The biggest battle is not around us; it is inside us
We are often enmeshed in various battles around us – political battles in our countries, corporate battles in our offices, and domestic battles in our [...]
Subtle time subtly causes colossal changes
When we see a huge cloud moving in the sky, we don’t often realize that it demonstrates how the subtler affects the grosser – the [...]
What begins as titillation can end as tribulation
We may sometimes titillate ourselves by, say, watching scenes depicting immoral indulgences. And we may rationalize such titillation by thinking that we have no intention [...]
See as much as you can while you can
Suppose we are walking at night on a dark road and our flashlight starts flickering. While the light is on, we will try to see [...]
Repetition emphasizes – and so does the emphasis in the repetition
In linguistic communication, repetition is a standard rhetorical device for conveying emphasis. The Bhagavad-gita repeats in 18.65 the same two and half lines as in [...]
We are all playing on different surfaces – don’t compare
Suppose two batsmen are batting in two different matches on two different pitches, with one pitch being a batsman’s paradise and the other a batsman’s [...]
We can’t avoid being controlled, but we can choose our controller
We all are controlled by our mind and senses. They allure us with promises of pleasure, and drag us here, there and everywhere. Addicts become [...]
Those who put themselves in a storm’s way are swept away
Suppose, while driving, we hear a radio warning that a storm is going to sweep across the road ahead. We would prudently delay or divert [...]
God doesn’t need us to harmonize with him – we need to harmonize with him
The Bhagavad-gita (18.78) concludes that where Krishna and Arjuna are together, victory follows. This declaration may raise the question: “Krishna alone is enough to guarantee [...]
Give others as much benefit of doubt as we give to ourselves
If we oversleep, we often justify, “I was tired.” But if someone we don’t like oversleeps, we label them as “lazy.” If we overeat, we [...]
The first me is practically never the best me
Some people ask, “We are often told to repress our impulses in the name of civilized behavior or spiritual standards. But doesn’t that mean we [...]
Exposition enters easiest through an envelope of emotion
The Bhagavad-gita is a treatise of profound philosophical wisdom. And it is also a message of undying spiritual love. Towards the Gita’s end, Krishna tells [...]
Unsolicited distraction may be unavoidable, but intentional inattention isn’t
While doing things that require concentration, we are sometimes interrupted by unsolicited distractions. For example, while we are meditating on Krishna’s holy names, someone may [...]
Renunciation is meant to help us look up at Krishna, not look down at the world
Whenever we become good at anything, our ego tempts us to feel superior to those who are not that good. This same temptation lures us [...]
If people don’t walk in, don’t slam the door on their face
When we start practicing spiritual life, our life becomes enriched with deep meaning and sublime joy. Naturally, we desire that others become similarly enriched. So, [...]
The mind is a specialist in forgetfulness
When we indulge indiscriminately in sensual pleasures, we experience their actual nature. They are insubstantial, lasting for just a few moments; and miserable, subjecting us [...]
In the spiritual race, if we strive to be finishers, we will be winners too
Sometimes, people participate in runs to express their solidarity for a cause. In such runs, who wins the race is not as important as who [...]
Stay aware of your triggers – and stay away from them
Recovering alcoholics are warned to stay away from things that trigger their desire for alcohol. If, for example, between their office and home lies a [...]
Focus on doing what you can, not on what you can’t
Today's culture glamorizes aggressively people with great looks, smart personalities and brilliant skills. Of course, such glamorization is more a show than substance. In real-life, [...]
Just because the world is a place of misery doesn’t mean we have to accept atrocity
Some people say, “The Bhagavad-gita’s statement that the world is a place of misery makes people fatalistic, passively accepting atrocity.” If the Gita were fatalistic, [...]
Those who don’t think philosophy don’t live without philosophy – they live with an unthought philosophy
Some people say, “I am interested only in the here-and-now, in the visible and the tangible. I am not interested in philosophy.” However, we all [...]