With the growing popularity of yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda, there has also been an increased interest in Vedanta, where all of this ancient wisdom comes from. With that in mind, I thought we’d take a look at some of the verses of the Bhagavad Gita, from my translation Song Divine: A New Lyrical Rendition of the Bhagavad Gita. We’ll take it chapter by chapter each week and see how we can apply the knowledge to our lives today.
Chapter 7:
KRISHNA:
Take in this knowledge
As you bloom and grow.
Paired with experience, there’s
Nothing more for you to know.
It is one thing for us to have the knowledge. And it is an entirely other thing to actually practice it. This is where experience comes in. Can you learn to ride a bike by merely reading a book? I don’t think so. But get out there and start pedaling and it won’t be long before you’re an expert! Knowledge and experience go hand in hand. This is true even for our spiritual practices. We can’t just think about what we “should” do, or “could” do. We have to actually take the steps, walk the walk, live what we learn.
Chapter 8:
KRISHNA:
Behind all things, all actions that take place
Is a Cosmic Spirit that never dies.
It is ancient and it is unborn –
It is the Brahman that in all things resides.
What makes us “tick?” What animates us? What makes the tide rise and fall? What makes the planets orbit the sun? What makes everything living grow? Behind every single action there is some kind of an intelligence, some kind of energy that was here before we were here, and will be here long after we depart. Krishna calls it Brahman, and you could call it God, Universal Spirit, Holiness, Universal Energy, or anything. What we call this Cosmic Spirit doesn’t matter – what matters is that we recognize it, and honor everything and everyone because it is all inclusive.
Lissa Coffey is the author of Song Divine: A New Lyrical Rendition of the Bhagavad Gita. For more information visit: www.SongDivine.com
