Surrender is not giving up but letting go
The notion of surrendering to someone often jars us because we mentally associate it with giving up. Consequently, when the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) concludes with a [...]
To be wistful is to be wasteful
We know that it is undesirable to be wasteful – whether it is in terms of water by leaving the tap on, or electricity by [...]
Be present in the present as the present is the present of the Supreme Presence
Live in the present is a popular and valuable saying among self-help teachers. After all, that’s where we can do anything worthwhile. We can and [...]
Better to speak less and say more than to speak a lot and say little
We all know ramblers who love to hear their own voice, even though they don’t have much to say. Knowing their penchant for rambling, we [...]
The perfection of dharma is not to fall in line with cosmic law, but to fall in love with the trans-cosmic lover
The Bhagavad-gita (18.66) concludes with a surprising call to give up all dharma. Why is this call surprising? Because the protection of dharma is the [...]
The tolerance that has no tolerance for transcendence is the worst intolerance
In today’s multi-cultural world, religious tolerance, a ‘live and let live’ attitude towards different religious groups, is appealing. The Bhagavad-gita strikes an ecumenically tolerant note [...]
Focus not on the reach of your outreach; focus on how much you reach Krishna through your outreach
The Bhagavad-gita (18.68) proclaims that those who share its message of love get pure devotion to Krishna. The next verse (18.69) further declares that such [...]
Emotions come from reality and return us to reality
Emotions are the central feature, indeed the driving force, of our present existence. Many spiritual paths, especially impersonal spiritual paths, consider emotions as distractions, even [...]
Seek specialty through authenticity, not novelty
It is a natural human urge to want to be special, to stand out from the crowd, to be original. Today’s mainstream materialist culture capitalizes [...]
Choose not faith in the eyes; choose the eyes of faith
Faith is not a matter of choice; it is a matter of necessity. Some people may claim to have no faith, or, going even further, [...]
Life is a test of taste
Life is a test. This saying is meant to inspire people to gallantly face life’s problems. Additionally, Gita wisdom reveals its philosophical import: life is [...]
Freedom resides not in the right to experience whatever we like, but in the liking for the right experience
“Won’t spiritual discipline take away my freedom by forbidding the things I like?” This apprehension often checks prospective seekers on their spiritual quest. The apprehension [...]
The essence of empowerment is not disappearance of obstacles, but persistence amidst obstacles
“Krishna empowers his devotees to do wonderful things.” This statement is frequently heard in devotional circles. What does empowerment mean? Is it a miraculous disappearance [...]
The heart of wisdom is attained by the wisdom of the heart
The heart of wisdom is pure love for the all-attractive Supreme, Krishna. Such love is the most cherished and most confidential fruit of wisdom, for [...]
In life’s final exam, worry not about circumstantial logistics; rely on transcendental dynamics
Death is life’s final exam. We are eternal souls transmigrating through various temporary bodies. Death is our opportunity to attain eternal life – if things [...]
The existence of Krishna is the necessity for the existence of anything else
Suppose an observer atop a skyscraper tracing downwards found that it had no foundation. Impossible, isn’t it? Without a foundation, there would be no skyscraper [...]
Don’t defy nature, but don’t deify it either; glorify the Deity behind nature
Overzealous materialists exploit technology to pursue their egoistic agenda of conquering nature. They define technological progress in terms of how much it controls a supposedly [...]
See the pleasure that ends in trouble as trouble, not pleasure
Education enables us to see things as they are, irrespective of how they appear to be. Thus for example a well-informed person, as contrasted with [...]
Don’t come up with the truth; come up to the truth
The phrase ‘coming up with the truth’ indicates speculating and hazarding our own way to the truth. It implies that truth is something submerged and [...]
The head is the prelude to the heart, not the substitute
Our innermost need is the need to love and be loved. All our faculties including our intellectual faculty are meant to fulfill that innermost need. [...]
Be not alarmed by the presence of impurities; be heartened by the presence of the alarm
The presence of impure desires in our consciousness can alarm us: “If despite my practice of bhakti, such dirty things are still there in my [...]