in the eleventh chapter on seeing the universal form [...]
Arjuna’s fifteenth question: How to transcend the modes
Toward the end of the fourteenth chapter (14.21), Arjuna asks Krishna, “What are the characteristics of those who transcend the modes? And how do they [...]
What the Gita’s questions tell us about Arjuna as a student
During a class, the questions a student asks tells the teacher how much the student is involved in the learning process. Arjuna’s questions in the [...]
What the Gita’s questions tell us about Krishna as a teacher
Good teachers are concerned about knowing and delivering their lessons well. Great teachers are concerned about ensuring that their students understand the subject. To that [...]
Gita 11.08 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 11.8 na tu māṁ [...]
Why does Krishna give Arjuna special eyes to see the universal form?
The universal form is a revelation, which essentially means it is something not normally accessible to us humans, but made accessible by divine intervention. How [...]
What is the universal form? Why does Arjuna want to see it?
The term ‘universal form’ essentially refers to a form that shows Krishna’s presence, power, purpose spread across the entire universe. The universal form pervades the [...]