A Woman’s Gita: Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women
A Woman’s Gita: Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women is a new podcast discussing Bhagavad-Gita, the timeless classic of Eastern Wisdom reinterpreted from the perspective of two Western female teachers who are both former monastics, Nischala Joy Devi and Kamala Rose, who have dedicated their lives to the Yoga Tradition. At a time when women’s voices are finally emerging, a feminine perspective of the wartime treatise could not be more timely.
Each episode will explore the main teachings in the Bhagavad Gita from a female perspective and describe the process of bringing the Gita to a wider audience.
--- Nischala Joy Devi ---
Nischala Joy Devi is a masterful teacher, author, and healer. She spent 25 years as a monastic in the Vedic tradition, learning all aspects of Yoga from great masters worldwide. Her teaching reflects her love of Yoga and scripture, highlighting the Bhagavad Gita, considered one of the quintessential scriptures of Yoga. The Gita, previously deemed unrelatable to Western women, has inspired Devi to adapt the teaching by infusing content and commentary with feminine-based insights and parables. Now the Bhagavad Gita, like most of her teachings, reflects a heart-centered perspective of spirituality in scripture.
--- More at abundantwellbeing.com
--- Kamala Rose ---
Kamala Rose brings over 30 years of contemplative training, a background in Sanskrit, and a lifelong immersion in the Bhagavad Gita. She studied with traditional teachers like Srivatsa Ramaswami, several academic institutions, explored interpretive lineages through the Theosophical Society, and was shaped by a father who studied the Upanishads and a mother who nurtured her feminist and academic orientation from an early age. She has dedicated her life to preserving yoga’s wisdom tradition by making it more accessible to yoga teachers.
--- More at KamalaRoseYoga.org
A Woman’s Gita: Bhagavad Gita by and for Western Women
Yajna and Tapas: Reclaiming Sacrifice Through Women’s Eyes
In this episode of A Women’s Gita Podcast, Kamala Rose and Nischala Joy Devi continue their exploration of Chapter 3 (Karma Yoga) of the Bhagavad Gita, turning toward the deep—and often misunderstood—concepts of yajna (sacrifice) and tapas (austerity, inner fire).
Drawing from traditional Gita verses, Vedic creation myths, and lived experiences as women, they unpack how sacrifice has been framed, who has been centered in those stories, and what it means to reclaim these teachings in a way that honors women, the Earth, and the interconnected web of life.
This conversation weaves together scripture, myth, feminist critique, and practical spirituality, inviting listeners to see their daily practice as an inner ritual fire that supports both personal transformation and the welfare of the world.
Key topics covered:
- What yajna really means beyond “giving something up”
- The Vedic worldview of interdependence: gods, humans, nature, and the “wish-fulfilling cow”
- The Purusha Sukta and creation as an original cosmic sacrifice
- Contrast between Vedic creation myths and the Genesis story (dominion vs. interconnection)
- How religious worldviews shape attitudes toward women and nature
- Women’s lived experience of sacrifice: childbirth, caregiving, and erasure from sacred narratives
- The role of rain, food, and ritual in sustaining life and cosmic balance
- Understanding tapas as daily, embodied practice—not extreme self-denial
- The Gayatri mantra and Bargo as the purifying inner flame
- Re-reading the Gita to include women’s voices without changing its core teachings