Gita 04.02 explained
Bg 4.2 evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa Word for word: evam — thus; paramparā — by disciplic succession; prāptam [...]
The law of attraction and Gita wisdom
The law of attraction holds that we attract positive and negative things respectively by cultivating positive or negative thoughts. Is this law true? Why does [...]
Gita 04.34 explained
We are in concluding section of 4th ch, Shri Krishna has talked about various forms of Yajna by which once can acquire knowledge and knowledge [...]
How faith and doubt can both be used spiritually
A functional car needs to have both an accelerator and a brake. While driving, when we are on the right track, we can press the [...]
How pride can corrupt both faith and doubt …
We often equate pride with respect-demanding and self-congratulatory hubris. But it can appear much more subtly when it corrupts our two tools for seeking knowledge: [...]
How could past people believe in things we find irrational?
Some people argue, “Past people who believed ancient texts were irrational — that’s why they accepted various fantastic elements found in those texts.” Consider the [...]
Gita 04.13 explained
Bg 4.13 cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam Synonyms: cātuḥ-varṇyam — the four divisions of human society; mayā — by Me; sṛṣṭam — created; guṇa — of [...]
When philosophy answers our questions — and when it doesn’t
Suppose we are driving and suddenly meet a deadend. That’s when we may turn to a map. If we find a reliable map, we can [...]
How Superman’s history helps us understand Krishna’s intimate divinity
Superman was among the first in the galaxy of super-heroes that populates the DC universe. The history of Superman’s evolution points to an important truth [...]
Why all equalities are not equal
We live in an age that cherishes equality, and rightly so. In many ways, we have put behind several forms of discrimination that characterized large [...]
Is God partial?
Some people ask, “In earthly conflicts, as depicted in the Mahabharata, why does God take sides? Is he being partial?” No, he is simply being [...]
How appreciating other spiritual paths can distract us — and inspire us
We live today in a multicultural world where people from many different faith-traditions interact at the workplace as well as in cyberspace. In order to [...]
How following tradition literally may defeat the essential purpose of following tradition
Suppose somebody had sanctified their consciousness by bathing in a sacred river regularly at a particular place. This practice may have been going on for [...]
The importance of complexifying things
When we want to understand things, we often want them to be explained simply. Indeed, effective education centers on simplifying things to aid assimilation. Simultaneously [...]
How to persevere amid uncertainty?
Suppose we are driving. We gain confidence by seeing the path ahead clearly and knowing how it takes us to our destination. However, if the [...]
How Krishna descends to civilize and spiritualize humanity
One of the greatest civilizing forces in human history has been the belief in a God who keeps track of our actions and who [...]
Why fear of God is healthy — and when it becomes unhealthy
To stay civilized, every society needs to instill in its members a healthy fear of the law, which essentially means fear of the consequences of [...]
How we can learn from history to shape our history
Modern history is often a compilation of facts and figures, wars and conquests, births and deaths. Traditionally however, especially in spiritual cultures, history was [...]
Is faith irrational?
Some people say, “I am rational; I don’t accept irrational ideas such as faith.” While rationality is a vital tool in the human search for [...]
How God is rational and reciprocal — and is more
Understanding God is most difficult because he is the biggest reality in all of existence. By definition, he is supreme and is therefore superior to [...]
Why the Gita is misunderstood — and how it can be understood
Suppose we want to talk with someone who has closed body language. We hesitate in opening up to them because we don't know what will [...]