Teachings
Verses from the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramcharitmanas and the Upanishads, each with a simple meaning and a thought to carry with you.
19 verses
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
You have a right to your actions alone, never to their fruits. Do not let the fruit be your motive, nor be attached to inaction.
Give your full effort to what is in your hands today, and offer the result to the Divine. Worry about outcomes only steals the energy the work itself needs.
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
Established in yoga, perform your actions, abandoning attachment, O Dhananjaya. Stay even-minded in success and failure; this evenness of mind is called yoga.
Equanimity is not indifference. It is caring deeply about your work while refusing to be shaken by praise or blame.
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्॥
One endowed with this wisdom leaves behind both good and bad deeds in this very life. Therefore devote yourself to yoga; yoga is excellence in action.
Any task done with full attention and a pure motive becomes a spiritual practice, whether it is cooking, teaching or running a shop.
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥
The contact of the senses with their objects, O son of Kunti, brings cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and do not last; bear them patiently, O Bharata.
When a difficult feeling arrives, remember that this too is a passing season. Patience is not weakness; it is trust that change will come.
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे॥
The soul is never born and never dies. It did not come into being and will not cease to be. Unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain.
In times of grief this verse is a lamp. What we truly love in another person was never made of the body alone.
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥
Whatever a great person does, others follow. Whatever standard they set, the world goes by it.
Children learn far more from what we do than from what we say. Let your home see the values you hope to pass on.
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises, O Bharata, then I manifest Myself.
However dark the times feel, the Divine does not abandon the world. Our part is to keep our own small lamp of dharma lit.
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥
To protect the good, to destroy the wicked and to re-establish dharma, I appear in every age.
This is a promise of protection. Whoever stands on the side of truth never stands alone.
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥
Lift yourself up by your own self; do not let yourself sink. For the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is its enemy.
Speak to yourself the way you would speak to someone you love. A kind, disciplined mind is the best friend you will ever have.
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्।अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥
Without doubt, O mighty-armed one, the mind is restless and hard to control. But through practice and detachment, O son of Kunti, it can be held steady.
Even Arjuna found his mind restless, so be gentle with yours. A few minutes of jap every day, without fail, slowly changes everything.
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्॥
Those who worship Me with undivided devotion, thinking of Me alone, and are ever united with Me, I bring them what they lack and preserve what they have.
Surrender is not giving up. It is doing your part fully and letting God carry the weight you were never meant to carry.
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति।तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः॥
Whoever offers Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water with devotion, that loving offering from a pure heart I accept.
God does not measure the size of the offering, only the love in it. A single sincere prayer is enough.
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥
Setting aside all duties, take refuge in Me alone. I shall free you from all sins; do not grieve.
The Gita’s last word of advice is “do not grieve”. However heavy the past, the door of grace is always open.
बिनु सतसंग बिबेक न होई।राम कृपा बिनु सुलभ न सोई॥
Without satsang, the company of the wise, discernment does not arise; and without Ram’s grace, satsang itself is not easily found.
The people we spend time with shape how we think. Seek out company that makes you kinder, calmer and wiser.
सीय राममय सब जग जानी।करउँ प्रनाम जोरि जुग पानी॥
Knowing the whole world to be filled with Sita and Ram, I bow to it with folded hands.
This is the heart of namaskar: bowing to the Divine present in every person we meet.
हरि अनंत हरि कथा अनंता।कहहिं सुनहिं बहुबिधि सब संता॥
Hari is infinite, and infinite are His stories. The saints tell them and hear them in countless ways.
No single book or teacher holds the whole of the Divine. Keep listening with humility; every katha reveals something new.
परहित सरिस धरम नहिं भाई।पर पीड़ा सम नहिं अधमाई॥
There is no dharma equal to doing good to others, brother, and no wrong as low as causing others pain.
Before any ritual, ask yourself: did my words or actions ease someone’s burden today?
असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय॥
Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality.
A prayer for every morning: not for things, but for clarity, light and a life that touches the eternal.
सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत्॥
May all be happy. May all be free from illness. May all see what is good. May no one suffer.
The prayers of Sanatan Dharma are never for “me” alone. Wishing well for everyone is the simplest road to a peaceful heart.
Every verse opens differently for each seeker. Write in with your question and it will be answered personally.
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