Let pleasing others be a decision, not a compulsion
We are social beings who thrive in happy relationships. To keep our interactions with others pleasant, we usually want to please them, or to at [...]
Don’t go behind the mind, go beyond the mind
To go behind the mind means to follow the mind, to do whatever it does. To go beyond the mind means to seek something higher, [...]
Spiritual learning culminates not just in learning about Krishna but in learning to keep learning about Krishna
When we start exploring life’s spiritual dimension, we sense that something eternal exists beyond this world – and that we ourselves belong to that eternal [...]
Even if we can’t change our desires, we can change our attitude towards our desires
When we aspire to live a principle-centered life, our worldly desires often tempt and divert us. How can we deal with them? We can learn [...]
If we don’t marginalize the mind, it will marginalize us
Suppose we are the leaders of a group and are leading its discussion in a particular productive direction. But someone else starts speaking loudly, drowns [...]
When we keep liking whatever our mind likes, we end up not liking ourselves
Suppose we keep eating whatever we feel like eating. When our indiscriminate eating makes us fat or sick, we end up not liking ourselves. Gita [...]
To get Krishna, get absorbed in Krishna
The word “get” can refer to comprehension (“I get what you are saying”) and attainment (“I will get that award”). In both these senses, we [...]
A season of grieving may be necessary, but a lifetime of grieving isn’t
Suppose we get physically wounded, but are immediately told to resume normal activities. We won’t be able to. A similar principle applies to emotional wounds [...]
Krishna is the supplier of desires, the supplier of desirables and the supreme desirable
As desires are among our life’s strongest driving forces, we may wonder: How do desires relate with life’s ultimate reality, Krishna? Bhakti wisdom explains that [...]
Technological progress can’t fill the hole created by spiritual emptiness
We all are inherently pleasure-seeking. Usually, we seek pleasure through stimulating objects in the outer world. Today, technology has given us access to stimulation from [...]
Tolerance comes by meditating on not just matter’s ephemerality but also spirit’s eternality
Tolerance is a great power that enables us to keep small things small so that we can focus on big things. How can we increase [...]
Faith is the bridge between our finite reason and Krishna’s infinite reason
Some people ask: Can a rational person believe in God? We could turn the question around and ask: Why should we be rational? Why does [...]
The internal contains both the infernal and the eternal
We often sense a voice inside us, a voice that sometimes prompts us to do good and sometimes to do bad. We may wonder: Whose [...]
If we let our mundane desires drive us, they will drive us mad
To be conscious is to be desirous – our desires naturally drive our perceptions and actions. While traveling, when we desire to eat something, we [...]
Education is meant for not just literacy or numeracy or prosperity; it is meant essentially for spirituality
Education is highly sought nowadays, with people paying millions to get prestigious degrees. But what is education meant for? Some common answers are: literacy, numeracy [...]
The mind makes us juggle too many balls – and then makes us drop them all
Some circus artists juggle many balls, expertly catching them all before they fall. Still, even they have their limits – they can’t juggle too many [...]
The comfort blanket of rationalization keeps us willingly in the cage of illusion
Suppose a person is trapped in a cold cage. They will naturally look for a way to escape. But if inside the cage they are [...]
The heart that delights in the ephemeral can’t delve into the eternal
If we are searching for something in the dark, we need to focus our flashlight in the direction where that thing is located. If the [...]
Let Krishna’s visible protection increase our faith in his invisible protection
On seeing life’s many uncertainties, we may get the question, “Will Krishna really protect me amidst dangers?” Before looking for his protection amidst problems, we [...]
Ditch the road that ends in a ditch
Suppose we are driving along a road, and we find that it ends in a ditch. We would immediately look for a way to avoid [...]
The power of habit is terrible – and terrific
Habit can be terribly powerful. When people get caught in some bad habits such as smoking or drinking, they find quitting those habits almost impossible [...]