Shri Krishna

No wise man will ever take your problem seriously, believe me. For the wise one, all your problems are bad jokes—not even worthy of a sound laughter. But then he says, "You know, I can see through. You cannot. So, I'll give up my right to laugh at you. I'll instead pretend to be serious." "Yes, yes, yes, of course! We have a problem!" He says, "You know, there was a time I was so much like you. These same things were big issues even to me. But I know they can be outgrown.

What is Dharma in Today’s World? How to Fight Adharma?

7 min

Revenge and retribution, these are small things for a wise man like Shri Krishna. The wise ones do not get hurt easily; why will they clamour for revenge? What is Dharma then? Please always remember, “The rise of consciousness is the path of Dharma. We begin as animals, we must end, dissolve, as pure consciousness. That is Dharma.”

Krishna's Grace vs. Arjuna's Willingness—Which Matters More?

8 min

The question should be which one is relevant to you? What will you do by enquiring about Shri Krishna’s grace? That’s Shri Krishna’s prerogative, right? Shri Krishna will take care of his grace if he has to offer grace. Whatever he has to do, we do not know what grace is. We do not know who Shri Krishna is. How does it concern us to go into matters of his grace? What is it that’s in your control? Your own preparation, your own willingness. So, you take care of that.

How Is The Bhagavad Gita Relevant Today?

44 min

The Gita is useful because its setting is extremely relatable. Just like us, Arjuna does not know himself—he's a victim of multiple identities and all kinds of conditioning. Therefore, the Gita is about letting Arjuna know who he is, and this illumination enables him to do what he must. So, first of all, see that you are Arjuna. Then, step by step, verse by verse, there will be some resolution.

भगवद गीता - कर्मयोग: अध्याय 3, श्लोक 11

25 min

देवान्भावयतानेन ते देवा भावयन्तु वः। परस्परं भावयन्तः श्रेयः परमवाप्स्यथ।।

~ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, अध्याय 3, श्लोक 11

अर्थ: यज्ञ से देवताओं को आगे बढ़ाओ, तो वो दैवत्य तुम्हारी उन्नति करेंगे। इस तरह परस्पर (आपस में) उन्नति करते हुए तुम परम श्रेय प्राप्त करते हो।

काव्यात्मक अर्थ: *यज्ञ से देवत्व बढ़े देवत्व से… read_more

Quiet the Mind to Receive Krishna's Wisdom

5 min

No, no, you don't have to be empty of anything. You just have to be empty of the choice to use anything in your defense. You are born with ammunition; you don't have to keep the ammunition aside. Let the gun be there with you—just don't fire at the teacher. That's all that Shri Krishna is saying. You don't have to empty the gun. Keep it loaded; it's all right.

(Gita-27) Krishna's Warning to Arjuna: Everyone is Making This Mistake

39 min

Who are the people who never understand Shri Krishna? The ones whose minds are full of Karmakand. If your mind is full of Karmakand, Shri Krishna himself has very clearly said, you will never understand the Gita because Karma Kand deals with desire, because whatever you do, you do for the sake of desire.

(Gita-8) The Self and the Joy of Immortality

37 min

If all that the Ego wants is liberation from itself, which means coming to see its own non-existence, then the only way to see its non-existence is by paying attention to itself. The more the Ego pays attention to itself, it sees that it does not exist. The more the Ego remains attached to this and that, all the sensory inputs, the Ego feels that is real and this is real.

Is Pop Religion Compatible With the Gita?

38 min

The center of the Gita is 'Nishkamta'—desireless action stemming from self-knowledge. Whereas popular religion is all about the fulfillment of desire. We go to a supernatural power and beg him to grant our desires. That is popular religion. You can either have the Gita or the entirety of religion as practiced in common culture. They are totally incompatible.

(Gita-6) The Mind's Battle: Arjuna's Search for Liberation

27 min

The word for a Guru does not really exist in the English language. So, they have borrowed Guru itself, Guru. But they have borrowed the word Guru and rather misunderstood it and misapplied it. So, anybody who seems to be an expert at anything, can be justifiably called a Guru in the English language. Now that's not the proper usage in spirituality or in Sanskrit.

Why Do We Insult Our Scriptures?

27 min

In modern times, reading and respecting the Shastras is often seen in a derogatory light. An Asura disregards the scriptures, saying, “What I know is right. My own experience determines the Truth,” rejecting them because they will not allow him to do what he wants. We have come to a point where we are not merely ignoring but actually insulting the scriptures. If you're sincere about knowing life, why avoid a document with deep insights into it?

Gita Is Not This

7 min

To qualify an entrance exam, and work towards it, without thinking of the results, that’s not what Karma Yoga is. Karma Yoga is not about setting tangible worldly targets and going after them. It’s a moment-to-moment thing in which you are very conscious whether the objective of your action is personal ingratiation or larger welfare. You are acting all the time, you are not acting merely when you act towards a distant and a larger cause.

Why Isn't the Gita for Everyone?

8 min

It depends on the pain you are willing to take. Sometimes Duryodhanas have to be turned into Arjunas. It’s just that, it’s relatively easier with an Arjuna. But what to do when even Arjunas are not present to receive the Gita? As long as somebody has anything, anything that resembles consciousness, as long as somebody has even the faintest remnant of consciousness left, Gita can be brought to that person but it will be tough, difficult.

What is Yagya?

11 min

In the name of yagya, if you continue to burn wood, you are doing no good to anybody. Yagya must be understood in its true spirit. Shri Krishna says, “Do not act for yourself or for your personal gain. Act for a higher cause; higher than yourself, beyond yourself. Do that action that takes you to your Niyati, which is your end. Yagya is that which dissolves you; that which reduces you.”

Where Is the Kurukshetra of Your Life?

5 min

Arjuna’s hell was in his daily tasks, and so is yours. Arjuna could sense the evil in what appeared normal to others; you must also be able to sense that there is something extremely fishy in what seems normal to others. Your house, your workplace, your society—these are your Kurukshetra. That’s where you have to fight your Mahabharata. That’s where you need Shri Krishna and the Gita.

Yoga - The Biggest 'Spiritual' Myth Today

17 min

You have ample gurus who come over and say, “You know, you do this and then you can do whatever you want to do.” Now the moment you hear this kind of philosophy that Yoga will help you do better whatever you want to do, I suppose one must run away. Because that’s exactly antithetical to Yoga. Yoga is not about doing whatever you want to do; it’s the ego that says that, not the dedicated, devoted, wise mind. That does not come from there.

The Real Meaning of Devoting One's Action to Shri Krishna

7 min

You are too small to conceive or imagine who Shri Krishna really is. How then will you devote your actions to him? You can only devote something to an object, and the real Shri Krishna is not an object. So, limit yourself to just practising a certain casualness. A certain beparwahi. You must never accord too much value to your desires and opinions. And if possible, crack a joke or two about yourself. It’s great to be the butt of one’s own jokes!

Why Does One Desire Liberation while the Other does not?

5 min

Questioner: Why is there a difference of intensity and love for mukti (liberation) between different human beings?

Acharya Prashant: The differences that you are talking of all relate to time; therefore, they all will be resolved in due course of time. Time gave rise to all those differences, and those… read_more

What does “Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya...” mean?

24 min

We love saying, 'Yada-yada hi dharmasya – whenever there is evil, then Krishna comes.' The Lord does not physically drop from the heavens. The metaphor must be understood. It simply means that whenever the ego inflates, it results in suffering, and suffering itself calls for its cessation. This call for cessation of suffering itself is the coming of the Lord.

The Many Images of Krishna: Their Utility and Limits

9 min

If you're obsessed with the lover-boy image of Krishna, then you will miss Krishna when he does not come as a charming lover. And he will not always come as a charming lover. If you are obsessed with Krishna, the male, then you will miss Krishna when he comes as a woman. Because, in your imagination, Krishna is the one wearing the peacock feather with the flute at his lips, appearing in attire that belonged to those ages, enjoying milk and butter, speaking Sanskrit.

Is Krishna Available Only to Arjuna?

14 min

Remember, it is not as if Krishna did not try with Duryodhana. Krishna goes to Duryodhana and what does Duryodhana do? He tries to arrest him. Krishna goes as the messenger of peace and Duryodhana says no, no, no! The action of Love is still taking place. He is not saying that I will leave Duryodhana to his fate. He says it is my responsibility to teach even Duryodhana. But when Duryodhana proves it beyond doubt, that he is incorrigible, then Krishna says, “Fine, now that the battle is destined, let the blows rain.”

What Are the Four Ways to Krishna Darshan?

13 min

The first way, the topmost one, is the Sahaja way (natural way). Krishna prescribes no method there. He says, “Arjuna, just come to Me and be seated in Me, be affirmed in Me, pretty steadfastly. Just do it. Simply, obviously, instantly.” That is the Sahaja way. “Do it directly, Arjuna. If you really are sincere, and if you really have love for Me, then do it right now, right here, right away. What are you waiting for? What do you require a method for? Nothing is needed. You have the intention, you really want it, you aren’t fooling yourself. I am here, come and be settled in Me and that’s it.”

You May Be Wrong About Death: Bhagavad Gita’s Answer

17 min

We have to investigate the meaning of the word ‘death’. When Shri Krishna says ‘death’, what does he mean? Is Shri Krishna looking at himself as a body? No. There is no way the author of these lines takes himself as a corporal being. Is Shri Krishna referring to himself as merely the Ātmān here? Well, yes and no. He does refer to himself as the Ātmān here, but the role that he is playing is not of Ātmān but of Avatar. Had he been merely the non-doer, Supreme Truth, then he would not have been found mortally present on the battlefield instructing Arjuna. So, discount these two and see what you are left with.

Bhagavad Gita Quotes, Chapter 1, The Grief of Arjun

16 min

Kauravas are scattered on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, not unified. Bheeshm is there because of promise. Dronocharya is there because of loyalty to the state. Karna is there to replay an old debt. Pandavas, on the other hand are unified by Dharma.

~ Acharya Prashant, commentary on Bhagavad Gita, Chapter… read_more

Career Anxiety: Follow Your Heart or the Market?

7 min

Work. Where is the time to devote to anxiety? Where is the space to be anxious? If you are anxious about something, that thing is obviously important to you. Else you wouldn’t be anxious and if that thing is important, work. Work for that thing. The thing is not only important but also stands incomplete. That’s the reason you are anxious. Correct? If it stands incomplete, work, bring it to completion. Somebody said action is the antidote to despair. Action. Don’t just sit and brood, work. And life will become intolerable if you are not a worker.

Janmashtami Special: Now, Arjun, Fight! || AP Neem Candies

7 min

Acharya Prashant: Where Arjun was standing, Krishna could see that the right action for him was to fight.

Remember that it is already a battleground. Remember that Krishna himself has tried the utmost to avert war. He himself has gone as a messenger to the court of Duryodhana and tried… read_more

Arjuna Gets Krishna, Duryodhana Finds Shakuni

10 min

If you want the Truth, you will certainly get Krishna. Krishna says very clearly, “I come to you in the form that you value and respect.” So if you respect pompousness, if you respect power and pelf, then you will get a grand guru who shines upon a podium just the way Duryodhana gets a guru like Shakuni because his central urge is not Krishna but throne.

Duryodhana's Mental State in the Mahabharat Battlefield

63 min

Time is already short, and you cannot waste something you already are short on. And Duryodhana lost out on it. And it's the most regrettable thing when you observe a life gone waste, that too a life like Duryodhana's. Duryodhana is a very dark example of that wasted opportunity, and he realizes that. He was not ‘Duryodhana’ from the beginning, he was named as Suyodhana- someone who would be glorious in war-someone who could win the internal war.

Quotes on Destiny - Bhagavad Gita

12 min

Overview

We want to reach the end of wanting. We want completion, fulfillment in such a final way that we are left with nothing to want anymore. That’s the destination. Born a human being, you will have to act. Act rightly. Act for the right purpose. Live for the right… read_more

Let the Words Take You to Silence – Baba Bulle Shah

23 min

There is such great fun in leaving yourself behind and turning a servant to the Truth. It’s almost like Krishna advising Arjuna, “Talk in everlasting words and dedicate them all to Me—*mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja, sarva-dharmān parityajya*.” And at numerous places in the *Bhagavad Gita*, he says, “Arjuna, you are not fighting for yourself, you are fighting for Me. As long as you fight for yourself, if you win, you suffer, and if you lose, you suffer. And when you fight for Me, then you are a victor even before the fight begins.”

What Is the Main Concept of Bhagavad Gita?

26 min

So, when you have to decide what to do, when you are in a mess like Arjun, respond to the call of love, respond to the call of freedom. Go in that direction where truth lies even if it costs you a lot, even if it seems unreasonable, even if it scares and terrifies you, even if you cannot explain to others or even yourself, “Why are you moving in such a way or in such a direction? Still move in that way. Read more....

The Most Famous Verses of the Bhagavad Gita

16 min

Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharata abhyuttanam adharmasya tadaatmanaam srujamyaham

How about Reading the Gita? || AP Neem Candies

20 min

Acharya Prashant: How can I identify a master with my limited knowledge? How can I judge his words to be true or false? If I go by faith or seeing their simplicity or innocence, I’m labeled as a blind believer. What should I do?

What is all spirituality about? If… read_more

There is Only One God Today, and You Know the Name || AP Neem Candies

5 min

Acharya Prashant: The heroes down the centuries and history, I repeat, had clearly identifiable targets. You have to fight mankind. It’s a very helpless situation. Today's teacher or hero or prophet or messiah, whatever you want to call him, has to fight everybody. Just about everybody. He has to fight… read_more

Killing to Eat Flesh, You Call Yourself Human?

34 min

Questioner: We have always been eating meat and drinking milk; it has been there since ancient times. So, my question to you is, is animal liberation or the vegan movement consistent with the ancient times of our land?

Acharya Prashant: There are a few myths that need to be dispelled.… read_more

To Witness Is Not to Think about Witnessing

6 min

Questioner: Sir, so one when day I was taking a bath, I was applying soap so there was a moment when I realized - the one who is applying the soap, and to whom it is getting applied to, both are somewhere different but both are one. But there is… read_more

Your Battle, Your Battlefield || AP Neem Candies

3 min

Acharya Prashant: Arjuna's hell was in his day-to-day activities, your hell too lies in your day-to-day activities. Arjuna could sense the evil in what appeared normal to the others, you must also be able to sense that there is something extremely fishy in what appears normal to others.

Do not… read_more

Let Each of Us Have a Hundred Names

7 min

Questioner: Hello, sir. I observed that Arjun has been basically called by Krishna by multiple names — Parth, Bharath, and then Kaunteya, that one clicked. So, I was just curious that it is just an ornamental value, or is there any significance to it?

Acharya Prashant: I think that's a… read_more

If You Love Krishna, Why Avoid/Distort the Gita?

15 min

So, if I really love Krishna, obviously I will be going through the Gītā 2000 times. And in the light of Gītā , I will then read *Bhagavat Purana* , *Harivansh Purana* , many other *Puranas* ; and then I will be able to understand the stories in the Puranic way. Without understanding the Gītā , how will you understand the *Purana* ? Read more...

Why are You so Angry Over Yourself?

18 min

Acharya Prashant: Latha is saying, why does she get angry so often even over small matters? Especially with some people, she is unable to control anger and she says she tried to change her attitude but hasn’t been quite successful. She is saying, now, how to change myself. Because anger… read_more

What do Radha and Krishna Represent?

4 min

The character of Radha is not present in any of the Upanishads, obviously, not in the Vedas. It is not sufficiently present even in the Puranas. With respect to the character of Sri Krishna, there are two Puranas mainly. There is the Shrimad Bhagavad Puran and there is the Harivansh Puran. These two are dedicated to Sri Krishna. Even in these two, Radha is scarcely mentioned. Read more....

Awaken the Poet within, else Life remains Asleep

6 min

Questioner: My question is, why is creativity, like poetry, dying these days? And poetry is a part of literature. And how much contribution of literature is there on the way to Adhyatma?

Acharya Prashant: See, the more you will lose touch with yourself, the more material your world will get.… read_more

What Makes You Do This?

61 min

Questioner: Sir, when you were growing up, is there any special memory, or any time you realized and had this aspiration to become, or go on the spiritual path? Is there something interesting related to your life, from your childhood, that you want us to know?

Acharya Prashant: First of… read_more

A Healthy Body, so that You Can Consume More and Destroy More?

6 min

Acharya Prashant: Arjun has been taught that respecting elders is a virtue. Arjun has been taught that non-violence is a virtue. Arjun, has also been taught that defending your territory is a virtue. Now, these two things clash with each other. If he must defend his territory, then he must… read_more

What is Dharma According to the Bhagavad Gita?

11 min

Overview

Fighting Duryodhana is Dharma . Fight Duryodhana in the way you can, that is swadharma . Dharma is the same for everybody, but swadharma varies according to your physical, social, temporal conditions.

But remember that swadharma can never be in contradiction of Dharma ; swadharma will always be something… read_more

Why Is the Bhagavad Gita’s View on Attachment Unique?

13 min

योगथः कु कमाण सगं यवा धनजं य।

सयसयोः समो भूवा समवंयोग उयते।।

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya

siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate

Perform your actions, O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), Being established in or integrated with Yoga,

Abandoning attachment and Remaining even-minded both in success and failure. This evenness of… read_more

How to Read the Bhagavad Gita?

7 min

Questioner: I’m reading the Bhagavad Gita for the first time. I know people who have read the Bhagavad Gita multiple times, yet they continue being the same. And if one goes to them, they have their own interpretations of the Gita. They tell me that the five Pandavas stand for… read_more

How does 'Myth Demolition Tour' relate to Shri Krishna's Law of Karma? || Acharya Prashant (2016)

9 min

Interviewer (A senior journalist from the Tribune, interviewing Shri Prashant on his Myth Demolition Tour, Dharamshala) : I was just going through your book and read about your IIT-IIM – Civil Services background, so why did you leave that and move to Spirituality?

Shri Prashant: I found this far more… read_more

What does it practically mean to fix one's mind on Krishna?|| Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita(2020)

21 min

मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ।

श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मता: ।। 12.2 ।।

mayy āveśhya mano ye māṁ nitya-yuktā upāsate

śhraddhayā parayopetās te me yuktatamā matāḥ

The Blessed Lord said: Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever-steadfast, and endowed with supreme Sraddha, they, in My… read_more

(Gita-2) Our strong tendency to resist the Truth || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2023)

77 min

Acharya Prashant (AP): Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā , chapter one, verse 21.

We have seen so far, the predicament of the one who finds himself hopelessly caged against the Truth. We have seen the anxiety and the nervousness of Duryodhana in the first half of the first chapter. In spite of… read_more