Devotion is meant to be manifested not just on our lips but also in our lives
When we practice bhakti-yoga and cultivate devotion for Krishna, we may become very effusive in manifesting that devotion through our lips – we may speak [...]
The most dangerous jumping is jumping to conclusions
Jumping can be dangerous if we jump too far and fall twisted, injuring ourselves, or fall on someone, injuring them. While physical jumping can be [...]
Overcompensation doesn’t restore balance; it aggravates imbalance
Suppose we are driving a car and find it steering off-course towards another lane. Alarmed, we move the steering wheel rapidly, and the car starts [...]
Focus on the mind’s track record, not on its sound track
Our mind frequently repeats a soundtrack within us: “Eat this, watch this, touch this, enjoy this.” This soundtrack, by sheer repetition, can overwhelm us. For [...]
To see ourselves as spiritual is good, to see others as spiritual is better, to see everyone as spiritual is best
See ourselves as spiritual: When we face problems in life, we can respond more maturely and resiliently on understanding that at our core we are [...]
To be fenceless is to be defenseless
Those who cultivate crops need a protective fence to keep away predators. Similarly, when we aspire to cultivate virtues such as purity and spirituality, we [...]
The heart unguided by revelation revels in imagination
We humans have an innate need to worship something bigger than ourselves. Thus, sports fans adore a sports-star, consciously or subconsciously equating their idol with [...]
Inability to stand others’ weaknesses is our weakness
When we are good at something, we can easily spot others’ weaknesses in that area. For example, if we are good at language, our attention [...]
The God we grasp is different from the God who grasps us
The God we grasp refers to how we understand God: the conception of God we have acquired, be it by conscious contemplation or sub-conscious assimilation [...]
It takes courage to dream – and it takes courage to hand our dream over to Krishna
When we dream we often envision situation radically different from our present situation, and especially if our dream is meant to be a spur for [...]
To succumb to temptation is not just immoral – it is also irresponsible
Suppose a pilot drinks, and drinks excessively, before flying a plane. Even if some people don’t consider drinking immoral, it is irresponsible, especially when doing [...]
The world’s darkness prevents perception, the heart’s darkness perverts perception
Darkness of the heart refers to the distortion of our desires, the degradation of our consciousness that happens because of our distorted desires, thereby making [...]
Spiritual desolation triggers sensual obsession
When our life has no higher purpose, whatever promises of pleasures controls and drags us. For example, if we have nothing important to do on [...]
Our forced errors don’t justify our unforced errors
In tennis, when a player is put into a situation where it is almost impossible to hit a shot back into the court, player has [...]
Sculptors can change the shape of the stone, not its structure
Sculptors often seem to do magic, transforming a stone into a magnificent statue. Still, they have limits: they can’t make sandstone to marble. Our mind [...]
To lose the will to fight is to lose the fight
The Bhagavad-gita’s dramatic setting depicts the greatest archer of the times, Arjuna, on the verge of fighting the greatest war of his life on the [...]
Stop expecting the mind to give up trying to make us give up
When we resolve to do something positive and fail, the mind may dishearten us, “You can’t do it. Just give up.” We may still persevere, [...]
Temptation buys us on an installment basis
When we buy something on an installment basis, we need to pay only small amounts at a time. By thus manageably dividing a large amount, [...]
See the reality of our material situation – and see that reality is bigger than our material situation
Our present situation in material existence is precarious: a quake under our feet or a quake in our heart can kill us at any moment. [...]
Unhealthy cravings are often unhealthy expressions of healthy needs
We are sometimes told to differentiate between desires and needs. However, just an intellectual differentiation is not enough. Sometimes, our desires are misdirected expressions of [...]
Our mind makes us blind intermittently and colorblind incessantly
Our mind can blind us when it gets infatuated by certain desires and can see only the immediate pleasures available through indulgence, not the consequences [...]