Bhagavad Gita As it is - (Vrajraj Das)

These three modes control the activities of the pure living entity in this world based on their desires and permitted by their karma. It is very important to understand these three modes of nature and how they act upon a living entity; In the Bhagavad-Gita for our understanding Lord Krishna gives the symptoms by which one can recognize these three modes in a person.

Krishna is the Supreme Person, the Godhead. Krishna is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, which is recognized throughout the world as one of mankind’s greatest books of wisdom. In the Gita, as it is also known, Krishna says repeatedly that He is God Himself, the source of everything. Arjuna, to whom Krishna is speaking, accepts Krishna’s words as true, adding that the greatest spiritual authorities of that time also confirm that Krishna is God.

Advancement of spiritual knowledge means more and more liberation. But our problem is how to liberate ourselves from this material bondage. We are bound up. Just like I am a spirit soul, you are spirit soul, but we are put into this material bondage. Because we are in material bondage, therefore we have no freedom. People do not understand this. Just like spirit soul is described as sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the spirit soul can go anywhere he likes. But due to this material bondage, because we have this material body, we are checked. Even we cannot go to the other planet. But we have got instances... Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is traveling all over the universes, not only within the material world, but in the spiritual world, because he has got spiritual body. There is no material bondage.

Happiness, of course, a hog also thinks that he is very happy that he is eating stool, and living in a filthy place, and because he has got the facility of sex life without any discrimination he may think happy life, but that is not happiness. Happiness is a different thing. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). If you want to feel happiness by these blunt material senses, that is not happiness. Happiness is beyond your material senses. Ātyantikam. That is real happiness. Real happiness means it will never end, and you will never feel satiation, that "I no more want." That is real happiness. Material happiness, there is no such thing. That you will feel immediately satiation. After enjoying any material happiness a few minutes, you will feel "Again another, again another, again another." So therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat (BG 6.21). So real, what is real happiness, that is not felt by these blunt material senses. So what is that sense? That is purified senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When our senses are purified, for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, when our senses are employed for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, that is purified senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. That is wanted.

Religion in its purest term is the Laws of God. To follow/abide by the laws is to follow the instructions of the Lord. People have termed religion as different ways to reach God or different traditions that are followed to try and accommodate the Lord's instruction into their lives. But over time, the term religion is now used in a completely different context and most of them hate even the term nowadays. When one abides by the Laws of God, one does not need any tag of a particular religion. In his last instruction, Lord Sri Krsna says: sarva-dharmān parityajyamām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajaahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyomokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

Yoga is more than just a physical exercise. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root Yuj which means to link up with, or combine. Bhakti is derived from the Sanskrit word bhaj, which means – loving service. Bhakti-yoga means to connect to the Supreme by means of loving devotional service. The Bhagavad Gita, the core spiritual text for ISKCON, describes variety of yoga practices. Among them are karma-yoga (the practice of conscious action), jnana-yoga (philosophical study and contemplation), and hatha-yoga (the practice of yoga-asanas and breathing exercises). Today, some yoga practitioners consider the physical benefits of yoga to be the end in themselves. But according to the traditional yoga systems, physical exercises are just one step on path of God realization. The Gita ultimately prescribes bhakti-yoga (the path of dedication and love) as the culmination of other yoga practices. Bhakti-yoga focuses on developing our dedication, service and love for the Divinity, Lord Krishna. The path of bhakti-yoga is developed through a variety of activities. These include mantra meditation, or the chanting of the names of God. The chanting is done either individually on beads (japa) or in community by chanting mantras accompanied by music (kirtan). The study of sacred texts such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, associating with like-minded spiritual aspirants, eating sanctified vegetarian food, and living in a way that upholds the principles of truthfulness, mercy, austerity, and cleanliness, are all core practices for a life of follower of bhakti.

Karma is one of those topics that many people know a little about, but few understand the intricacies of it. To start with, Newton's third law of motion is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the universal scale, this is the law of karma. The law of karma basically states that every action has a reaction and whatever you do to others will later return to you. Furthermore, ignorance of the law is no excuse. We are still accountable for everything we do, regardless of whether we understand it or not. Therefore, the best thing is to learn how it works.

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Who am I? What am I? Am I the body, mind or something more? These are the age-old questions that every philosopher throughout the ages has tried to grasp and understand. After all, how will you know what to do in life if you do not even know who or what you are? However, the ancient Vedic literature of India has provided the clearest answers that have been found anywhere to answer these questions.