Even if we can’t close the door to temptation permanently, we can close it presently
Suppose we live in a thief-infested locality. We will want a strong, permanent lock for our home door. But if somehow we can’t have such [...]
Those who think they aren’t prone to evil are the most prone to evil
When we see someone doing something horrible, we may feel revolted, “How disgusting! I would never do anything like that.” Shock at seeing people do [...]
Arrogance keeps us not just in ignorance, but also in ignorance about the extent of our ignorance
Suppose someone swims in an ocean, knowing that the ocean is so vast that they hardly know anything about it. While swimming, they will be [...]
Humility means to focus on how we can serve, not on what we deserve
In life, we frequently feel that we don’t get what we deserve. For example, we may work tirelessly on a project, yet our team may [...]
Stop struggling to turn off the inner darkness, start striving to turn on the inner light
Suppose we are lost in a dark room. We stumble over various things, hurting ourselves. To avoid such trouble, do we try to turn off [...]
Wrong philosophy may not obstruct people spiritually as much as our calling their philosophy wrong
Suppose we encounter people who follow some philosophy in which we can find many holes. We may be tempted to call their philosophy wrong. We [...]
If we repeatedly let our mind take us to hell, eventually it won’t let us come back
Addicts often live in their own mental hell. Their mind subjects them to tormenting emotions: unbearable cravings, crippling self-flagellation, utter hopelessness. How do addicts enter [...]
Worrying about the world’s problems is often an excuse for not working on our own problems
Many people worry constantly about world problems such as climate change or discrimination. While these are serious problems that require dedicated action, we need to [...]
Watch yourself as if you are someone you don’t know – self-observation opens the door to self-transformation
Suppose we want to develop a relationship with someone. We will observe them carefully, noting how they behave in various situations, especially in difficult situations. [...]
During our idle time, the mind works overtime
We often look forward to holidays when we can just relax, free from life’s daily grind. But unfortunately, during such breaks, small things get to [...]
To be happy is possible, to be happier than others is impossible
We all want to be happy, but we often tie our happiness to certain conceptions. One such common conception is that we will become happy [...]
Just because we have a right to be angry doesn’t mean we are right to be angry
Sometimes, people wrong us by acting foolishly, irresponsibly or treacherously. At such times, we feel angry with them and also feel that our anger is [...]
To be assertive, we sometimes need to be aggressive, adequately and adeptly
The nature of people, and the nature of life itself, is such that we are sometimes put in confrontation with others. Amidst such face-offs, we [...]
Science is the study of matter, spirituality is the study of what matters
We live in an age of science and technology. Technological advancement has increased enormously our knowledge of the world around us, especially our knowledge to [...]
Even if we have a million reasons to be resentful, still resentment remains utterly unhelpful and can be horribly harmful
Life is tough. People let us down. Things go downhill for no apparent reason. We ourselves make a mess of things, often against our better [...]
When life is uncomfortable, thank God that it is not unbearable
We all experience discomfort at times. The discomfort may be because of loneliness, boredom, overwork, worry, annoyance and so forth. Such feelings are obviously not [...]
As long as we hide behind ourselves, we can’t challenge ourselves
Suppose we are afraid of some aggressor and choose to hide behind some protector. Later, if our protector starts oppressing us, we won’t be able [...]
Proving that we are right is not as empowering as probing if we are wrong
We sometimes think that we know a lot. Yet no matter how much we know, still, what we know is always lesser than what we [...]
Gita 14.20 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Previous verse explains that when [...]
Spiritual knowledge is meant to make us devotionally fit, not intellectually fat
Food nourishes our body, gives us energy and makes us fit to face life’s responsibilities. However, if eaten excessively or inappropriately, the same food makes [...]
Pleasure and pain are both life’s ringtones – don’t keep hearing the tone, start picking up the phone
Suppose our phone rings. Some ringtones are soothing; some, jarring. However, how the ringtone sounds is not as important as what it indicates: that someone [...]