A self-answering question points to factors beyond the self-evident
A question that contains the answer within itself raises questions about the question. For example, suppose someone asks, “After the diners sat down at the [...]
The world is pointless without Krishna, not that Krishna is pointless without the world
The Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter reports Duryodhana assessing the comparative strengths of the two assembled armies (01.03, 01.04, 01.05, 01.06, 01.07, 01.08, 01.09, 01.10, 01.11). He begins by mentioning the foremost opponent warriors (01.04), but [...]
Let the example of power come after, never before, the power of example
“My way or the highway.” This is the conflict resolution mantra of the power-hungry. They sometimes rationalize their power-centric tactics with the Bhagavad-gita’s call for [...]
Choose the self-definition that is eternal and factual, not fickle and fallible
The world usually defines us by our possessions – what we wear, what we drive in, what we own, for example. Being influenced by this [...]
Will we have to lose everything before we lose our blindness?
Attachment makes us blind – blind to everything other than the object of our attachment. The Bhagavad-gita (01.01) indicates this blinding power of attachment through [...]
Attachment makes the absent present
Attachment has the power to take our thoughts away from our surroundings to our dreams. It can make those to whom we are attached seem [...]
Don’t treat Krishna as a showpiece; let him show how to put the pieces of life together
We tend to lead our life in pieces – a piece for our career, a piece for our family, maybe a piece for society. And [...]
Cultivate the intelligence to ask questions – and the courage to question those questions
Sometimes we ask intelligent questions about spirituality and demand immediate answers. But frequently our questions stem from dubious assumptions and downright misconceptions that need to [...]
Transforming a battlefield into a classroom
Teachers sometimes use experiential learning methods to teach more effectively. For teaching the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna uses the ultimate experiential learning method by transforming a battlefield [...]
Might our worst fear point to our best hope?
All of us have our worst fear about how things may go totally wrong. Little do we realize that this fearmay point to our best [...]
What went wrong with the great materialist dream?
The great materialist dream is that happiness is found in material things:money, sex, TV, video games, 4G net connections. But today this dream finds itself [...]
Krishna is a God who respects human intelligence and individuality
All theistic religious traditions talk about God, but not all of them invoke the same image of God. Some religious traditions portray God as an [...]
The Gita’s message is not just specific and historical, but also generic and universal
The Bhagavad-gita takes a specific real-life situation, examines it philosophically and offers a universal pragmatic solution. The Gita begins with Arjuna’s weak-hearted capitulation: at the [...]