Gita 17.07 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now we go to the [...]
To endure karma, embrace dharma
To endure karma refers to dealing gracefully with the adversities that come in our life as karmic reactions to our past misdeeds. When such miseries [...]
Gita 17.05-06 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan After this we will discuss [...]
Choose words that make the heart soar, not sore
The human heart is very sensitive to words. Few things can dishearten an inspired heart as much as callous or critical words. And conversely, few [...]
Make the mind wonder spiritually, not wander materially
The mind tends to wander to various worldly objects, going here, there and everywhere – except where it should be for constructive engagement. By its [...]
The world of love manifests through the words of love
The world of love refers ultimately to the spiritual world, Krishna’s personal abode where there is endless love. There, Krishna exists eternally, the soul exists [...]
Intention instills intensity
Intention refers to conscious determination to do a particular thing. Intensity refers to wholehearted absorption in doing that thing. Our spiritual practices frequently lack intensity. [...]
Seek balance through dynamic determination, not frozen formula
We need to balance our various obligations and aspirations, material and spiritual. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (06.17) recommends regulation in attending to bodily needs. In seeking [...]
Falling down is not failure – staying down is
Some devotee-seekers ask, “While striving to live according to devotional principles, we sometimes slip and fall. How can we best deal with such falls?” Not [...]
Enlightenment means to replace oneself with Krishna as the center
Different people conceive enlightenment differently – as experiencing peace, as perceiving a white light, as merging into a cosmic oneness, for example. However, the Bhagavad-gita [...]
Gita 18.75 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan How he has heard is [...]
Unity comes not by blinding oneself to differences, but by seeing beyond differences
Differences are often the cause of conflicts. Wanting to avoid such conflicts, some people try to wish away the differences by claiming that we are [...]
Varnashrama uses the false ego in the service of the true ego
In general parlance, the word ‘ego’ often refers to arrogance, but in Gita wisdom it frequently refers to our sense of self-identification – of “I [...]
Sense pleasure is not imaginary, but it is a product of imagination
Imaginary refers to that which doesn’t exist, whereas a product of imagination refers to that which results from the activation of imagination. Sense pleasure is [...]
Don’t give Krishna your leftovers
The very idea of giving Krishna our leftovers may shock out devotional sensibilities – we usually give leftovers such as food to beggars, not to [...]
Don’t run from pain – learn from it
When we face a painful situation, we often tend to run away from it. Such running can be intelligent when the pain is unnecessary and [...]
Don’t confuse “I can’t know” with “I don’t know”
When applied to the question of understanding God’s glory as is manifested in reconciling his paradoxical attributes, “I don’t know” is an admission of ignorance. [...]
Gita 18.69 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Next verse Krishna expresses how [...]
The art of living is to balance the self we are eternally with the self we are presently
The self we are eternally refers to the soul, part of Krishna – that’s our eternal spiritual identity. The self we are presently refers to [...]
“One of these days” is none of these days
“I will do it one of these days.” This is how we often respond when asked to take up spiritual life seriously. We feel that [...]
To fix the mind, fix it on Krishna
The word ‘fix’ can mean ‘focus’ or ‘repair.’ Using these dual meanings, this article title conveys: To repair the mind, focus it on Krishna. Presently, [...]