The Gita is the most prominent wisdom text of India and has been commented on more than any other Hindu text. Making up a fraction of the greater epic, the Mahabharata, it covers, within a short 700 verses, the essential lessons that can enable an individual to live a life that engages body, mind, and soul.
In this lesson, we will address the highly controversial topic of Krishna (God) encouraging the warrior Arjuna to engage in a fratricidal war to reacquire the kingdom. We will board the chariot with Arjuna and attempt to put ourselves in his shoes as he faces the biggest dilemma of his life and possibly the biggest dilemma any human has ever encountered, warring against ones own family members.
We will explore the concepts of material dharma (duty) and spiritual dharma and understand the true nature and purpose of the self. The question of whether we live only once or have lived before and will continue to live, will also be addressed through a scientific lens.
In this one-hour presentation, author-lecturer Joshua M. Greene provides listeners with a unique and exciting way to grasp the Gita’s core concepts and themes. This popular talk includes a summary of the Gita’s 18 chapters, an overview of Gita’s place in the history of spiritual journeys, and pra...
Dhanurdhara Swami will explore in depth the concept of devotional surrender to the Lord (Isvara) and show by classical hermeneutics how it is undoubtedly the theme of the Gita and the essence of all yoga practices.
The Gita defines yoga very differently from Patanjali, given the text's emphasis on action in the world. But it does accept and outline a version of Patanjali's citta-vritti-nirodhah type of yoga, which it calls dhyana (and the commentaries call astanga), in its 5th and 6th chapters. There were...
