155 results
Article
The Gita says that feeling like the doer is an ego's illusion. Does that mean we can say "I didn't do it" and walk away from our mistakes? No. An everyday case, two verses and three sentences to say after a mistake.
Level: Simple English 3 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
How do you work hard without being tied up by praise, results and the sense of 'mine'? The Gita's verses say freedom comes not by stopping work but by loosening your grip. With one small practice for today.
Level: Simple English 6 min Freedom Through Action
Article
Afraid that whatever goes wrong will be your doing? In the Gita the Lord tells Arjuna to be merely an instrument. A plain meaning, an example, what it is not, and one small practice for today.
Level: Simple English 6 min Merely an Instrument
Article
Many people read surrender in the Gita as giving up effort and thought. The Lord's own words (18.63, 18.58) ask for thinking first and a free choice after. A short note on a common mistake.
Level: Simple English 2 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
Sunday evening and your stomach is already tight over Monday's meeting, deadline or target. The Gita splits work pressure into three weights and gives a small handle for each, with a practice for tonight.
Level: Simple English 6 min Working Under Pressure
Article
If you have done a lot of wrong, is it too late to turn to God? Gita 9.30-31 answers plainly: what the Lord says, what it does not mean, a short example and one small practice for today.
Level: Simple English 4 min Even the Worst Offender
Article
Done the work but cannot stop thinking about the result? The Gita draws a line: the work is yours, the result is not (2.47). Caring stays, clinging goes (2.48). A simple practice for tonight.
Level: Simple English 6 min Action Without Claiming the Fruit
Article
When every person you ask gives different advice, more advice does not help. The Gita (2.41, 2.53) says a settled mind rests on one clear aim, and shows what scatters it and how to come back to it.
Level: Simple English 4 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
Article
Tired and ready to do nothing? The Gita says no one can stop acting, even for a moment (3.5), and that a still body with a busy mind is no rest (3.6). It offers a better way (3.7).
Level: Simple English 6 min Can We Simply Stop Acting?
Article
After honest effort, the result may still be out of our hands, and the mind says that fate decides everything. What does the Gita say? A farmer's case, two verses and a practice of two columns before you start a task.
Level: Simple English 3 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
Should you ask the question you keep to yourself, or stay quiet? The Gita starts from Arjuna's questions. See how he asks, what Lord Krishna does, and a simple way to ask a question of your own.
Level: Simple English 5 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
If God comes to mind only when trouble strikes, is that devotion false? The Gita names four reasons that bring people to the Lord and calls all four good. Learn who stands nearest to Him and why.
Level: Simple English 4 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
When life feels too heavy, what should you drop and what must you keep? The Gita's answer in plain words: let go of the grip on results, keep your duties and the habits that keep you clean, and do what is needed because it ought to be done.
Level: Simple English 6 min Relinquishment and Renunciation of Action
Article
You pray every day, but the heart feels empty, and no one at home talks about it. Gita 10.7-11 says that seeing the Lord's greatness steadies devotion, speaking of Him together brings joy, and the Lord gives the light. One small practice.
Level: Simple English 6 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
When a task goes well the mind swells, and when it fails the mind sinks. The Gita says every action has five causes and you are one of them. Three verses, an example and one small practice for today.
Level: Simple English 6 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
Do you feel that everything will fall apart if you let go for a day? The Gita's last counsel (18.57 to 18.66) says to keep the work, hand over the load, think it through and then choose freely. A plain guide with a practice for tonight.
Level: Simple English 7 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
The Gita's eighteen chapters in plain words: one conversation that answers five questions in order, so you can start at the question that is yours.
Level: Simple English 6 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
The Bhagavad Gita is one conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna on a battlefield, in eighteen chapters, about how to act when you are torn. Here is who speaks, why, and what it asks of you.
Level: Simple English 6 min What Is the Gita?
Article
After a big blow you may feel broken and confused. Arjuna in the Gita went through the same. See what he said, what he asked, and how he stood up again.
Level: Simple English 4 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
Article
When a decision is too heavy to carry, Arjuna shows the first step: say plainly what is wrong, admit you do not know, and ask. A simple reading of Gita 1.28 to 2.10.
Level: Simple English 5 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
You have listened to advice for months and still hesitate. The Gita's last verses show what a clear mind looks like: Arjuna's 'my delusion is destroyed, I will act', and the small first step that follows.
Level: Simple English 5 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Article
Not sure where to open the Gita? Start with a question of your own and one verse, in chapter 2. Here is a plain way to begin, with no Sanskrit and no preparation.
Level: Simple English 5 min How to Read the Gita
Article
You copy a louder colleague or a cousin's career, and you end up tired and unsure. The Gita says your own way, done imperfectly, beats another's way done well, and tells you why. One practice for this week.
Level: Simple English 6 min One's Own Duty
Article
You fast, read and give, yet God feels distant and you carry a grudge. Gita 11.54-55 says whom the Lord is found by, and what that kind of love looks like in an ordinary life.
Level: Simple English 5 min By Devotion Alone
Article
Gita 9.26-29 in order: why the Lord accepts a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, how to make all your actions an offering, what the offering frees you from, and how He is equal to all yet near to a devotee.
Level: In Depth English 14 min A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water
Article
Shock, freezing, arguing, asking for help, learning, doubting again and finally acting: the Gita walks Arjuna through each, and the road is the one we walk too. Each step, how it looks in life, an example, a practice and five questions.
Level: In Depth English 8 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
Article
Arjuna asks whether the one who worships the Lord in a form or the one who worships the formless is better. Read Gita 12.1-5 in order: what the Lord answers, why the road of the unmanifest is harder, and how to choose your own.
Level: In Depth English 8 min Devotion or the Unmanifest
Article
Action, knowledge, meditation and devotion are each praised as best in the Gita. Read the basis of each comparison (3.3, 5.5, 6.47, 12.2, 13.25), the cautions the Gita gives each path and how the Lord's steps in 12.8 to 12.12 join them.
Level: In Depth English 11 min The Paths: Action, Knowledge, Devotion
Article
Does the Gita ask us not to care how things turn out? Gita 2.47 to 2.51 explained verse by verse: the work is ours, the result is not, and work done this way is better work.
Level: In Depth English 10 min Action Without Claiming the Fruit
Article
The Lord says the warriors are already slain and Arjuna is to be merely an instrument. Does that take away Arjuna's will? What the verses fix, what they leave to Arjuna, and what the Lord says at the end.
Level: In Depth English 5 min Merely an Instrument
Article
How the Gita builds evenness of mind in three steps, taken verse by verse: bearing pleasure and pain, acting the same in gain and loss, and seeing the same Self in all. With misreadings, an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Equanimity
Article
What if you cannot keep your mind on God? In Gita 12.6-12 the Lord gives four steps: mind and intellect on Him, repeated practice, work for Him, and giving up the fruit. Each verse explained, with a table, common misreadings, an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 12 min The Ladder of Devotion
Article
A verse-by-verse reading of Gita 2.39–46 and 2.52–53: how the teaching of the self becomes a steady, resolute intellect, what scatters the mind, and how the mind comes to rest so that yoga can happen.
Level: In Depth English 11 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
Article
Arjuna asks to see whom he must fight, Lord Krishna grants it and says one word, and the sight of his own people changes everything. A verse-by-verse reading of Gita 1.20–27 and why the Gita begins here.
Level: In Depth English 11 min Arjuna on the Field
Article
Whoever knows the Lord's glory in truth is joined to Him by unwavering devotion, and the Lord Himself gives the wisdom and lights the lamp of knowledge. Gita 10.7-11 verse by verse, with a table, an example and a seven-day practice.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
After the universal form the Lord says this sight comes not through Vedas, austerity, charity or sacrifice but through undivided devotion. Gita 11.52-55 in order, a table of the five marks, an example, a seven-day practice and questions.
Level: In Depth English 13 min By Devotion Alone
Article
The Gita's last seven verses in order: the Lord's question, Arjuna's four statements, Sanjaya's joy and closing verdict. With a table, an example, common misreadings, reflection questions and five answers.
Level: In Depth English 10 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Article
Why does the Lord, right after the teaching of the self, speak of duty, reputation and what people will say? Seven verses in order, where the argument stops, common misreadings, an example and three questions to carry.
Level: In Depth English 9 min Duty, Honour and Fear
Article
A map of the twenty verses of Gita chapter 12: Arjuna's question, the four steps for a mind that will not stay, and the devotee the Lord holds dear, with a guide to the reading for each part.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion, an Overview
Article
Gita chapter 3 in seven questions: can we stop acting, why work is giving, why the content still act, who the doer is, how to act without anxiety, whose duty to follow, and what drives us against our will. With the verses that answer each.
Level: In Depth English 10 min Chapter 3: The Yoga of Selfless Action, an Overview
Article
What do the great souls do in the Gita, and what does the Lord do for them? Verses 9.13-15 and 9.22 in order: undivided mind, glorifying, striving and bowing, the sacrifice of knowledge, and the promise to carry what they lack.
Level: In Depth English 11 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care
Article
What is action, what is wrong action and what is inaction? Gita 4.16 to 4.24 explained in order: how a person can act all day and not be bound, through five marks and a vision of the act as an offering.
Level: In Depth English 9 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound
Article
The Lord says a person of very bad conduct who worships with undivided devotion is to be regarded as righteous. Gita 9.30-34 taken in order: what each verse means, where the promise stops, common mistakes, an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 10 min Even the Worst Offender
Article
Why does willpower alone not end our confusion? Read Gita 7.14-15 in order: the illusory energy is the Lord's own power, what taking refuge asks of us, and why some people do not turn to Him.
Level: In Depth English 10 min The Illusory Energy and Surrender
Article
Four choices decide how you read the Gita: the order, the translation, the commentary and the question you bring. Here is a practical way to make each one, with the Gita's own advice on study.
Level: In Depth English 10 min How to Read the Gita
Article
The Gita lists destiny among the five causes of action and denies a right to the fruit. Does that make effort pointless? The count of the five causes, the third clause of 2.47, why effort is never lost, and two opposite mistakes, read from the verses.
Level: In Depth English 5 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
You understand that the Gita asks us to act without clinging to the fruit. What do you actually do at your desk, in your shop or at home? Four moments taken from the verses: before the task, during it, after it, and an evening review.
Level: In Depth English 5 min Karma Yoga in Practice
Article
Must you give up everything to find peace, or can you keep working and still be free? Gita 5.1–7 and 6.1–4 verse by verse: why the Lord calls both paths good, why karma yoga is better, and what real renunciation is.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Renunciation or Karma Yoga?
Article
What does it mean to offer all your actions to the Lord, and how does that free you? Gita 3.30-32 and 5.10-12 in order: five things to give and drop, faith, the lotus leaf, inner purification and lasting peace, with an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Offering All Actions
Article
Does surrender in the Gita mean giving up effort and thought? The claim tested against 18.63, 18.58 and the verses around them: three places where the text answers no, and one part of the claim that stands.
Level: In Depth English 3 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
In Gita 12.13-20 the Lord lists over thirty marks and says of each group, 'such a one is dear to Me'. The marks fall into four relationships and hang from one centre. Each verse explained, with a table, common misreadings, an example and a seven-day practice.
Level: In Depth English 13 min The Devotee Dear to the Lord
Article
A chapter-by-chapter map of the Bhagavad Gita: the name, size and job of each of the eighteen chapters, and how Arjuna's questions carry the book from despair to decision.
Level: In Depth English 14 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
Where the Gita speaks to deadlines, targets and the fear of failing: three layers of work pressure, the handle the Gita gives for each, common misreadings, an example and a practice for one working day.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Working Under Pressure
Article
What does the Lord ask of Arjuna in his closing counsel? Gita 18.57 to 18.66 in order: give the actions in the mind, take refuge, reflect fully, then choose freely, with the promise and the last word, do not grieve.
Level: In Depth English 10 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
A verse-by-verse reading of Gita 2.11–30: what the Lord says the self is, why grief is aimed at the wrong thing, the second answer for the one who cannot accept the first, and what the teaching does not mean.
Level: In Depth English 12 min The Imperishable Self
Article
Gita 2.62–63 walks from dwelling on an object through attachment, desire, anger, delusion, confused memory and lost intellect to ruin. Each step in plain words, with the neighbouring verses.
Level: In Depth English 12 min From Thought to Ruin
Article
What does Arjuna ask in the Gita, when, and why? Fourteen main questions in the order of the book, what each shows about his state of mind, the first line of Lord Krishna's answer, and where to read the full reply.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
Why did the Lord tell Arjuna to be merely an instrument? Gita 11.31-35 in order: Arjuna's question, 'I am Time', the four named warriors, Arjuna's trembling, common misunderstandings, an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Merely an Instrument
Article
What the Gita means by one's own duty: how it follows from one's nature, why liking and disliking must not choose it, why another's way brings fear, and how work becomes worship. Verse by verse, with misreadings, an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 15 min One's Own Duty
Article
What does the Gita ask us to give up, and what must stay? Gita 18.1–12 verse by verse: renunciation and relinquishment defined, the duties that are not to be dropped, three reasons for giving up, and why only the fruit can be let go.
Level: In Depth English 13 min Relinquishment and Renunciation of Action
Article
How action stops binding and what karma yoga finally gives. Gita 18.49 to 18.56 in order: letting go of the grip, training the mind, serenity, devotion and refuge in the Lord, with an example and a practice.
Level: In Depth English 13 min Freedom Through Action
Article
Read Gita 7.16-19 in order: the one in distress, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of gain and the wise. All are dear to the Lord, so why is the wise devotee called best, and what does 'after many births' mean?
Level: In Depth English 9 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
The Gita says 'I do nothing' in one place and counts the doer among five causes in another. Read the verses from 3.27 to 18.17 in order, and see how pride and guilt both grow lighter without effort being lost.
Level: In Depth English 13 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
Four voices carry the Bhagavad Gita: a blind king asks, his minister reports, Arjuna questions and Lord Krishna teaches. See why the teaching is given on a battlefield and how Arjuna's questions move it along.
Level: In Depth English 11 min What Is the Gita?
Article
The Gita says the modes of nature do all action and that the knower thinks he does nothing. Does that free us from blame for our mistakes? A reading of the verses, the difference between an honest use of the idea and an alibi, and a short worked example.
Level: In Depth English 5 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
If action binds and knowledge is higher, why not stop acting? Gita 3.1 to 3.8 explained in order: no one can stop, the pretender, the better way, and why action beats inaction.
Level: In Depth English 12 min Can We Simply Stop Acting?
Article
If a person needs nothing, why work at all? Gita 3.17 to 3.26 verse by verse: work free of need, the example that others follow, the Lord's own action, and how the wise guide those who are attached.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Acting for the World
Article
Gita 1.28 to 2.10 read in order: how Arjuna's body, feelings and reasons give way, what Lord Krishna says first, and the one verse (2.7) where he stops arguing and asks to be taught.
Level: In Depth English 13 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
Why does the Gita say all work except sacrifice binds? Gita 3.9 to 3.16 verse by verse: the meaning of sacrifice, the wheel of giving and receiving, the thief, and a life lived in vain.
Level: In Depth English 14 min Work as Sacrifice
Article
An attempt to understand leadership in the Bhagavad Gita not merely as guiding others, but as a comprehensive way of life rooted in self-control, Svadharma, selfless action, discernment, and Lokasangraha.
Level: In Depth English 16 min
Article
An attempt to understand the Gita not merely through Dualistic or Non-Dualistic perspectives, but as an integrated spiritual journey of Bhakti, Jnana, and Karma Yoga.
Level: In Depth English 16 min
Article
A close reading of Gita 1.28 to 2.10: how Arjuna's body, feeling and reasons give way in turn, what Lord Krishna's first words answer, and why his last move is a request.
Level: Deeper English 18 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
Do Arjuna's questions only open the door to the Gita, or do they shape it? Their wording, three threads that run through them, the echo of that wording in the replies, two streams of commentators, and objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 15 min Arjuna's Questions
Article
Arjuna asks why he must act if knowledge is higher. The Lord's reply (3.4 to 3.8) shows that freedom lies in the claim and not in the motion. A close reading, the traditions and the objections.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Can We Simply Stop Acting?
Article
Is Gita 2.62–63 a law of the mind or a warning? Three streams of commentary, six objections and the questions the verses raise, answered from the Gita and the tradition.
Level: Deeper English 17 min From Thought to Ruin
Article
The Gita says nature performs all action, then counts the doer among five causes. Why these claims do not clash, where 18.16–17 is hard, and where the commentators divide: a verse-by-verse reading.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Who Is the Doer?
Article
The Lord turns beings as on a machine, nature compels, and yet Arjuna is told to reflect and do as he wishes. Gita 18.57 to 18.66 read closely: how surrender and free choice belong together, the readings of the last verse and the objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 16 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
Article
A close reading of Gita 2.39–46 and 2.52–53: what the single resolute intellect is, why talk of enjoyment and power blocks it, how the passage fits the Vedas, hearing and the Lord's care, and the difficulties it raises.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
Article
A close reading of nine Gita verses on evenness of mind: what 'bearing' pleasure and pain means, how one can see all alike and still act differently, and how the Gita and its tradition answer the doubts that remain.
Level: Deeper English 15 min Equanimity
Article
Gita 10.7-11 moves from knowing to worshipping to the Lord's own gift. Is that a circle? If the Lord is equal to all, why does He give to some? A close reading, two streams of commentators, six objections and the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 17 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
Article
Is 'be merely an instrument' a command to kill, a statement of fate, or something else? A close reading of Gita 11.31-35, the idea of the instrument across the Gita, two streams of commentators, and objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 18 min Merely an Instrument
Article
After the universal form the Lord says that no Veda, austerity, charity or sacrifice wins this sight, and undivided devotion does. A close reading, the hard questions, two streams of commentators and a table of parallels.
Level: Deeper English 16 min By Devotion Alone
Article
A close reading of Gita 12.1-5. The Lord says both the devotee and the worshipper of the unmanifest reach Him, yet calls the devotee most united. The hard questions, two streams of commentators, and answers from the Gita and the tradition to the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 12 min Devotion or the Unmanifest
Article
Gita 12.13-20 lists over thirty marks and keeps saying 'such a one is dear to Me'. Is it a test? How can anyone be dear to a Lord who is equal to all? A close reading, two streams of commentators, five objections and five questions answered.
Level: Deeper English 18 min The Devotee Dear to the Lord
Article
In Gita 12.8-11 the Lord says three times 'if you cannot, then this', and 12.12 seems to put the lowest step on top. Is that a conflict? A close reading of each verse, two streams of commentators, five objections and four questions answered.
Level: Deeper English 15 min The Ladder of Devotion
Article
Gita 18.1–12 read closely: Arjuna asks for renunciation and relinquishment apart, the Lord defines both, then shows that duty stays and only the clinging goes. The argument, the commentators, four objections and five further questions.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Relinquishment and Renunciation of Action
Article
A close reading of Gita 18.49 to 18.56: how action stops binding, what the mind must gather and give up, the road from the state of Brahman to devotion, the hard questions, and the commentators' two streams.
Level: Deeper English 19 min Freedom Through Action
Article
A close reading of the Gita's last verses: why the Lord asks what he knows, whether 'I will act on Your word' cancels free choice, what memory is regained, and two readings of Sanjaya's closing verdict.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
Article
After teaching the imperishable self, the Lord speaks to Arjuna in the language of duty, reputation and what others will say. A verse-by-verse reading of 2.31-37, the real difficulties, two streams of commentary, and why it is not a general case for war.
Level: Deeper English 12 min Duty, Honour and Fear
Article
A close reading of Gita 3.17 to 3.26: how 'no duty remains' and 'act for the welfare of the world' fit together, where the commentators divide, four objections answered, and the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 19 min Acting for the World
Article
A close reading of Gita 3.30-32 and 5.10-12: what is offered when nature does the acting, two streams on the mind fixed on the self and on Brahman, faith and fault-finding, seven objections answered, and what the verses leave open.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Offering All Actions
Article
A close reading of Gita 3.9 to 3.16: what sacrifice means, why the one who takes without giving is called a thief, where the readings differ, four objections answered, and the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 19 min Work as Sacrifice
Article
A close reading of Gita 5.1–7 and 6.1–4: why the Lord calls both paths good yet ranks them, what real renunciation is, where the commentators differ, four objections answered, and the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 19 min Renunciation or Karma Yoga?
Article
In Gita 7.16-19 all four devotees are called good and noble, yet the wise one is 'My very Self'. Is the Lord partial? Is the wise a fourth kind of devotee or where the other three arrive? Five difficulties, answered from the text.
Level: Deeper English 13 min Four Kinds of Devotees
Article
In Gita 7.20-23 and 9.20-25 the Lord steadies the faith of those who worship other deities and grants what they seek, yet calls the result perishable. Is that respect or criticism? A close reading, four difficulties and the commentators.
Level: Deeper English 13 min What We Worship, We Become
Article
In Gita 9.22 the Lord says he carries what his devotees lack and keeps what they have. To whom is this promised, and how does it fit effort and verse 2.45? A close reading of 9.13-15 and 9.22 with four hard questions.
Level: Deeper English 13 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care
Article
A close reading of Gita 9.26-29: why the Lord accepts a leaf, what offering all actions means, how both good and bad results bind, and how He is equal to all yet near to devotees. Eight objections answered, with two streams of commentators.
Level: Deeper English 18 min A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water
Article
Does Gita 9.30-31 excuse bad conduct? A close reading of 'even if', 'wholly' and 'quickly', six hard questions with direct replies, two streams of commentators, and answers from the Gita and the tradition to the questions the verses raise.
Level: Deeper English 16 min Even the Worst Offender
Article
Gita chapter 12 seems to pull two ways in four places: who is best, the order of the steps, giving up undertakings against working for the Lord, and disturbing no one. The wording of each verse, the commentators' streams and the open questions.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion, an Overview
Article
Gita chapter 3 seems to say opposite things: knowledge is higher yet act, the self-satisfied has no duty yet act, follow your nature yet master it. A close reading of how the sequence of 43 verses resolves each, with objections and open questions answered.
Level: Deeper English 13 min Chapter 3: The Yoga of Selfless Action, an Overview
Article
Is the order of the Gita's eighteen chapters an argument or a gathering? A close look at the narrator's frame, Arjuna's sixteen questions, the verse counts, the chapter names and the verses that return.
Level: Deeper English 12 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
Article
Does the Gita teach one preferred path or several ways to one goal? The verses 2.39, 3.3, 5.2, 5.6, 6.46, 12.5, 12.12 and 13.25 read closely, three streams of commentary, five objections and the questions the verses raise, answered.
Level: Deeper English 12 min The Paths: Action, Knowledge, Devotion
Article
'Already slain', 'your nature will drive you' and 'mounted on a machine': do these verses take Arjuna's choice away? Each hard verse in its place, two streams of readers, objections with replies, and answers from the Gita and the tradition.
Level: Deeper English 9 min Merely an Instrument
Article
A close reading of Gita 7.14-15. If the illusory energy is the Lord's own power, how can people be blamed? How refuge and effort fit, five hard questions answered, two streams of commentary, and answers from the Gita and the tradition to the questions left over.
Level: Deeper English 14 min The Illusory Energy and Surrender
Article
A close reading of the two Gita passages on one's own duty: why the same verse stands in chapter 3 and chapter 18, what the four patterns of work describe, how it sits with equal vision and surrender, with objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 19 min One's Own Duty
Article
A close reading of one verse, Gita 2.47, at five distances (its words, its sentence, its neighbours, the whole Gita and your own life), with the check that belongs to each distance.
Level: Deeper English 12 min How to Read the Gita
Article
Chapter 3 rejects non-action as an exit and chapter 4 praises it as the mark of the wise. A close reading of Gita 4.16 to 4.24: two senses of akarma, five marks, and the act seen as an offering.
Level: Deeper English 11 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound
Article
A close reading of the Gita's hardest lines on war and killing: 2.31-37, 2.19-20, 11.33 and 18.17. Who is addressed, in what hour, and under what measure, and how readers differ on the field itself.
Level: Deeper English 8 min Arjuna's Despondency
Article
A close reading of Gita 2.47 to 2.51: what the right to action means, why the fruit is dropped as a claim, what moves the work instead, and how 2.51 can promise freedom without making it a price.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Action Without Claiming the Fruit
Article
In its closing verses the Bhagavad Gita names itself a dialogue, a secret yoga and a teaching to be studied as an offering, then leaves the choice to the listener. A close reading with objections and replies.
Level: Deeper English 10 min What Is the Gita?
Article
Does the Gita name an outside force or a state of the person as what drives us against our will? Three streams of commentary, seven objections and the questions Gita 3.36–43 raises, answered from the Gita and the tradition.
Level: Deeper English 14 min The Enemy Called Desire
Article
Arjuna asks to see, Lord Krishna places the chariot and says one word, and the sight of his own people undoes Arjuna's resolve. A close reading of Gita 1.20–27, with parallels, readings and objections.
Level: Deeper English 15 min Arjuna on the Field
Article
A close reading of Gita 2.11–30: the different reasons the Lord gives for not grieving, what each assumes, how an all-pervading self can change bodies, why the verses do not license harm, and what the rest of the Gita and the tradition add.
Level: Deeper English 14 min The Imperishable Self
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A close reading of the Gita verses that speak to work pressure: what the right to action covers, why the fruit is given up, what mental fever means, and how skill and evenness fit, with objections answered.
Level: Deeper English 14 min Working Under Pressure
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A short revision of Gita 9.26-29: the Lord accepts a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water offered with devotion, asks that every act become an offering, frees the offerer from the bonds of results, and stays near the devotee while being equal to all.
English 8 min A Leaf, a Flower, a Fruit, Water
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Why should one who is content within still act? A short revision of Gita 3.17-26: he acts for the good of the world without attachment, and people learn from his conduct.
English 10 min Acting for the World
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Can one work with the whole mind and not carry the weight of the result? In Gita 2.47 to 2.51 the Lord shows Arjuna this road in plain and clear words.
English 7 min Action Without Claiming the Fruit
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Arjuna lifts his bow and asks Krishna to drive the chariot between the two armies, and then sees his own people on both sides. A short revision of Gita 1.20-27, the moment from which the need for teaching begins.
English 9 min Arjuna on the Field
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Why does the Gita begin with its hero breaking down? Arjuna's body gives way, he lets go of his bow, then he turns to Krishna as a disciple seeking refuge, and the teaching begins from there.
English 11 min Arjuna's Despondency
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A short revision of Arjuna's fourteen questions in the Gita: where each one comes, what puzzle of the mind lies behind it, and where the answer is found.
English 11 min Arjuna's Questions
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A quick summary of Arjuna's seven steps: shock, freezing, arguing, asking for help, learning, doubting again and acting, with common misunderstandings and the questions readers ask.
English 3 min Arjuna, Our Mirror
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When everyone gives different advice, how do you decide? A short revision of Gita 2.39-46 and 2.52-53, where Krishna speaks of a steady intellect with one firm resolve that keeps the mind from scattering.
English 6 min Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect
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After the cosmic form the Lord speaks four verses: this vision is rare even for the gods, is not won by the Vedas, austerity, giving or sacrifice, but by undivided devotion, and the devotee has five marks. A short revision of Gita 11.52-55.
English 10 min By Devotion Alone
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When tired and ready to give up everything, is it possible to stop acting? In Gita 3.1 to 3.8 the Lord tells that giving up action does not bring freedom, and what the right road is.
English 7 min Can We Simply Stop Acting?
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The twelfth chapter in short: the form or the formless, a ladder of practice when the mind will not stay, and the marks of the devotee dear to the Lord, all on one page.
English 10 min Chapter 12: The Yoga of Devotion, an Overview
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Chapter 3 of the Gita at a glance: Arjuna asks why act if knowledge is greater, and the Lord answers: do not give up work, change the way you hold it. The whole chapter in seven steps.
English 10 min Chapter 3: The Yoga of Selfless Action, an Overview
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A quick summary of Gita 18.72-78: the Lord's question, Arjuna's four statements, Sanjaya's joy and closing verdict, with common misunderstandings and the questions readers ask.
English 4 min Delusion Gone: I Will Act
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Whether one worships the Lord in form or the formless, which is ahead? A short revision of Gita 12.1-5, Arjuna's question and the Lord's answer: the goal is one, but the difficulty of the road differs.
English 7 min Devotion or the Unmanifest
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After the teaching of the self, the Lord speaks to Arjuna in the language of duty, honour and the fear of disgrace. A short revision of Gita 2.31-37: the seven verses, how far the argument goes, and the turn to an even mind in the next verse.
English 7 min Duty, Honour and Fear
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Keeping the mind the same in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, honour and insult is the Gita's equanimity. It is not going numb or giving up work, but going on with one's work with a calm mind in every condition.
English 11 min Equanimity
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A short revision of Gita 9.30-34: why a person of very bad conduct who turns to the Lord with his whole mind is called righteous, what that promise does not say, and the three lessons the verses hold.
English 10 min Even the Worst Offender
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In Gita 7.16-19 the Lord says that people turn to Him for four reasons: distress, wish to know, some desire, and knowledge. All four are welcome, and the nearest is the one who comes for Him alone.
English 8 min Four Kinds of Devotees
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How does one reach the highest freedom from the bond of action while still acting, what must the mind gather and give up, and how does peace lead on to devotion? The subject of Gita 18.49 to 18.56.
English 9 min Freedom Through Action
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Want to read the Gita but unsure where to begin and how to go on? Plain advice here on the order of reading, and on choosing a translation and a commentary, in three levels.
English 9 min How to Read the Gita
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How does working without clinging to the fruit enter everyday life? Four moments for every task: intention before, full attention during, handing over the result after, and an evening check, from Gita 2.47 to 2.51, 3.30 and 4.19 to 4.23.
English 5 min Karma Yoga in Practice
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Right action, wrong action and non-action are told apart in Gita 4.16 to 4.24. It shows how one can work all day and still not be bound.
English 9 min Karma and Akarma: Acting Without Being Bound
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Five verses of the tenth chapter: one who knows the Lord's glory in truth joins Him by unshakable devotion, devotees find joy in talking of Him together, and the Lord Himself gives buddhi yoga and lights the lamp of knowledge. Three readings.
English 10 min Knowing His Glory Leads to Devotion
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In fear at the cosmic form, Arjuna asks who the terrible form is. The Lord says 'I am Time' and 'be merely an instrument'. A short revision of Gita 11.31-35: the verses, their meaning and Arjuna's trembling reply.
English 10 min Merely an Instrument
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A short revision of Gita 3.30-32 and 5.10-12: what it means to hand all actions to the Lord, why such work leaves no stain like water on a lotus leaf, and how it brings a peace that lasts.
English 11 min Offering All Actions
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What svadharma means, why Gita 3.35 and 18.47 say one's own duty done imperfectly is better than another's done well, and why svadharma is not a family trade or caste.
English 9 min One's Own Duty
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By Gita 18.1 to 18.12, what is the difference between renunciation and relinquishment, what is to be given up and what is not? Why sacrifice, giving and austerity are not given up, and how action done as duty is clear relinquishment.
English 10 min Relinquishment and Renunciation of Action
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Is it necessary to give up everything for peace, or can one stay free while working? Arjuna's question and the Gita's answer: both paths give the supreme good, and karma yoga is the better.
English 11 min Renunciation or Karma Yoga?
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At the end of the twelfth chapter the Lord draws the picture of one dear to Him: free of hatred, friendly and compassionate, even in pleasure and pain, skilful and steady. Three readings of verses 12.13-20 and the question of what 'dear' means.
English 12 min The Devotee Dear to the Lord
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A quick summary of the eighteen chapters of the Gita: the name, verse count and work of each chapter, in five groups, so that the whole map can be revised and explained to someone.
English 13 min The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance
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Why does a person do wrong even when he knows what is right, as if someone were dragging him? In Gita 3.36 to 3.43 the Lord answers this and shows in what order this enemy is to be met.
English 8 min The Enemy Called Desire
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How can the burden of carrying everything alone be put down without giving up duty and thought? In Gita 18.57 to 18.66 the Lord gives His last counsel, asks Arjuna to take refuge, and leaves the choice to him.
English 9 min The Final Counsel: Surrender, Think, Choose
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Why do we repeat the same mistake even when we know better? In Gita 7.14-15 the Lord tells that the energy that pulls the mind is His own, that the way across is surrender, and why some do not come to that way.
English 8 min The Illusory Energy and Surrender
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When someone dear has gone, or we fear losing them, what is it that is really lost? In Gita 2.11 to 2.30 the Lord answers this, and does not call love or tears wrong.
English 7 min The Imperishable Self
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What if the mind does not rest in the Lord? In Gita 12.6-12 the Lord gives four steps, each for one who cannot manage the one above, and at the end peace comes right after giving up the fruit of action. The meaning of the verses and three readings.
English 10 min The Ladder of Devotion
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The Gita praises action, knowledge, meditation and devotion, all four. Do they clash, and where should one begin? The Lord's answer is here.
English 8 min The Paths: Action, Knowledge, Devotion
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Gita 9.13-15 and 9.22 tell how great souls worship the Lord with an undivided mind, and how the Lord Himself carries their yogakshema, that is, brings what is lacking and keeps what they have.
English 8 min The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care
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What is the Gita, who is speaking to whom, why did this conversation happen on a battlefield, and what is the book for? Answers in three readings for someone reading the Gita for the first time.
English 8 min What Is the Gita?
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The Gita says that the qualities of nature do all action and the self is not the doer, yet it counts the doer among the five causes of every action. Gita 3.27-29, 5.8-14 and 18.13-17 on the mistake of 'I do everything' and its remedy.
English 9 min Who Is the Doer?
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Why does work feel like a burden, and what does it mean in Gita 3.9-16 to make work a sacrifice? See how work done for a good larger than oneself frees instead of binds.
English 12 min Work as Sacrifice
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The pressure of meetings, deadlines and targets is seen by the Gita in three layers: the real demand of the work, fear of the result and inner panic. See how work goes well by loosening the grip on the fruit and staying even.
English 13 min Working Under Pressure