Our connection with Krishna is reinforced, not restricted, by the guru
Some people find the idea of a guru difficult to digest, “Can’t I have a relationship with God? Why do I need to restrict my [...]
Some people find the idea of a guru difficult to digest, “Can’t I have a relationship with God? Why do I need to restrict my [...]
People interested in the Bhagavad-gita sometimes ask, “Which is its best translation?” The best translation is its translation into life. That is, the Gita’s best [...]
Some people ask, “Do I have to renounce everything material to gain devotion?” No – the essence of devotion is reclaiming the spiritual, not renouncing [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]