How Krishna addresses Arjuna’s concerns about untimely death
In the Bhagavad-gita’s eight chapter, Krishna explains how dedicated yogis train themselves to depart at auspicious times, thereby attaining liberation (08.24). Those who depart at [...]
How not to apply the Gita
When Krishna deems this world a place of distress (Bhagavad-gita 08.15), some spiritually-minded people take this statement as a prescription for material apathy: “Why try [...]
Does the Gita discourage material solutions to problems?
Some people ask, “When the Bhagavad-gita (08.15) states that the world is a place of misery, does that mean we can never avoid misery and [...]
Is the world really a place of misery?
Sometimes, the Bhagavad-gita statement that the world is a place of misery (08.15) is seen as a prescription for pessimism. To better understand this statement, [...]
What are we focusing on: connection or contribution?
While practicing bhakti, we may sometimes become discouraged, thinking, “I can’t make any worthwhile contribution.” To avoid such discouragement, we need to get our priorities [...]
Is the Gita’s declaration about the world’s distressful nature pessimistic?
When we hear the Bhagavad-gita statement (08.15) that the world is a place of distress, we may wonder, “Isn’t this pessimistic?” No, if we understand [...]
Gita 08.16 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now here onwards Krishna will contrast [...]
How can we develop both materially and spiritually?
We may fear, “If we become too spiritually serious, that will undermine our material prospects. Conversely, if we become too materially ambitious, that will undermine [...]
Tap the power of negative thinking
Yes, you read that right. We are discussing the power of negative thinking, not positive thinking. Every time a fire is prevented by an accessibly-placed [...]
If saving lives means something more than delaying death, then we all have the opportunity to save lives
During a pandemic, the medical care providers are the frontline warriors. By their courageous and competent actions, they can save people's lives. When the pandemic [...]
Use circumstantial suffering as an impetus to address existential plight
Suppose we are in an ocean. We might be floating on a raft that may be jeopardized by small waves. Or we might be on [...]
Gita 08.21 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Now Sri Krishna will describe for [...]
Gita 08.14 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan so now Krishna has talked [...]
Gita 08.09 explained
Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan 9-13: Remembrance by yoga-mishra [...]
Even if we fare well in life, we still have to say farewell to life
We all wish to fare well in life; we seek positions and possessions as markers of our progress and success. Often, we lament because we [...]
To forget that the world is a hurtful place is to place ourselves on a path full of hurts
Suppose we walk out on a thorny path without any footwear. We will hurt our feet. If someone warns us that the way is thorny, [...]
We are like birds on a branch — our wings need to grow before the branch breaks
Suppose a bird is perched on a branch. Does it live in constant fear that the branch under it may break? No, because it knows [...]
Our belief system doesn’t just shape our perception of reality – it becomes our reality
What we believe, that we perceive. This is a well-known principle in philosophical circles. When we observe the world, we don’t experience it in a [...]
Meditation is not the antithesis of action, it is the basis of action
Some people consider meditation to be a scandalous waste of time. They question dedicated meditators: “How can you waste so much time doing nothing? If [...]
Our deepest desires should direct us from within, not disappear within
Suppose we have something precious that we are afraid of losing. We may keep it carefully, deep inside a secret safe. However, if we don’t [...]
When life is uncomfortable, thank God that it is not unbearable
We all experience discomfort at times. The discomfort may be because of loneliness, boredom, overwork, worry, annoyance and so forth. Such feelings are obviously not [...]