To lose the will to fight is to lose the fight
The Bhagavad-gita’s dramatic setting depicts the greatest archer of the times, Arjuna, on the verge of fighting the greatest war of his life on the [...]
Gita 06.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 1-9: From Arurukshato (beginning stage) To [...]
Stop expecting the mind to give up trying to make us give up
When we resolve to do something positive and fail, the mind may dishearten us, “You can’t do it. Just give up.” We may still persevere, [...]
Temptation buys us on an installment basis
When we buy something on an installment basis, we need to pay only small amounts at a time. By thus manageably dividing a large amount, [...]
See the reality of our material situation – and see that reality is bigger than our material situation
Our present situation in material existence is precarious: a quake under our feet or a quake in our heart can kill us at any moment. [...]
Unhealthy cravings are often unhealthy expressions of healthy needs
We are sometimes told to differentiate between desires and needs. However, just an intellectual differentiation is not enough. Sometimes, our desires are misdirected expressions of [...]
Our mind makes us blind intermittently and colorblind incessantly
Our mind can blind us when it gets infatuated by certain desires and can see only the immediate pleasures available through indulgence, not the consequences [...]
Addictive desires feed themselves through us and then they starve us
Suppose someone came to our house, ate our food, became strong, took over our house and started starving us. That would be outrageous. However, that’s [...]
Our greatest weakness is our unwillingness to believe in Krishna’s love for us
We often think of our weaknesses in terms of lust or anger or greed or envy. Yes, these are weaknesses, but they all are the [...]
God’s purpose is not just to comfort us – it is also to challenge us and change us
When in distress, we often approach God to gain relief. And yes, connecting with God can comfort us. Still, everything about God may not be [...]
Animals have souls – they just don’t have the consciousness to know they have souls
Some people argue that animals don’t have souls; only humans have, because humans alone have the capacity for spiritual enquiry. This argument conflates the existence [...]
The feelings that emerge from the mind can’t be evaluated by the mind
When things go wrong repeatedly, our mind may become filled with negative feelings such as worthlessness, powerlessness, hopelessness. To check such feelings, we can compare [...]
When our desires change suddenly from spiritual to sensual, know that the lasso of illusory desires has fallen on us
Suppose a kidnapped person is running away from their abductors. If suddenly they feel themselves being pulled backwards, they will look sharply to discern what [...]
The mind’s triggering may be uncontrollable, but our triggering can be controllable
When a mother and a child are going out for some work, the child may become fearful on seeing something. But the mother needs to [...]
We need the eyes to see what our eyes need to see
When we are sick and in pain, a doctor may immediately see some symptoms that indicate the presence of disease. If during the course of [...]
The more things spin out of control, the more we need to get our thoughts in control
When a fire breaks out in a crowded place, casualties are caused not so much by the fire itself as by the stampede when panicky [...]
The world is not the benchmark of reality – Krishna is
When we want to evaluate things, especially things that seem unbelievable, we often ask: “Is this for real?” For discerning what is real, we need [...]
Thwart the desires that titillate initially but torment eventually
When worldly desires tempt us, they promise us a lot of pleasure. And contemplating attractive worldly objects does titillate. However, no matter how intoxicating this [...]
The mind issues checks that the body can’t cash
Suppose someone gives us a check that bounces. If that person issues checks again, we wouldn’t accept. Similarly, our mind often issues checks, but the [...]
The best way to control our thoughts is to direct them towards the one who is always in control
If we are say attacked by thieves, we may try to fight off them ourselves, but if we can quickly call the police and the [...]
The ego can misappropriate everything, even humility
The Bhagavad-gita (13.08) lists humility as the first among twenty items of knowledge. The opposite of humility, ego, is extremely dangerous because not only does [...]