A simple conversation about cricket between a Sydney father and his eight-year-old son has helped shape Vāṇi, a digital platform designed to make the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā more accessible and relevant to everyday life.
Dhawal Damania began developing the app after his son, Evaan, asked what a verse from the Bhagavad Gītā meant. Rather than offering an abstract explanation, Dhawal turned to something his son understood well: cricket.
Using the game as an example, he explained verse 2.47, which explores the relationship between personal effort and the outcomes of one’s actions.
“In cricket, you can watch the ball and choose your shot, but the final score is only partly up to you,” Dhawal told Desi Australia.
The conversation helped Evaan understand the idea in familiar terms. Dhawal says he has since noticed his son remaining steady through both wins and losses in sport, reflecting the lesson they discussed together.
A Personal Experience Behind Vāṇi
The idea for Vāṇi came from Dhawal’s own experience during a difficult period in his life. He credits his cousin, Mehul, with helping him understand how a verse from the Bhagavad Gītā could apply to a decision he was facing.
That experience inspired him to create a way for Evaan to explore the same teachings and find meaning in them when questions arose in his own life.
Working on the project during evenings alongside his full-time job, Dhawal developed Vāṇi with Evaan as its first tester. Their shared reading sessions became an important part of the app’s development.
The central question was straightforward: could a father and son sit together, read one verse and discuss its meaning in everyday language?
Making the Bhagavad Gītā Easier to Explore
This approach also influenced the development of Samvāda, a feature that allows users to ask questions and see which Bhagavad Gītā verse the software draws upon when generating an answer.
Vāṇi provides access to all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gītā free of charge through its website and iPhone app. The platform includes Sanskrit text, transliteration, word-by-word meanings and plain-English renderings.
The platform is also free from advertisements, allowing readers to explore the text without commercial interruptions.
A Conversation That Continues Beyond the Kitchen Table
For Dhawal, Vāṇi is rooted in the belief that ancient teachings can become more meaningful when explained through everyday experiences, particularly for younger readers.
What began as a question from an eight-year-old about a verse has developed into a digital resource shaped by the conversations between a father and son.
“The aim is for the verse to do the teaching, the way it did at our kitchen table,” Dhawal said.
Readers can explore Vāṇi online at getvani.app or download the app through the Apple App Store.
