What does remembering God mean practically?
The Bhagavad-gita’s injunction to remember God constantly can seem impossible or even irrelevant. While this directive can be understood at various levels, let’s consider one [...]
Two ways to gauge our devotion
When we strive to grow on the devotional path, we may wonder, “Are we actually advancing?” To know, we can consider the change in two [...]
When achievement translates into fulfillment
We all want to do something worthwhile, something that the world will notice and appreciate. Unfortunately, that isn’t easy. What is even more perplexing and [...]
How can we redefine our relationship with failure
Suppose a bully has been terrorizing us for a long time. Suppose further that they are always going to be a part of our life. [...]
Are we living in a hall of mirrors?
Suppose we were in a hall filled with mirrors, most of which are deliberately designed to give a distorted reflection of us. By looking at [...]
Why two similar wrongdoings may be entirely different
Suppose someone we trust as a good person does something wrong, say become severely abusive or even physically aggressive. Suppose further that their wrongdoing reminds [...]
Let the mind be
Suppose we have to work with a colleague who tends to hyperventilate. Once they calm down, it’s possible to work with them and sometimes to [...]
How to stop struggling with our feelings?
We often find ourselves obstructed by our feelings, as when we feel bored, annoyed, perplexed, frustrated, enraged, lonely, misunderstood, neglected, rejected, tormented, discouraged or defeated. [...]
Should education be realistic or idealistic?
Suppose schools started teaching kids, “The world is such a terrible place that you can’t even survive unless you learn to lie.” When parents express [...]
Why wisdom doesn’t automatically make us wise
When we are taught wisdom-texts such as the Bhagavad-gita by its expert teachers, we may learn much wisdom about how to act wisely when faced [...]
How dejection can inspire a spiritual connection
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter is often titled as arjuna-vishada-yoga, which means the spiritual connection (yoga) that was stimulated by Arjuna’s dejection (arjuna-vishada). How can dejection [...]
What defines who we really are?
At the start of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna feels hesitant to engage in the Kurukshetra war because he feels that a kingdom is not worth killing [...]
Resolving emotional tensions through Gita wisdom
Emotions are among the strongest forces that shape our actions and our life at large. Unfortunately, emotions can easily make us impulsive, leading to actions [...]
Gita 18.77 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Bg 18.77 tac ca saṁsmṛtya saṁsmṛtya [...]
Gita 10.39 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan After this the last four [...]
Three levels of tension in the Bhagavad-gita
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter depicts Arjuna subjected to three increasingly intense tensions: emotional, ethical and existential. Emotional tension: Arjuna was torn between jubilation and apprehension. [...]
Three kinds of blindness in the Gita’s first chapter
Dhritarashtra’s blindness — physical: His blindness, being physical, was the most self-evident. It prevented him from ascending the throne and left him with an unfulfillable [...]
Why the I can’t count solely on the eye
Suppose a person steering a ship sees something small and shiny ahead. They overlook it as unimportant, not knowing that it is the tip of [...]
How perception is an ethical act
We usually think of perception as a merely mechanical act; when some object comes within our visual range, we see it. However, at every moment, [...]
The courage to take a hard look at ourselves
A mirror helps us see how we look, or more specifically, see whether how we look agrees with how we want to look. We also [...]
Gita 16.04 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 16.4 dambho darpo ’bhimānaś [...]