Bhakti is the treatment that transforms into a treat
When we are sick, we accept the prescribed treatment as an austerity necessary for our recovery. And we often dream about the various treats we [...]
Gita 06.42 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 38-45: If the mind deviates the [...]
When you shake an apple tree, don’t be blind to the falling of mangoes
Suppose a hungry boy goes to an orchard and starts shaking an apple tree. Nothing happens. He prays to God for help and shakes the [...]
Gita 06.41 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 38-45: If the mind deviates the [...]
Our lack of confidence doesn’t choke us as much as our overconfidence in our hypercritical mind
When we get an opportunity to do something challenging – something that can help develop our God-given talents – we often shrink back in apprehension. [...]
Our entanglement is caused not by our attachment, but by our detachment
As spiritual beginners, we may think that our attachments cause our entanglement. Such thinking doesn’t probe deep enough – it fails to ask: Why are [...]
Gita 06.39 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 38-45: If the mind deviates the [...]
If we don’t make time for time-saving activities, we stay hard-pressed for time
We frequently feel pressured because we have too many things to do and too little time to do them in. And our devotional engagements may [...]
Gita 06.38 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya 38-45: If the mind deviates the [...]
Don’t go through the motions – go through to the emotions
Going through the motions refers to doing things superficially, perfunctorily, mechanically – akin to the way a machine moves, without any emotional involvement. Bhakti is [...]
Death is a comma, not a full stop
Most people dread the prospect of death because they think that it implies losing everything they hold dear and losing their very existence. Thankfully however, [...]
New book release: Belong – Gita daily series book 3
Belong addresses our heart’s longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves – a longing that is nourished and fulfilled by the Bhagavad-gita’s transformational message [...]
Thinking is natural, but thinking about thinking is special
All living beings think – thinking is a natural characteristic of consciousness. Though natural, thinking doesn’t naturally go in desirable directions. Misdirected thoughts can make [...]
Work – don’t carry workload
When we see our work as workload, we feel burdened. We can’t avoid our work, but we can avoid seeing it as a load. How? [...]
In the mystery that is spirituality, the investigator is the investigated
Suppose an investigator is asked to solve the mystery of the missing heir of a dynasty – and after due investigation, he discovers that he [...]
Gita 13.31 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now the focus is shifting [...]
Our spirituality is bigger than our humanity
We humans have something special that other species don’t have – something that has enabled us to do distinctive things such as compose literature, develop [...]
Don’t let the mind play truant in the school of bhakti
Suppose a mother sends her child to school, but the child after wearing the uniform and carrying the satchel slips off to play instead of [...]
Gita 06.31 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now there could be confusion between [...]
When the mind functions primarily as a mirror instead of as a window, we gain self-realization
Suppose a cosmonaut is in a spacecraft that has a window for seeing outside but is pitch-dark inside. Similar is our present position. We are [...]
Unconsciousness is a state of consciousness – not an absence of consciousness
People who undergo near-death experiences (NDEs) sometimes report that they perceived, from an out-of-body perspective, things that happened while they were medically unconscious. Occasionally, they [...]