Coming for refuge: asking with trust and being ready to learn. It is the tradition's name, not a word of the Gita itself.
23 results
Read the glossary entry for शरणागति →
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
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
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
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 try hard, yet the same fear, temper or pride returns. Gita 7.14 says in plain words whose power this pull is, why crossing it alone is hard, and what taking refuge in the Lord really asks of you.
Level: Simple English 4 min The Illusory Energy and Surrender
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Quick summary
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
Quick summary
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
Quick summary
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
Quick summary
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
Hub
Arjuna's body gives way, his reasons pull both ways, and he throws down his bow. Then he says he does not know, and asks Lord Krishna to teach him. The turn that begins the Gita.
Hub
At the end of chapter 9 the Lord says a person of very bad conduct who worships wholly is to be regarded as righteous. Gita 9.30-34: what it means, where it stops, and three readings.
Hub
How can I put down the feeling that I must handle everything alone without giving up my duties? Gita 18.57 to 18.66: surrender the actions in the mind, take refuge, reflect fully and then choose freely.
Hub
Why do we repeat what we already know is wrong? In Gita 7.14-15 the Lord says the pull on the mind is his own power, that refuge is the way across, and why some people do not take that way.