Don’t hold on to the things that hold you back
If a person were bound by ropes and were struggling for freedom, we would expect them to break the ropes, not hold on to them. [...]
Focus not just on what lies around, but also on what lies ahead
Life's perplexities and adversities can drain our inspiration to do anything tangible in the present. To stir ourselves out of the present's negativity, we need [...]
Even if we can’t be spiritually joyful, we can be spiritually purposeful
Whenever anyone seeks to achieve anything wonderful or even worthwhile, they know that they have to work for it. Consider tennis players, Even if they [...]
The difference between confidence and overconfidence is vigilance
Suppose some soldiers are guarding the national boundary from infiltration by terrorists. If the soldiers are diffident that too many terrorists may attack, they may [...]
To become light-hearted, light your heart
The word light can refer to the illumination that counters darkness or the non-heaviness that characterizes portable objects. In the second sense, light combines with heart [...]
Hyper-stimulation leads to desensitization
Indulgence in porn has become rampant nowadays, largely because of unfiltered net access becoming widely available through portable, concealable gadgets such as smartphones. Sociological surveys [...]
Faith means the willingness to relinquish control
Faith is a complex concept that pervades our entire life. Faith is difficult for us to have because we wish to stay in control and [...]
To fight for what is right is right
The world today is haunted by the specter of terrorism, which rationalizes itself based on a religious book. Coming from this context, we may feel [...]
Don’t take shelter of the intelligence – take shelter of Krishna with the intelligence
Our intelligence is vital for our spiritual growth – it helps us to reject illusion and choose reality. Aptly, the Bhagavad-gita (02.49) begins by asking [...]
Not everything that comes in our vision is worth our attention
Suppose we are driving a car. In the path of our vision come so many objects: trees, houses, passers-by, billboards and landmarks. If we pay [...]
Strive for self-understanding, not self-esteem
As we live in a rabidly competitive society, we may feel that we lack self-esteem. Such feelings become aggravated when the media bombards us with [...]
Attachment to results confuses cause and effect
When we want to achieve something difficult, we often envision the result and that vision inspires us to strive determinedly. While envisioning the result can [...]
Unborn implies not existence before birth, but existence beyond birth
In common parlance, the word “unborn” refers to existence before birth — specifically to the existence of the embryo in the womb of a mother. [...]
The richness of life is more important than the riches of life
Our culture makes us believe that gaining more and more wealth will make us happy. While riches can ease our life-journey in some ways, obsession [...]
Walking away from problems is not the same as running away from them
When we are driving for an important and urgent meeting, if someone cuts ahead of us, we may decide not to chastise or sue that [...]
Don’t take everything literally – use your intelligence
“Put your money where your mouth is,” we may tell someone who recommends big things without making any practical commitment. Suppose they respond by taking [...]
Distraction is an invitation for temptation and degradation
Suppose we are rowing a boat in an area where the current is going in a direction different from where we wish to go. Suppose [...]
Discipline is the fusion of intention with action
We may sometimes lament: “I could do so much more in my life if I were more disciplined.” To cultivate discipline, we can break it [...]
Spirituality is not about suppressing grief – it is about transcending grief
The Bhagavad-gita (02.13) states that the spiritually enlightened are not bewildered by death. Does this mean that spiritualists shouldn’t grieve the death of their loved [...]
Tolerance is not passivity – it is maturity
Some people ask, “Does tolerance, as recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, mean that I just passively accept everything, even injustice?” No, tolerance is not at all [...]
The journey from contemplation to captivation is powered by imagination
When some self-defeating habit captivates people, that captivation is usually powered by imagination. For example, when students get hooked to drinking, such captivation doesn’t happen [...]