The concentration-point is not the point of concentration
The concentration-point refers to the thing on which we focus, whereas the point of concentration refers to the focus’s ultimate purpose. The Bhagavad-gita, in its [...]
Happiness comes from sameness – the balance between oneness and otherness
Oneness is a buzzword among spiritual seekers – they often want to feel one with the universe, with nature, with existence. As our lives are [...]
Gita 5.13 explained
Now Sri Krishna will talk about how one can stay detached further Bg 5.13 sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste sukhaṁ vaśī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na [...]
Gita 5.5 explained
This will be clearer in next verse: Bg 5.5 yat sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate sthānaṁ tad yogair api gamyate ekaṁ sāṅkhyaṁ ca yogaṁ ca yaḥ paśyati sa [...]
Krishna’s love for us is based not on who we are, but on who he is
Some devotee-seekers ask, “I am so fallen. Does Krishna love a person like me too?” Yes, definitely. Krishna’s love for us comes from not who [...]
Social media is no substitute for spiritual media
In our fast-paced techno-centric lifestyle, social media promises to fulfill our social needs. Updates about friends make us feel less lonely. A substantial friend count [...]
What is a source of trouble for the possessor can’t be the source of pleasure for the beholder
Lust makes temporarily good-looking bodies seem sources of immense pleasure. We know from our own experience with our body that it can be, indeed it [...]
See sense gratification as spiritual deprivation
“You are depriving yourself of so much pleasure,” the mind whispers when we practice spiritual life seriously and regulate sense gratification. We may neglect the [...]
Without devotion, renunciation comes painfully; with devotion, even liberation comes joyfully
“To avoid karmic bondage, renounce the world.” This widespread notion governs Arjuna’s reasoning at the start of the Bhagavad-gita. However, the Gita recommends an alternative [...]
Don’t pander; ponder
Some people ask, “Isn’t it our nature to be pleasure-seeking? Why then does the Bhagavad-gita ask us to give up pleasure?” The Gita doesn’t ask [...]
Life may not be logical but it is teleological
Teleology refers to ‘the perception of purposeful development towards an end.’ (American Heritage Dictionary) ‘Life is teleological’ means that whatever happens in our life is [...]
We have to sit in the city of nine gates, but we don’t have to be stuck in it
“You are not the body” is a basic teaching of the Bhagavad-gita. Even if we understand it, we can’t wish away our bodily incarceration – [...]
See the pleasure that ends in trouble as trouble, not pleasure
Education enables us to see things as they are, irrespective of how they appear to be. Thus for example a well-informed person, as contrasted with [...]
Those who give up pleasure for principle gain life’s principal pleasure
Many people fear, "If I practice spiritual life, I will have to give up so many material pleasures." However, the essence of spiritual life is [...]
Those who judge a horse by its harness can’t harness its potential
When people want to get a horse, they look at the pedigree of the horse – not the quality of its harness. The harness’s quality [...]
Those who can get on without matter can get on best with it
Many conventional seekers think of the world only in two terms – action or renunciation, either to act in the world or to renounce it. [...]
The different yogas are essentially similar with minor dissimilarities, not essentially dissimilar with minor similarities
The Bhagavad-gita calls humans to rise from the material mortal level of reality to the spiritual immortal level of reality. For this ascent it offers [...]
Those who check the urge to mate avoid checkmate
Checkmate signifies final, irreversible defeat. In material existence, checkmate comes in the form of death. It terminates all our dreams and schemes for enjoyment at [...]
Externals provide survival value, but internals provide value to survival
Struggle for survival is a fundamental characteristic of material existence. In this struggle, all living beings choose external things based on their survival value – [...]
When clarification causes confusion, the culprit is pre-conception
Krishna speaks the Bhagavad-gita to remove Arjuna’s confusion about the best course for him: action or renunciation. The Gita’s second chapter, eschewing these two polar [...]
What is natural is not always desirable; what is desirable is not always natural
Some people oppose regulation of sensual pleasure: “Material enjoyment is natural. Why should we unnaturally suppress that which is natural?” The vital question here is: [...]