When self-righteousness obscures rightness…
When we share Gita wisdom with others, we sometimes find them arguing for the sake of arguing, holding on to positions that are illogical and [...]
Have we become the slaves of our clothes?
Slaves. The word conjures images of miserable people forced into bonded labor, stripped of self-respect and denied life’s pleasures. That’s not an image we will [...]
Those who mistake torture to be pleasure sentence themselves to perpetual torture
When a moth sees a fire, it becomes so captivated that it rushes straight towards it. The closer it gets, the hotter it feels. However, [...]
Detect the storm of temptation when it is still a blip
For a boat a storm is one of the greatest dangers.No wonder trained boat drivers alertly look for signs that presage a storm. By identifying [...]
Transcend the labor pains of devotion through loving anticipation
We normally don’t like pain. But when a to-be-mother undergoes labor pains, love shifts her thoughts from the present pain to the future child. Her [...]
Aspire not for feelings but for relationship
Is bhakti a feeling that arises spontaneously in the heart, a feeling that some people get and some people don’t? We may think thus when [...]
Are we trying to control without because of being uncontrolled within?
We all want to control our dependents. And we do need some control to guide them properly. Yet by their very nature people often go [...]
The road that turns into a roadblock
Our culture indoctrinates us with the belief that the body is the road to enjoyment, especially sexual enjoyment. The sexual experience seems exhilaratingwhile it lasts.But [...]
The bond that sets us free
Surrender. The idea often conjures images of a warrior accepting defeat and being bound by the enemy. When the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) asks us to surrender, [...]
Krishna wants our presence more than our presents
We may injure our relationships by an unwitting error: giving things more of our attention than the people for whom we are doing those things. [...]
Are riches cutting us off from the richness of life?
We all need money for living. But neither our culture externally nor our mind internally allows us to stay satisfied with earning for living. Both [...]
Parent the childish mind by being vigilant and diligent
When a mother cares for her child, she has to be vigilant and diligent: vigilant to constantly watch whether the child is doing anything mischievous [...]
Devotion is the switch that activates our dormant virtues
Just by turning on a small switch we can activate a big car. If a small manmade switch can have so much power, then how [...]
Fighting vices is like fighting weeds: we are always slightly behind
In gardening, each time we pluck weeds out, they grow again; in fighting them we are always slightly behind. The same applies to the garden [...]
To get devotion in our life, let’s put life in our devotion
Sometimes welament, “Though I am practicing devotional service, why don’t I feel any devotion in my heart?” Frequently, it’s because we are doing devotional activities [...]
Love of words in the words of love
The Bhagavad-gita is essentially Krishna’s words of love for all of us. From its setting, the Gita may appear to be words of counsel directed [...]
Be consciousness-conscious
If a red film is put on a flashlight, the light emerging from it changes from white to red and makes everything seem reddish. If [...]
Bind the blind mind
The greatest threat to our wellbeing is our blind mind. The mind is considered blind notbecause it can’t see anything but because it doesn’t see [...]
Renunciation is not deprivation but emancipation
The prospect of ‘renunciation’ may bring in us a cold, hard, almost scary feeling. We fear that we will have to give up something dear [...]
Differences that make a real difference – and differences that don’t
Suppose we desire a new cellphone. Being enamored by the various features of difference brands, we start worrying which to choose. Soon the worry consumes [...]
Standards are for inspiration not condemnation
“They are so degraded.” We may think or even speak like this about those who don’t follow scriptural standards of morality. Bysuch a judgmental attitude [...]