Spiritual Learnings - Shrimad Bhagavad Gita - 'श्रीमद भगवदगीता ' - हिंदी सत्संग पॉडकास्ट

Shri Krishna ended the previous chapter with the message that Ishvara is in everything, and everything is in Ishvara. But since our senses see the world and not Ishvara, we need a way to constantly be aware of Ishvara’s presence. Till we get to a state where this happens effortlessly, Shri Krishna asks us to take up the path of bhakti or devotion, where we constantly abide in the faith that Ishvar...

All the wonderful qualities of the celestial gods manifest in those who devote themselves to the Supreme Lord.  (Verse 15) The devotee who considers everyone and everything as the play of Ishvara, including himself, has no reason to take anything personally. His sense of self is not the small ego that most of us consider as our “I”. He has identified with Ishvara who runs multitudes of univer...

Verse (10) Those who cannot constantly remember God should practice simply working for Him. In whatever work they perform, they should cultivate the intention that they are doing it for the pleasure of the Lord. For example: In household life, a major portion of one’s time goes into the maintenance of the family. One should keep doing the same work, but change the internal consciousness. Rather th...

Verse (8) Shri Krishna, in the next five verses (12.8-12.12) describes the various stages of bhakti, beginning from the highest stage described in this verse. He asks Arjun to do two things - fix his mind on God and also surrender his intellect to Him.  “Captivity in Maya and liberation from it is determined by the mind. If it is attached to the world, one is in bondage, and if the mind is detache...

It is explicitly stated here that the devotees are very fortunate to be delivered very soon from material existence by the Lord. In pure devotional service one comes to the realization that God is great and that the individual soul is subordinate to Him. His duty is to render service to the Lord-if not, then he will render service to maya.  Such devotees continuously offer their hearts in uni...

We find in this chapter that of the different processes for the realization of the Absolute Truth, bhakti-yoga, devotional service, is the highest. If one at all desires to have the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he must take to devotional service.  The Lord declares that who-so-ever worships Him with supreme faith and single-minded concentration, is the best of yogis. Thr...

To nurture and intensify Arjun’s devotion, Shri Krishna had described His divine vibhūtis (opulence) in the previous chapter. Towards the end, He had mentioned that all the beauty, glory, and power are just a spark of His immeasurable splendor. Hearing this, Arjun became curious.  Shri Krishna concluded this chapter by instructing Arjuna on how to attain Ishvara. The key qualification is anan...

Shri Krishna reveals the means by which we can access Ishvara’s cosmic form. “Ananya bhakti”, is the only means to access Ishvara. We have come across the term “Ananya” in prior chapters. It means that in which there is no “Anya”, no other. We should not be devoted to Ishvara so that we can get something else. The devotion should be for obtaining Ishvara and nothing else.  Verse 55 is this co...

The logic behind this verse (48)is very straightforward. Our physical eyes are made from matter, and hence all that we can see is also material. The Supreme Lord is non-material - he is divine. To have a vision of his divine form we need divine eyes. When God bestows his grace upon the soul, he adds his divine power to our material eyes, and only then can we see him.  The basic spiritual prin...

Every plan is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is so kind and merciful to His devotees that He wants to give the credit to His devotees who carry out His plan according to His desire. The plans of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are understood by His mercy, and the plans of the devotees are as good as His plans. One should follow such plans and be victorious in the struggle fo...

Many of us sometimes think, what will happen if I stop working one day? Lest we attach undue importance to our actions and puff up our ego, Shri Krishna gives us a lesson in humility. He reveals that ultimately, it is he who is running the show. If he wants to do something, he will do it with whatever means available.  Shri Krishna has revealed to Arjun his will that the Kauravas should peris...

In the first verse of this chapter, Arjun recalls the root cause of his panic attack from the first chapter which is moha or delusion which caused confusion between his duty as a warrior and as a family member. He now says that his delusion has been dispelled. How did that happen? It is only because Shri Krishna revealed the knowledge of the self, Adhyaatma vidyaa, to Arjuna, the answer to the que...

The previous chapter revealed the science of bhakti or loving devotion to God. This chapter is about the yoga of understanding. In this chapter, Shri Krishna desires to increase Arjun’s bhakti by describing His infinite glories and opulence. He helps Arjun to meditate on God by reflecting upon His magnificence.  Lord Krishna reveals that He is the source of all that exists. In these verses, K...

Arjuna had asked the question as to how he could know Ishvara. With this shloka, Shri Krishna has provided the answer. Shri Krishna gives us a simple suggestion. He says that anything that appeals to our mind and senses, any object or person that is endowed with grandeur, perfection, knowledge, and power, anything that inspires awe and wonder is Ishvara’s expression. In this manner, we will be abl...

Now Shri Krishna begins to conclude the teaching of this chapter. Having provided a long list of Ishvara’s divine expressions, he now gives us a simple formula to recognize him. He says that whatever we come across in the world, whether it is a living or a non-living entity, or whether it is moving or stationary, it has arisen from the seed that is Ishvara. In other words, this entire universe wil...

Shri Krishna says, that He is the beginning, middle, and end of all living beings. They have emanated from Him, and so He is their beginning. All life that exists in creation is sustained by His energy, and so He is the middle. And those who attain liberation go to His divine abode to live eternally with Him. Hence, God is also the end of all living beings.  There are four Vedas - Ṛig Veda, Y...

In this episode, we will  discuss - 'अच्छे कर्म ही काफी है,भक्ति करने की जरूरत नहीं। Good Deeds are Enough, There is no need of Devotion!' - Send in a Voice Message - https://anchor.fm/spirituallearningpodcast/message

Since the start of the Gita, we have seen Arjuna speak whenever he has a doubt or needs further clarification. With this shloka, Arjuna acknowledges that he has completely understood the true nature of Ishvara since the knowledge is coming from the source, from Ishvara himself.  “Those who are devoted to Lord Krishna never tire of hearing descriptions of his divine pastimes. The nectar of the...

(verse 9) Pure devotees, whose characteristics are mentioned here, engage themselves fully in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Their minds cannot be diverted from the lotus feet of Krishna. Their talks are solely on transcendental subjects. The symptoms of the pure devotees are described in this verse specifically. Devotees of the Supreme Lord are twenty-four hours daily engaged in g...

(Verse 7) In this verse, Shri Krishna explains that when we become aware of the magnificence of the Supreme Lord and become convinced about his glory, we naturally become inclined to engage in his devotion. Knowledge of the greatness of God nourishes the love of the devotees and enhances their devotion. There is a direct relationship between knowledge and love. (Verse 8) Shri Krishna says that one...

A father knows about the birth and life of his son because he witnesses it. But the birth and childhood of his father are beyond the ken of the son because they occurred before he was born. Likewise, the devatās (celestial gods) and the ṛiṣhis (sages) cannot comprehend the real nature of the origin of God, who existed before they were even born.  Having said that no one can know him, Shri Kri...

In the previous chapter, Shri Krishna described the endless cycle of creation and dissolution of the universe, and how all beings are stuck in that cycle. In this chapter, he began to reveal an extremely profound and secret knowledge to Arjuna that would allow him to escape this endless cycle. That knowledge is devotion or bhakti towards Ishvara. It is the easiest means of obtaining liberation, ea...

Shri Krishna concludes the ninth chapter with a “take-home message”. He gives us specific, tangible, and practical instructions to bring the teachings of this chapter into our life.  Let’s look at the most important instruction first. Shri Krishna wants us to make Ishvara our sole goal in life. How does this work in practice? If for instance, we are ready to go to college, it should be in lin...

As long as one is not strong enough to fight the illusory energy, there may be accidental fall downs. But when one is strong enough, he is no longer subjected to such fall downs …No one should take advantage of this verse and commit nonsense and think that he is still a devotee. If he does not improve in his character by devotional service, then it is to be understood that he is not a high devotee...

In the previous verse, Shri Krishna stated that all objects should be offered to Him. Now He says that all actions should also be offered to Him.  Mostly, people separate devotion from their daily life and look at it as something that is only to be performed inside the temple room. However, devotion is not to be restricted to the periphery of the temple room; it is to be engaged in at every m...