Devotion changes our inner home (Chatur-Shloki Gita analysis 4)
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 next verse (10.09) states the characteristics [...]
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)
The first verse (10.08) of the Chatur-Shloki Gita (10.08-11) gives the definition and identification of God. In its first quarter, it states that God is [...]
The necessity of bhakti (Appreciating bhakti-yoga 5)
Suppose someone is told about a powerful medicine. If they think they are not sick, they won’t care much about that medicine. They need to [...]
The universality of bhakti
Most conventional religious paths present rigid boundaries to differentiate between the pure and the impure, which eventually translates into the qualified and the unqualified. Even [...]
How the Gita’s conclusion integrates its contextual and universal dimensions (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 7)
The Bhagavad-gita starts with a vividly specific setting: an inquiry by the blind king Dhritarashtra about the events on the battlefield of Kurukshetra (01.01). He [...]
How the Bhagavad-gita’s battlefield setting demonstrates its core teaching (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 6)
The Gita’s first chapter describes how both the ungodly Duryodhana and the godly Arjuna were disturbed by observing the battlefield. And their varying responses to [...]
The Gita’s starting and ending usage of Partha (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 5)
In Krishna’s first and last words in the Bhagavad-gita, he addresses Arjuna as Partha. Let’s explore the significance of these usages by analyzing Arjuna’s epithet. [...]
The Gita’s triple use of ‘Achyuta’ (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 4)
The Bhagavad-gita uses various names for Krishna and Arjuna not just for literary variety or poetic symmetry, but also and primarily to subtly convey pertinent [...]
The cyclicity of the Bhagavad-gita (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 3)
A well-written book cycles back to the starting point in its ending point. Let’s see how such cyclicity is demonstrated in the Bhagavad-gita, which is [...]
From the specific to the universal and back to the specific (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 2)
Well-written books exhibit an expert balance between specifics and universals, whereby the specifics engage and the universals illuminate. Let’s see how this is done in [...]
Three levels of answers to the Gita’s driving question (Appreciating the Gita’s flow 1)
The Bhagavad-gita (02.07) is spoken by Krishna to answer Arjuna’s question, “What is dharma, the right thing to do?” To help us understand how we [...]
Does the quest for knowledge have an end? (From ignorance to knowledge series 7)
Knowledge in almost every area can be pursued nearly infinitely. The more we come to know something, the more we may discover how much more [...]
How does the journey from ignorance to knowledge begin? (From ignorance to knowledge series 6)
Suppose someone wants to mine gold. They need to know quite a few things about gold: for example, what gold looks like, why it is [...]
When knowledge increases ignorance … (From ignorance to knowledge series 5)
We usually consider knowledge to be the cure for ignorance: where knowledge increases, ignorance decreases. In fact, a celebrated Upanishadic quote implies these opposing attributes [...]
The mysterious door to knowledge (From ignorance to knowledge series 2)
Suppose we see a majestic palace and notice a low door to enter into it. Intrigued, we bend ourselves, enter and behold impressive artistry and [...]
When our ignorance is exposed … (From ignorance to knowledge series 1)
Because we are tiny beings living in a huge and complex world, what we know will always be dwarfed by what we don’t know. Whenever [...]
Does bhakti make one transcendental to ethics? (Ethics & devotion series 1)
Devotees sometimes believe that their devotion raises them above the jurisdiction of ethical accountability. Technically, the belief that one’s religion provides one moral exemption is [...]
Why are we studying spirituality?
We now live in an age where education has become very structured and systematized, wherein educational success is measured through certificates and accolades. While certification [...]
Should education be realistic or idealistic?
Suppose schools started teaching kids, “The world is such a terrible place that you can’t even survive unless you learn to lie.” When parents express [...]
Three levels of tension in the Bhagavad-gita
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter depicts Arjuna subjected to three increasingly intense tensions: emotional, ethical and existential. Emotional tension: Arjuna was torn between jubilation and apprehension. [...]