The futility of utility; the utility of futility
The futility of utility: Utilitarianism is today’s dominant belief system – if something is useful, then that makes it good. Utility is today’s god, the arbiter [...]
Let’s love Krishna too much to be fanatical
Fanatic. That’s among the worst labels a person can get in today’s multi-cultural world. To avoid such labels, some people feel, “Better let me not [...]
Is spiritual shopping taking the place of spiritual seeking?
Ours is an age of obsessive individualism. Everyone wants to do their own thing. This holds true all the more for spirituality, wherein people frequently [...]
Show temptation the red light – not the red carpet
Self-destruction. That’s the bane of humanity. From hot-heads who break hearts due to their urge for speaking thoughtlessly to sex addicts who risk their dignity [...]
An emptiness that is worse than loneliness
When we neglect or reject relationships, we make ourselves lonely. But when we neglect or reject our relationship with Krishna, we make ourselves worse that [...]
We are never too small to do a big service and never too big to do a small service
“I am not qualified to do that service.” Such thoughts may hold us back when the opportunity to render a significant service presents itself. It [...]
Are we strong enough to admit that we are not strong enough?
When problems assault us, it’s easy to cave in, to lose heart, to give up. It’s easy, but it’s also weak. And we like to [...]
Might we be blocking the progress of a work in progress?
Suppose a child lying on a mother’s lap sees her mother stitching and weaving a cloth. The needle seems to come in and out of [...]
Why sentence ourselves to meaninglessness, purposelessness and joylessness?
Skeptics often ask, “What is the use of devoting so much time to God?” Little do they understand that Krishna brings meaning, purpose and joy [...]
How can we pursue that which we don’t perceive?
Our vision determines our action. If on a road we don’t see a speed-breaker, we won’t slow down and so get jolted. If at a [...]
Send resentment to retirement
Few things can check and choke us as badly as resentment. When things go wrong, resentment builds up within us, seeking a target – outwards, [...]
Love is the ultimate knowledge – and is the way to the ultimate knowledge
Love reigns supreme. Not just in matters of the heart, but also in matters of the head. This is the sweet and supreme insight of [...]
Is nothing the place where something is hiding?
Some people say, “When we do nothing, then we will become free from all external preoccupations and thereby discover our true self.” Will we? Yes, [...]
Do we need to lose our way to find our way?
Life sometimes brings us to a dead end. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, everything seems lost. Not knowing where to go or what to [...]
Losing our way to find our way
Life sometimes brings us to a dead end. In the face of overwhelming obstacles, everything seems lost. We feel as if we have lost our [...]
Let’s learn to laugh with others, not laugh at others
Laughing at others – their fallacies and follies – is something we often enjoy. If not publically, then at least privately. It makes us feel [...]
Satisfaction is not just a condition but also a choice
Job dissatisfaction. Marital dissatisfaction. Monetary Dissatisfaction…. The malaise of dissatisfaction plagues millions. Of course, dissatisfaction is not always a malaise. It can point to a [...]
Should we be happy when we are happy?
When we are materially happy, we are exhausting our past stock of good karma – something similar to depleting the money in our bank account. [...]
True austerity is supplicative not manipulative
Gita wisdom frequently surprises us by taking us beyond surface to the substance of things. Few things illustrate this as graphically as the Bhagavad-gita (17.19) [...]
Are we mistaking an inner lacking for an outer lacking?
We sometimes feel that something is lacking in our life. Before we can soberly investigate what it is that is missing, the culture fills our [...]
Are we conscious that Krishna is conscious of us?
We express love for a person by being mindful of that person. By being conscious of that person as we go about our various duties [...]