Remission is not elimination
Suppose a patient’s serious disease such as cancer goes into remission, that is, decreases in severity. But if the patient imagines themselves healed and stop [...]
Let intelligence be the inspector of impulse, not its incubator
In a cricket match, a well-set batsman sometimes hits a rash shot and gets out, triggering a collapse that causes the team to lose from [...]
Purification centers on channeling our nature, not suppressing it
Some people ask, “Don’t the many rules of spiritual life suppress our nature?” No, this apprehension comes from conflating two distinct senses of the word [...]
Be not tired of fighting against temptation – be tired of forgetting Krishna
If a shooter misses the target again and again, they may become tired of practicing, lose heart and give up. Or, they can resolve to [...]
Our words should open people’s hearts, not close them
Suppose a surgeon operates without considering the patient’s weak heart, and the surgery leads to a fatal complication. The surgeon would be considered negligent if [...]
Our choice has a louder voice than our voice
If leaders leading a country through recession urge citizens to adopt austerity measures, but live in luxury themselves, their choice will belie their voice and [...]
Addiction makes us crave for the things we don’t even like
Recovering drug addicts often report that they relapse into indulgence not because they want to get high but because they just want to feel normal. [...]
Defamation of character is not as damaging as deformation of character
Suppose someone defames us by spreading false rumors or making baseless accusations. We would be infuriated and may even sue them. But far more damaging [...]
Even when a big enemy is out there, the bigger enemy is in here
The Bhagavad-gita is a discussion on a battlefield between a warrior and his charioteer-turned-counselor. Since this conversation occurs just moments before the start of the [...]
Free love is far too costly
Many people find the notion of free love appealing because it brings together two things dear to us: freedom and love. Few things energize us [...]
Let temptation activate the warrior within, not the philanderer within
Suppose enemy forces sneak in to attack a country. If the border is guarded by their own spy instead of a faithful warrior, the spy [...]
Listen to your Lord, not to your lust
Within all of us lies an evil voice that lies. By promising pleasure, this voice prompts us to pander to our senses. But sensual pleasure [...]
Compartmentalization is a mental mechanism for self-deception
When we strive to live according to some elevated principles, there results an inevitable tension between our precepts and our practices. The level that we [...]
Lust locks the soul in an unholy embrace
When two people engage in an illicit relationship, their embrace is unholy. Lust is such an insidious partner that locks us in an unholy embrace. The [...]
Regulation is a protection measure, not a trust issue
Suppose a teenager is to stay alone at home. When his parents are leaving, they remind him to bolt the door and activate the security [...]
To mistake a ceasefire to be a treaty is suicidal
Suppose two warring armies decide to stop fighting. But one army thinks that they have arrived at a treaty that settles the dispute, while the [...]
Don’t abandon the very differences that make you essential
Today’s society often glamorizes a particular definition of success. Thus, for example, students who take up particular careers such as engineering or medicine are considered [...]
To be a spiritual freedom fighter, be a sensual fire fighter
The world over, freedom fighters are lauded as national heroes. We all have the opportunity to do something heroic: become freedom fighters who strive for [...]
Break people’s misconceptions – don’t break people
The Bhagavad-gita concludes by urging us to share its message of love with others (18.68-69). Sometimes, we misconstrue this call to share as a license [...]
Bhakti is not inaction – it is action with the deepest sense of purpose
Sometimes people think that practicing spirituality means giving up all action. While some forms of spirituality do recommend inaction as a means for minimizing one’s [...]
To resist sense indulgence, resist the hype around sense indulgence
When scripture urges us to regulate sensual indulgence, our mind objects: “Why shouldn’t I enjoy?” This question misleads by invoking a sense of deprivation. To [...]