Devotion centers not on renouncing the material, but on reclaiming the spiritual
Some people ask, “Do I have to renounce everything material to gain devotion?” No – the essence of devotion is reclaiming the spiritual, not renouncing [...]
The point of scriptural study is not to prove our point, but to improve our viewpoint
We frequently think that our understanding of things is the correct understanding. When we study scripture, this mentality often makes us presume that our understanding [...]
Love God, not the concept of God
The concept of God refers to an intellectualized or sentimentalized notion of God that is more a projection of one’s own preference than the revelation [...]
Harmonize conceptions of the divine with revelation by the divine through surrender to the divine
Different traditions whose ranks incorporate not just lay people but also serious seekers and even saintly seers have varying conceptions of the divine. Why? Because [...]
If let cynicism rob our power to trust Krishna, we rob ourselves of our greatest power
We live in an age where it is easy to be cynical. Unscrupulous forces out to fleece us abound in every field. In our everyday [...]
Choose not faith in the eyes; choose the eyes of faith
Faith is not a matter of choice; it is a matter of necessity. Some people may claim to have no faith, or, going even further, [...]
Study pastimes not to swoop down on their meaning, but to be swept up by their emotion
When we come across something intellectually challenging such as a crossword puzzle or a riddle, we feel stimulated and thrilled to “crack” it. We may [...]
Krishna descends to delineate, demonstrate and disseminate dharma
“God descends to establish dharma.” Those familiar with the Gita know this well, with some even quoting the relevant Bhagavad-gita verses (04.07 - 04.08). A careful [...]
Krishna descends to offer not just protection but also participation
One of the most quoted verses of the Bhagavad-gita (04.08) states the purpose of Krishna’s periodic descents: cosmic protection. He protects the social and spiritual [...]
For the cynic, the truth lies in the heart
Some people are inveterate cynics who ascribe the darkest motives to even the noblest actions. When such cynics target religion, they see God as a [...]
To let the nourishing water of truth irrigate the heart, break the dam of misconception
Devotee-seekers sometimes get the question: “If Krishna is all-attractive, then why is everyone not attracted to him?” Because they do not wish to be attracted [...]
Don’t think things to death; think of the thing called death
Thinking things to death refers to spending so much time analyzing a problem that the time for applying any solution runs out before one decides [...]
The purpose of establishing dharma in the world is to establish us in dharma
One of the Gita’s most-quoted verses (04.08) describes how Krishna descends to establish dharma. Less quoted, but no less significant is the next verse declaring [...]
Don’t just punish lust-dominated individuals; purify lust-tormented individuals
The Bhagavad-gita’s flow contains many leaps of thought that when understood using the commentaries of devotionally adept Gita teachers provide precious insights into life and [...]
Krishna’s pastimes are the trailer and the trail
The Bhagavad-gita (04.09) asserts that those who understand Krishna’s pastimes in truth attain liberation. How can liberation, elusive even for renunciates performing prolonged austerities, be [...]
The inner war is the bigger war
People new to the Bhagavad-gita often ask: “Does it endorse war?” At one level, the Gita does indeed urge a virtuous warrior to fight against [...]
Devotion blossoms in a personal culture, not a personality cult
Bhakti-yoga with its injunction that disciples serve the guru may seem to promote a personality cult. What bhakti actually endorses is a personal culture. This [...]
Go beyond sectarianism and non-sectarianism to trans-sectarianism
Thoughtful people often dislike sectarianism of any kind due to the divisiveness it fosters. As religions have been known to foster sectarian feelings (“the good [...]
No one owns the truth table except God – and he has many invitees
“My way is the only way.” This is the exclusivist credo of some religionists. In disarming contrast, Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita (04.11): “All people [...]
What is beyond being dated is beyond becoming outdated
Some people ask, “The Bhagavad-gita was spoken thousands of years ago. Doesn’t that make it outdated?” Not at all. Gita wisdom cannot be tied down [...]
Failure is no disaster; failure to try is
The fear of failure often gnaws us whenever we contemplate any challenging endeavor. The same applies to the prospect of spiritual life, wherein, to attain [...]