Don’t slip on the philosophical banana peels of scriptural paradoxes
Some of us may be put off by the apparently contradictory statements in the Bhagavad-gita. Several such statements are found in the thirteenth chapter of [...]
Don’t let inconsequential possibilities paralyze you
Our culture offers us so many possibilities for life’s trivialities that choosing among them often swallows much of our energy and emotion. For example, TV [...]
Devotional spirituality offers breaks that are much more than brakes
The racehorse-pace of life nowadays impels many people to apply brakes, lest they break down. These break-seekers often explore spirituality for utilitarian purposes. Just as [...]
Be not scared of the sacred
We may be held back in our spiritual quest by the subconscious apprehension that the advanced, sacred states of spiritual realization may be too difficult [...]
Your desire is your power – don’t waste it
Green consciousness has made us increasingly aware that natural resources are limited and so need to be used carefully. Yet there is one natural resource [...]
Material letdown and spiritual breakdown: The Twin Troubles of Transgression
“What’s wrong with a bit of indulgence as long as one is not harming anyone?” This utilitarian-seeming rationale sometimes tempts us to transgress the moral [...]
The Gita shows the Route to the Root
“Let’s go back to our roots.” This passion consumes many people. Some of them take the route of genealogical investigation for discovering unsung ancestors. Others [...]
Go down the consequence lane of memory to go up the devotion lane of life
Our mind loves to go down the pleasure lane of memory, especially when those pleasures are materialistic. It not only glues itself to those memories [...]
To save you from you, couple the real self with the Supreme Self
“Why did I do that?” This question often troubles us whenever we look back at an unworthy action that we did on the spur of [...]
Spirituality expands our conception of life dramatically and majestically
Is life a doomed journey from a station called birth to a station called death with a bit of pleasure and a lot of pain [...]
Rumble, Grumble, Tumble? Or Humble?
Our media periodically presents us with celebrities who are self-obsessed egotists.Three words sum their life-trajectory: rumble, grumble, tumble. Rumble: These people are so self-obsessed that [...]
Be Intense, not Tense
The pace and pressure of our contemporary lifestyle often makes us stressed. This tension is a nag that lurks constantly in the background of our [...]
Confirmation comes by conformation
We may sometimes wonder: “Are the statements in the Bhagavad-gita about God’s existence and benevolence to be accepted on faith alone? Isn’t there any way [...]
Chemical highs cheat us of spiritual highs
All material pleasures are essentially chemical highs. Whenever we perceive any attractive objects with our senses, the corresponding sensory mechanisms secrete certain chemicals. This chemical [...]
Meditation is not a dulling duty – it is a thrilling opportunity
As devotee-seekers, we often begin mantra meditation with enthusiasm and anticipation. However, our mind soon starts coming in the way of our meditation with increasing [...]
Discover the democracy of misery
When problems assault us unexpectedly, we often feel indignant that life has handed us a raw deal. We also become haunted by the fear that [...]
Knowledge about Krishna is not for pooling, but for pulling
Our times are characterized by an infatuation for information. Those with the ability to commandeer uncommon bits and bytes of information on the spur of [...]
The loose ends never end
Many of us delay taking up spiritual life because of the pressures to improve our material life: our finances, fitness and family’s prospects, for example. [...]
Slick about sin or sick about sin?
A tragic trend of our times is the glamorization of immoral sexual indulgences as fashionable, as slick, as cool. This is especially evident in soap [...]
Loving the unlovable is the characteristic of God – and the character of the godly
Most of us know someone who annoys, irritates or enrages us. We may even feel that if only that person would be out of our [...]
Love is a prize far bigger than the palliative of peace
Some spiritual aspirants ask: “I had thought of spirituality as a state of peaceful withdrawal from the world while seated in a smart yogic posture. [...]