Expecting the default to change by default is a dangerous fault
“Will these immoral thoughts ever go away?” Questions like these may trouble us devotee-seekers when temptations provoke us even after we have adopted purifying spiritual [...]
We are dressed by and for our desires
Our desires determine and define us; we are, Gita wisdom indicates, dressed by and for our desires. Let’s see how: Dressed by our desires: The [...]
The eye to see the I
We see not with our eyes but with our knowledge. Where our eyes see a line graph curved sharply downwards, our knowledge of economics helps [...]
Gain double empowerment for destination eternity
Eternity is a universal longing of all living beings, human and sub-human. This longing can be discerned in all species through the ingenious and indefatigable [...]
You are meant for more than a weary, dreary and scary reality
Weary, dreary, scary: these three words convey broadly the reality of modern materialistic life. Let’s see how: Weary: The huge workloads, the overbearing deadlines, the [...]
To see stone and gold equally, see beyond stone and gold to Krishna
The Bhagavad-gita (06.08) shares a puzzling recommendation: see stone and gold equally. How is this possible? To understand, let’s analyze the statement at three progressive [...]
Are needles determining our needs?
All of us have so many desires to fulfill: desires for better dresses, gadgets, cars, homes, jobs. Even when we authentically need these things, the [...]
“Got big problems?” Krishna is bigger
When life’s problems overwhelm us, our vision becomes distorted. We start feeling that the problems are ultra-big, bigger than even Krishna. Consequently, we become so [...]
See eye-to-eye with Krishna to gain an enlightened eye and an enlivened I
When we are sick and seek treatment, we need to see eye-to-eye with the doctor. We need to understand and accept the diagnosis and the [...]
Faith bridges the gap between personal realization and scriptural revelation
We may get the question: “What is the role of faith in understanding the Bhagavad-gita?” Faith helps us persevere in our spiritual journey till our [...]
Are we outsourcing our thinking?
We have outsourced our arithmetic to calculators, our grammar to spellcheck and our memory to google. This trend towards outsourcing can accelerate the atrophy of [...]
The Gita is Categorical and Rhetorical
Many people say, “The Bhagavad-gita is all things to all people; it recommends different paths for different people.” Does it? Reading the Gita shows that [...]
Tap HIS grace by Humbleness, Inquisitiveness and Service-mindedness
The coach is often the most important shaper of an athlete’s success; the systematic and sympathetic guidance of a coach is indispensable for an aspiring [...]
Be not human silkworms – be humans
Nature is rich with demonstrations of spiritual truths. One central truth is that our misery is often self-inflicted, as nature demonstrates through the silkworm. It [...]
Claiming that the unknown is unknowable is claiming to know the unknown
“God is so great that we tiny creatures can never know him.” So claim some people. At first sight, this position seems reasonable and even [...]
Attraction to the supernatural is natural
Supernatural stunts in cartoons and sci-fi movies attract not only common people, but also diehard skeptics who usually denounce anything supernatural. They happily suspend their [...]
Inner resonance leads to outer coherence
“Why do things keep going wrong?” Life often vexes us thus due to its unpredictable upheavals. Gita wisdom suggests that we might be asking the [...]
We don’t have to stay suspended between the unknowable and the unavoidable
As we rush about on our daily routines, we periodically check the clock to see if we are on time. Yet we rarely check where [...]
“Live for the moment?” But the moment doesn’t live for you
“Live for the moment.” So chimes the materialist credo. It is a curious slogan, assuming as it does that a moment is itself an entity [...]
Endless nibbling at the tastes of this world dulls our taste for Krishna
All of us are innately pleasure-seeking. How we seek pleasure is largely shaped by our external culture. As our present culture constantly glamorizes material pleasures, [...]
Spiritual advancement comes not by defining, but by refining
Spiritual advancement is essentially a journey of our heart’s affection towards Krishna, a journey that can get sidetracked by many detours. One tempting detour is [...]