The world determines our situations, but we determine our emotions
Suppose we get caught in a traffic jam and get late for an appointment. We may naturally feel irritated. Such an emotion is natural, but [...]
Krishna doesn’t cause our worldly wandering – he frees us from the cause of that wandering
Some people claim, “ The Bhagavad-gita teaches that we humans have no free will, being just puppets in God’s hands. They often quote the Gita [...]
Gita 11.06 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 11.6 paśyādityān vasūn rudrān [...]
Ignorance is bad, but illusion is worse
A blind person walking on a street, being aware of being unaware of the path, will walk cautiously. But a person with cataract may see [...]
The Lord does not belong to any dynasty; all dynasties belong to him
One of the most endearing aspect of the conception of God revealed in the Vedic tradition is that he doesn't let his greatness create a [...]
Revelation is the foundation for the ultimate revolution
When social or financial conditions are felt as intolerable, people rise in revolution against the powers that be. Such revolutions can bring about dramatic political [...]
Gita 11.04 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 11.4 manyase yadi tac [...]
Matter has no intent, but intent matters
Some people misconceive the Gita as a violence-inducing book in which God goads a peace-seeking person to fight. They laud Arjuna when he, instead of [...]
Ask the question that underlies all questions
Children who ask questions are frequently appreciated for their healthy curiosity. But given how many things there are to know in the world and how [...]
Gita 11.02 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 11.2 bhavāpyayau hi bhūtānāṁ [...]
Don’t believe the phantoms created by the mind – believe Krishna
If children see a horror movie featuring phantoms, they may become fearful of, say, dark places, dreading that some deadly phantom may spring from some [...]
Gita 11.01 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Context for 11 Chapter: Krishna [...]
The Gita is optimistic about what matters most
If a doctor declares that a particular limb of a patient is incurable and needs to be amputated, someone might deem him pessimistic. But if [...]
Gita 12.20 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan After describing these Krishna goes [...]
The heart is a nursery, not a factory
Some critics of bhakti, on seeing how devotees look similar, accuse that the bhakti movement mass-produces cultural clones, as does a factory. However, such a [...]
The mind can make us give up the wonderful for the dreadful
Suppose we are at a buffet meal in which one item is delicious and another is tasteless. If someone misinformed us and filled our plate [...]
Tolerance means withstanding the presence without succumbing to the influence
Suppose we have a disagreeable neighbor. We can’t evict him, but we don’t have to waste our time quarreling with him. We do the needful [...]
Gita 12.16 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 12.16 anapekṣaḥ śucir dakṣa [...]
Trying to get rid of misery is like trying to get rid of one’s shadow
We usually want to avoid misery, especially when many miseries seem to be afflicting us from all sides. At such times, avoiding misery may become [...]
Belief founded in the illusion of all belief is an illusion
Many atheists try to thrust their belief system on people by misappropriating the prestige of science. For example, they hold that in the past when [...]
Gita 12.13-14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Ch 12 overview: 1-7: Worship [...]