Guide me beyond rationalizing and resigning to reharmonizing with you
Bhagavad Gita 9.6 yathākāśa-sthito nityaṁ vāyuḥ sarvatra-go mahān tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni mat-sthānīty upadhāraya As the mighty wind forever roams in space, Yet always abides [...]
You care more for how my offering impacts my heart than how it impacts the world
Bhagavad Gita 9.26 patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even [...]
Let faith in your protection reduce my anxiety, not reduce me to apathy
Bhagavad Gita 9.22 ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham Those who worship me with hearts undivided, In constant remembrance, [...]
Lead my life into the light of your presence, your purpose, and your power
Bhagavad Gita 9.4 mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ By my unmanifest form, all this world is pervaded, [...]
You are different from everyone else—and so is loving you different from all other loves
Bhagavad Gita 10.12 arjuna uvāca paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum Arjuna said: You are the Supreme [...]
I seek your shelter, O shelter of all shelters
Bhagavad Gita 9.18 gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, [...]
Free me from the expectation that you will make my path obstacle-free
Bhagavad Gita 9.14 satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā nitya-yuktā upāsate Forever, they sing my glories unending, Endeavor for me [...]
May my vision, conception, and aspiration turn toward you
Bhagavad Gita 9.13 mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam The great souls take shelter in nature divine, With [...]
Your seeming humanity doesn’t diminish your divinity—it deepens your lovability
Bhagavad Gita 9.11 avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto mama bhūta-maheśvaram Fools mock me, seeing but a human-like manifestation, Not knowing [...]
You are the God of miracles—and the God of practicals
Bhagavad Gita 9.10 mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate "Under my supervision, nature unfolds, Through everything moving and nonmoving, my control still [...]
In the world’s distress, let me see not your disregard for my well-being, but your respect for my will
Bhagavad Gita 9.9 na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañ-jaya udāsīna-vad āsīnam asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu By none of the world’s mess or distress, Am [...]
Two ways to deal with our past
Even if we can't escape our past, we can still outgrow it We all carry scars from our past—deep wounds that cause fears or impressions [...]
How self-destructive desire corrupts our intelligence
The Bhagavad Gita (3.43) exhorts us to use our intelligence to fight against self-destructive desires but simultaneously warns (3.40) that even intelligence can be corrupted [...]
Three meanings of ‘fire’ and how they apply to our inner world
The word fire has multiple meanings: a natural force that burns, the dismissal of someone from their job, and an energizing enthusiasm or motivation (as [...]
How the mind and the intelligence are to work together
The mind is meant to be the complement to the intelligence, let it not become the replacement of the intelligence We live in an age [...]
5.18 An Identity Beyond Identity Politics — The Gita’s Deeper Vision
In today’s political discourse especially in the West, there's a lot of focus on identity— race, gender, orientation. In India, there's a similar focus on [...]
Let me seek the support that draws me to you, not away from you (9.18)
Bhagavad Gita 9.18 gatir bhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhṛt prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījam avyayam I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, [...]
Let me take the war against temptation seriously (2.68)
Let me take the war against temptation seriously Bhagavad Gita 2.68 tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā "Therefore, O mighty-armed, be [...]
Let your smiling amid my suffering strengthen my faith (2.10)
Bhagavad Gita 2.10 tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ7 prahasann iva bhārata senayor ubhayor madhye viṣīdantam idaṁ vacaḥ "The Lord of the senses spoke with a gentle [...]
How the worldview of devotion is holistic and wholesome
The worldview of devotion centers on the understanding that there is a transcendental person, Krishna, who exists as the supreme divinity at the pinnacle of [...]
What’s wrong with the worldview of dread?
What's wrong with the worldview of dread? The worldview of dread refers to a deep-rooted fear of the entangling nature of existence, characterized by a [...]