Something opens our wings.
Something makes boredom and hurt disappear.
Someone fills the cup in front of us:
We taste sacredness. – Jalal-ud-din Rumi
Behold sacredness everywhere
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Tag Archives: bhagavad gita
Law of Opposites and Yoga Nidra
How are we affected by the law of opposites. Prince Ram in the Yog Vasistha said to Sage Vashisht that he did not long to live and he did not long to die. He remained neutral about life as well as about death. Duality exists around us and there is uncharted space which Krishna describes as being free from opposites.
The karma yogis, who neither desire nor hate anything, should be considered always renounced. Free from all dualities, they are easily liberated from the bonds of material energy. – Gita 5.3
To be a Sthithaprajna
A person steady wisdom.
Sthithaprajna means one whose intelligence is fixed on self-realization or one who is fixed in wisdom. It describes a state of inner calmness, equanimity and detachment from external influences. In the context of the Bhagwad Gita it means one is not affected by the ups and downs of life. One is detached from the fruit of action. One performs one’s duties, only focusing on the action itself.
What are the qualities of a Sthithaprajna?
Understanding Anger and managing it
The Bhagwad Gita gives the best description of Anger, and chanting a mantra is the cure.
Krishna says:
Anger leads to
Complete delusion or loss of judgment.
From delusion, memory is bewildered.
When this happens, intelligence gets lost.
And the person falls in this chain of events.
When we act in anger, Krodha vegam,
we do things that we regret later.
Your heart is your spiritual center
The heart or hrydaya is mentioned in the Bhagwad Gita in several verses. It is referred to as the seat of consciousness, emotions and the divine within. Verse 10.20 states,
I am seated in the heart of all living entities.
We cannot ignore the importance of food
The spiritually minded who eat food that is first offered in sacrifice are released from all kinds of sin. Others, who cook food for their own enjoyment, verily eat only sin. – Bhagwad Gita: 3—13
Food and its impact on us
This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this aint normal. – Joel Salatin, a farmer who lectures on food.
What is our takeaway from this? Food must be partaken with awareness. We must respect it and must not indulge in waste. I have a story for you, dear ones. It is the custom in India in some of the villages to seek the help of the local villagers. Continue reading
Flowers mentioned in the Gita
Flowers symbolize the bridge between earthly and divine realms. Their presence represents the universe’s grandeur. Each petal conveys life’s fleeting nature and eternal cycle. Continue reading
The route to contentment
Happiness according to the Bhagwad Gita is not just a fleeting emotion or a result of external factors, but a state of being that arises from spiritual connection, inner peace, contentment and living a life aligned with one’s true purpose.
How do we perceive pleasure? Continue reading
My distracted mind
Those who collect strings of attachment
With mother, father, relations, sons, wife,
Body, wealth, house, friends and family,
Make a rope out of them and tie it to my feet,
Those who are impartial, having no desires,
In whose heart there is no place
For happiness and sorrows, courage and fear.
Such bhaktas reside in my heart,
In the same manner as riches
Reside in the heart of a greedy man. – Ramacharitamanas
The simplest method of Yoga: surrender
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O Arjuna, do it as an offering unto Me! – Bhagavad Gita, 9:27
Absorb the Gita
The message of the Gita is acceptance. Whatever happens, is happening for the good and this encourages acceptance and trust in life’s flow. The Gita also emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment. It says the past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. Continue reading
Three steps to being good
We start our day with good morning, and end with good night. What is the meaning of this four-letter word?
As a noun, it can refer to our behavior that is morally right or acceptable. It can be something that will help somebody/something: advantage. Continue reading
The earth laughs in flowers
How do flower colors influence us? There are different interpretations for colors.
White flowers are associated with weddings and funerals. In China the white blossom of the orange tree is the traditional wedding flower. The orange blossom flower is also used in the wedding bouquet and crown in Italy and Spain. The orange blossom flower is singled out because the orange tree bears flowers and fruits at the same time. Continue reading
Be in the moment and laugh
Examine yourself if you are serious and unsmiling. Why are you like that? Observe a child playing a game and shouting, or just laughing. You can do the same. Stop trying to understand everything around you. Look at the magic, a spider’s web with dew drops in it. Sunlight going through them, and you can see a rainbow. Continue reading