yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tat tat prāpya śhubhāśhubham nābhinandati na dveṣhṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā One who remains unattached under all conditions, and is neither delighted by good fortune nor dejected by tribulation, he is a sage with perfect knowledge. Rudyard Kipling, a famous British poet, has encapsulated the essence of this verse on Sthita prajña (Sage of steady intelligence) … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 2 verse 57

śhreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśhiṣhyate dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāch chhāntir anantaram Better than mechanical practice is knowledge; better than knowledge is meditation. Better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of actions, for peace immediately follows such renunciation. Many people are at the level of mechanical practice.  They perform the rituals enjoined by their … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 12 verse 12

yady apy ete na paśhyanti lobhopahata-chetasaḥ kula-kṣhaya-kṛitaṁ doṣhaṁ mitra-drohe cha pātakam kathaṁ na jñeyam asmābhiḥ pāpād asmān nivartitum kula-kṣhaya-kṛitaṁ doṣhaṁ prapaśhyadbhir janārdana Their thoughts are overpowered by greed and they see no wrong in annihilating their relatives or wreaking treachery upon friends. Yet, O Janardan (Krishna), why should we, who can clearly see the crime … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 1 verse 38-39

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayetātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self. We are responsible for our own elevation or debasement. Nobody can traverse the path of God-realization for us. Saints and … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 6 verse 5

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastiniśhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater. When we perceive things through the perspective of knowledge, it is called prajñā chakṣhu, which means “with the eyes of knowledge.”  Shree Krishna … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 5 verse 18

sargāṇām ādir antaśh cha madhyaṁ chaivāham arjunaadhyātma-vidyā vidyānāṁ vādaḥ pravadatām aham O Arjun, know me to be the beginning, middle, and end of all creation. Amongst sciences I am the science of spirituality, and in debates I am the logical conclusion. Earlier in the twentieth verse, Shree Krishna had stated that he is the beginning, … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 10 verse 32

na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyatenānto na chādir na cha sampratiṣhṭhāaśhvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlamasaṅga-śhastreṇa dṛiḍhena chhittvātataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁyasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥtam eva chādyaṁ puruṣhaṁ prapadyeyataḥ pravṛittiḥ prasṛitā purāṇī The real form of this tree is not perceived in this world, neither its beginning nor end, nor its continued existence. But this deep-rooted aśhvatth tree must be … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 15 verse 3-4

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitāmdharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge To protect the righteous, to annihilate the wicked, and to reestablish the principles of dharma I appear on this earth, age after age. Having stated in the last verse that God descends in the world, he now states the three reasons for doing so: 1) To annihilate … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 4 verse 8

ūrdhvaṁ gachchhanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣhṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛitti-sthā adho gachchhanti tāmasāḥ Those situated in the mode of goodness rise upward; those in the mode of passion stay in the middle; and those in the mode of ignorance go downward. Shree Krishna explains that the reincarnation of the souls in their next birth is linked to the guṇas that … Continue reading [Bhagavad Gita] – Chapter 14 verse 18