Vrindavan Bhagavad Gita Study Group

Summarized by Sachin Gaikwad Class started with the opening prayers, Om, Pranayama, and meditation. In Today’s class, we covered Chapter 7 Shlokas, 10–13 Summary of the Class: Today’s study group focused on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Shlokas 10 to 13, with a brief recap of Shlokas 7 to 9 and a deeper discussion on Shlokas 10 to 13. The central theme was understanding Brahman through its expressions and recognizing how ignorance, driven by the three Gunas, prevents us from knowing Brahman as it truly is. Recap of Shlokas 7 to 9: Expressions of Brahman: Brahman cannot be described directly, as it is beyond words and concepts. Instead, Lord Krishna gives pointers to help us recognize Brahman through lived experience. He explains that Brahman is present as the taste in water, the radiance of the sun and moon, the fragrance of the earth, the brilliance in fire, and the life-force in all beings. These are not Brahman itself, but expressions through which Brahman can be intuitively recogn...

Summarised by: Yamini.  Gyana is knowledge of the divine.Vignana is the intimate experience of the divine. Sankhya Yoga talks about the universe which is made-up of para and apara prakruthi. Brahman is indivisible also referred to as satya and Maya, also referred to as mithya, is indivisible and refers to attributes like sound, taste, color. Maya is called prakruti, it has a beginning and ending and it  cannot be destroyed. It just takes different forms. For example mud pot can be destroyed but the mud itself cannot be.  Eshwara is Brahman + Maya( para+ apara). Cosmos begins as 1+1. Only Eshwara exists at that point. Apara prakruti divides into 8 parts. Those 8 parts are subtle earth, subtle water, subtle fire, subtle ego, subtle intellect etc. Then comes the 1+ many. There are many drops of atoms out there and many sand particles etc, but they all come from the same prakruti. Without the 1 the many cannot exist. The para and apara prakruti can be described with an exampl...

Summarised by Anu Bhaskara   Hari Om- Baghavad Gita Study group Dec -2nd 2025. We started our classes with Opening prayers, Pranayama followed by meditation. we went over the Sample Sadhana Package. And should a Man of self-realization should he withdraw from the world? And who is considered as highest yogi? We recapped on the Baghavad Gita Chapter 7. Verses 1-3- Give Intro to God. Verses 4-12- talks of nature of God. Verses 13-19- talks on Verses 20-26- talks on Sakarama Bhakti. Verses 27-30- talks on Nishkama Bhakti. What is Lower prakriti- the 5 basic element constitute as lower prakriti, i.e Air, water,wind,fire,space.   What is Higher Prakriti- the higher self is Higher Prakriti- i.e the complete surrender to god. Prema ji mentioned on her understanding on the verse 1 and emphasis of words used mayyāsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśhrayaḥ. Aim should be towards god realization and the goal, work both should be also towards God realization. Verse 2:- jñānaṁ te ’h...

Class Summary of Bhagavad Gita - 11/25/2025 Summarised by Sudha Radhakrishnan Opening Prayers, Breathing Exercise & Meditation Quick discussion of Chapter 6 reflection questions Sadhana Package: Do what we can but stay consistent.  Bhagavad Gita can be broadly categorized into 3 sections, each section comprising of 6 chapters.  Chapters 1 through 6 talk about individual Jeevathma, 7 through 12 talk about Paramathma, and chapters 13 through 18 talk about the connection between Jeevathma and Paramathma. In this session, we started delving into Chapter 7 shlokas: Shlokas 1-3: Introduction to God Shlokas 4-12: The nature of God Shlokas 13-19: Reason for human miseries and its cure through Bhakthi. Shlokas 20-26: Sakama Bhakthi refers to the Bhakthi that still has desires and materialistic attachments. Shlokas 27-30: Nishkama Bhakthi refers to the Bhakthi that has no desires and is free of attachments. Chanted verses 1, 2, 3 Shri Bhagavan tells Arjuna that one can attain moksha...

 Summarized by: Rajesh What is meditation? main problem of our Jiva is Sorrow (experiential).  We seek main antidote  Moha - confusion or delusion about who I am Agnana or Ignorance - vedanta is about addressing this layer.  If we do that, the other 2 layers get addressed automatically To get rid of Agnana or Ignorance: 1. Shravanam listen and learn from the scriptures 2. Mananam deep reflection on the teachings; reconcile what we learned versus our existing conceptions conviction grows 3. Nidhityasanam meditation deep abidance, feeling it

 Summarized by: Yamini Recap : Last class we talked about how vasanas determine the environment into which we are born. And once we are born into that conducive environment, one needs to continuously practice to attain moksha. We also talked about the hierarchy or yogi, tapasvi, gyani and karma yogi.  Bhagavan tells Arjuna that being a Yogi is the most superior quality and he should stove to attain that. Yogi is somebody who can meditate even when going through their daily activities. Also someone whose minds are always absorbed in God and are in complete surrender to Him. Two important  techniques to control the mind and being able to completely surrender to God are Vyragya and abhyasa. Summary of chapter 6:   What is Mumukshva : When a disciple asks his Guru this question, he dunks the disciple’s head in water for a few minutes and releases him. When the disciple question the act, the Guru explains that the extreme longing he felt to take a breath when he was unde...

Summarized by: Neelima Turaga Recap of the last class Arjuna asks the question, ‘what if i start on the path but don’t reach Moksha?’  Krishna says that even if you don’t complete the path of Yoga, that will continue into the next life and you will be born into a family & circumstance that is a conducive environment to continue your spiritual journey. We discussed some stories about perseverance and how our minds can be our enemy.  Also, talked about healthy detachment versus unhealthy attachment.  All three stories, discussed last week, have profound meanings. Positive way to take is that the work we put in this life is cumulative Accumulation of past spiritual progress jumps ahead of the mountain Prarabdha Karma.  Our past lives have propelled us on this path in this life. Ch 6 Slokas, Verses 43-45   On taking such a birth, O descendant of Kurus, they reawaken the wisdom of their previous lives, and strive even harder toward perfection in Yog. /43/ Indeed,...