Appreciating our spiritual identity can anchor us amid the turbulence of contemporary society
In today's world, people grow up bereft of many of the supports that grounded and guided their formation of identity and the development of their [...]
By overemphasizing identity, identity politics ends up obscuring identity
The word identity politics can have two distinct meanings. One is that it is a politics based on asserting identity as contrasted with asserting class [...]
Gita 02.01 explained
BG CH2 (Introduction) -> Sankhya Yoga - Analysis of matter and spirit by differentiating Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur (BVT) gave the name : Content of [...]
The more we are emotional, the less emotions we have and the more our emotions have us
Emotions bring life to our life — if we had to live like emotionless robots, there wouldn’t be much to look forward to in our [...]
People may respond to us with indifference, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t making a difference
When we do something good for someone but they don’t appreciate it, that can easily dishearten us. If we are health care professionals who provide [...]
Purification means that sensual contemplation stops; determination means that we stop sensual contemplation
To grow spiritually and live meaningfully, we need to regulate sensual indulgence. For such regulation, we had best begin in the beginning: by minimizing our [...]
Gita 02.18 explained
BG 2.18antavanta ime dehanityasyoktah saririnahanasino 'prameyasyatasmad yudhyasva bharataSYNONYMSanta-vantah -- perishable; ime -- all these; dehah -- material bodies; nityasya -- eternal in existence; uktah -- [...]
We can’t always move on from grief; we need to sometimes move on with grief
02.18 We can’t always move on from grief; we need to sometimes move on with grief When we lose a loved one, grief can overwhelm [...]
If what we live with becomes what we live for, we end up having nothing to live for
While driving, we need two things: the fuel we drive with and the destination we drive for. If we don’t have any fuel, what we [...]
To avoid emotional extremes, center your emotions on the eternal, not the external
We sometimes experience mood swings, whereby small good things make us elated and more commonly small bad things make us dejected. If such mood swings [...]
What we contemplate mentally, we cultivate mentally
Suppose we have a garden. We will be careful about what we cultivate there. And we certainly wouldn’t intentionally cultivate weeds or toxic plants. Unfortunately, [...]
Don’t fight against your bad habits — cultivate good habits and let them fight against your bad habits
When we have some bad habits, we often strive to get rid of them. If we fail repeatedly, we may become disheartened and quit. Why [...]
Sincerity can show the path to ability; it can’t substitute for ability
Suppose a loved one is terribly sick and needs surgery. We sincerely want to help them, but if we don’t know the ABC of surgery, [...]
The more we are aimless, the more we become shameless
Suppose a student is on vacation, with nothing specific to do. They may spend days on pointless net surfing without feeling bad that they are [...]
Happiness is savored best when seen through the corner of the eye, not when stared at straight
Suppose an image looks attractive when seen straight, but looks breathtaking when seen from an angle. To best relish that image, we need to consciously [...]
We aren’t merely physical being seeking sustenance, safety and sex – we are essentially spiritual beings seeking purpose and progress
Today’s materialistic worldview holds that we are just physical creatures, who will be satisfied if provided with a steady supply of sustenance, safety and sex. [...]
Gita 02.45 explained
Arjuna raises a question, saying, 'You are presenting all these teachings, but they are all derived from the Vedas. Even though you view them as [...]
Gita 02.50 explained
Now in next verse 50th Krishna will give another definition of Yoga: BG 2.50 buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrita-dushkrite tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kausalam SYNONYMS [...]
Gita 02.12 explained
2.11-2.30: counters first argument – compassion – by JnanaBG 2.12na tv evaham jatu nasamna tvam neme janadhipahna caiva na bhavishyamahsarve vayam atah paramSYNONYMSna -- never; [...]
Those who underestimate their mind undermine their intelligence
Suppose a country has a hostile neighbor. If they underestimate their neighbor, they will not pay attention to their own intelligence agencies which may warn [...]
An impurity censor makes no sense to those who don’t have even an impurity sensor
An impurity censor refers to some regulator that filters out impure content. And an impurity sensor refers to some identifying mechanism that detects impure content [...]