An engineer’s reading of the Indic canon
Texts I keep returning to, with the commentary I wish I had the first time.
I had started with my favorites – Bhagavad Gita. Japji Sahib. Hanuman Chalisa. There will be more translations coming soon. On the top of my list are – Vishnu Saharanamam, Sukhmani Sahib, Stories from Vashishth Yoga, Stories from the Bhagvatam, … Studied verse by verse, with line-by-line Hindi notes, English context, and reading guides for people who think in systems. Built for slow study, not Sunday recitation.
Reading guides
Three ways in, depending on how much time you have.
30 MIN · STARTER
If you have 30 minutes, start here
Six verses across the three texts that map the whole territory: action, knowledge, devotion. Each with a short note on why it matters.
Begin reading →90 MIN · PRACTITIONER
Karma Yoga for decision-makers
Seven verses from Gita 2 and 3, framed for anyone who runs teams, ships product, or makes trade-offs under uncertainty. Decisions without attachment to outcome.
Begin reading →2 HRS · SCHOLAR
Japji Sahib in 12 stanzas
A compressed reading of Guru Nanak’s foundational text: the cosmology, the moral physics, and the path. With Gurmukhi, transliteration, and Hindi commentary side by side.
Begin reading →Curator’s note
“I read the Gita the way I read a good systems paper. The frame is unfamiliar at first, but the underlying claims are testable, the structure is consistent, and once you see how the pieces lock together it changes how you make decisions the next morning.”
Bhagavad Gita
Eighteen chapters. Detailed Hindi commentary with English context.
Ch 1 · Arjuna Vishada Yoga
The sorrow of Arjuna on the battlefield.
Ch 2 · Sankhya Yoga
The yoga of knowledge and the eternal soul.
Ch 3 · Karma Yoga
The path of selfless action.
Ch 4 · Jnana Karma Sannyasa
Renunciation of action through knowledge.
Ch 5 · Karma Sannyasa Yoga
The yoga of renunciation.
Ch 6 · Dhyana Yoga
The yoga of meditation.
Ch 7 · Jnana Vijnana Yoga
Knowledge and realization of the Divine.
Ch 8 · Akshara Brahma Yoga
The imperishable Brahman.
Ch 9 · Rajavidya Yoga
The most confidential knowledge.
Ch 10 · Vibhuti Yoga
The divine glories of the Lord.
Ch 11 · Vishvarupa Darshana
The vision of the cosmic form.
Ch 12 · Bhakti Yoga
The path of devotion.
Other texts
Two more, with full commentary.
SIKH SCRIPTURE
Japji Sahib
Guru Nanak’s foundational text. 38 stanzas with Gurmukhi, Devanagari transliteration, and detailed Hindi commentary on cosmology, ethics, and the path.
Open the text →HINDU HYMN
Hanuman Chalisa
Tulsidas’s 40-verse hymn to Hanuman. Verse-by-verse with translation and notes on context, prosody, and devotional meaning.
Open the text →Essays
Occasional reflections, written for friends and family before they end up here.
ESSAY · JANUARY 2, 2025
Listening for the Quiet Part
Continuity, agency, and knowing show up in ordinary noise. A reflection on how the Gita, the Japji, communal practice, and contemplative discipline braid into a workable craft for daily life.
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