When spiritual life seems dry and tasteless….
As spiritual seekers, we sometimes go through dry phases when our devotional practices seem to give us no happiness. More often than not, the cause [...]
Don’t just change perception – change perspective
“Change your perception – think positive,” urge many self-help books. It’s good to think positive, but the best positive thinking comes by changing not just [...]
Spiritual perfection requires detachment from our own body, what to speak of others’ bodies
Contemporary culture revels in glamorizing sex through myriad mind-grabbing means. This pervasive glamorization sometimes even seeps into spiritual circles, wherein appear slogans such as sambhoga [...]
Devotion frees us from living life inside a shell
The Bhagavad-gita (02.58) uses the example of tortoise safe inside its shell to recommend that we keep ourselves spiritually safe by withdrawing our senses from [...]
Restraint is not repression – it is the roadway to real expression
Many people champion self-expression and deride restraint as repression. But is it really repressive? Consider musicians wanting to express themselves. Do they go on stage [...]
Materialism’s common wisdom makes us commonly unwise
During ragging in colleges, senior students often push their juniors to drink alcohol with the wise-sounding rationalization, “Babies don’t drink - adults do.” Obviously, drinking [...]
Worry not about falling into illusion – worry about staying in devotion
Serious seekers often worry, “Will I fall back into the illusions of material existence?” Yes, if we keep worrying about falling into illusion. No, if [...]
Focus not on being known – focus on knowing
We want to be known. Living in a world filled with nameless masses in its mindless metropolises, we sense subconsciously the threat of obscurity looming [...]
The soul is metaphysical, but not metaphorical
The idea of a soul is found in the metaphysical ruminations of almost all traditions. But few traditions explain clearly what the soul is. They [...]
Our heart beats for immortality and beats towards mortality
‘Our heart beats for immortality’ refers to our metaphorical heart – the seat of our emotions – and its innate longing to live on forever. [...]
Don’t just battle over your choices – choose your battles
Battling over our choices refers to struggling to make the right choice while staying in the presence of temptation. Choosing our battles refers to deciding [...]
Don’t blunt the intelligence with indulgence; sharpen it with abstinence
Our intelligence is like a knife. It can cut through the surface appearance of things and see their deeper nature. Just as a knife with [...]
Illusion is the ultimate thief of not just our property but also our very identity
Suppose thieves steal all the property from their victims. Still, the victims can get relief by, say, withdrawing money from their bank by using their [...]
Fame is the pathway to not satisfaction but dissatisfaction
Fame is life’s driving purpose for many: “I would do anything to be the cynosure of all eyes, as are sportstars.” Little do they realize [...]
The real me is beyond jeans and genes
Being influenced by our superficial culture we often evaluate others based on externals. We may similarly evaluate ourselves too, imagining, say, that we are lovable [...]
To shift our emotional center of gravity, we need gravity much more than emotionality
Spiritual growth essentially means shifting our emotional center of gravity. The center of gravity is the point at which all the mass of an object [...]
The mind’s feelings are frequently the soul’s failings
We are sometimes led astray by the mind’s feelings. For example, we may eat a lot because it feels good, but later it spoils our [...]
Focus not on breaking free from illusion; focus on holding on to reality
A person who is bound usually focuses on breaking free by, say, untying or cutting the binding ropes. That kind of focus is not the [...]
Far more important than the book cover is what the book covers
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is almost a truism. Yet it has special relevance for the Bhagavad-gita because its cover can intrigue as well as beguile, for it [...]
Misery is not the cause of enlightenment – mercy is
Some seekers ask, “When afflicted with a deadly disease, some devotees take intense shelter of Krishna and make phenomenal spiritual advancement. If similar misery came [...]
To put first things first, stop putting things first
“Put first things first” is a sensible self-help slogan that urges us to prioritize important things. It, however, leaves unanswered some key questions: What things [...]