We may be victimized, but we don’t have to be victims
We may sometimes be victimized. How can we deal with the resulting devastation? By ensuring that the emotional dimension of the victimization doesn’t aggravate our [...]
Meditation on space spaces us out
Meditation is becoming popular nowadays. However, given people’s preference to do things their way, many meditators meditate on whatever object catches their fancy, without considering [...]
When the Infinite is discovered, the infinitesimal is uncovered
Love is our innate need – we all long to love and be loved. However, in searching for love, we may get lost. When people [...]
Letting the mind run free is the quickest path to exhaustion
After waking up in the morning, suppose we soon feel tired, even though we have hardly exerted ourselves. Why might that be? Often, such exhaustion [...]
Don’t mess every new day with yesterday
Suppose we are driving through an intersection. If at a previous intersection, someone had suddenly cut across us. Their actions might have annoyed us, but [...]
Determination means to place our intention above our emotion
We all want to be determined, at least about some things that are important to us. But frequently our determination lets us down. That may [...]
Krishna has faith in our potential – let’s have faith in his potency
Suppose a celebrated sports coach has faith in the potential of an aspiring sports player. If that player lacks confidence, seeing the coach’s confidence in [...]
We are always full of thoughts, but we aren’t always thoughtful
Our consciousness is always filled with thoughts, for we can never stop thinking. Even the notion of stopping all thinking is also a thought. Thus, [...]
When the supreme soul is glorified, the small soul is purified
When we hear the Bhagavad-gita’s recommendation to practice bhakti-yoga, which centers on glorifying the object of bhakti, Krishna, we may wonder, “What do we get [...]
The mind will dissolve our resolve unless we evolve
Suppose we had a valuable object that was soluble in water. If kept in a humid environment, it will dissolve. To preserve any object, we [...]
Wrongdoing is not just the wrong we do, but also the right we don’t do
Suppose a thief robs someone – that’s a wrongdoing. Additionally, if a cop were nearby but didn’t stop the thief – that’s also a wrongdoing. [...]
Study scripture as a scuba diver, not a surface swimmer
When we swim in the ocean on its surface, we may find its vastness exciting. But if we want to find pearls, we need to [...]
The devoted shine like sapphire when they go through the sadhana fire
The soul is like a jewel. It is an effulgent spark of consciousness, being a part of the supremely effulgent ultimate reality, Krishna. Presently however, [...]
Don’t see through others; see others through
To see through others means to look for faults in others even when none are evident. To see others through means to help others manage [...]
Free will is the distance between impulse and response
On seeing addicted people relapsing despite their best intentions, we may wonder, “Do they still have free will? Can we lose our free will?” No. [...]
When we do karma-yoga for Krishna, Krishna takes the karma and gives us the yoga
For succeeding or even surviving in the world, we need to work. Simultaneously, when we become spiritually aware, we understand that worldly actions bind us [...]
Spiritual knowledge makes us far-sighted and deep-sighted
To be far-sighted means to prepare for our long-term future. To be deep-sighted means to address issues at levels deeper than the surface level. Gita [...]
To mistake the hilarious to be malicious is ridiculous
The Bhagavad-gita is spoken before a fratricidal war between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas. What caused cousins to fight till death? Their enmity [...]
The mind treats us badly, yet we trust it madly
Suppose an investment agent misled us into making bad investments. We wouldn’t trust them again. Our mind is like an inner agent that misleads us [...]
To bear the weight of freedom, we need big shoulders
Suppose someone has to carry a huge weight. If they don’t have shoulders big enough, they would get crushed and injured. The same applies to [...]
Seek freedom from weakness, not freedom in weakness
Freedom from weakness refers to freedom from the lower urges that weaken our determination to act constructively. Our weaknesses are self-destructive forces within us such [...]