http://www.yogaofmind.org Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:23:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Email: pkamath001@gmail.com This book is written for advanced students and scholars of the Bhagavad Gita who are familiar with the text. Brāhmanic shlokas are shown in saffron color; Upanishadic shlokas are shown in green color and Bhāgavatha shlokas are shown in blue color. The meanings of Sanskrit words used ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=118 CHAPTER ONE A Personal Note 1.1: Legitimate questions regarding the author I have been asked by several of my Hindu friends, none of whom had read even one shloka of the Bhagavad Gita, "Who are you to analyze and comment on the Bhagavad Gita? Who is your Guru, anyway? Have you sought the ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=117 CHAPTER TWO Brāhmanism and the Doctrines of the Gunas and Karma 2.1: The Arya Let us now review in some detail the circumstances leading to the creation of the 64 shloka long Original Gita. Around 1500 B. C. E. northern India was dominated by a group of elite people who called themselves as ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=116 CHAPTER THREE Decay of Dharma and Rise of Adharma 3:1: Voyage to heaven came with a return ticket! In the course of time, both Brāhmins and Kshatriyas set aside the true purpose of the Yajna, namely return of debt to the gods, and began to use it for personal gains. Coveting wealth for themselves ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=115 CHAPTER FOUR The Great Nāstik Revolt 4.1: Intellectual ferment of post-Vedic period By 600 B. C. E. a great intellectual ferment was brewing across the Indo-Gangetic plain the like of which India has not seen since. Countless different Kshatriya-inspired philosophies sprang up from the agitated intellect of the Indo-Gangetic civilization. Disgusted and disenchanted by ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=113 CHAPTER FIVE The Original Gita: Brāhmanism's Policy Paper 5.1: The Mahābhārata epic So far, we studied the historical/revolutionary context of the Bhagavad Gita. Let us now study its Mahābhārata epic context. The original version of the Mahābhārata epic, known simply as Jaya (Victory), was said to have been composed by ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=112 CHAPTER SIX Brāhmanism Warns about Consequences of Abandonment 6.1: Ascendancy of Buddhism and other egalitarian Dharma threatened Brāhmanism We do not know exactly how effective the Original Gita was in stopping the exodus of Kshatriyas. One thing was for sure: for three centuries following the death of the Buddha in 483 B. C. ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=111 CHAPTER SEVEN The Upanishadic Dharma 7.1: Uncertain times As we read earlier, the post-Vedic period of 1000-400 B. C. was one of great tumult, uncertainty, and insecurity. The situation was something like the uncertainties we are experiencing in 21st century related to global warming, ice caps and glaciers melting, sectarian terrorism, religious conflicts, rampant ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=110 CHAPTER EIGHT The Upanishadic Revolution is Launched: Chapter Two of the Bhagavad Gita In this chapter we will examine Chapter Two of the Bhagavad Gita in which the Upanishadic revolution to overthrow Brāhmanism was launched. There are many coded shlokas in this chapter. The revolution begins with BG 2:6. BG 2:1-3 were ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=109 CHAPTER NINE Reforming Brāhmins Chapter Four of the Bhagavad Gita Every revolution, whether military, social, political or religious, is followed by two early developments: one, protecting the revolution from the well-entrenched vested interests; and two, reforming the recalcitrant Old Guard. This chapter deals with the second step of the Upanishadic revolution. 9.1: Guru Krishna ... http://www.yogaofmind.org/?p=107