Why Do We Fall Short When Trying to Change?
Even when we want to change ourselves by giving up unhealthy habits and developing healthy habits, why do we fall short? How can we overcome [...]
A hard look or a hard knock — what will we choose?
If we don’t take a hard look at ourselves, we will soon get a hard knock from ourselves. We often worry about people who are [...]
How Not to Let the Darkness of the Human Heart Become Activated
Whenever we start looking into the abyss, we need to even more urgently and regularly start looking into the mirror. The term abyss is often [...]
Three ways our mind sabotages us: vision, vigor and values
The mind as a spy: How it sabotages us The mind is frequently described as an enemy in wisdom texts like the Bhagavad Gita. Yet, [...]
Three ways devotion causes disruption instead of contribution
Devotion is meant to bring about positive and powerful change, both internally within individuals and externally within society. However, devotion can sometimes have the opposite [...]
How self-destructive desire corrupts our intelligence
The Bhagavad Gita (3.43) exhorts us to use our intelligence to fight against self-destructive desires but simultaneously warns (3.40) that even intelligence can be corrupted [...]
Three meanings of ‘fire’ and how they apply to our inner world
The word fire has multiple meanings: a natural force that burns, the dismissal of someone from their job, and an energizing enthusiasm or motivation (as [...]
The difference between keeping up appearances and outright hypocrisy
The distinction between maintaining appearances and outright hypocrisy lies in the presence of some substance and an earnest effort to increase it. Hypocrisy arises when [...]
Gita 03.24 – Explanation
Gita 03.24 – Krishna turns on its head Arjuna’s argument about varna-sankara Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-24-krishna-turns-on-its-head-arjunas-argument-about-varna-sankara utsīdeyur ime lokā na kuryāṁ karma ced aham saṅkarasya ca [...]
Gita 03.23 – Explanation
Gita 03.23 – Walk your talk Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-23-walk-your-talk/ yadi hy ahaṁ na varteyaṁ jātu karmaṇy atandritaḥ mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ Word-for-word: yadi — [...]
Gita 03.22 – Explanation
Gita 03.22 – Krishna’s supreme position redefines duty as lila Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-22-krishnas-supreme-position-redefines-duty-as-lila/ na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana nānavāptam avāptavyaṁ varta eva ca [...]
What’s wrong with repeatedly indulging in a desire?
Whenever we indulge in a desire—whether it is to eat, watch TV, gossip, consume alcohol or drugs, or any other indulgence—we often perceive it as [...]
Gita 03.21 – Explanation
Gita 03.21 – We learn from others’ examples and set examples for others Audio Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-21-we-learn-from-others-examples-and-set-examples-for-others yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ [...]
Gita 03.08 – Explanation
Gita 03.08 – Material duty maintains material stability and facilitates spiritual focus Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-08-material-duty-maintains-material-stability-and-facilitates-spiritual-focus/ niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ śarīra-yātrāpi ca [...]
Gita 03.07 – Explanation
Gita 03.07 – Regulation is more conducive for advancement than renunciation Link : https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-07-regulation-is-more-conducive-for-advancement-than-renunciation/ yas tv indriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate ’rjuna karmendriyaiḥ karma-yogam asaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate [...]
Gita 03.43 – Explanation
Gita 03.43 – Use intelligence to pursue transcendence and subdue lust Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-43-use-intelligence-to-pursue-transcendence-and-subdue-lust/ evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam [...]
Gita 03.42 – Explanation
Gita 03.42 – In the line of fire from lust the soul is the last Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-42-in-the-line-of-fire-from-lust-the-soul-is-the-last/ indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas [...]
Gita 03.41 – Explanation
Gita 03.41 – Regulation is the foundation for purification Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-41-regulation-is-the-foundation-for-purification/ tasmāt tvam indriyāṇy ādau niyamya bharatarṣabha pāpmānaṁ prajahi hy enaṁ jñāna-vijñāna-nāśanam (Bg 3.41) [...]
Gita 03.40 – Explanation
Gita 03.40 – Lust has taken over our knowledge-acquiring mechanism Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-40-lust-has-taken-over-our-knowledge-acquiring-mechanism/ indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣṭhānam ucyate etair vimohayaty eṣa jñānam āvṛtya dehinam (Bg [...]
Gita 03.39 – Explanation
Gita 03.39 – The eternal enemy blinds, binds and burns Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-39-the-eternal-enemy-blinds-binds-and-burns/ āvṛtaṁ jñānam etena jñānino nitya-vairiṇā kāma-rūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca (Bg 3.39) Word-for-word: [...]
Gita 03.38 – Explanation
Gita 03.38 – No one is exempt from lust’s delusion Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-38-no-one-is-exempt-from-lusts-delusion/ dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśo malena ca yatholbenāvṛto garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛtam (Bg 3.38) [...]