A Woman’s Gita: Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women From Doing to Being: A Women’s Exploration of Karma Yoga
In this episode of A Woman’s Gita Podcast, Kamala Rose and Nischala Joy Devi sit “under the banyan tree” with Chapter 3, Verse 17–18 of the Bhagavad Gita and explore what it really means to move from constant doing to simple being. They unpack Krishna’s vision of the yogi who is no longer compelled to act, because she has discovered a deep, inner contentment and happiness in the Self alone.
Through storytelling, cross-traditional insights, and practical suggestions for daily practice, Kamala and Nischala show how the ideals of santosha (contentment) and karma yoga (selfless service) can coexist in a modern, busy, capitalist world—especially in women’s lives, where the pressure to constantly “fix, help, and manage” is so strong.
Key Topics Covered:
- The meaning of Bhagavad Gita 3.17–18:
- “One who rejoices in the Self” and is “not compelled to act”
- How the compulsion to act shifts from self-centered to world-centered (welfare of all)
- Santosha (contentment) as a radical practice
- Why “I am enough” and “I have enough” are revolutionary statements in a consumer culture
- The difference between true contentment and laziness
- From external rewards to inner fulfillment
- How capitalist conditioning trains us to seek happiness outside ourselves
- Atma rati: happiness generated by the Atman, not by achievement or acquisition
- The evolution from external ritual to inner realization
- The Vedic story of the gods hiding the Atman “inside” human beings
- How ancient ritual fire becomes internalized as the fire of awareness and meditation
- Mysticism and direct experience across traditions
- Yoga as the mystical branch of Hinduism
- Parallels with Christian mysticism and the Beatitudes
- “Be still and know…” as a universal doorway to the inner Self
- Dynamic stillness and the challenge of not-doing
- What it means to be internally vibrant while outwardly still
- Why Western culture fears stillness and glorifies busyness
- Practical ways to start “making in as important as out”
- Everyday practices to cultivate inner contentment
- Short daily sittings to train the mind in “I am enough right now”
- Using mantra at bedtime to fall asleep in a state of gentle awareness
- Bringing santosha into a hatha yoga class as a closing practice
- From ego-driven activity to selfless service
- How the motive for action gradually shifts from “for me” to “for the welfare of the world”
- Why one who serves selflessly is “not affected by any being or action”
This episode is for anyone who feels exhausted by constant doing, yet senses there must be a quieter, more grounded way to live, serve, and practice yoga—right in the midst of ordinary life.