The best motivation for ambition is realization, not recognition
Some aspiring spiritualists fear, “Will becoming spiritual mean that I have to give up my ambitions?” No, to grow spiritually, we don’t need to give [...]
See the mind as a predator, not a protector
Suppose a farmer has a guard dog. But if that dog turns into a predator who devours the farm poultry, the farmer would be in [...]
Gita 14.18 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna will give some [...]
Comparing various paths up a mountain can’t take us up the mountain
Prospective spiritual seekers are often perplexed by a question: which path to follow? This important question merits deep deliberation. Still, if agonized over for too [...]
Bhakti requires a radical re-assessment of our deepest desires
Some people equate bhakti with externals – they assume that if they are doing devotional rituals right, they are well-situated. However, the essence of devotion [...]
It takes courage to dream – and it takes courage to hand our dream over to Krishna
Achievers often talk about the courage needed to dream big and to work untiringly for actualizing the dream. But not many achievers talk about another [...]
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 [...]