Gita for Daily enrichment

by Chaitanya Charan Das

Gita for Daily Enrichment provides condensed nuggets of insight gleaned from the Vedic wisdom-tradition and re-presented in an idiom and style that resonates with contemporary needs, interests and concerns. The Vedic (Indian) wisdom-tradition has provided some of the loftiest philosophical insights in the world, yet most contemporary people – both Indians and non-Indians – find it difficult to see the relevance of those insights to their daily lives and contexts. This difficulty is caused not by the irrelevance of those insights, but by their they are generally written in Sanskrit, often using words that have multiple meanings embedded in them. Moreover, they frequently presume familiarity with the subtle nuances of the thought systems within which they developed. Making the totality of Vedic thought accessible to the modern mind requires comprehensive research and exhaustive writing, a massive task upon which many scholars worldwide are working vigorously. Even if this thought becomes accessible, not many people have the time – or, more importantly, the interest – to access this giant body of wisdom. Gita-Daily makes the humble attempt to stimulate interest in Vedic thought by mining and bringing forth small nuggets of wisdom that the contemporary mind can find accessible, relevant and illuminating. Within the Vedic tradition, I have chosen to focus on the Bhagavad-gita because it is simultaneously profoundly philosophical, unendingly inspirational and eminently practical. Over the last 15 years I have studied the Gita dozens of times and have spoken on it hundreds of times. I have also taught the full Gita as a systematic course several times and have written scores of articles on it. Despite this repeated contact with the Gita, I am even now amazed by its unfading contemplation on its verses brings rejuvenation, illumination and determination. I feel deeply indebted to the Bhagavad-gita for the sanity, clarity, gravity, tenacity and velocity that it has brought to my life. As an expression of my gratitude to the Gita, I feel impelled to do whatever I can to make its inspiration available as much as possible. But I also realize that most people in today’s culture will not have the time or the facility to carry out an intensive or extensive study of the Gita. So the Gita-daily is my humble attempt to repay my debt to the Gita by making its wisdom comprehensible and accessible through daily nuggets of contemplation on one or more of its verses. As I am focussing on the inspirational potency of the Gita and not on its semantic intricacies, I generally don’t quote either the Sanskrit verse or its English translation verbatim, but present the relevant import of the verse, rendered according to the theme under discussion. Nonetheless, I have provided the translation of these verses at the bottom of each article. To ensure that these articles don’t become too technical or academic, I also don’t quote too frequently from the various Gita commentaries by erudite and saintly teachers. I hope that you find Gita-Daily helpful in your spiritual journey in coming closer to the Gita and to its speaker, Lord Krishna, who is forever waiting for us in our own hearts.

424 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2012

About the author

Chaitanya Charan Das is a monk, spiritual mentor and author.

Building on his engineering degree from the Government College of Engineering, Pune, he has studied extensively the philosophical and sociological ramifications of modern science. Complementing his scientific education is his keen spiritual sensitivity honed by systematic and sympathetic study of the bhakti tradition for over two decades.

He has been an invited speaker at several international conferences on the interface of science and spirituality, including the World Peace Conference 2006 and World Peace Congress 2008 organized by UNESCO. Based in India, he has given talks at colleges and companies all over the world from Australia to America. His writings appear regularly in several Indian newspapers including the reputed Speaking Tree column in The Times of India. Apart from 300 analytical articles (available at www.thespiritualscientist.com) and 1600 inspirational daily meditations on the Bhagavad-gita (available at www.gitadaily.com).

He is the author of 16 books on a wide variety of subjects ranging from Science and spirituality, socio-cultural analysis of religion, and the ancient texts of India, especially the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad-gita:
1. 10 Leadership Sutras from Bhagavad Gita;
2. Timeless Insights on Today's Issues;
3. Science & Spirituality;
4. ENERGY - Your Sutra for positive Thinking;
5. My Little Bhakti Companion
6. Idol Worship Or Ideal Worship ?
7. RECESSION - Adversity or Opportunity
8. Why do we need a TEMPLE?
9. Frequently Unanswered Questions
10. GK for PK
11. Gita For Daily Enrichment eBook (Gita Daily Series Book 1)
12. The Eye to See the "I" (Gita Daily Series Book 2)
13. Belong (Gita daily series 3)
14. The Spiritual Scientist - 1
15. The Spiritual Scientist - 2
16. OMG - Re-answering the questions
17. Prabhupada: The movements that made the movement
18. Demystifying Reincarnation
19. Mind It!
20. Inner Change
21. Wisdom - From Ramayana on Life & Relationships
22. The Searching Eye
23. Gita Wisdom through Quotes

He is a member of ISKCON’s leading intellectual body, the Shastric Advisory Council, which offers scriptural advice to the GBC (Governing Body Commissioner). He is an associate editor of Back to Godhead, ISKCON’s global magazine. His writings in English have been translated into several foreign languages including German, Chinese and Romanian and several Indian languages including Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Hindi and Marathi.