Photo: Cover of NIKUNJA’s Album.
In her most recent album, The Eternal Nature of the Soul, Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, yogi and musical artist NIKUNJA sings the slokas of chapter 2 in English. The album, awash with inspirational orchestration accompanying NIKUNJA’s ethereal voice, may be streamed and accompanying videos are available on her YouTube channel. In chapter 2 of the Gita, she found the inspiration she’s wants to share with the world through Yoga and her artistry. She talks about this here:
Though Yoga is frequently recognized as a physical regimen, many are increasingly drawn to the quality of peace and meaning it can bring to one’s life and to the world. However, many also don’t have access to the deeper teachings in Yoga which includes much more than physical exercise. Due to the mainstream broadcasting only a fraction of this multifaceted holistic system, the full potential Yoga has for contributing immensely to the positive evolution of humanity is diluted.
With the world currently facing many challenges, an authentic understanding of Yoga beyond just a physical exercise has become more and more relevant for these times. The Bhagavad Gita is one such yogic source of ancient, universal knowledge, which reveals a practical process for awakening through this multifaceted system of Yoga. It has been recognized as one of the most honored yogic scriptures around the world through notable figures like, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Joseph Campbell, Herman Hesse, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Carl Jung and more…
Many people rarely make it beyond the confusion, doubt, and questions the spiritual warrior faces, like Arjuna in chapter one. But those sincere ones who have the humility to acknowledge that they don’t know, have taken a critical step in being ready to receive the Divine Song.
In Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Arjuna has taken this step, and thus, the Gita begins with a smile on Krishna’s face. This smile represents the mystery and availability of Divine Wisdom awaiting our attentiveness. When the timing is right, all can be given. Arjuna has simply taken the first step by arriving to a point of surrender, taking refuge under the guidance of the master with higher knowledge. And yet, soon after, he still says he ‘will not fight.’
The same happens to so many of us. We set forth on our spiritual quest with high expectations. But soon after, we give up, we walk away, we look for something new. In this, we see Arjuna has not fully surrendered yet, and will continue with his process throughout each chapter. Krishna, God incarnate, the voice of Divine Wisdom, is aware of Arjuna’s predicament and continues teaching him, meeting him where he is at according to his level of readiness.
This progresses throughout the teachings of the various Yogas. Chapter two is essentially a summary of the entire Gita which is expanded on in greater detail throughout the next 17 chapters. At the core, Sankhya Yoga expounds upon the eternal nature of the soul, which in this context is called Ātma (Sanskrit for Self or Soul). With this philosophical understanding, Krishna asks Arjuna to embrace his dharma (right way of living/virtuous duty) and endure the hardships. In time, and with experience, the transformation will unfold.
“My life has been full of external tragedies and if they have not left any visible effect on me, I owe it to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita…
To one who reads the spirit of the Gita, it teaches the secret of nonviolence,
the secret of realizing the true Self through the physical body.” –Mahatma Gandhi
“In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita,
in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.” –Henry David Thoreau
About the Author:
Meditation facilitator, devotional artist, music composer, and vocalist, NIKUNJA first started practicing Yoga and meditation at 15 years old and began instructing at 19. The wisdom of yogic science revolutionized her life amidst great challenges. This gave her the motivation at that young age to devote herself completely to this work for the welfare of all. Combining her passion and background in the arts, along with 14 dedicated years on the journey of awakening, the Bhagavad Gita project (given by her spiritual teacher Paramahamsa Vishwananda) has become the perfect representation of this journey. Listen to the album here. More info about NIKUNJA here.
