Gita 02.34 explained
31-38 is Karma Kanda (that is the first application of atma jana) And in next verse Krishna will talk about Kirti so remember Krishna [...]
How surrender to Krishna protects Arjuna from wrong actions
In Krishna’s last instructive words in the Gita, he assures Arjuna protection from all ‘papa,’ which is usually translated as sinful reactions. Additionally, another standard [...]
Does Krishna teach Arjuna that all paths lead to the same goal? – part 2
As discussed in the first part of this series, the idea that all paths lead to the same goal doesn’t hold true for Arjuna’s different [...]
How Krishna uses the same truth to prompt Arjuna to do opposite things
When Arjuna puts aside his bow (01.46) at the start of the Kurukshetra war, one way that Krishna urges Arjuna to pick up his bow [...]
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 [...]
Why does Krishna follow his call for ‘surrender’ with ‘go’ not ‘come’?
Some Gita interpreters highlight the word ‘vraja’ in the Bhagavad-gita’s concluding verse (18.66), emphasizing that its literal meaning is ‘go’, not ‘come.’ That Krishna wants [...]
Gita 10.15 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 10.15 svayam evātmanātmānaṁ vettha [...]
How Arjuna is much more than a student in the Gita
Suppose a celebrated professor discussed a controversial subject during a class — and that discussion is available for posterity through a transcript. If different people [...]
Gita 07.01 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya So let us look at BG [...]
What Krishna’s first and last instructive words reveal
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna’s first instructive verse is 02.11. Though he speaks some verses earlier, those verses are either simply indicative (01.25) or friendly exhortative [...]
Gita 06.02 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 1-9: From Arurukshato (beginning stage) [...]
Krishna’s change of emphasis from detachment to attachment
The Bhagavad-gita’s seventh chapter begins with a strikingly different emphasis from its previous six chapters. While those chapters focused on detachment as the [...]
How Krishna emphasizes the essence of renunciation for Arjuna
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita’s sixth chapter, Krishna continues revealing how opposites can be harmonized. Just as sankhya and yoga both are [...]
Gita 18.16 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 18.16 tatraivaṁ sati kartāram [...]
Gita 06.18 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya In this chapter Sri Krishna gradually [...]
Why does Krishna stress equanimity of the mind as a prerequisite for renunciation?
In the Bhagavad-gita’s sixth chapter, Krishna stresses that renunciation of work (06.03-04: shamah) can lead to progress only for those who have situated their mind [...]
How Krishna helps Arjuna arrive at a desired conclusion
Krishna’s purpose in speaking the Bhagavad-gita is, at one level, to ensure that Arjuna plays his part in the divine mission to establish dharma in [...]
Gita 01.37-38 – Explanation from Bhakti Shastri Class
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan 27 - 46 Arjuna’s lamentation [...]
How Krishna describes the vision of the seers
Throughout the Gita, Krishna informs Arjuna of how the spiritually realized see reality differently. Here’s a quick overview of Krishna’s major statements about a higher [...]
How Arjuna’s vision evolves in the Gita
‘See’ can refer literally to a physical perception and non-literally to a mental conception. Literally, we might say on spotting someone in a crowd, “I [...]
What the indestructibility of the soul implies — and what it doesn’t imply
Some people say, “Krishna tells Arjuna in the Gita that the soul is eternal — therefore, there’s nothing wrong in killing anyone.” That’s a distortion [...]