Expecting the default to change by default is a dangerous fault
“Will these immoral thoughts ever go away?” Questions like these may trouble us devotee-seekers when temptations provoke us even after we have adopted purifying spiritual [...]
Spiritual advancement comes not by defining, but by refining
Spiritual advancement is essentially a journey of our heart’s affection towards Krishna, a journey that can get sidetracked by many detours. One tempting detour is [...]
When the heat hits, move away from the heat source, not towards it
When the environmental heat hits us, we naturally move away from the heat source. Strangely however, we react in the opposite way to another kind [...]
It is never too late – and it is already too late
Intelligence and experience help us see that material enjoyment is temporary and unsatisfying, whereas Krishna consciousness is eternal and supremely satisfying. This vision inspires us [...]
Take exception to the hope for an exception
Our mind gets excited by any chance for material enjoyment. We have repeatedly experienced for ourselves that material enjoyment is at best an exasperating anti-climax, [...]
The mind traps us materially and trips us spiritually
We like our job one day and detest it the next day; we feel excited about our devotional activities sometimes and bored at other times. [...]
Conviction is the fuel for our resolutions to fly from take-off to landing
We often make resolutions to conquer our lower passions such as selfishness, ego, greed, lust or anger. Most such resolutions for self-improvement often have a [...]
Watch what you watch
Standard dictionaries give two meanings of the word watch: “follow with the eyes” and “be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful.” Interestingly, these [...]
Illusion makes us oblivious to the obvious
Nothing is as amazing as our obliviousness to the reality whose obviousness is evident all around us: death. This was king Yudhishthira’s insightful observation in [...]
Slick about sin or sick about sin?
A tragic trend of our times is the glamorization of immoral sexual indulgences as fashionable, as slick, as cool. This is especially evident in soap [...]
The Gita lives through those who live the Gita
Many people hesitate to apply the Bhagavad-gita in their lives because they doubt whether its guidelines given thousands of years ago are practical today. Their [...]
Devotion protects our values from being held hostage by our impulses
All of us have experience of times when our impulses overpower our values and goad us into actions that we regret later. How do our [...]
Let temptation trigger an alarm bell, not a welcome tune
The Bhagavad-gita (03.41) urges us to recognize carnal temptation as a symbol of sin (papamanam) and to curb it as soon as it rears its [...]
Krishna is attained not by playing with the intellect but by striving with the will
Many people, especially intellectuals, use knowledge, even scriptural knowledge, as a play-toy for their intellect. Playing with the intellect involves memorizing, analyzing, synthesizing and verbalizing [...]
Dwell, Desire, Decide, Degrade – No! Discriminate
The Gita (2.62)(02.63) outlines the path along which illusion tempts us. This fall from virtue happens through a sequence of four d’s: we dwell, we [...]
Lust is a black hole – beware of its gravity pull
The Bhagavad-gita (03.37) states that lust is the all-devouring sinful enemy of the world. In its capacity to devour everything that comes within its reach, [...]
See rituals as opportunities to spend quality time with Krishna
The various rituals that are a part of spiritual life – chanting, praying, worshipping and meditating – are opportunities for us to spend time with [...]
We Are Products But Not Prisoners Of Our Past
“Is this just the way I am? Am I a prisoner of my past?” Gloomy thoughts like these may haunt us when we fail in [...]