Gita Pravachan & Bhagavad Gita Discourse Service | Bay Area Home Events

There is no occasion too small to hear the Bhagavad Gita. All moments are auspicious. That said, these events call for it especially:

• Gita Jayanti — the day the Gita was spoken on the battlefield of Kurukshetra; most auspicious for Gita recitation and discourse
• Memorial and shraddha services — reciting Gita Chapter 15 (Purushottama Yoga) for a departed soul is one of the most meritorious acts; a full 18-chapter Sampurna Parayana is deeply moving
• Housewarming (gruha-pravesh) — invite the wisdom of the Gita into your new home as a foundation
• Birthdays and anniversaries — especially meaningful for milestones; a Gita discourse as a gift of wisdom
• Ekadashi satsangs — twice-monthly; a Gita reading is ideal on Ekadashi
• Academic success, new jobs, recovery from illness — thanksgiving events
• Parents/grandparents visiting from India — a Gita session brings the family together in a deeply Indian tradition
• Any Sunday or weekend satsang — no reason needed; the Gita is always timely

The session generally runs 1.5–2 hours. Here is a typical flow:

• Opening arti & mangalacharana (auspicious shlokas): 5–10 min
• Context-setting — brief intro to the Gita’s historical and philosophical background: 10–15 min
• Sanskrit recitation of selected verses (with transliteration): 15–20 min — guests follow along and feel the resonance of the original text
• Discourse and meaning — explanation of each verse and its practical application: 40–50 min
• Q&A session — often the most lively and memorable part: 15–20 min
• Closing prayer & prasadam: 10 min

This structure can be customised per host’s preference — a deeper dive into fewer verses, or a broader survey of a whole chapter.

Our volunteers don’t charge anything as such as this is not a business service. Our volunteers drive 30-60 mins each way for conducting the program, and stay 2-3 hours they spend at your location. 

However, if you’re inclined, you can donate per your faith and capacity for supporting temple operations and Sanatan dharma. You will get a receipt for your donations for tax deduction purposes. It will either be from ISKCON of Silicon Valley or Pacific Learning Alliance.

Remember: 

1. Taking a bath purifies your body
2. Mantra meditation purifies your mind
3. giving charity purifies your wealth

Please do not give individual envelopes with donations to each team member. 

All the donation goes to the temple. We don’t keep anything for ourselves. Sometimes we may partner with devotees from other organizations to conduct the program and it just complicates things if you give them a donation too. Then ISKCON cannot give you a receipt for the donation you give to them. We want to avoid this complication.

We don’t recommend cash or cheque because it becomes challenging to get you a donation receipt well before tax season. With digital donation methods, you get an immediate digital receipt via email or text, and it’s less hassle for everyone. 

We recommend any of these donation methods:

• Credit or debit card/ Apple Pay / Samsung Pay/ Google Pay. This payment method uses Square and will happen on the spot with a temple devotee who is conducting the program. Note that the Square receipts don’t have your name on it for matching.
• Zelle – teamisv@gmail.com. If you use this method, please send us a screenshot for tracking purpose as we don’t have access to these accounts.
• Paypal –  teamisv@gmail.com. If you use this method, please send us a screenshot for tracking purposes as we don’t have access to these accounts.
• Venmo. @isv_books If you use this method, please send us a screenshot for tracking purposes as we don’t have access to these accounts.

If your company matches donations for nonprofits, then please do consider it. We do encourage you to explore this option. You can use the receipt for submit for matching donation for these registered nonprofits:

Pacific Learning Alliance 

EIN 45-2210885

Pacificlearningalliance@gmail.com

OR

ISKCON of Silicon Valley 

EIN 77-0463781

If your matching portal requires your name on it, we can send you a PDF receipt with your name on the letterhead of ISKCON of Silicon Valley or Pacific Learning Alliance. It can take a little time (like a week or two at max), but it will be done.

If you do want to donate and support the temple, it’s best to have a sankalpa or predetermined thought of how much you want to donate, and do it right after the program. 

Please understand that the temple volunteers are also busy working professionals, and with so much going on, they too have challenges in following up for non profit donations. The donation amount is strictly between you and Shri Radha Madan Mohan and we are just instruments.

Please do not be offended when we request you to share the donation amount. Kindly note that the temple volunteers don’t have any direct access to the temple accounts so we are unable to know how much you donated. It’s a completely blind process. Thus, we have to request you to tell us the figure so that we can talk to the treasurer and have an official receipt sent to you. 

Food must be sattvik and vegetarian (minus onion, garlic, mushrooms, gelatin, brinjal). At minimum, you can just have khichdi, dahi, papad, and fruits. While offering naivedyam or bhoga, tulsi leaves should be put on the plate as that is desirable to the Lord.

For cooking at home or with friends, kindly note:

• The utensils should not have been used for cooking non-veg or eggs or seafood before.
• If you’re asking your friends to make anything, please ensure they are following the above cooking standards.
• While cooking, you can put bhajans or Hare Krishna kirtan from YouTube to keep your mind spiritually inclined. The consciousness of the preparer comes into the food.

Outside catering options/ Some of them deliver also so please ask:

1. Yogi Plate (669) 278-8417 (South Bay) (devotee-owned catering service)
2. Arth Vegetarian Food Catering +1 (669) 800-7099 
3. Harsha Jain (510) 298-8116, (510) 207-6767 (Fremont Gujrati aunty)
4. Neelu Vegetarian cook +1 (510) 358-0718
5. Shalini Khanna vegetarian cook +1 (408) 406-7252 
6. Chat Bhavan (Fremont/ Sunnyvale/ Dublin) Ask for Jain Food
7. Ananda Bhavan (Pleasanton) (925) 924-1122 Ask for Jain Food
8. Sricatering.com (Livermore/Tri-valley area) (813) 389-4225 or (813) 735-9815 Ask for Jain Food

Please note:

• We are not directly associated with any of these caterers.
• Ask them for Jain food (without onion, garlic, mushrooms, gelatin etc.)

If possible, request them NOT to taste ahead of time as it is for Bhoga for the Lord.

It depends on the preference of the devotees who come. Our volunteers may have certain food discipline (e.g. ayurvedic diet or spiritual vows etc.) they may be abiding by, so they may not eat at the event. Please do not pressurize them to eat but as a dutiful host you can always ask. Please do not take offence if they are unable to eat or are uninclined. Most will accept fruits, all the same.

Absolutely. The Gita says patrṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyam — a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water offered with devotion is accepted. Prasadam does not need to be elaborate.

A focused 60–75 minute Gita session covering 5–10 key verses with deep discussion is completely valid and deeply satisfying for guests. We can also schedule a shorter evening slot (6:30–8:00 PM) if a full afternoon session is too much to organise.

Just let us know your time constraints and we will design the session around them. Food should never be the bottleneck for hearing the Gita.

We encourage you to invite AS MANY people as possible for the event per your hosting capacity. 

Your network is bigger than you think and a satsang is a great way to get back in touch. You can tap these networks for inviting people:

• Neighbors in your community
• Parents of your children’ s friends
• Colleagues 
• Alumni network
• Volunteering or interest groups you are part of 
• Relatives

Multiply that with 2 to cover your spouse’s networks.

⇒ So, if you really get down to it, you can easily invite 15-30 families. This is the real service in organizing a satsang.

No offence to your wonderful pets, but they can be quite distracting and take people’s attention away from the spiritual gathering. And human attention is at a premium at these gatherings. In fact, that’s the whole point of the satsang.  

Pets roam around and sniff people or lick them or our equipment, which becomes a hygiene issue. 

We thus request pets to be tied in an area that’s away from the gathering place and visually out of sight.

We can cover any chapter, but the most frequently requested are:

• Chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga) — the soul is eternal; foundational to Gita philosophy
• Chapter 6 (Dhyana Yoga) — meditation, mind control, steadiness
• Chapter 12 (Bhakti Yoga) — qualities of a devotee; ideal for memorial services
• Chapter 15 (Purushottama Yoga) — the Ashvattha tree parable; life and liberation
• Chapter 18 (Moksha Yoga) — full conclusion; all paths to liberation
• Full Sampurna Gita Parayana — all 700 verses chanted (approx. 2.5–3 hours)

SMS/WhatsApp: I’d like to personally invite you for a special Bhagavad Gita pravachan at my home — a guided exploration of the Gita’s most powerful teachings and their practical applications for modern life. It will be deeply enriching. Please join us!

Evite: Dear friends, you are warmly invited for a Bhagavad Gita Pravachan at [your name]’s home. An expert speaker will lead us through key verses of the Gita, their meaning, and how we can apply this timeless wisdom to our daily lives. Light prasadam will be served. Please RSVP so we can make the right arrangements.

Longer social media post / WhatsApp group message:
Bhagavad Gita pravachan at [Host Name]’s home!
📖 Verse-by-verse recitation and discourse
💡 Practical applications for modern life — dealing with stress, purpose, relationships, and more
🙏 Conducted by ISKCON Silicon Valley devotees
📍 [Your address]
🗓 [Date & time]
All are welcome. No prior knowledge of the Gita needed.

Seating arrangement makes a real difference in how engaged your guests feel. Here are our recommendations for a Gita pravachan:

• Speaker’s seat (vyasasana) — the pravachak traditionally sits slightly elevated (a cushion or low chair works), facing the audience. This mirrors the ancient tradition of the Vyasasana, the seat of Vyasadeva who compiled the scriptures.
• Semi-circle or rows facing the speaker — guests seated in a U-shape can see each other, which improves Q&A participation. Rows work for larger groups.
• A copy of the Gita on each seat — if you have extra copies, place one on each chair before guests arrive. Guests appreciate being able to follow the verses.
• Altar placement — the Gita and a picture of Lord Krishna on a small table beside or slightly in front of the speaker creates a sacred focal point.
• Minimise screens and distractions — turn off the TV; the spoken word carries when there is no visual competition.

You can have a small, simple altar with photo / printout / murti (any thing is fine) of Radha Krishna/Sita Ram/Lakshmi Narayan. You can decorate the table with some flowers, agarbatti and oil/ghee/artificial lamp to make it aesthetically pleasing.