Is our assumption about love blocking our realization of love?
Love is what novels and movies talk about. Such depictions of love conjure images of sensual highs and emotional crests. But real love is [...]
Devotional culture sets us free from our emotional cocoons
Loneliness is a widespread problem nowadays. Not loneliness in a physical sense; many people live in crowded matchbox-like apartments in skyscraper building. But loneliness in [...]
Slave not to get worldly recognition; strive to give Krishna recognition
We all feel sometimes that our abilities are not adequately recognized, that we are underappreciated. Most people spend their entire lives trying to correct this [...]
Those who take a strong stand internally stand strong externally
Two buildings may look equally firm, yet when a devastating storm comes, one crumbles, while the other stands strong. Why the difference? Because their foundations [...]
When one makes lust a god, lust makes one a devil
“No problem’s so big that sex can’t solve it.” So believe the materialists whose minds are filled with endless sexual fantasies. The Bhagavad-gita (16.10) indicates [...]
Charity is not just an activity but also a mentality
Charity is usually thought of as an activity, the action of contributing to some worthy cause. But the Bhagavad-gita (16.01) lists charity as a quality. [...]
Let the thoughts that go away from Krishna take our thoughts towards Krishna
Suppose while swimming in a river in one direction, we find ourselves swept away suddenly and dangerously in the opposite direction. Though we may panic [...]
Krishna is not a dispensable filler; he is an indispensable shelter
“I don’t have time.” That’s how we often respond whenever we are urged to give devotion to Krishna its due place in our lives. This [...]
The mind makes us a stranger to ourselves
If we look in a mirror and find a stranger looking back at us, we will be disturbed. That’s what sometimes happens to us when [...]
When worry accelerates the imagination, let faith become the brake
Worry accelerates our imagination. When we face problems, worry paints dreadful pictures of the many further things that may go wrong, thereby sucking our mental [...]
Our bonds are not prisoner’s shackles, but puppeteer’s strings
We treasure freedom as an inalienable right and resist anything that threatens it. However, we think of freedom largely in terms of the freedom [...]
We are compelled to do as we choose to desire
“Am I really free?” We may get this situation when we try to change ourselves for the better and realize how difficult it is, realize [...]
The purpose of discipline is not to torture ourselves, but to transcend ourselves
The idea of discipline often evokes in us an inaudible sigh, if not an audible groan – it appears to be a deprivation, as a [...]
Be not self-conscious; be conscious of the self
The word ‘self-conscious’ refers to an excessive awareness of one’s appearance and actions. For example, when we give our first public speech, we may be [...]
Might my own thing not be my own thing?
Many people reject discipline: “I want to be free to do my own thing.” Our aspiration to be free is natural and laudable. But we [...]
What raises motion to action is motivation
‘Motion’ refers to the movement of unconscious things, whereas ‘action’ refers to the movements of conscious people. The waves flowing in a river are in [...]
Those who crave to look big are small
Our culture often reduces character to image, wisdom to sound bytes and self-worth to net-worth. Being goaded by such a superficial environment, people frequently, even [...]
Krishna accommodates even those who can’t accommodate him
It is relatively easy to accommodate those who accommodate us. It is much more difficult to accommodate those who don’t accommodate us. The Bhagavad-gita reveals [...]
Possessor, possess thyself!
“I want more.” This urge often consumes us, largely due to our culture’s glamorization of possessions and possessors. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we work [...]
See beyond divergent ideas to convergent ideals
Some people ask: “How can we find harmony among the many different spiritual paths?” By looking beyond divergent ideas to convergent ideals, answers Gita wisdom. [...]
The body is a visa to pleasure, not a passport
Many people imagine that the body is the gateway to pleasure, as is often depicted in novels and movies. Pleasure is not our native country, [...]