Krishna is not just our destination – he is also our companion
Suppose we flew to a distant land to meet a VIP whom we hadn’t met before. We landed, drove to his residence and knocked [...]
See people as subjects with volition, not objects for indoctrination
Some people hesitate to embark on a spiritual search because they fear that they may unwittingly end up in cults that brainwash people. Their fears [...]
Gita 07.13 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya He is transcendental also so how [...]
Our willingness is more important than our willpower
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, but falter and fail, we may lament, “I don’t have willpower.” Such feelings are natural and understandable. [...]
Being correct is not enough; we need to be correctly understood
Sometimes when we speak something important or insightful, we may think that we have done our part. But if others haven’t understood what we have [...]
Gita 07.10 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya So in this verse we have [...]
Anger-aggravating religion is the antithesis of religion
Some people perpetrate terrorism in the name of religion. Being angry with others about past wrongs – factual, exaggerated or imagined – they misappropriate religion [...]
Gita 07.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 7.9 puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca [...]
Detachment from results culminates in attachment to something bigger than results
Some people ask, “The Bhagavad-gita recommends detachment from the results of work. But how can we work responsibly if we don’t care for the results?” [...]
Freedom is most endangered by the illusion of freedom
When people feel that their freedom is threatened, they often protest – and protest vehemently. But if they are led to believe that they are [...]
Meditation shrinks our problems by increasing our awareness of Krishna’s greatness
Suppose in a cartoon when two characters are fighting, one character keeps becoming bigger; and the other keeps becoming smaller. For the dwarfed fighter, the [...]
We can’t eliminate fire, but we can become firefighters
When a fire starts off, civilians often become panicky and run here and there, making things worse. But seasoned firefighters quickly spring into action – [...]
The commonality of the source doesn’t imply the similarity of the effect
People sometimes ask, “When everything comes from God, why can’t we enjoy everything? Why restrict our enjoyment of some things?” Because though everything comes from [...]
Entrust the reins of your chariot to Krishna
The Bhagavad-gita’s chariot setting symbolizes its universality. The theme of a warrior on a chariot counseled by the charioteer harkens to a well-known Upanishadic metaphor [...]
When we are alone, we are alone with our worst enemy
Suppose warriors at the end of a day of heavy fighting return to the security of their camp. Just as they relax, they are attacked [...]
Gita 07.02 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 7.2 jñānaṁ te ’haṁ sa-vijñānam [...]
Scripture ends the hush-hush around the failed project of sense enjoyment
When a much-touted project of a government fails – and fails abysmally – the government often tries to save face by an overall strategy of [...]
Anger can be an expression of love – and so can be the determination to control anger
Anger often makes us speak and do things that hurt others, things that we regret later. Aptly, the Bhagavad-gita (16.21) deems anger one of the [...]
Don’t let the mind put your thoughts out of sync with your actions
In crudely made videos, the sound and action are sometimes out of sync. Suppose a fight between a hero and a villain is being depicted. [...]
The Gita is not a spatial martial narration, but is a universal spiritual revelation
The Bhagavad-gita begins and ends with references to places. In its first verse, Dhritarashtra asks his assistant Sanjaya about the events that transpired at the [...]
Gita 08.26 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 8.26 śukla-kṛṣṇe gatī hy ete [...]