The purpose of humility is to foster neediness, not helplessness
Some people think of humility as undesirable because it supposedly makes people feel bad about themselves by making them obsess over their defects and deficiencies. [...]
Those who can get on without matter can get on best with it
Many conventional seekers think of the world only in two terms – action or renunciation, either to act in the world or to renounce it. [...]
Spirituality values even the fools who find no value in spirituality
To appreciate the value of spirituality requires a sharp and deep intelligence that can penetrate through the surface appearance of things and ponder the core [...]
Krishna is not neutral but reciprocal
What is Krishna’s relationship with the world? The Bhagavad-gita addresses this question repeatedly in its several chapters, especially in its ninth chapter. That discussion culminates [...]
Don’t challenge the wisdom of God – let the wisdom of God challenge you
To challenge the wisdom of God means to approach his words with a cold, critical attitude, with the intention of disproving, defying and denigrating it. [...]
Krishna’s glory is inconceivable yet relishable
The Bhagavad-gita’s ninth chapter makes two seemingly self-contradictory assertions. First, it states (09.04: mat sthani sarva bhutani) that all living beings are situated in Krishna. [...]
To grow in devotion, focus not on emotion but on dedication
The Bhagavad-gita features an intriguing paradox. On one hand, it repeatedly urges seekers to stay unaffected amidst emotions such as pleasure and pain (02.56, 12.19, [...]
We may go incognito, but we can never go invisible
When people want to surf the net privately, they often use the incognito mode. Yet they are not invisible to the internet service provider and [...]
Don’t get back at God – get God back
When people hurt us, we often want to get back at them, hurt them the way they have hurt us. When things go wrong in [...]
The purpose of bodily regulation is not physical deprivation but spiritual connection
Some religious seekers subject the body to deprivation through extreme fasting or even self-flagellation. They think that such deprivation will lead to detachment and eventually [...]
To acquire equal vision externally, cultivate spiritual satisfaction internally – by remembering Krishna devotionally
The Bhagavad-gita repeatedly urges us to see pleasant and unpleasant situations equally. How is this possible? To understand, let’s analyze a Gita verse (06.08) that [...]
To evaluate advancement, examine anxieties
Devotee-seekers often get the question: “How do I know whether I am making spiritual advancement?” One reliable way is: by examining our anxieties. The Bhagavad-gita [...]
Choose the collective that is corrective, not disruptive
We are social beings. Not only do we long to belong to some social group, but also the mindsets and passions of the social group [...]
Surrender means to do what we can, with what we have – now
Many people think of surrender as passive acceptance. However, surrender involves not just acceptance but also action. The Bhagavad-gita’s conclusion demonstrates this active dimension of [...]
The cure for pride is not suppression of talent but purification of intent
As pride is a major pitfall on the spiritual path, we may think, “By not expressing my talent and keeping a low profile, I will [...]
The Gita shows the best peak to seek and the best route to reach it
All of us need something to live for, some target to achieve, some mountain peak to seek. Materialistic culture offers us many peaks –wealth, sex, [...]
Krishna is not just the object for meditation but also the subject for reciprocation
For aspiring meditators, Gita wisdom recommends Krishna as the best object for meditation. Let’s see how and why. While outlining yoga in its sixth chapter, [...]
Purification transforms theoretical propositions into spiritual realizations
“Krishna is non-different from his holy name.” How can we realize such incomprehensible-seeming scriptural statements? By purification. As souls, we are capable of pure spiritual [...]
In life’s multiple-choice exam, select an alternative based on what it says, not where it stays
In a multiple-choice exam, the position of an alternative doesn’t determine its correctness. Just because an alternative is positioned first doesn’t make it correct. The [...]
Arrogance perverts the wings that free into nets that bind
As spiritual practitioners, we are like baby birds developing wings – wings that will help raise our consciousness to the spiritual level, thus freeing us [...]
Be reflective, not reflexive
Our physical reflexes often protect us from danger – if we unconsciously place our hand on something hot, it recoils from that object even before [...]