The idea that choosing God costs nothing reduces God to nothing
Some people argue, “God is so great and so accommodating that he will love us, no matter what we do.” Yes, the point of contention [...]
Renunciation is not a function of frustration – it is a fruit of realization
Some people think that those people take to renunciation who have become frustrated with material life, especially with their inability to become successful in material [...]
Gita 17.19 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 17.19 mūḍha-grāheṇātmano yat pīḍayā [...]
Scripture makes our sight right
Our eyes are among our most used and most relied sources of perception. To make sense of things and make decisions, we want to see [...]
Gita 17.18 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Then Krishna describes austerities in [...]
Holding on to the Lord internally is more important than beholding him externally
Some people feel, “If I could see God, my faith would increase so much.” While beholding God externally can be special and thrilling, in our [...]
Gita 17.17 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna describes these are [...]
The mind makes us unthinkingly do the unthinkable
The unthinkable refers to actions so bad, so shocking, so reprehensible that they are not even worth thinking, leave alone intending to do, and leave [...]
Don’t just renounce the material for the spiritual – bring the spiritual to the material
The Bhagavad-gita in its sixth chapter analyzes the process of ashtanga-yoga. While such yoga is nowadays seen primarily as a tool for shaping and strengthening [...]
Gita 17.14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan As part of Yajna, Dana [...]
Let the Gita lead from the voluminous ambiguous expanse of the Vedas to their essence
The Vedas are a voluminous body of knowledge. Often compared to a desire tree, they provide guidelines for people at all levels of consciousness to [...]
Gita 17.13 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Then Krishna talks about sacrifice [...]
Suppression causes aggravation, not rectification
Suppose a person with cough decides to suppress it. Such suppression is unsustainable – one can’t suppress the urge to cough for long – and [...]
There’s more to life than this life
“This life” can refer to both the duration of our present life and our present conception of life. When referring to our lifespan, “there’s more [...]
Gita 17.11 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Sri Krishna will talk [...]
Don’t just hear the mind – mind what you hear
The mind often misdirects our energy. It makes us crave for trivial things or makes us worry about things that haven’t materialized and may never [...]
Gita 17.10 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Bg 17.10 yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ pūti [...]
Devotion is not just a calling but also a choice
Many people treat devotion as a calling to which some are called and some (they) aren’t. Thus, they rationalize delaying their practice of devotion till [...]
Inner calm activates the intercom to God
We often use intercom to connect with people with whom we cannot talk directly. The process of bhakti-yoga acts like a spiritual intercom to connect [...]
Gita 17.08 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan Now Krishna start firstly with [...]
The mind is naughty and haughty
Naughtiness is an attribute frequently associated with children, who often restlessly move from serious things to frivolous things. The Bhagavad-gita (06.34) points to the mind’s [...]