The existence of Krishna is the necessity for the existence of anything else
Suppose an observer atop a skyscraper tracing downwards found that it had no foundation. Impossible, isn’t it? Without a foundation, there would be no skyscraper [...]
Don’t defy nature, but don’t deify it either; glorify the Deity behind nature
Overzealous materialists exploit technology to pursue their egoistic agenda of conquering nature. They define technological progress in terms of how much it controls a supposedly [...]
See the pleasure that ends in trouble as trouble, not pleasure
Education enables us to see things as they are, irrespective of how they appear to be. Thus for example a well-informed person, as contrasted with [...]
Don’t come up with the truth; come up to the truth
The phrase ‘coming up with the truth’ indicates speculating and hazarding our own way to the truth. It implies that truth is something submerged and [...]
The head is the prelude to the heart, not the substitute
Our innermost need is the need to love and be loved. All our faculties including our intellectual faculty are meant to fulfill that innermost need. [...]
Be not alarmed by the presence of impurities; be heartened by the presence of the alarm
The presence of impure desires in our consciousness can alarm us: “If despite my practice of bhakti, such dirty things are still there in my [...]
The supposition that we have spontaneous devotion sentences us to sporadic devotion
Some people ask, “What is the use of chanting Krishna’s holy names mechanically, keeping track of the count on beads? True lovers of Krishna will [...]
Study pastimes not to swoop down on their meaning, but to be swept up by their emotion
When we come across something intellectually challenging such as a crossword puzzle or a riddle, we feel stimulated and thrilled to “crack” it. We may [...]
Muster determination to master distraction
Distraction is one of the biggest problems on the path of devotion. When we strive to fix the mind on Krishna internally, then we feel [...]
Be not a passive observer – be a detached observer and a devoted doer
Some people misunderstand the Bhagavad-gita’s recommendation to be detached as a call to be passive. However, the Gita concludes with Arjuna’s resolve to give up [...]
Those who give up pleasure for principle gain life’s principal pleasure
Many people fear, "If I practice spiritual life, I will have to give up so many material pleasures." However, the essence of spiritual life is [...]
Those who mistake meekness to be weakness sentence themselves to spiritual sickness
The Bhagavad-gita begins with an expression of meekness that may be misconstrued as a sign of abject weakness: the surrender to God of a strong-bodied, [...]
Bhakti bestows the intelligence for tolerance and the taste for transcendence
Tolerance and transcendence comprise our twofold defense against temptation. Tolerance refers to the capacity to endure the presence of unwanted temptations without succumbing to them. [...]
Devotion is deepened, not depleted, by distribution
When donors give money to someone, their own reserve of money decreases. If they are religious, the knowledge that they have gained pious credits solaces [...]
Krishna’s purpose is not to catch us when we do wrong, but to catch us when we fall
When we are in the public eye, especially with critics present, we frequently become self-conscious. Even when we are in a private room, if we [...]
The mind may replay, but we don’t have to play
Sometimes some nasty images come in our mind and make us feel appalled at ourselves: “What kind of devotee am I to be thinking such [...]
By recognizing our identity and redefining our activity, we revolutionize our destiny
Our identity, activity and destiny are our defining features. But do our names, jobs and dreams actually define us? After all, we can change them [...]
Krishna is concrete, close-by and caring
“Always remember Krishna? That’s impossible.” This may be our understandable reaction on hearing the Bhagavad-gita’s central devotional recommendation. Thinking about Krishna constantly will naturally seem [...]
Krishna sees not just our feelings but also our feelings about our feelings
During our spiritual journey, we sometimes find ourselves assaulted by non-devotional feelings such as boredom or nonchalance or, worse still, by anti-devotional feelings such as [...]
The yoga of the heart reveals the heart of yoga
The yoga of the heart refers to bhakti-yoga, the yoga that centers on spiritualizing our heart’s central force: love. The heart of yoga refers to [...]
Sense gratification is a fascinating path to frustration
“Eat this; see this; touch this – and you will enjoy.” The world glamorizes sense gratification thus. In striking contrast, the Bhagavad-gita (05.22) asserts that [...]