The entire knowledge of the cosmos is packed into the Gita. . . . [it] has been understood and applied on all levels of human endeavour . . . . Wherever one is on the way back to God, the Gita will shed its light on that segment of the journey.
— Paramahansa Yogananda
These discourses, covering various facets of spiritual life, are given by senior YSS sannyasis on the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita as interpreted by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda in God Talks With Arjuna.
Winning the Battle of Life (Kurukshetra Within Me) - Part V
This is the fifth in a series of discourses on “Winning the Battle of Life” by Swami Smaranananda Giri, a senior YSS sannyasi.
In this talk, Swamiji delves into Verse 9, describing the Kauravas enumerated therein, whom a devotee must be wary about as they represent specific principles that oppose spiritual progress.

For viewing other discourses in this series, please click here.

The Timeless and Universal Message

This Bhagavad Gita that I offer to the world, God Talks With Arjuna, is a spiritual commentary of the communion that takes place between the omnipresent Spirit (symbolized by Krishna) and the soul of the ideal devotee (represented by Arjuna). I arrived at the spiritual understanding expressed in these pages by attunement with Vyasa.
— Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yoganandaji, the author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, interprets the Bhagavad Gita with divine insight. In his interpretation, exploring its psychological, spiritual, and metaphysical depths — from the subtle causes of everyday thoughts and actions to the grand design of the cosmic order — Yoganandaji presents a sweeping chronicle of the soul’s journey to enlightenment.
Clearly outlining the Gita’s balanced path of meditation and right activity, Paramahansaji shows how we can create for ourselves a life of spiritual integrity, serenity, simplicity, and joy. Through our awakened intuition, we come to know the right course to take at every crossroad on the path of life, to determine what shortcomings are holding us back and what positive qualities are moving us forward, and to recognize and avoid pitfalls along the way.
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Gita Discourses in this Series
Winning the Battle of Life
This is the first in a series of discourses by Swami Smaranananda Giri, talking about the symbolic significance of the Kurukshetra war.
Swami Smaranananda delves into Paramahansaji’s commentary, explaining through analogies and anecdotes, how the presence of Kauravas (bad tendencies) within us impedes our spiritual progress and how nurturing the Pandavas (good tendencies) within us will eventually bring about the defeat of those Kauravas in the inner battle of Kurukshetra, thus leading to the attainment of the ultimate goal of Self-realization.
This is the second in a series of discourses on “Winning the Battle of Life” by Swami Smaranananda Giri, a senior YSS sannyasi, talking about habits.
In this talk, based on Yoganandaji’s interpretation of verses 2 and 3 of Chapter I, Swamiji explains how to overcome bad habits by the calm, inner light of intuitive awakening which can be cultivated by regular meditation.
This is the third in a series of discourses on “Winning the Battle of Life” by Swami Smaranananda Giri, a senior YSS sannyasi.
In this talk, he explains slokas 4, 5, and 6, from Chapter I which describe the spiritual soldiers in the cerebrospinal centres — devotion, spiritual memory, discriminative intelligence, pranayama, and others that assist a devotee in his inner battle of Kurukshetra. These metaphysical soldiers, Paramahansaji says: “are the spiritual effects engendered by the devotee’s practice of yoga. They, along with the five principal Pandavas, come to the aid of the yogi to help him battle the evil soldiers of the sense mind.”
This is the fourth in a series of discourses on “Winning the Battle of Life” by Swami Smaranananda Giri, a senior YSS sannyasi.
In this talk, swamiji points out the Kauravas enumerated in Verses 7, 8, 9, of whom a devotee must be wary about as they represent specific principles that oppose spiritual progress.
This is the fifth in a series of discourses on “Winning the Battle of Life” by Swami Smaranananda Giri, a senior YSS sannyasi.
In this talk, Swamiji delves into Verse 9, describing the Kauravas enumerated therein, whom a devotee must be wary about as they represent specific principles that oppose spiritual progress.
