Be a warrior, not a worrier
An unchanging characteristic of life is change. And change often puts us into anxiety, especially when it is undesirable, unpredictable or uncontrollable. Such anxiety, if [...]
Lust is worse than our worst enemy
Our culture glamorizes lust as the source of life’s greatest pleasure. In jolting contrast, the Bhagavad-gita (03.37) warns that lust is the enemy of the [...]
Spiritual advancement comes not just by change of activity but by change of mentality
Materialism habituates us to seeking happiness by changing our externals new dress, new car, new job, new house, even new spouse. When we come to [...]
Fight for all that you have with all that you have
If someone came to pick our pocket, we would usually not let it go without a fight. The greater the wealth to be lost, the [...]
Show temptation the red light – not the red carpet
Self-destruction. That’s the bane of humanity. From hot-heads who break hearts due to their urge for speaking thoughtlessly to sex addicts who risk their dignity [...]
Is nothing the place where something is hiding?
Some people say, “When we do nothing, then we will become free from all external preoccupations and thereby discover our true self.” Will we? Yes, [...]
Might we be burning the very bridge that we want others to cross?
When we practice devotional service and realize its transformational benefits, we naturally feel inspired to share our faith with others. Such an inspiration is noble. [...]
Pause is not inaction but action
Ours is an action-oriented culture; we like to be on the move. Of course, action is desirable and essential.But action-centeredness can make us forget that [...]
Those who mistake torture to be pleasure sentence themselves to perpetual torture
When a moth sees a fire, it becomes so captivated that it rushes straight towards it. The closer it gets, the hotter it feels. However, [...]
Standards are for inspiration not condemnation
“They are so degraded.” We may think or even speak like this about those who don’t follow scriptural standards of morality. Bysuch a judgmental attitude [...]
Activating our skeptical antenna
Insects usually have their antennae extended and on high alert. All the more so when they sense dangers, especially predators. As spiritual souls residing in [...]
When comforts become ends, life becomes a dead end
Imagine a group of people who board a crowded train. Due to the discomfort, they struggle to first find standing space, then leaning space, then [...]
Why not model the desired example instead of desiring the model example?
Whenever we tread any challenging path, we gain inspiration from model examples. What they have achieved and how they have achieved it motivates us when [...]
The mental avatar of AIDS
AIDS is an extremely dangerous disease, largely because of its sinister method of attack. Normally when a disease attacks the body, the immune system springs [...]
Sensual pleasures are easily visible, rarely relishable
Sensual pleasures tantalize us by their appearance and frustrate us by their experience. They last at the most for a few minutes; so the actual [...]
Where is the glory in a backdoor victory over attachments?
In sports a backdoor victory is universally considered inglorious. If India deliberately schedulesa cricket seriesagainst Pakistan at a time when all the top Pakistaniplayers are [...]
Better to be exhausted than rusted
With every passing moment time moves forward inexorably and irreversibly. The passage of time causes non-living things to rust. Living beings also age as time [...]
Spiritual culture is the bridge from hypocrisy and perversity to purity
We sometimes get impure desires such as sexual attraction towards someone. Many people choose to fulfill these impure desires privately through various secret arrangements. By [...]
Let sleeping tigers sleep – don’t pinch them
“I thought I had become free from that attachment. Why has it come back?” Questions like these often describe our inner trajectory as devotee-seekers. When [...]
Sex is extraordinarily ordinary
Nothing fascinates the human imagination as much as sex. Pictures, articles, TV programs, movies, novels, websites and almost all conceivable means of communication are frequently [...]
Do not make a virtue out of alienating people
When we adopt spiritual practices seriously, we soon gain a bit of self-mastery. This self-mastery may create within us a sense of moral superiority that [...]