The purpose of discipline is not to torture ourselves, but to transcend ourselves
The idea of discipline often evokes in us an inaudible sigh, if not an audible groan – it appears to be a deprivation, as a [...]
Be not self-conscious; be conscious of the self
The word ‘self-conscious’ refers to an excessive awareness of one’s appearance and actions. For example, when we give our first public speech, we may be [...]
Might my own thing not be my own thing?
Many people reject discipline: “I want to be free to do my own thing.” Our aspiration to be free is natural and laudable. But we [...]
What raises motion to action is motivation
‘Motion’ refers to the movement of unconscious things, whereas ‘action’ refers to the movements of conscious people. The waves flowing in a river are in [...]
Those who crave to look big are small
Our culture often reduces character to image, wisdom to sound bytes and self-worth to net-worth. Being goaded by such a superficial environment, people frequently, even [...]
Krishna accommodates even those who can’t accommodate him
It is relatively easy to accommodate those who accommodate us. It is much more difficult to accommodate those who don’t accommodate us. The Bhagavad-gita reveals [...]
Possessor, possess thyself!
“I want more.” This urge often consumes us, largely due to our culture’s glamorization of possessions and possessors. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we work [...]
See beyond divergent ideas to convergent ideals
Some people ask: “How can we find harmony among the many different spiritual paths?” By looking beyond divergent ideas to convergent ideals, answers Gita wisdom. [...]
The body is a visa to pleasure, not a passport
Many people imagine that the body is the gateway to pleasure, as is often depicted in novels and movies. Pleasure is not our native country, [...]
Devotion encompasses both reconnection of the world and its renunciation
Some people fear that devotion to Krishna will require them to renounce the world. However, devotion requires not renunciation of the world, but its reconnection [...]