Don’t just give up fallible shelters – seek the infallible shelter
Some people hesitate to take up spiritual life because they think that it requires them to renounce things such as worldly possessions, activities and relationships. [...]
Devotion is more often depleted by indifference than destroyed by hate
Those who get a treasure protect it vigilantly from thieves. Similarly, when we get devotion for Krishna and understand that it can provide us everlasting [...]
It’s not just about you – it never was
“It’s just about me.” That’s how we sometimes minimize our moral lapses. We think that as long as we can maintain an appearance of being [...]
Context is critical for comprehending content
Self-interested people sometimes try to make their questionable opinions seem respectable by quoting esteemed authorities out of context. By such cherry picking, they make those [...]
The shoe that fits one person bites another
We are all distinct individuals. Given our differences, no material formula can work uniformly for everyone, just as one shoe can’t fit all people. Acknowledging [...]
The vain live in vain
Those who live under the illusion that they don’t need God are from the spiritual perspective vain or arrogant. Actually, we all need God, at [...]
Inaction is no protection from reaction
If we find ourselves in an epidemic-hit area, we will be anxious to avoid getting infected or, if we have already been infected, to be [...]
Rationalization is temptation’s spin-doctor
When we strive to lead a principle-centered life, we reject the temptations that violate our principles. However, temptation doesn’t so easily take no for an [...]
The past won’t last if to Krishna we hold fast
We are all products of our past. The circumstances we went through and the choices we made have contributed, for better or for worse, to [...]
Say nothing doing to doing nothing
The idea of doing nothing often catches the fancy of those who want a retreat from the rush of materialistic life. And our culture does [...]
We are not to be the doers, but we are to do
The Bhagavad-gita’s teachings on doership are paradoxical. Initially, it (03.27) deems as deluded those who think themselves to be doers. Yet it (18.63) concludes by [...]
Our intelligence can be overcome by illusion, yet it is also the key to overcome illusion
To practice spiritual life means to wage an inner war against the illusion created by our lower desires, especially lust. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36-43) vividly outlines [...]
Lust de-spiritualizes the subject and dehumanizes the object
When the culture depicts lust as the expressway to enjoyment, how can we understand the Bhagavad-gita’s declaration (03.37) that lust is the enemy of the [...]
Recover the soul; don’t re-cover it
We may get the question: “If I am a soul different from my body, then why can’t I realize myself as such?” Because of our [...]
The soul is wise, but lust makes it otherwise
“What makes good people do bad things?” This is a question that has vexed thinking people throughout history. We all have probably witnessed acquaintances suddenly [...]
The cure for lust comes not by condemning the object but by cleansing the subject
The object of lust refers to the thing that triggers lust. The subject of lust refers to the person within whom lust is triggered. Condemning [...]
Lust doesn’t just bind us – it also makes us fight to hold on to its bonds
If someone were being bound by ropes, that person would naturally fight to untie the bonds. But suppose that person fights instead to hold on [...]
Conquer vice not just by fighting harder, but by rising higher
Vice is the inner self-destructive force that promises quick pleasure but ends up binding us to misery and bondage. The Bhagavad-gita (03.36 - 03.43) provides [...]
Study scripture as an existential seeker, not as a historical investigator
Some people study scripture largely, if not entirely, from a historical perspective – they focus on when it was written, what was the general culture [...]
Stepping-stones can become sucking swamps if we don’t step over in time
“Go from darkness to light, from illusion to truth, from mortality to immortality,” exhorts a celebrated aphorism from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28). The Bhagavad-gita, also [...]
The idea to serve Krishna is far more important than the ideas to serve Krishna
The idea to serve Krishna refers to our broad understanding that life is meant for serving him. The ideas to serve Krishna refer to our [...]