Gita 5.2 explained
Bg 5.2 śrī-bhagavān uvāca sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca niḥśreyasa-karāv ubhau tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyate Word for word: śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; [...]
Desires go away not by gratification or repression but by purification
Desires that we know are undesirable sometimes impel us. If repeatedly impelled, we may feel, “Let me just indulge and get it over with. At [...]
See anger as a sign of weakness, not strength
When we get angry, we often speak and act in regrettable ways. Still, we falter and fail in our attempts to resist anger. How can [...]
Whenever things seem to fall apart, remember when things have fallen in place
Sometimes, life seems to hand out one reversal after another and all that we are doing seems to be falling apart. We may feel that the universe is hostile; we may question the benevolence or even the existence of God. At such times, it’s important to note that life hasn’t always given us a raw deal – we have had things fall in place for us. Whenever we have achieved anything substantial,
Animals choose how to fulfill their bodily drives; we humans can choose whether to fulfill our bodily drives
A cow, after eating all the grass in one row in a uniformly green pasture, can choose whether to eat the grass on the left or the right. Animals are driven largely by their bodily drives. Yet, within the scope of those drives, they do have the free will to choose how to fulfill those drives.
Even if we can’t change the content of our experience, we can change its context
Sometimes people ask spiritualists, “What do you gain in this life by your spiritual practices? You too face the same problems as we do – [...]
Happiness comes not by making money, but by making something worthwhile with money
Money is a matter of anxiety for most people. Concern for money is understandable because we need money to survive. But what actuates and aggravates [...]
Don’t let self-control fuel the illusion of the self as the controller
Self-control is a valuable virtue on the spiritual path. It helps us resist worldly pleasures and focus on higher purposes. But that very self-control may [...]
Failure is not catastrophic – to see failure as catastrophic is catastrophic
Our mind often makes problems seem worse than what they actually are. Suppose someone fails in an exam. Their mind may tell them that their [...]
Be not eager for the meager
Suppose someone invited us for a feast and then delivered food so meager that it wouldn’t satisfy even a squirrel. If they invited and under-delivered [...]
Constancy of purpose often necessitates change of strategy
India dominated world hockey from the 1920s to the 1970s. Its success came from its wizard-like expertise in using the hockey stick. But after artificial [...]
Refuel your love tank with bhakti
If while traveling, our car tank starts drying up, we need to refuel, lest we get stranded. Our heart is like a tank that runs [...]
We can’t drive out darkness, but we can turn on the light
Suppose we find ourselves groping and stumbling in a dark room. We may feel irritated at the darkness, but cursing or punching it achieves nothing. [...]
Seek not the mirage of sensual titillation – seek the ocean of spiritual satisfaction
For a thirsty person lost in a desert, a mirage promises the very thing they need: water. Actually however, the mirage is the very thing [...]
To overcome desires, outgrow them
When children want to spend all their time playing and their parents force them to study, the children resent their studies and sneak back to [...]
Eventual defeat doesn’t justify immediate defeat
When we strive to live a principle-centered life by resisting temptations, we may find some temptation irresistible and feel, “Since I will indulge eventually, why [...]
Don’t expect illusion to get out — you get out
“Get out” we may tell someone who has hurt us terribly. In the past, kings would exile offenders from their kingdom, with such banishment being [...]
Our over-reactions reveal our sore spots
Suppose, while we are walking, our shoulder touches a wall, and we find ourselves wincing. Our over-reaction indicates that we have on our shoulder some [...]
Social activism is the byproduct of spiritual activism, not its purpose
Many people nowadays evaluate spirituality in utilitarian terms – they value it only for its tangible social benefits. Undoubtedly, spirituality does promote social well-being. When [...]
God is the cause of all causes, but not the cause of all effects
On knowing the definition of God as the cause of all causes, we may get the question, “Is he the cause of the wrongs that [...]
The more we are responsible for others, the more we need to be responsible for ourselves
Suppose a surgeon is agitated, distracted or exhausted while doing surgery – a small wrong cut can be disastrous. Their responsibility for the lives of [...]