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Gita The Path to Perfection

The supreme discourse of Lord Krishna, timeless wisdom offered to the modern world.

As published in the Times of India · Speaking Tree
We, Hari Mulchandani and his granddaughter Alicia, dedicate the offering of this website to the Supreme Sovereign Lord Krishna, as a sacrifice to the fire of truth and knowledge. ॐ स्वाः  ·  इदं न मम. "This does not belong to me. It is Yours."
Featured Writing

As Published in the Times of India

Speaking Tree  ·  TOI Edit Page

Hari Kanayalal Mulchandani
Published July 19, 2022  ·  Times of India Print & Digital Edition

We have all been gifted with human life in this worldly domain. Alongside this precious gift, arise questions like: Why are we here? Who am I? What is the point of this life? If these are unanswered, we risk leading unexamined lives, blindly accepting what our mind perceives and reflexively following others. Going within, however, reveals many hidden and subtle truths that we can't see but that we know exist, such as the existence of the mind. This deepened understanding can help us answer the aforementioned questions of life.

All saints and rishis have defined God as the one absolute, real truth who is changeless, except His name, which varies according to various cultures and religions. We worship God, the truth, and we contemplate or meditate on Him. This is why Srimad Bhagavatam starts with Param Satyam Dhimahi, and Japji Sahib with: Ik Omkar Sat Naam.

Now, this one God is the transcendental Truth. He is the prime cause, the supreme knowledge, and ultimate, absolute Shakti. He is the goal. He pervades and permeates us all and the world. He is Aum.

If you ask anyone what she wants in life, the response will invariably be the same: peace and happiness. However, with broader understanding, we could also seek to prepare our souls for a return journey from earth to the divine domain, the final goal where we will attain absolute and eternal peace and happiness.

So, to start with, to undertake a beautiful life journey, we need to have full faith in Him. The reason He has sent us into this world, with blessings and abilities of consciousness, body, mind, senses, Nature, and freedom of thought and action, is so that we may seek Him on our own, through our free will. We have to start from zero, acquire knowledge, seek the goal, live, face the challenges of worldly life, and play in the game of life.

Apart from faith, we also need to have love, devotion, humility, gratitude, and His remembrance. As for love, we must first wholesomely love ourselves, body and mind, and draft and design our lifestyle with a balanced diet, exercising our bodies with Yoga postures and deep breathing. To strengthen our minds, contemplation, meditation, and duty-driven, selfless actions can help. Our bodies need to remain resilient and agile, and our minds, broad and positive.

Finally, we can reorient our lives, mind, and consciousness to move forward toward the right goal on the right path and by the right means. Among its many capabilities, the mind has the potential to connect with the Supreme by way of contemplation and meditation.

We can use the higher aspect of the mind, called intelligence, to manage it and make it our friend rather than foe. Our beautiful life is based not on any specific religion, but on dharma, truth, and love.

Even if we are physically and mentally limited, we still can live by the words of virtuous people and take to heart the point Krishna put to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, verse 5:5: Contemplative life and karma yoga, selfless action, are one and the same, and take us to the same destination.

"Contemplative life and karma yog, selfless action, are one and the same and take us to the same destination."Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 5, Verse 5
From the Times of India

Steps to Undertake a Beautiful Life Journey

By Hari Kanayalal Mulchandani
Speaking Tree  ·  TOI Edit Page
July 19, 2022

"Our beautiful life is based not on any specific religion but on dharma, truth, and love."

Read on Times of India
The Five Foundations
IFull faith in God
IILove, devotion, humility & gratitude
IIIYoga, deep breathing & balanced diet
IVContemplation, meditation & selfless action
VIntelligence as master of the mind
Our Mission

Why This Site

Life is a divine gift, granted to our embodied consciousness to breathe and live in a working world full of objectives, opportunities, obstacles, and options.

The worldly ingredients of life are body, mind, and intellect. We are oriented toward the development of outer resources, money and matter, attempting to convert them into the gratification of our senses, pleasures, and the satisfaction of ego. Yet we forget, as is our habit of forgetfulness, the One who gave us the gift of life.

We forget, too, that the pleasures and happiness we claim under our own doership are temporary and transitory, always followed by their opposites in due course, just as night follows day, or winter follows summer. This is a law of nature. Pleasures are followed by pains; desires by greed; greed by grief.

And yet, there is another way. We must live, let live, and outlive life, in love, laughter, and light, to remain enlightened and abide in permanent peace, prosperity, happiness, and harmony.

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

There are problems common to all human beings, relating to body, mind, and intellect, individually, socially, and collectively, at different timings in life. The solution of any problem sprouts from inside. So why not develop the inner and outer resources of individual personality, so that an integrated, developed personality can face, handle, and manage the problems of life?

Inspired by Gita sloka 18.68, and through the wonders of the worldwide web, we have simply collected and compiled the most important aspects of life, tips, views, techniques, and solutions for wellness, happiness, and success, from genuine open sources, for the benefit of as many people as possible.

॥KnowledgeThe wisdom of the Gita, to enlighten the intellect and illuminate the path
॥Mind & MantraTools for detoxifying and reorienting the mind toward its Source
॥Body & HealthYoga, Homeopathy, and Acupressure, practical tools for a long and healthy life
The Purpose

Introduction

Our primary aim is to offer this website as a living study of the Bhagavad Gita, of equal service to younger generations seeking direction and to older generations deepening their understanding, a companion for facing the challenges of life with grace and wisdom.

To this end, we have studied the eighteen chapters of the Gita to distill the wisdom that Lord Krishna bestowed upon Arjuna, a man of ordinary human mind, and made available to all humanity.

This sacred discourse took place approximately five thousand years ago, yet it was always intended for every soul in the universe, a gift of creative knowledge and eternal wisdom that transcends all borders of time, geography, and tradition.

Once empowered with this wisdom, every being can face challenges with clarity, resolve the problems of the world with equanimity, and abide in peace. We present the salient features of Krishna's discourse in a modern language for modern application.

Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, as depicted in the Bhagavad Gita
Lord Krishna counsels Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, five thousand years ago
The Scripture

Understanding the Gita

Gita is Geet, divine song. Gyan, supreme knowledge. And the Gospel of rare truths and secrets of life, expounded by the Lord of Lords, Guru of Gurus: Krishna.

Veda Vyasa, the sage who compiled the Vedas and Mahabharata, teaching students in a forest setting
Veda Vyasa, the sage who compiled the Vedas and composed the Mahabharata in which the Gita is enshrined
Thus, Gita is the Path to Perfection.
The Supreme

Who is Lord Krishna?

Krishna is indefinable, indescribable, inexplicable, inexpressible, inconceivable, incomprehensible, indivisible, indestructible, imperishable, immutable, immoveable, and immeasurable.

He is Supreme, Soul, Self, Seed, and Source. He is Cause; He is Effect. He is all-pervading and all-permeating, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. He is the in-dweller and out-dweller. He is auspicious and absolute, independent and infinite. He is fearless and formless. He is Om.

He is the cause of all causes and the Supreme effect of all effects.

He is Prana (life source), Prakriti (nature), and Paranava, the primordial seed of all creation, Power and Prakash (Light). He is Self-effulgent, sovereign, subtle, capable, and the eternal Witness. He is Shakti and Shanti. He is Knowledge and Wisdom. He is Transcendental Truth.

He is Lord of the Universe, of all worlds, of Maya, Nature, and all beings. He is beyond time, space, reason, logic, science, and philosophy. He is one in all, all in one, and all in all. He is not Indian, but universal, uniform, united, and unique.

PuroshotamPrabhuPitah ParamatmaParameshwarBhagwan OmnipresentOmnipotentOmniscient AdiviyamAnantamGyanam
The divine chariot of Krishna drawn by white horses, a sacred symbol from the Bhagavad Gita
"I am the charioteer," says Krishna, "and you are the warrior. But know that the Self within you is the true master of both."
❝ Sarvam Khal Idam Krishna ❞
Whatever exists, it is nothing but Krishna.
❝ Tat Twam Asi ❞
You are That.

Krishna Kripa Kevalam

By Krishna's grace alone

The Scripture Unfolded

The Eighteen Chapters

Seven hundred shlokas across eighteen chapters, a complete map of the human soul's journey toward liberation.

CH. I Despondency of a Human Being
Arjuna, standing between two armies on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, is overcome with grief and refuses to fight when he sees his beloved teachers, relatives, and friends arrayed on the opposing side. His profound despondency becomes the occasion for Krishna's supreme teaching to begin.
CH. II Sankhya Philosophy
Krishna rebukes Arjuna's weakness and introduces the immortality of the soul: the Self is never born and never dies. He outlines the path of right action and the ideal of the Sthitaprajna, the person of steady wisdom who acts without attachment to the fruits of action.
CH. III Yoga of Action (Karma)
All embodied souls must act; inaction is impossible. Krishna teaches that selfless action performed as an offering to God, without craving its results, purifies the heart and gradually frees the doer from the cycle of cause and effect.
CH. IV Wisdom
Krishna reveals that He descends to earth whenever righteousness declines, to protect the good and restore dharma. He expounds the sacred knowledge of action and non-action, declaring that actions performed in the fire of wisdom leave no binding residue.
CH. V Renunciation of Action
Krishna reconciles the paths of renunciation and of action, showing that both lead to the same liberation. The true renunciant is not one who abandons work, but one who works without any personal motivation, offering all results to God.
CH. VI Meditation
Krishna describes in detail the practice of meditation: the proper seat, posture, place, time, and method for stilling the mind. The Yogi who masters the restless mind, withdraws it from all objects, and rests it in the Self attains supreme peace.
CH. VII Wisdom and Realization
Krishna reveals His divine nature as the very foundation of all existence, and explains why few truly know Him. He describes the three qualities of nature (gunas) that veil the truth, and how one may pierce Maya to realize the one eternal Reality.
CH. VIII Imperishable Brahma
Krishna explains the nature of the Supreme Brahman, the individual soul, karma, and the cosmos. Crucially, He teaches that the final thought at the moment of death determines the next birth, and instructs the devotee to remember Him always.
CH. IX Science and Secrets
Krishna reveals the royal science and royal secret: though He pervades all things, nothing contains Him. He assures the devoted seeker that even simple acts of love and offering, done with a pure heart, bring liberation.
CH. X Divine Glories
Krishna enumerates His divine glories and opulences, explaining that all beautiful, powerful, and magnificent things in creation are a spark of His splendor. He is the seed of all existence, dwelling as the Self in the heart of every being.
CH. XI Cosmic Forms
Arjuna is granted divine sight and beholds Krishna's overwhelming cosmic form, in which all of creation, past and future, appears simultaneously. Awed and humbled, Arjuna asks Krishna to return to His gentle, beloved human form.
CH. XII Devotion
Krishna declares that devotion is the highest and most direct path. He describes the qualities of the ideal devotee: free from hatred, full of compassion, without ego, equal in pleasure and pain, and content with whatever comes.
CH. XIII Field and the Knower of the Field
Krishna distinguishes between the body (the Field) and the Self (the Knower of the Field). True wisdom is to discern the imperishable Self within the perishable body, to know the difference between matter and pure spirit.
CH. XIV Three Gunas
The three qualities of nature, Sattva (purity and light), Rajas (passion and activity), and Tamas (inertia and darkness), bind all embodied souls. He who transcends these three gunas through devotion and wisdom attains liberation.
CH. XV Supreme Spirit
Krishna describes the cosmic tree of existence and reveals the nature of the Supreme Person who dwells in all hearts as their very light and consciousness. He who knows this teaching knows the essential secret of the entire Gita.
CH. XVI Divine and Demonical
Krishna enumerates the divine qualities that lead to liberation, including fearlessness, purity, truthfulness, and compassion, and the demonical qualities that lead to bondage. One's nature, cultivated through thought and action, determines one's destiny.
CH. XVII Threefold Faith
Faith itself is shaped by one's nature: sattvic faith leads to the worship of the divine; rajasic to the worship of power; tamasic to lower forces. All sincere actions performed with pure faith, even without scriptural injunction, bear good fruit.
CH. XVIII Liberation by Renunciation
In this final and most comprehensive chapter, Krishna summarizes all His teachings. He reveals the supreme secret: surrender all duties, abandon ego and desire, and take refuge in Him alone. Arjuna's doubt is resolved; he rises and chooses to fight.

Click any chapter to read its summary.

Sacred Invocation

The Universal Prayer

All principal words are in their sacred capitals. Glossary notes appear in italics.

Our Auspicious, Absolute, Adorable, Anandit, Param Atma,

Para Brahma Parameshwara

Thou art Beautiful, Bountiful, and Blissful.

Thou art the Lord of the Universe, Consciousness, Creation, and Existence.

Thou art Love, Light, Peace, Power, Happiness, and Harmony.

Thou art Pure and Perfect, Eternal, Immortal, and Infinite.

Thou art Self-Effulgent and Transcendental Truth.

Thou art Supreme, Sovereign, Soul, Self, Seed, and the Sakshi.

, Sakshi: the eternal, impartial Witness ,

Thou art Knowledge and Wisdom.

Thou art Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient.

Thou art Chit, Mana, Budhi.

, Chit: pure consciousness  ·  Mana: mind  ·  Budhi: discerning intellect ,

Thou art always with me, within me, as me ,

seated in my being, blood, breath, mind, and heart as my Sweetheart.

Thou art the In-Dweller of all beings.

And so, Thou art Om. Thou art Krishna.

We prostrate and surrender unto Thee.

We sing Thy glory and chant Thy Name.

Hare Krishna    Hare Krishna    Krishna Krishna    Hare Hare

Hare Ram    Hare Ram    Ram Ram    Hare Hare

The Four Aims of Human Life

The Main Milestones

Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha, the four pillars of a complete human life.

धर्मDharmaRighteousness, living in alignment with cosmic law and one's highest duty
अर्थArthaRight livelihood, wealth and well-being earned through righteous means
कामKamaDesire, the legitimate fulfilment of human wishes, governed by wisdom
मोक्षMokshaLiberation, supreme peace and salvation from the cycle of birth and death
The First Foundation

The Mind

The mind is the key of our personality, it either opens it up or closes it down. It is friend or foe, servant or master.

Mind is the software that processes the data collected by our sense organs and leads us toward our likes and dislikes. When oriented toward worldliness, it thinks only of money and matter. Beneath it lies the sub-conscious mind, which stores memories, attachments, and all worldly toxins accumulated through the ego's interaction with the outside world.

Yet we can do a great deal for the mind. God has given us the freedom, time, and technology to detoxify it, through japa, tapa, mantra, meditation, contemplation, satsang, and other techniques that reorient and redirect us back to our Source.

"The mind is like a wild monkey, it leaps from one tree to another, from one thought to another. It must be trained gently, consistently, and with devotion."Swami Vivekananda

The reorientation of mind toward its Source bestows contentment, peace, happiness, harmony, and satisfaction, and makes us well-behaved human beings and citizens. Even under adverse circumstances, it provides the strength, courage, and confidence to handle and manage our problems of health, loss, and life.

"Keep the mind positive and balanced. With the mind controlled, purified, and focused, one attains peace abiding in Me, which culminates in liberation."Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6.15
The Second Foundation

Mantra

Mantra has the hidden power of awakening our inner consciousness, controlling the mind, and bestowing blessings, benefits, bonus, and boons.

What is Mantra?

Mantra is a sacred sound or phrase, charged with divine power and intention. It is like a mobile phone that connects us directly through a divine hot line to God for communication. When chanted with faith, love, and regularity, it gradually stills the mind and draws it away from worldly Maya toward the Source.

How to Practice

One may receive a mantra from a Self-realized Guru, or, in the absence of such a Guru, formulate one's own with sincerity and devotion. Chant daily, regularly, and consistently for at least half an hour. The repetition of Japa destroys the vacillation of the mind and makes it steady. Begin meditation by chanting Om three times.

The Power of Mantra

Specific mantras can be healing, curative, or fulfilling of desires. Meditation through mantra connects us directly to our Source, which gives nothing but what it is: ever-lasting happiness. It gives us the knowledge, courage, and technique to face and manage life and its problems, and to achieve Self-realization.

The Mahamantra, for daily chanting

Hare Krishna    Hare Krishna    Krishna Krishna    Hare Hare
Hare Ram    Hare Ram    Ram Ram    Hare Hare

The Third Foundation

Yoga & Pranayama

Yoga costs nothing, but keeps the body's muscles and joints flexible, supple, and strong, provided you have the will power to practice it regularly, at any place, at any time.

Yoga, Stretch, Bend & Twist

Yoga is the stretch, bend, and twist of the body, muscles and joints, in proper postures. The spine and knee, the critical parts of the body, remain flexible, trouble-free, and pain-free throughout life, even in old age. Blood circulation improves, and certain postures are curative even for serious conditions such as sciatica and back pain.

Yoga is not only exercise, it is a system of internal medicine that the body administers upon itself.

Pranayama, The Breath of Life

Pranayama, the science of deep, conscious breathing, plays an equally important role. It is curative, life-extending, and deeply calming to the nervous system. It recharges the body with prana (life force), purifies the blood, steadies the mind, and creates the inner conditions required for deep meditation.

The breath is the bridge between the body and the mind. Master the breath and you begin to master both.
The Fourth Foundation

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a complete system of natural medicine, founded over 200 years ago, used by hundreds of millions worldwide, and rooted in the same principle that underlies vaccines, allergy therapy, and much of modern immunology: that the body heals itself when given the right stimulus.

Homeopathy was founded in 1796 by the German physician Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, who was dissatisfied with the often harmful medical practices of his era, bloodletting, mercury dosing, and purging. Through meticulous self-experimentation and clinical observation, he developed a system based on two revolutionary laws that remain the bedrock of homeopathic practice to this day.

Over two centuries, homeopathy has been embraced by some of the world's greatest minds, including Mahatma Gandhi, Mark Twain, Beethoven, Goethe, and the British Royal Family, which has relied on royal homeopathic physicians since the reign of King George VI. The WHO recognizes homeopathy as the second most widely practiced system of medicine in the world.

I

Similia Similibus Curentur

The Law of Similars, "like cures like." A substance that produces symptoms in a healthy person can cure those same symptoms in a sick person. This principle predates Hahnemann: Hippocrates observed it; it underlies the modern logic of vaccines (introducing a weakened pathogen to stimulate immunity) and allergy desensitization therapy.

II

The Law of Infinitesimals

The more a substance is diluted and succussed (vigorously shaken), the more potent it becomes. This is the most challenged aspect of homeopathy by conventional science, and also its most intriguing. Research into water memory, quantum coherence, and nano-pharmacology has begun to offer plausible mechanisms for how diluted remedies retain biological activity.

III

The Vital Force

Hahnemann understood that disease is fundamentally a disturbance of the Vital Force, what Indian philosophy calls Prana, Chinese medicine calls Qi, and modern biology might call the body's self-regulatory intelligence. Homeopathic remedies work not on the chemistry of the body but on the energetic blueprint that governs it. This is entirely consistent with Vedantic understanding.

"Homeopathy cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method of treatment and is beyond all doubt safer and more economical."

Mahatma Gandhi, Organon of Medicine, Aphorism 2 (1810)

Hahnemann spent decades refining his system, conducting what are now recognised as some of the earliest clinical drug trials in history, the "provings," in which healthy volunteers took substances and recorded their symptoms in precise detail. This data became the foundation of the homeopathic Materia Medica, still in use today.

The potentization process, serial dilution combined with vigorous succussion, is not arbitrary. Hahnemann discovered empirically that this process dramatically increased therapeutic effect while eliminating toxicity. Modern nanoscience has confirmed that even extreme dilutions can contain nanoparticles of the original substance, with measurable biological activity.

Potency Scale, A Guide

PotencyDilutionBest Used For
6C1 in 10⁶Acute, physical complaints; first aid; children
30C1 in 10⁶⁰Most common acute and chronic conditions; safe general starting point
200C1 in 10⁴⁰⁰Deeper chronic issues; emotional and mental symptoms
1M1 in 10²⁰⁰⁰Deep constitutional; use under practitioner guidance
LM (Q)1 in 50,000Hahnemann's final system; very gentle, for sensitive patients

For acute conditions, 30C taken 3–4 times daily is the most widely recommended starting point. Stop as soon as symptoms improve, homeopathy works with your body's own healing response, not against it.

The Materia Medica

Remedy Reference

Search by remedy name, ailment, or symptom. This reference covers the most widely used remedies in classical homeopathy. For constitutional prescribing and chronic conditions, always consult a qualified homeopathic practitioner.

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Showing 35 remedies

The Fifth Foundation

Acupressure

✦

A note on sources: Hari Mulchandani mentioned acupressure in his writings as one of the alternative systems of medicine he wished to include, "easy to understand, easy to learn, and safe to use." The specific conditions and point references below have been compiled from classical acupressure literature to fulfil his intention. They were not written by him personally.

Acupressure is based on the same principles as acupuncture, the concept that vital energy (prana, or qi) flows through the body along channels called meridians. When this flow is blocked, illness arises. By applying gentle, sustained pressure to specific points, blockages are released, circulation improves, and the body's natural healing intelligence is activated.

Headache & Stress

Press firmly on the fleshy web between the thumb and index finger (LI4, Hegu) for 1–2 minutes each hand. One of the most powerful points for headache, facial pain, neck tension, and stress. Avoid during pregnancy.

Fatigue & Low Energy

Stomach 36 (ST36), four finger-widths below the kneecap along the outer shin, is known as the "longevity point." Regular pressure boosts energy, strengthens immunity, and improves digestion.

Back Pain & Sciatica

Bladder 40 (BL40) at the centre of the back of the knee, and GB30 at the hip, are primary points for back pain and sciatica. Gentle pressure combined with Yoga asanas provides sustained relief.

Digestive Discomfort

Pericardium 6 (P6), three finger-widths above the inner wrist, relieves nausea and indigestion. Press with the thumb for two minutes. CV12 (four finger-widths above the navel) supports general digestive health.

Insomnia & Anxiety

Heart 7 (HT7) at the inner wrist crease on the side of the little finger calms the mind. Gentle pressure before sleep promotes rest. Combine with Anmian points behind the ear for deeper effect.

Knee Pain & Joints

SP10 (two finger-widths above the upper kneecap border) combined with ST35 at the outer knee depression helps with knee pain and joint stiffness. Regular practice alongside Yoga keeps joints mobile well into old age.

The information above has been compiled from classical acupressure literature for general wellness guidance only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner for chronic or serious conditions.
A Practical Guide

How Do I Begin?

The Gita is not merely a book to be read. It is a practice to be lived. Here is how Hari Mulchandani suggests one may begin.

Step I: Prepare the Mind

Choose a regular time and place, ideally early morning, and sit in a clean and quiet space. Begin with full faith, love, and humility. Without these, no practice bears fruit. Approach as a student, not a scholar.

Step II: Begin with the Prayer

Recite the Universal Prayer with sincerity. Then chant Om three times, slowly and with full attention on its sound and resonance. This simple act stills the mind and prepares it for deeper practice.

Step III: Read and Contemplate

Read one chapter of the Gita, or study its summary. Do not merely read — contemplate. Sit with the meaning. Ask yourself: how does this truth apply to my life today? Let it absorb slowly, like rain into dry earth.

Step IV: Practice Japa

Choose a mantra, either one given by a Self-realized Guru, or one you have formulated with sincerity. Repeat it daily, regularly, and consistently for at least half an hour. The Mahamantra, Hare Krishna, is always available to all.

Step V: Act Without Attachment

Carry the Gita's teaching into your daily work. Perform every action as an offering to God. Release the result. You are responsible for the effort, not the outcome. This is the whole of Karma Yoga in practice.

Step VI: Persevere

Even a little of this practice, done with sincerity, protects from the great fear of birth and death. Do not be discouraged. There is no loss of effort on this path. Krishna promises: I carry what you lack and preserve what you have.

"Even a little of this knowledge or practice protects one from the great fear of birth and death." — Gita 2.40
Hidden Secrets of the Gita

Questions & Answers

Drawn from study and the collected wisdom of great saints and teachers of truth, offered as a guide for the sincere seeker.

What is Om? Who is Om?+
Om is the sacred syllable of all the Vedas. "It is woven in Me," says Lord Krishna. Pranava is an expression of the Supreme Self, its symbol, as an idol (Pratika). Chant Om three times at the commencement of meditation and concentration comes easier.
What is life and its goal?+
The goal of life is the direct realization of the Supreme Self, Self-illuminating, hidden within this body, as butter is hidden within milk. It therefore needs a path: the path to perfection.
What is real and what is unreal?+
What is changing must be unreal. What is constant and permanent is real.
Does the Atma (soul) grow, diminish, or change?+
No. The Atma remains one and the same, whether in a baby, child, man, or old man. Unchanging and constant throughout all stages of life.
Where is the soul seated? Does it die?+
The soul pervades the whole body, intelligence, mind, senses, and breath. The soul never dies. It remains even after the death of the body, moving to another form. Its nature: self-effulgent, unmanifest, incomprehensible, imperishable, immutable.
What are the five negative emotions?+
There are five emotions that perpetually accompany human beings:
Kaam, DesireKrod, AngerLob, GreedMoh, AttachmentAhamkar, Ego

Of these, Kama and Krod are the most powerful enemies of peace and eternal bliss.
What is the positive state of mind?+
To give and to live with love for others.
How can one attain peace and happiness?+
When a self-controlled person moves among objects with the senses restrained, free from attraction and repulsion, he attains peace. Happiness always follows the path of knowledge.
What is Self-Realization and how does one attain it?+
When the intellect reaches a point of absolute stillness, free from doubt and distraction, firmly established in the Self, one attains Self-Realization, or Atma Gyan.
What is Moksha?+
Moksha means supreme peace and salvation from all worldly bonds, liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
What is Maya?+
Maya is divine illusion, the mind made up of three qualities of nature: Saatvik (purity), Rajasik (passion), and Tamasik (inertia). When Supreme Consciousness is enveloped by ignorance, beings remain deluded under Maya.
What is Yoga? What is Samadhi?+
Yoga is the steadiness and merging of the human mind with God, with Truth, consciousness, bliss, knowledge, wisdom, love, and peace. Samadhi is a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation, in which union with the Divine is reached.
Who is the most devoted to the Lord?+
"Among all the Yogis, he who, full of faith and with his inner self merged in Me, worships Me is deemed by Me to be the most devout.", Gita 6.47
What does the Gita give you?+
When you give with love and surrender, you receive bountiful blessings from Bhagwan in subtle ways, both for body and mind, so that you can swim on the worldly waves and in time reach His Abode.
Am I a doer (Karta) or a non-doer (Akrata)?+
When you truly know who you are, you realize you are Akrata, the non-doer. The body and senses act; the Self simply witnesses. Ego is the only "doer."
How does the knowledge of the Self benefit you?+
It frees one from the bondage that comes from the cycle of birth and death. The fire of Self-knowledge burns all the binding residue of past actions to ashes.
How do you benefit from selfless karma?+
Selfless action brings purification of the heart and gradually leads to Self-realization. It is the most accessible path for those still engaged in the world.
What is man's greatest foe?+
Desire for sin and wrong action. Desire, like a fire, is never satiated by fulfillment; it only grows. The Gita names it as the enemy of wisdom.
How can one attain knowledge or Gyan?+
Through the study of scriptures and through satsang, the company of the wise and the good. Knowledge dawns when the mind is purified and the ear is turned toward truth.
How can one conquer desire?+
It is difficult but not impossible. The simplest and most direct method is to appeal to God through prayer or japa. When the mind is turned toward God, sense-objects lose their pull. (Gita 3.43)
From where can one receive the knowledge?+
Only from the Gyan Guru, one who is established in Brahma. Approach with prostration, sincere inquiry, and selfless service, and such a teacher will bestow the knowledge.
What does Divine Yoga mean?+
Knowledge of Brahma, the supreme Reality. It is the direct knowing of the Absolute, not merely intellectual understanding but lived realization.
Who is not bound by their actions?+
One who works without attachment, egoism, or expectation of fruits. When action is offered as worship, it creates no binding karma.
Who is the Sanyasi and who is the Yogi?+
The Sanyasi is one who renounces the fruits of all actions. The Yogi is one who has mastered the mind and focuses it solely on the Supreme Lord. Both walk toward the same goal.
Where is God, and where is He not?+
Whatever beings and objects exist, whether pure, active, or inert, they all proceed from God. They are in Him, yet He transcends them. (Gita 7.12)
Who is the highest God?+
Para Brahmana is the highest God, the Absolute, beyond all name, form, and attribute. Krishna is His personal manifestation, through whom the formless becomes accessible to the devoted seeker.
What is immortality, and who can attain it?+
Immortality is Moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. One who constantly thinks of the immortal Self throughout life will hold that thought at the moment of death and attain immortality.
What is Abhyasa (practice)?+
Abhyasa is the constant, repeated effort to keep the wandering mind fixed on the one thought of God, shutting out all worldly thoughts. It is the steady application of will toward the Self.
What are the steps of the Karma Yogi toward liberation?+
The Karma Yogi must purify the mind and heart, seek satsang (the company of the wise), reflect and meditate, gradually renounce the fruits of action, and in this way attain Moksha.
What is Dharma?+
That which helps a human being on every level: physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. Dharma is the path that sustains, elevates, and ultimately liberates.
What does the study of Truth and Knowledge bestow?+
The knowledge of the Self bestows incalculable fruits: immortality, eternal bliss, perennial joy, and everlasting peace. He who obtains this knowledge will imbibe the very nature of God.
Sacred Words of Power

Important Mantras of the Gita

These mantras, drawn from the Gita and the Vedic tradition, are the living instruments of transformation. Each one, repeated with faith and devotion, becomes a current that draws the mind back to its Source.

The Mahamantra

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Ram, Hare Ram, Ram Ram, Hare Hare

The great liberating mantra of this age. Chanted aloud or silently, it purifies the mind, dissolves ego, and draws the soul toward God.

Aum / Om

ॐ

The pranava, the sacred syllable woven into all the Vedas. "I am Om," says Krishna (Gita 7.8). Chant it three times before meditation to steady the mind.

The Gita's Opening Invocation

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Salutation to the Lord who dwells in all beings. A universal invocation of the divine presence before any study, prayer, or practice.

The Supreme Truth

Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma

All this, verily, is Brahman. The entire universe is nothing but the manifestation of the Supreme. Contemplation of this truth dissolves the illusion of separation.

The Great Saying (Mahavakya)

Tat Twam Asi

You are That. One of the four great mahavakyas of the Upanishads, pointing directly at the identity of the individual self with the Supreme Self.

By Grace Alone

Krishna Kripa Kevalam

By Krishna's grace alone. A reminder that our own efforts, however sincere, are carried by divine grace. The ultimate act of practice is surrender.

With Gratitude

Acknowledgements

This work stands on the shoulders of those who devoted their lives to the Gita's truth.

Swami Sivananda

In gratitude we acknowledge with thanks our references and the deep concepts of the Bhagavad Gita as presented by Swami Sivananda, the head Guru of the Divine Life Trust Society, India. His commentaries and teachings have illuminated the way.

All Seekers of Truth

This site has been compiled from genuine open sources, without patents or copyrights, in the spirit of seva (selfless service). We offer these teachings as they were given to us, freely and without condition, to as many souls as possible.

The Offering

About This Site

ॐ

Hari Mulchandani

Prepared with devotion

This website was prepared by Hari Mulchandani, known to those who love him simply as Nana. It is the fruit of decades of study, devotion, and reflection on the Bhagavad Gita and the nature of life; and the younger's labour in bringing those teachings into the digital world.

We confess that we are not experts. We are seekers, like you. What is offered here has been simply collected, compiled, and placed upon the worldwide web billboard for the benefit of as many people as possible. We have drawn from genuine open sources, without patents or copyrights, guided only by the wish to serve.

The intention behind every word is to provide a foundation and strength to the personality of the reader, through Gita knowledge that enlightens the intellect, mantra and meditation that purify the mind, yoga and pranayama that sustain the body, and practical health wisdom for the journey.

"He who teaches this supreme secret to My devotees, performing the highest devotion to Me, shall doubtless come to Me."Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, Sloka 68

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