Even Go-Getters Must Pause: Arjuna’s Ultimate Dilemma
When the Bhagavad Gita opens, the great warrior Arjuna develops a sudden case of nerves, putting down his weapons and stating, "I cannot fight." It [...]
The Battlefield Metaphor: Why Intellectual Shortcuts Fail
The setting of the Bhagavad Gita is inherently jarring. Just before the climactic war of the epic Mahabharata is about to begin, the leading warrior, [...]
Adversity, Atrocity, and the True Source of Agony
We often face problems in life at three different levels of acuteness: adversity, atrocity, and agony. Adversity is what life naturally throws at us, such [...]
Public Trust in Times of Protest: Why the Government Needs CIT
The images of protesting students being lathi-charged by the police are disturbing and distressing. Emotions are understandably running high. Rather than joining those on the [...]
Are life’s reversals karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna’s push to surrender?
When we face reversals in life, we often wonder whether these are the results of our past karma, tests by Maya, or Krishna pushing us [...]
Why Do You Laugh at Your Own Humor?
This question came from a friend who had just attended one of my talks. He explained, “Normally, in executive humor—that which is appropriate for workplace [...]
Question: Considering the case of Ketan Agarwal, is murder destined or is it because of poor judgment?
Answer: Such a question has no simple answer. As the Bhagavad Gita itself acknowledges, gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ—the workings of karma are profound and difficult to [...]
The Same Words, Different Worlds
Today morning, on July 6, as I was leaving Delhi to catch a flight to Mumbai, I was in the car talking on the phone [...]
Why does Krishna tell Arjuna to be detached from the results when Krishna wants the result of establishing dharma?
Question: Why does Krishna tell Arjuna to be detached from the results when Krishna wants the result of establishing dharma and wants Arjuna to be [...]
Why did Krishna speak the Gita to Arjuna rather than to Yudhishthira?
As the Bhagavad Gita is a dharma-saṁvāda and Yudhishthira is known as Dharmaraja, why did Krishna speak the Gita to Arjuna rather than to Yudhishthira? [...]
Let the realization of your position transform my conviction and aspiration
Bhagavad Gita 18.78 yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama Where Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of mystic perfection, [...]
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). [...]